Turkey and the Wolf: Flavor Trippin’ in New Orleans

Southern food gets a kick in the pants in this exuberant and irreverent debut, a collection of high/low recipes from Hereford, whose buzzy New Orleans restaurant gives the book its title. Sandwiches and other things eaten with hands are the stars of the show, and gluttony-sating ones at that: bread is frequently coated with “soft-ass” butter on both sides and then toasted, and mayonnaise—specifically, Duke’s brand, a tattoo of which adorns the author’s body—is wantonly slathered on everything from an Italian-style hero (along with 12 ounces of soppressata and a pound and a half of mortadella to feed six) to a spicy chicken sandwich, and is the foundation of a number of sauces. Hereford’s no-BS throughout, with advice to buy hash-brown patties from a fast-food joint for his McCaviar bites (topped with anchovy crème fraîche and fish roe) and to load up on store-bought ingredients, be they pork rinds, tostadas, or chicken-flavor soup base. Adventurous home cooks should give the hogshead cheese recipe a go (it’s a two-day affair, and pro tip: put the head into the stockpot snout-side up), and the less adventure-inclined can take a run at the “Shrettuce” recipe for thinly shredded lettuce. The recipes are blazing and the tone delightfully profane, making this perfect for anyone ready to check their pretensions and get a little messy. (June)