• PinchOfSalt on August 17, 2017

  This book has never failed me, as its many stained pages will attest.

• TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

  These are some of the classics of Louisiana cooking- gumbo, jambalaya, red beans, etc. and they are absolute crowd pleasers. There is a lot of butter and cream in some of the recipes, but it is pretty easy to dial it back. ETA July 2015: I recently read somewhere that Chef Prudhomme wrote the book using a much less potent ground red pepper than what most folks use nowadays, which I guess is why the spice levels as written (teaspoons of cayenne) seem unbearable to me. I usually use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp instead of a tsp when he calls for cayenne.

• sck on July 28, 2010

  This book is a classic. Highly recommend it to anyone who loves Cajun food.

• nomadchowwoman on January 05, 2010

  On Cajun cooking, Chef Paul is the master. I perfected my roux-making, and then my gumbo, with his very clear instructions. My all-time favorite gumbo recipe--Seafood and Andouille--is in this book.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Cajun meat loaf

  • Breadcrumbs on April 22, 2011

    p. 112 - this is a real keeper! I made the recipe as directed with one exception; I reduced the amount of salt to 1tsp (vs 1tbsp suggested). I sauteed the vegetables early in the day and left them in the fridge since the recipe calls for them to be cooled in any event. I did incorporate the ketchup and milk prior to refrigerating. This made the final assembly effortless and I’d definitely do this in the future. When I first incorporated the eggs and vegetable mixture into the meat I was a bit concerned the loaf would be too wet but once the breadcrumbs were added, all was well. I elected not to make the accompanying sauce since we tend to like our meatloaf naked! That said, I did coat the exterior of the loaf with a thin layer of ketchup. I LOVED this meatloaf. In terms of my meatloaf pecking order though, this is definitely up there as a fave. K thought this was good but said not as good as yours.

  • Breadcrumbs on April 22, 2011

    Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/684591#6088082

  • hughb on January 19, 2014

    Delicious. Richly seasoned, as expected from Prudhomme. The directions call for sauteeing the vegetables over medium heat in a one-quart saucepan until it starts sticking excessively. I used a one-quart saucepan and turned the heat to high and it still took almost 20 minutes. I think a skillet would do better for this task. Other than that glitch, this was a total winner.

  • chefmichael on December 18, 2017

    I’ve made this twice now and love the recipe technique of cooking the vegetables with the seasonings until it starts excessively sticking. Gives off a very Cajun “blackened” vibe albeit in a saucepan. I have however had the same issue twice during the baking - large chunks cracks in the loaf and the one last night actually had some parts just separate off to the side. Reassembled as best I could and did not impact the flavor but would like to know how to keep this from happening. I follow the recipe to a T - no substitutions whatsoever. Next time I might try the Kenji method of starting the cook in a loaf pan upside down.

  • ntt2 on January 30, 2012

    This has long been a favorite of ours -- we always double or triple and freeze. The flat loaves make lots more room for crust -- and we love the heat!

  • PinchOfSalt on March 26, 2013

    I served this without the sauce to some friends who are comfort-food centric. It was a huge hit. The spiciness is just right, and even though the loaf is flat (lots of crust) it was perfectly moist. The reason I gave it only 4.5 stars instead of 5 is that it was very loose and tender. It fell apart as soon as it was put on plates.

  • Rinshin on May 18, 2015

    This is the ultimate meatloaf. Been making this for ages since buying this book. None compares.

  • Rinshin on January 31, 2020

    I’ve probably made this at least 30-40 times and learned a few tricks. Used evaporated milk per recipe in the past, but I’ve made this with milk, half and half, Greek yogurt or sour cream and they all work well. Also, sometimes in the past the top did crack per some reviews, but if the mixture is well mixed and when forming the loaf, tap the top in few places lightly with open palm to release trapped air will prevent cracking on top. I also like to use a sauce to glaze the top. The glaze is put on twice. I like to bake this meatloaf a little longer than this recipe as we enjoy some burnt edges. It is more time consuming to make compared to other meatloafs but it is still our all time favorite. Photo included.

  • peaceoutdesign on March 31, 2018

    The best, no reason to look further. You could modify tons as long as the condensed milk and other agents that keep the moisture are used.

  • bching on May 18, 2015

    We have been making this meatloaf for years. Prudhomme's "meat magic" for beef is a good replacement for the various spices that the recipe calls for. We make a lot at once and freeze the extra in loaves of various sizes. We never use the sauce.

  • stef on September 13, 2015

    This is a great recipe. Family just loved it. Will definitely make again.

  • verlaj54 on December 06, 2022

    I made this per the recipe. I was disappointed, since the notes from others raved about it. It was good, but not the best meatloaf I’ve had or made. I didn’t think it was worth the trouble and won’t make it again.

  • msmmlee on January 09, 2021

    I made this this morning along with the "Very Hot Cajun Sauce for Beef" that is also in this cookbook and followed the directions for both to the "t". They both came out delicious! I was primarily cooking for my 83 year-old father who is from Louisiana and loves good Cajun cooking. He had a big smile on his face after finishing the meal and thanked me. He went on about how good it was. Chef Paul doesn't disappoint! Being that I'm always trying new things, I will attempt to make meatballs out of this meatloaf recipe and coat them in flour before cooking.

• Potato salad with green onion salad dressing

  • PennyG on January 01, 2013

    This will be a go-to potato salad recipe. It was well liked by all!

• Very hot Cajun sauce for beef

  • okcook on September 03, 2014

    This one is pretty hot but the flavours are wonderful. Freezes ok.

  • msmmlee on January 09, 2021

    I made this to go with the Cajun Meatloaf from the same cookbook and it is really good. Spicy, but not anything my family or I can't handle.

• Chicken Big Mamou on pasta

  • mcvl on March 31, 2015

    This is great! I like to thicken the sauce with a little -- just a little -- flour.

• Lamb curry

  • Kringler on May 08, 2011

    This is an extremely interesting recipe. I love the method of baking the aromatics for an hour before adding the seasoned lamb, banana, apple, and cream of coconut. The recipe calls for baking the dish for two hours after the lamb and fruits are added. That is too long, in my opinion. I think an hour is long enough.

• Lemon sauce

  • TrishaCP on February 19, 2021

    Great with the bread pudding, and leftovers are also good as a mixer in cocktails.

  • anya_sf on February 08, 2021

    Quick and easy, perfect with the bread pudding or a nice complement to any sweet dessert that would benefit from some tanginess.

• Rabbit sauce piquant

  • TrishaCP on April 07, 2014

    Really flavorful recipe! Prudhomme's version of piquant relies on heavy spicing to cut the gaminess from the rabbit. Like all of his recipes, I cut down on the heat quite a bit- just 1/4 tsp cayenne, one jalapeño, and a few dashes of hot sauce. I think chicken thighs could be used here to good effect.

  • msmmlee on May 21, 2021

    I made this today but had boneless chicken breast and rabbit sausage, not a whole rabbit, so I used what I had and it still came out great! I chopped chicken breast and rabbit sausage into smaller pieces and used chicken stock. I will be making this again. This recipe will work with chicken and maybe even shrimp which I think I'll try sometime. Chef Paul Prudhomme's recipes never disappoint.

  • msmmlee on May 21, 2021

    I made this today but had boneless chicken breast and rabbit sausage, not a whole rabbit, so I used what I had and it still came out great! I chopped chicken breast and rabbit sausage into smaller pieces and used chicken stock. I will be making this again. This recipe will work with chicken and maybe even shrimp which I think I'll try sometime. Chef Paul Prudhomme's recipes never disappoint.

• Chicken Tchoupitoulas

  • TrishaCP on January 16, 2021

    An old favorite. Very good chicken breast and basically a hash.

• Chicken and tasso jambalaya

  • TrishaCP on January 10, 2021

    Another old favorite- better with dark meat chicken.

• Cajun seafood gumbo with andouille smoked sausage

  • TrishaCP on December 16, 2017

    We've made this many times over the years and it is phenomenal. Definitely a special occasion dish for us, but totally worth the splurge on the seafood.

  • QuiteLucid on June 28, 2020

    Link to recipe: https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/eat-drink/article_c2b02e7d-b3c5-5414-bddc-5322412980b6.html

• Seafood filé gumbo

  • TrishaCP on April 13, 2016

    Delicious without the heaviness of a roux or sausage to mask the taste of the seafood.

• Red beans and rice with ham hocks and andouille smoked sausage

  • TrishaCP on February 09, 2012

    The flavor was good, but I used the amount of liquid called for and the red beans were way too watery. I think I may have allowed the beans to soak in too much water overnight- next time I will watch that more carefully.

  • Baxter850 on March 09, 2023

    Find a different red beans and rice recipe. This recipe left a lot of flavor behind by not sautéing the veggies or andouille. The ham hock doesn’t do a lot here since it’s served on the side and wasn’t added value when shredding it into the beans.

• Sautéed crawfish

  • TrishaCP on July 27, 2018

    Easy and amazingly decadent dish- even greatly reducing the butter. (The original recipe calls for two sticks of butter!!!!!!!!!! No way I was going to use that much!)

• Barbecued shrimp

  • nicolepellegrini on October 11, 2015

    Had to make this dish in honor of the late great Chef Paul on news of his passing. Uses a horrifying amount of butter, but, the flavor is worth it for a rare special occasion treat and you definitely can't skimp on it. Not too spicy and perfect served with his basic rice to soak up all of that buttery goodness in the sauce.

  • twoyolks on June 19, 2020

    I found the spiciness to be perfect but it felt like the sauce was missing something, maybe acid.

  • Rinshin on September 02, 2017

    This is first of many barbecued shrimp recipes made and still my very favorite. Great with chilled prosecco, lager/pilsner style beer or dry white wine and lots of french bread or white rice to mop up all the wonderful buttery sauce. My husband normally does not care for any spicy foods but he is fine with this version.

• Basic cooked rice

  • nicolepellegrini on October 11, 2015

    Making this immediately takes me back to the flavors of my childhood, when my grandmother first got this cookbook and started making Paul's dishes for us. Making it again I'm reminded of the wonderful flavors and great texture, different from cooking rice and vegetables on the stove.

• Creole sauce

  • Thredbende on August 10, 2011

    I have made this creole sauce for years and it never fails to win major fans. The only change I recommend for convenience to replacing the tomato sauce and cup of chopped tomatoes with a can of chopped tomatoes. I serve this to great acclaim on poached eggs over hash browned potatoes for a glam brunch.

• Cajun shepherd's pie

  • ntt2 on March 05, 2015

    Excellent shepherd's pie - lots of pre work required...

• Banana bread or muffins

  • twoyolks on January 04, 2021

    I made them as muffins. They had decent banana flavor and weren't too sweet but overall just a bit basic.

• Cornbread or cornbread muffins

  • twoyolks on November 19, 2018

    I made these as muffins. They had a good corn flavor without being too sweet. The muffins got a really good, browned curst that really made these great.

  • Tinala523 on January 01, 2020

    This is my husband's favorite cornbread, moist and sweet. I bake it in a cast iron skillet and it stays warm at the table.

  • stef on October 03, 2021

    I've made these before but this time l left out the sugar. Next time I'll add 1/4 cup sugar. Also used half milk half kefir. Nice and moist

• Cajun meat pies with Creole filling

  • foolcontrol on April 21, 2020

    I did cook most of the liquid out and add more salt but this filling was incredible.

• Cajun meat pies

  • foolcontrol on April 21, 2020

    Incredible. Just out of this world.

• New Orleans bread pudding with lemon sauce and Chantilly cream

  • hillsboroks on October 24, 2020

    I agree with Rinshin that this bread pudding is the best I've ever made. The spice mix of cinnamon and nutmeg is perfect and all the other ingredients combine to deliver a very luscious bread pudding. It is very sweet so the lemon sauce is essential to balance the sweetness. Together they are heavenly.

  • Rinshin on April 02, 2018

    I have not found another bread pudding that tops this one. Incredible indulgence. The lemon sauce (I use Meyer lemons) and chantilly sauce are perfection.

  • anya_sf on February 08, 2021

    Really good. I had to sub almonds for pecans. The top started to singe at the end (when baking at 425 F); I'd consider lowering the temperature to 400 F. As Rinshin and hillsboroks have said, the sauces really take this to the next level, and both are quick and easy to make. I used half the sugar in the chantilly cream.

• Brabant potatoes

  • bktravels on April 28, 2020

    The potatoes are soft and creamy on the inside, crispy on the outside. They are so flavorful and a bit spicy. We love these potatoes. Our only issue is that sometimes the spice mix sticks beautifully to the potatoes and other times it's all left in the pan. Not sure what factors affect this.

• Chantilly cream

  • Rinshin on April 02, 2018

    With heavy cream, sour cream, brandy, Grand Marnier and vanilla together making this food of happiness. Goes really well with bread and rice pudding or simply just eating as it is with a small sipping of your favorite liqueur.

  • anya_sf on February 08, 2021

    Really flavorful variation on whipped cream. I thought half the sugar was enough.

• Cornbread dressing

  • Rinshin on April 02, 2018

    This is the best cornbread stuffing. Been making this since this book came out and I've made other recipes but really, none compares to this one. Recipe found at https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/paul-prudhommes-cornbread-dressing-1253959

  • khopkins1012 on May 09, 2017

    This is a decades-long favorite in my family for Thanksgiving meals. It's spicy (so dial in the seasonings to your palate) but all that flavor helps blander Thanksgiving turkey. Paul's dressing has good texture and taste as written. Because I've made and eaten this recipe over 2 dozen times, I'll share substitutions we use sometimes. We have used boxed Jiffy baked the night before and have also substituted cream for evaporated milk.

• Corn maque choux

  • Rinshin on August 27, 2017

    Simply the best corn maque choux and it's the first recipe I used when this book was first published along with his ultimate meatloaf recipe. I learned that browned bits of corn bring out the sweetness and smokiness from this recipe decades before grilled corn pictures started showing up on magazines and such. This is a very rich tasting dish which transforms corn. Don't need to use fresh corn for this - frozen works well. We just love this version of corn maque and we've tried many others. https://www.food.com/recipe/corn-maque-choux-206062

• Rice pudding

  • Rinshin on April 02, 2018

    Fantastic rice pudding made better with the addition of his chantilly cream.

• Crawfish (or shrimp) etouffée

  • bching on May 24, 2020

    Delicious although surprisingly mild for a Paul Prudhomme recipe. It's a 4-pan recipe--so clean up is a chore. I used crawfish.

• Pasta chu chu

  • bching on May 23, 2020

    A family favorite that we have been making for years. I request it for my birthday dinner!

• Crêpes

  • stef on February 01, 2017

    Nice basic recipe easy to work with. I filled it with slivered ham, grated cheese and caramelized apple. Sprinkled grated cheese and baked for 10 minutes at 325. Made 8 crepes

• Fish with pecan butter sauce and meunière sauce

  • stef on August 01, 2016

    Used trout, pecan sauce really complimented fish. Skipped the meuniere sauce. Family loved it. Will repeat

• Shrimp Diane

  • stef on February 23, 2019

    This was such a quick delicious way to prepare shrimp. Instead of adding the last 2 tbls of butter at the end I added 1/3 cup whipping cream. Served over rice. A repeat

  • msmmlee on May 20, 2021

    This is really delicious. I cooked it for my dad and he's asked for it again. I'll also try it with chicken sometime.

• Chicken and seafood jambalaya

  • Alowishs on April 02, 2016

    WAY too much cayenne for this Yankee gal! Cut amount in half. Was too hot for me to enjoy eating. Had to buy fresh oysters, for $1.49 EACH. Yikes. Plan ahead and make sure store has canned next time. We forgot to buy chicken, so made it without. Still fine.

• Shrimp, okra and andouille smoked sausage gumbo

  • anya_sf on June 20, 2020

    I made half the gumbo, but the full amount of rice (plain), which served 4 for dinner. I used the shrimp shells to make a quick seafood stock. My okra was frozen, pre-cut, which I didn't bother to thaw. I used less lard and added a diced zucchini at the end for extra veg. My son doesn't like spicy, so I just used 1/4 tsp cayenne plus mild paprika.That may be partly why I thought the finished dish needed more seasoning (my pre-ground white pepper may have been old too). Some seasoned salt at the end helped. Overall we liked it.

• Stuffed pork chops

  • msmmlee on February 20, 2021

    I cooked this today and it was very good. It was my first time stuffing pork chops (or really anything, for that matter) so the stuffing seeped out in some spots where my cuts left an opening - it was still fine. I like to prepare my meals on the stove and make a gravy with it so I didn't put the chops in the oven as per the instructions. When seasoning the chops, I added more seasonings (salt, black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder) because I was concerned there wasn't enough of the seasoning mix left for the chops after putting the 2 tablespoons into the stuffing mix. The dish came out so good. I shared some with my dad and he enjoyed it.