Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2012 i Louisiana Cookin'

With pincers reared, a small blue crab skittered along the edge of the Westwego seafood market. Thankfully, it was the most menacing thing I’d see all day. “Are you going to let that one get away?” I asked one of the fishmongers. “He won’t get far, honey. What else you want?” she asked. Considering the 5 pounds of head-on white shrimp, whole red snapper, and tub of lump crabmeat I’d already reserved, I figured that would be enough to get me through a few days. Walking by each of the market’s stalls in the oppressive late-summer heat, I saw dozens of bins and ice chests filled with Louisiana’s bounty: whole fish (some cleaned, some not), fillets, shrimp, crab, and a few oysters. It’s not a producer-only market, but even the…

On many cool autumn afternoons when I was a youngster, my mother and I enjoyed a warm baked sweet potato, lathered with butter and drizzled with cane syrup. Through the years, I’ve had my fair share of them cooked every which way—candied, creamed with milk and butter, in pies, and sometimes rolled in honey and chopped pecans. I consumed so much of these golden tuberous roots that I earned the nickname of Patate Douce well into my teens. Sweet potatoes are native to Central and SouThAmerica, and Native Americans were already growing them by the time Columbus arrived in NorThAmerica in 1492. It’s believed that African slaves in the SouThcalled sweet potatoes nyami since it reminded them of the edible tuber that grew in their homeland. The West African word…

After 22 years of driving through the South and tasting delicious local food at almost every turn, food columnist Tammy Algood has committed some of her favorite recipes to print. Farm Fresh Southern Cooking: Straight from the Garden to Your Dinner Table (Thomas Nelson Inc., 2012) celebrates the joys of eating locally and supporting Southern farms. Many of the book’s ingredients can be found readily in the Bayou State, including Louisiana crawfish, blueberries, strawberries, and greens. Tammy calls her irresistible Roasted Bacon Pecans a “man magnet” and suggests cooking the bacon a bit less crispy than you may make it on a Sunday morning. The sweet-salty mix of this snack is perfect for when it’s too long until the next meal. Substitute walnut halves for the pecans if you desire.…

In July, 16 judges met at Delgado Community College in New Orleans to determine the winners of the eighth annual Sweet Rewards Recipe Contest. The panel, comprised of food writers, chefs, sweet potato industry professionals, and Louisiana government officials, tasted its way through the finalists in each of the contest’s five categories. Louisiana is the country’s fourth largest sweet potatoproducing state, so Bruce’s Yams, the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission, Alexia All Natural Foods, the Louisiana Restaurant Association, New Orleans Menu, Holly Clegg, Louisiana Cookin’, and Delgado Community College came together to spotlight one of our state’s great culinary treasures. This year’s crop of winning recipes demonstrates the power that the humble sweet potato holds as a gratifying comfort food. Featuring hamburgers, french fries, brownies, and macaroni and cheese, these dishes…

Home entertainers typically fall into two categories. First, there are organized hostesses who plan parties weeks in advance and sweat every detail. For this host, the party is part of a long, involved process. Then there are entertainers who can pull together a gathering at the drop of a hat, and it works every time. Such is the life of Madeline Kessler. Madeline and her husband, David, residents of White Castle, do most of their impromptu entertaining at their fishing camp in Grand Isle. Drop-in company is routine there, so the Kesslers stay prepared. “Living in White Castle, we have only one small store, Daigle’s Grocery. So I stay organized both at home and at the camp,” she says. “If I wasn’t, I’d either go nuts, or I’d never have…

Instead of reserving her homemade rémoulade for local seafood, Lake Charles reader Katie Shirkey Leithead began adding it to her potato salad. “Now that cool weather is upon us, I like to serve this potato salad with gumbo.” Katie, originally from New Orleans, typically serves the dish slightly warm but insists the Old Bay seasoning is what makes it stand out. To thank her for this recipe, we’re sending her a copy of Broussard’s Restaurant and Courtyard Cookbook by Ann Benoit and the Preuss family. Send your favorite home recipes to daniel@louisianacookin.com, and if we print yours, you’ll receive a fabulous prize. Creole Rémoulade Potato Salad MAKES 8 SERVINGS Courtesy of Katie Shirkey Leithead, Lake Charles 6 small new potatoes, scrubbed and quartered 2 quarts water 2 cups chicken stock…

Cajun Country has a new reason to fall in love with its local seafood all over again. Local Chef Alex Patout has returned home to give diners an authentic, homestyle Cajun cooking experience at Landry’s Seafood & Steakhouse in New Iberia. Always popular among locals for its delicious seafood buffets and Cajun fais do-dos (a dance party), the restaurant has been in the Landry family for 40 years; its current owners, Dave and Grace Landry and Elaine Buteau, keep the establishment’s hospitality and traditions alive by treating all of their patrons as though they were friends and family. Chef Patout’s Cajun family members were originally sugarcane farmers, but his grandfather opened the Old Fredrick Hotel in New Iberia, where he watched his family cook in and run the kitchen. He…

Dear Louisiana Cookin,’ I received a copy of your August/September issue from a friend visiting from Louisiana and loved it! I made the Summer Squash Frittata (page 11) for dinner this evening with fried green tomatoes—delicious! Can’t wait for more. —Stephanie Bolen Hammonds, Charleston, West Virginia Dear Louisiana Cookin’ Reading Marcelle Bienvenu’s story about muscadine grapes in your last issue reminded me of my childhood in Georgia. Now that I’ve moved to the West Coast, I don’t have access to fresh wonderful muscadines. What should I do? — Julianne Badgett, via online Dear Julianne, We’re often in the same position when we forget to freeze extra muscadines. There are a number of muscadine jelly producers throughout the South who do a great job of capturing the grape’s flavor. Recently we…

During football season in Louisiana, every weekend is an opportunity to entertain and socialize as folks gather to celebrate around food, fun, and football. And whether you’re tailgating at the game or in the comfort of your own home, you’re going to want party food. Whip up these easy recipes for a winning combination, and get ready to cheer on your favorite team. Ham and Cheese Sliders with Poppy Seed Sauce MAKES 2 DOZEN 24 miniature rolls 1/3 cup Dijon mustard 1/2 pound thinly sliced lean ham, cut into small pieces 2 cups shredded Jarlsberg or light Swiss cheese 1/4 cup butter, melted 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion 1 tablespoon poppy seeds Louisiana-style hot sauce, to taste Preheat oven to 350°. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Split rolls…

COVER RECIPE Eating food cooked in a home almost exactly the way it was done hundreds of years ago in Europe does not happen every day, but a group of people living in St. Bernard Parish dine on dishes prepared using recipes and methods that date back centuries. The hope among some residents is that by sharing their traditions, the European culture found in the parish will remain relevant and encourage people to visit, eat, and learn. Immigrants from the Canary Islands, called Isleños, came to Louisiana in the late-1700s and lived in settlements around New Orleans. At that time, Spain ruled a large portion of the state, and Isleños were vital in the Spanish government’s attempt to bolster its claim to the region by increasing the population and economic…

As I travel and live in different places around the world, I always seem to be searching for a taste of home. But I oft en wonder what exactly that taste is. And if I can’t go home, can I at least invoke that flavor? For many of us, it’s what we grow up eating: a memory of love, an act of giving and generosity, with the food itself oft en secondary. For instance, I have a friend whose taste of home is one he would never recreate in his own kitchen, but his mother’s mayonnaise-slathered roast chicken and cooking spray-doused iceberg lettuce salad is what brings him home. As a New Orleanian, I find myself longing for the flavors I grew up with—oyster dressing with Thanksgiving turkey or spring…

Here’s some juicy news: Louisiana has rediscovered the all-American burger. If you haven’t noticed, there has been a rash of new burger joints opening statewide. Call it a burger renaissance. All in the name of service to my readers (wink, wink), I’ve been on a grand burger tour, and just in time for fall, I’m here to report on my findings. I’ll begin with my favorite. Company Burger opened its doors in uptown New Orleans about a year ago, and the place has been packed ever since. Perhaps it’s the high-quality beef that chef–owner Adam Biderman insists on, or the soft buns made locally on Lake Pontchartrain’s north shore. Restaurants such as Company Burger, Cowbell, and Trüburger are competing—and winning—against fast food drive-through burgers. The trend extends throughout the state,…

During relaxing fall aft ernoons, Chef David Phillips of 121 Artisan Bistro in Lake Charles likes to serve this ideal autumn tipple. MAKES 1 SERVING 10 mint leaves ¾ ounce Stoli Ohranj vodka ¾ ounce Stoli vodka ¾ ounce Spiced Pomegranate Juice, recipe follows ½ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice ¼ ounce simple syrup Mint, for garnish In bottom of Collins glass, mash mint leaves. Add vodkas, Spiced Pomegranate Juice, lime juice, and simple syrup. Fill glass with ice. Stir well, and garnish with mint. Chef’s Note: To make simple syrup, cook 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Cool completely before using. Spiced Pomegranate Juice MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup pomegranate juice, 2…