5 comments about Eula Mae's Cajun Kitchen.

1. This is a wonderful history of Avery Island which includes many wonderful recipes. You cannot go wrong with this cookbook!!!!



2. This book is a classic. Eula Mae passed away in 2008 and this book is her legend. Great recipes and insight to food of the South.



3. Eula Mae Dore's recipe for shrimp and sausage gumbo-- superb-- is worth the price of this cookbook.
   
   I tried this particular recipe because it looked great in a December 2008 edition of the New York Times Magazine. I served it over black-eyed peas and rice on New Year's Day, 2009, and it was a hit. Do give it a trial. I intend to keep making it on New Year's Day and on other occasions.
   
   The complete cookbook has many recipes that I will likely never attempt (too high in sugar and/or fat content), but the cookbook is a gem. The kindness, generosity, grit and creativity of the late, iconic Eula Mae Dore shine on every page, as does the story of the Tabasco company and its founders on Avery Island. If you read this cookbook, you will be transported to Avery Island, Louisiana and you may never want to leave. Eula Mae's admonitions to cook slowly and with care are wonderful lessons for cooking and for life.
   
   I gravitated to the recipes that focused on main courses (black-eyed peas, Christmas Dinner, the above-referenced shrimp and sausage gumbo, for example), as well as to a tempting recipe for spoonbread, but by all means pick your favorites. You will be thrilled to make the acquaintance of Eula Mae Dore, her husband MoNeg, and her family; Marcelle Bienvenue, her brilliant co-author; the Tabasco Company and its founders; and Avery Island, Louisiana.
   
   Hurrah for Eula Mae Dore, an America original, cher(e)...



4. My wife and I have beek cooking from this great cook book for several years and it's become a staple in our kitchen.
   
   Recently, we hosted a dinner party with dishes coming entirely from Eula Mae (with music from The Big Easy soundtrack, Professor Longhair, and the Neville Brothers in the background). We had a great time, and gave each guest a copy of the cookbook as a gift.
   
   Most of Eula Mae's ingredients are common, but the magic of her recipes, the refreshing nature of the meal compositions, and the charm of her stories make this cookbook a unique and lasting addition to any kitchen.
   
   Sorry to hear she passed away. Thank heavens her recipes were saved for all of us to enjoy.



5. When I saw this book I knew it was for me. I have visited Avery Island (where Eula worked for the McIlheny/tabasco family) several times and wanted to cook like the real thing! The recipes are easily written and most ingredients are in local grocery. You may have to look a while for gator and craw-fish if not from around here, but even frozen these items work great. Little snipets abound about life on the island and the occasions these recipes were used for. A great read even if you don't cook!

5 comments about Pirate's Pantry: Treasured Recipes of Southwest Louisiana.

1. I think every single woman I know has this cookbook. It's as if you get one after a certain age as a "right of passage" or something in this town. I have this cookbook, my mother has it and my Grandmother had it. We have never ran across a recipe in this book that was not great! Buy it! You will NOT be disappointed.



2. I've had (earlier printing - plastic bound) version of this cook book for at least 25 years. I absolutely love it. Unfortunately, after much use the binding broke and my cook book was a total mess, although I still frequently used it. I actually went online to order one for my new daughter-in-law and was delighted to see it in hard cover. So, I bought four (my daughter-in-law, my daughter, one as a gift for a friend and another for myself). I am delighted with the quality of this cook book. I come from a long line of great cajun cooks (my mom and both sister also have the cook book). I've eaten cajun food all of my life. These recipes are delicious, truly cajun and easy to prepare. The informative welcome to each section is a delightful extra. I would strongly recommend this cook book for anyone who enjoys cooking delicious meals. I will purchase them again for gifts for friends and family.



3. Being born & raised in Southwest Louisiana, I learned how to cook from generations before me. This cook book is the closest thing to real Southwest Louisiana food. I have had my copy for numerous years and have worn it out but continue to use it. I give this book as a gift on every occasion that is appropriate (& some that are not). This is the only book I would recommend to anyone with an interest in Cajun food. It's awesome! Karen - Lake Charles, Louisiana transplanted to Omaha, Nebraska.



4. I am into my second copy of this great cookbook. The first was worn out years ago. As one from Louisiana this cookbook has it all and it is laid out in an easy to follow manner. You cannot go wrong with this one. Once you try some of these recipes you will not be able to go back to your usual bland fare and will wonder why you have squandered so much money in resteraunts all of these years.



5. I have used this cookbook for years. My husband is from Louisana and introduced me to it. This time I bought it for my daughter. The recipes are authentic and easy to follow. It makes a great gift too!

5 comments about The Prudhomme Family Cookbook: Old-Time Louisiana Recipes by the Eleven Prudhomme Brothers and Sisters and Chef Paul Prudhomme.

1. This book has changed my taste buds forever. The food is SO good! IT takes a little more work than most of today's cookbooks, but the results are worth it. If you like food, you need this book.



2. Unfortunately out-of-print, this great book contains many, many recipes from Chef Paul Prudhomme's family, along with a few from the King of Blackening himself. Meticulously detailed to ensure good results, the recipes are all failproof. Some recipes, however, serve better as conversation pieces than actual things you'd want to make. Hog's head cheese? I shudder to think. Red boudin ( made with fresh pork blood )? Eeek! All the same, the coconut cake recipe is really excellent, worth preparing your own fresh coconut for. A must for serious Cajun cooking fans.



3. This spectacular Cookbook is sadly out of print. I have seen it here on Amazon.com though. Be sure to purchase your copy before they are all gone. I am a big fan of Chef Paul Prudhomme, my entire family is actually. We have all of his cookbooks. This particular book contains some of our favorites. We recommend the Jambalayas. There are several different variations. The Shrimp & Crabmeat Jambalaya is terrific. It's not a spicy Jambalaya so you might want to add some of the optional hot peppers as described in the recipe. We sure did, Wow what a difference it makes. The Fried Green Tomatoes are a wonderful tart snack or side dish. Green tomatoes can be hard to find, try your local farmers market or health food stores that sell fresh produce. These are definately worth the effort it takes to find them.



4. Grew up for part of my childhood in Opalousas LA. We had a local restaurant run by this great family in one of the near-by towns. They used to test out new recipes on my mother and father, but the desserts were always tested by me! This was a wonderful and loving family, full of fun and good food. thank you Prudhommes for the wonderful childhood memories!!! I'm sad that your book is out of print.
   
   Now for others on Amazon. This is REAL cajun food. YOu get a lot of stuff that is buffed up to be cajun because it is supposedly spicey, and contains a few ingredients such as andoille sausage. But truthfully that does not make it cajun!!! Cajun food is supposed to be a mixture of creole, french and carribean influences -- but it is not those foods just mixed up together!!!! You cannot borrow this and borrow that! Cajun food is part of a culture, one of the many diverse cultures that make up our dearest US. So if you want to learn authentic, delicious Cajun cooking, pick up the Prudhomme Family Cookbook and Paul Pruhomme's Louisiana Cooking or Tastes of Louisiana.
   
   This cook-book (written by the whole family)is a treasure, and unforetunately it's out of print. I would highly recommend buying it used even. I must own 20-30 cook-books, and yet I always borrow this one from my mom when I want cajun food.
   
   Great book!! Should be back in print! And you can see a bit about Paul in Bon Appetite this month as well. He and his family are a generous lot.



5. Paul Prudhomme is a well known celebrity chef in the Louisiana cajun/creole culinary scene, as well as a prolific author. This particular book has some interesting information, but it's not one of my favorites.
   
   What I liked:
   
   * There's some good historical information on some old regional specialties that are slowly disappearing ... blood sausage, hog boucherie, salting/pickling/canning meat, etc. Some of this information is not particularly useful or practical for modern suburban cooks (who lack access to fresh pig blood and who have refrigerators and thus no longer need to salt/pickle/can stuff to preserve it), but it's important and interesting stuff that deserves to be preserved ... touchstones from a slowly vanishing era & sub-culture.
   
   * The recipes are no-frills, stick-to-your-guts, feed a hardworking blue collar rural family type fare ... and ya gotta appreciate and respect that. Many of the recipes are well honed, and have the patina of age to them, and will always have their rightful place on the American table.
   
   * There's some good instructional information that many other co-called 'cajun' cooks gloss over ... things like extensive tips of making, storing and using various types of roux, tips for cleaning (and eating) crawfish, etc.
   
   What I disliked:
   
   * PHOTOS: There are none ... only a small scattering of indifferently drawn B&W sketchs. Call me spoiled, but I like books with glossy photos, so that I have a general idea what finished dishes are *supposed* look like, presentation-wise. I also like photos, because it helps me 'windowshop' for recipes that I'd like to try ... that way I can see at a glance if it's something I'd be interested in, rather than having to read through a recipe at length in order to get a general feel for its style/approach/flavor. If I'm paying a premium for a hardbound book, then surely the publisher can include some work by a food photographer.
   
   * COVER SHOT: Another thing that never fails to irk me is books that have photos of dishes on the cover that don't appear anywhere in the book. Case in point - this book features a photo of a whole roasted piglet on the jacket ... something I was interested in attempting for a BBQ I was planning at the time, so I bought the book. You guessed it - nadda. Zip. Zilch. Not mentioned anywhere, not even in the small print buried up front in the publisher's legaleze. Typical bait & switch 'teaser' photo, to entice readers. I wrote the publisher a ... ahem ... nice note about that goof.
   
   * SCOPE & POLISH: This is just a book of some assorted family recipes - it's hardly an exhaustive treatise on cajun cooking, and recipes were duplicated faithfully rather than updated or polished in any way to achieve improved results ... the result is many recipes are lackluster and out-dated. Forget about modern appliances like food processors - this is chop/grind it all by hand cookin. Anyway, just because a given recipe documents the way grandma did it forever, doesn't mean that it's the best, tastiest, or easiest recipe ... as anyone who's serious about cooking will rapidly attest.
   
   Anyway, it's a decent, if unspectacular and rather dated book.
   
   Add a star if you're an old fashioned Louisana dirt farmer, age 50+, who raises pigs on/near the bayou, sans phone or electricity.

1 comments about Who s Your Mama, Are You Catholic & Can You Make A Roux? (Book 2): A Cajun / Creole Family Album Cookbook (Louisiana Classic).

1. What can I say, except if you enjoy cooking and enjoy a good story at the same time, this is the cookbook for you. Her first book was great and this second book just continues on from where the first book left off. Marcelle is a master story teller as well as a master cook. I have had the pleasure of tasting some of her food and interacting with her and her husband Rock. She prepares great food, combines it with a great personality and then has the ability to write about it in an entertaining and fun to read book. "Try it, you'll like it."

5 comments about New Orleans Classic Gumbos and Soups (Classic Recipes Series).

1. Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (2/09)
   
   Gumbos and soups....the comfort foods that we call can relate to. And, according Kit Wohl one of the first do's in New Orleans is to "learn how to make a roux," and "the second is not to mess with anybody's mama's gumbo recipe." If you want to make that great roux then I would suggest trying "Gumbo Ya-Ya" from Mister B's Bistro. The constant stirring creates a roux that is dark and rich. It takes a long time to make - at least an hour - but worth every bite. Of course the andouille sausage and the large chunks of chicken create the classic gumbo.
   
   Another recipe in "New Orleans Classic Gumbos and Soups" I tried is from Gerard Maras' restaurant called "Chicken and Oyster Fil Gumbo with Bacon." It is thick, succulent, full of oysters and has the distinct spiciness. Served with rice and corn bread this one was a hit.
   
   I also tried "Sweet Potato Soup" from Chef Austin Leslie. It is sweet and smooth and has a light touch of bacon flavor. Although the recipe says the soup isn't very sweet, I felt it was. It probably depends on the potato itself. Next time I make this soup I will eliminate the added sugar.
   
   Wonderful presentation! Any person who would like to add a little New Orleans flare to their cooking will appreciate the recipes and the comfort of eating the gumbos and soups. Kit Wohl outdid her self and created a cookbook that is a keeper. I highly recommend "New Orleans Classic Gumbos and Soups" by Kit Wohl for yourself or as a gift.



2. This is a little cookbook with beautiful photos and great recipes of gumbos and soups. I have made several of them and they were all terrific. Gumbos and soups are so comforting and the variety included here gives the cook something for every occassion and season. I also like that the recipes are from different chefs/restaurants so there isn't any one style throughout. This cookbook was selected by Gourmet Magazine for their cookbook of the month club. Quite an indorsement indeed!



3. Plenty of New Orleans cookbooks include a classic gumbo dish or two, but now there's an exclusive focus on variations of gumbos and soups in New Orleans Classic Gumbos and Soups. Some fifty recipes accompanied by photos offer many variations from New Orleans chefs and restaurants, from a Smoked Wood Duck and Andouille Gumbo to Chicken and Oyster File Gumbo with Bacon. An outstanding collection of gumbo varieties!



4. There is no such thing as New Orleans or Cajun gumbo. There is ONLY Creole Gumbo and Creole Jambalaya. The words are even African-lingo. Creoles of Color used cast iron pots and Afro-Caribbean slow cooking methods to com eup with gumbo. Creoles of Color-that migrated over with white French Creoles-into New Orleans after slave uprisings during the late 1700's and early 1800's brought most of this food and culture. Cajun came down from Arcadia-now Nova Scotia also in the 1700's but used more "game" and created Cajun sausages and weren't into long slow cooking stews until much later.
   Now of course Cajuns and Creoles and others in La. eat the same cusine but book writers on New Orleans need to start being more accurate in their writings. New Orleans and lower S.E. Louisiana is not a Cajun city. Lafayette is a Cajun city and S.W. Louisiana. It's irksome that they miseducate the pubic.



5. To say "There is no such thing as New Orleans or Cajun gumbo" is ridiculous. If he thinks "There is ONLY Creole Gumbo and Creole Jambalaya," he's got a lot to learn about traditional South Louisiana cooking.
   
   He says, "The words are even African-lingo." The word "Creole" comes--not from Africa, but from the Spanish "criollo," which denoted the offspring of Old World parents in the New World.
   
   As for "Arcadia," it's a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus. What he means is "Acadia" (no "r") the French colony that eventually became parts of Nova Scotia.
   
   Also, he says, " . . . Book writers on New Orleans need to start being more accurate in their writings. . . . It's irksome that they miseducate the pubic."[sic] Amazon book reviewers also need to be more accurate in their writings, and it's also irksome that book reviewers "miseducate" [which is a word that doesn't exist] the public.

5 comments about Chef Paul Prudhomme's Fork in the Road.

1. This is a book that I purchased years ago, and it is outstanding. I am writing this review for the sole purpose of sharing my thoughts on this book after having it an using it for years. I would highly recommend this cookbook, but only if you like to cook. I feel that one should consider his or her own personal interest, finances, interest when purchasing cookbooks. I don't feel that this is a good book for beginners or people that like to eat but hate cooking. Many of the recipes in the book have long spice/ingredient lists and people would be shocked at how much some of the spices and ingredients may cost in order for them to make one dish. So, if you don't like cooking you may spend $40-50 to make a dish and if you don't cook anything else out of the book, you would have been better off eating out.
   
   All that said, you would not regret the final product if you like cooking or you can committ to making the dishes. I like everything. Personal favorites include sweet pepper cream shrimp, turkey rex, and the new chicken and shrimp gumbo! I live in Southeast Texas and I am very familiar with cajun and creole cooking. Enjoy this book. Peace.



2. I own every cookbook from Prudhomme, and this is by far the worst. If you want a diet cookbook, look elsewhere. The fruit syrups and other substitutes he has you make will go bad in your refrigerator before you use them. The taste of the finished products? Yuck! If you want Cajun food, fit it into your calorie budget or exercise more.



3. This book is nothing like his previous. With this book he tries the healthier side. The recipes are good, but like with anything healthy, he sacrificed some taste. It is written with his always step-by-step walk through of the recipe. How it should look, how it should taste, etc. at each step of cooking.



4. I really love this Book.
   
   My little sister got me this book years back ago after she found out I like his seasoning blends. I thumbed through it then and thought it would be a good book to try. All those years went by and it sat on the shelf with many of the other cookbooks I own. It wasn't until a year ago, when my doctor told me to change my diet, that I discovered the wonders that lie between these pages.
   
   I have cooked maybe 10 different recipes now from this book, and each one of them I swear is the best in the book. Chef Paul has taken many regular cajun dishes, many of which he serves in his own restaurant in New Orleans, and found ways to make them healthier. Included with each recipe is the nutritional information, as well as a little historical information pertaining to the dish.
   
   Tonight it was the Bronzed Talapia, (pg. 127 if you already have it), A variation of "Blackened" style cooking, but without the butter. Wonderful and delightful. As with the others I have tried, it will be one I come back to for sure.
   
   If You are a fan of Cajun Foods or if you just want to try some very flavorful and healthy recipes from a very famous southern chef give this one a try. You won't be disappointed.



5. As a true Prudhomme-head it's hard to believe that he can create "light" recipes. We've had this book for years and we return over and over to some of our favorites. They ain't exactly weight-loss recipes, but the recipes in some of his other books start with "take one stick of butter," so using apple juice (a secret) and other secret ingredients does lighten the calorie content considerably.
   
   If you love K-Paul's Kitchen in New Orleans, you gots to have some of Paul Prudhomme's cookbooks - another is "Fiery Foods I Love". The way he combines various types of peppers (white, black, cayenne) and onion and garlic powders creates pure magic.
   
   And while I'm on the subject of Magic, if you're not in the mood to create your own Prudhomme spice melange, you can always purchase or order his Magic spice combinations at[...]
   
   Nope, I don't work for the guy, just a "big" fan!

5 comments about Classic Cajun: Culture and Cooking.

1. I have been cooking cajun foods for over 40 years and my mother before me. This book is so true to the authentic "French" cajun cooking found in homes in and around Lafayette, Louisiana that I sometimes am surprised at its accuracy. I watch Miss Lucy on PBS and this book follows her show. I just purchased two more books as gifts for my children and will give it to them as the truest representation of the preparation and enjoyment of "French" cajun cooking. On her show, her accent is alittle too corney but look beyond that and enjoy!!



2. This book is a treasure! I am from Southern Louisiana but now live in Colorado. I never really wanted to learn to cook when I was young, but now that I am older and a mom I want to pass on my heritage to my children. This book is very authentic. It is exactly like my mother cooks--with no weird ingredients. The recipes are fantastic and the commentary witty. It also has a glossary for those persons who don't understand some of the cajun terminology. This book was my "early" Mother's Day present. And, I couldn't be any happier.



3. I have never tried cajun cooking but after watching Lucy's show I wanted too! I ordered her book, and every recipe I've tried is mouth watering delicious! My kids will now eat "greens" because they are absolutely to die for. Ingredients are few, directions simple, and every single recipe turns out perfect! Lucy's book has put excitement into our meals again. You must try her book to believe everday, ordinary food, can be so delicious!



4. This book is okay for someone who does not own any other kind of cook book, otherwise this book is useless. I bought this book assuming it would have some authentic CAJUN recipes, but was disappointed because it had watered-down versions of the originals. THIS WAS A COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY.



5. I am from Louisiana and I use to watch Lucy's Cooking show when I was there. She made cajun cooking look so easy. Her cookbook reflects the same. Every recipe I have tried has come out great. The recipes are very easy to follow. The best thing I love about having this cookbook is that I can enjoy a taste from home without being there in Luosiana. Thanks Lucy!

5 comments about Tom Fitzmorris's New Orleans Food: More than 225 of the City's Best Recipes to Cook at Home (New Orleans Cooking).

1. Although I haven't had this cookbook very long, I love it! It is simply a great read! I know enough about cooking Creole and Cajun food to know that the recipes are authentic and will "work"...but at this stage I am so enjoying the 'notes' before each recipe!
   
   Fitzmorris is a man that truly loves New Orleans food and can write about it! Its a very good read even if you didn't make a single recipe, as written, but used the book as an inspiration for your own concoctions.
   
   The "whys and wherefores" that he made this or that substitution are very well explained. This makes it easy for the cook to make substitutions when they can't get certain ingredients in their particular neck of the woods!
   
   I know it is kind of strange to review a cookbook without actually cooking anything in it...but I swear you'll just love reading it!



2. When I think of food from New Orleans, I think about hardy, mouth watering meals that taste like someone has been cooking all day just for you. In the past I have particularly enjoyed the fish and seafood recipes because I could never quite do justice to these dishes in my own kitchen.
   
   Tom Fitzmorris's New Orleans Food to the rescue. This book contains over 225 traditional recipes including a good quantity of those traditional fish and seafood dishes that I had been trying to replicate without much success. However, after following these unexpectedly simple directions, I was pleasantly surprised that I could actually make the dishes I had been craving and make them taste as good as I had secretly hoped. I also learned a few great new recipes for beef, pork, chicken, and vegetables.
   
   It is important to note that a portion of the proceeds of this book go to Habitat for Humanity. Great food and a good cause too.



3. That's why I wrote the book. So I could find the recipes I use all the time when I need them, so I can improvise new versions. I've given copies to all my friends.
   
   Tastefully yours,
   Tom Fitzmorris



4. Who knows New Orleans food better than Tom Fitzmorris? He's been a restaurant critic here for as long as I can remember. This cookbook is filled with great recipes. Some may be a bit challenging for the inexperienced chef, but all are true to their roots. I've yet to be disappointed with this book. A great addition to any cook's collection.



5. First the quick thing, what I don't like about it is that it's paperback binding, so it won't lay open.
   What I do like about it? The author lived in New Orleans all his life except for after Katrina. He's a food writer who really loves his subject.
   All those foods you've read about, that you've dreamed about, are in this comprehensive book.
   If I were going to do a Julie/Julia thing, this is the book.
   Gumbos, bisques, jambalaya, dirty rice, red beans and rice, beignets are all in here. Along with things like deviled eggs with a New Orleans twist, a simple cream cheese recipe, desserts make me feel like I committed the sin of gluttony just reading the recipes and all sorts of main dishes. Over 200 recipes, and so far all of them sound wonderful.
   Yes, a lot of the recipes are a bit time consuming and you need some basic kitchen skills like how to make a roux to make them, but many of the recipes are pretty simple too.
   If you like seafood, this is also a good cookbook for that, there are a lot of shrimp, scallops, clams, oyster and fish recipes. It's a vital part of cuisine from that part of the country.
   A lot of the reviewers from New Orleans say that the gumbos are just like Mom or Grandma used to make. What better recommendation is there? If this is a style of cooking you've always want to learn, this is the book that covers all the basics.
   As far as the convenience ingredients go, I can adjust for my tastes, but there is something to be said about the consistency you get from convenience ingredients.

2 comments about Brennan's New Orleans Cookbook...and the Story of the Fabulous New Orleans Restaurant [The Original Classic Recipes].

1. The Brennan's New Orleans Cookbook is a great, classic New Orleans cookbook. (Note: I was born in NO, live in South Louisiana, and lived in NO for 5 years.) Try the recipes for Stuffed Bell Peppers, Stuffed Mirletons (use shrimp instead of crabmeat), Red Beans, Redfish Courtboullion, and Creole Jambalaya. One day I'm going to start on Page 1 and cook everything in this book!



2. This may very well be an excellent cook-book, what do I know?? The style (NO PICTURES) and the typography is so old-fashioned that it bores me to tears! I get no inclination to open it at all!!

   It is just does not appetite waking!

5 comments about Randy Wayne White's Gulf Coast Cookbook: With Memories and Photos of Sanibel Island.

1. Great cook book if you love south florida seafood, especialy the rescipes from sanibel popular restaurants.By the way,pass on his overhyped hot sauces.Even Frank's is better.



2. IF YOU THINK GREAT AUTHORS ARE 'JUST LUCKY', A READ OF THIS AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL COOKBOOK WILL TELL YOU THE REAL FACTS OF WHAT IT TAKES, BESIDES TALENT, TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL AUTHOR. POIGNANT,INSPIRING, FUNNY, AND VERY ENTERTAINING........WITH GREAT , AUTHENTIC 'CONCH' RECIPIES THROWN IN!



3. very good recipes, and a great batch of
   photos of sanibel, randy and friends.



4. For reader's of White's Doc Ford novels, the cookbook provides more than recipes. There is a photo and text account of the Dinkins Bay Marina which once occupied the site of today's Tarpon Bay rental dock on Sanibel Island. As readers know, Doc Ford lives at Dinkins Bay Marina. Although Tarpon Bay is now part of the Ding Darling Wildlife Preserve on Sanibel, old-timers tell me it once was as White and Doc Ford describe it. For a book this thick, it is a bit thin on recipes. I was disappointed that there are not more main dish seafood recipes. What is there is good, there just ought to be more.



5. Book arrived with soiled covers front and back. It was disappointing. I love the cookbook, however.