The Acadians, French-Canadian in origin, settled in the bayous of southern
Louisiana. Here their native French language encountered the southern
accent, and the French word Acadien evolved into 'Cajun.' The
newly dubbed Cajuns also encountered the culinary influences of the
Spanish and the Native American, and discovered new ingredients - crawfish
and catfish, duck and other game birds, tasty sassafras leaves, just
ready to be ground into what they would call filé. Cajun
cooking was born, giving us jambalayas, étouffées,
and gumbos.
Avery Island, the beloved ‘Eden’ where Eula Mae Doré
lives and cooks, lies in the heart of Cajun country. Her cooking has
been lauded by all who taste it, from the local people to a visiting
Jacques Pepin. To capture her cooking, the esteemed cookbook writer
and authority on Cajun food, Marcelle Bienvenu, joined her in the kitchen.
Cajun cuisine is an earthy one, and Eula Mae stands as its exemplar.
Totally lacking in pretense, her foods are earthy, home, meant to please
the people for whom she cooks. Her memories are rich and Eula Mae is
warm and giving. She shows us the heart that lies within Cajun foods
and cooking.
Eula Mae cooks with the seasons.
The book is organized around the rhythms of the seasons and the ingredients
that are local and seasonal. The recipes are compiled into menus that
reflect the season - holiday foods for Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July,
Christmas and Mardi Gras, as well as menus inspired by “An August
Fishing Trip,” “Fall Harvest,” even “St. Patrick’s
Day in Acadiana.”
Recognizing Eula Mae’s knowledge
of local lore and her homespun wisdom, co-author Marcelle Bienvenu graciously
steps aside, allowing Eula Mae to speak for herself. Speaking of pork
and boucheries (hog slaughters), she lets Eula Mae tell us, “We
used everything from the hog but the squeal.” Speaking of the history
of the Cajuns, Eula Mae says, "Can you imagine, chère,
how sad it must have been to leave their homes? But they had great faith
and a joie de vivre, a joy of living that shows in their style
of cooking. Take, for example, these simple shrimp patties . . ."
Eula Mae’s traditions come
alive when she speaks, as do the recipes. We feel them in our fingers
as we listen to Eula Mae, and are eager to make Country Cornbread or
Sweet Potatoes Rolled in Raw Sugar, Pain Perdu, and Croquignoles.
Eula Mae’s Cajun Kitchen: Cooking Through the Seasons on Avery
Island is a valuable addition to the books on authentic Cajun cooking
in general. These are not just recipes, however, and the book brings
us into the heart and soul of Cajun cooking by giving us Eula Mae's
philosophy of good living and good cooking. If we want to try Cajun
cooking, we have a giving teacher at our sides.
About the
authors: Eula Mae
Dorê has lived and worked on Avery Island, Louisiana, for more
than 50 years, cooking in and managing the Commissary and the Tabasco
Deli. Marcelle R. Bievenu is the editor-in-chief of the cooking section
of emerils.com. She is the author of several books, and the co-author
with Emeril Lagasse of four books. She also writes the weekly food column
"Creole Cooking" for the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
The authors have kindly shared these
recipes with us:
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