5 comments about Louisiana Real and Rustic.

1. Mr. Alan M. Shurgin from Waller County, Texas who has a review below, obviousley has issues that will require professional help if they are to be resolved. This was not supposed to be a vegetarian cookbook. Nor was it supposed to be sensitive to someone's cultural dining needs. If it isn't your kind of book, don't buy it you idiot! On the other hand, if you're looking for a good number of highly refined recipies, then this might be right up your alley.



2. i was given this book as a gift a few years back - i've tried many of the dishes and can recommend this as a great guideline for cajun/creole cooking. having read some of the reviews, particularly the one entitled "Pork Fat Does Not Rule", i must ask the reviewer....why did you buy this book (or did you even buy it; perhaps this is your political forum?)? if you are indeed Jewish and have ever watched Emeril cook on television, what did you expect? Clearly this person knows nothing about the history of New Orleans nor about Cajun or Creole cuisine. Why in the world would a vegetarian consider buying this....why would anyone buy this book for a vegetarian?? Further, it is not Emeril's charge to please each and every ethnic, religous, vegan/vegetarian in the USA......Look, cookbooks are guidelines for inventing and creating interesting and tasty meals. One can certainly substitute kosher turkey bacon, chicken fat from kosher sources, smoke-flavored soy-based products, etc., etc., for the pork fat/meats and come away with a happy stomach and satisfied mind. Emeril knows how to cook, and how to enjoy life. Use your imagination and you can enjoy this book, regardless of your ethnic/religious background. A solid cookbook!!



3. I've built some of my own recipes from Emeril's book. This is a good asset to have in the kitchen.



4. This book shows Emeril's incredible ability to take simple, everyday ingredients and transform them into something amazing. I am a Louisiana girl born and raised, and I turn to Emeril when I want good food with a twist.



5. I purchased this book for an aspiring young chef & he loved it, has already tried several recipies. Very good purchase.

No comments about Cooking with the Uglesiches.

5 comments about New Orleans Cookbook.

1. My husband received this cookbook for his birthday, by my sister, some 15 years ago. But I am the one that used and took it over!!! I didn't even know how to really cook, but was able to make superb dishes, without fail, everytime. And since then, this cookbook has been well used!!! There are stains and pages slipping out from frequent use!!!



2. 10 years I lived on the Gulf Coast and spent
   many, many days in New Orleans. When the time came I knew I was eventually going to leave, I spent months searching for a book which would allow me to take the food I loved with me. This is the book I chose & have loved it for years!!!!!!!!!!
   It is authentic New Orleans food.....pre-Paul!!!!
   You can open this book and trust that any recipe you choose will be successful.....except for the Red Beans & Rice which has too much meat to be the REAL LOCAL AUTHENTIC version.
   I am a Chef & I can't imagine being without this book. It's REAL New Orleans food!!!!!! This
   book is a REAL WINNER!!!!!!!!!! A CLASSIC!!!!!
   
   Thank-you Rima and Richard Collin!!!!!!
   K & Roo & Tessa TOO!!!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
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3. I've got the Eighth, July 1980 printing. On page 40, The Collins' indicate that the Oyster & Sausage Jambalaya is their favorite. Use the cast iron for preparation, follow the directions explicitly (You'll use a little "elbow grease" on this one), and you won't be disappointed. It's my favorite Jambalaya, too !



4. "New Orleans Cookbook" By Richard Collin is a terrific introduction to the cajan and creole cooking styles that NOLA is known for. To be able to understand how typical New Orleanians cook, one must attempt to understand both the culture and the region of Southern Louisiana. The recipes within this cookbook resonate with the traditional and innovative varities. Anything and everything that has come out of that area is easily found within these pages. The layout of the book is charming, and is very readable. The directions are not overcumbersome, and the reciepes are all simply preparable. A novice or an experienced chef will appreciate this cookbook.



5. Origional New Orleans recipes! Easy to work with and helpful hints for substuting what you have on hand. How to make the special seasonings that make Cajun/Creole food unique! Spicey does not necessarily mean, hot! Great history of the different folks and festivals that make New Orleans special. Great place to visit and taste the food for yourself. Or buy the cookbook and cook it for yourself.

5 comments about Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make A Roux? (Book 1): A Cajun / Creole Family Album Cookbook.

1. I'm a displaced cajun from Lafayette, Louisiana . . . this book is 100% authentic, from the recipies to the stories she tells. Reading it is just like being back there. I received this as a gift from another cajun, and I've given it as a gift many times. I haven't made a single recipe from this book that came out bad, quite the opposite actually, everything is as good as my Mamam makes or better . . . it's such an unfair advantage at potlucks, these yankees don't stand a chance! : )
   If you're considering buying it, just do it. You'll be so happy you did. Don't forget when you make your roux: it takes a long time (30min+) of constant stirring. I usually pull up a chair to the stove and grab a newspaper or turn on a movie. Flat wooden spatula-type stirrers are my personal favorite, as you can scrape the bottom really well. After years of making cajun food my favorite pots are Le Creusets. I don't own stock in them or anything, they are just the next best thing to traditional cast iron pots. Also, when you're ready to add your onions, bell pepper, and celery to the roux, unless you have a state-of-the-art venting system, I recommend going outside. The smell is potent and may linger in your kitchen for much longer than you'd like.



2. I'm pure Louisiana. This cookbook has authentic cajun/french recipies. The stories are delightful and has brought back many memories of my own family gatherings. The phrase we've heard all of our lives, you have used for a title. How clever. I bought books for both of my daughters to help keep up the Louisiana way of cooking and our wonderful Southern traditions. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys great food.



3. I AM CREOLE AND I LOVE TO COOK. I NORMALLY DON'T USE COOKBOOKS, BUT ONE DAY I WAS AT MY SISTERS HOUSE AND I STARTED READING THIS BOOK. I SAW MYSELF AND MY FAMILY LIFE GROWING UP IN A LITTLE PARISH CALLED CHURCHPOINT. I COULD NOT PUT THE BOOK DOWN AND I LITERLY DIDN'T. WHEN I MOVED TO THE NORTHEAST I WAS DEVISTATED BECAUSE I COULD NOT FIND MY COOKBOOK NOT THAT I NEEDED IT ANYMORE I JUST WANTED IT. I AM SO GLAD THAT I WAS ABLE TO BUY THE BOOK AGAIN. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE THAT LOVES TO COOK AND WHO LOVE THE SIMPLE LIFE OF A CREOLE WOMAN.



4. I've wanted this one for years, since I lived in N'Awlins for 15 years or so. Excellent cookbook with some great little vignettes into the life of the author.
   Delivery was within the stated time period and I have no complaints.



5. This is a great gift to give friends who are not from cajun country. I just ordered two more and realized I need a new one for myself. I have one of the first ones that came out and the new one is even better. Thanks Marcell for all the memories.

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. I'm a transplanted Louisianan living in the Northeast (though everyone keeps insisting Maryland is the south)! I recently made a couple of recipes from the book for a New Orleans brunch I hosted for some picky eaters (me being one of them). The food was outstanding and the recipes were fairly easy to understand and prepare. Along with my River Road Recipes cookbooks, this one is quickly becoming a favorite.



2. I am a native New Orleanian and find this cookbook very, very good. I have tried many of the recipes thus far and have been please with each. Quite a few of these recipe's have resulted in reminding me of my grandmother, mother, and aunt's cooking during the time I was growing up in the New Orleans area (this was an unexpected but pleasant surprise).
   
   Mr. Fitzmorris begins each recipe with historical background and/or recollections of his mother preparing the dish. I have found that the recipes are easy to follow, have sufficient detail, and list the ingredients in the appropriate/logical order (not found in many cook books).
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in preparing authentic New Orleans meals.



3. This is a great cookbook! New Orleans is one of my favorite places, and I have been greatly impressed by the recipes included in this book.



4. The best recipes to cook at home? I found them a bit complicated for 'home' recipes. And I had hoped for more of NOLA traditional fare knowing the authors roots & connections to the NOLA scene.
   
   I grew up in NOLA as did my mother and her family going back generations, but my mom's home recipes were more in the american chop suey vain...she would have told you her best meals were eating out ;-)
   
   Although more 'authentic' than my mom's recipes I just wasn't overwhelmed. Reading through the book, I didn't say - wow, I want to make this...
   
   Books by Leah Chase or the Commander's Palace cookbooks inspired me more. Sorry, I went in with high expectations...
   
   Flip through it at a book store before purchasing it online to ensure you really want to purchase it.



5. Tom Fitzmorris is the foremost expert on food in New Orleans. With his meaty three hour daily radio show that has been going for years, he has a tremeneous amount of experience under his belt along with the best of New Orleans cooking. What a pleasure it is to see him with a book about New Orleans food!
   There is no one better to show the world how the best of New Orleans cooking can be done by anyone once they have this book.
   
   -Lawrence Kennard

5 comments about The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine.

1. I do not have much to add other than what has already been said. The only thing I found frustrating is that I could not buy some of the ingredients to the recipies here where I live. That wasn't a common problem throughout the book though. It happened on just a few of them.
   
   Everyone seems drawn to this book on my coffee table. It captivates you and makes your mouth water!
   
   I've tried some of the recipies and they all turned out excellent. There are a lot of new ways to combine familiar ingredients here. (But I am from Mississippi so what is familiar to me might not be familiar to you.)
   
   Enough said! If you love cajun cuisine, you must buy this book!



2. What a gift this was. Was delivered by accident two doors down, and my eldery lady neighbor had it loaded in her car to deliver it to me. Really. I was recovering from neck surgery and had to drag it inside my house. Must weigh 100 pounds. The wonderful part is all the history. The best part are the recipes. Trust me, they work. It is Chef's attitude and touch that comes through for me. It affirms and validates my cooking, moreover it gives me great techniques and ideas. Buy it for the history, relish it for the flavor. If you need a Creole/Cajun Cookbook, this is it.



3. This is the most impressive book yet on cajun/ creole cooking. Outstanding in every way (except perhaps the cornbread, all of which had sugar in it, and grandma would whop him over the head with her iron skillet for THAT). Can't wait to cook from this.
   
   The recipes, history, festivals, photos, and everything else make this HUGE book indeed an encyclopedia. Impressive that the Italian and German settlers to the state were included in the history and recipe tradition as well, as they generally seem to be left out.



4. Like it says its a Encyclopedia, theres a bit of history in the front that makes for great reading. The best part is the recipe's which are varied and very good. My Wife's a great cook and has well over a 100 cookbooks already but she uses this one quite often.



5. My friend had this book and from the moment I laid eyes on it, I thought "I have to have one for myself" I am addicted to it. I read it every night. I can picture the finished recipes in my head, when I read them. The best thing that I love about the book is that it brings you back into history on when, who, and how the recipe was, first, created. If you love Louisiana food and the Louisiana way of life, you will be obsessed with it. Christina Laborde, Marksville, Louisiana.

5 comments about Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table.

1. I learned of this book from Jonathan Yardley's review in the Washington Post. We were out of ideas for our son's Spring Break and we hit on New Orleans: an eating vacation with Sara Roahen as our guide. I studied the book on a stationery bicycle as I tried to lose 15 pounds to get into shape for six great meals at Commander's Palace, Herbsaint, Bayona, Palace Cafe, Antoine's, and Galatoire's (listed in order, from greatest to merely great). Plus a few po' boys, lesser meals, and snacks, constrained only by our appetites.
   
   This is a delightful and worthy book. It is organized around New Orleans' principal food groups with chapters on gumbo, red beans and rice, po' boys, etc. For each Roahen researched vintage cookbooks to trace origins, variations, and controversies. She uses this framework to interweave stories of her life in New Orleans and her experiences with the food and the people who make it, eat it, and live by it. She is a good writer, and her book served my purpose well. Every meal tasted better because of the context she provided.
   
   That said her "menu-item framework" is awkward for the story she is telling. The book needs introductory chapters to describe New Orleans cuisine today, its evolution, and why it is unique (and superior!)
   
   The introduction should follow easily from her careful research, but she doesn't even take up the fundamental distinction between Cajun and Creole until a chapter about poisson meuniere amandine, 159 pages into the book. The introduction should lay out the basic taxonomy of New Orleans food purveyors from the traditional five star restaurants, through contemporary innovators, to cafes and po' boy shops and street vendors. It would be a logical place for some of the personal vignettes of people who influenced her life in New Orleans which are awkwardly shoe-horned into chapters about food (e.g., the restaurant critic, Tom Fitzmorris in le boeuf gras) with which they have only a passing association.
   
   Finally, I question her choice of menu items. There is a boring chapter on Vietnamese cuisine and another on a Mardi Gras coconut-trinket that I would gladly have traded for some missing chapters on traditional New Orleans cuisine: hot sauce, jambalaya, bread pudding. What is New Orleans without hot sauce?



2. Gumbo Tales is a passionate, expansive, and highly personal look at the food culture of New Orleans. And it's this food culture that makes New Orleans like no other place in America.
   
   Sara Roahen has gone well beyond the superficial descriptions of restaurants and recipes, and she features both the famous and less known in equal helpings. Best of all, she has added the most important element - the people who make New Orleans and its food extraordinary. This book should inspire any reader to want to follow some of her footsteps and get to know the city on its own terms.
   
   Sara's observations are wonderful and have great depth. I found every page to be "delicious" and thank her for a brilliant presentation. I highly recommend Gumbo Tales!!!



3. I'm always searching for books about and related to New Orleans which can put me in a New Orleans state of mind even from the Northeast. It was fortuitous, then, that I selected Gumbo Tales as my most recent reading material.
   
   I fell in love with the city of New Orleans on my first visit four years ago, and I try to visit as often as possible. When I can't, a book or a movie is the next best thing, and I eventually plan to call New Orleans my home. Gumbo Tales provides the perfect window into the culture of New Orleans, and I was sad the book was over when I finished.
   
   One of the things I liked most about the book is that it's from the perspective of a non-native New Orleanian such as myself. That I could really identify with, moreso than I can with books and stories written by people who were born and raised. I identified with the process of coming from the outside, becoming enchanted, and wanting desperately to be part of the culture. I identified with Roahan's first experiences of New Orleans traditions as a newbie. I cackled out loud reading about her crawfish mishap. I cried several times because of the book, especially when she wrote about the city's struggling spirit in the wake of the events of 2005.
   
   Besides the sentimental feelings the book gives you about the city, the descriptions of food are really the main ingredient here- and they are brilliant.
   
   Roahan's book was the perfect find for leaving-town-reading, for keeping the feeling of NOLA going even when you're far away. Gumbo Takes made me feel not alone in my New Orleans experience and stubborn love for the place. I recommend this book to anyone who calls New Orleans home, once called it home, plans to call it home, or just wishes they did.



4. If you read only one book about New Orleans, it should be this one. Sara Roahen's love of the the city's food is exceeded only by her love of the people who make it and their creation of a unique culture. Her love of the food is the more convincing by being hard-won -- a struggle against mid-Western roots and west coast vegetarianism. But her natural curiosity (and the exigencies of being thrust into the role of restaurant reviewer) leads her far beyond the cliches of gumbo and crawfish into the exotic realms of the mirliton and turducken, to name just a couple. For those who fuss about the absence of jambalaya and bread pudding in these pages, I too would like to read her treatment of other local specialties, but I'm thankful she has saved something for another book!



5. What a fun book. I live in Houston, and know New Orleans from several over-eating visits. Sara really brought you right back there and so far beyond in the history and fun details. I'm looking forward to going back. Her writing style is playful and fun, perfect for her topic. She hit just the right balance with Katrina details - since it will never be the same, yet will always be the same.

5 comments about Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen.

1. I ordered this book for my sister who doesn't have a computer. She was thrilled that I found this cookbook for her "used" at such a reasonable price; she had enjoyed some of the recipes as a guest at a friend's house and wanted to own the cookbook. The quality of the book was better than expected and Amazon provided excellent service.



2. This is the best cajun cookbook. It's asy to read and follow. All the recipes are great. This is actually my third copy. I've had to give away the first two to family.



3. This is Cajun/Creole cooking at its best! Paul Prudhomme is the master. I've spent hours reading through this book and I still find myself coming back to it. Recipes are perfect as they are but are also easily modified to suit different tastes. It's hard to find redfish in my area but I blacken other fish to substitute using Paul's method and it is always delicious (I cook professionally so I know what I'm talking about). This book is both practical and entertaining and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to expand their knowledge of Louisiana cuisine.



4. This is Louisiana food at its best. I follow the recipes with conplete condifience to be simply wonderful and they never fail.



5. Good. Authentic. Full fat, full flavor (no 2% milk, "fat-free" sour cream, or "non-fat" chicken broth here)!
   
   Great tasting recipes. 'nough said!

5 comments about Creole Made Easy.

1. I recently took a trip to Haiti, and in preparation for the trip I used the Creole Made Easy materials, including the Pronunciation Guide cd, and the Workbook. I used all three of them together, so I'll review them together as well.
   
   Creole Made Easy is an excellent introduction to the Haitian Creole language. It provides the basic building blocks in terms of grammar and sentence structure from which to go further. This book is not an "emergency Creole" book, and didn't have anything by way of greetings, phrases to use while traveling, etc. Being in Haiti, those things were very easy to pick up, especially with some of the basic grammar under my belt. The Workbook is split into two sections, the first with exercises that correspond to each of the 16 lessons in Creole Made Easy. The second half of the workbook has more practical lessons like: numbers/time, months/days/seasons/weather, colors, family/friends, marketplace/food, around the house, and health and medicine. Indispensable to learning any foreign language is listening to it, and the Pronunciation Guide cd was excellent in that regard. I found that it was great practice for listening to the native speakers (though even then, I was listening too slowly most of the time) and great for understanding how to pronounce all of those nasal sounds. There were a couple of moments of frustration in using Creole Made Easy: there were a couple of misspellings; sometimes a word or phrase was used seemingly out of nowhere and wasn't listed in the mini-dictionary in the back of the book; a couple times a grammatical structure or phrasing was used and I had no idea why it was used that way, and it wasn't explained. This happened very few times, and can sometimes be a good problem-solving exercise that you need good practice for when trying to have actual conversations with Haitian people.
   
   Of the eight people who went with me on my trip to Haiti, I was one of two who used Creole Made Easy, and the only one who completed all 16 lessons. I think some of the others used the Pimsleur cds (not any books). I was by far the best Creole speaker/listener and felt like I was in a perfect position to learn exponentially more while I was there. I was told over and over again "ou pale Creole byen!" ("you speak Creole well!") which I shrugged off for awhile until it began to sink in that this was true. Also, I wish I would have brought Creole Made Easy along with me instead of the Hippocrene Haitian Creole/English dictionary, because I think the dictionary in the back had a better selection of words and phrases I wanted to say. The Hippocrene has no phrases at all, and often didn't have the words I was looking for. All this said, I would strongly recommend the Creole Made Easy materials to anyone interested in learning Haitian Creole.



2. Dictionary is helpful, pronounciation guides are helpful, phrases and practices are not commonly used phrases or very practical phrases.



3. This book had easy lessons that didn't cover a lot of material and so could be learned one lesson at a time in short periods of time.



4. Use this book and the acompanying CD and you will have a good dominion of creole for any work you might do in Haiti. You will not be a fluent speaker, but you will know enough creole to communicate and understand others.



5. Fantastic book. I had the book for a while then I found the CD that goes with it. I would highly recommend the CD with book purchase. It all makes sense when you see it written AND hear it pronounced.

5 comments about Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes from Susan Spicer's New Orleans.

1. Susan Spicer is the best in the US, bar none! And her restaurant in New Orleans, Bayone, has been one of my favorites. (I loved in the Big Easy from 1992 to 2000) and when i return to the city, i never miss a meal there. The new cookbook has all her "secrets" and while i will attempt them at home, i will still jump at the chance to visit Bayona.



2. I travel a lot in the USA and abroad and naturally have to eat out a lot. I think Bayona Restaurant in New Orleans is the best that I have ever visited. That's Ms Spicer's flagship restaurant. She shares some of her recipes from Bayona along with other of her restaurants and some that are just "personal" I think. The recipes are generally not overwhelming to make and belive me - anything with this lady's touch is worth tasting. It's a no-brainer of a buy.



3. My wife says this is the best cookbook she's used this year. And I love the pictures.



4. I received this book about three weeks ago, and have cooked almost exclusively from it since it arrived. Not one thing has disappointed. I sent my daughter a copy, since she spent most of a visit copying recipes from mine. We did the shrimp boil while she was here (delicious) with the epiphany lemon tart for dessert. Since then, my husband and I have enjoyed the shrimp with green chile cheese grits, and the Madeira mushrooms over goat cheese croutons. I've been reading it like a novel in bed at night, anxiously awaiting the next meal I can make from it. The photographs are beautiful, the writing approachable. Buy it.



5. Amazing sophisticated flavors! Nobody would ever guess most of the recipes are so straightforward, taking much less time and effort than so many other cookbooks. I've never bought my mom a cookbook, and this will be the first! I can't wait until Susan Spicer publishes another book!