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Cajun and Creole Cooking with Miss Edie and the Colonel
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Cajun and Creole Cooking with Miss Edie and the Colonel
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by Edie Hand and William G. Paul
Sales Rank : 434349
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Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing November 1, 2007
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1581826176
ISBN-13: 978-1581826173
Product Dimensions:
9.1 x 7.1 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
From Publishers Weekly
If you find the terms "cajun" and "creole" interchangeable, this primer on authentic Louisiana cooking from Gulf Coast natives Hand and Paul will school you with delicious lessons in the subtleties of each. Devoting the first third to everything from seasoning a new iron skillet and defining local favorites (Ribbon Cane Syrup, Filé Powder) to a timeline of Louisiana culinary history, Hand and Paul ably guide newcomers toward the first recipes: 18 classic sauces (Remoulade, Espagnole, etc.) that crop up often. Entrees include well-loved standards like Crawfish Etouffée, Jambalaya and Bananas Foster, as well as Cajun takes on ribs, roast duck and popcorn balls (known as Tac Tac, they're laced with pecans). Catering to extra-regional tastes, Hand and Paul offer key variations, such as five basic gumbos, that illustrate the breadth of a staple. Novices might be intimidated by the sheer number of ingredients required for a given dish (Vegetarian Gumbo calls for 24), though it's mainly herbs and spices adding to the count; well-stocked cooks should get by with a minimal investment in new spices. The authors' devotion to doing things the "right way"-homemade stocks, fresh herbs, etc.
isn't for everyone, but the New Orleans-authentic results are surefire crowd-pleasers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Product Review
Cajun and Creole Cooking is a tell-all about the food that makes Louisiana famous.
It tells the story of how Cajun and Creole cooking began, and the influences that made the food what it is influences that include the French, Spanish, African and American Indian.
Col. William G. Paul, who wrote the book with Edie Hand, has spent years researching Louisiana food and its origins and says that what differentiates Cajun from Creole is one other influence Italian.
Paul and Hand divided the book into interesting chapters and topics. They discuss the joy of cast-iron cookware, essential utensils, and cooking tips (21 of them).
The seven elements of Louisiana cooking are: Roux, rice, spice, stock, trinity, wines and liquors, and sauces. "Master each of these elements and you will know how to prepare virtually any Cajun/Creole dish with relative ease," they say.
While Cajun and Creole Cooking with Miss Edie and the Colonel is filled with history and interesting facts and factoids about life in Louisiana, there are many recipes that will have tables resembling dinners in the Crescent City or on many of the bayou towns.
The authors also list many Cajun and Creole restaurants and dance halls, and resources for Cajun foods. Part of the proceeds go to the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation through the Edie Hand Foundation.
Doe Paul Have favorite recipes in the book? He quickly tells a listener that his all-time favorite is pecan-an-herb-encrusted prime rib roast. And he's partial as well to a "wonderful praline cheese cake, and the French toast, a pan version of pancakes but done the way it is done in Louisiana.
There are some dishes that are newer to the New Orleans tradition, such as blackened redfish, created by chef Paul Prudhomme, owner of K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans. It was Prudhomme who started the "blackened" fad that has become popular all over the country.
Hand and Paul have plans to continue their association, with some television vignettes in the works on Charter Cable, and "we'll be hitting all the festivals," Hand says.
Hand, for her part, admits this was a new experience for her. "I've learned a combination of history, food and telling stories.
Both Hand and Paul feel they made a good match for the book. "He is like a loose cannon," she says, and "she is a knowledgeable cook. We hoped to bring that together." Paul's wife, an oncology nurse, contributed to the effort by doing styling for the book. --The Birmingham News, Jo Ellen O'Hara, Feb. 6, 2008
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