2019-09-01_Louisiana_Cookin

85 louisianacookin.com

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED if there are too many New Orleans

cookbooks? Stephanie Jane Carter, author and award-winning writer and

editor, wondered the same when she was approached for her latest project,

Th e Little Local New Orleans Cookbook. But as it happens, she decided there

is always room for one more cookbook about New Orleans and a turn for

someone else at the pot.

“Our cuisine is evolving and changing in so many ways, and I think it’s

important to document that,” Stephanie says. “It’s tough because there are so

many classic New Orleans recipes.”

Th e challenge for Stephanie while writing the cookbook was to

document those changes with fewer than 100 pages bound in a 7x5-inch

hardcover. Despite its size, Th e Little Local New Orleans Cookbook

eff ectively covers the depth of New Orleans foodways by showcasing select

dishes and drinks that help make the cuisine one of the most famous in the

country.

Th e Little Local New Orleans Cookbook is a collection of 31 essential

recipes organized into fi ve chapters, accented by bright and colorful

illustrations of the Crescent City. From timeless cocktails such as Absinthe

Frappé to staples such as Yakamein, Stephanie expertly provides a bit of the

history and lore surrounding each recipe.

“I like recipes that have a great story to them because I think that’s one

of the reasons recipes survive as they get passed down,” Stephanie says,

noting that this reasoning led her to include calas instead of beignets.

Unlike fl our-based beignets, calas are made with rice and then fried

and topped with confectioners’ sugar. Calas are similar to beignets in feel,

Stephanie says, but these treats have a richer history, which she details in

the cookbook.

Reading Th e Little Local New Orleans Cookbook will inspire you to

immediately begin working your way through its contents and gathering

a crowd.

“Food is a beautiful opportunity to connect with other people and their

history, and that history can come alive in our own kitchens and around our

own dinner tables,” Stephanie says.

“WHILE I WAS WRITING

THE BOOK, I WAS THINKING

A LOT ABOUT ‘LOCAL.’

IN SO MANY OTHER

PLACES, LOCAL FOOD IS A

MOVEMENT, BUT HERE, IT’S

ALWAYS BEEN OUR WAY.”

—STEPHANIE JANE CARTER

THE LITTLE LOCAL NEW ORLEANS

COOKBOOK

BY THE BOOK