Book Your Lunch with Virginia Willis November 1, 2011

Acclaimed Southern chef Virginia Willis applies her signature style to entertaining in her new cookbook, Basic to Brilliant, Y’all: 150 Refined Southern Recipes and Ways to Dress Them Up for Company (Ten Speed Press, hardcover, $35.00). Virginia accompanies each recipe with a new preparation technique, fresh presentation style, or creative recipe variation that transforms an already wonderful dish into an all-out show stopper.

Virginia Willis’s legion of fans love her knack for giving classic French dishes a down-home Southern feel and reimagining homey Southern favorites en Française. In Basic to Brilliant, Y’all, a cozy Kale Omelet becomes sophisticated brunch fare when it’s baked in a sourdough boule; rich Gruyere Flans elevate a rustic red wine-infused Roasted Tomato Soup; and Spiced Skirt Steak with Shallot Marmalade is enhanced with just a few simple changes into a gorgeous roulade. Peach Dijon-Crusted Pork Tenderloin goes from elegant continental entrée to the pride of Dixie when it’s cradled between Chive Cornmeal Griddle Cakes, and a country dessert like Sweet Biscuits with Stewed Blackberries is kicked up a notch when served topped with Blackberry Fool.

Throughout Basic to Brilliant, Y’all, Virginia paints a vivid portrait of growing up in Louisiana and Georgia, spinning tales of close family and friends—and unforgettable food—interwoven with vignettes from her years living in and visiting France, drawing you in with vibrant accounts of cooking and eating at La Varenne in Burgundy.

Whether you choose the Basic or the Brilliant approach, this bounty of Southern flavors dressed up with time-honored French techniques delivers meals that will keep you and your kin coming back for more.

About the author:
Virginia Willis is the author of the acclaimed cookbook, Bon Appétit, Y’all! Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking (Ten Speed Press, 2008). Her next book, Basic to Brilliant, Y’all: 150 Refined Southern Recipes and Ways to Dress Them Up for Company is the lead book for Ten Speed Press for Fall of 2011.

A graduate of L’Academie de Cuisine and Ecole de Cuisine LaVarenne, Virginia previously honed her attention to detail as the Kitchen Director for Martha Stewart Living Television where she supervised the food segments for the Emmy-award winning television show. With MSLTV, Virginia was also responsible for preparing private meals and events for Martha and her guests — including among others, President Clinton, Aretha Franklin, and Julia Child. As Executive Producer for Epicurious on The Discovery Channel, she traveled the world taping fantastic stories about food–from harvesting capers in the shadow of a smoldering volcano to making authentic mustard in Dijon.

Virginia’s wide and varied food career started in Atlanta as an apprentice to Nathalie Dupree. She worked with Dupree on four PBS series and cookbooks, including the James Beard award-winning Comfortable Entertaining. She also spent several years as an editorial assistant with culinary authority Anne Willan on various projects including Cook It Right, an exhaustive tome that documents the various states of “doneness” (and over- and under-”doneness”) of everything from whipped cream to braised pheasant.

She is a featured chef in Atlanta Cooks at Home, was a tester and editor for The All-New Joy of Cooking, author of Pasta Dinners 1, 2, 3, and co-author of Home Plate Cooking. She has been featured in House Beautiful, The Chicago Tribune, and ABCNews.com. Her work has appeared in Country Living, Family Fun, and Taste of the South.

She has appeared on Real Simple Television, Martha Stewart Living Television, Paula Deen’s Best Dishes, and in TV commercials for Duke’s Mayonnaise. As a nationally recognized culinary professional her client list includes Calphalon, Char-Broil, The Coca Cola Company, Fresh Express, Olive Garden, and Whole Foods Market.