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SERVINGS: 8 WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 1 loaf French bread, torn into pieces (about 5 cups) 1 quart milk 3 large eggs, beaten 2 cups sugar 2 tablespoons vanilla 1 cup raisins Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, soak bread in milk for about 30 minutes; crush with hands till well-mixed. Set aside. To the bowl of soaked bread, add beaten eggs, sugar, vanilla and raisins, and stir well. Set aside. Melt the margarine or butter and pour it into a thick 9" x 13" pan. Spread the bread pudding mixture directly on top, then bake in preheated oven till very firm, about 1 hour. Let cool, then cut the bread pudding and portion it into individual oven-proof dessert dishes. When ready to serve, ladle whiskey sauce on top of each and and place them on a baking sheet under a preheated broiler. Heat under broiler for a few minutes; watch closely so as not to burn the sauce. WHISKEY SAUCE WHAT YOU WILL NEED: ½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine 1 cup sugar 1 egg, well-beaten 3 tablespoons bourbon HOW TO PREP: Mix the butter and sugar together until creamy. Place creamed sugar and butter in double boiler, and whisk continuously until very hot and the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and slowly add the well-beaten egg. Whip the egg vigorously as you add it to the mixture so it doesn’t curdle. Let cool slightly, then whisk in the bourbon. Serve over bread pudding. 3 tablespoons margarine or butter Whiskey Sauce (recipe follows) HOW TO PREP:

there were other recipes that won honors for home cooks in The Times-Picayune cook-off contest. Some recipes in the collection date back to the 1960s, while others are from more recent years. Several recipes came from restaurants and chefs in the area. The list of recipes we compiled clearly defines the varied cultural backgrounds and their influence on the cuisine in and around South Louisiana and Mississippi. When I submitted the final list of recipes to be included in the cookbook, I reflected on my initial response to the disaster. Although there were so many things lost and gone with the wind (and water), the city did return; it’s different now, but perhaps better. Hopefully, this book we created continues to give strength and provide sustenance to those who rebuilt this beloved area. Marcelle Bienvenu’s timeless classic, Who’s Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux? , is a treasure trove of over 200 recipes — now revised with a Foreword by Emeril Lagasse. Available wherever books are sold. THE BON TON CAFÉ’S BREAD PUDDING When it closed its doors, the Bon Ton Café held the distinction of being the third oldest restaurant in New Orleans, behind only Antoine’s and Tujague’s. First opened in 1877 at 308 Magazine Street, it eventu ally settled just down the block at 401 Magazine. The restaurant passed through several owners until 1953, when Alzina and Al Pierce — a husband-and-wife team from the bayou country near Houma — took over. They shifted the restaurant’s cuisine away from its original French Creole tradition, and began serving a menu rooted in Cajun home cooking. Among the Bon Ton Café’s most requested desserts? A warm, boozy bread pudding, with a recipe the Pierces were always proud to share. The Pierces retired and closed the Bon Ton in early 2020, just before the pandemic.

chicken salad and Chiqui’s cream cheese dip. And we were happy to include other recipes from bygone days — beef daube glace, calas, Masson’s oyster & artichoke soup and shrimp Mosca. The majority of the recipes came from columns in the newspaper a myriad of Times-Picayune staff food writers (the late Myriam Guidroz, Leon Soniat, Constance Snow, Dale Curry, Paulette Rittenberg, Judy Walker and me, Marcelle Bienvenu). But

Leidenheimer Baking Company,

5th Generation Since 1896, Leidenheimer has

been baking the French bread that defines a po-boy — light, crisp and famously full of character. Founded by George Leidenheimer, a German immigrant, the bakery earned a loyal following for its signature loaf, perfectly suited to New Orleans’ favorite sandwich. The tradition continues with 5th generation baker William Whann and his father, Sandy, who still use time-honored techniques and recipes passed down for more than a century.

Bon Ton Prime Rib opened in the same space last year with a focus on steaks — although they still offer a variety of Cajun-inspired seafood dishes.

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