June 2021 Cookbook Reviews

 

Rodney Scott's World of BBQ by Rodney Scott

Rodney Scott grew up with barbecue. He cooked his first whole hog at eleven years old and has been cooking ever since. His parents had several businesses, including selling barbecue and later a restaurant, and Rodney was an only child so he grew up helping in whatever business needed it. He harvested tobacco, worked in the restaurant, helped cook hogs, whatever needed to be done. As an adult he decided that he wanted to keep cooking barbecue for his profession and wanted to help the family barbecue business expand. But, he and his father butted heads over the business and sadly his father eventually cut him off just as Rodney's own restaurant was taking off. But, Rodney's motto is "every day is a good day" so he focused on his own restaurants and family. Today Rodney Scott is well-known in the barbecue world and has won a James Beard award for his first restaurant. In this book about a third of the book is his story of how he grew up and how he got to where he is now in the barbecue world. The second third of the book explains how to build a fire pit to slow cook whole hogs and other ways to grill or barbecue various cuts of meat. The final third is recipes for other dishes he grew up eating or are now on his restaurant menus, including a variety of sauces and seasonings. I had heard of Rodney Scott before, but his story is so unique and he seems like such a down to Earth person despite his notoriety in the food world. My husband and I had planned a trip to Charleston in 2020 that was canceled because of COVID, so now I have another restaurant to add to my list for when we can reschedule that trip. I definitely want to try some of Rodney Scott's famous barbecue!

Rice: a Savor the South cookbook by Michael W. Twitty

I love the Savor the South cookbook series, so I was excited to check out this new one. And I know Michael Twitty from his book The Cooking Gene, so I knew this would give a good history of rice and cooking with rice in the South. Twitty does a great job with the Introduction that covers the history of rice and cooking with rice in the South. Then the recipes are divided into categories like "the basics," "deep origins," and "southern classics." Each recipe has a paragraph at the top that explains the dish or the chef's inspiration for the recipe. There are definitely a few recipes I'd like to try and overall this is another good addition to the Savor the South series.

The All-Purpose Baker's Companion by King Arthur Flour

I bake with King Arthur flour, so when I saw this newly revised cookbook I knew I wanted to check it out. It's HUGE at over 550 pages and very comprehensive. This is one I will likely buy because it's got so many recipes from basic to advanced and tips along the way. This would be a great cookbook to give as a wedding gift because it's one you could use year after year. There were several recipes I'd like to try and sections on sourdough baking and in the pastry chapter it gives step by step instructions for making your own puff pastry that are for more advanced bakers. Overall, I think this would be a great staple cookbook to have at home.