Innholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2019 i Louisiana Cookin'

ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS to me about Louisiana cooking is that while it’s firmly rooted in the home and in family traditions, there are countless chefs around the state who execute incredible renditions of important Cajun and Creole dishes each night. From white tablecloth establishments in New Orleans to hometown haunts in the far reaches (not to mention the gas station cracklin’s to be had in between), I don’t think there’s ever been such a good time to eat in the Bayou State. Each year, we select a handful of up-and-coming chefs who respect local traditions while fearlessly forging ahead by introducing their personal twists and tweaks to the classics. I am as impressed by this year’s class of Chefs to Watch (starting on page 37) as I’ve ever…

Red Stick Spice Company, Baton Rouge Throughout the summer, Red Stick Spice Company took a cooking class hiatus while their kitchen underwent an expansion. Classes are expected to pick up again in October with a few new courses, including Halloween-themed Platters and Boards and a special Farm, Food & Cooking Tour with owner and chef Anne Milneck as well as Lili Courtney. redstickspice.com Levee Baking Co., New Orleans Earlier this summer 2018 Chef to Watch Christina Balzebre opened her brick-and-mortar Levee Baking Co. on Magazine Street to much fanfare. Longtime fans of Levee praise Christina and her team’s focus on high-quality, local, and seasonal ingredients to prepare delectable handmade pastries and breads. leveebakingco.com Cultured Guru, Baton Rouge Baton Rouge’s own fermentation company is releasing…

SEPTEMBER 20–21 Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival; Natchitoches meatpiefestival.com 20–22 Fried Chicken Festival New Orleans friedchickenfestival.com 20–22 St. Theresa Bon Ton Festival Sulphur visitlakecharles.org 20–22 St. Tammany Crab Festival Slidell sttammanycrabfestival.com 27–28 Bogalusa Blues & Heritage Festival; Bogalusa bogalusablues.com 27–29 Gretna Heritage Festival Gretna gretnafest.com 27–29 Ascension Hot Air Balloon Festival; Gonzales facebook.com/ ascensionhotairballoonfestival 27–29 C.O.Y.C. Hurricane Festival Cut Off lacajunbayou.com OCTOBER 4–5 Funktoberfest; Alexandria funktoberfestcenla.com 4–6 Tremé Fall Fest; New Orleans faubourgtreme.wixsite.com/tremefest 5 Beignet Fest; New Orleans beignetfest.com 10–13 Festivals Acadiens et Créoles Lafayette festivalsacadiens.com 11–13 Bridge City Gumbo Festival Bridge City bridgecitygumbofestival.org 11–13 Louisiana Gumbo Festival Chackbay lagumbofest.com 17–20 International Rice Festival Crowley ricefestival.com 26 Pepper Festival; St. Martinville facebook.com/StMartinvilleKiwanisClub 31–Nov. 3 La Fête des Bayous St. Amant geauxlafete.com…

IT WAS WHILE lying on my back and looking up the sight of a 12-gauge shotgun at a sky blackened with birds that I realized I was not a hunter. Even though I came from a long line of hunters, I couldn’t hit the side of a barn. My destiny was to cook game, not hunt it. My father was a phenomenal hunter and as comfortable in the swamp as he was on our front porch. As a young man, he made a living trapping and hunting. My birth certificate shows my father’s occupation as trapper. Our larder was filled with ingredients from the swamp floor, and our back porch décor was stretched hides drying in the sun. “LOUISIANA’S ABUNDANT WETLANDS, MARSHES, AND BAYOUS MAKE THIS A WATERFOWL PARADISE YEAR-ROUND.”…

Chef Martha Wiggins came into her own while heading up the kitchen at Sylvain in New Orleans’ French Quarter. While she was the gastropub’s executive chef, she was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s 2017 Rising Star Award and 2018 Best Chef South. Now, she is in the kitchen with 2013 Chef to Watch Alex Harrell at the Elysian Bar, a charming French-Southern bistro inside Hotel Peter & Paul in the Marigny. Martha is inspired by the variety of fresh local seafood and seasonal produce, which she highlights in her flavor-forward dishes. Q: How did your love for the culinary arts begin? I got hooked on the adrenaline rush of working in a busy place. The fast-paced environment really suits my personality. I always thought of myself as a…

Born and raised in Connecticut, Chef Breanne Kostyk is a self-taught pastry chef with a background in graphic design. She arrived in the South to help launch PieLab, a community-focused pie shop in Greensboro, Alabama. Breanne is currently the pastry chef of Josephine Estelle at New Orleans’ Ace Hotel, using her creativity to develop seasonal desserts that build on a variety of textures and flavors. Q: Where does your love of baking and pastries come from? It comes from growing up and baking, mostly during the holidays with my mother. We’d bake simple things like cookies and pies, but she was always a cake decorator. For our birthdays, we’d have beautifully decorated cakes. There’s a nostalgic element to baking that I like. Q: Is nostalgia a form of inspiration for…

The Bayou State has a universal reputation for exceptional dining—crisp linens or not. However, there are few greater pleasures than honoring a special occasion with an exquisite meal. Whether it’s an intimate birthday party, an engagement celebration, or simply just because, it goes without saying that unique events require venues with a certain something to the atmosphere to help seal those memories forever in the mind. From New Orleans to Shreveport, we have selected a few of our favorite restaurants throughout the state that represent the best when it comes to elevated dining experiences. Each one of these establishments upholds a distinctly Louisiana approach to Southern hospitality coupled with a willingness to cleverly innovate our state’s culinary traditions and continue to set them apart from the rest. 1 BRIGTSEN’S New…

THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT WINE that has a way of bringing people together. Jeff Landry of Landry Vineyards calls it a fellowship drink. Fitting for all seasons, the revered libation is often the mark of a joyous celebration at hand. Twenty years ago, Jeff and his wife, Libby, planted their first grapes on 2 acres in Folsom, and within three years, their vineyard produced 10 tons of grapes. Initially, the harvest was intended for use by another winemaker, but at the last minute, that winery said it wouldn’t be buying the Landrys’ grapes. “What were we supposed to do with 10 tons of grapes?” recalls Jeff. As luck would have it, a friend in the industry, Henry Amato of Amato’s Winery, helped by allowing the Landrys to produce and bottle…

EARLIER THIS YEAR, 2008 Chef to Watch Sue Zemanick opened Zasu, an upscale restaurant in Mid-City New Orleans, where the menu is driven by fresh seafood and vegetables. That plays out in dishes like Sue’s Wild Mushroom and Potato Pierogies, a dish she first created at Gautreau’s that pays homage to her Slovak heritage. Pierogies are stuffed dumplings that are traditional in Poland and other central and eastern European nations. They are often stuffed with mashed potatoes and cheese or sauerkraut and then boiled and cooked in butter. Pierogies make wonderful comfort food, and as we move into fall, Sue came up with these Sweet Potato Pierogies as a Southern, seasonal play on the traditional version. We recently sat down with her at Zasu to learn more about the art…

AS SUMMER TRANSITIONS INTO FALL, I get inspired by the flavors of the approaching season. Pears are one of my favorite ingredients this time of year, and since my pawpaw had a pear tree in his yard when I was growing up, I made this cocktail with him in mind. The brandy I use in this cocktail, which I named A Perfect Pearing, is made using Williams pears grown in the Alto Adige region of northern Italy. Williams pears, also known as Bartlett pears, are known for their classic flavor, juiciness, and smooth texture. Additionally, I use Becherovka in this cocktail as another tribute to my pawpaw and also to our family’s heritage. The Pavlas family is from the Czech Republic, where the herbal liqueur is distilled. My pawpaw drank…

There are few people in New Orleans’ history who have influenced the culinary and cultural fabric as much as Chef Leah Chase of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, who passed away earlier this year. From her role in helping desegregate Crescent City restaurants to the countless chefs whom she mentored, we are grateful for all she did to feed our stomachs and our souls. Her legacy will continue through the Edgar “Dooky” Jr. & Leah Chase Family Foundation. For more information on the foundation, visit dookychasefoundation.org.…

Downtown New Orleans got its first wine pub last fall when Copper Vine opened in the building that was once home to Maylie’s, a restaurant that opened in 1876. Set in a beautifully designed space that includes Maylie’s original bar, Copper Vine is known for its extensive selection of wines on tap and equally tempting food menu. We recently caught up with Executive Chef Mike Brewer to talk about what’s new at Copper Vine. Copper Vine is celebrating one year in September. How have things changed over the last year? We have extended our dining areas. We’ve grown the courtyard to be a place where folks want to come and sit and hang out, and we added a retractable roof to make it more inviting in the heat. And we’ve…

SWEET POTATOES HAVE BEEN GROWN in Louisiana for hundreds of years, and today, the state remains one of the country’s largest producers of sweet potatoes. Their sweet flavor makes them one of our favorite fall ingredients, but their numerous health benefits make eating the starchy roots even sweeter. With high levels of beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, and dietary fiber, sweet potatoes are a nutritional powerhouse. This fall, try something new with Louisiana sweet potatoes, like this silky soup with warming curry paste and plump shrimp. CURRIED SWEET POTATO AND SHRIMP SOUP MAKES 4 SERVINGS Thai red curry paste and fresh ginger accent the flavor of sweet potatoes in this luxurious soup spiced with Cajun seasoning. 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 cup chopped red onion 4 cloves garlic, minced…

Chef Jana Billiot joined chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto’s Restaurant R’evolution as sous chef two years before the restaurant became a reality. Since then, Jana has raised the bar for exceptional New Orleans cuisine and risen through the ranks to become chef de cuisine, leading the charge as R’evolution artfully reimagines New Orleans classics. Q: How does it feel to have been part of Restaurant R’evolution since day one? It feels like a lot of hard work and hours put in, and it’s paid off! It feels like my baby, even though I wasn’t the chef de cuisine starting out. But beyond the [original] chef de cuisine, Jody Denton, I was the first person they hired to come in and help them with the kitchen and menu design, the…

WITH THEIR EASY-TO-PEEL SKIN AND SWEET-TART FLAVOR, SATSUMAS ARE ONE OF OUR FAVORITE LOUISIANA FRUITS. THEY’RE GREAT FOR SNACKING BUT ALSO FOR INCORPORATING INTO ALL KINDS OF SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES. THIS SEASON, TRY SIX NEW WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE BAYOU STATE’S SATSUMA CROP. SATSUMA MULE MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS Gingeroo is a ready-to-drink ginger cocktail made with Old New Orleans Crystal Rum. It is sold in various stores throughout the New Orleans area. 2 cups ice 1 (750-ml) bottle Gingeroo* ¾ cup fresh satsuma juice 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice Garnish: satsuma slices, lime slices 1. Place ice in a large pitcher. Add Gingeroo, satsuma juice, and lime juice, stirring to combine. Serve over ice. Garnish with satsuma slices and lime slices, if desired. *If…

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED if there are too many New Orleans cookbooks? Stephanie Jane Carter, author and award-winning writer and editor, wondered the same when she was approached for her latest project, The Little Local New Orleans Cookbook. But as it happens, she decided there is always room for one more cookbook about New Orleans and a turn for someone else at the pot. “Our cuisine is evolving and changing in so many ways, and I think it’s important to document that,” Stephanie says. “It’s tough because there are so many classic New Orleans recipes.” The challenge for Stephanie while writing the cookbook was to document those changes with fewer than 100 pages bound in a 7x5-inch hardcover. Despite its size, The Little Local New Orleans Cookbook effectively covers the…

IT’S NO SECRET how much Louisianans love shrimp. Whether they’re fried, boiled, grilled, or sautéed, we enjoy eating Gulf shrimp just about any way they can be prepared. We adore the briny crustaceans for their versatility on the plate, and this fall, we’ve cooked up a few exciting ways to highlight their incredible flavor. GARLIC SHRIMP AND GRITS MAKES 4 SERVINGS We spiced up this easy shrimp and grits recipe with a bit of tasso. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided ⅓ pound tasso, cut into ½-inch cubes ⅓ cup chopped red bell pepper ⅓ cup chopped green onion 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound peeled and deveined large fresh shrimp (tails left on) 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, room temperature 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon…

AT SPOONBILL WATERING HOLE & RESTAURANT, every dish has a story to tell. The restaurant from Chef Jeremy Conner and partners Stephen Verret and Adam Loftin opened in November 2018 in downtown Lafayette. Named for the roseate spoonbill, a bright pink wading bird with a spoon-shaped bill, Spoonbill is situated in the iconic building that was once a Conoco gas station and most recently home to The Filling Station, a popular restaurant. Jeremy and his team aim to give diners fun, memorable experiences. They have created a relaxed atmosphere and gathering place, keeping the building’s outdoor patio and adding large windows that fill the interior with lots of natural light and bring the feeling of outdoor dining inside the restaurant. Outside, the building’s recognizable pink and purple neon lights greet…

Chef Paige Lucas is executive chef and owner of Pork Belly’s Bar & Grill in Marksville. After graduating from culinary school, Paige took every opportunity to deepen her culinary finesse at major events, including the Cannes Film Festival. From slow-roasted pork belly to a dark roux crawfish stew, Paige showcases her heritage and skill alongside rich Louisiana ingredients. Q: Where does your love for the culinary world come from? As a little Cajun girl, I just remember the smell of Community Coffee, natural gas, and a fried egg in the morning. That’s just something that’s so familiar to me, and it still makes me feel like a child when I have that. Cooking, for whatever reason, came easy to me. It got to the point that I thought maybe I…

Luke Hidalgo honed his skills as a chef at Commander’s Palace under the tutelage of Chef Tory McPhail and the hospitable direction of Ella Brennan and Ti Martin. Luke’s time at Commander’s were formative years for his career, but it’s also where he met his wife, Marci. Together, they co-own Hambone in Mandeville, with Marci handling the front of the house and Luke leading the kitchen with his artistic approach to both Louisiana and Southern fare. Q: Now that Hambone has been open for more than a year, what is the best thing about the community you’ve built around the restaurant? There’s a refreshingly abundant number of foodies up here. I think our menu does a good job of balancing creative food with more simple, traditional food. We weren’t sure…