La Bouche Creole II Hardcover - 1998

From the jacket flap

The term "Creole" conjures up several meanings: a people, a language, a cuisine. While many people throughout the world have never met a person of Creole heritage or heard the Creole language, chances are that they have sampled at least one Creole dish in their lives . . . and liked it, too.

The reason for this is quite simple: Creole food is good food.

Chicken and Hot Sausage Filïż1/2 Gumbo, Sauce Piquante, and Sausage, Ham, and Chicken Jambalaya have been dietary staples in New Orleans homes for generations. Many of these traditional, family recipes were first collected in La Bouche Creole, also published by Pelican. Now, in La Bouche Creole II, the recipes listed above, as well as many others not included in the first book, are gathered for the first time.

Chapters cover "Soups and Gumbo," "Salads and Dressings," "Sauces and Seasonings," "Seafood," "Meats," "Poultry," "Egg Dishes," "Vegetables," "Breads and Grains," and "Desserts." The authors even manage to inject an ugly, rough artichoke with la bouche Creole, which roughly translates as "the Creole taste." By following the simple recipe for Leon's Stuffed Artichokes, anyone can transform several of the lowly vegetables into a delicious dish.

The authors also provide helpful hints on how to make various stocks to be used in soups or other dishes, how to make a roux (the flour-based sauce essential for many Creole dishes), and how to use herbs and spices to achieve that distinctive bouche Creole.

During their thirty-four years of marriage, the lives of Leon and June Soniat revolved in large part around cooking. In addition to cooking for their large family, they both attended and taught cooking classes. The late Mr. Soniat, a fifth-generation Creole, wrote a weekly food column for the New Orleans Times-Picayune/States-Item and hosted both a local radio show and nationally syndicated television series. Mrs. Soniat resides in New Orleans and continues to give cooking demonstrations.