Amazon.com Review
Anyone who loves the sound of Chef Emeril's voice as much as he does is going to enjoy
Every Day's a Party. Yet it is something of a "big hat, no cattle" kind of book. The 125 recipes seem like reheats, like afterthoughts, flavorful and evocative though they may be. But the editorial copy is rich and thick, like a wicked cake frosting that begs for a finger swipe or two.
Lagasse walks the reader through the 12 months of the year, selecting holidays and occasions out of each month on which to hang a celebration and several recipes. So you have the Sugar Bowl and Twelfth Night in January, Mother's Day and the Crawfish Festival in May, The Sugar Cane Festival and Pirogie Festival in September, and in November, let us not miss the Omelette Festival. (Does Dave Barry know about this?)
The history and the tradition of Louisiana are about as exotic as anything in the U.S. is ever going to get, and the writers exploit this to great advantage. In this sense, Every Day's a Party is really more of a travel book that happens to have recipes and Lagasse's high-proof enthusiasm leaking off of every page. A sense of place and purpose come through, as well as the opportunity to taste a little bit of what the author is aiming at. You'll find Salt-and-Herb-Crusted Red Snapper and Bananas Foster Ice Cream Pie, Crawfish and Sausage Jambalaya and Emeril's Martini with Chocolate Grapes, Cold Cucumber Soup and Pecan Florentines. This doesn't sound a bit like a New England Boiled Dinner, now, does it? For which we can thank God and Emeril Lagasse for small favors. --Schuyler Ingle
From Publishers Weekly
With restaurants in New Orleans, Orlando, Fla., and Las Vegas, Nev., two shows on the Food Network and five cookbooks, Lagasse is a multimedia phenomenon. This manic, in-your-face cookbook collects Louisiana-style recipes for holidays and events, some familiar (Thanksgiving is to be celebrated with Emeril's Fried Turkey), some local (the New Iberia Gumbo Cook-Off, featuring Gumbo Ya-Ya with sausage) and some purely personal (Lagasse's parents' anniversary with his-and-hers entr?es: Mr. John's Veal Chops with Smoked Gouda Cheese Macaroni and Hilda's Mahi Mahi with Seasonal Vegetables). There is no shortage of the heavy foods for which Lagasse has become famous: Andouille Corn Dogs and a Roasted Pork and French Fry Poorboy. Lagasse (who admits to being a native of Fall River, Mass.) also includes plenty of Louisiana shellfish, such as Crawfish Pies, My Way, and Marinated Crab Claws. There are nods to the trendy (Goat Cheese-Stuffed Soft-Shell Crabs with a Pecan-Pesto Butter Sauce) and the trashy (Frito PieAbasically chili poured into a bag of corn chipsAand Sugared Popcorn). Desserts tend toward the goopy and cavity aching, such as his Chocolate Bundt Cakes with Peanut Butter Filling and Chocolate Glaze.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
