New Orleans Food - Bringing Back The City's Culinary Heritage

More than 225 of the City's Best Recipes
to Cook at Home

by Tom Fitzmorris

"On Monday, August 29, 2005, one of the most vital and important capitals of the culinary world came to a complete and abrupt halt. Hurricane Katrina shut down all of the restaurants in New Orleans, and for a hundred miles in every direction." So writes New Orleans native, food critic, and radio host, Tom Fitzmorris. Prior to this disaster, Fitzmorris was putting the final touches on his magnum opus: a collection of recipes showcasing the very best of New Orleans cuisine gathered and developed during the course of his 30-year career. Despite he and his family having to evacuate the city, his book went forward. Now, as a loving tribute to city he loves, Tom Fitzmorris presents NEW ORLEANS FOOD: More than 225 of the City's Best Recipes to Cook at Home (Stewart, Tabori & Chang; April 2006; $19.95/Trade paperback; ISBN: 1-58479-524-7), each recipe steeped in the Creole and Cajun traditions, yet updated to reflect contemporary tastes and ingredients. And to give back to the city, a portion of the profits from this book will be donated to Habitat for Humanity to aid in the New Orleans recovery effort.

"What is New Orleans Food? It is, above all things, distinctly local. It's comparable in that respect to the regional and local cooking styles you find in France and Italy, where if you drive 50 miles or so you discover that the food has changed noticeably. New Orleans Creole (one of my favorite cuisines) is the oldest comprehensive regional cuisine in America."

Some of the recipes come from New Orleans restaurants but they are not restaurant recipes. Some came from his mother who loved to cook and passed on that love to Tom. Each recipe passed through Tom Fitzmorris's kitchen, before they made it into the book. "I'm not saying I know better than the chefs do, it's just that restaurant recipes rarely translate well for the home kitchen. So, in every case, I took liberties with the original recipes in order to make the dish easier."

NEW ORLEANS FOOD contains everything from small plates to main courses, desserts to drinks. Each recipe is elegant and casual, traditional and evolved. Recipes include:

 Mushrooms and Foie Gras Under Glass
 Creole-Italian Pot Stickers
 Shrimp Remoulade with Two Sauces
 Oysters Rockefeller Flan
 Redfish Herbsaint
 Nouvelle Pompano en Papillote
 Root Beer-Glazed Ham
 Beignets
 Crhme Anglaise
 Pecan Pie
 Strawberry Shortcake
 Mint Julep
 Cafi au Lait

NEW ORLEANS FOOD is dedicated to everyone who loves New Orleans food.

About the Author

Tom Fitzmorris is uniquely qualified to write about New Orleans food. Born in the Crescent City on Mardi Gras, he'd never been away from his favorite town for more than three weeks at a time, that is until Hurricane Katrina hit and Fitzmorris and his family were forced to evacuate. Tom Fitzmorris began his culinary career in 1977 when he started The New Orleans MENU, a review of New Orleans dining. Today it is a daily internet newsletter. He can be heard daily on The Food Show on WSMB radio. Fitzmorris and his family are again living in New Orleans.