With the spate of cold weather several weeks ago, one of our local sushi bars got in a whole Blue Fin tuna, which made him and many diners (especially me) very happy.  When I got the call from Yoshi, I hightailed it into the restaurant where he was conducting a tuna tutorial.  Among many things, I overheard him teaching about the different types of tuna (young, Bigeye, Bluefin, and Yellow), he slid his ever-sharp knife through a lacy filet of the tuna neck section - “kama.”  The richness of the tuna yields particularly flavorful, mouth watering morsels.  As a “treat,”  Yoshi served us some “Negi-Toro” maki - fatty belly scraps, diced extra-fine with scallions and tucked onto a rice ball wrapped on seaweed.  He also dotted the top of each maki piece with a curl of nubbly, golden uni (sea urchin).  The combined flavors were heavenly - creamy, rich, mineral, ocean-fresh.  No soy or any sauce, just a small swipe of wasabi to lend a whisper of sharpness.   Sipping on a cool, low intensity sake didn’t hurt either.

Hey folks!

So I’m now doing this Twitter thing on the web.

There’s already lot of stuff happening on there. Even my good friend Martha is on.

I think it’ll be a fun way to share what we’re cooking up in the kitchen.

Hope you’ll follow along. Check it out…

http://twitter.com/Emeril

- Chef E

Now this is the way to eat and shop!  Lucky guy.  I wonder if I could get someone to push me around in a grocery cart?  I wonder if I could get in a grocery cart?  Hmmmm…

These hand-built wraps are healthy, delicious, and very easy to duplicate at home.

Simply saute some very thin slices of pork in canola oil, seasoned with fresh garlic, chopped scallion and grated ginger.  Next, cook rice vermicelli noodles in boiling, salted water; once tender, drain and cool.

Then layer the pork slices, rice noodles, whole fresh mint leaves, thin strips of carrot, sliced cucumber and chopped peanuts onto large romaine lettuce leaves.  Squeeze a small wedge of fresh lime juice on top, roll up, and dig in!

Loved Jenny’s blog on churros and thought I’d toss out the New Orleans version - classic crunchy, sugar-dusted churros with a deep dulce de leche (caramel) and banana sauce, a la “Bananas Foster.”  The flavor combination is spectacular!!

In Spain, it’s chocolate con churros for a late-night snack. In Mexico, it’s cafe con churros for a early-bird breakfast. But down the street from my apartment, at my neighborhood doughnut shop, it’s Indian chai tea with churros to satisfy my mid-day munchies! All combinations are delicious, but this one is the best I’ve had so far. But that may be because it’s only a block away…

Dress up your tuna salad Italian-style!  Instead of using the traditional tuna salad ingredients–mayo, celery and onions, try using these Italian-inspired flavors for a great alternative!

Simply add: chopped fresh basil, yellow bell pepper and shallots; cherry tomato halves; use extra virgin olive oil instead of mayonnaise; and season with salt, black pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Mangia buono!

Crawfish started coming in about two weeks ago, and they were small and expensive (as crawfish go).  Over the incredible Mardi Gras weekend, our favorite neighborhood spot for boiled seafood, Big Fisherman, got in some crawfish that were a bit bigger than the week before, a bit less expensive, and just outstanding - spicy, loaded with bay leaf, lemon and garlic.  20 pounds of crawdads later, five of us were seriously happy campers, wrinkled fingers, tingly lips and all.  As the season comes into full swing, the crawfish will be larger and the price will drop considerably.  That likely makes no sense unless you know that the supply grows along with the size of the crawfish, and by St. Patty’s Day when we boil over 300 pounds for our party, the mudbugs will be big and fat, the shells just starting to get hard, signaling the beginning of the end of the season.

My latest food festish is this incredible Vietnamese crepe called “Banh Xeo,” which literally translated means “sizzling cake.”  An apt descrition for the thin, crisp pancake made from rice flour, water, turmeric and a wee bit of coconut milk, stuffed with shrimp, pork, and mung bean sprouts.  My pal (and local New Orleans television anchor) Cyndi Nguyen taught me to eat this dish properly:  take a lettuce leaf, tear it into pieces on a plate, top it with a wedge of crepe and some mint leaves; shower the works with nuoc mam (the lovely, vinegary fish sauce) and dig in.  The combination of crunchy, soft, sweet, bright, fresh, and the that bare hint of coconut, is delectable.   This is one of those “must try” dishes.

Does this pistachio, fig and goat cheese Danish look as good to you as it did to me?  Take note that I used the past tense, “did,” because the second I heard “fig, pistachio, and goat cheese Danish,”  I ordered one as dessert, but promptly devoured it before lunch.  The soft, golden, brushed-with-honey dough was wrapped around beautifully sticky, gooey fig filling, dollops of creamy, tangy goat cheese and small pieces of pistachios.  This is Danish Heaven.  I can’t handle it.  Tears are rolling down my face.  I’m emtotional about a Danish and making a complete fool of myself.  Everyone’s staring.  If they tried this Danish, they’d understand; I know you do.