Taste of Treme

Taste of Treme is a newly released cookbook written by New Orleans native, Todd-Michael St. Pierre. I was unbelievably happy to get my hands on an advance copy of this book. (Taste of Treme is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.) As a pastry chef and lover of good food, I couldn't wait to get cooking. Actually, the book arrived just yesterday and I spent much of the evening pouring over it. Not only are there delicious-sounding recipes, many with pictures, it's interspersed with interesting bits of New Orleans history. There are many non-food pictures too, to give you a taste of the city.  In 2011 my husband and I spent 10 days eating our way through New Orleans, so not only was the food very familiar, the pictures and history were too! It was a welcome trip down memory lane.

I decided my first meal would be "Bojangles's Baked Florentine" I'm a lover of all things spinachy and this was the perfect vegetarian egg casserole to make for a quick lunch. All the ingredients were already in my kitchen, so it didn't even require a trip to the store. The recipe was simple enough for a novice cook to tackle, but delicious enough that a more experienced cook would be proud to serve it.

I served the dish with chorizo, a salad, and of course a cup of hot Cafe du Monde coffee, that I'd been hoarding since my trip. I thought it would be a perfect time to open up one of the treasured cans so I could make "Brew HA HA! Cafe au Lait" Sure I could have used any old coffee, but there is something about the dark roasted-with-chicory Louisiana coffee that really takes you back to the Crescent City.

I'm not sure what I'll make next, but a glance at the table of contents reveals all manner of choices. I'm sure I'll find another winner among the 200+ pages.

Disclaimer: I received this book as compensation for publishing a review, however the opinions are entirely my own. I can say with all sincerity that I LOVE this book!