Galatoire's Shrimp & Eggplant Soup

Another simple preparation from the Galatoire's kitchen, you start with a pound of butter, add onions, tomatoes, and eggplant and cook until softened. Add flour to make a roux, stir in a gallon of water, and cook for a bit to meld flavors. Add some plump Gulf shrimp, season to taste with salt and pepper. Start to finish, less than an hour.

Recipe here

9.

Emeril's Creole Fried Chicken

The twist to this classic fried chicken preparation is that the chicken and the flour are seasoned with Emeril's Essence, and the chicken is slathered in good Creole mustard. Rotate the chicken through flour-egg wash-flour, and pan fry off to crispy, tender goodness.

Recipe here

8.

Runny Eggs on Creamy Scallion Grits

Breakfast, brunch, or dinner, this recipe is pure comfort food. You load a pot of grits with green onions, bacon, and cheese, poach or fry eggs to your desired degree of doneness, plate up the grits and top with two eggs. Add a crisp green salad and you've got dinner on the table in half an hour.

Recipe here

7.

Mike Anderson's Seafood Gumbo

This is seafood gumbo at its finest. The recipe suggests you use boxed seafood stock and jarred roux, to save on time; we provide links to recipes for both if you want to make the whole pot from scratch. In either case, you'll be pleased; pour yourself a glass of wine before you start the roux.

Recipe here

6.

Chef Morgan Angelle's White Bean & Tasso Soup

Old fashioned white beans, with onions, green peppers, a little garlic, a pound of tasso, a few seasonings; this is one of those recipes that, once you get prepped, it goes on the stove and you ignore it except to stir occasionally. It freezes well, so make a double batch and freeze individual portions for quick weeknight dinners.

Recipe here

5.

Galatoire's Tartar Sauce

Louisiana Kitchen & Culture's editor in chief Jyl Benson co-wrote the Galatoire's cookbook, and says this is one of the easiest recipes in the cookbook. We suggest you use it liberally on anything fried, as a dip for crudites, add it to potato salad, use it on a sandwich, eat it with a spoon. Thin it down a bit and use it to dress coleslaw. In other words, it's versatile.

Recipe here

4.

Cream of Oyster Soup

Mr. Lombard's mother was a cook for the president of the Cotton Exchange; as a child, he accompanied her to New Orleans frequently and remembers vowing that he'd one day eat at the fine dining restaurants he saw as they traveled from home to work. In 1963, Mr. Lombard and a few friends were arrested for staging sit-ins at various New Orleans lunch counters, protesting segregation. His case ended up before the US Supreme Court, and resulted in laws ending legal segregation in restaurants.

This recipe is from his mother's collection.

Shrimp with Cilantro Vinaigrette

As anyone who knows anything about me will attest, I love shrimp. In this dish, I saute the shrimp in butter and olive oil, and of course garlic. I make a vinaigrette with cilantro, lime, honey, and cane vinegar (champagne vinegar works also). 

Recipe here

2.

Jyl Benson's Stuffed Crawfish Bread

Jyl and her family rave about the crawfish bread you can purchase at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Last year, after deciding that she couldn't wait until the Fest rolled around to get her crawfish bread fix, she decided to crack the code, and learn to make it herself. 

It took a few tries and adjustments, but this recipe finally nailed it.

Recipe here

Shrimp & Crawfish Corn Dogs

From The Flavor of L'Auberge, this was an instant hit with readers. You start with shrimp pureed cream and seasonings until smooth. Add to that some Louisiana crawfish tails, corn, and green onions. Divide the mixture evenly into twelve portions, shape into the classic corn dog shape, skewer, and chill for several hours. Batter them, and fry off to perfection. Serve with spicy mustard.

Recipe here