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• De Rozieres, Babette

What is Creole cooking? Creole combines the tastes and traditions of Asia, Africa, India, France and Spain to create a refined and colorful cuisine. Most Americans know Creole cooking through Food Network chef Emeril Lagasse, but it had its start many years ago. The original French settlers in America combined traditional French cooking techniques and applied them to the ingredients used by Native Americans, Spanish and Africans who lived in the city of New Orleans. These "creole" dishes contain more tomato sauce, garlic and a greater variety of herbs than Cajun dishes. Although both are strongly French, the Creoles and the Cajuns came to Louisiana by different paths.

The book is divided into six chapters including: “Fish and shellfish,” “Meat and poultry,” “Vegetables…or fruit,” “Sauces; Desserts and sweets,” and “Ti’punch and company.” The book also features a glossary of terms and an extensive index. Recipes include Shredded Salt Cod on a Cucumber Salad, Conch Ravioli with Crab and Lemongrass Sauce, Sea Bream Fillets with Garlic and Passion Fruit Cream, Pan-fried Chicken Breast with Cinnamon and Coconut Milk, Babette’s West Indian-style Pork Ragout, Yam Croquettes, Kilibibi and Pineapple Frappé.

Creole is bursting with the energy of New Orleans and the freshness of the Caribbean. The beautiful photographs featured in this collection celebrate not only the food, but the lush landscape of the islands of Guadeloupe. The book is bound to become a favorite cookbook choice for the upcoming holiday season and is a must-have for anyone who has an interest in Creole food and culture.

Babette de Rozières was born in Guadeloupe, a group of five French-speaking islands in the Carribean, near Antigua. She learned to cook in the West Indian kitchen of her grandmother, where she developed a taste and flair for cooking. In 1978, she opened her first (and in her words the 'smallest') restaurant, in Paris. She then set up a restaurant in Saint Tropez. Her most recent restaurant is The Table of Babette on Rue du Longchamp in Paris. She is a celebrity chef in France, appearing regularly on France 2 and Gourmet TV. Babette has designed her own range of award-winning white tableware, which is served in her restaurant, and has written four popular cookbooks in France.