Basic to Brilliant, Y'all: 150 Refined Southern Recipes and Ways to Dress Them Up for Company
by Virginia Willis

Chef Virginia Willis grew up in the American South, and that home turf is where her recipes in Basic to Brilliant begin. But she is also a graduate of the French L'Academie de Cuisine and Ecole de Cuisine LaVarenne, so she knows how down-home basics can be transformed into Continental cuisine for company. In this new cookbook she does just that. Each “basic” recipe is followed by a “brilliant” variation – an addition that elevates the dish into something more refined. It could be a sauce, or a complimentary side dish, or an alternative cooking method. When you want the authentic Southern recipe you have a great place to start – if you’re curious about where to take it next – brilliant!

The day I brought this book home my husband was getting ready to poach some salmon filets. Yes – there happened to be a Poached Salmon recipe in the book – so I immediately made Willis’s Dijon Mustard Tarragon Sauce to cover (napper in French, as she tells us). The basic recipe was followed by the “brilliant” alternative cooking method – salmon poached in oil with Garlic Confit as might be done in France. We didn’t try oil poaching that evening – but as I read through the cookbook I flagged many recipes that look terrific. If you cook enough you can tell when a recipe will work – and these will quickly become part of our regular rotation.