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Houston <Pmig
WEDNESDAY,
DECEMBER 13, 2006
Paula Deen
ready for
the holidays
Paula Deen has been on
the road a lot lately.
And this down-home
girl is spending way too
much time in the big city.
She was startled when
I called her hotel room in
Chicago, where she was
promoting her latest cook
book, Paula Deen Celebrates\
(Simon & Schuster, $26).
Her publicist woke her and
reminded her of the arranged
telephone interview.
I heard, off in the dis
tance, her instantly recog
nizable Southern accent as
she yelled, “Dan. Dan.” Then
came her loud, unashamed
laugh.
“Dan, I was talking into
the TV remote. It’s time for
me to go home,” she said.
Deen has become an indus
try unto herself.
The former bank teller
and single mom created one
of Savannah’s most popular
restaurants - The Lady and
Sons
and hosts
Paula’s
Home
Cooking
and the
new
Paula’s
Party on
the Food
Network.
She has
her own
magazine,
Paula Deen.
■ --f «. ■ !
Dan MacDonald
Columnist
Morris News Service
Cooking with
She even has her family in
on the act.
Her sons -Bobby and
Jamie - have their own
Food Network show, Road
Tasted.
Her latest book hits all of
the major holidays, as well
as some obscure ones, such
as Presidents Day and May
Day (she remembered danc
ing around the Maypole as a
child and, while it is a thing
of the past in most places,
May Day is still celebrated
in Savannah).
She even includes a
menu for celebrating Elvis
Presley’s birthday.
“Does not everybody cel
ebrate Elvis’ birthday?” she
asked.
This entry includes recipes
for Country-Fried Steak with
Gravy, Buttermilk Biscuits,
Old Fashioned Banana
Pudding and, of course, a
Fried Peanut Butter and
Banana Sandwich.
She said that the book is
really a celebration of life.
“Everyday we wake up on
the right side of the dirt,
it’s a good day and it is a
reason to get in the kitchen
with your family and make
memories.”
Her basic advice is to keep
the menus very simple.
That makes for a relaxed
hostess.
“If the hostess is relaxed,
everybody is going to be
relaxed. If the hostess is in
a swivet, everyone is in a
swivet.”
“Swivet?” I asked.
“Uh-huh, “swivet,’ like a
turmoil,” she said with a
giggle.
Deen’s career is becom
ing similar to Rachael Ray’s
(although Ray doesn’t have
a restaurant).
Ray is known as the cute
as a bug, EVOO
See MCDONALD, page jC
PAULA DEEN
CELEBRATES!
wmm\ ;
Beef roasts rule for tke holidays
Special to the Journal
Get ready to launch the
holiday entertaining sea
son with a duo of fabu
lous beef roasts - noth
ing surpasses the ease and
ultimate satisfaction of a
home-cooked roast. That’s
why beef roasts rule!
Want to make your guests
feel like royalty? Then
choose a rib roast, some
times called a “standing
rib.” Black Tie Beef Roast
with Chocolate-Port Sauce
and Goat Cheese Mashed
Potatoes is a spectacular
meal. The hint of orange
peel in the rub is only the
beginning of the delicious
flavor surprise in each bite.
Not many will guess that
the secret ingredient in the
rich, dark Chocolate-Port
Sauce is bittersweet choco
late. Slightly tangy Goat
Cheese Mashed Potatoes
add one more layer of fla
vor distinction.
If you’re looking for a
more economical roast,
the beef round tip (some
times called sirloin tip) is
a delicious choice. Fennel-
Crusted Beef Roast with
White Beans. Tomatoes and
Arugula takes on an Italian
flavor profile. Fennel seeds
add an unexpected taste
and crunch to the beef and
provide the just-right com
plement to the tomato and
arugula saute and garlicky
bean side dishes.
Timid about cooking
a beef roast? Don’t be.
They’re easy - whether
you’re a kitchen novice or
culinary expert. Just sea
son the meat in a shallow
roasting pan and place in
the oven. For the juiciest
and most tender roast, use
a thermometer to deter
mine doneness. Be sure
to remove the roast from
the oven when the internal
temperature is five to 10
degrees below the desired
doneness. Then, tent it
with foil for about 15 to
20 minutes - the tempera
ture will rise about five
to 10 degrees to reach the
desired doneness - and the
roast will be easier to carve
and serve. No matter which
From panettone to pralines: nuts add taste texture
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Lifestyle Editor
Good for you and good
tasting, nuts are an essen
tial for holiday baking. If
you’re looking for some gift
recipes, look no further.
With these you can use wal
nuts, pecans or hazelnuts,
and there’s even a good one
for macadamias.
California Walnut
and Cranberry
Panettone
From Nonna’s kitchen.
A traditional Italian holi
day specialty, panettone is
derived from pane di Toni,
or “Tony’s bread,” from the
Italian servant who, in a
pinch, improvised a high
round cake with pieces of
candied fruit, raisins and
nuts. Gather your friends
and family and wow them
with the walnuts in this
easy new holiday classic.
1/2 cup dried cranber
ries
3 tablespoon
Cointreau
1 pkg. traditional dry
yeast
1/2 cup warm milk
1 cup unbleached all
purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulat
ed sugar
1/3 cup granulated
sugar
1 egg
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoon grated
orange zest
1 teaspoon salt
Food
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Nat'l Cattleman's Beef Association
Fennel-crusted roast beef with white beans and argula is made with beef round tip, a more economical cut.
roast you choose, you can
be sure that the meal will
be memorable.
Black Tie Beel
Boast
1 beef rib roast (2 to
4 ribs), small end, chine
(back) bone removed (6
to 8 pounds)
Salt
Chopped fresh pars
ley (optional)
Goat Cheese Mashed
Potatoes (recipe fol
lows)
Seasoning:
3 tablespoons freshly
grated orange peel
2 tablespoons finely
chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon finely
chopped garlic
1 tablespoon coarse
grind black pepper
See BEEF, page 4C
1 cup unbleached all
purpose flour
1/4 cup ground
California Walnuts
3 tablespoon butter,
softened
2 tablespoon canola
oil
1/2 cup chopped
California Walnuts,
toasted
1 egg yolk lightly beat
en with 1 tablespoon
water
Coarse sugar
In small bowl, combine
cranberries with Cointreau.
Let sit 1 hour and up to
1 day. Meanwhile, combine
yeast and milk in large bowl
of a heavy stand mixer. Let
stand until yeast has dis
solved, about 5 minutes.
Stir in flour and sugar. Mix
on low speed [or by hand]
until combined. Transfer
dough to a greased bowl,
cover with plastic wrap and
let rest in warm place about
1-1/2 hours, or until doubled
in volume.
In bowl of mixer, whisk
together remaining sugar,
egg, yolks, orange zest,
salt, flour and ground wal
nuts. Add to dough and mix
until dough comes together.
Knead by hand for 7 min
utes or on low speed with
a hook for 4 minutes, until
dough is smooth. Knead in
butter, oil, cranberries and
walnuts just until incorpo
rated [dough will be slight
ly sticky]. Place dough in
greased bowl, cover with
plastic wrap and let rest in a
warm place until doubled in
volume, about 1-1/2 hours.
mji
Nat'l Cattleman's Beef Association
Served with chocolate-port sauce and goat cheese mashed potatoes, this dish from
the Georgia Beef Board will make a spectacular Christmas Eve or Christmas Day pre
sentation.
>leholpmuPn
Grease a 26-oz panettone
mould or grease and line six
6-oz ramekins with
6-inch high parchment
paper. Punch the dough
down and place in mould or
divide into ramekins. Cover
loosely with plastic and let
rest in a warm place about 1
hour or until doubled in vol
ume. Brush panettone with
yolk mixture and sprinkle
with coarse sugar. Top with
walnut halves. Bake on
middle rack of a 375 F [l9O
C] oven, about 45 minutes
for a single loaf and 15 min
utes for individual loaves or
until deep golden and knife
inserted in centre comes out
clean. Unmould and cool
completely on rack before
serving. Makes 6 individual
panettones.
Source: California Walnut
Commission
SECTION
c
Toffee Georgia
Pecan Cookies
The recipe was creat
ed for the Georgia Pecan
Commission by Executive
Baker Derek Short, eat-
Zi’s Gourmet Market and
Bakery, Chicago, Illinois
Makes thirty-two 3-ounce
cookies
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks)
unsalted butter, soft
ened
1 1/4 cup granulated
sugar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon
light brown sugar, tight
ly packed
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
extract
4 cups all-purpose
flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking
powder
1 teaspoon baking
soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate-cov
ered toffee pieces
3 cups Georgia pecan
pieces, lightly toasted
Heat oven to 325 F. Using
mixer with paddle attach
ment, beat butter and
both sugars until light and
creamy.
Gradually add eggs and
vanilla. Combine flour, bak
ing powder, baking soda,
and salt. Add to butter mix
ture. Stir in toffee pieces
and pecans. Scoop into 3-
ounce portions (scant 1/3-
cup), 2 inches apart onto
parchment-lined baking
See NUTS, page 4C