New Orleans Chefs Cookbook

Cooking enthusiasts will welcome this superb, varied collection, an outgrowth of an annual culinary charity event presided over by by such notable New Orleans chefs as Warren Leruth, Paul Prudhomme and Austin Leslie. Recipe directions are lucid, but beginners may find some instructions a shade too succinct. The wealth of seafood dishes includes several shrimp Creole variations, redfish with crawfish and scallops, and salt-and-pepper shrimp. Green-pepper steak, poulet au fromage, barbecued ribs and zigeuner schnitzel are among the meat dishes. Side dishes are as diverse as sweet-and-sour cabbage, dirty rice, stewed okra and spinach mold. Desserts include lemon tequila souffle, pecan torte and pesche alla Piemontese (peaches Piedmont style). Amateur chef Johnson is assistant manager of a New Orleans television station. Photos not seen by PW. (March)