Southern

I hated this salad when I was growing up: It was pink, had too many ingredients in it, and my very Southern family loved it — three good reasons to abstain. During Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, my mother would always go back for seconds, chiming, "You don't know what you're missing." But I knew, all right — an unappealing mishmash of canned fruit and mayonnaise. No thanks. However, as I've grown older my family's "Southern classics" don't embarrass me as much. I've actually eaten this salad many times as an adult, and though I'm not saying it's my favorite, sometimes I need seconds to be sure.

Paired with homemade salsa, these old-fashioned fried green tomatoes get a nineties update.

Redeye gravy is traditionally made from ham drippings, water, and coffee, the last being an optional ingredient. Here we've enriched the savory braising liquid from lamb shanks with bacon (instead of ham drippings) for a new twist on an old favorite.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Unlike sauces from Texas and Kansas City, this sauce from South Carolina's Piedmont area is thin and vinegary. Note that it is not cooked. To tone down the tartness, add more ketchup and brown sugar to taste.

"On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I was greatly taken with the grits served at the restaurant Slightly North of Broad, on East Bay Street," says Charles C. Gordon of Ontario, Canada. "Is it possible to get the recipe?"

Boxed spice cake never tasted so good: Fresh pears, crystallized ginger and a sweet nut topping really perk it up. Serve this warm or at room temperature. The topping will be soft when warm; it will be firmer, like southern praline, when cool.

Every trick in the barbecue kit is used to create this incredible dish: a spice rub for deep-down flavor, a mop to keep the chicken moist during cooking, wood chips for old-fashioned smoke taste, and, of course, a delicious sauce that features root beer. Using root beer is a great idea since it is sweet and aromatic—qualities you expect in barbecue sauce. Ask your butcher to halve the chickens and remove the backbones.

Boiling crawfish is an art — something that quickly becomes apparent to anyone who's watched a cook prepare the cooking liquid. This recipe has been modified for ease of preparation at home. Most Cajuns have a strong opinion about what should or should not go into the pot. Use this recipe as a guide and modify it to your own tastes — more vegetables or less, spicier or not. And remember, when live crawfish in the shell are not in season, you may simply substitute shrimp.

Coconut, lemon rind, and raisins are a bright surprise. "A lot of people buy my cookbook just to get this recipe," says Mrs. Wilkes.

Beef rib meat becomes tender and succulent with slow cooking over low, indirect heat. Marinate the ribs overnight and allow for three hours of cooking time on the grill.

Bruce Aidells, founder of Aidells Sausage Company, says, "Stuffing was the most important part of my family’s holiday menu. The turkey was always overcooked, but the stuffing was moist and delicious. We usually had two, sometimes three stuffings, but I leaned toward the kind with sausage. It was meaty and spicy, just like this one."

Sometimes seen with a lemon filling, this is one of the oldest "fancy" layer cakes and a great southern tradition. The fresh coconut makes you realize why this cake has always been special.

Although these are called fritters, they more closely resemble pancakes. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"On my last birthday, I enjoyed a special dinner at Brasserie Le Coze in Atlanta," says Diane Sullivan of Alpharetta, Georgia. "The entire meal was fabulous, but the white bean soup with truffle oil was absolutely divine." White truffle oil, should you happen to have a bottle of it, is a delicious "garnish" for this rich and hearty soup.

Some people claim that you must be Louisiana-born to master the art of making pralines—those special brown sugar and pecan patties. This cake takes an easier route: The pecans are simply coated in egg white and brown sugar, then roasted.

For accompaniments, toss watercress and thin slices of red onion with Dijon vinaigrette, and add chopped fresh basil to stewed tomatoes. Pecan pie can top it off.

Thin slices of sweet potato can be grilled alongside the ribs, then drizzled with maple syrup. Have coleslaw and corn bread on the side, too. End with lemon meringue pie.