dear cooks,

In the misty foothills of Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains lies the nine-thousand-acre bucolic refuge of Blackberry Farm—a top-rated small inn with one of the premier farm-to-table restaurants in the country. Here are Southern dishes reimagined to celebrate the wisdom of the farm's master heirloom gardeners, the mountain food artisans (cheesemongers and sausage men among them), and, of course, the chefs—and of ingredients culled right from its soil and water. On a spring day, this might mean Rye Whiskey–Cured Trout with Fresh and Pickled Fennel, while a summer garden might inspire a Chilled Corn Soup with Garlic Custard. In cooler weather, game and traditionally preserved food—like cider-basted venison or a dried apple stack cake—comfort and delight. As beautifully and thoughtfully crafted as the food served at Blackberry Farm, this book will help you bring the recipes, the local lore and the magic of the natural world vividly to life at your own table.

"Hospitality, generosity, authenticity, quality, family . . . Life has stopped and our stress disappears at Blackberry Farm. The food and wine reveal the best of nature. Happiness is what can be found here." —Alain Ducasse, Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée and Louis XV-Alain Ducasse

For more than a decade, award-winning cookbook author Arthur Schwartz has delved deep into each region of southern Italy—its sleepy hill towns, rocky coastlines, country roads, and city streets. From his travels, he has culled 130 recipes that celebrate local ingredients and simple flavor combinations that are the hallmarks of southern Italian cuisine. Neopolitan Pizza, Walnut Pie from Campania, hearty Lamb Stew from Molise, Risotto with Sausage and Smoked Cheese from Basilicata, Sicily's Salt-Seared Swordfish with Garlic Mint—all of the dishes, from antipasti (appetizers) to dolci (sweets), are written for the home cook. With beautiful photographs, easy-to-find ingredients, and sidebars that put the recipes in cultural and historical context, this is the most indispensable and friendly guide to la vita italiana.

"I have always felt that Arthur Schwartz is perhaps the wisest American in all of Italy, and this new book on the simple genius and intuitive beauty of the food of the southern part of the boot is another example of his sage understanding and the whimsy of real cooks in real kitchens without the frippery but with all of the soul." —Mario Batali, author of Molto Italiano

The Splendid Table's
How to Eat Supper

about the book

Just when you thought the last thing the world needed was another book on weeknight cooking, along comes an entirely fresh take on the subject. As they do on their weekly show, host Lynne Rossetto Kasper and producer Sally Swift approach their topic with attitude and originality, making The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper one of the most engaging cookbooks of this or any other year.

As loyal listeners know, Lynne and Sally share an unrelenting curiosity about everything to do with food. Their show, The Splendid Table, looks at the role food plays in our lives—inspiring us, making us laugh, nourishing us, and opening us up to the world around us. Now they have compiled all the most trenchant tips, never-fail recipes, and everyday culinary know-how from the program in How to Eat Supper, a kitchen companion unlike any other.

This is no mere cookbook. Like the show, this book goes far beyond the recipe, introducing the people and stories that are shaping America's changing sense of food. We don't eat, shop, or cook as we used to. Our relationship with food has intensified, become more controversial, richer, more pleasurable, and sometimes more puzzling. How to Eat Supper gives voice to rarely heard perspectives on food—from the quirky to the political, from the grassroots to the scholarly, from the highbrow to the humble—and shows the essential role breaking bread together plays in our world.

Learn More >>

Fig Tart
From The Blackberry Farm Cookbook

Serves 8

Fig jam intensifies the fruit flavor in this tart. We make our own jam, but high-quality commercial versions work nicely as well. We like the free-form shape and rustic feel of the tart and have shaped them smaller to make individual tarts and larger to feed a crowd. Whipped cream, slightly sweetened, is a nice addition.

• 1/2 recipe Basic Pastry (below)
• 1/4 cup fig jam
• 1 pound fresh figs, stemmed and halved lengthwise
• 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly butter a baking sheet and set it aside.

2. Divide the pastry in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a 9-inch circle. Place the pastry on the prepared baking sheet; overlapping the two circles a little on one side is okay as the edges will be folded in later. Spread 2 tablespoons of jam evenly over each piece of pastry, leaving a 1½-inch border. Arrange the figs over the jam. Cover the tarts with plastic wrap and set them aside.

3. In a small saucepan, cook 1/3 cup of the sugar over medium-high heat without stirring until it melts and turns amber in color. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir in the cream and butter, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Brush the tops of the figs with the caramel mixture. Fold the edge of the pastry over the outer edge of the figs, pleating the dough to hold it in place.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg mixture and then sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the figs are just tender. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into generous wedges.

Basic Pastry

Makes pastry for two 9- or 10-inch pie shells or one double-crust 9-inch pie

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons shortening
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup plus 1 to 3 tablespoons ice water
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1. Place the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the shortening and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, 1/3 cup of the ice water, and the vinegar. Pour the egg mixture over the flour mixture and stir with a fork just until the dough comes together. If the dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently into a ball. Divide the ball in half and flatten each piece into a disk about 1½ inches thick. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days; the dough can also be frozen for up to 6 months and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to using.

Maccheroni con Zucchine e Ricotta
From The Southern Italian Table

Serves 6

I learned this dish from Gerardina Costanza, one of Cecilia's amazing cooks and one of the women who assist me in my Cook at Seliano classes. This is a dish of few ingredients and very much about technique. The zucchini is cut two ways, into batons and finely chopped in a food processor. I especially like this sauce on elicone, "helicopters," whose large spirals catch the zucchini strips like no other pasta does.

• 4 medium zucchini (about 1½ pounds)
• 1 small onion
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely shredded flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound large macaroni, such as elicone, paccheri, or rigatoni
• 1 cup ricotta, at room temperature
• Grated Parmigiano or pecorino cheese

Cut 3 of the zucchini into fine strips, about 3 inches long by 1/4 inch. Chop the fourth very finely in a food processor. Slice the onion in half from root to stem end, then cut into fine strips in the same direction.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the zucchini strips until a few are just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and fry another 3 or 4 minutes, until the onion is wilted but still a little bit crunchy.

Add the grated zucchini and toss well with the already fried vegetables. Toss in the parsley. Fry only 1 minute, seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer the vegetables to a large serving bowl.

Cook the pasta in at least 4 quarts of boiling water with 2 tablespoons of salt. Drain well and pour the pasta into the bowl with the vegetables. Add the ricotta and toss well.

Serve immediately, passing grated cheese at the table.