Question about John Folse's new book

[Harry]

I've heard a lot of people raving about how great the Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cooking is, but most of the praise I've heard is for the pictures and the history section. All that is well and great, but the only thing that interests me are the recipes. Before I spend $40 or $50, I want to make sure I'm getting a real cookbook and not something to decorate my coffee table with. Are the recipes any good? Are they mostly traditional recipes or are they more in the vein of Paul Prudhomme? I'm not interested in innovation and am looking for something more on the Leon Soniat/River Road Recipes/Talk About Good end of the spectrum. Thanks.

Harry

[HungryC]

I would buy it for the recipes--the history section is underwhelming to say the least if you're a serious student of Louisiana history; it's the worst sort of glossed-over, un-nuanced historical survey suitable for junior-high textbooks. Recipes are a mix of traditional and innovative, but I would rate them at least as traditional as RiverRoad/Talk About Good (good community cookbooks, but more of a snapshot of LA cooking in the 80s among their contributors, as compared to Soniat's specifically nostalgic cookbook, which I happen to love dearly). Folse's book is unwieldy in the extreme, hard to use, and the layout/typography choices are strange at times (difficult to read). I confess that I didn't buy it for myself, but as a gift for an out-of-state friend. I check it out from the library when I want to use it and have copied a few recipes to keep for posterity.

[joiei]

I use it for the recipes. The pictures are not the high point of the book. They are even a little old fashioned for a cookbook.

edited to add that most of the recipes are on his web site.

Edited May 7, 2006 by joiei (log)

[NYC Mike]

We have only dabbled in it so far, half dozen recipes, nothing serious yet but all with good results. Its much better than coffee table fodder.

[highchef]

His book is cheep,considering what he offers. I've only found one flaw in a hundred of his recipes..

icyi..the flaw is in the coconut cake recipe.

[IrishCream]

I've had the book for well over a year. I love it. I think the pictures are stunning with beautiful color. True they are lush rather than understated which may be old-fashioned. Yes, it's heavy and hence unwieldy. But as a true fan of Louisiana cuisine, I don't know of any other book that is as comprehensive or even comes close. I haven't cooked extensively from it, but my Louisiana born and bred husband has enjoyed every recipe I have tried so far. I have River Road Recipes 1 & 2 which I like as good examples of community cookbooks. But I'd say Folse's recipes are superior because they have actually been tested outside "Aunt Dottie Mae's" kitchen and had to meet certain standards. He also has more very local recipes like Natchitoches Meat Pies, etc., as well as modern recipes that he serves in his restaurant.

I guess I also respect the fact that he self-published this huge book with so many color plates and recipes for such a reasonable price. At $50 it's a bargain in my opinion compared to many other cookbooks. I know what you mean by coffee table cookbooks. I consider things like the " 'XXXCountry' the Beautiful" series or that country series by Williams Sonoma to be coffee table cookbooks. I wouldn't put this in the same category at all. (It's too damn big to make a good coffee table book! ) Probably your best bet is to try to see a copy before you buy it.