Justin Wilson Looking Back: A Cajun Cookbook

First of all, I can't believe another reviewer knocked this book because it contained previously released recipes; the name of the book is "Looking Back"!!!!!!Now that I have that off my chest, I love this cookbook. Justin Wilson knows true, authentic cajun cooking (he's native to the area and from the old school). Looking through this cookbook (there are many pictures), I had a certain feel of nostalgia for a different era. The recipes included accentuate this feeling. The stories and antecdotes also contibute to this feeling of yesteryear. My earliest memories are of me and my Dad watching Justin on Saturday afternoons and this cookbook brings back alot of memories (I really hate to just call this a cookbook as it is much more than that). The recipes are very easy to follow and the results are delictable and authentic. For anyone who has ever seen Justin on PBS, you will love this cookbook. For anyone who has no idea who Justin Wison is, this cookbook will give you some great insight into true cajun and creole cooking, from a man who spent his entire life enjoying it.(Justin was cajun when cajun wasn't cool.) I can not emphasize enouph how important it is to appreciate this cookbook for what it is. Justin wasn't some high profile chef, who moved to an area he wasn't from, trying to capitalize on an already popular form of cooking. The recipes are from cooking methods that were passed down to him, and many of them came out of survival more than anything else. Justin Wilson is an icon and this book will make you feel like you knew him.

If you know or have seen Justin on PBS, then this book is Justin. Its great, the pictures are worth the price. It truly a shame that he died only a few days ago.

I bought this book after seeing reruns of Justin on TV a couple of years ago. He has folksy comments about a variety of subjects on most pages. I have tried a number of recipes and had some tasty results. There are lots of family pictures sprinkled among the ingredients and instructions. He starts out by explaining how to make roux. I never could understand why anyone would buy it ready-made. Some of the ingredients may be difficult to come by in some areas, but you will find plenty of recipes with common ingredients. He likes his dishes spicy and uses generous amounts of wine and Louisiana Hot Sauce in some. There's nothin like a Jambalaya that makes your hair sweat!You will also have an enjoyable book to sit back and browse through in your favorite comfy chair. Be sure and bring a glass of that beaujolais drinkin' wine - I garontee!

Excellent cookbook! As an seafood-lover I enjoyed Justin's recipes: Boiled Shrimp In Shell, Barbecued Crabs, & (the marinated) French-Fried Shrimp. Not as detailed as Justin's other bestseller, "Homegrown Louisiana Cookin", but still full of great recipes which Justin actually prepared on Mississippi educational TV over 25 years ago. One more thing: HOLD some' them onions on the "Chicken I Don't Know" recipe! For my tastes it's way too much and very potent. I suggest using 1 cup of onion rather than the 4 cups the recipe actually calls for.

Justin Wilson, the hands-down king of Cajun Cookery, delivers a wonderful book filled with many of the recipes we've watched him create on his acclaimed television shows. The book relays his techniques, step-by-step, with plenty of Wilson's familiar Louisiana humor throughout. This is a must-have book for any lover of Cajun cuisine, "I garontee!"