641.59763 Spicer: Crescent City cooking

I can't remember the first time I saw this book, or why I even bought it. Perhaps The Husband brought it home one day, though that doesn't really clarify anything about how it ended up in our kitchen. We'd never heard of Ms. Spicer before, never been to New Orleans. But, and I think The Husband would agree with me, if I were to be stranded on a desert island with only three of my cookbooks (and all our cooking equiptment, of course), this one would definitely make the cut.

This is one of our go-to cookbooks, for everyday and and for when we want to make something special. It's hard to describe exactly what kind of cookbook it is or what kind of food it features. Ms. Spicer owns several restaurants in New Orleans, and she draws from them in this book. It's not exclusively New Orleans style cooking, though there is plenty of that yumminess, don't you fret. But she offers recipes with international influences, like the Artichoke Dolmades with Lemon Sauce, Pork and Shrimp Pot Stickers with Chile-Soy Dipping Sauce, Mexican Green Gazpacho with Shellfish, and Indian-spiced Turkey Breast with Creamy Red Lentils. So you don't have to be in a particular food mood to turn to this book; you're likely to satisfy any craving with this on your shelf.

I can't say this is true with all our cookbooks, but I honestly can't think of a time when we've cooked from Crescent City Cooking and weren't totally blown away by the deliciousness. A few of my favorite recipes include Polenta Gratin with Savory Vegetables, which we made as a meatless main course for a big dinner party, (and it was so good the gorgeous roast we served as well was all but forgotten by even our most carnivorous guests); Smoked Duck Hash in Puff Pastry with Apple Cider Sauce, a truly remarkable first course, making us quickly forget the crazy high cost of smoked duck (thank you, Nodine's Smokehouse for making such a stellar product); and the surprisingly simple-yet-wonderful Goat Cheese Croutons with Wild Mushrooms in Madeira Cream that we return to again and again, guests or no guests. Oh, and she's got the most amazing recipe for Lemon Tart! And the recipe for Banana-Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter-Cream Cheese Icing looks so utterly incredible, I'm actually scared to make it, afraid I'll never go back to real food after experiencing it.

Clearly, with so many options to choose from, it can be tough to pick something for dinner on a given night. As tempted as we are to go with one of our many favorites, we often opt to go with something new. The other night we decided on Pecan-crusted Fish with Citrus Meuniere. Spicer suggests snapper, redfish, drum, or trout, but we had some salmon on hand and decided to go with that. I wasn't familiar with the term meuniere, but it basically means "cooked in butter." Sheesh, if I had known that I would have made this dish a long time ago.

The recipe is blessedly easy. I mixed the pecans with some flour, thyme, orange zest, and cayenne. The recipe says the orange rind should be cut up in small bits, but I've found that too much pith can make them bitter. So I used my lovely microplane grater. I recently learned that these were designed to be woodworking tools, but some smarty pants chefs co-opted them for culinary use. (You can read all about it here.) What a bizarre, but genius move. This thing rules in the kitchen. In addition to getting a just-right amount of rind off your citrus, it makes the most beautiful, fluffy, flavorful grated parmesan ever (more surface area = more flavor, and the microplane grates ultra thin shards, maximizing both). It also makes quick work of nutmeg, ginger, and garlic. Just watch your fingertips, please. This grater will hurt you, and bad. Nothing's perfect, after all.

I dipped the nicely seasoned fish fillets in an egg and milk mixture, then into the pecan mixture to coat evenly. They cook in a skillet over medium heat with some olive oil for a few minutes per side, and they're done!

I guess they're not actually cooked in butter, exactly, but they do have a sauce made from melted butter, orange juice, lemon juice, parsley, and hot sauce that is spooned over it, which is good enough for me. The fish was wonderful - the tender, juicy fillet under the toasted, nutty crust was perfect. The citrus, in both the crust and the sauce, added a nice, slightly tart freshness without overpowering the toasty or savory flavors that were present. It was another winner, and and easy one to boot.

I can't wait to turn to this book for dinner again. I just hope I have the strength not to decide on a main course of Crispy Cinnamon-dusted Banana Fritters.