Mme. Begue's Recipes of Old New Orleans Creole Cookery

"In 1900 Madame Bi gui wrote her recipes down in a French cook book collectors have always prized. The instructions assume a basic knowledge of cuisine: the measurements are often left to taste, temperature is relative, and cooking times left to the best judgment of the chef. It takes a few pages to realize much of the cookery takes place not on a stove, but over an open fire."-Don Spiro, Zelda: The Magazine of the Vintage Nouveau

Originally published in 1900 from the handwritten notes of Mme. Bi gui herself, this collection of dishes from a quintessential New Orleans restaurant are now available in a edited and modernized version of the 1937 edition. One of the first cookbooks ever published in New Orleans that became a sought-after souvenir of the Bi gui 's dining experience, it has been updated with a foreword by renowned food enthusiast Poppy Tooker. Originally published as a guide for tourists wanting a taste of true Creole cuisine, it includes recipes from other well-known cooks, including Victor Bero from Victor's Restaurant (later called Galatoire's). Tooker recreated the most significant of Madame Bi gui 's creations by providing a contemporary rendition of the original recipe. Included are such treasures as Turtle Soup, Chicken i la Creole, and Creole Gumbo.