Innholdsfortegnelse for May - June 2013 i Louisiana Cookin'

Company is what makes a good meal great. Food and drink are elements of memorable gatherings, but at the end of the day, it comes down to who you’re looking at across the table and the stories you’re sharing. Withthe best months for entertaining upon us, we’ve collected recipes that run the gamut from quick and easy to technical and stunning. Whether it’s brunch or a Sunday aft ernoon supper, having folks over can cause some stress on the part of the host, but it doesn’t have to. By planning ahead and looking at recipes as elements, you’ll see that many items can be easily prepared ahead and held until the meal. Chef Phillip Lopez’s Summer Root Vegetable Salad (page 41) is an excellent example. This colorful salad, Withits clever…

Since they tend to be served first, salads can set the tone of a meal, and a well-dressed salad makes a big statement. This dish is a joyful medley of early-summer flavors and textures, each balancing the other. Sweet shrimp, smooThavocado, and crisp lettuce come together Withan easy vinaigrette and punchy fresh rémoulade. Take a deep breath, pour some bright white wine, and enjoy. SHRIMP AND AVOCADO SALAD MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS 2 ripe avocados, peeled, seeded, and sliced 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 heads butter lettuce, rinsed and trimmed 1 (5-ounce) bag spring mix Simple Vinaigrette, recipe follows ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1 pound cooked medium fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved Herbed Rémoulade, recipe follows Garnish:…

Just as Louisiana’s strawberry crop wanes in the heat of late spring, peaches arrive in all their juicy glory. Delicious out of hand, they also make wonderful pies, tarts, cobblers, cakes, jams, jellies, marmalades, ice creams, and other confections. They’re equally wonderful in savory sauces and salsas, spiced, grilled Withribs, or glazing a pork roast. Luscious, locally grown peaches are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, niacin, and potassium, and they are sodium free and low in fat and calories; a medium peach (4 to 5 ounces) has about 58 calories and 15 grams of carbohydrates. A perennial favorite of mine is peach shortcake, featuring layers of sweet biscuit or sponge cake loaded Withsliced peaches in syrup and topped Witha generous crown of whipped cream. I’ve been making…

By successfully launching a restaurant, Root, and Withanother on the way, Square Root, Chef Phillip Lopez has demonstrated his ambition, creativity, and prowess in the kitchen. But Phillip is happiest when cooking hearty meals for his family. The proud New Orleanian recalls his culinary learning experiences and offers advice to home cooks. Following his position as executive chef at Restaurant Rambla, Phillip established Root, which he describes as “fun, playful, and uninhibited.” His second restaurant, Square Root, is the grown-up version of Root—refined and technically driven. Square Root features an open kitchen, allowing diners to get a glimpse of the cooks in action. “We want to show that we’re not only cooks. We are teachers who explain what we’re doing.” Since 98 percent of his produce comes from Within a…

Ask Chef Mark Falgaust of New Orleans’s Grand Isle Restaurant about fishing and hunting, and his face immediately lights up. That enthusiasm has developed throughout his lifetime, over school breaks and summers spent Withfamily in Pierre Part, Louisiana, a small swamp town in the Atchafalaya River Basin made famous in recent years by the History Channel’s Swamp People. Born and raised in Algiers, Louisiana, Mark has been fishing and hunting for as long as he can remember. “There is a sense of freedom in the country [that] city kids don’t get, and a sense of responsibility.” For the chef, this meant learning to fish by watching, and improving as the years went on. “You weren’t taught to fish down there; it was more like ‘Here’s a pole’ and you figured…

I’m happy to say that the cold, rainy days of winter are well past, and even though we didn’t really have typical winter weather in the Bayou State, I was still cooking stews, casseroles, gumbo, and lots of comfort food. There’s nothing like serving a hearty pot roast that cooks all day. Aft er all, what Louisianian cook doesn’t have a well-seasoned cast-iron pot or Dutch oven? I decided to crack open a cookbook someone gave me late last year called Dutch Oven Cajun and Creole (Gibbs-Smith, 2012). It’s by Bill Ryan, who happens to be the founder of the Louisiana Dutch Oven Society. I decided to start simply, Withhis recipe for beef brisket. I’m working my way up to his Cajun Cacciatore. Speaking of recent cookbooks, some of us…

For more than 30 years, the folks at New Orleans’s WWOZ radio station have been spinning some of the city’s most iconic songs. From rhythm and blues to Cajun and funk, OZ’s Guardians of the Groove have helped preserve and promote the musical spirit in which the Crescent City is steeped. In addition to filling the airwaves Withcool jams, the Friends of WWOZ have come out Witha cookbook full of hot gumbos, jambalayas, and bread puddings by local musicians. That Sounds Good! was published earlier this year and has a variety of dishes that reflect the diverse cultural background of New Orleans, along Withphotos of the artists and radio station memorabilia. Readers should look for Russell Batiste’s Rockin’ Spaghetti, Dr. John’s Raccoon Stew, and Kermit Ruffin’s Barbecue Smoked Turkey, to…

The first time I encountered a live crab, I was eye-level to the kitchen sink. Its bright blue pincers were aimed toward my little 4-year-old nose. “What’s that?,” I asked in horror to my big brother, Eddie. “Supper,” he yelled back Witha mischievous, playful smile. “Hey, don’t worry. Mama’s going to put those crabs into that big pot of hot water on the stove!” In an hour or so, and to my utter shock, a mountain of boiled crabs was spread out over thick layers of newspaper on our kitchen table, and the pounding of mallets and the ritual stirring of delicious piquant sauces began. I will never forget it. The sweet, succulent claw meat and the big, buttery lumps that fell from inside the shells turned me into a…

Lazy, delicious weekends are meant to pamper, delight, and be a welcome respite from the stressful, hectic workweek. It’s a time to relax and recuperate. And when warm weather rolls around, people start thinking about different ways to entertain. Brunch is an excellent way to host a group for Mother’s Day, bridal and baby showers, and graduations. It’s generally less casual than a picnic and less formal than a cocktail party. Brunch is one of the best meals to host since you’ll have a lot more flexibility than Witha Friday or Saturday night sit-down meal, and it’s oft en easier to entertain more people at a casual party than fewer guests at a formal dinner. Careful menu planning, preparation, and timing will result in a successful event. A brunch menu…

SOUThOF NORTH MAKES 1 SERVING Courtesy of Dakota Restaurant Covington, Louisiana 2½ ounces blanco tequila, such as Patrón Silver 1 ounce elderflower liqueur, such as St-Germain 1 teaspoon agave nectar 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice 3 drops grapefruit bitters, such as Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit Bitters 3 drops orange bitters, such as Regan’s Garnish: lime twist 1. Combine tequila, elderflower liqueur, agave, lime juice, and bitters in a cocktail shaker filled Withice. Shake vigorously, strain, and serve in a coupe glass. Garnish Witha lime twist, if desired. NOTE Grapefruit and orange bitters can be found in well-stocked specialty stores or online at kegworks.com.…

In the kitchen, Baton Rouge reader Norma Harrison likes to wing it. Sure, she has a collection of well-worn cookbooks and has spent her share of aft ernoons Withreruns of Barefoot Contessa, but they serve as starting points for her own Cajun-inspired creations. This family-favorite roasted shrimp salad balances fresh herbs Withsweet shrimp and pungent olives for an unforgettable flavor. In her spare time, she takes classes at the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge and is helping her niece start a bakery. “Cooking is what I love,” she says. “Everybody in my family is a cook, and I’ve been at it since I was little.” To thank her for this recipe, we’re sending her a Louisiana Cookin’ Cajun Creole Recipe Collection CD. Send your favorite home recipes to daniel@louisianacookin.com,…

Inside this old Lower Garden District firehouse, Dijon’s Chef Daniel Causgrove serves up honest dishes made Withas many local ingredients as he can get his hands on, like roasted Louisiana oysters en persillade Withbaby arugula and preserved lemon. Feeding his farm-to-table passion, Daniel started a charcuterie program that includes pancetta, sausages, salamis, and pâtés often made Withlocally produced meats from Chappapeela Farms. Chef Daniel Causgrove is not a native of New Orleans or even Louisiana, but he has found a home in the Big Easy at Dijon. Originally from Syracuse, New York, Daniel graduated from St. Lawrence University Witha degree in environmental studies and English. He got into the kitchen accidentally, needing a job aft er earning his degree. Daniel began his cooking career in New York City. The restaurant…

Looking around the Lafayette farmers’ market, Chef Justin Girouard gets more excited by the day as late spring arrives. The abundance of fresh local produce from his growing circle of trusted farmers and purveyors energizes his palate. Justin’s thoughts race to new pairings and lighter versions of the Cajun fare he prepared over the winter and early spring. Like many chef-owners, Justin doesn’t get much time outside the kitchen, but when he does, he loves to have small gatherings at his home. Friends and coworkers at The French Press come to informal dinners where they can relax and experiment Withcasual Cajun-influenced dishes. Born and raised in Lafayette, Justin got his start by teaching himself recipes found in his mother’s kitchen. But he was never content to simply take a given…

As a young boy growing up in Egan, Louisiana, on Bayou Plaquemines near Lake Charles, R.D. Quebodeaux began hunting at the age of 5. He and his boat-captain father, or his uncle who ran the ferry across Bayou Plaquemines Brule, would take R.D. and his brothers into the woods to shoot squirrels Witha little .410 single shotgun. The squirrels were always brought home, where his grandmother Mere would cook them in a big cast-iron Dutch oven. “Dad’s one hard-and-fast rule was that anything we killed, we ate,” says R.D., who still bears a slight Cajun lilt in his speech, despite living in Mandeville on the norThshore of Lake Pontchartrain for 10 years. R.D. is known throughout the Northshore as a great hunter, fisherman, and home cook. He and his wife,…