5 comments about Gumbo Shop : A New Orleans Restaurant Cookbook.

1. We ate at the Gumbo Shop in August 2004 and had a really good meal there--not great, but really good, and we decided to get a copy of their cookbook since we like cooking Louisiana-style food at home.
   
   We were pleasantly surprised when the recipes we made from this book actually came out tasting better than the food we had at the restaurant! The bread pudding and praline sundae recipes are now among our favorites, and the recipes are all well-written and easy to follow. This book has gotten so much use in the past year and a half that we're buying another copy (the one we have is hopelessly stained and worn from too many kitchen spills.)



2. Excellent recipes that are easy to understand and prepare. The homemade mayonnaise is a no-fail product that is far superior to anything bought from a store. If you like New Orleans style food, this is a must have cookbook.



3. My husband and I had the pleasure of checking out the Gumbo Shop when we were in New Orleans for Thanksgiving some years back. We savored our meals there and would wax nostalgic for our experience even months later. A little while after we got home, they published this cookbook - I immediately bought it for him as a surprise.
   
   This small cookbook is THE creole powerhouse of our kitchen! We've made nearly every recipe in here with stellar results everytime! Our favorites are the peppery Crawfish Etouffee, yummy and dense Chicken Espagnole - with our more vegetarian leaning friends loved the Gumbo Z'erbs. The Vinaigrette Dressing has become our house staple.
   
   We've bought (and been gifted) many Cajun/Creole cookbooks over the years - but nothing has managed to knock the Gumbo Shop cookbook down from it's proud pedestal. Simply the best!



4. This is not a cookbook for the gourmets. This is for everyday people who love food made with ingredients readily available on the Gulf Coast. And the recipes really do yield results that taste like the restaurant's dishes. I've had the Crawfish Etouffe recipe made in Pennsylvania, and it was an exact duplicate of what I order at the restaurant.
   
   Eat at the Gumbo Shop whenever you can. The rest of the time, use their cookbook.
   
   Caroline Jumper
   San Jose



5. I've only tried the shrimp creole but it was delicious and just like the ones I had in new orleans. The only problem might be for this book is the serving sizes are so huge for two people sometimes you need to cut the recipe in half or even more.

2 comments about Beyond Gumbo : Creole Fusion Food from the Atlantic Rim.

1. oddly soulless versions of the classic recipes of the caribbean and ports of call south; the average criolla cook from bahia to calle ocho has zestier methods of cooking, say, plain black beans -- put the bay leaf in with the beans first, not last, add a small splash of cooked vinegar at the end, serve sprinkled with minced cilantro, lime wedges, avocado slices, and so on.
   from a chef like this one, with restaurant credentials, i would expect first, the classic recipe amped with restaurant kitchen techniques, short cuts and cooking techniques, for example paul prudhomme's cook-everything-on-a-high-flame-stirring angle; second, well-chosen new or fusion flavor touches, garniture, accompaniments, serving suggestions, as per steven raichlen (miami spice).
   from a chef with these academic credentials, i did enjoy some of the work she did, for example, on the sources of pepperpot soup. i wish she had done more of that, given the enduring flavors of africa under the harshest conditions of slavery -- mixed with french, spanish, native american and other influences. that book, defining creole, remains to be written.
   there's also an unpleasant undertone of self-congratulation for having "discovered" recipes that are neither original or All That, for example, molasses-flavored chantilly cream.
   for an expensively published book, nice paper, two color pages, this one has too many typos and unrealistic cooking times.
   one and a half stars. steven raichlen is still the caribbean fusion king.



2. What makes this cookbook, (as well as others by Harris) a delightful read and a solid source of information on Pacific Rim cuisine is the amount of history and the wonderful anecdotes that accompany the recipes. For those of us who are not lucky enough to have lived in or traveled to the many places that comprise the Atlantic Rim, her book is much-needed.

   I only ever heard of the soursop fruit, or the wonderful beverage mauby when I finally traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands a few years ago, so was eager to learn more. And although there are many familiar foods, such as black-eyed peas, and okra, to an amateur cook like me, the Atlantic Rim variations gave me more reasons to like these favorites from childhood. I especially loved to see cane syrup; it reminded me so of my father, who grew up in Alabama and processed cane at the mill as a child. He couldn't get enough of the syrup or the juice. It also reminded me of the purpose of the book: To show, through cuisine, the marvelous connection between the cultures of Africa, the Caribbean, Central & South Americas, and the United States

5 comments about LA Bouche Creole (La Bouche Creole).

1. My wife and I bought this on our honeymoon in 1983 and it has become a staple in my cooking. In fact, I dug this up on Amazon.com on the off-chance I could find a copy, because is so dog-eared and stained that some old favorites are alomost unreadable. Simple recipes, with simple ingredients, pretty much idiot proof. Even the basic sauces are things a novice could use. This is the true creole and cajun cooking before the new cooks on the networks. Also, forget the recipes- this book has a fascinating group of narratives about the old Louisiana and New Orleans. They are worth the price of admission.



2. A little old lady in a New Orleans gift shop recommended this book and promised me that I would be happy with it even though I didn't recognize the author and it wasn't a glamorous book. She was absolutely right. I have made about a dozen and a half of the recipes in this book and every single one of them has been a crowd pleaser. My family is loud and rowdy, so when a meal makes them go silent except for the occassional utterance of "oh my gawsh, that's good", you know it's a winner. Most of the recipes require you to do things "the long way." I haven't noticed any tips on how to shave time. Soniat's writing is personal and folksy, and his stories are touching, and he lets you know that good cooking is a labor of love and you just can't take shortcuts.
   
   My particular favorites in this book are the Chicken-Corn Maquechoux (a delicious, light stew that makes the whole house smell good while it simmers away), and his simple bread pudding recipe (which I've made once as published and ever since by adding some cinnamon and soaking the raisins and apples in a splash of rum for a couple of hours first--take his advice and make sure the loaf of french bread is really stale for this one; the final textures is fantastic).
   
   I cannot recommend this book highly enough.



3. I have used this cookbook for years; it has brought wonderful concoctions to our table as well as being just good reading. It is an insight not only how to prepare an exciting meal but the background into a fascinating culture.



4. This is a very interesting book, with lots of insights into Creole culture and foodways.
   The author has a relaxed and engaging style, and the book is an entertaining read.
   Some of the recipes could have used better editing, but overall even a novice cook should have good results using them.



5. I'm from Louisiana and received this as a wedding present. It is the most authentic book I've found so far. It helped me to not be so homesick when I live in Ohio (the land of bland).

4 comments about In a Cajun Kitchen: Authentic Cajun Recipes and Stories from a Family Farm on the Bayou.

1. Recipes are easy to follow and use ingredients easily found stocked in everyday grocery stores and personal kitchens. An added bonus was the personal angle of the stories about the originators of the recipes. There is gentle humor and good advice on almost every page. Best of all, the several recipes I tried not only looked good, but tasted wonderful. This book is NOT about burning your taste buds with "hot and spicy" but enjoying flavor bursting tastes. The book is everything I hoped for in a Cajun cookbook. I agree with the book reviewers!



2. The opening wording on the flyleaf of this book expresses a couple of points better than I can. 'When most people think of Cajun cooking, they thing of blackened redfish (or blackened nearly anything else) or, maybe, gumbo.'
   
   No, blackened meats and a bunch of other dishes are the creation of New Orleans chefs preparing foods for the tourists. Note, I'm not saying that I don't like these dishes, they just aren't the kinds of foods that I grew up with in the swamps of South Louisiana.
   
   This book talks about the kinds of things we really ate. We had things like etouffee, shrimp boil, jambalaya. Just like she says. But then I do find a few points with which I disagree.
   
   For instance on page 225 she says that they usually use quick grits, which cook in just a few minutes, rather than stone-ground or old-fashioned grits, which take up to an hour to cook. The stone-ground are delicious, but very difficult to find outside of the South.
   
   Terrible, terrible, sacrilege. Go on the web and you can find lots of places that sell 'real' grits. Just substitute them for her recipies that use grits. Incidentally I highly recommend her Baked Spicy Cheese Grits, page 223. Her recipie is a bit different than mine, I put in a bit of spicy sausage. She puts in eggs. You might also want to try varying the types of cheese you use: blue cheese is good, so is Velveeta. Try this at a pot luck, you'll be surprised at the result.
   
   Try some of her Gumbos.
   
   Try a lot of her recipies, you'll be glad you did.



3. Real Cajun style cooking! It has great recipes along with great stories behind the recipes. A must have for the Cajun Style lovers.



4. by Peggy Fallon, author Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts DK Publishing, 2007
   This book travels between my nightstand--where I enjoy Terri's thoughtfully written prose and stories of her colorful family--to my kitchen, where I revel in her detailed recipes for fried chicken, grits, and gumbo. Lots of good food here, and I recommend this book to anyone interested in authentic Cajun cuisine.

5 comments about Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic and Can You Make a Roux: A Family Album Cookbook.

1. This book is a compendium of recipes that the author has collected over the years but it is also a book that helps you understand the area around New Orleans. It is a fun read and the recipes are marvelous! I have never met the author of this book but would love to meet some day, preferably over a good pot of gumbo for a lively discussion of the region's most famous past time - good eating!



2. Although I wasn't raised in Lousiana, I love the food, and I love this book. The home recipes and the family memoirs are too good to put down, in the kitchen or the easy chair. If you only buy one cajun cookbook, buy this one.



3. A great title and great unofficial advertising on Emeril Live. But it could have been much more diverse. I relize that was not the point of the book. But there had to be some recipes that people comonly made but were not creole. I guess I would have liked one or two exotic recipes.



4. My mamma's a Crochet, I am Catholic and my husband and I can each make a roux. I, also, am Cajun, know Marcelle and can attest to the authenticity of the recipes and accompanying stories. Many try to capitalize on the Cajun food craze, but few are the real deal. The only thing better than the recipes in Marcelle's book is enjoying them with she and her husband over dinner from their kitchen.



5. Yay!
   
   Finally the new hardcover edition of this wonderful book is out, and it's only around $20 bucks. Now I can get copies for the whole family. Amazon has them using isbn 0925417556.
   
   Enjoy

2 comments about Creole Feast.

1. After returning from New Orleans this past year, I found that this book allowed me to recreate some to the delicious temptations that I was able to indulge in during my stay. I found the recipes easy to understand, and utterly delicious!



2. I picked this book up years ago and of the some 50 cookbooks I own, this is the one I keep coming back to. If you've ever been to the Big Easy and indulged in New Orleans cuisine, you will find this book scrumptious. The recipes are typical Creole and Cajun French and simple. Corrinne's biscuits are a delight! You'll feast in culinary delights if you master these recipes of the Master Chefs of Nawlins, darlin'. If you buy this book, buy a scale. Good luck and Bon Appetite!

No comments about Who s Your Mama, Are You Catholic & Can You Make A Roux? (Book 2): A Cajun / Creole Family Album Cookbook (Louisiana Classic).

5 comments about Tabasco: An Illustrated History.

1. I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of the archaeologists who worked on recovering the site of the first Tabasco factory. That is where I met the author of this book, who at the time (2000) was still a Ph.D candidate.
   With that disclaimer mentioned, this book is a fantacstic, all-encompassing story about one of the most beloved American products of all times. From it's humble beginnings that pre-date the Civil War, to its survival into the modern age of manufacturing and production, this book offers facinating tidbits of triva and many "are you SERIOUS??" revelations throughout. I particulalry like seeing how Tabasco's advertising campaigns have evolved over the years. The book does a great job in tracking the rise of a truly original American invention.
   The author has been the McIlhenny Company historian for many years now and is THE source on all things Tabasco. He brings a great style to this book and has included some of the more rare photos from the past to help tell the story. Truly a must-have if you love Tabasco, if you want to know more about how this American legend began, or if you just want see how they get so much heat into such a little bottle.
   
   Ayyyyieee!!



2. I have read both Rothefeder's book and Bernard's book. The former appears to be full of factual errors, some of them so ludicrous as to be laughable. The obvious anti-McIlhenny bias held by Rothfeder makes his work less believable, editorialized, and speculative. In contrast, Bernard's book is riveting, full of details, historical documents, and illustrations to which no one else has had access. The fact that the McIlhenny's have held their company together through ups and downs, profitably, is a testament to what is right about their business philosophy. Bernard's book was published by McIlhenny Company, but since he IS the company historian, you can bet that everything in there is accurate. It is the OFFICIAL history of Tabasco for good reason. If you're a fan of the sauce, you'll love this book.



3. I purchased this book for several of my family members. It is so much more than a beautiful coffee table book, although, it is extraordinarily eye pleasing and informative! Not only are the recipes easy and delicious, they really represent a terrific display of authenic history of our Louisiana culture. The McIlhenny family history is as interesting as the story of how "Tabasco" became such a beloved icon of Avery Island and all of South Louisiana. I would reccomend it as a gift to your favorite "person who has everything"!



4. Wonderful photos, well written and a very thorough and fun to read history of our favorite hot sauce, Tabasco.



5. February 27, 1973. That's the day Avery was born. Nine months earlier, her mother and I spent a magical weekend at the Holiday Inn in New Iberia, Louisiana. We were both students at Tulane University in New Orleans.
   
   Avery's mother and I didn't have much (any) money. We had heard that there was a very special place where they made Tabasco sauce and that one could tour the island and visit the salt mine for free.
   
   So we drove from New Orleans to New Iberia, checked into the Holiday Inn and went on the (free) tour of the McIlhenny estate. It was magical: decades before it became politically correct to preserve wildlife such as the snowy egret (a bird), the McIlhenny family set aside an island paradise for anyone to see who bothered to make the (unadvertised) trip.
   
   My wife and I named the wonderful girl conceived on our trip to Avery Island 'Avery".
   
   Avery has married and has given me twin grandchildren, Anna and Jackson. I look forward to the day when I will walk Avery Island with them.

4 comments about Patout's Cajun Home Cooking.

1. This book was my first in the area of Cajun Cooking and inspired me to use my own creativity while preparing different foods. This book shows you the basics in Cajun Cooking.



2. Great book for those of you interested in real Cajun cooking done very well. Alex Patout is from the Heart of Acadiana, so he knows what he's talking about. Definitely not for vegetarians.



3. I thought it looked a bit bland when we got it. There were not a lot of bright pretty pictures. However, every recipe I've tried has turned out great. The recipes are easy to follow. THey do require some typical 'cajun' types food (Tasso for example) but mostly the recipes have on hand ingredients.

   Enjoy.




4. I remember Alex's palce in New Iberia from the early 80's. Great food, my wife and I lived in Lafayette and ate there once a week. We bought the book years ago, shortly after it was published. We still use it today. Try Shrimp Mrs. Ann. You can use fish instead of shrimp and it is still wonderful. The green beans in a roux is very good. There are a number of books on Cajun cooking, this is one of the best.

4 comments about Frank Davis Cooks Cajun, Creole, and Crescent City.

1. Being close to New Orleans, I have seen the author on local cooking shows. The Shrimp and Okra Gumbo in this book is one of the best ever..when I prepare it, as I do every year at Christmas, everyone wants the recipe. The other recipes are just as good..



2. fried flounder? I don't think so, that is considered a capital crime in New Orleans, where no one says "Nawlins" outside of phony jackasses like Frank Davis. Avoid this book, this is strictly for tourists and idiots, and meant to sell his line of "Nawlins" seasonings, which no one uses but him.



3. I'm a born and bred New Orleanian. I recently borrowed this book from someone and I think it's a great cookbook, so I am here on Amazon to buy my own copy. The one star reviewer obviously just has it out for Frank Davis, looks like the same reviewer panned Frank's other cookbook. Frank is a flamboyant celebrity...like him or not, but at least try his recipes before panning his book!



4. I purchased this for my sons. The book is great for the young male wanting to cook but not wanting or knowing some of the terms or complications of cooking. Simple, easy recipes.