The Best Southern Cookbooks

1. Pines and Plantations : Described in Town and Country Magazine as one of the best regional cookbooks, it is now in its 14th printing with almost 55,000 copies sold. This wonderful cookbook showcases Plantation menus and recipes with some of the best game recipes passed down from generations of Southern households. Available from Kevin's in Thomasville, GA & Tallahasse, FL.

2. The Special Taste of Florida : One of Florida's bestselling cookbooks and a special selection by Williams-Sonoma, Neiman Marcus and Disney Marketing, "The Special Taste of Florida" celebrates America's most exciting cuisine with 400 delicious recipes. Hard to come by, not available online except at Kevin's.

3. Gulf Coast Cooking : If you live near the Gulf Coast, you know our shrimp taste better than any other shrimp in the world. No contest. Take your rock shrimp and your scampi and, well, stuff them. It won't matter how you prepare them; they won't be as good as golden batter fried Gulf shrimp. And life doesn't serve up any finer taste than fresh Gulf flounder, cooked until just barely done, whether it's fried, grilled, baked, or broiled. That is, unless life offers you Gulf trout, or redfish, or snapper. Virginia Elverson has skimmed the cream of her own recipe files and those of other cooking professionals from Tampa Bay to Tampico and all points between. This might be the first cookbook anywhere based on the unique resources of a specific body of water and gleaned from the cooks who live along its shores. Available on amazon.com

4. Wild at the Table : A fascinating history of the development of North American wild game and fish cooking from colonial times to contemporary. Featured are the same freshwater fish, seafood, venison, small game, and game birds that gave rise to regional cooking customs, traditions, and cuisines. Available on amazon.com

5. Bon Appetit, Y'all : The playful title of this Southern-French cookbook belies its studious attitude to cookery. Willis, a chef who has cooked for the White House and stars like Aretha Franklin and Jane Fonda, grew up in Georgia and Louisiana, absorbing her mother's and grandmother's repertoire of grits, casseroles and gumbos before developing her professional skills at French cooking academies. The result is a hybrid cuisine she calls refined Southern, which applies traditional French technique and lighter ingredients to produce new versions of Southern staples. Available on amazon

6. Southern Cakes : Taste the chocolatey goodness of Mississippi Mud or marvel at the extravagant elegance of the Lady Baltimore and there will be no doubt that Southerners know how to bake a cake. Available on amazon

7. Screen Doors and Sweet Tea : Born and raised in Mississippi, Foose cooks Southern food with a contemporary flair. Filled with 150 original recipes from the executive chef of the Viking Cooking School. Includes humorous and touching tales, as well as useful information on ingredients, techniques, storage, shortcuts, variations and substitutions. Available on amazon.com

8. Frank Stitt's Southern Table : Saving the best for last, Frank Stitt is sost well known for his raved about restaurants, the Highlands Bar & Grill of Birmingham, AL. Its big, full of beautiful color photographs and fabulous recipes. From southern traditions such as Hoppin John, Fried Okra, Corn Pudding to exquisite salads, entrees and desserts. I LOVE this cookbook. Great foreword by Pat Conroy. At amazon.