Wonderful Surprise - Cat Sitting Gift ~ Tupelo Honey Cafe

Tupelo Honey Cafe: Spirited Recipes from Asheville's New South Kitchen, published in 2011.  Southern comfort food with innovative flavor pairings from one of Asheville's  (North Carolina) early adopters of the farm to fork movement. The book is filled with 125 recipes, plus amazing photos of food, the restaurant, locals, farmer's markets and farms. There are also a few black and white archival photos of Asheville.

We begin with an brief introduction to the restaurant and city, then notes about wine and beer pairings - scattered throughout the chapters are suggestions for both beverages. Moving on to the recipes, The Larder is filled with gravies, salsas, dressings, sauces, dressings, pickles & preserves, and chow chow. I may try the root beer & sorghum glaze as well as the pecan vinaigrette.  Heavenly Appetizers and Soups is aptly named with Tupelo Honey wings and a Coconut Sweet Potato Bisque, while in the Sandwich & Salads chapter a scrumptious Fried Green Tomato and Grilled Portobello will be tried once the weathers gets warmer. Fish Out of Water explores a few seafood dishes ~ shrimp & grits, Snapper, scallops and catfish ~ while Chicken Seven Ways is just that - seven variations on chicken.

Beyond the Smokehouse offers the meat recipes for beef, pork, lamb and sausage, and The Three's pitches a few quirky takes on sides including a Candied Ginger Cornbread dressing. The dishes in  Blue Ridge Parkway Brunches are biscuits, pancakes, quiche and a Blueberry Breakfast Bread Pudding. The final section, As Sweet as Tupelo Honey contains a few desserts with the Mocha Cheesecake deserving at least a second look.