Excerpt
from
the
introduction
to
IN
A
CAJUN
KITCHEN
I
know
exactly
why
my
father
was
drawn
to
San
Francisco
after
he
left
his
home
in
Louisiana.
Within
days
of
arriving
in
Palo
Alto
in
1932,
he
headed
north
to
settle
in
the
City
by
the
Bay.
It
was
more
than
curiosity;
instinct
pulled
him
up
there.
San
Francisco
was
the
bayou-country
of
the
West.
Its
Fisherman’s
Wharf
overflowed
with
crab,
shrimp,
and
oysters
like
the
ones
Dad
left
behind
in
Louisiana.
In
Chinatown,
he
found
streets
lined
with
open
air
fruit
and
vegetable
stalls;
an
Asian
version
of
the
French
Market
in
New
Orleans.
Cafes
in
North
Beach
served
coffee
made
from
beans
roasted
deeply
enough
to
please
even
Dad,
who
was
an
avowed
coffee
aficionado,
used
to
the
brew
being
French-dripped,
French-roasted,
and
sometimes
chicory-infused....
Terri
Pischoff
Wuerthner
In A Cajun Kitchen is available (or can be ordered) wherever books are sold, or ordered from any of the online sites that carry books.
Excerpt
from
“Dishing
up
some
déjá
vu”
(San
Francisco
Examiner)
In
the
midst
of
a
heated
argument
in
one
of
their
classic
films,
Katherine
Hepburn
proceeded
to
whip
up
a
dessert
of
Floating
Islands
for
Spencer
Tracy,
and
I
became
forever
enamored
of
old
recipes.
Collecting
and
perusing
old
Gourmet
magazines,
I
began
to
wonder
why
so
many
once-loved
recipes
have
fallen
by
the
wayside...
Believing
that
many
of
these
basic
recipes
are
worthy
of
reincarnation,
I
began
to
test
them,
updating
each
dish
by
adding
ingredients
that
are
now
available,
by
incorporating
fresh
produce
into
the
recipe,
or
by
reducing
the
amount
of
fat.
The
results
were
exciting
as
it
was
a
culinary
history
lesson
to
taste
dishes
that
had
become
no
more
than
a
long-forgotten
name....
Terri
Pischoff
Wuerthner
Excerpt
from
“The
Season
for
Soups”
(Washington
Post)
Chestnuts
are
the
star
ingredient
for
some
people,
while
others
feel
Christmas
Eve
soup
must
contain
mushrooms,
sauerkraut,
cardoons,
oysters,
anchovies,
garlic
or
wine.
Often
as
the
introduction
to
the
meal,
sometimes
as
the
meal
itself,
Christmas
Eve
soups
usually
contain
either
seafood
or
combinations
of
vegetables,
but
rarely
meat,
since
some
religions
traditionally
fast
from
meat
on
the
day
before
Christmas...Whatever
the
elements,
soup
as
part
of
the
Christmas
Eve
meal
seems
to
transcend
borders,
mountains,
oceans
and
languages.
In
many
parts
of
Italy,
soup
is
made
from
lentils
traditionally
given
to
friends
during
the
holiday
season,
while
other
Italian
regions
must
have
their
Christmas
Eve
soup
made
of
chickpeas
and
chestnuts
and
flavored
with
olive
oil.
Those
in
the
Pugliese
area
enjoy
a
fennel
soup
with
anchovies,
and
the
southern
Italians
in
Abruzzi
choose
a
soup
of
rice,
chestnuts
and
cardoons.
Zuppa
di
Pesce,
fish
stock
studded
with
lobster
and
prawns
and
seasoned
with
anchovies
and
garlic
is
popular
in
many
areas
of
Italy....
Terri
Pischoff
Wuerthner
Excerpt
from
“Low-Fat
Entrées”
(Bon
Appétit)
A
new
American
revolution
is
taking
place,
one
in
which
cooks
are
discovering
that
reducing
the
fat
in
a
dish
doesn’t
have
to
mean
sacrificing
flavor.
Over
the
last
decade,
scientific
studies
have
made
it
clear
that
cutting
back
on
fat
can
lower
the
risk
of
cancer,
heart
disease
and
other
ailments,
making
it
one
of
the
most
important
steps
we
can
take
toward
good
health.
And
while
being
aware
of
calories
remains
important,
cutting
fat
is
a
more
direct
link
to
improving—and
retaining—overall
fitness.
Even
if
you
do
consume
excess
calories
in
the
form
of
fruits,
vegetables,
starches
and
legumes,
they
just
don’t
carry
the
same
threat
as
too
much
fat.
But
while
the
concern
about
eating
healthfully
has
grown,
it
is
clear
that
Americans
want
food
that
tastes
good.
None
of
us
wants
to
compromise
flavor....
Terri
Pischoff
Wuerthner
