THE LEE BROS HIT TOWN

If you have ever had the pleasure of reading an article by Matt and Ted Lee in the New York Times, you will not want to miss the chance to meet them and get your own copy of their new cookbook THE LEE BROS. SOUTHERN COOKBOOK: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-Be Southerners (W. W. Norton). They will be appearing at Borders Books & Music, 400 Post Street, on Thursday, November 9 at 7:00 PM for a discussion and signing. At over 500 pages this could be the last word in Southern Cookbooks.

Whenever I am asked to review a new cookbook I choose the recipes with the least number of ingredients to test. This may seem lazy but I assure you that it is far more difficult for a simple recipe to work than it is for a recipe with 20 ingredients. (This is the same way I go about evaluating a pastry shop. If they can’t make a simple lemon tart there is little hope for the rest of their offerings).

The Brothers Lee don’t disappoint. While including all the Southern classics you could hope for they have also updated simple recipes like Pimento Cheese spread. Instead of using a little jar of gooey pimento pieces, they have you blacken a red bell pepper to remove its skin. This adds a lovely smokey quality to the spread. Nice touch. Adding a generous pinch of spicy smoked red paprika to finish off their delicious deviled eggs brings this classics into the 21^st Century.

If you want an immediate Southern hit but don’t feel like getting into the kitchen yourself you can visit their website THE LEE BROS. BOILED PEANUTS CATALOGUE to mail-order a variety of pantry staples and their new cookbook.