A Real Southern Cook in Her Savannah Kitchen by Dora Charles is a wonderful compendium of recipes from a cook who whose family history and professional background contribute to the quality of her recipes.   Her claim to fame is that she worked with Paula Dean, the TV cooking personality and author, at her original restaurant, The Lady and Sons, in Savannah for 22 years before going out on her own.

dora book

In fact, she helped Dean launch the restaurant and ultimately her career from the very beginning.  Lines formed out the door with diners  there for Charles’s cooking and such hallmark dishes as sweet potato pie, fried ribs, smothered pork chops, collards, corn bread and more done in her inimitable way.

My version of Dora Charles's berry cobbler with blueberries and strawberries

My version of Dora Charles’s berry cobbler with blueberries and strawberries

She was once asked what the difference is between white southern cooks and black?  Her answer was basically that we have more flavor or as she says in her introduction,” Build the flavor and cook it slow so it can bloom.”

I have a big collection of southern cookbooks and most are based on heirloom recipes kept alive from generation to generation.  It can be country cooking, plain and simple, but always delicious and rich.

I’ve always favored southern bakers for their great cakes, pies, biscuits and cobblers.  And the collection in the book is classic.

So far I’ve made the tomato pie, the berry cobbler and a cake called Lost and Found Pound Cake.  I also prepared the crab casserole and a squash bake, both of which were wonderful.  The pound cake, however,  was actually featured in a recent New York Times article, which referred to the book and hence my interest in acquiring it.

Lost and Found Pound cake from the Charles collection

Lost and Found Pound cake from the Charles collection

The cobbler is typical of the southern style in that it’s based on a batter instead of biscuit or pastry dough.  I’ve seen other versions often in different books and it’s a great style of cobbler.  The flour, sugar and milk batter bake up into a candy like coating that is just terrific.

The recipe called for blackberries and raspberries, which are difficult to get now in our region.  I happen to have a whole bunch in my freezer but decided to save them for a pie.  What I substituted was blueberries for the blackberries and ever-bearing strawberries (now available in various markets) for the raspberries.  It was a sensational cobbler.

Some of the recipes from the book that I made include the tomato pie, squash casserole and crab casserole

Some of the recipes from the book that I made include the tomato pie, squash casserole and crab casserole

The book calls on a few old fashioned ingredients, some of which are processed.  It’s rare that these pop up in the book so it’s not one of those recipe books extolling the virtue of convenience foods.  The tomato pie does, however, use Bisquick for the foundation crust.  On it are slices of fresh tomatoes layered with fresh basil. The topping is typically southern: mayonnaise mixed  with grated cheese and garlic.  The pie had great flavor though I think I’d prefer a standard pastry dough for the crust.

Another ingredient from yesteryear that shows up is Lowry Salt, the seasoned salt that every American home cook had on  spice racks. Charles uses it as the foundation for a spice blend that she calls Savannah Seasoning.  It’s Lowry Salt, kosher salt, garlic powder and freshly ground pepper and is called for in many of her dishes.

There are so many recipes in the book that are just too appealing.  I’m dying to try the fried chicken that’s coated in potato chip crumbs, the smothered pork chops, shrimp and grits and the cheesy meatloaf with mushroom sauce.  Then the section on desserts is just as compelling such as the magic peach cobbler, the towering “slap yo mamma” coconut cake and a towering red velvet cake.