The New Orleans Cookbook

by Rima Collin, Richard H. Collin

Accurate, step-by-step recipes for a multitude of authentic dishes and concoctions, from countryside and city, traditional and contemporary, well-known and exotic, from the main cuisines of New Orleans

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction

257 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a good thing I started eating sea-food, or else this would just be a decoration. As it is, the recipies are VERY authintic, meaning I have to find someway to replace bacon-fat in almost everything. What I've made out of here, however, has been amazing. The shrimp etoufee is one of the best things I've ever eaten, let alone made. The writers toss in just enough background and regional tid-bits to interest without distracting from the food.

[Steve Rheinstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the definitive cookbook for anyone who wants to learn how to cook New Orleans classic cuisine. Richard and Rima Collin were the food writers for the New Orleans Times-Picayune daily newspaper in the 1970's and also published a guide to the restaurants in town at that time. Food and restaurants are of paramount importance to any New Orleans resident, and this cookbook is an excellent guide to Creole cuisine. You will note that I didn't say cajun. That is because the revolution and discovery of cajun cuisine had not taken place in 1975. Paul Prudhomme had yet to popularize cajun cuisine in New Orleans, as he was working as the head chef at Commander's Palace in 1975 and would not open K-Paul's until 1979 (with the explosion of interest in blackening techniques).

I lived in New Orleans during my fellowship in the late 1970's and immediately was impressed with the quality and intensity of the local food scene. I wanted to be able to make the same things that I had eaten at the restaurants--BBQ shrimp from Manale's, the roast beef po-boy from Mother's, the oyster Italian style from Mosca's, Trout Marguery from Galatoire's, Marchand de Vin sauce from Antoine's, Beignets from Cafe de Monde, etc. I found these and much more in the carefully researched and tested recipes in the Collin cookbook.

Luckily, the cookbook is still available in hardcover and paperback. The one thing you will not find here is the authentic recipe for Oysters Rockefeller, still a closely guarded secret of Antoine's restaurant (however, the recipe in the cookbook is a very close approximation!). All the recipes are very clearly written, easy to follow, and represent a faithful recreation of each dish. I have not been let down by anything I've cooked from this book!

[Debbie Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm from New Orleans and this is the best New Orleans cookbook I've ever seen! (And I've seen quite a few - I collect them and this is the only one I use consistently.)

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic New Orleans cookbook from the 80s. All of the staples of New Orleans Creole and Southeastern Louisiana Cajun cooking.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure its a wonderful book if you have lived in Luseianna....but I have not, I normally never
use a cookbook and I have no idea how something is supposed to taste. Mixing sausage, chicken, and ham all in one dish is just something that my Midwestern mind has a real problem with....I may at some point try the shrimp dish, because its hard to go wrong with shrimp.

[Deb Blackbourn · Rating 5 out of 5]

238 pages of authentic recipes - broken down into 14 categories w/ a short history of each category. It also includes a shopping section that gives info on where to get ingredients if you can't find them locally. Great fun cooking & eating!