My New Orleans: The Cookbook (Volume 1) (John Besh)

Believe it or not, this is only my second cookbook -- the first being Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques that I purchased ten years ago. I was inspired earlier this year by my first trip to New Orleans, where I had the most amazing grits I have every tasted at a restaurant of his called Lüke (the secret is mascarpone, as is revealed in this cookbook). I've cooked six or seven recipes out of this book since it arrived two weeks ago, and they are all tasty and easy to follow. Truthfully the details about making roux (I'm from California, we don't have roux here!) were quite useful, and I've now been able to incorporate roux into several of my own creations, with great success. The anecdotes and stories are quite entertaining and fun to read: my only criticism being that they are too engaging and they distract me from actually cooking!You can tell that a lot of time went into preparing these recipes, as Chef John Besh always addresses substitutions for ingredients that may not be easily available locally; the recipes hold up well to making your own substitutions: substituted in stone ground whole wheat flour in many of the recipes I made, and when I cooked the corn bread recipe, instead of corn meal I used McEwen and Sons stone ground blue grits that I had soaked in half and half (I ran out of milk) to soften them up before baking (if you're like me, you'll be trying finding ways to finish up those 10 lbs of grits you had to purchase online in order to get free shipping...) in hindsight I probably should have ordered grits and corn meal rather than one bag of blue and one bag of yellow grits to see which ones taste better (!). The recipes are also quite varied, even including recipes for matzo crackers and matzo ball soup -- now I know what to make next time I am invited to a sader. I should note that if you are vegan, you will have a hard time with these recipes as 95% of them require some sort of meat or dairy, as I discovered when I ran out of meat, milk, cream and half and half in my refrigerator last week.The book itself is also gorgeously done with full color photos. This is a book that would look great on display on your coffee table -- it's actually so beautiful that I try and keep the book away from the kitchen. However for me, the most valuable part of this cookbook is the exposure to a whole new set of spices and flavors, unlike anything my (asian) palette has ever tasted (and there is quite a diversity of excellent food here in San Francisco). "My New Orleans" does not disappoint! Now off I go with my (newly acquired) file powder to make my first chicken and sausage gumbo. (I know it is probably considered blasphemy, as I will probably have to substitute in short grain rice... but I get the feeling John Besh would approve).

The author begins by saying (Page 1): "This book is the story of a dreamy, starry-eyed boy brought up in the shadows of New Orleans. . . . I wrote 'My New Orleans' in the same spirit in which I launched my restaurants; it's a book dedicated to roots and rituals, to the way I cook." He discusses how he cooks on pages 9-11. Then a brief discussion of how he makes roux (different from how I do it)and other building block ingredients, such as chicken stock, creole spices, aioli, and so on.But the heart of any cookbook is its recipes. I have not done much New Orleans cooking, so I find this book of considerable interest. A colleague of mine is from Louisiana, and he makes some neat crawfish dishes. And this cookbook has a number of recipes featuring this critter. Here's one that I am intrigued by: Crawfish etouffe. Ingredients: canola oil, flour, onion, celery, red bell pepper, garlic, thyme, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, tomato, shellfish stock, butter, crawfish, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt, pepper, and Louisiana white rice. Once ingredients are assembled and prepared, the actual cooking process is pretty straightforward, beginning with a roux and proceeding therefrom.I enjoy red beans and rice. And the book provides a recipe. 13 ingredients! Some of the food isn't so healthy (rendered bacon fat, for example), but this sounds like the end result would be quite tasty!I have enjoyed jambalaya before. And here is a recipe for shrimp, chicken, and Andouille jambalaya. Other recipes that caught my fancy: shrimp creole, rare seared tuna with crushed figs, seafood gumbo, and shrimp remoulade. Many others, too!At any rate, this is a nice cookbook of recipes associated with New Orleans. If you are interested in this style cuisine, this would be a good addition to your kitchen library.

My family is from New Orleans. I tell this to people often because that city is an amazing part of who I am despite the fact that I was born in New Jersey. Both of my parents were born and raised there and over 90% of our very large extended family still calls New Orleans home. This book is an amazing journey into the heart and soul of the city I love through food. What is most interesting to me is the authentic, first person voice that Besh provides... he is not only teaching you how to cook his favorite recipes, but he is showing you how to inject N.O. cuisine into your own kitchen classics. Taking the time to explain stocks, sauces and flavors common to N.O. cuisine, allows you to prepare these sauces and seasonings ahead of time. This gives you the freedom to try pairing your own homemade fare (poultry, seafood, beef, etc) with a N.O. sauce for a surprising new dish all your own. Another thing I love about the book is the fact that it doesn't try to "dumb down" the classics by making them something they're not. You're not going to find him skimping on the butter, bacon fat, lard or any other unhealthy ingredients. He encourages you to find the best quality possible, and from there you are on your own to hit the gym and work it off! Finally, the stories behind the food are what made this experience truly magical for me. He talks about places and things that I heard about or saw as a child and he speaks of them fondly, as if they truly shaped who he is today. John Besh is an outstanding chef (love his restaurant Besh Steak in Harrah's by the way); and this cookbook is as good as it gets! Enjoy, read, cook, eat and come to love Our New Orleans!

Great, beautifully crafted cookbook with great stories of New Orleans. For the foodie or the lover of different cultural influences.

This book is absolutely stunning. From the cover to the illustrations its just what we were looking for. Its so much more than a cookbook. It walks you the history of the cuisine.