THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 1996                 TAG: 9605050299
SECTION: FLAVOR                   PAGE: F1   EDITION: FINAL 
COLUMN: MORSELS
SOURCE: RUTH FANTASIA
                                             LENGTH: Short :   32 lines

COOKBOOK CONTAINS REGIONAL RECIPES IN A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

IF YOU WANTED a look at American regional cuisine, you could siftthrough the hundreds of Junior League cookbooks published across the country.

Junior League members have a knack for making gourmet meals from regional ingredients. If someone combined all those cookbooks, it would be a nearly unparalleled resource for American cooks.

Now someone has done just that.

``The Junior League Centennial Cookbook'' is a compilation of 750 recipes from more than 200 Junior League cookbooks across the country, including several from Virginia.

Try Louisiana Shrimp and Corn Gumbo from ``Celebrations on the Bayou'' (Monroe, La.), Grilled Halibut With Ginger Butter from ``California Sizzles'' (Pasadena, Calif.) or Fresh Florida Orange Cake from ``Thymes Remembered'' (Tallahassee, Fla.).

The book's spiral-bound, hardback cover keeps the pages flat while it's by the stove and protected when it's one the shelf.

``The Junior League Centennial Cookbook'' (Main Street Cooks, a division of Doubleday), will be available in June. Look for it in bookstores and kitchen shops for about $25. by CNB