Product Description

A Seriously Sweet Southern Dessert Extravaganza

The queen of Savannah's The Lady & Sons restaurant, Paula Deen knows how to please a hungry crowd. In The Lady & Sons Just Desserts, Paula shares the down-home recipes that made her famous, including her signature Gooey Butter Cake (with luscious variations). Peach Cobbler, Turtle Cake, Sweet Baby Carrot Cake, Lemon Curd Pudding, and Pecan Dreams.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #244572 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Plastic Comb
• 192 pages

From Amazon.com
Warmly effusive and dear yet gritty, Paula H. Deen seems mythically Southern. But this cooking luminary, proprietor of Savannah, Georgia's Lady & Sons restaurant, is the real thing. The Lady & Sons Just Desserts, her all-sweets follow-up to The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook and The Lady & Sons, Too!, celebrates the Southern sweet tooth with 120 recipes, including traditional formulas for the likes of Brown Sugar Pound Cake and Lemon Chess Pie as well as best-loved restaurant innovations like Turtle Cake, Lemon Curd Pudding, and Gooey Butter Cake. ("These are very, very rich," Deen advises, "and a little goes a long way--even for piggies like me!") Lovers of the restaurant--which grew to prominence from $200 and lots of determination--as well as those seeking easy-to-fix temptations should put this book to happy use.

Among its wide-ranging recipes, Desserts offers Carolyn's Jell-O Cheesecake, Lauren's Chocolate Drizzle Pie, and Hidden Mint Cookies--recipes based on cake mixes and other convenience foods. These creditable sweets are of course work saving, but are perhaps better viewed as solidly characteristic of their time and place. Equally particular are candies like Mamma's Divinity and Uncle Bubba's Benne Candy, and "other sweet things," as Deen dubs them, such as Banana Split Brownie Pizza, Easy Homemade Oreo Ice Cream, and Fresh Apples with Butterscotch Dip. With asides by Deen family members, including son Jamie's "Food Is Love" ("I am right this minute 20 pounds over-loved," he writes), useful tips (Deen provides an "emergency" recipe for sweetened condensed milk), and plenty of piquant anecdote (after Deen had rattled on endlessly to her grandmother about her intention to open a restaurant, the older woman paused and replied, "Paula, have you lost you damned mind?"), the spiral-bound book is not only full of delectable eating, it's lots of fun. --Arthur Boehm

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction

Have you ever been sick and tired of being sick and tired? Well, this was the position I found myself in in 1989. I wanted to be able to act instead of react. I wanted to make choices for myself instead of taking what came my way through the actions of others. I wanted to be my own woman.

Back in 1965, after I had graduated from high school, my daddy -- so badly -- wanted to send me to school in Florida to study to be a dental hygienist. Yuck! I had just finished the most cram-filled fun social three years of my life at Albany High School and now I was supposed to be a dental hygienist? It was obvious a mad coon had bitten my daddy.

"I'm sorry, Daddy" I said, "I just can't bear the thought of spending the rest of my life smelling people's stinky breath. But," I went on to say, "how about the Patricia Stevens Modeling School."

"Absolutely not!" he said. "I will not turn my eighteen-year-old daughter loose in Atlanta."

Since we couldn't agree on the education thing, I would just solve all the problems by marrying my high school sweetheart.

One night my mother slipped into my bedroom and sat on the side of my bed. The look on her face was sad and full of concern as opposed to the soft sweet smile she normally wore. "Paula, I want you to give careful consideration to the decision you've made, because this commitment should be for a lifetime. If there's anything that bothers you at all about the young man that you have planned to marry make sure it's something you can live with, because contrary to what you may think you don't have the ability to change people."

Well, I just couldn't believe it. My daddy wants me to be a dental hygienist and my mother is suggesting that my marriage might not be a perfect one. Of course, my fiancé was perfect, and I was going to be the perfect wife and mother.

So the wedding was held, and I think it took me all of three months to realize I would have made the perfect dental hygienist!

The dreams of a perfect life were shattered seven months after my wedding. My daddy died.

How could this charismatic, wonderful, forty-year-old man whom we all depended on be gone from us forever? The pain this brought to our family was devastating, and I thought that things could get no worse. But four years later my beautiful mother died. She was forty-four years old.

Besides myself, Mother left behind a sixteen-year-old son, my little brother, whom I adored. By this time I also had two little boys of my own under the age of three. The pain I felt for myself was riveting, but the pain I felt for my brother, Bubba, can't even be put into words. I have searched for them, but cannot find them. So, at the ripe old age of twenty-three I had the responsibility of raising two babies, and trying to continue the job that my mother had started with one of her babies. And don't forget the husband.

Over the years, I began to have symptoms of agoraphobia. At one point, I wondered if I would ever be able to leave my home again. Panic attacks became a way of life. I was at my lowest when I knew I could no longer leave the house to accompany my children to the activities they loved. If my boys couldn't walk, they didn't go.

So in spite of the deep love I had for my family, I found I was not the perfect mother. I was not the perfect wife. And I didn't have the perfect husband.

When I was forty, my husband announced that he was accepting a position in Savannah, Georgia. I had to leave behind everything that I knew and loved. I was barely able to function in the town in which I had been born and lived my whole life. How was I ever going to function in a strange new city on the other side of the state?

Well, after arriving in Savannah I handled the move by going to bed for two months. There seemed to be no end to the tears. I had to get out of bed to eat, but I did not have to get out of bed to cry. Albany, my home town, might as well have been two thousand miles away rather than two hundred, and because I couldn't make the journey back home alone, I was stuck.

Then one day I woke up and it was like turning on a light switch and I could see clearly. I decided at that moment I was going to get out of that bed and begin living life to the fullest.

I decided at that moment I would no longer let the fear of fear control my life, and I spent the next two years pondering how I could improve my life and the lives of my children. I wanted so much to give my sons wings either through education or a business, something that they could sink their teeth into. So in 1989, I finally made the decision to follow in my Grandmother Paul's footsteps.

My Granddaddy and Grandmama Paul were in the restaurant and lodging business. Granddaddy Paul knew he had a jewel in my grandmother because she was a fabulous southern cook. Grandma and I spent many years in the kitchen together, her teaching, me watching and learning, laughing together, and enjoying the fruits of our labor. I now realize that I was getting an education without going to school.

I'll never forget my grandmother's words the day I called to let her know what I had decided to do. I rattled on quickly, and when I finally ran out of breath and became quiet there was just silence on the other end. Just when I thought our call must have been disconnected my grandmother said, "Paula. Have you lost your damned mind!"

I busted out laughing, "Well, Grandmama, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?"

So at the age of forty-two, I turned to my stove and began a business called The Bag Lady. The sum total of my starting capital was two hundred dollars. I spent fifty dollars on groceries, about forty dollars on a cooler, and the rest on a business license and incidentals. This girl was off and running!

It was just a good thing that I didn't know how far and how long I was gonna have to run, 'cause I might not have made it if I'd known how long the track was. It wasn't unusual for me to work a sixteen- or twenty-hour day. I prepared fresh meals daily for people who were stuck in their offices and to be delivered by my sons, Jamie, twenty-one, and Bobby, eighteen, and their girlfriends.

While my children were running their daily routes I cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom and then immediately, began the next day's preparations. It was a never-ending cycle, but determination would not allow me to tire of it.

Before I knew it, two years had passed, and I found myself moving into a bona fide restaurant space in the Best Western Central hotel on the south side of Savannah. I would remain there for five years, and I found out that running The Bag Lady was like a day in the park compared to running a full-service restaurant.

My hours were governed by the Best Western's policies, which required me to serve three meals a day, seven days a week. And I continued to maintain The Bag Lady. I decided that the restaurant would be named The Lady, hoping people would associate The Lady with The Bag Lady and bring us instant credibility.

The lack of revenue would require all the work to be done by my sons, their girlfriends, and me. Thank God for those two pretty girls! They were wonderful on the dining room floor. Before we knew it we'd made lots of friends and were serving many Southside business people. My newfound independence brought along the ability to ask for the inevitable. My marriage of twenty-seven years was finally over.

Now that I had settled my personal life, my every thought was about my next business move. My cooking style was southern plantation cuisine, reminiscent of the Old South. Downtown historic Savannah was the place for me.

I'll be forever grateful to Michael Brown. A downtown developer, one day he walked into The Lady and informed me that he had the perfect location for us. We met on the corner of Congress and Montgomery streets. As we leaned against an old building and chatted, Michael pointed across the street to the old Barnett's Educational Supply Building. It was perfect. That afternoon, Michael and I consummated the deal with a handshake. Talk about naive! I had just committed myself to a twelve-year lease in an old building that would require $150,000 worth of work.

Being turned down time after time by different financial institutions almost discouraged me. But my passion would not allow me to quit, and I was determined not to stop until someone listened and would agree to help me. Doug McCoy, a local banker, was the man who finally listened. He felt that I could make it, but that I still didn't have enough collateral in spite of the money I'd managed to save.

A couple of local businessmen had spoken with me about the possibility of backing me, but I really wasn't looking for a partner. Just when I thought I might have to seriously reconsider that prospect, my Aunt Peggy and Uncle George stepped forward and agreed to put up a certificate of deposit as my collateral.

How does one thank someone for giving them a new start on life? I'll forever be grateful to my Aunt Peggy and Uncle George.

We still had many obstacles to overcome -- the biggest one being almost a year of downtime with no income except what my catering brought in. As construction dragged on I became poorer with each passing day. I'll never forget one day my younger son, Bobby said, "Mama, I'm hungry but I don't have any money."

I said, "Well, son, I've got one more little change box. Let's go back here and see how much is in it."

As I was sifting through the coins I got a glimpse of something green hidden down in the bottom of that box. It was a fifty-dollar bill! Bobby and I stood there and laughed our heads off and quickly headed to McDonald's and ordered two number threes!

Opening day, January 8, 1996. We opened to the public with not one but two overdrawn accounts. My sons and I were full of apprehension, but we were dedicated to serving the best meal to our guests We were capable of preparing.

I'll never forget that day. How our old guests from the Best Western knew we were open I'll never know since we couldn't afford advertising. But they showed up, and I spent that lu...

Customer Reviews

Pure and plain country cooking
If I had to make a choice of all my cook books,and belive me I have a few, Paula Deens three cook books would be the one I would keep. I watch her on the cooking shows and ever thing she cook's is in her books. Now if you get mad when you cook cause you don't have every thing a recipe calls for and it just don't sound like it would be good .You flat want feel that way about Paula's. Shucks just reading what goes in it you could tare the page out and eat it right then and there. So if you are southern are not and like really easy recipes and very good ones you try Paula Deens books, all three. you want be sorry. Paula also tell about things that happend to her and how she came to cooking and I tell you I read every bit of it. The women kept me tickled all through it. Now I can go about this lady,s books but if you try them your self I promise you want be sorry. You go girl, love you Paula. Elouise

Simple Southern Sweetness
Ms. Deen has put together a simple yet delicious group of desserts that ooze Southern charm. A lot of these I remember from growing up and others just look delicious. I have made the signature Gooey Butter Cakes and many of the cookies. The Stick To Your Mouth Chocolate Cookies are sinful! Anyone interested in either Southern Desserts or just easy to prepare, delicious ends to their meals must purchase this book. You won't be disappointed at all.

Easily Made Southern Comfort Desserts, Achingly Sweet
If you have seen a few episodes of Paula Deen's Food Network show, then you will know exactly what is in this book, as many of the recipes in the book have been done on her show.

For those who have not seen her show or know of her background, Paula Deen owns and operates a well regarded restaurant in Savannah where her cuisine in the restaurant and on her show is pure southern comfort food, plain and simple. More exactly, it is white southern comfort food. You will find relatively little overlap with the dishes of Edna Lewis but much overlap with the dishes in the southern cuisine cookbooks done by James Villas and his mother.

With regard to this particular book, the 'southern comfort' easy living theme appears in spades. Paula Deen is not a baker and her dessert recipes are not something you would find in books by Gail Gand or Nancy Silverton or even Maida Heather.

The first thing you notice is that virtually every recipe is loaded with sugar, butter, cream, cream cheese, chocolate and eggs, whole or yolks. And, aside from the occasional appearance of peaches (obligatory for a Georgia girl), bananas, and cherries for garnish, there are very little fruit products, aside from lemon juice and lemon zest.

Before the recipe chapters is a very good short chapter on Hints and Tips. At the beginning of each chapter there are additional hints and tips for the type of dessert featured therein. Almost all suggestions appear to be sound, but may not go far enough. The claim that normal cocoa power can be substituted for Dutch Process cocoa may not pass muster, especially if baking powder is used to leaven the product.

The recipes in the book are divided into chapters for:

Cakes, which depend heavily on boxed cake mixes
Pies, which depend heavily on frozen, store bought crusts.
Cookies and Bars
Puddings and Custards
Candy
More Sweet Things

I find the instructions for making pie crusts to be inadequate. There is simply not enough detail in the instructions for keeping the ingredients cold, for resting the dough, or for chilling or freezing before blind baking. The technique Paula uses to blind bake also seems a bit idiosyncratic, using a quick run under the broiler for a few minutes instead of the more elaborate blind baking technique I have seen everyone else use.

Paula cites a case where her recipe directions were inadequate for a recipe tester (an inexperienced teenager) and properly noted the correction; however, I found a few other recipes where the instructions simply left important steps out.

I have done several of Paula Deen's dessert recipes and, as indicated by the list of most prominent ingredients, you should not be surprised to hear that I find them tooth achingly sweet without a lot of variety in texture. The typical French, Viennese, or Italian sweets shop would have a much greater variety of tastes and textures.

All this doesn't mean this is a bad book. If you want a really good collection of recipes of the type you would get from Aunt Edna or her church lady friends, this is your book, especially at a list price under 17 dollars. Almost all recipes are really easy to make, although some minor pitfalls have to be avoided. The homey stories about Paula's career and her sons makes entertaining reading.

If you are more adventurous and wish to try something with more challenge, go to Wayne Harley Brachman's new book on American Desserts. I highly recommend that book.