Parnassus Books is thrilled to welcome Ronni Lundy for a discussion and signing of her new cookbook, Sorghum Savor.
Recently rediscovered by progressive chefs across the nation, sorghum is prized for its distinct umami taste--a blend of sweet and savory with a hint of nutty tang. The lingering complexity of sorghum makes it the perfect "secret ingredient" to enhance and deepen the flavors of such innovative modern dishes as Chef Dustin Staggers's Monkey Wrench Skillet Fried Chicken and Chef John Fleer's Long Sweetening Sorbet. Yet sorghum is no secret to southern home kitchens. While sorghum is an Old World grass that resembles corn and is cultivated and used as a grain in most of the world, the cane varieties were cultivated, processed and used as syrup only in North America, particularly in the South where it has been a staple in baked goods, confections, glazes, and dressings since before the Civil War. In Sorghum's Savor, Ronni Lundy showcases the endless possibilities of this unique ingredient, as well as the reasons why it has long been cherished in the South.
Ronni Lundy has been a pop music and restaurant critic for the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, and the editor of Louisville magazine. She now lives in Asheville, North Carolina