Okay, it’s not a toy so much as a book. And it’s not new so much as vintage.
You see, Mr. Twistie has a certain fondness for flea markets. He goes every weekend, seeking out the bizarre and the more-valuable-than-the-seller-knew. He has a good eye, too. He’s been known to come home with microphones worth his monthly salary for less than five bucks. And every now and again, he finds me something very special.
Yesterday he found me the Brennen’s New Orleans Cookbook, as published in 1961 and printed in 1964.
For those of you who don’t know, Brennen’s is a legendary New Orleans restaurant. In fact, it’s the place where Bananas Foster was invented. There’s a cookbook available to order from them today, but I don’t know how much it has in common with the one from the sixties. The one you can get now has a different cover and a different title. I have no idea how many recipes are the same.
All I know is that I’m going to take my lovely new cookbook full of recipes like Boullabaise Marseillaise, Potatoes Souffle, and the recipe that presaged (or so I like to think) one of my all-time favorite TV personalities, Flounder Colbert, and I’m grabbing my good buddy Chelle who grew up in New Orleans, and I’m going to cook up a storm of fabulous food.
Good food, good friends, good times. Who could ask for anything more?
I grew up in Texas and every weekend road trip to New Orleans culminated in a very simple ritual – Sunday brunch at Brennan’s. And as much as I savored every single bite of food and relished it’s depth of flavors and utter deliciousness I would sell my Guccis for two recipes – brandy milk punch and their delicious bloody marys, spicey bean included. I hope you love and cherish that lovely book and taste every single recipe.
Comment by Mel — June 21, 2009 @ 12:14 pm
Oh Mel, the hard part is going to be choosing my first menu to cook from it! I definitely plan to treasure this one.
Comment by Twistie — June 21, 2009 @ 12:17 pm
Lucky you! Wish I was getting invited to your house for Sunday dinner today!
Comment by Leah — June 21, 2009 @ 1:52 pm
All I can say is yummy. I live on the Northshore of New Orleans and Brennan’s is still the brunch capital of the city. That cookbook is one good find from Mr. Twistie. What good taste he has.
Comment by Kerry — June 21, 2009 @ 7:34 pm
Jealous! I’m from Baton Rouge and I dearly miss the food. I have some great southern/cajun recipe books (courtesy of my granny) but I’d love to get my hands on the Brennan’s one. Man, I’m hungry now!
Comment by Elaine — June 22, 2009 @ 11:20 am