Books for the Chef in Your Life

Dooky Chase's Restaurant, a New Orleans landmark and celebrated bastion of fine Creole food, has welcomed notable individuals as well as thousands of locals through its doors since opening in 1941. The unquestionable authority in the restaurant's kitchen for many of those years, Leah Chase offers here a collection of recipes from the menu and her personal files that have delighted patrons for decades. Spiced with exquisite works from the African American art collection that hangs in the restaurant's dining room, this cookbook pairs the flavors of Leah Chase's dishes with anecdotes recounting the restaurant's traditions, origins of the recipes, and memories. This revised and expanded edition presents even more of the restaurant's favorite offerings and features a new chapter on drinks. Dooky Chase's longtime chef and proprietor passed away in 2019, but these pages honor Leah's legacy through recipes and sentiments that will be forever intertwined with the history of New Orleans.

In South Louisiana, food is more than just sustenance. It is a way to bring friends and family together and it connects us to our history and our culture. Few places are more tied to these culinary roots than Louisiana's River Parishes, which stretch along the levees of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Here the many cultures and diverse people who call the area home--Cajun, Creole, German, French, Spanish, African, and Native American--have mingled to produce a rich tradition of harvesting the largesse that Louisiana provides all year long. That abundance is crafted it into delectable dishes by the families who have cultivated these lands for generations.
Chef Jarred Zeringue celebrates this seasonal bounty in this approachable guide to Cajun cooking. Featuring the flavors and culture he learned alongside his mother, grandparents, and many aunts and uncles, Jarred offers an intimate window into how his family--like so many in Louisiana's River Parishes--cook from the land, using the freshest ingredients in a lifestyle that embodies the farm to table philosophy. With nearly 90 recipes divided by the seasons, Jarred shares the traditional tastes of his childhood, with an emphasis on the smoked meats for which his smokehouse is renowned.

"THE INFINITE FEAST is a fun guide to graciously hosting loved ones. Brian Theis does a great job melding his innate Southern Charm with experience gained from travel and time abroad. His book will be a welcome addition to people who enjoy sharing food and drink with friends." - Jacques Pépin

Author Brian Theis presents a well-rounded cookbook that takes us back to the mid-twentieth century and the foods that fed the nation's craving for comfort and world travel. In seasonal chapters from New Year's to the winter holidays, he provides curated and themed menus, easy to follow recipes, and kitchen tips. From casseroles and comfort foods, a Mardi Gras Jamboree, and a Polynesian Luau to a Goblin Feast and Thanksgiving Bons Temps Rouler, the dishes are just as delicious as they are picturesque! Interviews with celebrity chefs and restaurateurs, including Gabriele Corcos, Billy Oliva, JoAnn Clevenger, and Phillip Lopez, and a tribute to Leah Chase round out the offerings in this gift-worthy cookbook!

Author and culinary historian Poppy Tooker combines family photographs, stories, and recipes from Pascal's Manale into a collection that is much more than a cookbook.
Tooker's exploration into the storied Uptown restaurant, one of the "jewels in New Orleans' culinary crown," reveals the history of the family behind it and their influence on the city's culinary culture. In contrast to the chef driven French dishes of the Creoles, Sicilian cuisine came straight from mama's kitchen just as the signature dishes on the tables of this beloved eatery. A bastion of Italian cuisine in New Orleans, recipes for Pascal's Manale's best-known dishes, including their famous barbequed shrimp, stuffed artichokes, and meatballs have fed their fans for over a century!

This compendium of crawfish information offers biological facts and scores of home-style recipes. The Louisiana seafood industry--past and present--is discussed and a fascinating essay about a day in the life of a crawfisher is included. Jerald Horst has worked in the seafood industry and he and his wife have collected and tested crawfish recipes for decades. From the birth of the crawfish industry in the 1800s to present-day obstacles to commercial fishing, this encyclopedic cookbook provides an abundance of history as well as recipes, health information, and Louisiana culture. Highlights include the mudbug's popularity explosion in the 1950s, an illustrated guide to peeling the crustacean, and "Four Star" recipes for Crawfish Omelets and Delta Crispy Crawcakes.

Carmen Aboy Valldejuli was, according to New York Times food critic Craig Claiborne, "the foremost authority on Puerto Rican cooking" whose cookbooks are
"the definitive books on island cooking."

Her cookbook, Juntos en la Cocina (Together in the Kitchen), is the result of fifty years of love, sharing and hard work. Carmen and her husband, Luis presented their favorite recipes in this new volume. Now these flavorful meals are available to anyone interested in learning the art of Puerto Rican cuisine from two of its finest teachers.

Written in Spanish, Juntos en la Cocina provides a complete tour of the culinary arts of Puerto Rico. Adobo and sofrito, the bases of many island dishes, are despcribed in detail. To enable both novice and experienced cooks to create savory meals, each recipe gives step-by-step instructions, with special emphasis on preparation and serving.

Sample Chili con Carne, Chicken Fiesta, Carne Empanada and traditional black beans and rice. Pasta is never dull with recipes for Lasagna a la San Juan and Spaghetti Florentine. And dessert temptations include chocolate and mango flan, queen's cake and other exotic pastries.

Whether you are working alone in the kitchen or with someone you love, Juntos en la Cocina is a friend you won't want to be without.

"Honey, if cookin' is a chore, then you ain't been doin' it right."--author and Lord Honey chef Jason Smith From Kentucky 'Nanners Foster Waffles to 'Lasses-Glazed Carrots to Sweet Tea and Bourbon Fried Chicken, celebrate the art of "Country Bling" cooking with recipes that will have you digging out the cast-iron skillet and running to the store for some butter. Complete with colorful descriptions, accessible ingredients, simple directions, and helpful tips, this book will teach you everything you need to know about cooking with love. Kentucky born and bred, Lord Honey Chef Jason Smith honors his roots and, at the same time, refashions cherished classics. Enjoy beloved Southern traditions and odes to the homespun--dishes always perfect just the way Granny did it--but with a twist. Some of these recipes have won awards, and others haven't made it to the competition yet, but all of them are just right for a sit-down with family and friends.

Puerto Rican Cookery has become the standard reference on traditional native cookery (cocina criolla). According to the San Juan Star, "the cookbook is seen and is more likely better read in some homes than the religious tome. . . . [it] is considered a primer for beginning cooks . . . a textbook for home economists and it is a guide for the gourmet as well."

Ireland's most famous chef, Darina Allen, owns, manages, and teaches at the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork. She is also presenter for the British television series Simply Delicious.