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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnifique!,
By Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook (Hardcover)
New Orleans, it's famous for its seafood. And do you want that great New Orleans taste in your own home? Then this is the book for you! Author Ralph Brennan is a third-generation restauranteur, who owns three New Orleans restaurants, so he definitely knows what he is talking about.
OK, you've never heard of him? You don't care about the man, only the recipes? Then let's get down to brass tacks. This book is crammed full of excellent recipes. Each recipe begins with an introduction, and then continues on with the ingredients, step-by-step directions, advance steps (if necessary), and special equipment. The book itself is large, which means that it lays flat on the counter, and its ample spacing means that the instructions stay distinct from each other - so, it is easy for the amateur cook (such as myself) to go back and forth between the book and the food. And here is where the rubber really hits the road - so far we have made three recipes from this book Crab Cakes with Ravigote Sauce (page 56), Shrimp Bisque (page 118), and Dark Chocolate Cake with Hot Fudge Sauce (page 292), and they were all magnifique! Yes, this is a great book, one that we are very glad to add to our kitchen library. I give this book my highest recommendations. If you want too cook up some great New Orleans seafood, then get this book!
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific seafood cookbook,
This review is from: Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook (Hardcover)
I can often tell how good a cookbook is by seeing how many small bookmarks my wife places among the recipes. Between bits of newspaper coupons and paper napkins, or whatever else was at hand, the top of my review copy of Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook has become a veritable forest. The recipes actually come from Brennan's restaurants. Given the extended family into which he was born - New Orleans restaurant royalty, with members owning a number of major names in that city's eating establishments - there is little surprise that he went into the business.
The beginning of the book has a "manual" for how to select, store, and handle various types of fish and seafood. I would have liked to see a bit more - for example, not just filleting a whole fish, but also gutting and cleaning it. However, even in the section on fin fish, there was a tip I had never heard for telling if a fish is done. Insert the tip of a knife into the thickest part of a fillet. Then put the tip against the inside of your wrist. If it feels hot, then it's done. And there's plenty of other useful information, like an explanation of the difference among different types of crab meat and crabs. The recipes look fabulous: crab cakes with ravigote sauce, chilled smoked scallops with tomato-and-onion marmalade (making your own stove top smoker is in a tips appendix), oyster and artichoke bisque, baked catfish with sweet potato scales and andouille sauce, shrimp and spinach cannelloni with champagne butter sauce. This is upscale fish cookery. Oddly enough, my eyebrows frowned when I came upon the dessert, side dish, and drinks sections. Heaven knows I love dessert, and there are some terrific recipes in here, and I've also been known to tuck into side dishes and even take the occasional drink (including a rum-based milk punch during a "Breakfast at Brennan's" at the famous restaurant owned by some of his kin). But there are so many general and even restaurant cookbooks, I found myself wishing that they had just concentrated on the fish alone, expanding those sections even more (not that they are skimpy by any means). But that's just me; my wife happily bookmarked through the rest of the pages as well. It's a hefty $45, but you get a hefty amount of hardback for the money. It could make a great gift, whether for someone else or yourself.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Aromas, the Flavors and the Honest Good Food from New Orleans,
By Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook (Hardcover)
Ralph Brennan writes about his passion for cooking and for preparing seafood a la New Orleans style so well that the recipes seem a bonus. Filling the pages of this well designed, beautifully photographed (by Kerri McCaffety) cookbook are not only some of the finest recipes for seafood in print, but there are also bits of wisdom and humor that spice the presentation, making this one of the classiest cookbooks to come out in a long time.
Brennan is careful to give the background of each of the many dishes he shares, starting with the idiosyncrasies of the ingredients and types of seafood he uses, but also the 'how to' aspect of preparation before cooking, step by illustrated step of the preparation , and elegant photographs of the presentation of his works of culinary art. The book is divided into 1( A Seafood Cook's Manual, 2) Appetizers, 3) Gumbos, Soups and Bisques, 4) Salads, 5) Main Courses, 6) Desserts and their sauces, with additional chapters on accompaniments, sauces, dressings, stocks, spirits, and seasonings. From these pages rise such spectacular foods as Crab Bisque with Cauliflower and Brie, Seared Tuna with Shrimp and Capers and Balsamic Vinegar Brown Butter Sauce, and even Fried Oyster Poor Boy sandwiches (the recipe is as much a tale of history as it is a useful guide to preparation). Ralph Brennan not only gives precise and easy to follow directions, but he also makes it sound like such fun to prepare his suggestions that the book is readable as literature. This is a must for lovers of seafood, especially those who have enjoyed the author's restaurant in New Orleans. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, June 08
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