The New Orleans Kitchen: Classic Recipes and Modern Techniques for an Unrivaled Cuisine

In this bold debut, James Beard Award–winning chef and restaurateur Devillier celebrates the food of New Orleans with recipes best suited for experienced cooks. He offers combinations of low cuisine (classic potato salad; a straightforward rum raisin ice cream) and fancier dishes, such as pumpkin and shellfish bisque with pumpkin seed pistou, and cornbread pancakes with American paddlefish caviar. Writing with Feldmar (coauthor of Naomi Pomeroy’s Taste & Technique), Devillier includes contemporary riffs on such classics as a DIY crab boil that incorporates oranges and Korean gochugaru (red pepper), as well as shrimp and grits, to which he adds cremini mushrooms, bacon, and Worcestershire sauce. His caramelized onion soup with smoked bacon and blue cheese (“my riff on French Onion Soup”) also begs for a turn at the table. Other standouts include roasted cauliflower steaks with toasted almonds and brown butter (a sauce almondine), as well as an innovative hazelnut spaetzle with butternut squash and maple syrup (“it tastes like the burnt ends of pancakes, in the best possible way”). Included are some of the chef’s popular restaurant dishes, such as a simple savory bread pudding with shallots, garlic, and thyme, as well as his blue crab beignets. Devillier’s outstanding volume takes New Orleans cooking to a new level. (Oct.)