What do you think?
Rate this book
Masterchef U.S.A. #1
Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm: A Cookbook
Known by TV viewers as the Mississippi belle whose demure demeanor belied nerves of steel and true culinary skill, America watched Whitney Miller crush the competition and become the first winner of MasterChef Season 1. Now Whitney's long-awaited dream of writing her first cookbook has come true as she shares her favorite recipes and entertaining secrets in Modern Hospitality .
As a little girl in small-town Mississippi, Whitney grew up cooking at the elbows of true masters of Southern her mother, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. From the secret to making perfect, flaky biscuits to the art of whipping up Sunday supper for a crowd, Whitney not only learned how to create much-loved dishes for friends and family but also discovered the most essential ingredient for any hospitality. In Modern Hospitality , Whitney offers a fresh take on classic dishes passed down throughout generations of Southern women. In addition to providing more than 75 original recipes that showcase regional ingredients and authentic flavors, Whitney also shares her stories of family, tradition, and suggestions for effortless entertaining. Bring a taste of the South into your home with dishes like Oven-Fried Catfish, Shrimp and Sausage with Grits Soufflé, Mississippi Cheesesteak, and Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Blondies. With recipes this simple, elegant, and delicious, it's easy to turn any occasion into something special.
As a little girl in small-town Mississippi, Whitney grew up cooking at the elbows of true masters of Southern her mother, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. From the secret to making perfect, flaky biscuits to the art of whipping up Sunday supper for a crowd, Whitney not only learned how to create much-loved dishes for friends and family but also discovered the most essential ingredient for any hospitality. In Modern Hospitality , Whitney offers a fresh take on classic dishes passed down throughout generations of Southern women. In addition to providing more than 75 original recipes that showcase regional ingredients and authentic flavors, Whitney also shares her stories of family, tradition, and suggestions for effortless entertaining. Bring a taste of the South into your home with dishes like Oven-Fried Catfish, Shrimp and Sausage with Grits Soufflé, Mississippi Cheesesteak, and Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Blondies. With recipes this simple, elegant, and delicious, it's easy to turn any occasion into something special.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published July 5, 2011
22 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 4, 2011
I made the (kind of) mistake of buying the "Master Chef Cookbook," and it was delivered before Whitney's cookbook. I then worried that "Modern Hospitality" would be full of the same type of recipes as "Master Chef Cookbook." In other words, stuff I will probably never cook, using ingredients I can't afford on a good day, much less every day. I mean - I'd only learn to cook like that if the Master Chef pantry was at my disposal every day.
Fortunately, "Modern Hospitality" is, as promised, simple. There are few recipes with ingredients I'd consider exotic and the majority of them I will actually try, especially the "Cauliflower Mac 'n' Cheese." I've always enjoyed Southern cooking and this is a beautiful representation of that region's flavors, but modernized.
Congratulations to Whitney for winning Master Chef and for a really nice cookbook!
Fortunately, "Modern Hospitality" is, as promised, simple. There are few recipes with ingredients I'd consider exotic and the majority of them I will actually try, especially the "Cauliflower Mac 'n' Cheese." I've always enjoyed Southern cooking and this is a beautiful representation of that region's flavors, but modernized.
Congratulations to Whitney for winning Master Chef and for a really nice cookbook!
April 29, 2012
What a gorgeous, simple, truly Southern cookbook! I had no idea who this woman was, having never watched MasterChef, but I completely charmed by her beautiful smile and her delicious food. The recipes are simple and easy to follow with lots of food pictures and pretty decorations to inspire. Traditional favorites are served up next to creative and original recipes. I would definitely suggest this book to anyone who loves real Southern cooking.
June 1, 2025
I am just catching up on Master Chef (I should have been watching from the beginning), and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Whitney on the show. This cookbook is southern cooking to a T. I can't wait to try pretty much all the recipes presented in this book. I can’t wait to get her 2nd cookbook.
October 17, 2012
I liked Whitney quite a bit when she won MasterChef awhile back. I was very interested in her cookbook.
The actual cookbook is a little too frilly and girly for me. It's very sweet. A little too sweet - I stared at the picture of Game-Day Chili served in dainty teacups. With saucers. REALLY?
That being said, some of the recipes looked quite good. Whitney cooks a lot with dairy products - lots of heavy cream. I don't cook with dairy much. If I did, the Cauliflower "Mac 'n' Cheese" looked intriguing.
I did make a delicious dish called Braised Cabbage with Bacon and Onions. It was wonderful! My cabbage quarters did not stay intact, but who cared? The chicken broth made the fried cabbage taste so good. I will make that again.
I also tried the Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Blondies. I didn't have a sweet potato to mash so I used some frozen pureed butternut squash. I live at a high altitude so I decreased the sugar. That may be why it puffed up like a cake. The picture shows a much more dense dessert. It's good though, just a bit too crumbly.
So I liked this cookbook but there weren't a lot of recipes I wanted to make from it.
The actual cookbook is a little too frilly and girly for me. It's very sweet. A little too sweet - I stared at the picture of Game-Day Chili served in dainty teacups. With saucers. REALLY?
That being said, some of the recipes looked quite good. Whitney cooks a lot with dairy products - lots of heavy cream. I don't cook with dairy much. If I did, the Cauliflower "Mac 'n' Cheese" looked intriguing.
I did make a delicious dish called Braised Cabbage with Bacon and Onions. It was wonderful! My cabbage quarters did not stay intact, but who cared? The chicken broth made the fried cabbage taste so good. I will make that again.
I also tried the Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Blondies. I didn't have a sweet potato to mash so I used some frozen pureed butternut squash. I live at a high altitude so I decreased the sugar. That may be why it puffed up like a cake. The picture shows a much more dense dessert. It's good though, just a bit too crumbly.
So I liked this cookbook but there weren't a lot of recipes I wanted to make from it.
March 26, 2012
My little cousin won the contest with the best of the best southern lovely cooking from our Grandmother as well as her father's mother. What a wonderful thing it is to have Grandmothers who love to feed us as children. My turn will be soon.
June 11, 2015
I remembered watching her cook, and simply amazed by her skills n knowledge at a young age. Her recipes are simple yet so mouthwatering! My favorite would be the crab cakes with sweet and spicy coleslaw and the toasted coconut cupcakes with lemon glaze..
October 10, 2011
This book is amazing! I want to make everything out of it. The Molten Lava Cakes are the best I have ever had, although I recommend using Ice-cream with it to tone it down a little.
January 31, 2013
Haven't tried the recipes yet but I loved the book. Met her August 2011 at Barns and Nobles at her book signing. She's a cute girl and was fun to talk to about the show.
September 28, 2025
This is a nice cookbook, and just as described- simple recipes with southern charm.. It is divided into 8 chapters:
1. rise and shine - recipes include fresh fruit and granola tarts, biscuits and cane syrup, breakfast grit cakes, upside down quiches, cinnamon and pecan granola, dads scramble (4 out of 6 recipes have pictures)
2. party starters - butter bean hummus, collard green dip, cornbread crostini, cream cheese ring with cranberry chipotle sauce, bacon wrapped stuffed brussels sprouts, bbq shrimp, fingerling potato skins, zucchini cups, crawfish etouffee rice balls, crab cakes with sweet and spicy coleslaw, white pizza with fried sage (11 recipes, 6 pictures)
3, soups salads and sandwiches- southern zuppa, roasted eggplant soup with sun dried tomato cream, loaded cauliflower soup, game day chili, blackened catfish salad with cornbread croutons, lemon pepper chicken salad, southern cobb salad, petite shrimp rolls, pulled pork bbq sandwiches, Mississippi cheesesteak, stuffed muffuletta po boys, off the griddle cheeseburger (6 pictures)
4. sides and grains- braised cabbage with bacon and onions, roasted brussels sprouts, creamed collard greens, dillicious potato salad, cracked pepper jasmine rice-otto, cauliflower mac n cheese, creole succotash, creamy mashed potatoes with white andouille gravy, field peas with okra and andouille, sweet and spicy coleslaw, grandmas adeles dressing with twist, turnip greens pesto pasta salad, rosemary focaccia, jalapeno cornbread (5 pictures)
5. elegant entrees- shrimp bisque and grits, oven fried catfish with fresh dill tartar sauce, shrimp and sausage with grits souffle and yellow pepper sabayon, cranberry chipotle bbq chicken with potato salad, butter and herb roasted chicken, buttermilk pan fried chicken, inside out chicken pot pies, bacon wrapped tenderloin with rosemary cranberry glaze, root beer glazed ham, mini meat loaves, crispy onion crusted steak with mushroom cream, bacon wrapped sirloin steak, grandmas Sunday roast, summer vegetable pizzas (9 pictures)
6. sweet rewards- lemon lime fruit salad, crispy coconut bites with chocolate sauce, no name bars, sweet potato peanut butter blondies, strawberry cream cupcakes, toasted coconut cupcakes with lemon glaze, molten lava cakes for a crowd, not your grandmas lemon meringue, white chocolate bread pudding, banana mouse trifles, southern affogato, vanilla rice pudding
7. chic sips
8. Whitney's essentials
I wish it had more pictures, but it is a nice cookbook for some simple recipes that look and sound impressive. It hits all my family's buttons when it comes to palette and tastes.
I will have to come back to this cookbook when i can indulge in some high test foods and meals.
1. rise and shine - recipes include fresh fruit and granola tarts, biscuits and cane syrup, breakfast grit cakes, upside down quiches, cinnamon and pecan granola, dads scramble (4 out of 6 recipes have pictures)
2. party starters - butter bean hummus, collard green dip, cornbread crostini, cream cheese ring with cranberry chipotle sauce, bacon wrapped stuffed brussels sprouts, bbq shrimp, fingerling potato skins, zucchini cups, crawfish etouffee rice balls, crab cakes with sweet and spicy coleslaw, white pizza with fried sage (11 recipes, 6 pictures)
3, soups salads and sandwiches- southern zuppa, roasted eggplant soup with sun dried tomato cream, loaded cauliflower soup, game day chili, blackened catfish salad with cornbread croutons, lemon pepper chicken salad, southern cobb salad, petite shrimp rolls, pulled pork bbq sandwiches, Mississippi cheesesteak, stuffed muffuletta po boys, off the griddle cheeseburger (6 pictures)
4. sides and grains- braised cabbage with bacon and onions, roasted brussels sprouts, creamed collard greens, dillicious potato salad, cracked pepper jasmine rice-otto, cauliflower mac n cheese, creole succotash, creamy mashed potatoes with white andouille gravy, field peas with okra and andouille, sweet and spicy coleslaw, grandmas adeles dressing with twist, turnip greens pesto pasta salad, rosemary focaccia, jalapeno cornbread (5 pictures)
5. elegant entrees- shrimp bisque and grits, oven fried catfish with fresh dill tartar sauce, shrimp and sausage with grits souffle and yellow pepper sabayon, cranberry chipotle bbq chicken with potato salad, butter and herb roasted chicken, buttermilk pan fried chicken, inside out chicken pot pies, bacon wrapped tenderloin with rosemary cranberry glaze, root beer glazed ham, mini meat loaves, crispy onion crusted steak with mushroom cream, bacon wrapped sirloin steak, grandmas Sunday roast, summer vegetable pizzas (9 pictures)
6. sweet rewards- lemon lime fruit salad, crispy coconut bites with chocolate sauce, no name bars, sweet potato peanut butter blondies, strawberry cream cupcakes, toasted coconut cupcakes with lemon glaze, molten lava cakes for a crowd, not your grandmas lemon meringue, white chocolate bread pudding, banana mouse trifles, southern affogato, vanilla rice pudding
7. chic sips
8. Whitney's essentials
I wish it had more pictures, but it is a nice cookbook for some simple recipes that look and sound impressive. It hits all my family's buttons when it comes to palette and tastes.
I will have to come back to this cookbook when i can indulge in some high test foods and meals.
December 20, 2024
Very simple and straightforward recipes. Not really anything i would particularly make anytime soon, but the desserts are promising! A good recipe book for beginners to follow for sure!
May 1, 2013
Loved Whitney on MasterChef, season one. Loved the idea of the book, but didn't like the recipes. I ended up doctoring each one to my tastes, or combining them with others I liked better. Great ideas, but some of the food portions are too big to be bites for a tea party or gathering (shrimp rolls, stuffed zuccini - need to be smaller). Tried many recipes, and though I love Whitney and support her, I love the ideas in the book more than the recipes themselves.
October 12, 2011
I was pleasantly surprised by this cookbook. I judge a cookbook by how many recipes I mark to try. I marked a lot in this book. It features ingrediants we get from our CSA share so I cannot wait to try it out!
June 3, 2015
Some lovely recipes and pictures.
November 8, 2011
Pretty good for a first time cookbook...I would probably try at least 1/3 of the recipes in the book.
September 24, 2011
beautiful pictures but not really recipes I would make
February 7, 2012
Accessible recipes, easy to read format...good book tor the occasional cook.
April 25, 2012
read my review on my blog, here: http://www.potlikkery.com/2012/01/com...
September 27, 2012
This simple and easy recipe brings in southern flair with elegence.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews