My New Orleans: The Cookbook by John Besh – A Review and Recipe

May 8, 2011
Larry Ervin

My New Orleans - The Cookbook Cover - Ditte Isager by permission of the publisher

In My New Orleans, John Besh's building block approach is bound to either irritate or challenge the home cook.

This cookbook’s organization will have the home cook flipping from recipe to one or more of the building blocks that Besh employs. Three out of four of his savory recipes refer the reader to one of his building block flavor bases. The sweets and baked goods, on the other hand, are standalone recipes.

Building Blocks

Roux
Basic Stocks like Shellfish or Veal
Creole Spices
Pan Sauces
Louisiana White Rice, Sauces like Ravigote and Remoulade
Seven variations on Vinaigrette.

In addition, Besh presents five master recipes:

Crawfish Étoufée
Shrimp, Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya
Crab Bisque
Beef Daube Glacée
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.

Exotic Ingredients

Like many contemporary chefs, Besh promotes sourcing fresh and local. Many recipes will require advance planning to acquire ingredients that are not widely available outside of Louisiana. The cookbook does list resources for Algiers Honey, Andouille, Creole Cream Cheese, Turtle Meat, Creole Mustard, Konriko Rice and Mayhaw Jelly.

This review features Besh’s Shrimp Remoulade recipe that won’t require you to make a stock ahead.

Shrimp Remoulade Recipe (adapted by permission from the publisher)

This recipe is an excellent choice for entertaining because it is almost entirely prepared ahead. Besh recommends boiling the shrimp ahead, even a day or two, so that you’re not peeling shrimp just before guests arrive.

Boiled Shrimp Ingredients

1 onion, sliced
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup kosher salt
½ cup sweet paprika
1 tsp each cayenne and garlic powder
4 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 Tbsp each whole black peppercorns and ground coriander
24 jumbo shrimp, unpeeled

Method for the Shrimp

To a large pot over high heat, add the onion, garlic, lemon juice and the remaining herbs and spices. Add 1 gallon cold water and bring to a boil over high heat for 10 minutes.
Add the shrimp, reduce the heat to moderate, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Take the pot off the stove and let the shrimp finish cooking off the heat until they are cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
Drain the shrimp and plunge them into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. When they are cool, drain and reserve, covered in the refrigerator.
About two hours before serving, peel and devein the shrimp.

Remoulade Sauce Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp each: fresh lemon juice and hot sauce
½ tsp sweet paprika
¼ tsp each: cayenne and garlic powder
6 cups baby arugula, mâche, or other greens

Remoulade Method

In a large bowl, stir together all of the remoulade ingredients except the arugula and set aside.

Shrimp Remoulade Assembly

1-2 hours before serving, toss the shrimp with the remoulade sauce. Let the shrimp marinate, covered and refrigerated.
Serve the shrimp over the greens.

John Besh on Television

Besh has appeared on Chef’s A’Field, Iconoclasts, Food Network Challenge, Top Chefs, Top Chef Masters. Michael Simon beat John Besh in the finale of The Next Iron Chef.

John Besh’s Restaurants

August – Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans
Besh Steak – in Harrah’s New Orleans
Lüke – St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans
Lüke – San Antonio River Walk
La Provence – Highway 190, Lacombe, LA
Domenica – Magazine Street, New Orleans
The American Sector – in The National World War II Museum, New Orleans

John Besh’s Books

My New Orleans was Besh’s first solo-authored cookbook. Followed by Wild Abundance: Ritual, Revelry & Recipes of the South' S Finest Hunting Clubs, Artsmemphis, 2010. November 2011 will bring us My Family Table: A Plea for Home Cooking, Andrews McMeel Publishing. He previously co-authored, with David Newsome, New Orleans Program: Eat, Exercise, and Enjoy Life, Pelican Publishing, 2006.

Book Details / Web References

My New Orleans, The Cookbook, 200 of My Favorite Recipes and Stories from My Hometown, by John Besh, Andrews McMeel Publishing, October 2009, 374 pages, generously illustrated with color photographs by Ditte Isager/EdgeReps, List price $45. 2010 Winner of the Best Cookbook (American category) by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.