Cookbooks on Spicy, Varied Cajun-Creole Cuisine Continue to Flourish : Savory Fare That Attracts a Variety of Tastes

Has the fascination for Cajun-Creole foods become passe? One could hardly think so, given the plethora of restaurants, seafood markets, cooking classes and mail-order catalogues featuring Cajun-Creole specialties and ingredients. Interest in this style of cookery is indicative of a much larger culinary statement in that its popularity reflects the return to favor of things American, in general, and regional fare in particular.

Paul Prudhomme, prominent Cajun chef in New Orleans, elevated the down-home style of cooking to the level of sophisticated restaurant fare nationwide nearly two years ago with the release of a cookbook on the subject. The next step was cookbooks on the subject, which continue to flourish, as our taste buds become more and more desirous of foods that are hot and spicy. And with this has come the demand for Louisianian ingredients, most of them uncommon such as crayfish, okra and file powder, as enthusiasts attempt to re-create this sultry flavor in their own kitchens.

But even if the culinary intrigue for things Louisianian is gradually making its way up the connoisseur’s list of food “outs” for the year, Cajun-Creole food is still the type of cookery that’s been mysterious enough to provide mainstream audiences with an endless variety of entertaining ideas.

Delightfully Savory Fare

This popular flavor historically has been characterized mostly by the larder and the mood of the cook at the time. But the end result was always the same--delightfully savory fare that beckoned. And today’s interest in fresh fare hasn’t changed Cajun-Creole very much.

There is a strange permanence about the food of Louisiana. It has long enjoyed haute status among travelers to the region who have craved the flavor of the spicy victuals long after the trip back home. And because of the surging interest and availability of ingredients, it may very well have wedged its place in culinary history--one that stands to remain intact long beyond this recent enthusiasm for the fare.

What’s the difference, one might ask, between Cajun and Creole cookery? Not much by way of recipes and ingredients. Both rely heavily on Gulf seafood and shellfish, the most integral of which is crayfish (also called crawfish). Other prominent ingredients include okra, tomatoes, rice and lots of spices.

The most significant difference between the two cultures is a demographic one. Creole cooking seems to reflect the sophistication of New Orleans--the city influence and vast ancestry, including Spanish, African, Italian, Dutch, West Indian and French. The Cajun way with food is derived from a more rustic, country-style way of life. The Acadian people settled in the bayou country of Louisiana in areas like Lafayette and they capitalized on the game of the region. Recipes often include such unusual ingredients as alligator and squirrel.

Personal preference will have to be the guideline for making purchases of cookbooks on the subject. As evidenced by the following roundup of recent releases, Cajun-Creole cookbooks all offer basically the same recipes--varying mostly by the degree of difficulty of each recipe.

The following compilation merely provides a description of the books and some sample recipes. Some authors have tried to make their works seem different from the rest by writing exclusively about either Cajun or Creole and are therefore very hard-pressed to distinguish between the two. In these cases, the recipes will separate the good from the bad--let your taste buds decide.

Cajun-Creole Cooking, by Terry Thompson (HP Books: $9.95, softcover, 176 pages, illustrated)

“Cajun-Creole foods are steadfastly un-trendy,” says Terry Thompson, author of this beautiful text of recipes highlighting south Louisiana fare.

“The adherents of the cuisine could care less what color peppercorns are ‘in’ this year. . . . And now for the big jolt to the world of haughty--or haute --cuisine. It doesn’t even matter if you use canned artichoke bottoms or garlic powder or premixed Cajun-Creole seasonings. The taste of the completed dish is the final judge. If it tastes wonderful, isn’t that what it’s all about?”

Yes, it is. And although this type of cooking fits neatly in with today’s cooking priority--use the freshest ingredients available--Thompson does provide suggestions for substitutions.

This book captures the essence of what’s in vogue, yet takes into consideration limited availability of ingredients in some parts of the country and teaches its readers how to compensate. For example, Thompson states that the five most important ingredients in Cajun-Creole cookery are fresh ones--onions, celery, green peppers, green onions and parsley--all available just about everywhere. Yet, she continues, “if the only fresh ripe tomatoes available at the market are the cardboard-skinned, pale pink hothouse variety, then by all means, use canned tomatoes!”

Thompson’s is by far the most comprehensive volume on the subject of south Louisiana cookery of the lot. She provides a detailed glossary of necessary ingredients as well as elaborating upon the correct methodology for making Cajun roux, preparing stocks and frying. Each recipe is painstakingly explained--usually separating stages into in-depth instructions.

For example, Thompson’s gumbo z’herbes at first glance might seem like a monumentally difficult dish to make with more than 20 ingredients listed. However, the method is given in such clear and concise form that even the novice won’t be intimidated. “Cajun-Creole Cooking” is an excellent choice for introducing this style of cooking to experienced and inexperienced cooks alike. It includes lovely color and how-to photography. Recipes for two especially trendy and popular dishes are included: Cajun popcorn (fried crawfish tails) and blackened redfish.

Thompson lives and works in Mandeville, La., on the north shore of the Pontchartrain. Her cooking style, which she refers to as “ haute Cajun-Creole” combines classic French with the typical Cajun-Creole style. She does restaurant consulting and teaches cooking classes and seminars throughout the United States. Following is one of the recipes in her book.

OYSTERS IN CREAM SOUP

(Terry Thompson)

36 shucked medium oysters, drained, liquor reserved

3 1/2 pints whipping cream

1/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine

4 green onions, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt

Cover and refrigerate drained oysters until ready to use. Place oyster liquor and cream in 4-quart saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Set aside.

In another 4-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add green onions and cook until slightly wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in reduced cream mixture and bring to boil to thicken. Reduce heat and add oysters, pepper, cayenne and salt to taste. Simmer just until oysters begin to curl around edges, about 5 minutes. Ladle into soup plates, dividing oysters evenly. Makes 6 servings.

Cajun Cuisine (Beau Bayou: $14.95, hardcover, 222 pages)

This book devotes its pages exclusively to the country cooking of the inhabitants of the Louisiana bayou, the Acadians. Its recipes for many of the typical Louisiana favorites fit neatly into either the Creole or Cajun category, yet there are some dishes that have a more country flavor and call for some typical country ingredients.

Alongside the usual recipes for gumbo z’herbes, shrimp and crab etouffee and jambalaya are more unusual fixings like venison sausage, squirrel gumbo, alligator stew and wild duck fricassee with turnips.

The recipes are presented in a simplified format. Amounts of seasonings like salt, pepper and cayenne pepper are left to the reader’s own taste, and it uses canned tomatoes almost exclusively.

Marie Louise Comeaux Manuel, retired director of the School of Home Economics, University of Southwestern Louisiana, wrote the introduction to the book. Her article contains information on the origins and nature of Cajun cuisine, its primary dishes, ingredients and procedures, plus an explanation of the distinction between Cajun and Creole. There is also a brief glossary of terminology.

Manuel describes the difference between the two cuisines: “Acadian cuisine, unlike Creole cuisine, uses herbs, seasoning and spices to bring out the full taste of the main ingredient. Thus the product is not highly seasoned and the original flavor of the main ingredient predominates. . . . A dish is a blend of ingredients which either ‘set off’ or ‘tone down’ to create a new and delicious taste. When an Acadian uses seasonings, spices or herbs, it is not because they are tasty; it is because these bring out the flavor of the meat, fish or whatever food she is preparing. Thereby, food becomes more delectable and unique in taste. If the flavor of any one of the seasonings, herbs or spices stands out, the dish is considered a failure.”

Creole Gumbo and All That Jazz, by Howard Mitcham (Addison-Wesley: $10.95, softcover, 271 pages)

“It’s a brazen thing for me to bring forth another Creole cookbook when there are already about 40 good ones on the market,” said Howard Mitcham in the preface to this book. “However, most of them are general books that cover the whole field of Creole and Cajun cuisine from soup to nuts. I have long felt that there was need for a Creole cookbook devoted exclusively to seafood cookery.”

And so it is. . . . a book devoted exclusively to touting seafood with a Creole spice. It features chapters like “The Melting Pot,” a historical look at the Creole and Cajun ways of life and their effects on the preparation of the seafood of the region; “The Appurtenances of the Art,” focusing on the ingredients that make Creole seafood special, including a history of file powder and a “dissertation on roux.” The remaining chapters highlight the obvious: shrimp, crab, crawfish and swamp animals, plus “The Fishes--If It Swims, We Can Cook It,” all teamed with familiar Creole ingredients in recipes that are easy to follow and delicious.

What makes this book special is its tone. When Mitcham, a practicing chef for the past 25 years, explains the habitat of red snapper or the origin of jambalaya to the uninformed it’s entertaining as well as informative. Mitcham truly captures the region’s joie de vivre , which he imparts to every page of his delightful collection.

”. . . If a poor Cajun family had five or six kids, it’s a safe bet they ate jambalaya several times a week,” Mitcham writes. “Like red beans and rice, it kept people from starving during depressions and recessions.

“But the consummate artistry of Creole and Cajun cooks has lifted jambalaya above its humble beginnings to a higher plateau, and it is now served with pride and joy in the mansions of the wealthy and in high-toned restaurants. . . .”

The lagniappe (Creole for “little something extra”) in this book includes tributes to some of the immortals of jazz. Plus, there are lyrics from famous songs of the region like “Hold Tight, Hold Tight” as well as historical tidbits sprinkled throughout that recognize famous New Orleans restaurants, people and traditions. This is a great book for lovers of the culture as well as the food. It provides some unusual treatments like fried shrimp with sesame seeds. All of the old standbys are there, too, including etouffee, bisque, gumbo and remoulade. The book has more than 300 recipes, plus black and white photographs and drawings.

CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE

(Howard Mitcham)

1/2 cup butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 large onion, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds crawfish tails, boiled, cleaned and deveined, fat reserved

2 cups water

Cayenne pepper

Salt, pepper

Hot cooked rice

Green onion tops, chopped

Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Stir in flour. Cook and stir over low heat to make light brown roux. Add onion, green onions, celery, green pepper and garlic and cook until vegetables are tender.

Add reserved crawfish fat and water and season to taste with cayenne, salt and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add crawfish tails and simmer 10 minutes longer. Let rest, covered, 30 minutes before serving. Serve in preheated soup bowls over hot cooked rice. Sprinkle with chopped green onion tops. Makes 4 servings.

Patout’s Cajun Home Cooking, by Alex Patout (Random House: $19.95, hardcover, 207 pages, illustrated)

The most recent release, Patout’s book focuses exclusively on the Cajun influence. Not too many “fussy appetizers and fancy hors d’oeuvres,” he says, but the other classic dishes are all there. Chapters include ones on gumbos and soups, seafood, poultry, meats, side dishes and sweets. There’s also a chapter on pickles and preserves.

This anthology calls for a lot of smothering--Patout smothers everything from snap beans with bacon and new potatoes to hash browns. His sauce piquante is an intriguing combination of roux and fresh tomatoes that is used to complement a wide range of meats from turtle, frogs legs, squirrel and rabbit to “plain old chicken.” There is some color photography, and recipes are presented in a straightforward manner with some tidbits of history for perspective.

This is a neat little book that will be a good choice for the serious cook--a very matter-of-fact presentation of family recipes. It also features a menu section and a list of mail-order sources for special ingredients and fresh seafood.

Patout was born and raised in New Iberia, La. He and his family have operated Patout’s restaurant there since 1979 and have recently opened one here in Los Angeles and a third in New Orleans.

FRIED CRAWFISH

(Alex Patout)

3 eggs

12 ounces beer

2 cups milk

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons white pepper

Oil

2 pounds peeled crawfish tails

Tartar sauce

Beat together eggs, beer and milk in large bowl until blended. Place flour in wide shallow bowl. Mix together salt, cayenne, black and white peppers and stir half into each bowl.

Heat at least 3 inches oil to 375 degrees in deep-fryer or large heavy pot. Pour crawfish into beer mixture and mix well to coat. Remove about crawfish from beer using slotted spoon and allow excess beer to drain off. Dredge in flour mixture. Place crawfish in frying basket and shake basket to remove excess flour.

Fry crawfish in hot oil until firm and golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining crawfish. Serve with tartar sauce. Makes 8 to 10 appetizer servings.