Picayune Creole Cookbook

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Description: This is a facsimile reprint of the Ninth Edition of The Original Picayune Creole Cook Book—one of the definitive works of regional American cuisine. These fabulous dishes from the classic cuisine of old New Orleans combine grand French culinary traditions with the fresh ingredients and cultural influences of the New World. Many of the French settlers in "La Louisiana" were aristocratic emigres who brought with them the highest refinement of gastronomic culture, while at the same time came many peasants with their simple "pot-au-feu" and "griflades." To this broad range of French cookery was added the influence of the Spanish "Arse de componer las viandas" brought by the Iberian population that settled in Louisiana during the Spanish rule. Proximity to the pepper-loving tropics and the use of previously unknown herbs brought to market by the native Indians are some of the other influences on Creole cooking. 

The Louisiana waters teemed with fish and shellfish. With such delicacies as pompano, mackerel, oysters, shrimp, crayfish, and crabs, it is no wonder that the native chefs created truly marvelous dishes. Crawfish bisque, fried oysters, shrimp jambalaya and other famous Louisiana rice dishes, gumbos, banana fritters with rum. 

The Picayune Creole Cook Book is a book for the adventurous cook—and eater. Because the book was originally published many years ago, weights, measures, and oven temperatures may need conversion or interpretation. There is, however, a useful table of measures, a glossary of French culinary terms, and an invaluable section titled "Suitable Combinations for Serving" that also includes a selection of menus. There are unusual instructions such as, "Clean and skin the Frogs; scald well in boiling lemon juice and salt." (Broiled Frogs) or "Clean the duck nicely and put one truffle and a lump of butter about the size of a peanut, with salt and pepper on the inside." (Teal Ducks Roasted). All of these dishes are exotic and extraordinarily tempting, and whether you explore the recipes simply by reading them or by recreating them in your own kitchen, you'll delight in this book that preserves for posterity the unique cuisine of old New Orleans. 

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Condition: Good condition.