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The same can be said of wild persimmon puddings; cakes and confections made with pecans instead of almonds; cinnamon-y pies with sliced green tomatoes doubling for apples; and, not least, Kentucky bourbon (corn whiskey) displacing brandy and/or wine in various English desserts.

Introducing the 1984 facsimile edition of Mary Randolph’s original Virginia Housewife (1824), food historian Karen Hess writes: “As important as local Indian contributions were, the transformation of Virginia cooking cannot primarily be attributed to them. It is only when we ask whose hands did the cooking that we get a satisfactory answer…”

Among the South’s landed gentry, those hands were black, hands familiar with ground-nuts (peanuts), benne (sesame seeds), and rice, all of which arrived in the South early on and landed in a variety of sweets—particularly in South Carolina.

Unlike the Virginia colonists, many of the English who settled the South Carolina Lowcountry had been living in the Caribbean and brought their slaves with them. So there were French (Creole) influences in and around Charleston as well as in New Orleans, home of beignets, pralines, and king cake (a spicy ring frosted in Mardi Gras purple [for justice], green [faith], and gold [power] that is served on Twelfth Night, the day the gift-bearing Magi visited baby Jesus. A miniature baby Jesus effigy is baked into the cake, or sometimes a tiny trinket, or even a dried bean. The one who gets the hidden treasure is blessed with good luck. But he must also bring the king cake to next year’s party.) The Huguenot impact on southern cooking may have been less significant, although in The Carolina Rice Kitchen (1992), Karen Hess traces several rice puddings back to France.

The dessert chapters in southern cookbooks both old and new often outweigh nearly every other (here, too, I’m afraid). But then, Southerners have always prided themselves on their ice creams, puddings and pies, candies, cakes, and cookies.

And why not? We have them to thank for such American classics as Lady Baltimore Cake, Lane Cake, Robert E. Lee Cake, Japanese Fruitcake, Benne Wafers, Peanut Brittle, Key Lime Pie, and Black Bottom Pie, not to mention the whole delicious repertoire of chess pies.

You’ll find them all in the following pages.

So on a typical Thanksgiving…we’d have baked chicken, fried chicken, smothered chicken, turkey, Creole gumbo, dirty rice, white rice, collard greens, stuffed bell peppers, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, rolls, sweet potato pie, pecan pie, apple pie, muffins and cake.

—DONNA L. BRAZILE, COOKING WITH GREASE: STIRRING THE POTS IN AMERICAN POLITICS

…I said, “I’d be glad to. But what is a pound party?” “Everybody brings a pound of something. Sugar, or butter, or candy, or a cake. A cake’s fine. Such as that.”

—MARJORIE KINNAN RAWLINGS, CROSS CREEK

PEACH COUNTRY COBBLER

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

From early July through mid September, farmer’s markets and side-of-the-road stands offer tree-ripened peaches by the bushel. It’s a precious time for southern cooks, a time of cobblers and crisps, pickles and pies, jams and preserves. If Southerners have a favorite peach, it’s probably a toss-up between the white-fleshed Georgia Belle, the hardy golden Sunhigh, and the Elberta, a free-stone, honeysuckle-sweet hybrid developed in Macon County, Georgia, in 1875. Note: Instead of making the topping the old-fashioned way, modern southern cooks are more apt to use a food processor. Here’s how: Pulse all the dry ingredients briefly to combine; sprinkle the diced butter evenly on top and pulse until the texture of coarse meal. Drizzle the milk over all, then pulse just enough to form a soft dough: Three to four brisk zaps should do it.

Peach Mixture

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

6 cups sliced, peeled, and pitted firm-ripe peaches (3¾ to 4 pounds)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter

Topping

1½ cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons