Photo: Amazon.com

'New Orleans Classic Gumbos & Soups'
Recipes from Favorite Restaurants
Text and Photographs by Kit Wohl
Pelican Publishing -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

The best Creole-Cajun dishes are oft found in Louisiana: gumbos bursting with fresh seafood, sausages and chicken slopped together with rice, soups with an intense depth of flavor -- all representing comfort food at its best. "New Orleans Classic Gumbos and Soups" showcases some of the best recipes from eateries around the region and brings them to home cooks in a non-intimidating approach.

Recipes like Tulane Chicken Andouille Gumbo and Red Bean and Sausage soup will keep you coming back to this book for the ultimate weekend dinners. Be sure to buy the freshest ingredients possible, especially seafood: It plays a key role in the outcome of dishes, and makes the extra effort well worth it.

See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Takeaway tips: One of the most crucial aspects of Louisiana cooking is perfecting the roux (flour browned in cooking oil or fat) and adding the "trinity" (onion, celery and green bell peppers) typical of so much Creole-Cajun cooking. Toward the back of the book, four pages are devoted to understanding why it's so important, along with tips and tricks. For example, as the oil browns in a roux, it imparts a smoky flavor that deepens as the roux becomes darker. Six color photos take the reader from step one to the final result, showcasing the intense color the roux will acquire over time.

Quality of pictures: This is the rare cookbook that includes a picture of each of the dishes featured. Not only does it contain a photo of the recipe, but also a corresponding image of the chef responsible for it or a picture of the restaurant. It's nice to put a face to such well-known dishes.

We tested: Seafood Gumbo and Creole Tomato-and-Corn Soup

If you're not in Louisiana, a good gumbo is hard to come by. With some patience over the stovetop, it won't be for much longer. A shrimp stock produced an extraordinarily flavorful base for this gumbo. Since Louisiana Blue Crabs were unavailable, we substituted lump crab meat. Tender shrimp, okra, tomatoes, onions, celery and green bell peppers were seasoned with cayenne pepper and bay leaves to create a decadent gumbo that might just pass as one served at Remoulade.

The Creole Tomato-and-Corn Soup is a versatile soup that can be made year-round by using corn and tomatoes. Luckily, these products are in season right now, which helped create a luscious soup. Chicken stock is its base but this can easily be substituted with vegetable stock to make it vegetarian. A roux of butter and flour thickens the soup and lends it an intense flavor. Heavy cream, corn kernels and diced tomatoes are stirred into the mixture and finally served warm.

Worth the investment: This is a must-have for anyone who wants to taste Louisiana cooking in the confines of their own home. Attention is paid to every detail and, as Wohl says, "It's food that will stir you to dream of the next meal."