Innholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2019 i Louisiana Cookin'

WHENEVER I MEET SOMEONE who hasn’t visited Louisiana or has only been to New Orleans, I spend most of the conversation helping them plan their next trip. The Crescent City is a magical place, full of wonderful food and historic sights, but it’s really just the beginning. Over my years here, I’ve been fortunate enough to have some memorable experiences: from watching boudin get made in southwest Louisiana to kayaking down a picturesque bayou with Bayou Adventure in Lacombe. With that in mind, we’ve created the LA 31 Food & Travel Awards. Each year, Louisiana Cookin’ will feature 31 of the Bayou State’s best and most iconic foods, destinations, and products. This year, winners range from sweet, colorful snoballs at Hansen’s Sno-Bliz in New Orleans to Shreveport’s famous stuffed shrimp…

If there’s a city that’s perfect for reinventing yourself, it’s New Orleans. We recently sat down with Chef Sue Zemanick to find out more about her latest venture, Zasu, the 52-seat restaurant she opened on New Year’s Eve. The name “Zasu” is a portmanteau of Sue’s name and zasa, the Slovak word for “again,” symbolizing a rebirth for Sue following her 11-year career as executive chef at Gautreau’s. At Zasu, Sue showcases both local and exotic ingredients to create a unique dining experience. For those who haven’t had the pleasure of visiting, can you tell us about Zasu? It’s a very intimate, upscale, vegetable- and seafood-driven restaurant. We try to do healthy food that’s still satisfying and comforting. Has a signature dish emerged yet from your menu? One of our…

PROUDLY POSITIONED ON THE CORNER of Hastings and Magazine in New Orleans’ Lower Garden District stands Chef Eric Cook’s latest undertaking: Gris-Gris. The journey to Gris-Gris was nothing short of a lot of resolve and a little New Orleans magic. Eric says he reached a professional impasse last April and was contemplating leaving his career as a chef behind. However, other things were waiting to unfold. “One day, my wife came across this building and said, ‘Let’s just go look at it,’” says Eric. “When we walked in, she started crying and said, ‘This is it. This is you.’” Within a month, Eric acquired the space and went straight to work with plans to open Gris-Gris on the first of August—a goal he and his staff accomplished. “It seemed crazy…

In our less-than-humble opinion, Louisiana is unrivaled when it comes to preparing excellent seafood. Whether its finfish or shellfish, Louisianans have mastered the art of frying, boiling, baking, broiling, and grilling seafood to the utmost perfection without compromising good and honest flavor. These 10 restaurants represent some of the best seafood that Louisiana’s waterways have to offer. From the coast to the bayous and the northernmost parts of the state, you are guaranteed to find a place to grab a delicious bite or two. In fact, you just might discover your new favorite meal at one of these local haunts. 1 SHUCKS! Abbeville Dupuy’s Restaurant served the Abbeville community for more than 30 years until it was converted it to SHUCKS! in 1995. Current owners Bert Istre and David Bertrand…

✤ Never refrigerate honey. ✤ Make sure you close the jar or bottle well. ✤ Never microwave honey! If it crystallizes, pour some water into a pot and bring it to a boil. Then reduce heat and put the jar of honey in the pot until honey is smooth. ✤ If you are measuring honey for a recipe, spray your measuring cups or spoons with a flavorless nonstick spray so the honey comes out easily and evenly. ✤ To maintain the texture of creamed honey, avoid heating it.…

ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE voices of contemporary New Orleans cuisine is Chef Kevin Belton. The popular chef is not only a cooking instructor and television personality but also the author of three cookbooks, including Kevin Belton’s New Orleans Kitchen (Gibbs Smith, 2018), and the host of a show by the same name on PBS. The show and the cookbook are companion works that embody Kevin’s passion for Louisiana cuisine and culture. “They give me the opportunity to go back into the memory bank and think of things I grew up with, whether it was my family or some friends and their family,” says Kevin. “EVERYTHING IN NEW ORLEANS REVOLVES AROUND A MEAL.” — CHEF KEVIN BELTON The cookbook itself emphasizes the importance of the kitchen table in his own…

“I’M CONSTANTLY WORKING WITH VENDORS AND FISHERMEN TO GET THE BEST WHOLE FISH I POSSIBLY CAN.” —CHEF GUY SOCKRIDER GRILLING A WHOLE FISH can seem intimidating, but it really is one of the easiest and most flavorful ways to prepare fish. Cooking the fish whole almost guarantees that it will be evenly cooked throughout, giving you incredibly juicy, flaky, and tender meat on the inside and perfectly crispy skin on the outside. Plus, you can more accurately ensure that the fish you’re purchasing from your seafood market is fresh. To find out more about working with whole fish and what to know when cooking it on the grill, we turned to 2007 Chef to Watch Guy Sockrider of Briquette in New Orleans’ Warehouse District. At Briquette, Guy prepares fish over…

LOUISIANA PUTS OUT THE BEST, sweetest strawberries. We even have a festival for them each April in the small town of Ponchatoula, which is known as the “Strawberry Capital of the World.” The berries here have a unique flavor and superior quality, making the juicy, red beauties the perfect addition to an assortment of refreshing spring cocktails. This cocktail, which I call Grandma’s Garden, is very nostalgic to me because my Maw Maw always had this rose bush in her garden that was so very beautiful. The drink is very feminine and floral but also very spirit-forward, with the strawberry tying it all together. This cocktail captures the true taste of spring and summertime in the Crescent City. St-Germain, an elderflower liqueur, is classic New Orleans. The smell of elderflower…

IT MAY SEEM UNBELIEVABLE, but there was a time not all that long ago when the term “blackening” wasn’t a regular part of our culinary vocabulary. The late Chef Paul Prudhomme introduced the technique in 1980 at his French Quarter restaurant, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, when he seared heavily spiced redfish in a hot cast-iron skillet. His blackened redfish recipe set off a national craze that nearly brought that species to extinction. Many people think blackened food means spicy food, but there’s more to it than that. His blackening seasoning included nine different spices and herbs, giving it a distinctive, well-rounded flavor. The blackening method involves dipping fish (or another protein, such as chicken or alligator) in melted butter, dredging it in a spice blend, and cooking it in a screaming…

LIFE CAN HAVE a roundabout way of leading people in the direction of their passions, and such was the case with Aaron Jennings. Aaron has been a massage therapist for about 13 years, but a few years ago, he became interested in making his own lotions and skincare products. When Aaron realized most of the recipes he liked called for beeswax, he began searching for a local producer. “I started contacting local beekeepers, trying to find somebody who didn’t use any antibiotics or other chemicals in their beekeeping, but I couldn’t find anybody,” Aaron says. “So, I thought, ‘I’ll get one beehive and that will produce enough for me and it’ll be fun.’” But keeping bees became more than a means to produce beeswax for skincare products Aaron used with…

Editor’s Letter: Page 9: Astor Shirt in Line Trio from southernmarsh.com. Spillin’ the Beans: Photography courtesy of Randy P. Schmidt (The Elysian Bar, page 11; Antoine’s, page 15); Denny Culbert (Justine, page 11); Chris Jay (Stuffed Shrimp Festival, page 13); PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans (page 15); and Chris Granger (portrait, page 17). Foodways: Photography courtesy of Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Blends (portrait and fish, page 31; portrait, page 32). LA 31 Food & Travel Awards: Recipe development and food styling by Elizabeth Stringer. Photography courtesy of Parkway Bakery and Tavern (page 43); Toledo Bend Lake Country (Zwolle Tamales, page 44); LouisianaNorthshore.com (Dew Drop Jazz & Social Hall, page 48); Monroe-West Monroe CVB (Black Bayou Lake, page 49; Landry Vineyards, page 51); Iberia Parish Convention & Visitors Bureau (Avery…

Cannatella Grocery, Baton Rouge The popular Acadiana grocery store was set to open a new location on Government Street in Mid-City Baton Rouge in mid-March. Cannatella Grocery was founded over 90 years ago in Melville and is well-known for its muffuletta, among other specialty items. The Mid-City location will continue to offer retail items and specialty cheeses and meats like boudin and Italian sausage, other Italian imports, and ready-made items—including the delectable signature muffuletta. facebook.com/Cannatellas Bellegarde Bakery, New Orleans This local favorite is planning to open its first retail location near the intersection of Claiborne and Carrollton Avenues in late May. Bellegarde will continue to provide baked goods to its partners across the city, but now locals and tourists alike will have even more access to…

WHEN BLUEBERRIES ARE IN SEASON, what better way to eat them than in a blueberry cake? Plump, juicy blueberries lend wonderful flavor to this dreamy buttermilk cake, and best of all, it’s easy enough to whip up for any occasion. Serving it with bright and zesty Lemon Cream adds another layer of decadence to this delightfully simple treat. BLUEBERRY GÂTEAU MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS This simple blueberry cake is a great way to use summer berries, and adding a dollop of Lemon Cream brings out their sweet flavor. ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and divided ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided 1 large egg ¼ teaspoon almond extract 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour ¾ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon kosher salt…