Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen

You will wear out this book until it falls to pieces and the food stained remnants no longer resemble a book. I'm on my third copy and have taken to re-writing them on paper for kitchen use. Many other reviewers have stated this, but it can't be said enough - follow the directions exactly, no matter how incredulous you may be (and on some recipes you will be). It always works out. THAT SAID, there are a few recipes that to my tastes (and probably 99% of other people on this Earth) that have far too much oil. I noted them - well, at least the ones I've tried - at the bottom of my review. Although I grew up in New Orleans and continue to live there, my parents passed no cooking skills on to me worth mentioning, as they, like most New Orleanians who are not professional cooks, only knew how to make a few things well and never wrote anything down. After a few years of being unsuccessful learning to cook from books that were not meant for learners, I finally bought this one in the early 1990's. This book will teach you how to cook, so long as you let it. Follow the directions. No substitutions. The amount of work that went into testing these recipes must have been daunting, especially with regard to seasoning. This book isn't just for Gulf South dwellers. There are a great many recipes here that can be made anywhere in the world; for the seafood oriented ones, you're probably out of luck. Another note: please do use parboiled rice in Louisiana dishes. Stop calling it "processed" - it isn't any more processed than any other rice. All it means is that the husk has been blown off with steam rather than mechanical threshing. It retains the bran this way and the grains make perfect al dente rice. I personally like Zatarain's, but any will do. Some of my personal favorites - Crawfish Etoufée - this version is made with roux, which is not a common way to make it in New Orleans. It's one of those you think couldn't possibly turn out right, but it is sublime. This was my favorite dish in the world as a child and continues to be in my top ten! This is the best version I've ever tasted. Turtle Soup - One of the best recipes in this book, and the best turtle soup I've ever had (and I've eaten plenty of turtle soups around town). Shrimp Diane - shrimp and butter with mushrooms. Delicious over pasta. Barbecued Shrimp - Whole, head on shrimp broiled in butter with black pepper, rosemary, etc. Remember to snip the antennae, eyes and horn off the shrimp's face before cooking them. The antennae will make a gross mess in your pot. You're welcome for this advice. Don't eat this more than once a year if you want to live past 40. This is one of the best versions I've ever had. Shrimp, Chicken or Rabbit Sauce Piquant - VERY hot. If you can eat very spicy Asian food, you will be fine with it. If you want to make a less hot version, make shrimp creole instead. Seafood Stuffed Shrimp - A royal pain to make, but worth it! I like to make this with his Shrimp and Crabmeat butter cream sauce. Cajun Prime Rib Cajun Meatloaf Chicken Curry - doesn't taste anything like an proper Asian curry, but is delicious anyway. This has actually been a traditional New Orleans dish for a long time, although out of fashion now, it was very popular in the 1940's - 1970's. Made with a great deal of butter and fruit (raisins, apples, coconut and bananas here) and very spicy. Sticky Chicken Corn Maque Choux - this is a delicious version which is sweet. It isn't commonly made like this in Louisiana, but I like this one better than the normal, savory way with tomatoes. Potato Salad/Green Onion Salad Dressing - I'm not kidding. Make this. Gumbos - all of them. Especially Seafood, but all of them are excellent. Jambalaya - all of them, except the ones where he wants to put oysters in them. No one puts oysters in jambalaya down here, and I find it very weird and off putting, and I don't think it really works. Just my opinion. Roast Pork Loin - GOD Now for some of the ones I don't care for, or rather just don't work for me. The big man, as much as I love him, has Cajunified these particular New Orleans classics with too much oil - Stuffed Merliton - this version is somewhat greasy and I don't think the sauce does much for it. The merlitons (chayote squash) Americans find in the store are about 1/4 the size of the ones grown here, which also have spiny, husky skins which stuff well. The store bought ones from Central America aren't big enough, so don't try them.That said you can make a casserole version of this with them, but there are better recipes. Red Beans and Rice - way too greasy with those ham hocks. The seasoning is just right though. You could make this same recipe, except sautéing the trinity with seasoning first, then adding to the pot of boiling water (better: ham stock) with a smoked ham shank. Do away with the ham hocks and use a equal amount of pickled pork shoulder meat as you do beans. Pickled pork is a must in red beans for most New Orleanians. Oyster Dressing - too much oil! Yikes. Chicken Big Mamou (not a New Orleans dish) - too much butter again.

Just about every cookbook has a bad recipe here or there. Something that's not described correctly, never quite seems to turn out, or just plain isn't that great. That is, every cook book except this one. The Cajun food craze happened about the time I was born; before I bought this book I mostly knew Paul Prudhomme as the guy on the spice canisters who looks like Dom DeLuise. I also knew things like jambalaya, blackened fish as mediocre dishes served at casual dining chains. After having made Paul Prudhomme's versions of the famous Louisiana staples, I now know why these dishes were exciting enough for people to try to imitate, even if they have done so badly. While every recipe I have made from this book has been an explosion of deliciousness, chicken etouffee (which must not be that common; the crawfish versions seems to be easier to get), barbecue shrimp, and the chicken and tasso jambalaya are not only awesome, cooking them gives you an enormous and gratifying sense of accomplishment. The relatively high level of difficulty with these dishes (you WILL burn roux a couple times) makes it all the more enjoyable when you get it right. My wife, who does not like shrimp all that much and was grossed out by the idea of fat from shrimp heads cooking came around to the taste of the shrimp creole and barbecued shrimp from this book. The jambalaya has blown away everyone for whom I have served it. All the classics are here, sometimes more than one version (there are about six gumbo recipes in the book), and they are far better than just about any other version you will eat if you live outside of Louisiana. A couple warnings: 1) A few years back, Paul Prudhomme lost a bunch of weight because his doctors told him that being morbidly obese would kill him. This book was written before that happened. I used two boxes of butter (not individual sticks, but entire boxes) in a couple days making barbecued shrimp and blackened redfish in succession. You can't eat out of this book every day, which usually isn't a problem because; 2) You won't have time to cook this stuff every day, unless you have a lot of time on your hands. There is a place for 30 minute meals and short recipes for busy families can be great. This is not a book for that. While some recipes are less complicated than others (helpfully, easier dishes are at the beginning of their respective chapters), most of the classics like the gumbos, etouffees, and jambalayas, require long prep and/or cooking time. If you're busy, you may need to set aside a few hours over a weekend to make this food. Fortunately, most of it refrigerates well. This is high-quality cooking, and it takes the time, effort, and attention to detail you'd expect it to take. 3) Some ingredients, like whole shrimp and tasso, are not widely available outside of Louisiana. You may have to order some things online. Trust me, it's worth the expense and hassle. Tasso, in particular, tastes like no other ham you will ever eat, and most butchers and meat shops outside of Louisiana don't even know what it is. If you need to order tasso or andouille online and you can afford to do so; do it. You won't regret it. In short, best cookbook I have ever owned.

Love this book. Great recipes to.take me back to new orleans. Can not wait to try the recipes.

Simply the best

I love the content and the presentation. The recipes feel more like what you'd find in an old family recipe book than the recipes for a restaurant and the book's rustic style amplifies the feeling.

I have followed Paul off and on over the years but have never bought any of his books. I eventually purchased this book and sat down to look through it and I'm totally loving it. So much history which he explains throughout the book and only what I feel are authentic Louisiana recipes. Cannot wait to start cooking from it. At long last I have it!

The recipes are incredible. This man is a real chef!!!! I am so glad to have purchased this book.