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Second Helping By Tim A. Rutherford Coastal Senior  Too many cooks may spoil the broth but The Lady and Sons proprietor Paula Deen is betting that there's no such thing as too many recipes detailing her style of Southern cooking.Deen's first cookbook, named after her popular 311 W. Congress St. restaurant The Lady and Sons, has sold far more than 100,000 copies. It proved a hit not only with diners and aficionados of Southern cuisine, but with loyal shoppers who flock to cable television's QVC shopping channel. Now, Deen and publisher Random House have introduced her second volume, '' The Lady and Sons, Too.'' It's 300-plus recipes outline the restaurant's down-home style of cooking and its debut on home shopping channel QVC Sept. 14 leaves no doubt it's another best seller. That initial appearance sold 65,000 copies of the new book -- and another 10,000 copes of the original book. The results matched book editor Pamela Cannon's optimism for the volume -- both as a winner for QVC and a leading seller for Random House. Cannon discovered Deen's first self-published cookbook when she was working in Savannah as publicist for ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.'' ''I stumbled into the restaurant, saw the book and brought it back to my New York publisher,'' Cannon said. ''John Berendt (''Midnight...'' author) did the introduction for us and it took off.'' Cannon, who also edited the new book, says Random House does not release sales numbers but confirms that 200,000 copies of ''The Lady and Sons'' are in print. In the publishing trade, a cookbook that sells 15,000 copies is considered a success, Cannon said. At Random House, ''it's probably been our strongest seller in the last five years,'' Cannon said. Deen was on QVC 24 times last year and the cable shopping network sold more than 100,000 cookbooks. The book itself reads like a Bible of Southern cooking. From a variety of bean dishes, staples on any Dixie table, to her grandmother's fried pie recipe, the contents not only reflect recipes accumulated or created by Deen but contributed by several Savannah-area cooks. ''A lot of people in town donated recipes,'' Deen said. ''And the recipes are special, every one of them.'' Deen didn't just take any old recipe either. ''I tested as many as I could and formulated others myself,'' Deen said. ''The only ones I did't test were those I had eaten.'' But the real surprise is that the book is like a cookbook in a cookbook. ''That's my favorite chapter, the one titled 'And From My Peers','' Deen said. The chapter includes recipes from many of Savannah's favorites cooks and restaurant owners, including Mrs. Wilkes, Lucille Wright, Damon Lee fowler, The Gastonian, Martha Nesbitt -- even author John Berendt's mother. But this book is also a celebration of Deen's growing popularity and success. The introduction chronicles her beginning as a small caterer and highlights the business decisions that positioned her and her sons, Jamie and Bobby, where they are today. This cookbook, and the angst of publishing the first book, play heavy in that business mix. ''We self-published the first book,'' Deen recalled. ''There was lots of hand-wringing trying to decide how many of the first cookbooks to print, but finally I decided on 5,000. Two weeks later, Random House called and ultimately picked up the rights. We had a year to sell the first 5,000 we had printed ourselves and we did -- on the last day.'' What's next? Already, pre-packaged hoe cake and cheese biscuit mixes are available under the Lady and Sons label. Deen says spices and sauces have also been formulated that will soon be for sale at the restaurant and at area tourist attractions. But with all the notoriety and media exposure, Deen hasn't lost touch with reality. On the day of this interview, she and Jamie had been in the restaurant since 6 a.m. preparing breakfast for a catering job -- and you can bet no one went away hungry. Recipes The Lady and Sons Pot Roast (Serves 8) In this slightly different version from the first cookbook, Paula Deen offers up the recipe for pot roast enjoyed by Harry Connick Jr. during his Savannah appearance earlier this year. Connick was so moved by his meal at The Lady and Sons, he dedicated a tune, 'Sentimental,'' to Deen during his concert. 3-4 lb. boneless chuck roast 1 tsp. The Lady's House seasoning (salt, pepper and garlic powder) 1 tsp. The Lady's seasoned salt (substitute: Lawry's seasoned salt) 1/2 tsp. black pepper 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1 Tbsp. beef bouillon granules 1 cup thinly sliced onion wedges 3 cloves garlic, rushed 2 bay leaves 1 10-1/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup 1/4 cup red wine 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub the meat with House seasoning, seasoned salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the roast, searing it on both sides. Place the meat in a roaster pan. Sprinkle the bouillon granules over the meat and cover with onions, garlic and bay leaves. Combine the mushroom soup, wine and Worcestershire sauce, and half a soup can of water, and pout over the meat. Cover and bake for 2-2 1/2 hours, or until tender. Remove and discard the bay leaves. If the gravy is not thick enough, remove the meat from the pan and pour the gravy into a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and thicken it by adding 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of cold water, stirring occasionally. Crockpot Pinto Beans (Serves 8) This recipe takes the fuss out of making pintos -- no more checking the water level in your bean pot. 1 lb. dry pinto beans 1/4 lb. streak o' lean or 1/2 lb. ham hocks (Break down ham hocks with a sharp knife) 4 cups water 1 onion, chopped 1 tsp. chili powder 1/2 tsp. dried oregano The Lady's House seasoning Wash the beans and place in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover and soak overnight. Drain the beans. If using streak o' lean, cut it into cubes, brown in a skillet, and place the meat and any rendered fat into the crockpot. Add the water, onions, chili powder and oregano. Add the drained beans and stir well. Season to taste with House Seasoning, cover the pot and cook on high for five hours. Source: The Lady and Sons, Too! (Random House) Used by permission of Paula H. Deen. |
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