Following in the successful footsteps of Audubon Plantation Country Cookbook, named best new cookbook of the year by Louisiana Life magazine, Anne Butler has written Bayou Plantation Country Cookbook. Recipes drawn from life on the bayou and the rich alluvial fields abound with the fresh catch of the day and the newly picked harvest of the garden. Crossing economic lines, Butler introduces the historical people and places of south Louisiana, from the exiled Acadians and their laissez faire way of life to the cotton kings evoking the Gone with the Wind era.

Packed with family anecdotes and lore, this cookbook eases you into the kitchen by way of a personal invitation to “visit” with the family. Like any good Southern host, Butler offers hospitality capped with great food and lively drink. Create chicken and sausage gumbo from the recipe offered by Oak Alley Plantation or mix a brisk Nottoway Plantation mint julep while you read about the Randolph girls and their life on the White Castle, Louisiana, homestead. Also prominently displayed are recipes from hardworking fishermen who earn a living harvesting seafood from Louisiana waters. The ingredients for stuffed seafood, including fish, crabs, and shrimp, come from the far reaches of Grand Isle, a barrier island offering recreation and community life.

Web sites, phone numbers, and email and physical addresses for present-day contacts are available for visitors who wish to continue the adventure. Some plantations conduct tours, while others offer delightful bed and breakfast packages.