Best Cajun/Creole Cookbook and source


 
J

Jeff Boudman

TVWBB Wizard
I've been cooking with Justin Wilson's Outdoor Cooking With Inside Help and Zatarin's for years. I love Cajun and Creole cooking and want to raise the bar. I'm looking for recommendations for Cajun/Creole cookbooks and a source for spices. Thanks.
 
My most cherished cookbooks are, "The Evolution of Cajun and Creole Cuisine" by Chef John Folse, "Real Cajun" by Chef Donald Link, "My New Orleans" by Chef John Besh, and "La Bouche Creole" by Leon Soniat. These are readable story cookbooks that tell the tale of the passion for food that Louisiana has. I lived there for 30 years and it gets in your soul.
 
I'm about as "Northern" as you can get (total lack of Suth'n blood).

However - I'll second the recommendation for Gumbopages. I don't have much to go on, but it sure SEEMS to be "the real deal"...

Fun reading, and I've done both Gumbo and Red Beans and Rice - REALLY liked the end results in both cases.
 
Those are some good tips.

An old standby is Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen. Many say it's the book that started the cajun craze in the rest of the country.

You can get it for under $20 on Amazon now. Read the reviews over there if you need some convincing.

His Cajun Meatloaf covered with his Very Hot Cajun Sauce for Beef is incredibly good!

John Folse's Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine is awesome, with recipes as well as photos and history about various dishes and ingredients. It costs a lot more, but it is huge. It goes about 10 lbs.
 
I'm also a fan of gumbopages.com and www.realcajunrecipes.com.

The best book I know of is Emeril's Louisiana Real and Rustic. I've probably made 1/2 of the recipes in the book. It covers all of the basics and then some, and the recipes aren't as involved or complicated as the old Paul Prudhomme books.

Spices really shouldn't be a problem for you, it seems like most ingredients are available in most grocery stores. Some of the recipe websites have links for anything exotic that you can't find.
 
Has anyone used the pickle meat recipe from gumbopages.com for their red beans and rice? Just curious for an opinion on it, thanks.
 
Preface: I am a Louisiana native, born/raised in La. Now living in Southern Arkansas..
A very popular cajun/creole cookbook is "River Roads Recipes"(Vol 1 and 2).
My favorite is called "Best of the Best from Louisiana". This is compilation of the "best" recipes from a multitude of Cajun cookbooks.

Pickle Meat: Ive prepared/used pickled pork a few times.. I think its more trouble than its worth... It was necessary when there was no refrigeration, now you can accomplish the same thing by adding a little bit of vinegar to your dish... The cajun cooks will tell you "its the vinegar" that gives you the taste you are looking for... I hope this helps, and

Have a Happy New Year!
 
One of my favorite books is "Cajun Men Cook" published by the Beaver Club of Lafayette, Louisiana. There is a section in the back of the book with recipes by celebrity chefs.
 
Edwin Vickers said:
My most cherished cookbooks are, "The Evolution of Cajun and Creole Cuisine" by Chef John Folse, "Real Cajun" by Chef Donald Link, "My New Orleans" by Chef John Besh, and "La Bouche Creole" by Leon Soniat. These are readable story cookbooks that tell the tale of the passion for food that Louisiana has. I lived there for 30 years and it gets in your soul.
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I know this is an old thread, Edwin, but I love all your suggestions. The only book you mention that I don't have is Donald Link's -- but I would like it! I was blown away that you have "La Bouche Creole," as it's one of my all-time favorites. Leon Soniat wrote a column for The Times-Picayune for years. I am constantly finding one of his columns on a piece of yellowed newsprint tucked in come cookbook or printed out recipes! His recipe for Red Beans (cooked without sausage, of course) are to die for. And I've used John Folse's recipe for smoked tasso for years -- every time we make it, we have to make small bags of the tasso for friends who have tasted it.

Another one you might enjoy as it has good recipes and is also in the readable story style is Marcelle Bienvenu's "Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic and Can You Make a Roux?" Delightful reading and tells the stories my mom always told me about growing up in Louisiana many years ago.
 
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