Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2016 i Louisiana Cookin'

AS THE HOLIDAYS arrive, I try to take a moment for myself to reflect on the year that’s passed, the meals shared with family and friends, and the time spent with loved ones. It can be difficult, though. With amazing events like Celebration in the Oaks in New Orleans, the Festival of the Bonfires in Lutcher, and the twinkling masterpiece that is the Holiday Trail of Lights in north Louisiana, I often feel pulled every which way. This year, I will be making a concerted effort to cook more family meals at home, and the recipes included in this November/ December issue will make that a joy. There are a few recipes, like the English Milk Punch (page 63), Chef Frank Brigtsen’s Rabbit and Andouille Gumbo (page 42), and the…

NOW, THAT SHOULD KEEP YOU BUSY AND WELL FED UNTIL NEXT TIME. REMEMBER: BUY LOCAL, EAT OUT OFTEN, AND CLEAN YOUR PLATE. Some time ago we gave you a heads up about the newly refurbished Pontchartrain Hotel in New Orleans. It has reopened with a flourish, with Chef Chris Lusk at the helm of the food and beverage offerings. Those in the know have been waiting to find out if the famed Caribbean Room would be offering the famous Mile High Pie, and the answer is a resounding YES. Locals who remember the famous Trout Veronique (with hollandaise and grapes) will be happy to see it on the new menu as well. If you crave an old-school quiet dining experience, with well-informed servers, nattily turned out, this is your best…

BOYCE, A SMALL TOWN of about 1,000 residents on the outskirts of Alexandria, hasn’t always been known as a top culinary destination, but hungry customers have been flocking there for the past five years for a memorable meal at Janohn’s. Set in a former cotton gin, the restaurant embraces Chef Aaron Atchison’s ideals of open-arms hospitality and cooking with fresh, simple ingredients. At Janohn’s, Aaron combines elements of French and Japanese culinary techniques to create a menu of Louisiana-style dishes elevated with simple touches. Pecan-crusted grouper served over crab risotto with cane syrup beurre blanc, and Maple Leaf Farms duck breast with braised sweet potatoes and cane syrup demi-glace are just two of the restaurant’s mouthwatering offerings. “There’s a lot of different things going on [with my cooking], but it’s…

FOR HUNDREDS OF years, the cooks of Louisiana have made pot after pot of deep, earthy, satisfying gumbos. Some of them are full of seafood, others chicken, and still more with okra, filé, a mix of greens, red beans, and everything in-between, and no two the same. To help keep your holidays warm and bright, we got four soon-to-be classic gumbos from a few outstanding chefs from the Crescent City. Among them, you will find an excellent collection of classic flavors mixed with techniques that might change the way you make gumbo forever. TIMELESS CREOLE OKRA Chef Meg Bickford, Café Adelaide “The gumbo we make here at Café Adelaide is really, really rich, dark seafood gumbo. There’s a lot of flavor. A very dark roux brings out this unbelievably complex…

CHOCOLATE KUGELHOPF MAKES 1 (10-CUP) BUNDT CAKE 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast 2 tablespoons warm water (105° to 110°) ½ cup unsalted butter, softened ½ cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange rind 3 large eggs 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup whole milk 1½ cup semisweet chocolate morsels Garnish: confectioners’ sugar, candied orange rind 1. Spray a 10-cup kugelhopf pan* with baking spray with flour. 2. In a small bowl, combine yeast and 2 tablespoons warm water. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes. 3. In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and orange rind with a mixer at medium speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after…

IT’S HOLIDAY SEASON! Woo-hoo! It may sound cliché, but this is my favorite time of the year, and mostly because of all the great food everywhere. Think: rum balls, eggnog, bûche de Noël. Nobody celebrates the holidays like we do in Louisiana, where it is just one more delightful excuse to cook—and eat! I am reminded of my first Christmas in Louisiana, about 30 years ago. Shortly after I arrived in New Orleans in mid-December, some new friends took me to the annual Christmas Eve Bonfires. We were somewhere in St. James Parish when some locals invited us to a barn-like structure near the levee to enjoy jambalaya and gumbo—and some sort of cocktail concoction they served us in Mason jars. It was quite a night for a guy who…

DUCK AARON STUFFED AVOCADO GROUPER FLEUR DE LIS CRAWFISH FONDUE OSCAR-STYLE FILET The menu is updated every so often, but the Stuffed Avocado with jumbo lump crabmeat and raspberry chipotle glaze, pecan-crusted Snapper Supper with bacon, scallion compote, puff pastry and red pepper jelly gastrique, and Baked Brie with blackened Gulf shrimp and demiglace have become customer favorites. Seasonal additions, like the shrimp and sweet potato dish Janohn’s offers in the fall, are also popular. In addition to Gulf Coast seafood, Aaron seeks out seasonal and accessible products from local suppliers, such as heirloom tomatoes from Ed Lester Farms in Coushatta, pecans from Little Eva Plantation in Cloutierville, and specialty meats from Guillory’s Grocery & Meat Market in Pine Prairie. The restaurant’s Boyce location, only 16 miles from Aaron’s hometown…

“I LIKE TO MAKE A DRY ROUX (OVEN-ROASTED FLOUR), THEN SIFT IT INTO THE GUMBO WHILE WHISKING VIGOROUSLY. THIS WILL ABSORB THE EXTRA OIL AND GIVE A LITTLE MORE YIELD.” —JOEY LABELLA, CAFÉ HOPE “FOR A RICHER FLAVOR, TRY USING CLARIFIED ANIMAL FATS LIKE BACON OR DUCK. USE JUST THE RENDERED FAT OR ADD IT TO OIL, BUT BE CAREFUL: IT BROWNS MUCH QUICKER.” —CHEF CHRIS BARBATO, THE COUNTRY CLUB “IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO COOK THE ONIONS IN THE ROUX BY THEMSELVES.IT CARAMELIZES THE ONIONS, WHICH IN TURN DARKENS YOUR GUMBO AND ADDS DEPTH OF FLAVOR.” —CHEF AARON BURGAU, PATOIS “I LOVE TO USE SMOKED CHICKEN IN MY GUMBO. AFTER SMOKING THE CHICKEN, USE THE BONES TO MAKE A REALLY FLAVORFUL, SMOKY STOCK.” — CHEF BRENDAN CAHILL, BAR FRANCES…

NEW ORLEANIANS’ FASCINATION with bourbon milk punch is legendary. The drink has evolved and has taken many forms, including hot, cold, and even frozen. What many aficionados may not know, is that their beloved beverage has a long lineage back to Medieval England, where spiced punches of clarified milk punch were all the rage. Of course, the English version is quite different from the creamy concoctions that are popular in the Crescent City. Using a recipe that has remained largely unchanged for centuries, world-renowned bartender Paul Gustings serves up chilled glasses of crystal clear English Milk Punch in the stately Empire Bar in Broussard’s. After coming across Jerry Thomas’ seminal Bartender’s Guide, Paul became enamored with punches not only as novel concoctions, but as ways to use and reuse ingredients…

IN CAJUN COOKERY, the hog is revered. Over hundreds of years, Acadians have figured out how to extract the maximum amount of flavor and tenderness from just about every part of a pig. Throughout their history, Cajuns have gathered around the pig and celebrated, yes, celebrated, often with live music and dancing, the delights of the animal. In modern times, with diet fads that wax and wane, lard is on the uptick. Chefs and home cooks alike have been returning to the flavor-packed ingredient. To give a primer on how to render your own lard (and one of the best ways to use it), we tapped 2014 Chef to Watch Isaac Toups to talk about his crispy, crunchy, meaty, and amazing cracklin’s. They are potentially habit-forming. You have been warned.…

TREMÉ CREOLE GUMBO FESTIVAL November 12–13 New Orleans IN NEW ORLEANS, the arrival of crisp fall weather means it’s gumbo time. Held annually at Louis Armstrong Park, the Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival celebrates the Big Easy’s favorite dish alongside some of the best music the city has to offer. Presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the free two-day festival heralds itself as the premier brass band showcase, featuring some of the best traditional and contemporary brass bands in the world. This year’s lineup includes big-name acts Rebirth Brass Band and Soul Brass Band. There are as many different ways to prepare gumbo as there are restaurants that serve it, and the festival’s food vendors offer a variety of different styles of the dish, including classic seafood gumbo…

LAYING CLAIM TO the oldest stand-up bar in America and the creation of a meal itself (brunch), Tujague’s restaurant in New Orleans’ French Quarter is a marvelous historical venue. The comforting, minty and chocolaty Grasshopper cocktail is another of their creations, and it is the perfect nightcap for the holidays. GRASSHOPPER MAKES 1 SERVING Courtesy of Richard Odell, Tujague’s, New Orleans 2 ounces heavy whipping cream ½ ounce white crème de menthe ½ ounce green crème de menthe ½ ounce white crème de cacao Brandy, to serve 1. In a cocktail shaker, combine cream, white and green crèmes de menthe, and crème de cacao. Add ice. Cover and shake until cold. Strain into a chilled Champagne flute. Top with a splash of brandy.…

In New Orleans, nobody does holiday cooking quite like the Commander’s Palace family of restaurants. We caught up with Chef Juan Carlos Gonzalez of the chic SoBou restaurant in the French Quarter to find out what he has planned: How would you describe the concept at SoBou? The concept is inspired by Louisiana street food. We started with a bunch of small plates and then it took a little twist. So now you can come in and share some family-style plates, and we now have full entrées, as well. We also have a full cocktail program and an indoor beer garden that features tables with built-in beer taps. And that’s not all that makes it distinctive in the French Quarter… Oh no, I mean the décor is stunning. It’s the…

WHETHER YOU’RE HOSTING a get-together or attending a potluck, there are countless occasions to delight partygoers with festive appetizers during the holidays. This year, start your celebration on a memorable note with simple, crowd-pleasing snacks that feature some of Louisiana’s best flavors. From elegant Crawfish Salad Puffs and decadent Fig-Pecan Baked Brie to mouthwatering Muffuletta Flatbread and more, your guests will be seriously impressed with these updates on party food. Get the party started with these delicious yet easy appetizers. TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE PALMIERS MAKES ABOUT 48 8 ounces goat cheese, softened ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes,* finely chopped 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped 1 teaspoon ground coriander ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 large egg 1 tablespoon water 1 (17.3-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed 1. Preheat oven to…

For added holiday table flair, many Louisianans turn to the Turducken. This magical combination of turkey, chicken, and duck, along with a flavorful stuffing, has grown in popularity over the past few decades and never fails to delight family and friends. While the concept of stuffing whole animals with other, smaller animals has been around for centuries, Cajun Chef Paul Prudhomme took it to the national stage, and its star has only risen. Now, the turducken is available for purchase at many butchers and markets around Louisiana, and a few online retailers can ship them anywhere in the country. For this comforting holiday menu, we offer a few tips to help you make the most juicy and tender turducken yet, pairing it with some of the season’s best flavors. SATSUMA…

Bananas Foster has delighted people with its irresistible flavor and show-stopping flames for 65 years, inspiring chefs from all corners of Louisiana to create their own spins on the beloved dish. The original version, which features sliced bananas sautéed in a luxurious sauce of brown sugar and butter, flambéed with rum and banana liqueur, and served with vanilla ice cream, was invented at Brennan’s Restaurant in 1951. At that time, New Orleans was the major port of entry for bananas into the United States. One morning, Brennan’s owner, Owen Brennan, asked his sister Ella and then-Chef Paul Blangé to come up with a new dessert named for his friend Richard Foster, a local businessman and chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission. Ella had always loved her mother’s sautéed bananas,…

NOVEMBER 4 Boudin, Bourbon & Beer New Orleans boudinbourbonandbeer.com 4-6 Holy Ghost Catholic School Creole Festival Opelousas | 337.942.2732 cityofopelousas.com 4-6 Louisiana Pecan Festival Colfax | 318.627.5196 lapecanfest.com 5 Carnivale du Vin New Orleans | 504.212.2222 carnivaleduvin.com 5 Great Chili Challenge New Iberia | 337.365.9303 iberiatravel.com 5-6 Giant Omelette Celebration Abbeville | 337.344.9232 giantomelette.org 11 Big Boy’s Main Street Cook-Off Thibodaux | 985.413.9886 downtownthibodaux.org 11-13 Port Barre Cracklin Festival Port Barre | 337.585.2827 cajuntravel.com 12 Thibodeauxville Fall Festival Thibodaux | 985.446.1187 thibodauxchamber.com 12 Southern Soul Food Showdown Jeanerette | 337.365.8185 iberiatravel.com 12-13 Covington Three Rivers Arts Festival Covington | 985.327.9797 threeriversartfestival.com 12-13 Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival New Orleans jazzandheritage.org 17-19 Mistletoe and Moss Holiday Market Lake Charles | 337.436.4025 jllc.net 18-20 El Festival Español de Nueva Iberia New Iberia |…