To many, Kentucky means the greatest thoroughbreds in the world. To others, it is the home of the finest bourbon. But the obvious success of burgoo, Owensboro barbeque, and Harlan Sanders's Kentucky Fried Chicken carries the state's reputation for excellence to a wider audience. From the perfect mint julep to benedictine, from a classic hot brown to cheese chutney, Kentucky's Best captures the full range of the state's culinary delights. Linda Allison-Lewis combines traditional and gourmet dishes, offering recipes from all parts of the state and from beloved restaurants and inns. Start with a mouth-watering soup from Amelia's Field Country Inn or experience the wonderful smell of the Seelbach Hotel's Sourmash Bourbon Bread as it bakes in the oven. And be sure to save room for peanut butter pie from Gambill Mansion Bed and Breakfast or a slice of Kentucky Whiskey Cake! For special meals, check out sections such as "Lunch and Teatime Favorites" and "Derby Favorites." A delight to read as well as to use, Kentucky's Best also reveals the stories behind the favorites. Whether it's the story of Old Talbott Tavern, the oldest stage-coach stop in America, or the tale of young Alma Harbin's mistaking gladiola bulbs for onions when she first prepared potato salad for her husband-to-be, Allison-Lewis reveals a flair for storytelling.

Kentucky has a rich culinary tradition with distinctive regional recipes that reflect the unique heritage of the commonwealth, and few know that tradition better than Linda Allison-Lewis. In the ten years since the publication of her celebrated first collection, Kentucky's Best: Fifty Years of Great Recipes, letters and e-mails have poured in from readers clamoring for a collection of the best recipes from her popular food column. Kentucky Cooks: Favorite Recipes from Kentucky Living presents the most popular recipes from the pages of Kentucky Living magazine. In Kentucky Cooks, traditional and contemporary flavors are united in the best recipes the state has to offer. Kentucky Cooks offers a diverse assortment of the magazine's most requested recipes. Featuring entrées, side dishes, sandwiches, snacks, breads, desserts, and more, there is something for every taste in this collection of delicious Kentucky favorites. Each section begins with an anecdote shared by a Kentucky Living staffer, a reader of the column, or related by Allison-Lewis herself. Ease into the day with morning specialties like Gingerbread Waffles, Caramel Apple–Filled Crepes, or Breakfast Tortilla Roll Ups. Cooks will be delighted to find savory selections for weeknights as well as special occasions, including new twists on old standbys such as Blackberry Vinaigrette Salad, Buttermilk Chive Biscuits, Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken, Coffee-Pecan-Glazed Ham, or Crouton and Walnut Catfish. Many entrées take a fresh look at regional favorites; Venison Italian, Pork Shoulder with Stir-Fried Vegetables and Plum Sauce, Southwest Slow-Cooker Burritos, and Grilled Chipotle Adobo Pork Tenderloin fuse unexpected ingredients for an international zing. Seasonal ingredients appear in innovative combinations in Vidalia Onion Finger Sandwiches, Shrimp Julep with Pear Salad, Honey-Baked Tomatoes, and Bison Tenderloin with Roasted Asparagus and Stone-Ground Cheese Grits. Indulge your sweet tooth with decadent desserts like Quick-and-Easy Blackberry Cobbler, Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Chocolate Cinnamon Pudding, Orange-Slice Cake, or Black Forest Fudge Trifle. Better yet, start with dessert and see if you have room left for dinner! Whether enjoying a family meal, entertaining friends and neighbors, or hosting a holiday celebration, the recipes in Kentucky Cooks will inspire you to savor all the best the region has to offer.

Hospitality-kentucky Style defines simply elegant cooking and entertaining is in the Kentucky tradition of welcoming family and friends to their old homes. The author, Colonel Michael Masters is The Host of Kentucky and he annotates the recipes he uses in his entertaining with familial annotations and storytelling. If you ever wanted to know the reason for Kentucky's worldwide reputation for hospitality you must read this book. It is all about fine food, fine aged Kentucky bourbon whisky, fast horses and beautiful women. If you read Hospitality-Kentucky Style once, you will reread it ten times. It is that terrific.

Once relegated to an annual appearance in a Kentucky Derby Mint Julep, bourbon has enjoyed a steady resurgence in popularity to claim a wide international audience. Yet despite its global appeal, bourbon remains a quintessentially Kentucky creation and a uniquely American spirit. Bourbon's popularity is matched only by its versatility. In The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook, master chef Albert Schmid presents more than fifty recipes that feature Kentucky's signature spirit in entrees, soups, desserts, and much more. From the classic Manhattan cocktail to Bourbon-Pecan Crème Brulée with Chocolate Sauce, The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook unlocks the culinary potential of this beloved spirit, allowing this special whiskey to enhance the flavors of every meal. More than just a collection of recipes, The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook is peppered with bourbon lore and Kentucky history, as well as stories and personal anecdotes to accompany the meals. The cookbook is organized by season to emphasize the importance of fresh ingredients and context in dining. Blending time-honored traditions with new approaches, Chef Schmid creates a diverse collection of exciting bourbon recipes for any occasion. Beautifully illustrated with more than a dozen color photos, The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook introduces a variety of ways to use one of Kentucky's most famed exports to spice any dessert, compliment any entrée, or complete any cocktail.

A Southern historian combs through Kentucky cookbooks from the mid-nineteenth century through the twentieth to reveal a fascinating cultural narrative. In Kentucky's Cookbook Heritage, John van Willigen explores the Bluegrass State's cultural and culinary history, through the rich material found in regional cookbooks. He begins in 1839, with Lettice Bryan's The Kentucky Housewife, which includes pre-Civil War recipes intended for use by a household staff instead of an individual cook, along with instructions for serving the family. Van Willigen also shares the story of the original Aunt Jemima—the advertising persona of Nancy Green, born in Montgomery County, Kentucky—who was one of many African American voices in Kentucky culinary history. Kentucky's Cookbook Heritage is a journey through the history of the commonwealth, showcasing the shifting attitudes and innovations of the times. Analyzing the historical importance of a wide range of publications, from the nonprofit and charity cookbooks that flourished at the end of the twentieth century to the contemporary cookbook that emphasizes local ingredients, van Willigen provides a valuable perspective on the state's social history.

New York Times best seller Winner, James Beard Award for Best Book in American Cooking Winner, IACP Julia Child First Book Award Named a Best Cookbook of the Season by Amazon, Food & Wine, Harper’s Bazaar, Houston Chronicle, Huffington Post, New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Vanity Fair, Washington Post, and more Sean Brock is the chef behind the game-changing restaurants Husk and McCrady’s, and his first book offers all of his inspired recipes. With a drive to preserve the heritage foods of the South, Brock cooks dishes that are ingredient-driven and reinterpret the flavors of his youth in Appalachia and his adopted hometown of Charleston. The recipes include all the comfort food (think food to eat at home) and high-end restaurant food (fancier dishes when there’s more time to cook) for which he has become so well-known. Brock’s interpretation of Southern favorites like Pickled Shrimp, Hoppin’ John, and Chocolate Alabama Stack Cake sit alongside recipes for Crispy Pig Ear Lettuce Wraps, Slow-Cooked Pork Shoulder with Tomato Gravy, and Baked Sea Island Red Peas. This is a very personal book, with headnotes that explain Brock’s background and give context to his food and essays in which he shares his admiration for the purveyors and ingredients he cherishes.

Winner of the James Beard Foundation Book of the Year Award and Best Book, American Cooking, Victuals is an exploration of the foodways, people, and places of Appalachia. Written by Ronni Lundy, regarded as the most engaging authority on the region, Victuals guides us through the surprisingly diverse history--and vibrant present--of food in the Mountain South. Victuals explores the diverse and complex food scene of the Mountain South through recipes, stories, traditions, and innovations. Each chapter explores a specific defining food or tradition of the region--such as salt, beans, corn (and corn liquor). The essays introduce readers to their rich histories and the farmers, curers, hunters, and chefs who define the region's contemporary landscape. Sitting at a diverse intersection of cuisines, Appalachia offers a wide range of ingredients and products that can be transformed using traditional methods and contemporary applications. Through 80 recipes and stories gathered on her travels in the region, Lundy shares dishes that distill the story and flavors of the Mountain South. – Epicurious: Best Cookbooks of 2016