3. The Blackberry Farm Cookbook by Sam Beall

Perched in the hills of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, Blackberry Farm is one of the leading small hotels and restaurants in America. With 9,000 acres and a working farm, the inn has been noted since the 1990’s as the leaders of “Foothills Cuisine” and cutting edge Southern cooking. While famed cookbook author Molly O’Neill writes in her introduction to this cookbook that “Foothills Cuisine” means the flavors and cooking of the mountainous south, Blackberry Farm also believes in artisanal food, extensive research, commitment to local and heirloom produce, as well as seasonal eating. Since most of us can’t afford the average $1,000 - $4,000 nightly stay at the Farm, this cookbook gives readers a glimpse of their stunning creations.

The cookbook is arranged in four sections – summer, fall, winter, and spring. Each section has numerous recipes, and sometimes numerous recipes for one dish (there are five recipes for fried chicken, and three for barbecue sauce – peach, blackberry, and coffee barbecue sauce). Interspersed among the recipes are not only pictures of the food, but beautiful photos of the Farm and Tennessee area. Old fashioned, family-style recipes that are historic and not seen in other cookbooks are included, such as the addicting sounding Apple Stack Cake and Skillet Slaw. Many recipes including blackberries are also included for blackberry fans. Due to the fantastic photography included, this is a large cookbook, more oversized than most, and retails higher than most cookbooks. Think of this as more than a cookbook, but also as a coffee table-style art book of the South. Highly recommended for those who love to read and collect cookbooks.