Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2021 i Louisiana Cookin'

THE HOLIDAYS are a special time of year when we hold our loved ones closer, and that is even more important this holiday season as Louisiana recovers from Hurricane Ida. At the time this issue was going to press, Ida had just dealt our beautiful state a heavy blow, and looking ahead to this season of gratitude, I am thankful for the first responders and community members who are helping those affected by the storm. As you gather with your loved ones this holiday season, keep this issue handy for all the recipes you need for your cooking and baking. If you’re looking for a menu that will wow your dinner guests, check out our Elegant Holiday Feast, starting on page 65, featuring roasted chicken and hearty side dishes. Speaking…

MEYER LEMONS are one of our favorite ways to brighten up winter recipes. Thought to be a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange, this flavor-packed citrus is a popular backyard tree in Louisiana. Meyer lemons have a smooth golden peel that is thinner and has less bitter pith than conventional lemons. They are low in acid, meaning they are sweeter and significantly less tart than other lemons, making them a welcome addition to sweet and savory recipes alike. And because their peel is so thin, it can be added raw to a variety of dishes. For a burst of lemon flavor without the bite, try incorporating Meyer lemons into your cooking this winter with these recipes. MEYER LEMON-CRANBERRY POUND CAKE MAKES 1 (9X5-INCH) CAKE A Meyer lemon glaze…

Jane’s French Cuisine 618 E. University Ave. • Lafayette 337.534.0442 janesfrenchcuisine.com AFTER COOKING AROUND THE COUNTRY, Lafayette-born William Baxter returned to his hometown to open Jane’s French Cuisine last fall. The traditional French restaurant pays homage to his grandmother Jane Fleniken, who instilled in him a love of French food, and gives the Francophile population of the Hub City a place to dine on classic continental staples in a cozy bistro atmosphere. That concise, seasonal, bistro style is front and center at Jane’s, which typically features three appetizers, three entrées, and three desserts. William uses authentic French ingredients and European techniques, including foie gras terrines and osetra caviar from the Caspian Sea. Some of the seafood, like a sweet Spanish turbot, is flown in fresh and served simply en papillote.…

BUTTERMILK PIE is an old-fashioned Southern dessert that uses simple ingredients to create an extraordinary result. Made with staples such as flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and buttermilk, this classic has a flaky crust and a rich, custardy filling that turns golden brown on top. Buttermilk pie typically includes vanilla extract and lemon juice or zest in the filling, but we decided to give this version some Bayou State flavor with the addition of satsuma zest. Its sweet yet tangy taste and light texture make this pie a fantastic addition to your holiday dessert table. SATSUMA BUTTERMILK PIE MAKES 1 (9-INCH) PIE In this take on the classic Southern pie, satsuma zest replaces the traditional lemon zest. Buttermilk Pie Dough (recipe follows)2 cups sugar¼ cup all-purpose flour½ teaspoon kosher salt½ cup…

BRENDA GANTT shared her first cooking video on Facebook early on during the COVID-19 pandemic to teach others from her church how to make biscuits. The post garnered millions of views in just two weeks, and today, she shares videos demonstrating homestyle recipes with 2.5 million followers on her Cooking with Brenda Gantt Facebook page. This November, the seasoned home cook, bed-and-breakfast owner, and grandmother from Andalusia, Alabama, will publish her first cookbook, It’s Gonna Be Good Y’all: A Collection of Family Recipes & Stories (83 Press, 2021). As in her videos, Brenda’s genuine love of cooking, faith, and family is evident throughout the pages of her book, which includes 100 of her favorite recipes alongside personal stories and spiritual advice. Several recipes are accompanied by step-by-step photos and Brenda’s…

PRESENTED BY CAMELLIA BRAND THE JAMES 710 LAKE CHARLES This upscale casual eatery from Ben Herrera of 121 Artisan Bistro and Calla opened in mid-April in a building that was once home to a specialty grocery store. Diners will find a fun and vibrant menu full of Latin and Asian influences in dishes like a blue crab bisque with lemongrass and jalapeño and Brisket Tacos on handmade tortillas with fresh salsa verde. thejames710.com MISS RIVER NEW ORLEANS Alon Shaya debuted his new restaurant, Miss River, when the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Orleans opened in mid-August. The lobby-level restaurant, which he calls his “love letter to Louisiana,” displays regional cuisine with a modern, elevated approach, which is evident in dishes like salt-crusted Gulf red snapper and clay pot…

AS THE HOLIDAY SEASON rolls around, I cannot help but ponder the culinary ghosts of family Thanksgivings, Christmases, and New Years past. A cup of gruel may have satisfied Ebenezer Scrooge on that fateful Christmas Eve, but to that dreary meal, I respond, “Bah humbug!” We may have been poor chaps growing up on River Road in St. James Parish, but the swamp floor and our gardens provided an abundant pantry of holiday fare that I taste in my memories even today. We celebrated the holidays at Mamere and Papere’s house, where the table became a groaning board of our favorite foods. Often, we had wild boar ham, the animal caught and fattened for several weeks for the occasion. Daddy and my brother Bo’boy harvested wild turkey from the swamp…

CAFÉ AU LAIT CREAM PUFFS MAKES ABOUT 36 These cream puffs evoke the flavors of café au lait with a coffee-infused whipped cream filling. ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed½ cup water½ cup whole milk2 teaspoons granulated sugar½ teaspoon kosher salt1 cup all-purpose flour5 large eggs, room temperatureCoffee Cream (recipe follows)Garish: confectioners’ sugar 1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. In a medium saucepan, bring butter, ½ cup water, milk, granulated sugar, and salt to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until a skin forms on bottom of pan and mixture pulls away from sides of pan and forms a ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer…

IF YOU’VE EVER WONDERED what to do with extra turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas—other than making turkey gumbo—we have the perfect way to make sure none of it goes to waste. With the help of chopped vegetables, tasso, and refrigerated piecrust, this turkey pot pie comes together easily, and you’ll probably have most of the ingredients on hand from your holiday prep. With a meal this flavorful, it’s easy to get excited about leftovers! LEFTOVER TURKEY POT PIE MAKES 1 (10-INCH) PIE Leftovers never tasted so good! Use any remaining turkey from your holiday dinner in this comforting pot pie. ¼ cup unsalted butter¼ cup all-purpose flour½ cup diced yellow onion¼ cup diced carrot¼ cup diced celery1 cup chopped green bell pepper1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic2 cups chicken broth½ cup…

WHEN I OPENED BELLE ÉPOQUE in 2019, it was everything you would expect from an opening on Bourbon Street. Needless to say, during the 2019 holiday season, I spent the majority of my hours in the Old Absinthe House building. We had a Christmas tree set up to brighten up the second floor, and I eventually got curious and started to infuse the Christmas tree needles into absinthe. By Twelfth Night, we had some fantastically Christmas-ized absinthe and began experimenting with it in cocktails. This is an absinthe-heavy iteration of a Waldorf cocktail. I would like to dedicate this drink to my service industry family in New Orleans. It has been an extremely taxing two years since Christmas 2019. The momentum of Mardi Gras 2020 ground to a sudden halt…

IF YOU TALK with an Italian American New Orleanian about the Feast of the Seven Fishes, you’re likely to get an earful of stories of their favorite dishes at the traditional Christmas Eve fête. Pose the same question to an Italian or Sicilian, and the likely answer is that they’ve never heard of it. While the American tradition of Feast of the Seven Fishes is based on a similar meal still celebrated in Italy, immigrants took those customs and added their own spin. The American version is an honest-to-goodness feast, while its Italian counterpart—a multicourse seafood dinner simply known as La Vigilia—has more traditional Roman Catholic roots. Until the 1960s, Catholics abstained from meat on Christmas Eve, and many have continued that tradition. During the period between 1880 and 1920,…

PISTACHIO WHITE CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES MAKES 20 A combination of salted pistachios and white chocolate gives these cookies a delicious sweet and salty flavor. 1 cup unsalted butter, softened⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar¼ cup granulated sugar¼ teaspoon kosher salt1 egg yolk, room temperature1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 cups all-purpose flour⅓ cup finely chopped roasted salted pistachios1 (10-ounce) bag white chocolate melting wafers, melted according to package directionsGarnish: finely chopped roasted salted pistachios 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium-low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add sugars and salt, and beat until smooth and well combined. Add egg yolk and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add flour in two additions, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in pistachios. 2. Turn out…

CANE SYRUP is a time-honored tradition in south Louisiana. Made by grinding sugarcane and boiling down the juice in open kettles until it reduces, the result is a thick syrup with a sweet, slightly smoky flavor. The main producer of cane syrup is C.S. Steen Syrup Mill in Abbeville, which has been making the sticky, sweet liquid since 1910, when founder Charley Steen saved his cane crop from a winter freeze by making syrup. Since then, Steen’s signature yellow can has become a staple of many south Louisiana pantries. In recent years, smaller-batch producers like Poirier’s and Three Brothers have burst on the scene with their own syrups. Cane syrup is often used as a table syrup for drizzling on pancakes or biscuits, and it is also the star of…

Recipe Index Appetizers Garlic White Bean Dip, 64 Pickled Shrimp, 73 Beverages Christmas Tree Absinthe, 93 Ghosts of Christmas Present, 93 Pomegranate Mojito Cocktail, 74 Mint Simple Syrup, 74 Breads Pear and Cranberry Cane Syrup Toast, 85 Desserts Brown Sugar Frosting, 49 Butter Pecan Cake, 49 Buttermilk Pie Dough, 79 Café au Lait Cream Puffs, 44 Coffee Cream, 44 Creole Caramel Popcorn, 54 Eggnog Buttercream, 48 Eggnog Molasses Sandwich Cookies, 48 Honey-Apple Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake, 45 Meyer Lemon-Cranberry Pound Cake, 29 Mini Chocolate Danish, 73 Orange-Ginger Cheesecake Bars, 50 Peanut Brittle, 89 Pecan Crust, 49 Pistachio White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies, 53 Satsuma Buttermilk Pie, 79 Sweet Potato Pecan Tart, 49 Vanilla Bean Meringue, 50 Meat, Poultry, and Game Leftover Turkey Pot Pie, 81 Roasted Lemon and Garlic Spatchcock Chicken, 73…