Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes from Susan Spicer's New Orleans: A Cookbook

Although we love New Orleans and the cuisine of the region, we were unfamiliar with Susan Spicer until we started hearing the buzz about this book. Now that we own it and have cooked from it, we are total fans. The book is fun, with recipes for great meals and cocktails, it's beautifully put together, and best of all -- everything we've made from it is a total success. Her brined pork chops are the most amazing chops I've ever had, and I could not believe that we made them ourselves. It's that kind of book, one that makes you feel like the most clever, talented home chef in the world. This is a must-read book. In fact, we often give it as a gift and would rank it at the top of our cooking books that we would never want to give up!

I received this book about three weeks ago, and have cooked almost exclusively from it since it arrived. Not one thing has disappointed. I sent my daughter a copy, since she spent most of a visit copying recipes from mine. We did the shrimp boil while she was here (delicious) with the epiphany lemon tart for dessert. Since then, my husband and I have enjoyed the shrimp with green chile cheese grits, and the Madeira mushrooms over goat cheese croutons. I've been reading it like a novel in bed at night, anxiously awaiting the next meal I can make from it. The photographs are beautiful, the writing approachable. Buy it.

I've been hankering for this since 1996, when I first ate at Susan Spicer's enchanting Bayona. I love everything about it--the close-up, evocative photos, the author's candid, informative text and her inspiring, accessible recipes for the home cook. Over the years, I've told anyone visiting Nawlins not to miss a smoked duck PBJ with cashew butter, pepper jelly and apple-celery salad for lunch, and now, thanks to pages 166-167, I can replicate former sous chef Scott Freer's work of genius, which Ms. Spicer is honest and generous enough to credit. I also admire her international background, starting with her Danish mother, and the melange of cultures represented in her ingredients, recreations and inventions. Throughout are my favorite fare--creatures who live in the sea, bay, river and creek, once abundant, now farmed. Give a copy to every foodie on your list.

Bayona's has always been my favorite New Orleans restaurant since I discovered it about 10 years ago. And it is my favorite because of Susan Spicer. Her recipes evoke happy memories, and are easy to follow. I need another cookbook like I need a hole in the head, but I am really glad I added this one to my collection.

I had the pleasure of working for Susan Spicer many years ago, so I might not be the best judge of `crescent city cooking'. However, and on the other hand, I know that she is a one hundred percent perfectionist. Spicer will not let one plate out of her kitchen that does not pass her absolute hard-core standards. And I think that `Crescent City Cooking' is one of those cook-books that anyone who has spent even a little time in the kitchen will appreciate due to both its simplicity and shrewd advice. One thing that I would like to point out is that these recipes are in my opinion guidelines. Maybe you try a dish one time exactly the way it is spelled out here, but then half the fun is in playing slightly with the ingredients the next time. What is talked about here is how to get the most out of a dish... how to go about it the right way. In my mind, Spicer is a culinary god. I always compare every single restaurant to Bayona. Some have come close, but ultimately none match the quality over-all of dining experience. Lastly, if you have never eaten at bayona, if they still seat out on the patio, and you are in New Orleans in the spring or fall, book a table.