Jamie and Bobby Deen: The Deen Bros. Cookbook

By JULIETTE ROSSANT What are the ingredients of a typical cookbook tied to a TV food show? Usually, they include the recipes mentioned on the show, sometimes a few that haven't made it on, plus helpful hints and gobs of photos of the host. The Deen Bros. Cookbook: Recipes from the Road (Meredith 2007 by Jamie and Bobby Deen with Melissa Clark departs from the usual formula. Their popular Food Network show Road Tasted) follows Paula Deen's two sons as they travel across America reporting on small producers and restaurant that sell product over the Internet. They learn about the business, watch the product – cookie, cake or meat ball – being made and let the viewers know how much they like it. What is in the cookbook? Surprise! None of the recipes from the road made it in, though plenty of road pictures of the Deen boys do. Instead, here are Jamie and Bobby's inspired recipe from what they have learned, along with stories about the road: We know how hard it was to get where we are and we know how many other struggling cooks and bakers are out there trying to make a go of it... So when we had the opportunity to do our own Food Network series, we wanted to showcase local independent businesses. (p. 8) For all this noble and generous sentiment, theirs is a fun, lighthearted show, and that translates into the book's text. The recipes were definitely helped in the right direction by the able pen of Melissa Clark, a veteran cookbook writer, including last year's The Skinny (Meredith 2006). Both book and show are two parts showmanship, two parts Deen. In the show, Jamie and Bobby visit the Conch Republic Seafood Company on Key West, Florida. They eat Callaloo and Grouper prepared with a Juju sauce. The recipes are for Sautéed Spinach with Sweet Vidalia Onion( p. 13), Zesty Grilled Grouper and Mango Coconut Rice (p. 14). The Conch Republic sells its sauces and spices on line, but not their Juju sauce. They describe the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, a marvelous structure that was a gift from Tajikistan's capital to its sister city. The show concentrated on the Tangerine Tea Gingerbread for which the teahouse is justly famous. But the recipes are for Fish Fajitas, Humus with Pita and Vegetables and Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread (pp. 74-77). The gingerbread recipe calls for boxed gingerbread mix and no tea. It is a bit odd that they did not come up with a recipe that was closer to the original and made from scratch. Jamie and Bobby visited New York twice, first for Italian food and then for other ethnic food. At Landi's Pork Store in Brooklyn, they make a kind of rice and cured meat ball that is deep-fried. The Deen brothers came up with a lighter alternative, Risotto Cakes (p. 169) stuffed with peas, Parmesan and flavored with white wine. One of the few super chef restaurants the Deens visit it davidburke & donatella, where pastry chef Richard Bies, makes them cheesecake lollipop. It takes a great dad to come up with something his kids will eat when it's raining outside and there's only cream cheese and smoked salmon in the fridge – that's how Chef David Burke invented salmon pops. (p. 171) Needless to say, the pops didn't remain kid's food. The Deens offer Honey Nut Goat Cheese Balls and Cheesecake Surprise Balls (p. 172) in lieu of David's versions, which are available online. All you need to do is pierce each one with a stick. If you are a fan of Paula or her sons, The Deen Bros. Cookbook is a must-buy. Paula's introduction is full of treacle-y sentiment across from a big photo of TV's Deen dynasty: Thank you, Jamie and Bobby for taking us along on this beautiful tour of our country. Boys, I'm so proud of y'all!! The Deen brothers, with the help of Melissa Clark, have learned quite a bit about American regional specialties. Who knows, maybe a few of these recipes will make it onto the menu of their restaurant, The Lady and Sons. Previous articles: Jamie And Bobby Deen: Road Tasted Super Chef Exclusive Interview: Paula's Party Paula Deen: Egg Muffin Machine Paula Deen Celebrates Rossant on Rachael Ray's Competition Paula Deen & Friends [Cookbook Reviews -complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, Paula Deen, food blogging, Deen Bros. --> back to Super Chef