Atlanta — True flower children never wither, they just bloom anew.

Whenever Crescent Dragonwagon's inventiveness blossoms, the aromas in her test kitchen signal creations that often end up as chalkboard specials, cookbook recipes, topics of food symposiums or on the menus of presidential inaugurals.

The colorful Dragonwagon, 55, is in full flower these days, introducing her new cookbook, "The Cornbread Gospels" (Workman, $14.95), during a national tour.

Born Ellen Zolotow in New York City, she legally changed her name at 16 — the first of many fanciful social statements that would define her career.

Dragon, as she likes to be called, is a self-styled "hippie-capitalist" who established a reputation as an avant-garde foodie a generation ago. When "fresh, local ingredients" were just a talking point among restaurateurs, she was gleefully using them in the dishes she served at Dairy Hollow House, her bed-and-breakfast in the Arkansas Ozarks.

Besides foraging for herbs and berries in the nearby highlands, she incorporated the seasonal bounty of area growers into her cuisine, an important trend among today's haute chefs.

Her literary oeuvre, which includes more than 40 titles, extends beyond gastronomy to novels and children's books.

After spending most of her adult life in Arkansas, Dragonwagon moved to Vermont in 2002.

At President Bill Clinton's behest, she helped prepare the brunch at his first-term inauguration.

Cox News Service caught up with Dragonwagon to talk about her love of food, particularly corn bread.

Q: Why did you choose corn bread as the subject of your latest book?

A: How could I have chosen otherwise? No other single food has been the subject of more passionate discussion than corn bread.

Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, Henry David Thoreau and Mark Twain are just a few of those who wrote heatedly about it.

No other single food has more purely American historical and cultural connections. No single food native to America has become more essential to the survival of so many different nationalities around the globe.

Q: Despite neo-Southern, new American, Southwestern and fusion cuisines, there remains a sense in international culinary circles that American cooking is unidentifiable and amorphous. Is there such a thing as a distinct United States cuisine?

A: There is such a thing as American cuisine, but it's indistinct because it's constantly changing. This is because we are a nation of immigrants and have been since 1492.

The best way to boil this down is to look at native American ingredients — corn, chiles, chocolate, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, squashes, among others — and the subsequent culinary influences from the successive waves of arriving immigrants. There's the British, Dutch, French, Spanish, African and Chinese, and more recently, the Thais, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Mexicans and other Hispanics.

The melting pot is an apt metaphor, and it describes our cuisine and our people. American cuisine is distinct exactly because it's always in a state of flux.

Q: Do you see Southern home cooking surviving the homogenization of the region?

A: I think there are many movements that support it: organics, pride of place, the relative isolation of Southern culture, restaurateurs reclaiming and reinventing their heritage, organizations like the Southern Foodways Alliance.

And there are just as many that threaten it: homogenization, as you say, the Internet, TV, food as profit for global corporations.

Survival may also depend on debunking myths about fat, which is often credited with giving the cuisine its distinct flavor. It's as unhealthy to omit fat from the diet wholly as it is to eat too much of it. That said, there are healthier ways to ingest fats, such as olive oil on your salad or butter on your toast, rather than deep-frying or pan-frying foods in fat. Still, you can minimize fried foods' deleterious effects by careful choice of fat and proper cooking methods.

Q: If you had to supply a weekly menu planner to a typical American family, one that combined gustatory pleasures and concerns for a long, healthy life, what would be its highlights?

A: Fresh fruits and veggies and legumes would be the centerpieces, with lots of condiments, chiles and garlic. Meat, cheese, poultry and eggs in smaller quantities and of much higher quality. Limit but not eliminate butter, sugar, maple syrup, honey and cream. Replace all sodas and diet sodas with fruit juice and sparkling water.

Naturally, few typical families are able to afford the time [in shopping and cooking] that this requires, to say nothing of the cost. However, those who can and do are healthier, and much more happily fed, and I think they often have stronger family ties.

Food ideally nourishes us, gives us pleasure and serves as a medium of interaction between each of us and the outside world.

Q: Do you think the organic movement is a passing fad or something that will forever change how we grow and consume food?

A: Forever is a long time, but the costs of not doing so are showing their true price tag: childhood obesity, early diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, even depression.

Most who start down a path of eating with more awareness find unexpected pleasures in the real taste of real food. Rather than giving up something, they find themselves moving toward something.

Health deliciousness and community are a pretty unbeatable combination. Organics can't be a passing fad if we want to live longer, healthier lives.

Bobota (Greek Cornbread)

From "The Cornbread Gospels" by Crescent Dragonwagon

If you like corn bread and baklava, then you might love this cake, which calls for saturating a currant-studded corn bread in orange-honey syrup. Serve it for dessert.

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons stone-ground cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

4 eggs, separated

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

Zest of 1 orange

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 cup currants or raisins

1 recipe Orange-Honey Syrup (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch-square pan with oil and set aside. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a clean, dry mixing bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff. Set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks, one at a time. Add the orange zest. Add the flour mixture and the orange juice, stirring just until combined. Fold in the egg whites and currants.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown, firm and slightly domed in the middle, 35-40 minutes. As the cake bakes, prepare the Orange-Honey Syrup.

When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and prick it all over with a toothpick. Pour the Orange-Honey Syrup evenly all over the cake. Let stand 1-2 hours before serving. Makes 12 servings.

Orange Honey Syrup

½ cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons honey

6 whole cloves

Juice from 1 orange plus enough water to make 1 cup

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, honey, cloves and juice and water mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is a thin syrup, about 4 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Remove the cloves before pouring over the bobota. Makes about 1 cup (enough for 1 Bobota).

Dairy Hollow House Skillet-Sizzled Corn Bread

From "The Cornbread Gospels" by Crescent Dragonwagon

Dragonwagon got this recipe from a Georgia friend and loved it so much she included it on the menu at her Dairy Hollow House restaurant, where it soon became the most requested recipe.

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1¼ cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 egg

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with cooking spray.

Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk. Whisk in the sugar, egg and the 1/4 cup oil.

Put the prepared skillet over medium heat, add the butter, and heat until the butter melts and is just starting to sizzle. Tilt the pan to coat the sides and bottom. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine them quickly, using as few strokes as possible. Scrape the batter into the hot skillet and bake in the oven until the corn bread is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then slice into wedges and serve. Makes 8 servings.

Carrotbread

From "The Cornbread Book: A Love Story With Recipes" by Jeremy Jackson

1 cup cornmeal

1 large carrot, finely grated

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup boiling water

2 large eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with vegetable shortening or nonstick cooking spray.

Combine cornmeal, carrot, canola oil, maple syrup and salt. Stir in boiling water and set the mixture aside to cool.

Beat 2 large egg yolks with 1 tablespoon cool water and stir into the cornmeal mixture. In another bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them gently into the cornmeal mixture until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes, until firm. Serve immediately. Makes 9 servings.

Corn Bread Salad

From "Building on Tradition: A Collection of Recipes by First United Methodist Church in Monroe, Ga.," submitted by Margaret Allen. The cookbook can be purchased for $18 plus shipping and handling at www.fumcmonroe.org.

This casual side dish is a great use for leftover corn bread, even after it's started to dry out. Ranch dressing, beans and green pepper suggest the Southwest.

8 ounces sour cream

¾ cup mayonnaise

½ (0.4-ounce) package ranch dressing mix

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

4 cups cubed or crumbled corn bread (about a 6-inch square)

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 (11-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1½ chopped tomatoes

½ cup finely diced green bell pepper

½ cup chopped green onion

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, cheese and bacon. Crumble half the corn bread in the bottom of a salad bowl or 2-quart serving dish. Top with half the beans, half the corn, half the tomatoes, half the bell pepper and half the green onion. Spread half the sour cream mixture evenly over the top. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients.

Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving. Toss well before serving.

Tip: This recipe is easily doubled for a crowd — but you'll need a full recipe (a 9-inch square pan) of corn bread. Makes 8 servings.

Anne's Parmesan Spoonbread

In the South, spoonbread may be the perfect balance of custard and carbs — a cross between corn bread and a soufflé. Atlanta chef Anne Quatrano created this decidedly more decadent version to serve when you're prepared to splurge.

2 cups cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

6 cups milk

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

5 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Dash of Tabasco

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two 2-quart baking dishes (or 12 six-ounce ramekins).

In a saucepan, combine cornmeal, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Heat milk until scalding; add to the cornmeal mixture and stir over low heat until the mixture thickens, 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in buttermilk, cream and butter until butter is melted and mixture is well-combined. Fold in eggs and Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco.

Transfer to baking dishes. Bake 35-50 minutes, or until golden and puffed. Makes 12 servings.