A New Turn in the South

September 19, 2011
Acheson is a Canadian by birth and a Southerner by choice. With a restaurant in Atlanta and three others in Athens, his outsider versions of down home classics have become well known in Georgia. Here, in his first cookbook, he flexes his southern hospitality to share over 120 of the creations that have started him on the road to celebrity chefdom. Not surprisingly, peanuts are a prominent ingredient, but they turn up in the most unexpected ways: boiled peanut hummus, peanut soup with avocado, and in a risotto along with okra, ham and ramps (a leek-like wild onion). Fruits, both sweet and sour also make surprise appearances. Marinated anchovies are embellished with ruby red grapefruit and country ham is served with mango and red pepper flakes. Mint grows wild in Georgia, and there is no controlling it here either as it finds its way into dishes diverse as grilled poussin, chilled cucumber mint soup, and lamb shanks with minted turnips. The recipes are pleasantly succinct, with short musings by the chef acting as preamble to many of them. He touches upon his disdain for bouillon cubes and his preferences when it comes to collards. He also takes a four-page pause midway through the work to reflect on his favorite ingredient: the community he serves.

October 1, 2011
Born in Canada, Acheson moved to Georgia in 2000, opened a popular restaurant in Athens, and decided to stick his neck out. With standard southern dishes as his point of departure, he created variations on their familiar themes, breathing exciting new life into what had heretofore been deemed traditional fare. She-crab soup gets a jolt of smoked paprika. Shrimp and grits have some added andouille sausage, moving the dish ever so gently toward jambalaya. Leek cream sauce enriches squash casserole. Tomato chutney tops fried catfish swimming in a vermouth emulsion. Acheson also plays with other culinary traditions, adding collard greens to Roman spaghetti carbonara. Duck confit has a sauce of star anise. One item he leaves untouched: cornbread. He does not take the heretical step of adding any sugar. Southern cooks looking for something novel to rejuvenate their fare will find ideas aplenty here.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)