Bayona, Peristyle, Galatoire: good choices all. Not surprised that you were disappointed with Emeril. I don't know a single local that would eat at one of his joints. Absurdly-sized portions don't make up for overpriced and decidedly average food. Plus, the guy is a buffoon.... On your next visit, make a trip uptown, to Clancy's or Upperline or Brigtsen's or Jacques Imos or... well, that'll get you started. Ciao, d
Another point: how much roux are you using for how big a batch of gumbo? Too little roux and you won't get the richness/thickening you want, and too much roux, expecially dark roux, could cause bitterness in the gumbo....
Make your own dried oregano. Cut a bunch of stems (seriously prune back your plants) and spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. When dry, store in plastic bags. Later in the summer, your plant will bloom. Oregano blossoms make a beautiful and pungent garnish.
The Art of Mexican Cooking--Diana Kennedy The Zuni Cafe Cookbook--Judy Rodgers Mastering the Art of French Cooking--Julia Child Bistro Cooking--Patricia Wells Marcella Hazan--Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Hmm. All books by women. And 6 & 7 would be The Food and Life of Oaxaca (Zarela Martinez) and something by Madhur Jaffrey...
Another vote for Bittman here. You might also consider The Zuni Cafe Cookbook--full of wonderful recipes and cooking lessons from Judy Rodgers. The Zuni Cafe Cookbook
I love epazote. Never picked it wild, but I keep it growing amongst my potted herbs. I even have an epazote page on my site. See it here: Epazote pictures and text
I was thinking of herbes de provence too... And Mexican oregano. I have a couple of plants (unlike Mediterranean oregano, Mex is perennial), and I dry the excess. Quite a few Mex recipes specify dried, and I understand why--it tastes better dried.
A lot depends on where you're going to live. Uptown, there's a huge new Whole Foods Market with carries a lot of unusual/exotic ingredients. New Orleans is not a particularly great town for Asian food, with the big exception of Vietmanese, as there's a large community of Vietnamese here.
I agree with bat girl: 5-10 minutes is too long. I've never done a boil either, but I've cooked plenty of shrimp in the shell, and after 5 minutes, they're overdone, and in my experience, overcooking leads to sticky shells...