Discover the diverse food and culinary traditions from the ten states that border America's most important river--and the heart of American cuisine--with 200 contemporary recipes for 30 meals and celebrations, and more than 150 stunning photographs. Starting at the river's source in Minnesota, renowned chef/restaurateur Regina Charboneau introduces readers to a Native American wild rice harvest dinner, a Scandinavian summer's end crayfish party, and a Hmong Southeast Asian New Year's Eve buffet. Next the book moves to the river's middle region, from Hannibal to New Madrid, featuring a dinner to honor the man most associated with the Mississippi--Mark Twain. Recipes are supplied for imaginative menus for such occasions as a St. Louis Italian spread featuring the city's famous toasted ravioli, a farmer's market lunch, and an Arkansas farm supper influenced by the vast farmlands on both sides of the Mississippi. The lower region, from Beale Street to the Bayous of the Gulf of Mexico, gives an insight into the author's river roots in Natchez. Included are biscuits, shrimp, smoked tomatoes over creamy grits, a New Orleans-style Reveillon dinner, and a blessing of the fleet dinner inspired by the Vietnamese fisherman who shrimp at the mouth of the river. Scattered throughout are intriguing sidebars on such topics as how the paddlewheel steamboat came to ply the waters of the Mississippi, the traditional canoe method of harvesting Minnesota wild rice, and the 3,000 mile River Road lining the waterway. Throughout are stunning photographs of local scenery, dishes, and ingredients taken by renowned photographer Ben Fink on the magnificent American Queen riverboat and at farms, historic homes, and towns along the length of the river.
Regina Charboneau has launched numerous top restaurants, including Kings Tavern in Natchez, Mississippi, and Regina's at the Regis and Biscuits & Blues in San Francisco. She was the culinary director of the American Queen, a luxury paddlewheel boat that travels the Mississippi, and was a long-time Southern foodways columnist for TheAtlantic. She hosted visitors for over twenty years at her Natchez home, Twin Oaks. Regina now welcomes visitors to her cooking school, specializing in Southern cooking classes, Regina's Kitchen. Visit her at ReginasKitchen.com The late Julia Reed was a contributing editor at Newsweek and Garden and Gun, a regular on CNN, and the author of But Mama Always Put Vodka in her Sangria! and Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenomena.
"In Mississippi Current, Chef Charboneau takes you on a delicious journey through the food, traditions, and culture of those who make their home along the Mississippi." --John Besh, chef/restaurateur and author of Cooking from the Heart "Mississippi Current gives you the sense that parties follow Regina Charboneau wherever she goes--and I mean truly memorable ones stocked with snazzy drinks, vivid characters who can spin a story, and flavors you'll never forget. A gifted American cook, her recipes--from Smoked Oyster Chowder to Blueberry Pie with a Lemon Drop Candy Crust--have a knack for being just the kind of thing you want to eat. These menus mix plain with fancy and are good for swooning over as you journey down the Mississippi, our most epic waterway." --Amy Thielen, Food Network host and author of The New Midwestern Table "Regina's creative interpretations of traditional foods and recipes coupled with her considerable flair and personality have made her legendary among native southerners and visitors alike. Her passion for and knowledge of the food and customs of the Mississippi River culture is infectious." --P. Allen Smith, Public Television host and author "When the Mississippi River flows quietly, something is going on, not unlike the kitchens of the South--where something is always going on, slowly and tastefully as sugar melds with butter, and eggs can't wait to find their place along side the cinnamon and nutmeg that's always plentiful. Regina Charboneau's Mississippi Current rings with the sound of something going on, food being prepared slowly and tastefully and as sure as the flow of the river she loves." --Clifton L. Taulbert, author of Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored "Regina offers home cooks, professional chefs, armchair adventurers, and seasoned explorers alike a personal and mouthwatering voyage of discovery down North America's largest river. I can hardly wait to try out every recipe." --Bun Lai, chef/restaurateur "Mississippi Current makes a city boy like myself feel like I am waist deep in the water, crawfish in with one hand, eating a Mississippi mud cookie with the other while taking in jazz coming from the passing riverboat." --Nate Appleman, chef/restaurateur and author of A16 Food + Wine "Mississippi Current revisits worlds celebrated by Mark Twain through families who live along the river and their foodways. In her beautifully illustrated cookbook, Regina Charboneau celebrates both good food and the mighty Mississippi." --William Ferris, author of The Storied South
