Emeril's Cookbooks....

[Richard Kilgore]

I have Real & Rustic, recommended by none other than than okra-hater Fifi. But which one or two others would you recommend? Any to simply say "no" to?

[Dave the Cook]

I like Real and Rustic a lot. As an introduction to Cajun and Creole cooking, it falls short of the achievement of Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen, but it's still well worth having, for its breathless sense of discovery, if nothing else (and there's more to it than that).

But I much prefer New New Orleans Cooking. This is original thinking about the origins and the future of New Orleans cuisine. He starts with the traditional and by now familiar Cajun and Creole ingredients and techinques. He dissects them into their French, Spanish, African and Carbbean components, adds the (common in NOLA but not generally recognized) Italian contribution, and tosses in some of his Portuguese sensibility. Then he recombines everything into a unique take on the New Orleans tradition, with respect, wit, and best of all, flavor. Despite its lackluster production values, this is a great cookbook.

I have Every Day's a Party. and while it's got decent recipes, I rarely cook from it. It works too hard to mine a vein that's long been depleted. I've looked at the rest, and I've not been compelled to add anything else to my collection. They're either recycled from Emeril Live, Essence of Emeril, or just plain recycled.

One that I haven't checked out yet is There's a Chef in My Soup, his children's cookbook. I'm told it's pretty good.

[Richard Kilgore]

Thanks, Dave. You just saved me from adding Everyday's a Party to my sagging bookshelf. And I'll pick up a copy of New New.

[fifi]

But I much prefer New New Orleans Cooking. This is original thinking about the origins and the future of New Orleans cuisine. He starts with the traditional and by now familiar Cajun and Creole ingredients and techinques. He dissects them into their French, Spanish, African and Carbbean components, adds the (common in NOLA but not generally recognized) Italian contribution, and tosses in some of his Portuguese sensibility. Then he recombines everything into a unique take on the New Orleans tradition, with respect, wit, and best of all, flavor. Despite its lackluster production values, this is a great cookbook.

Dave, that is the first discussion of New New that has made me want to get it. I just wasn't that interested in that style of cooking, much preferring the "rustic" home cooking style to creole chic. Does he discuss the culinary origins in any depth?

[Varmint]

One that I haven't checked out yet is There's a Chef in My Soup, his children's cookbook. I'm told it's pretty good.

We actually have a signed copy of that one, and it's a pretty standard cookbook containing fairly benign "kid-friendly" food. However, because of the Emeril "phenomenon," my kids enjoy sorting through it to come up with dinner ideas. Mrs. Varmint has actually made a handful of recipes from it (if they're simple enough for her, a three year old could handle them). Thus, because this cookbook has single-handedly expanded my kids' eating habits, I give it high marks. We're just about to get his new kids' cookbook, They're's a Chef in My Family.

[Mayhaw Man]

Mrs. Varmint has actually made a handful of recipes from it (if they're simple enough for her, a three year old could handle them).

Hopefully the lovely Dr. Mrs. Varmint will not be reading eGullet this mother's day.

[Varmint]

She can't cook. Even if she could, she won't admit it, as that means she's have to start cooking for herself -- and me. Now that's something I truly want to avoid. Plus, she only reads eGullet when I get around to telling her something like, "Ah, honey, it'd be all right to have 78 people over for dinner on Friday, wouldn't it?"

[davebr]

I own New New, Real and Rustic and Emerils Creole Christmas. Real and rustic is what I most often turn to, But I do love Emeril's Creole Christmas. It isnt big but has many different menus and recipes for family gatherings. Which creole cooking-Real and Rustic- is all about. Just put your sunday clothes on.

[Dave the Cook]

But I much prefer New New Orleans Cooking. This is original thinking about the origins and the future of New Orleans cuisine. He starts with the traditional and by now familiar Cajun and Creole ingredients and techinques. He dissects them into their French, Spanish, African and Carbbean components, adds the (common in NOLA but not generally recognized) Italian contribution, and tosses in some of his Portuguese sensibility. Then he recombines everything into a unique take on the New Orleans tradition, with respect, wit, and best of all, flavor. Despite its lackluster production values, this is a great cookbook.

Dave, that is the first discussion of New New that has made me want to get it. I just wasn't that interested in that style of cooking, much preferring the "rustic" home cooking style to creole chic. Does he discuss the culinary origins in any depth?

Perhaps I've made it sound like more of a theoretical treatise than it is. No, there is not a lot of discussion -- this is an "actions speak louder than words" kind of cookbook. If you've watched Emeril's shows, or read Real and Rustic cover to cover, you know that he's not much for words; the best ones in Real and Rustic were written by Bienvenue, I'm sure.

I admit to being intrigued by "fusion," or at least by the idea of it. More often than not, the marriage fails. But in his recipes, Emeril finds harmonious new alliances and rewarding tensions that make for truly satisfying food. The things is, Cajun and Creole are already the children of fusion -- and arguably, Prudhomme married them during his stint at Commander's Palace; Emeril continued the affair. In NNO, he reminds you that relationships evolve, and there's no reason for the evolution to be frozen at some random date.

I'll stop gushing. NNO isn't Mastering the Art . . . or Theory and Practice . . . But folks who think fusion is silly, and especially people who dismiss Emeril as nothing more than the creation of television, ought to look seriously at this book.