cover image Gumbo Love: Recipes for Gulf Coast Cooking, Entertaining, and Savoring the Good Life

Gumbo Love: Recipes for Gulf Coast Cooking, Entertaining, and Savoring the Good Life

Lucy Buffett. Grand Central, $30 (336p) ISBN 978-1-4555-6644-0

Restaurateur Buffett (Lulu’s Kitchen) packs Gumbo Love with stories and recipes reflecting her love of the Gulf Coast. Instead of closing with recipes for sweets, cakes, and other desserts, Buffett takes a decidedly dessert-first approach, offering up straightforward dessert fare throughout, such as a classic pound cake and a blueberry-almond bread pudding. That no-nonsense approach to recipes is evident in the nondessert recipes as well, as she hits all the right Southern/Gulf Coast notes with dishes such as rosemary roasted pecans, shrimp and crab dip, Southern fried creamed corn, and an inventive muffuletta salad that transforms the traditionally olive-heavy sandwich into a delightfully cool summertime salad. Those hungering for the author’s titular gumbos will not be left wanting: Buffett offers five riffs on an ever-changing classic, with interpretations that emphasize filé in lieu of tomato and okra (Lucy’s Winter Gumbo), as well as a crab-and-shrimp-heavy summer version. Though there are a few missteps (many readers are likely to skip past her life lessons, with advice such as “run toward what you fear” and “when you don’t know what to do, do nothing,” as well as her stories, which are often long-winded), those with a soft spot for Cajun and Gulf Coast cooking are sure to pick up some great tips and recipes in this dense collection. [em](May) [/em]