The second issue of Arkansauce: The Journal of Arkansas Foodways is now available for download, in PDF form. The annual journal is a production of the Special Collections Department of the University of Arkansas Libraries.

Nathania Sawyer, of the Butler Center, guest edits and rounds up a compelling group of contributions. There are pieces on old-line hamburger chains, spudnuts, poke salad and a really handy map of Arkansas Food Festivals. I haven't had a chance to read it all yet, but here are a couple of highlights after a quick scan.

From Judge Morris Arnold's survey of colonial fare in Arkansas:

Gru or sagamite seems to have been an- other favorite of Indians and hunters alike. This was a boiled corn mush seasoned with bears’ oil or buffalo tallow, often cooked with turkey or duck. Gru, Father du Poisson re- veals, was frequently used as a bread substitute: “A spoonful of gru and a mouthful of meat go together.” Most people would not have had ham and beef, of course, as Vallière did, but meat of other kinds was usually plentiful, since the woods and prairies were alive with deer, bears, and buf- falo. Buffalo ribs (“plats cotes”) were a favorite colonial Arkansas dish, especially those of a fat buffalo cow, a delicacy that gave Vache Grasse (fat cow) Prairie in northwest Arkansas its name. And the skies were thick, in season, with pheasants and ducks.

From an interview by Tim Nutt with Miss Fluffy Rice 1975 (Nutt's aunt):

TN: Before entering the state competition, you were crowned Poinsett County Miss Fluffy Rice. What was involved in the local contest?

BS: There was a local contest held at Weiner High School and then the county competition in Harrisburg. There were three contestants. We cooked our rice dish, and I had to give a speech about what role rice had played in my life.

TN: Describe your winning dish. How did you choose it?

BS: The recipe for the rice salad dish came from Nadine Bartholomew, a dear friend of my family. It included rice, eggs, pickles, onions, celery, pimento, and a special dressing mixture. I believe I tweaked it a little in terms of the dressing. The judges apparently liked it.

Then I started flipping through Eat and Explore Arkansas. And I realized that someone’s done their homework. It doesn’t contain every famed Arkansas recipe (nothing for devilled eggs, duck or anything involving muscadines). But there are recipes there for Possum Pie, for Chocolate Gravy, for PurpleHull Pea fritters, a couple of recipes for Tamale Pie, Coke Cake, Green Tomato Pie, Zucchini Bread… wow, there’s a lot of great recipes from all over the state in here.

And then there are the recipes you may have searched for over the years — right here where you can find them The publishers have graciously allowed me to share three of those recipes… for the famed Cotham’s Green Tomatoes, the Chocolate Wine Balls recipe from the Eureka Springs Chocolate Lovers Festival — and the Cliff House Inn’s Company’s Coming Pie recipe. Enjoy them — on the jump. And pick up your copy and learn more about the cookbook at this website.

We've been talking cookbooks on Eat Arkansas for a little over a week now. On the jump — reader recommendations for great cookbooks this holiday season.

I really love the new Cook's Country Blue Ribbon Collection. It's a collection of all sorts of recipes — including some that I get a lot for here on the blog, like Millionaire Pie and different icebox pies. It talks about bread pudding — something I make whenever I have old milk and eggs and bread — and shares lots of regional recipes I have never heard of before, such as Blueberry Boy Bait and Jefferson Davis Pie.

It's not a thick book; on the other hand, it's not all the expensive, either. It's listed at $29.95 but the cookbook website has it at $22.50 right now. An example from the cookbook, one of the more often requested recipes here on the blog, is on the jump — Black Bottom Pie.

It's not just another collection of recipes. There are all sorts of ways to keep your own family recipes in the book, too — places to write them down and pockets to keep those old recipe cards in. The book is decadently ravished in Paulette Tavormina's photography. Like P. Allen Smith's Seasonal Recipes from the Garden, this cookbook is organized by season first, then by food category. It's meant to be handed down, and I think that's a fabulous idea.

Lots of old fashioned recipes in it too, including one for Quick Braised Collard Greens. The recipe, on the jump.

I collect cookbooks — old ones, new ones, local ones, foreign ones. Some get pulled out more often than others. And there's one... well, it's getting so dog-eared that I've picked up a second copy. That's The Best Recipe, put out in 1999 by the folks at Cook's Illustrated. Before every recipe in the book the authors described the methods that went into creating each recipe, explaining why each ingredient is used, why each method is utilized and explaining so much food science. If you love cooking and learning, this is the book I recommend.

• Carl Tremblay

Want a sneak peek? Check out the recipes for Classic Macaroni and Cheese and for Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies (they're also on the jump, if you don't want to mess with a PDF). They'll give you a good idea of what to expect in the book. It retails for $40, but right now Amazon.com has it for $24.

I am particularly fond of the new Serious Eats cookbook. In the interest of full disclosure, yes, I do contribute to Serious Eats — sharing stories from the American South and from right here in Arkansas. Still, I have to tell you — this is a pretty interesting cookbook. Serious Eats: A Comprehensive Guide to Making and Eating Delicious Food Wherever You Are covers where to find the best burgers, breakfast, pizza, barbecue and street food in the United States. Compiled by Ed Levine and the Serious Eats staff, it goes coast to coast with stories and experiences in America's restaurants. It has a lot of Robyn Lee's cool food photography and there are tons of recipes from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. It's a good find for anyone — not just the culinarily inclined but the food lover in general.

If I could fault the book for anything, it's that there's no Arkansas representation in the book. Of course, chances are there will be another one coming along in a little while. And the book does cover a lot of the food you'll find here in our state — including recipes not only for the eponymous Reuben sandwich but for the Russian Dressing and the Corned Beef. Want to share? The recipes are on the jump.

• Kat Robinson
• COCONUT ORANGE BALLS: In CARTI's Festivities, Too cookbook.

I’ve been checking out a bunch of cookbooks the past few weeks, both from Arkansas and from wherevever. There are a lot to choose from this year... so I’ll be covering several over the next few days, along with the best way to order one for yourself or someone else. First up — local cookbooks, including the acclaimed Festivities, Too. Check them out, on the jump.

Late last year Smith's Seasonal Recipes from the Garden came out... a very pretty book with great photography to boot. One thing I really appreciate about it is the way recipes are laid out. They're sectioned off not only by the type of recipe but also by the season — spring, summer, fall and winter. There's a nice clarity to the way the recipes are compiled — each with an explanation or story, told in a simple but informative style.

You can preview a lot of the cookbook through Amazon. And if you're interested, there's a great recipe for Buttermilk Pecan Pie from the cookbook, shared on the jump.

UPDATE: Rumor confirmed. Not only will Ferneau remain chef, all employees will be retained. More details coming directly.

UPDATE II: See a release from Frank and Judy Fletcher about their acquisition of the restaurant on the jump.

• Kat Robinson

Over on Facebook, there are already 279 people signed up for a page called "Bring Blue Bell to Yarnell's Plant in Searcy, AR." This afternoon, this note came across:

I've been trying to contact someone with Nestle to validate the information. Problem is, it's late on a Friday afternoon on a holiday weekend. Any other news tips out there?

UPDATE: Still no official word, but this comment on the Facebook page:

UPDATE: WREG confirms that Nestle will hire delivery drivers... but that it's not purchasing Yarnell's West Memphis facility.

• Kat Robinson
• BIG OPERATION: There's a lot going on at the Arkansas Rice Depot

We met with several of the good folks that run the place and learned about the many missions the Rice Depot operates. I think a lot of misconceptions were blown away.

First things first. The Arkansas Rice Depot isn’t just about rice. It’s about helping feed the hungry all across Arkansas through various programs like Food for Kids, Food for Seniors and Food for Families. There’s a Rice Depot program in every county in Arkansas. The whole operation employees just 20 people… and with low overhead the organization is able to turn 99 ½ percent of donations and funds right back around to serving hungry Arkansawyers.