Louisiana cookbook suggestions

[1FUNVET]

Funvet, that is the kind of cookbook I was talking about. They often have access to recipes that are unique to familes and locales you might no hear about otherwise.

My first copy of Pirates Pantry was falling apart after 25 years of use so i had to replace it. It was my go to book till the new Marshes book came out. I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

[caseydog]

Different New Orleans to Cajun to Creole. Homestyle Cajun usually brings
in quite a bit of the creole influence. I ran into a great home style recipes
paperback book in the early 80's. When I get home tonight I'll look it up
for you.

Also, try the chicken fricassee. It's AMAZING.

Cajun and creole have a lot in common, but I find cajun to be more "country comfort food," while creole is more fancy and shows more European influence.

When I lived in Port Arthur, Cajun was the dominant influence around there. You could find boudin cooking at most convenience stores. Cajun moms could make gumbo out of just about any critter down there. I would go duck hunting near Sabine Pass every winter, and those ducks would make a mighty fine gumbo.

I had Emeril's Real and Rustic, and it's pretty good. The ex-wife has it now, along with the Brennan's cookbook (with the original Bananas Foster recipe).

CD

 

[Lake Dogs]

Cajun and creole have a lot in common, but I find cajun to be more "country comfort food," while creole is more fancy and shows more European influence.

When I lived in Port Arthur, Cajun was the dominant influence around there. You could find boudin cooking at most convenience stores. Cajun moms could make gumbo out of just about any critter down there. I would go duck hunting near Sabine Pass every winter, and those ducks would make a mighty fine gumbo.

I had Emeril's Real and Rustic, and it's pretty good. The ex-wife has it now, along with the Brennan's cookbook (with the original Bananas Foster recipe).

CD

Yep.

Oh, the book I was referencing and promised I'd find tonight:

CAJUN-CREOLE COOKING
by Terry Thompson
May 1987

Of the 15 reviews on Amazon, all 15 are 5 stars. One problem, it
was out of print for a while. I think they're back in print but now
VERY expensive. I (thankfully) have 2 paperbacks...

I've got books by Paul and Emeril and Justin and many others. However,
for the go-to recipes I always go to this book. Great sausage jambalaya
recipe and a chicken fricassee recipe to die for. I'm not thrilled with the
fish courtboullion recipe though. For that I suggest braising some fresh
water fish, make a nice dark roux based shrimp gumbo sans shrimp and
add the fish in late.

 

[caseydog]

I went camping in Loo-see-ana a couple weeks ago. A bunch of us brought ingredients so the highest ranking coonass and her sue-shef (husband) could whup up a big-ole pot-o-gumbo. Chicken and sausage with some tasso that we had to get from Crystal Beach, Texas. It's getting hard to find that stuff.

But, the surprise of the weekend was on the last night, when one Loo-see-ana native pulled out some boudin and put it in a fish grilling basket and very slowly cooked it over the campfire. You have to go slow, or the casing will burst and the boudin will dry out.

When he was done, he let it rest, and cut it up to share. Oh my goodness, that stuff was awesome cooked that way. The casing (usually too tough to eat) was crispy, and the boudin was moist and so tasty.

I plan on doing some low and slow, indirect grilled boudin in the very near future. In fact, I already have the boudin.

CD

Oh, here's a little gumbo pr0n, with the sue-chef manning the paddle...

 

[T-Man]

John Folse " Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine "
Chef John Besh " My New Orleans: The Cookbook "

Really good cookbooks ... Outstanding recipes , history and pic's...
Not cheap though . large coffee table type books...

 

[brotherbd]

My wife and girls gave me a cookbook from these folks.

Has a lot of good stuff in it. We have enjoyed several dishes from it's pages.

Here's their site:

http://realcajunrecipes.com/

Enjoy!

Blessings,

brotherbd

 

[ZILLA]

Paul Prudomes Louisiana Kitchen! It really is a great book. Talk About Good is another one but is simply a compilation with no explanations on technique. This is out of print but can be had very easy used. The recipes are very simple versions and are probably more authentic than the fancy cookbooks.

 

[Homebrewed Q]

My Mom's side of the family is from Lafayette and Central LA so I grew up on Cajun/coona$$ food. I used to watch Justin Wilson's cooking shows and his recipes and techniques were the closest to our family's style.
Caseydog, smoked boudin (or boudain) is the way to go. I always throw some on for snacking when I'm slow smoking some proteins.