After growing up in Mississippi, Jernard Wells brought the familiar dishes and bold flavours of the South along on his culinary journey to chef, restaurateur, and TV host. With Southern Inspired, Jernard continues his journey — retracing the steps of generations of African American cooks whose creations contributed to global kitchen tables since slavery. Southern food defines American food at large, and Jernard takes it to a whole new level while still honoring its roots. Jernard also brings in flavours from the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, and Europe, always with his signature Southern flair.
This cookbook shares 100 recipes that are approachable for both beginners and more experienced cooks. You’ll find dishes for busy weekdays, backyard barbecues, slow-paced dinner parties, indulgent brunches, and holiday feasts, including:
• Blackened Catfish with Smoked Gouda Grits
• Sweet Tea-Brined Fried Chicken
• Oxtails and Bowties
• Creamy Collard Green Dip and Crostini
• Over-the-Top Lime BBQ Shrimp Tacos
• One-Pot Vegetable Caribbean Noodles
• Cast-Iron Skillet Creamed Corn
• Fried Green Tomatillos
• Chicken Cheeseburger Eggrolls
• Georgia Peach Hot Chicken Sandwiches
• Cranberry Whiskey Glazed Pork Ribs
• BBQ Shrimp and Grits
• Granny Gwen’s Banana Pudding
• Mason Jar Raspberry Chocolate Trifles
Accompanied by beautiful colour photography, Southern Inspired showcases Jernard’s American food: fresh, personal recipes packed with traditions and heartwarming family stories from an African American chef's perspective.
Southern Inspired is a beautiful book full of well written recipes for delicious food with inspiration drawn from the American south curated by Chef Jernard A. Wells. Released 1st Nov by BenBella Books, it's 256 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.
As described, this is a well written ode to southern American food traditions with a strong influence from African American soul food. The recipes are well written, but fair warning, they're full of fats, loaded with high sugar content sauces, and many are breaded and deep fried. This is a once-in-a-while decadent party potluck recipe book and not an every day dinner collection.
Recipe ingredients are provided in bullet lists in a sidebar. Measurements are given in imperial (American) units only, followed by step by step directions. There is no nutritional information included. The standouts for me in this collection were the appealing layout with gorgeous photography - well styled and appealing food, presented very well, as well as Chef Wells' friendly personality and welcoming style. He seems to be a big friendly guy with a burning passion for food, and that shines through in his writing.
Four stars. Very nice collection.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
