Thanks to Sara Foster for dropping in on Turnrow's Sunday brunch this weekend. The Chapel Hill chef was in town to promote her new cookbook, Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen, and to teach a class at the Viking Cooking School. Before leaving town Sunday afternoon, she stopped in to observe our Sunday crew's preparation of dishes from the new cookbook.
This new book is Sara's fourth and the first time she has turned exclusively to her Southern roots. She marries traditional Southern fare with her philosophy of fresh, seasonal, simple preparation, resulting in a wonderful and resourceful collection that bursts with eye-catching photography and great side notes. We had no trouble pulling a few of these simple and lovely recipes to prepare. The gang served up tasty renditions of Roasted Tomato Grits with Country Ham & Cracklings, Watermelon-Tomato Salad with Shaved Feta and Fresh Mint, Deviled Ham Salad, and Pimiento Cheese Burgers.
Sara stayed and visited with the line of diners who bustled in after church to grab a plate, and she even shared several bottles of very fine Blanc du Rhône from Edward Sellers' artisan winery.
The weekend events were such a success, and guests were so enthralled by Sara's lovely cookbook, that we actually sold out of copies, which rarely happens. Unfortunately we cannot offer signed copies but encourage home chefs to order a copy here anyway. It will come in handy this summer when the season's bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables comes rolling in.
