Making It Easy Cajun Cooking: Recipes and Remembrances from Acadiana (Making It Easy)

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Summary: Simple, almost fool-proof ways to make great Cajun food!
Review: A gumbo of freshly caught crabs, oysters, and shrimps ... a jamablaya from the Cajun country ... the peppery red beans that Louis Armstrong so loved ... Antoine's famous pompano baked in a paper crescent ... hot puffy rice cakes once hawked on the streets of the Vieux Carre - these are some of the mouth-watering delights that bring travelers flocking to Cajun Country and New Orleans. Combining the culinary traditions of France, Spain, Africa with the Indian gift of New World ingredients, Cajun (Creole) cooking blends and balances these strains to produce its own unique and exciting style.

And to cook its authentic dishes you have to be in on the secrets. These secrets are revealed - lavishly and clearly - in Arlene Coco's new cookbook, Making It Easy: Cajun Cooking.

Now you can master the subtle flavors of Cajun cooking. The deliciously light and crusty New Orleans French bread ... a French Quarter breakfast of eggs Sardou, freshly fried beignets, hot cafe au lait, and bananas flambe ... a fabulous main course as served in Louisiana's finest homes, a traditional Acadian pot dinner that provides a festive party dish in which every bit of chicken or meat goes a long way ... and much, much more. Every recipe is written clearly step-by-step along with a shopping list. In some cases substitutes for hard-to-find local ingredients are provided, although perfectionists will be delighted with the excellent list of mail-order sources for fresh crayfish, indigenous spices, and more.

But this is more than a collection of superb recipes. The source and lore of various dishes are described in charming commentaries. Loving it, wanting to share and preserve its specialness, Arlene Coco has created a book that brings the true flavors of New Orleans and Southwest Louisana and the joys of Cajun cooking, to cooks everywhere!

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Summary: Excellent primer for knowing Cajun food and culture!!
Review: We recently moved to Central Louisiana, and had always wanted to experience the food typical to Louisiana. Mme. Coco's book is not only full of succulent recipes, but also makes a good read on being raised in Louisiana as a Cajun. The book also has easy to understand recipes, shopping lists, and serves as a great guide book for those who entertain or hold parties at their homes.