Sara Foster takes the expression “easy as pie” seriously. New and experienced bakers alike will thrill to Foster’s encouraging approach to tossing together the most delicious made-from-scratch pies. A southern kitchen is unimaginable without pie, says Foster, who grew up on a farm in Tennessee, where many a meal ended with a bubbling pie or cobbler straight from the oven. “There were many pie makers in my family, and no one ever needed a recipe—they just mixed, rolled out pastry, and baked to perfection,” she writes. Surrounded from an early age by her pie-baking mother, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, and neighbors, Foster developed a natural passion for pies.

Here, reap the rewards of Foster’s inspiration: fifty-seven recipes for amazing pies, including the southern classics, each one matched to one of eleven perfect pie crusts. You’ll find pies piled with fruit, pies stuffed with nuts, custard and cream pies, icebox pies, tarts and hand pies–and savory pies, too. Guided by Foster’s clear instructions and how-to tips, you too will soon be pulling a pie pan of joy out of the oven for every season and taste.

SARA FOSTER’S CASUAL COOKING by Sara Foster has over 100 recipes that represent what people really want to cook and eat. Things like salads, lettuce wraps, easy pasta meals, quick sautés, and flavorful grilled meat dishes. It’s a book for those evenings when you stay late at work or squeeze in a workout at the gym and come home exhausted, only to open a refrigerator that has only the bare essentials. And because the recipes are meant for everyday meals which are often last-minute or unplanned, Sara utilizes ingredients that are easy to keep on hand: lettuce, cheese, canned tuna, tortillas, bread, canned beans, eggs, and that essential stand-by of any seasoned home cook, leftovers.Despite its user-friendliness, don’t mistake SARA FOSTER’S CASUAL COOKING for another run-of-the-mill, quick fix cookbook. Sara has long mastered the art of infusing elegance and flavorful twists into each and every one of her dishes. With a little bit of inspiration and guidance, Sara will allow readers to exercise their own creativity in the kitchen so that cooking can be healthy and enjoyable … everyday. Order your copies today from Foster’s Market Online Shop or pick them up at either Foster’s Market location.

Sara Foster’s love of Southern fare began in her Granny Foster’s Tennessee kitchen. There, the combination of down-home comfort, fresh-from-the-farm ingredients, and dedicated preparation hooked her for life. Now, in Foster’s Market Favorites: 25th Anniversary Collection, Sara Foster serves up more than 150 recipes and 125-plus images from acclaimed photographer Peter Frank Edwards, sharing with readers the dishes that have kept diners coming back to the beloved Durham, NC eatery that she opened in 1990. In Foster’s Market Favorites, the award-winning cookbook author and restaurateur continues the tradition of soulful yet simple, seasonally inspired cooking, where tradition meets modern. These fresh, satisfying creations are casual enough for everyday family meals, but special enough to serve friends and guests. Some of Sara’s mouth-watering recipes include: Pimiento Cheese Puffs, Pecan Sweet Potato Sticky Buns, Chicken and Black-Eyed Pea Soup, Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken with Sriracha Honey, Chile-Braised Pork Shoulder with Taco Fixings, Heirloom and Shell Bean Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette, Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Bread Pudding with Bourbon Hard Sauce, and Brown Sugar Apple Crisp with Crumb Topping. Foster’s Market Favorites is an all-inclusive collection of Southern cooking in which simple feasts meet artisanal ingredients, traditional tastes meet modern methods, and fantastic flavors make every bite a succulent mouthful of Southern comfort.

“Sara has done it again. You can be sure I will be roasting a Chile-Braised Pork Should and tossing Sara’s Kale Salad with Tangerines, Avocado and Crispy Country Ham for my next weekend dinner party.” –Martha Stewart

“Having eaten Sara’s food and basked in the glow of Sara’s inspiring personality and ever-expanding vision, I am thrilled to see it all wrapped together between the pages of this beautiful book.” – Rick Bayless

Without sacrificing any of the casual elegance fans have come to expect from Foster’s restaurants, this book shows how cooking can be simple, flexible, and fast, using seasonal ingredients to help ensure special-occasion quality every day. Alongside more than 200 recipes are tips that anticipate the challenges of a home kitchen. No tarragon in the cupboard? See the sidebar on “Thinking Outside the Recipe” for ideas on how to adapt a recipe to what you do have. Wondering how to make the most of last night’s roasted chicken? Look in the “Reinvention” box for suggestions on using leftovers to create meals that look and taste delicious. With trademark charm and a down-to-earth style that will appeal to novice cooks and culinary experts alike, FRESH EVERY DAY will fast become a kitchen staple for anyone who loves fresh, homemade fare but doesn’t have all day to make it.

Sara Foster’s love of Southern fare began in her Granny Foster’s Tennessee kitchen. There, the combination of down-home comfort, fresh-from-the-farm ingredients, and dedicated preparation hooked her for life. Now the award-winning cookbook author and restaurateur serves up nearly two hundred contemporary interpretations of classic dishes—Shrimp Jambalaya, Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork Butt, Cheesy Grits Casserole; refreshing drinks, including Mint Juleps and Sweet Tea; and such satisfying breakfasts as Country Ham and Hominy Hash. And a table wouldn’t be Southern without the sides—Skillet-Fried Corn, Creamy Potato Salad, and Arugula Pesto Snap Beans. Be sure, too, to save room for Molasses-Bourbon Pecan Pie and Freestyle Lemon Blackberry Tart.

From revealing the secret to fluffy buttermilk biscuits to giving us ideas for swapping out ingredients to accommodate any season, from providing tips for frying up chicken like a true Southerner to detailing barbecue fundamentals that put you on par with any pitmaster, Foster’s helpful sidebars ensure that your dishes will turn out perfect every time. You’ll also get expert tips on the essential equipment (cast-iron skillets, griddles, casserole dishes) and the ingredients no Southern pantry should be without (from stone-ground grits to Carolina Gold rice). As a bonus, Foster offers her “Sidetracked” feature, profiles of tried-and-true roadtrip destinations throughout the South where you can find the best fried catfish, barbecued brisket, big breakfast plates, and more. And finally, Foster’s lessons in pickling and canning guarantee that you can enjoy your favorite flavors all year round.

With its handy list of resources and Southern pantry essentials, and entertaining stories, Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen is an all-inclusive collection of Southern cooking in which simple feasts meet artisanal ingredients, traditional tastes meet modern methods, and fantastic flavors make every bite a succulent mouthful of Southern comfort.

“Sara Foster’s book on Southern cooking is absolutely stunning. She takes old-fashioned recipes like buttermilk biscuits and fried chicken and updates them for modern cooks. I can’t wait to work my way through this gorgeous book!”—Ina Garten

“From squash-threaded hush puppies to brûléed rice pudding, Sarah Foster is a keen synthesizer of Southern genres and geographies. My copy of her latest is already dog-eared and (red-eye) gravy splattered.”—John T. Edge, series editor of Cornbread Nation: The Best of Southern Food Writing

“Sara Foster is the quintessential Southern cook. On every page of Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen there is ample evidence of the accuracy of its subtitle: ‘Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal.’ ” —Julia Reed, author of Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialties

“Sara Foster skillfully breaks through the boundaries of classic Southern cooking. The recipes and photographs are full of Southern soul and charm. I want to stick a fork right into the pages and devour them.”—Donald Link, chef and author of Real Cajun 

“Some of the recipes in this book are traditional, others have been adapted to modern times. All will tempt people who love to cook.”—Bill Smith, chef and author of Seasoned in the South

For more than a decade, Foster’s Markets have been cooking and baking foods made fresh each day from ingredients picked locally at the peak of flavor. Now Sara Foster shares more than two hundred delicious recipes, providing modern takes on favorite home-style classics.

The Foster’s Market Cookbook features old-fashioned ideas about how good food should taste and new-fashioned ideas about prep times and the use of high-quality prepared ingredients. Filled with eighty color photos, this is the perfect cookbook to refer to over and over again for everyday meals or for entertaining, whether it be for two or for twenty.

Before moving to Durham, North Carolina, Sara worked alongside Martha Stewart in the kitchen of Martha’s catering business. When she opened her own catering company, Sara kept her food simple yet soulful, trusting the complex flavors of seasonal ingredients. This same basic principle guides the daily offerings at Foster’s Markets in Durham and Chapel Hill. Each week the markets serve nearly a thousand customers hungrily searching out Sara’s innovative, new-style home cooking. And now food lovers everywhere will be able to prepare with ease sumptuous dishes such as Roasted Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Arugula Salad; Herb-Grilled Salmon with Fresh Tomato-Orange Chutney; and Risotto Cakes with Roasted Tomatoes and Foster’s Arugula Pesto. Also featured are a host of wonderful desserts, such as Lemon Chess Pie with Sour Cherries and Chocolate Espresso Layer Cake with Mocha Latte Frosting.

Featuring mouthwatering favorites from the market and dozens of helpful sidebars that discuss ingredients, techniques, and make-ahead tips, The Foster’s Market Cookbook provides all you need to know to make the most of every season’s finest offerings.

“Sara has remained true to her beliefs and conviction that good, honest food can be deliciously simple. Her recipes, though often complex in flavor, are by and large easy to prepare. I’ve cooked many of the recipes collected for this book and eaten many more of Sara’s creations, and I’ve never been disappointed, only elated by the taste and appearance and freshness.

There are two busy, thriving, successful, and charming Foster’s Markets, and they are popular not just as places to buy beautifully prepared, delicious foodstuffs, but also as relaxed, carefree gathering places where a cup of latte and a huge piece of crumb cake or a giant sticky bun or a bowl of steaming soup can be savored quietly with a book or a newspaper or with a group of friends.

Sara has prepared this cookbook with the same care and attention that she has lavished on the rest of her work. Well written and well tested, each recipe is sure to please. And the best news is that these represent just a small number of Sara’s repertoire, so we can look forward to more of her collected recipes.” — Martha Stewart