Basic to Brilliant, Y’all
150 Refined Southern Recipes and Ways to Dress Them Up for Company
by Virginia Willis
Ten Speed Press
September 2011
$35.00/Hardcover
Color Photographs
ISBN-13: 978-1607740094

Contact: Kristin Casemore
510-285-2944
Kristin.Casemore@tenspeed.com

A follow-up to the author’s acclaimed Bon Appétit, Y’all, featuring 150 recipes that combine Southern flavors with time-honored French technique, and include a sophisticated variation that kicks each dish up a notch to make it brilliant. Virginia Willis has a knack for giving French recipes a downhome Southern feel. In Basic to Brilliant, Y’all, she builds on her signature style by offering 150 dual recipes: a soul-satisfying basic recipe accompanied by a technique, garnish, additional step, or short recipe that transforms a wonderful dish into a show stopper. A weeknight classic like Mama’s Chicken Pot Pie becomes sophisticated dinner party fare when it’s baked in a winter squash, and Old Fashioned Stove Top Low-Country Broth can be transformed into a Bouillabaisse-style broth with just a few simple changes. Throughout the book, Virginia paints a vivid picture of her Southern upbringing, drawing readers in with her vibrant tales of food and friends.

About the Author

Virginia Willis is the author of Bon Appétit, Y’all, which was nominated for the IACP Best American Cookbook award. Willis has served as the kitchen director for Martha Stewart Living Television and the executive producer of the Discovery Channel’s Epicurious. She has been featured in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, and San Francisco Chronicle, and has appeared on Real Simple Television, Martha Stewart Living, Paula Deen’s Best Dishes, and numerous local television shows across the country. Visit VirginiaWillis.com. Author Residence: Atlanta, GA

Sample Recipes

Curried Chicken Wings with Peach Dipping Sauce

Makes about 24 Wings

3 pounds chicken wings (12 to 14 whole wings)
1 teaspoon Madras or spicy curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 to 3 jalapeños, cored, seeded, and very finely chopped, plus more for garnish
2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup plain low-fat or whole-milk Greek-style yogurt
3 tablespoons peach preserves
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

To prepare the chicken wings, cut off the wing tips (reserve to make stock), and halve the wings at the joint. In a large bowl, combine the wings, curry powder, turmeric, cayenne, soy sauce, canola oil, jalapeños, garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, combine the yogurt, preserves, and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Remove the marinated wings from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, then set a large wire rack on the foil. (I don’t like to use a nonstick baking liner on the baking sheet in this instance because the curry can stain the silicone.)

Transfer the wings without crowding to the prepared baking sheet.

Bake until the wings are deep brown and the juices run clear, turning once, 15 to 20 minutes per side.
(If you like charred bits, after the 40 minutes, turn the oven on to broil for about 5 more minutes.)

Taste the yogurt dipping sauce and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro and serve the hot wings with the dipping sauce on the side.

Brilliant: Technique

Chicken “Lollipops”

I first learned this watching Jacques Pépin on television. It’s impossible to watch him without learning something. This converts regular old chicken wings to Brilliant hors d’oeuvres.

To prepare the “lollipops,” cut off the wing tips (reserve to make stock), and halve the wings at the joint. (This will leave you with the drumette and flat.) Using a paring knife, cut the tendons at the narrower end of each drumette joint. Hold that end with a kitchen towel and scrape down the meat as far as possible toward the thicker end to make a plump lollipop shape. Then, take each flat and cut through the cartilage at one end of each piece, separating the bones. Scrape the meat down the larger bone to make a lollipop shape; remove and discard the smaller bone. Proceed with the Basic recipe to marinate as instructed.

Pan-Seared Georgia Trout

Serves 4

1/4 cup canola oil, plus more for the baking sheet
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 cup plain or whole-wheat fresh or panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 (6- to 8-ounce) skin-on trout fillets
Lemon wedges, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 200°F. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with canola oil and place in the
oven to warm.

Combine the pecans, breadcrumbs, and parsley in a shallow bowl or pie plate.
Season with salt and pepper. Press the flesh side of each fillet into the pecan mixture.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place 2 trout in the
pan, crust side down, and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and cook until
fish is opaque in the center and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the trout to
the prepared baking sheet, crust side up. Place the baking sheet in the oven. Repeat the

process with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the remaining 
2 trout fillets. Transfer
to warmed serving plates and serve immediately, garnished with the lemon.

Brilliant: Short Recipe

Pecan Brown Butter

Basic panfried trout is elevated to Brilliant when dressed with Pecan Brown Butter.

Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels. Add 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter and melt
over medium heat. Allow the butter to foam and turn medium brown, swirling the pan
occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat, add the finely grated zest and juice of 1
lemon, 1/4 cup chopped pecans, and 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley; season with coarse
salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the trout, crust side up, on warmed serving
plates. Drizzle with the pecan butter. Serve immediately.

These recipes may be reproduced with the following credit:

Reprinted with permission from Basic to Brilliant, Y’all: 150 Refined Southern Recipes and Ways to Dress Them Up for Company by Virginia Willis, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.
For more information, please visit www.virginiawillis.com