I recently got to take a sneak peek at the soon-to-be-released Ruby Slippers Cookbook. From what I saw, this is not your ordinary New Orleans-style cookbook. The book aims to capture “life, culture, family, and food after Katrina”. It includes some amazing photographs of pre- and post-Katrina New Orleans, recipes from local families and top tier restaurants, and a few collected stories. I ordered one for myself today and an additional two for family members. A thrice-ly purchased book is about the best endorsement that I can pass along. (I’ll note that I do not know the author and I am in no way connected with the book). A portion of the proceeds go to the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.
If you want to go old school, you must buy the “textbook of Louisiana Cuisine” - River Road Recipes. Originally published by the Baton Rouge Junior League in 1959, River Road Recipes is the gospel of Cajun and creole gastronomy. It has sold over 1.3 million copies, and it’s an invaluable resource for cooking the classics. RRR is also a handy reference if you are ever faced with cooking ‘coon, squirrel, quail, venison, and other game. It could happen.
August 3rd, 2006 at 10:53 am
Racoon? Are you sure there’s a recipe for racoon in River Road? It seems so un-Baton Rouge Junior League…. now I’m going to have to go home and check. They now have River Roads volumes I-IV, which will give you more recipes for pecan pie than you will ever need in a lifetime.
August 3rd, 2006 at 11:24 am
Oh, racoon is in there alright. There is a delightful recipe for ‘Coon a la Delta. I’ve never known anyone who has had racoon, but I’m sure that it has been done. I have a theory that a lot of Cajun cookbooks include wacky game recipes just to keep up the “eat anything” street cred’.
September 21st, 2007 at 11:18 am
[...] past about Amy Sins’ wonderful (check out these posts for more Ruby Slippers Cookbook — 1, 2, and 3). Periodically, Ms. Sins sends out a newsletter with updates on the status of the book, [...]