Favorite New Orleans Recipes

New Orleanians have elevated the pleasures of cooking to a sophisticated art form. The authors have drawn extensively from the three primary cultures--English, French, and Spanish--that have contributed to the city's culinary mélange. The carefully compiled recipes, many translated from handwritten notes, include both English and metric measurements for the European kitchen and are also available in both French and Spanish editions.

This compilation provides a thorough education in what many regard as the best food in the world. The 119 selections include a wide variety of recipes from classic New Orleans drinks such as the Sazerac and Café Au Lait to traditional entrées such as Red Beans and Rice with Louisiana Smoked Sausage, Grillades and Grits, and Crawfish Étouffée. Memorable desserts, including such notables as Cherries Jubilee, Bananas Foster, Pralines, Beignets, and Pain Perdu, provide just a touch of sweetness.

Suzanne Ormond was a native of New Orleans and a longtime supporter of the New Orleans Public Library. Mary E. Irvine was a graduate of Newcomb College and head of the Spanish department at Ursuline Academy until her marriage. Together, Ormond and Irvine, now both deceased, are the authors of Pelican's Louisiana's Art Nouveau: The Crafts of the Newcomb Style. Ormond continued her love affair with food in her second cookbook, Recipes from an Old New Orleans Kitchen, also published by Pelican. Denyse Cantin, a native of Quebec City, Canada, lived in New Orleans while her husband served as the Consul General of Canada in the city. She brought an understanding of French influences to the project.