At a great little neighborhood brunch place in Chicago, I skipped the eggs benedict and tried something new–a mushroom tart.

Much like quiche, but less the egg custard filling, this tart had a nice flaky, buttery crust, as any tart should. In it was a mixture of sautéed wild mushrooms and apple cider-braised pork, with a few slices of prosciutto for good measure. On top of it was a perfectly poached egg. At the first bite, when the egg yolk cracked and oozed into the tart shell, I realized that this was a great meeting of two very classic brunch items–eggs benedict and quiche.

The tart shell, a necessity to quiche, substituted the English muffin of eggs benedict. The filling could easily have found its way into a quiche and the prosciutto was a fine alternative to Canadian bacon. Along side of it was a spicy lentil salad (cold), and a small pile of greens (watercress and arugula) slightly tossed in a white wine vinaigrette. While neither of these things have anything to do with quiche or eggs benedict, they did not interfere with my new discovery.

The only thing that was missing was the hollandaise sauce. Maybe that could have turned into a creamier salad dressing? Or maybe I am taking this idea a bit far…?

It’s that time again, King Cake time. January 6, Epiphany or King’s Day, commences the Carnival season with rounds of parties, and feasting on King Cake. Simply put, King Cake is brioche (a yeast dough made with lots of butter and eggs) braided and shaped into an oval, decorated with colored sugars in Mardi Gras purple green and gold. Many King Cakes are made from cinnamon roll dough left plain or filled with anything from cream cheese, fruit fillings and/or cremes.

But no matter what type of cake, filled or plain, all cakes contain a tiny plastic or porcelain doll, tucked deep into the ring. Of course whoever gets the slice with the baby must buy the next cake or throw the next King cake party.

Wow. This is really cool. The Fondude comes to your home, gets in the kitchen and prepares a luscious cheese fondue for two or three people, serves it in a fondue pot (forks included) that you get to keep, plates-up baguette bread and cornichons (little pickles) to eat with the fondue, and then leaves. Excellent. How clever is this?! Cold weather, warm cheesy fondue, crusty bread, great wine (BYOB) - count me in!!

Last night, I stopped in at Emeril’s on Tchoupitoulas for a quick bite. David Slater, the Executive Sous Chef, quickly sent me to the bar. A few minutes later, a dish he’s been testing out followed.

It was a small, appetizer-sized portion of San Marzano tomato braised baby octopus, handmade trofie pasta which is similar to a handmade corkscrew shaped pasta, garnished with a few pieces of torn basil leaves and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. The dish reminded me of a very kicked-up version of spaghetti Bolognese.

Its components were very simple—the tomatoes were seasoned with thin slices of whole garlic clove and Cashmere chili, a dry spice that is procured from Cashmere via a New York City spice market. The chili gave the dish the perfect amount of smoky, earthy depth to stand against the salty, sea-flavored octopus, which had been cooked perfectly. The octopus, which can be quite easily overcooked, was not in this case; it was very tender, with just the right amount of springy give, similar to nicely fried calamari. The pasta, shaped like tiny corkscrews, was cooked al dente, and shaped well enough to pick up some of the juices from the tomatoes. And with the bright, green flavors of the basil and olive oil to offset the larger flavors in the dish, the dish was seamlessly brought together.

I don’t know if this dish is making its way to the menu, but at the very least, I am hoping it will be a special that is available soon.

Last weekend, I went to a small barbeque on Saint John’s Bayou. With a TV rigged up to a friend’s car cigarette lighter outlet, we found ourselves in the best of both worlds—the quiet outdoors of my favorite area in Mid-City, and sitting in my living room in front of a TV watching the Saints game. The weather was great, so it was a perfect night out.

But, what made the evening even better was the cooler full of fresh redfish and trout, just caught by a friend’s dad the day before. With just a light sprinkling of Emeril’s Bayou Blast Essence (a staple, as regarded as salt, in my spice cabinet), they were thrown on the grill. A few minutes later, voila! Delicious fresh grilled fish with a mild smoky flavor from the paprika and little bite from the cayenne and dry mustard in the seasoning mix. I suggest you try this at home. (If you don’t want to go through the hassle of catching your own fish and firing up the grill, you can simply buy your favorite fish filets at the grocery store, sprinkle them with Emeril’s Bayou Blast Essence and cook them to your liking in your broiler.)

After reading “Bento Box in the Heartland,” I was inspired to make Japanese meat-filled potstickers called “gyoza.” The filling above is freshly ground pork, chopped scallions, grated fresh ginger, minced garlic, sake, soy sauce, sesame oil. I use the thicker, round wrappers and then pan-fry them til golden on one side, then steamed tender. A little vinegary-soy dipping sauce and I’m all set. Try these POTSTICKER DUMPLINGS WITH SPICY DIPPING SAUCE.

Bacon toilet paper?!?! Those cats over at Grateful Palate can find some stuff. In addition to the bacon TP, I saw a bacon Christmas tree ornament. Cool.

In my British food magazines, I’ve often seen the word “spatchcock.” Clearly it means something akin to butterflying a bird, but somehow different. Spatchcock used in the UK is a verb, an adjective and sometimes a noun. nakedwhiz.com has done sizeable research into the origin of the word, spatchcock. Quoting Alan Davidson’s Oxford Companion to Food, “Spatchcock, a culinary term, met in cookery books of the 18th and 19th centuries, and revived towards the end of the 20th century, which is said to be of Irish origin. The theory is that the word is an abbreviation of ‘dispatch cock’, a phrase used to indicate a summary way of gilling a bird after splitting it open down the back and spreading the two halves out flat.”

Interestingly enough, The Washington Post covered this subject and, quoting Anne Willan, founder of the French cooking school La Varenne, there is a difference:

“To butterfly is to cut a single slit more or less through the middle of a usually boneless piece of meat, poultry, fish, even a vegetable, so it can be opened up in the manner of butterfly wings,” she says. “It may be cooked flat or stuffed and reshaped. To spatchcock is much more specific, applied only to poultry as far as I know, and almost always to small birds — quail, pigeon, small chickens.”

CHICAGO — Chef-restaurateur Emeril Lagasse, whose culinary skills, engaging smile and “BAM!” persona have made him one of the most recognizable culinary celebrities, has been selected as the 2006 inductee into the Nation’s Restaurant News MenuMasters Hall of Fame.

The television personality-author-restaurateur was honored on May 20 during the MenuMasters Awards ceremony at the Drake Hotel here. MenuMasters winners in a range of other special culinary categories also will be recognized at the ceremony.
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New Orleans, LA – Emeril Lagasse’s flagship restaurant, Emeril’s, and NOLA in the French Quarter reopened for business in December 2005 following Hurricane Katrina. Lagasse’s Garden District restaurant, Emeril’s Delmonico, is scheduled to reopen in mid to late fall 2006 due to significant damage from the storm. Emeril’s is currently open for dinner service Monday-Saturday from 6:00-10:00 pm. Beginning on April 30, Emeril’s will also open for Sunday dinner from 6:00-10:00 pm. Lunch is served on Fridays from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm. NOLA Restaurant is open for dinner service Wednesday-Sunday from 6:00-10:00 pm, and for lunch on Saturday from 11:30 am-2:00 pm.

Emeril’s is located in a renovated warehouse on Tchoupitoulas Street, true to the feel of the Warehouse District neighborhood. Designed by the David Rockwell Group, the interior features exposed brick, hardwood floors, an open kitchen and a unique chef’s food bar with a signature metal and glass proscenium filled with spices. The menu at Emeril’s is an exploration of what Lagasse calls ‘new’ New Orleans cooking, Creole cuisine with ethnic influences such as Southwestern, Asian, or Portuguese. Emeril’s New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp, Grilled Double Cut Niman Pork Chop and Banana Cream Pie continue to be signature dishes today.

NOLA, which stands for New Orleans, Louisiana – the way New Orleanians have long abbreviated their return address on letters – is the second restaurant owned and operated by Chef Emeril Lagasse. Since NOLA opened its doors in 1992, the menu has been an exploration of “new New Orleans” cooking, but with a casual almost rustic tone. Favorite menu items include Cedar Plank Fish from the wood-burning oven and “Shrimp & Grits”, Sautéed Gulf Shrimp with Smoked Cheddar Grits and Apple Smoked Bacon. The casual chef’s bar has a prominent view of the central wood-burning oven and open kitchen. The menu and wine list are designed to cater to the more casual diner — both visitors and native New Orleanians.

Valet parking is available at Emeril’s. Please call 504-528-9393 for reservations. At NOLA, validated parking is available at the nearby Omni Royal Orleans. For reservations, please call 504-522-6652.