Author of eight cookbooks and host of more than 300 television cooking shows, Nathalie Dupree is the grand dame of Southern cooking and a consummate culinary counsel for her region. With Cordon Bleu training, she spread her cuisine from a small restaurant in Social Circle, Georgia, to international fame in two decades of teaching, writing and, above all, cooking.

Dupree takes readers on a tour of her beloved South in this book, introducing foods and food sources with personal stories and dozens of recipes. A section on "Hot Weather Food," for instance, reflects on how Southerners survive the summer months and how Dupree does her cooking-ahead in the early hours of the day, preparing ribs and sausages, curried slaw and deviled eggs. She offers recipes for Tomato Aspic and Gazpacho Soup, Potato Salad and Black-Eyed Peas and Fried Chicken.

Like a Fourth of July parade, Dupree's collection of dishes and recollections is a celebration of Southern culture, old and new, arranged in a succession of appetizers and sweets and full-blown meals.

Recipe:
Acadian Peppered Shrimp