Paula Deen & Friends

By JULIETTE ROSSANT I am all for American regional cookery and the trappings of taste, custom, and parlance that go with each. I equate regionalism with exoticism when it comes to Food: as a New Yorker, to me the cuisine of America's southern states are as exotic as those of Kyrgyzstan. Besides grits (which I love), I know next to nothing about Southern cooking, and so I was happy to latch onto a copy of Paula Deen & Friends: Living It Up Southern Style (Simon & Schuster April 2005) -- especially since the author, Paula Deen, is also a nominee in superchefblog's nationwide online readers' poll, "Vote for Woman White House Executive Chef." (Be sure to vote if you haven't yet.) The stories in this cookbook are great – walking arm in arm with President Jimmy Carter through Plains, GA, and tales from her Food Network show, Paula's Home Cooking. She writes with a chatty style with plenty of 'Y'alls" about her friends, their kids, their kids' friends, and their get-togethers. Each chapter is about a different party or event. I liked the Cookie Swap party chapter (p. 85). I had no idea what one was: a party where all the guests bring a plate of cookies and the recipe that goes with them, after which guests take home their favorite recipe -- having sampled all the evening's cookies, of course. There are homey recipes for Paula's Ultimate Oatmeal Cookies (p. 87), Savannah Bow Ties (p. 88-9), and Magnolia Lace Trumpets (p. 90). Many of the recipes in the book use packaged ingredients like a Double Rum Cake (p. 115) that starts with a yellow cake mix, or Quick Crab Stew (p. 56) that is made with cans of potato and celery soup. Paula's philosophy is you don't have to start from scratch to make a great dish. But others, especially those in the fun chapter called Run for the Roses (p. 159) about a party for the Kentucky Derby, contain recipes mostly from scratch. One recipe for Kentucky Spoon Bread (p.166) doesn't sounds much like a bread (it's a pudding), but it sure sounds scrumptious. Previous cookbooks reviewed: Roland Mesnier's Dessert University Puerto Rico: Grand Cuisine of the Caribbean Don Pintabona: Shared Table Annabel Karmel: First Meals Nigella Lawson's Feast Cook Like a Kyrgyz Personal Favorites: The Chefs of Las Vegas Anne Willen: The Good Cook Gale Gand's short+sweet More Food from Alton Brown Manju Malhi's India With Passion SOS: Baking from the Heart Madhur Jaffrey: Our Lady of India, CBE Amazon UK's Steamy Xmas Chefs All Hail Alfred Portale Agassi's Star Palate: Celebrity Chefs Previous Profiles for White House Woman Chef: Profile: Allison Vines-Rushing for White House Chef Profile: Lucia Watson for White House Chef Profile: Barbara Lynch for White House Chef Profile: Suzanne Goin for White House Chef Profile: Louise Lamensdorf for White House Chef Profile: Anita Jaisinghani for White House Chef Profile: Julie Francis for White House Chef Profile: Mary Sue Milliken & Susan Feniger for White House Chef Profile: Traci Des Jardins for White House Chef Profile: Anita Lo for White House Chef Profile: Sara Moulton for White House Chef Profile: Nora Pouillon for White House Chef Profile: Scooter Kanfer for White House Chef Profile: Cat Cora for White House Chef Profile: Diane Forley for White House Chef Previous articles: Sante Magazine Recognizes Jody Adams Shortlisting White House Chefs? Times-Picayune: Spicer for President(ial chef) NAMC Newswire: A Woman in the White House Before 2008? Ventura, CA, Gets Into White House Chef Search Dallas-Ft. Worth Notes Chef Louise's White House Nomination Roland Mesnier's Dessert University Congratulations: James Beard Awards Nominees Ojai Valley News: Diane Forley for White House Chef Denver Supports Jennifer Jasinski for White House Chef James Beard Awards: Dearth of Top Women Chefs? Today Show Emulates Iron Chef America Wireless Flash: White House Woman Chef Fortune Smiles on superchefblog's White House Chef Poll Cat Cora Wins on Iron Chef America Anita Lo Defeats Mario Batali on Iron Chef America Atlantic Monthly: White House Chefs Cat Cora, Anita Lo: Sexing Up Iron Chef America Joe Guzzardi: If Not Governor, White House Chef Reminder 1: Vote for White House Woman Chef Vote For White House Woman Chef Superchefblog: Catalyst for White House Woman Chef? Book Links: Publisher Amazon.com Technorati Tags: chefs restaurants food cookbooks biography branding -> back to superchefblog