There is no better way to enjoy bold, festive flavors than with New Orleans gift baskets. These unique samplers are a wonderful way to revisit the Mardi Gras city without leaving home. Once, the only way for you to experience the savory, spicy delicacies of New Orleans was to travel to Louisiana yourself, but this has now changed. If you or someone you know longs for some of the foods that are Creole Country specialties, Cajun gift baskets are a unique and great idea!

Chefs like Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme and John Besh have all been extremely influential figures who have popularized New Orleans cooking. They have helped define the regional cuisine and introduce it to people who have never even set foot in the city.

Tourists that have been lucky enough to visit the coastal city in person have all been dazzled and impressed by the impressive dishes and creative use of spicy seasonings and peppers in the region’s food. Wonderful etouffees, creative rice dishes and peppery pork medallions are now as well known as the delicate beignets, Po’Boys and tangy hot fried shrimp which have long been associated with the city of New Orleans.

Creole cuisine, spicy gumbos, citrus marinades, red rice and jambalayas all evoke memories of “the Big Easy”, New Orleans. The French and Spanish influences on the food and cooking of this region are undeniable, and the tastes that can be sampled are unforgettable.

In fact the cuisine of New Orleans is one of the biggest draws, and is responsible for attracting millions of visitors each year. Now you can relish these flavors and foods at home with a Cajun gift basket.

Since the 80s there has been a newer version of Creole cooking that has delighted New Orleans visitors. The cooking techniques that soon defined Nouvelle Creole style differed from the pure Cajun spicy dishes. The ingredients became predominantly fresh and the finished products were more refined and lighter with explosive bursts of sparkling flavor. This was due in large part to the fact that chefs are blending ideas and recipes from the Southwest and Asian regions with the more traditional Cajun and Southern styles of cooking.

A New Orleans gift basket is the perfect way for you to introduce some of these great flavors to a friend or colleague. Sure you can always send flowers but isn’t it about time you increased the WOW factor at least one or two notches?

Imagine the delight on a friend or family member’s face when a Cajun gift basket is delivered to their doorstep. Suddenly they have a wonderful array of food items to sample including seasonings, spices and other treats.

There is no need to settle for food with no kick and no soul when you can select a few ingredients from New Orleans gift baskets and create dirty rice, shrimp etouffee, crawfish boil or a tangy delicious BBQ shrimp course at home.

What better way to Let the Good Times Roll than with a true taste of New Orleans?

For the best Cajun and Creole recipes, visit www.Cooking-New-Orleans-Style.com.

Dianna Eure Smith is a Cajun cooking enthusiast, has published articles and e-books in the family, home, fitness, business and cooking categories, and is author of “Cajun Cooking News”.

A variety of New Orleans Gift Baskets can also be found at Cooking New Orleans Style website.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/gifts-articles/new-orleans-gift-baskets-give-the-gift-of-soulful-flavor-1325275.html

Tags: Cajun Gift Basket, City Of New Orleans, Creole Cooking, Creole Country, Creole Cuisine, Creole Style, Emeril Lagasse, Explosive Bursts, Flavors, Fried Shrimp, Impressive Dishes, John Besh, Orleans Creole, Orleans Visitors, Paul Prudhomme, Pork Medallions, Regional Cuisine, Rice Dishes, Spanish Influences, Spicy Dishes

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 11th, 2009 at 1:29 am and is filed under Holidays. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.