[3]
By
Published: Oct 7, 2009
Category: Food and Wine [4]
Love shrimp? Crayfish? Crab? Oysters? Gumbo? Fresh strawberries?
Well, here is your new Bible of a cookbook: 200 recipes, French by nature, New Orleans by nurture.
Like the Bible, it’s weighty: 5.2 pounds. Like the Bible, it’s a story of generations: A boy grows up in rural Louisiana, learns the lessons of his people and tries to keep them alive for his children. And, like the Bible, My New Orleans: The Cookbook [3] is serious at its core --- John Besh was not lacking in a sense of mission before Katrina, but he came out of it with a sense of stewardship for his beloved city and its traditional cuisine.
Who is John Besh? The owner and executive chef at Restaurant August [5] (twice named one of America’s restaurants by the now sadly-defunct Gourmet Magazine) and owner of three more restaurants in New Orleans. Honored by Food & Wine. Winner of the James Beard award for Best Chef in the Southeast. And, just as important: son, husband, father of four.
Oh, and a reserve in the Marines. He had to leave cooking school in order to lead troops in the first Gulf War. “My teachers sent me Food & Wine,” he recalls. “My platoon was the only one in the Marine Corps reading food magazines at the front."
In short, a very appealing guy.
And, with the help of Dorothy Kalins, the founding editor of Saveur, a very organized guy. He briskly shares the story of his family, and then, like Julia Child [6] and Marcella Hazan [7], he lays out some general principles: Use everything (peelings and shells and bones), accept substitute ingredients, don’t overcook. He shows you how to make the basics: roux, stock, rice, corn bread. Then it’s on to crayfish and shrimp --- and who knew there were so many ways to cook them?
Small things make a difference for Besh. Cooking red beans and rice? Save bacon fat and add it. Biscuits? They’re better if you use European-style high-fat butter.
And the range of recipes! Strawberry Ravioli with Meyer Lemons and Pistachios. Creole Matzo Ball Soup. A killer Jambalaya (of course). Soft-shelled Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce. Pumpkin Soup with Crabmeat. And --- because Besh really does use everything --- Crispy Pigs’ Feet.
Our culture is always under attack from those who’d like to mass-market anything special. John Besh, bless him, goes the other direction. Clearly, he wouldn’t mind a national presence, but his heart is with the locals. Buy from the farmer and the fisherman, cook like your ancestors (with a bit of training in France for accent), defend the city you love --- that’s the Besh way.
There’s a lot of heart in this book, the way there is in Louisiana music --- the spicy, rocking blues of C.C. Adcock [8] and Dr. John [9] and Fats Domino [10]. You’ll find the heart in the exceptional photography; you’ll wish you were in Besh’s family. You’ll find it in the stories of Besh’s friends, mentors and suppliers. But, mostly, you’ll find it in the recipes. Like this:
Besh Barbecue Shrimp
Serves six
Serves six
Ingredients:
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt
Cracked black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup butter
1 cup sauce base (below)
Sauce Base
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cups of shrimp shells (and heads, if attached)
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning (below)
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
2 bay leaves
juice of 1 lemon
Creole Seasoning
(lasts for months in an airtight container)
2 tablespoons celery sauce
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tabespoons cayenne pepper
½ tablespoon ground allspice
For the sauce base: Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add shrimp shells and heads. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
To cook: Add Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning, cloves, bay leaf and the lemon juice. Add 2 cups water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to moderate and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain and reserve.
Season the shrimp with a little salt and lots of pepper. Put shrimp, sauce base, cream and butter in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Bring to boil. Cook for 5 minutes.
Remove shrimp from skillet and arrange on a platter. Reduce sauce by half, until it’s a rich mocha color. Pour the sauce over shrimp. Serve with French bread.