2 comments about Chef Paul Prudhomme's Pure Magic.

1. There are alot of easy recipes in this book, I have tried many of them. Down home food no matter where your home is. It is not only easy to follow but there are candid stories about how some of the recipes came about. This one stays on the counter.



2. Paul Prudhomme makes good food and with this book, you can make good food too. I love regional cookbooks that provide the history or the story behind the recipe and this book delivers. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. I wish there were more photgraphs.
   
   I've had this book for a while and I will never part with it.

2 comments about Creole Gumbo and All That Jazz: A New Orleans Seafood Cookbook.

1. Creole Gumbo (makes 12 quarts = 48 servings, can be made in smaller batches)

   Recipe below evolved and adapted for the beach from "Creole Gumbo and all that Jazz" by Howard Mitcham,who nails it far better than anyone in print. This book is highly recommended.

   6 quarts chicken stock or water 6+ washed tomatoes 2+ lbs washed medium shrimp 12+ washed live crabs (essential, buy 18 before boarding ferry)

   Bring stock to boil. All in same stock, boil tomatoes 1 minute, skin and seed. Boil shrimp 4 minutes, shell and fridge the meat. Boil live crabs 20 minutes. Eat some crab meat for lunch, return all crab parts, well crushed with shrimp shells, to same stock. Boil vigorously 15 minutes, no longer. Strain stock well e.g. through paper towels and colander.

   stick butter flour bunch scallions 3+ onions 1+ heads of garlic 3+ red or green peppers 4+ sticks celery

   Melt butter in heavy nonstick. Add flour bit by bit till thick slurry. Stir with spatula over med heat till deep tan or as dark as you dare, without burning. Add chopped veggies (chop garlic and onions at last minute) and saute till soft. Move to heavy gumbo pot if this wasn't it.

   3 lbs okra, fresh or frozen 2+ lbs good ham 3 bay leaves bunch fresh thyme bunch parsley 2-3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1-3 tbsp tabasco sauce 1+ tbsp freshly ground black pepper 1/2 lb double smoked bacon 2+ lbs fresh Andouille sausage or similar hot sausage, or kielbasa

   Add okra sliced into rounds, diced tomatoes, diced ham, thyme tied into bunch, minced parsley, bay, any meat you crave and have (chicken? beef browned in bacon fat?). Add enough stock to cover solids and keep sloppy. Add some Worcestershire, tabasco, pepper. Slice and cook bacon, crumble and add. Braise sausage in inch of water till ready to eat, poking with fork to release fat. Slice and save.

   Simmer gumbo 2-4 hours, low enough and stirred often enough to never stick at bottom. Tasting over next few hours, remembering flavors will "cure" and salt gets added at end, gradually add more W,t,p to taste. Add sausage 30 minutes before serving, shrimp 10 minutes before serving, add any seafood you crave and have (oysters? lobster? crawfish tails?). Salt generously to taste, serve with ample cooked rice.




2. I have used this book fro over a decade and am about to order a fresh copy. It is a great read and a great, practical cookbook. I have used it constantly.

5 comments about Arnaud's Restaurant Cookbook.

1. Arnaud's Restaurant is well known for its leadership in New Orleans cuisine, holding roots from 1918 to modern times and establishing a solid reputation for presenting Creole foods to customers around the world. Now you can enjoy many of these signature dishes at home with Arnaud's Restaurant Cookbook: New Orleans Legendary Creole Cuisine. Each recipe has been adapted for use in home kitchens, translating large-volume and complicated restaurant fare to home cooking. The resulting Creole dishes are very easy to work with - especially given the numerous full-page color photos throughout.



2. A June visit to New Orleans, with dinner at Arnaud's, inspired the purchase of this cookbook. The book more than exceeded my expectations, with interesting anecdotes, beautiful photographs and doable, delicious recipes. The only thing missing is the recipe for the distinctive remoulade sauce they use for Shrimp Arnaud, a great favorite. However, they do sell the sauce so all is not lost. This cookbook is the next best thing to actually going to the restaurant, and offers some truly original recipes.



3. I enjoyed reading this book...have yet to make a recipe from it...I have some Cajun recipes written on paper from friends and each time I wan't to make something Nola...I keep returning to the tried and true.



4. During my last visit to New Orleans my new bride and I became engaged at Arnaud's over a meal that celebrated our happiness. We use Arnaud's Cookbook to make our special occasion meals and when we entertain. The Trout Meuniere and other amazing recipes bring back those memories along with the lavishly photographed restaurant and dishes. The stories and history that accompany it make it special reading, and we keep it prominently displayed on our coffee table. When most cookbooks don't show the finished dish, this one is chock full of delicious pictures to inspire. It you have never been to New Orleans, it will give you a taste and a real feeling of an amazing city.



5. After eating at this restaurant in New Orleans recently and seeing the book on the bar I wanted to purchase it. By ordering off of Amazon I got it for $10 less. It is a beautiful book with excellent pictures (many old) from the restaurant plus all the great recipes.

5 comments about Emeril's TV Dinners: Kickin' It Up a Notch with Recipes from Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril.

1. I tend to think Emeril's books get a lot of low rated reviews because people seem to either love or hate the guy. I've always looked at Emeril as an entertainer first as opposed to a chef whose receipes I'm going to run out tomorrow and try to make. While the title of this book may lead to the belief that these these may be recipes related to those things that camein aluminum tins. The TV refers to his TV show as he presents 150 recipes from his year on the Food network.
   
   There are some very exotic dishes to be found in the pages of this book. Things like Creole Spiced Blue Crabs with Green Onion Dipping Sauce and Rock Shrimp Stuffed Flounder,or Emeril's Potato Truffle Charlotte. From Fall River, MA to New Orleans you get 150 classic recipes. Whether its Cajun or dishes inspired by his Portugese heritage, there's quite a diversified set of recipes to be found here, all with Emerils enjoyable way of presenting them in a fun an entertaining way.
   
   Honestly I will never make most of these dishes. It's just a blast to read. As I said I love wathcing and reading Emeril with his knowledge about food and cooking.



2. I got this because I told someone I liked Emeril (about the five times a year I manage to catch his show). It's a gorgeous book and I highly recommend it for any avid Emeril fan. The recipes are well organized, the layout is beautiful, and it's a collector's item for a fan. For a cook who doesn't love/watch Emeril, it doesn't offer much.
   
   I also tend to do a lot of healthy and low-fat cooking, which this book is not amenable to. The food is delicious, but you pay for that it fat in calories.
   
   Many of the recipes are accompanied by a narrative from Emeril about, for example, the different types of potatoes you might use in this recipe, or the techniques used in cooking it, or a cooking history lesson. These make the book a stand-out item, but again, it mostly stands out for the rabid Emeril fans.



3. My wife and I are big fans of Emeril, and we love watching his shows. This book has some REALLY good receipes, and you can choose ones as simple or as fancy as you like. The directions are spelled out pretty well, and the ingredients lists in the margins make sure you have everything. My wife was born and raised and New Orleans, and even she is impressed with some of "my" cooking from this book. Thanks Emeril!



4. The excellent Fish 'n' Chips recipe alone merits the three star rating. A number of other intesting looking recipes. Emeril's lively style suffuses the text and makes it fun to read.



5. Great food but really fattening. Not really good for the Novice cook.

3 comments about Crescent City Collection: A Taste of New Orleans.

1. Crescent City Collection is the latest cookbook by the Junior League of New Orleans. It contains some recipes for dishes fundamentally identified with New Orleans, but it also reflects the trend in restaurants and kitchens throughout New Orleans to experiment with new tastes and combinations of flavors. The recipes for traditional dishes like red beans and rice all seem to have a twist that successfully compliments and expands upon what is tried and true. All the recipes I've tried and tasted have been excellent, notably the Crawfish Cheescake, the Curried Chicken Salad, the Madras Salad, and the Chicken Parmisan with Apricot Sauce.

   In addition to the excellent recipes, Crescent City Collection is so gorgeous it is worthy of being displayed on a coffee table. The photographs are of historic New Orleans residences. In addition, throughout the cookbook are vignettes on subjects related to New Orleans and cooking. When I don't want to cook out of it, sometimes I just enjoy reading it.




2. This cookbook is beautiful to look at and the recipes are so easy, even for a novice. The Barefoot Boursin is a big hit at parties and doubles as an ingredient for Sinful Spinach. Also, the Dixie Beer Bread is very easy, I used it last year for Christmas gifts.



3. Crescent City Collection: A Taste Of New Orleans is a classy cookbook featuring over 250 recipes donated by members of the Junior League of New Orleans. Color photographs wonderfully enliven and showcase these elegant dishes with glimpses into beautiful and grandiose homes, and informative sidebars offer well-to-do cooking tips. Dishes such as Bayou Bean Salad; Turkey and Red Wine Lasagna; and Lemon Rice Pilaf fill the pages of this elegantly sumptuous and highly commended culinary guide.

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!

1 comments about New Orleans Seafood Cookbook.

1. The "how to" pages will help the reader pass oneself off in NOLA as a local; the recipes are obviously authentic, easy to follow, and bring back fond memories of my college days at Tulane and "Crayola" in the early seventies. I learned how to cook in New Orleans. I studied the menus of the local restaurants, (Etienne's on Maple St) and this book is a god-send. Jaeger far surpasses some upstart transplant from New Jersey. Ten Speed Press should be complimented for bring such unknown, but important insights into our country's local cuisines.

2 comments about The Heaven on Seven Cookbook: Where It's Mardis Gras All the Time!.

1. Chef Bannos has some of the best Cajun/ Creole cooking in the country and most of his greatest hits are featured in this book. Unlike "traditional" Cajun cookbooks, Bannos does not restrict himself to Louisiana. Jamaican, Italian and Greek influences are fused effortlessly with Cajun Creole foundations. A perfect example of this, and my favorite recipe in the book is Bannos' jerktoufee, a wild and wonderful blending of Jamaican jerk and Cajun etoufee.
   Do yourself a favor and buy this book.



2. Years ago the Chicago Trib did an article on this place and I clipped it and hung it on my frig. I made several of the dishes and was intriged enough to visit NOLA.
   
   After visiting NOLA I had to visit this place. Wonderful.
   
   The book is GREAT. And the recipes are very easy to follow. Also you don't have to have HARD TO FIND spices..

5 comments about Cajun-Creole Cooking.

1. No other Cajun recipe book compares to this one. I wanted Grandma's recipes, and now I have 'em! The Jambalaya and Fricassee recipe's are famous at my house.



2. This is a wonderful book, filled with tasty, authentic recipes and history. The New Orleans French Loaves are the easiest, tastiest bread I've ever made. This book is a treasure.



3. My girlfriend gave me this book when we started dating. It was the first cookbook I ever owned, I had no idea what a gem it was. Since then my mother gave me all her Cajun-Creole books (about 25 in all), books signed by Emeril and Paul Prudhomme, none compare, this is without a doubt my favorite.

   Everyone lays claim to 'authentic' Cajun-Creole recipes, recipes need to have this ingredient or that or else they're not Cajun-Creole. If there were such a standard (there isn't), then this book would have to serve as the measure.

   My wife often suggests that giving me this book helped convince me to marry her ;-)




4. I not only recommend this book, I have bought it-- TWICE!
   
   I owned an earlier version of this book and used the recipes in it as the basis for my parties while in the Navy. I have a few of my mother's recipes but this book is the basis for all of my friends thinking that I am an outstanding cook. Instead, I was a thirty-something bachelor who can read and follow directions. This book is that good.
   
   The recipes are absolutely delicious and after Hurricane Katrina hit I ordered a new copy of this- PRONTO!
   
   My only complaint about the book is that occasionally the recipes assume you know the basics. Maybe most people know that you have to soak dried beans before cooking them but I didn't and so my first attempt at Red Beans and Rice was a disaster. But most of you aren't going to be such amateurs in the kitchen as I was when I did that. I look forward to reading the latest version just to see if those oversights were eliminated.
   
   Aside from that, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I read the reviewer who said he had a separate copy in a safe deposit box. Good Idea!



5. Terry Thompson-Anderson's newest edition of Cajun-Creole Cooking was a
   pleasant surprise. It is the fourth time I have purchased her book (because friends didn't return them) and this update is even better. Terry was a consultant when we opened the original Cajun-Creole restaurant
   Cafe Nola in Philadelphia. Her recipes won us a following that kept us in
   business for 16 years. I used her latest book for the Mardi Gras celebration at our even longer-running Copabanana which has been doing Tex-Mex for 30 years. I look forward to her newest "Texas on a Plate" for refining my Texas recipes at Copa. My kitchen staff was wowed by the depth of flavors her recipes produce.

5 comments about Cooking With a Private Chef.

1. Michael Saxer has got it going on! His recipes have fresh ingredients we can all find, and he combines them in ways that are delicious, and gorgeous on the plate. I can do this!



2. Seriously. This is one of best New Orleans cookbooks I have found. It's such a nice change from the typical "Creole" & "Cajun" hype. THIS IS REALLY HOW WE COOK AND WHAT WE EAT IN NEW ORLEANS! The Newport recipes, for me, are a great added bonus. Just amazing. I have this book in my own kitchen and have given it as a wedding present....its always very well received! Thank you to Chef Saxer for getting it right! FINALLY!



3. What a lovely book! The photography is stunning, the writing clear and entertaining, and the recipes are great! Chef Saxer has taken the voluptuous tastes of New Orleans and married them with the crisp, light flavors of New England, and the results are magical. Whether you're cooking a quiet dinner at home or entertaining in high style, this book will inspire and delight you. Bravo!



4. Chef Saxer's book is not only beautiful but instructive and easy to use. He does a wonderful job of representing the different cuisines from the East Coast as well as New Orleans. Every time I read through it, I want to throw a party! It also inspires me to be on the lookout for more interesting and fresh seafood (which is not the easiest thing to find in Nashville). Bravo!



5. As a catering chef, I help brides create custom menus for their one perfect day. Chef Saxer's book keeps things seasonal, simple and elegant. The seasonal availability charts and interchangeable pairings are invaluable tools and help make that one perfect day into a "Big Sexy Reception"