Now that the Saints are out of the running for the Super Bowl, we can jump head first into Mardi Gras. The season officially begins on the Feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings Day on January 6^th. The epiphany marks the end of the Christmas holiday season and the beginning of Mardi Gras.  We don’t waste much time here between holidays. It seems to be a never ending party.

One of the best things about Mardi Gras is the food, of course. I do love the parades, the music, the 610 Stompers and the Rolling Elvi and I love costuming. Really, I just love my pink wig and wearing a boa.

King cakes the quintessential Mardi Gras food started rolling out of bakery ovens in the wee hours on January 6^th. The first arrived in our office on January 9^th and at least once a week a king cake will appear in the break room kitchen until Mardi Gras day. My personal favorite comes from Cochon Butcher because it is not only delicious but also just the right size for me. It is meant to serve two but really it is more of a personal size king cake. All king cakes have a baby or a bean hidden inside but the Cochon king cake has a little pigpy peaking out. I love that little pig and I think I buy the cake more for the pig than anything else.

I found this amazing picture online from Rachel’s Photo Blog.

This little piggy went to Mardi Gras!

Mardi Gras, for locals, means open house. Anyone who lives anywhere near the parade route will have their doors open for friends and family to stop in to refresh drinks, eat and relax before heading out into the madness again. In the kitchen there is almost always a pot of gumbo, red beans and rice, and fried chicken. This is standard Mardi Gras fare. But Mardi Gras is also a city wide potluck. Everyone is cooking something to bring somewhere. No one would dare to show up at your house without food and drink. You never end up with a set menu; your counter top may be filled with chips and dips, pulled pork, lasagna, fried chicken, or a filet of beef and of course king cakes of all shapes, sizes and flavors.

I may just go buy a king cake with a little piggy in it today just to get in the Mardi Gras mood. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

http://www.mardigrasparadeschedule.com/

One of the wonderful things about having a backyard garden is when all the stars align and you find yourself with a windfall harvest. Doesn’t matter what it happens to be, it’s always an exciting moment, especially if you’re a weekend-only or after-hours gardener who gets to the garden when you can and, consequently, might have had a few neglectful moments. So much is dependent on Mother Nature — some seasons are good; some not so much.

This year we were surprised by a couple of extra-hardy “volunteer” tomato plants that reared their heads just as our fall garden got going. They arose from the seeds of tomatoes from weathered summer vines that had been turned back into the garden. My husband and I both marveled at how beautiful, disease-free, and prolific these plants have been. We have watched as they’ve far surpassed our other fall plantings, lustily dreaming of what we’d do with the tomatoes if allowed to ripen. It has become a race between winter weather conditions and the tomato plants fulfilling their mission. So, when the first hard freeze was forecast for our area earlier this week, we were sad to have to pull the unripe green tomatoes from their vines. We were pretty sure we had hit the Green Tomato Jackpot, if there is such a thing, but imagine our surprise when we weighed our harvest and discovered that we had nearly 18 pounds of perfect green tomatoes, mostly picked from one vine. Have a look at them here, filling every basket I own at home. They almost don’t even look real.

So now the million dollar question is just what to do with all these beauties! My first thought goes to crisp, fried green tomatoes topped with shrimp remoulade. Unfortunately this doesn’t exactly fall into the “light and cleansing” mantra I’ve been whispering to myself since New Year resolutions were made. Too bad! But I’ve been thinking about green tomato pickles, chutney, chow chow, and picallili…these are all very delicious and wonderful condiments that can be used in a myriad of ways.  I just love any of these garnishing a plate of comforting red beans and rice. A friend’s mom loves to put green tomato pickles on her black eyed peas and fried catfish. We southerners love our pickles on the table for just about any occasion. Talk about a nice addition to a cheese plate, too.

So, canning –  here I come! While other folks will be at the game this weekend, cheering on our beloved Saints, this will be my at-home project. In case you happen to find yourself in the same situation, here’s a wonderful recipe from Emeril’s recent cookbook, Farm to Fork.

Green Tomato Picallili

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, from Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh, Harper Studio Publisher, New York, 2010, copyright MSLO, Inc., all rights reserved

• 3 pounds green tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 medium onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon whole yellow mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1. In a large glass bowl, or other nonreactive container, layer the diced tomatoes and the onions, sprinkling the kosher salt between the layers. You should have used all of the salt by the time you have finished layering the tomatoes and onions. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2. Drain the tomatoes and onions, and rinse them briefly under cool running water. Place them in a large enameled or other nonreactive saucepan, add all the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and discard the cinnamon sticks. Spoon the relish into hot sterilized jars, and attach the lids and rings. Process the jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove them  from the hot water bath and set them aside to cool.
4. Store the jars in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. (Any jars that do not seal should be refrigerated promptly and enjoyed within 2 months.)

2 1/2 quarts

The holidays bring friends and family together. It is both a wonderful and hectic time of year for me. Between decorating the tree and the house, cooking holiday meals and entertaining friends and family, I am not left with a lot of time for shopping for gifts. I dislike going to the mall and don’t trust that online purchases will arrive in enough time. This is why I usually make gifts for friends, family and coworkers.

Homemade gifts always seem just a tad more personal. It says to me that someone spent that extra moment creating something just for me. For the past three or four years I have made homemade lemoncello. This year I made both lemoncello and orangecello.

Lemoncello and orangecello are made using the rind of lemons and oranges respectively. The rind is full of essential oils which are extracted using a high octane alcohol such as vodka or Everclear.  The process for making the liquor is simple but you must be meticulous. I zest the rind of the citrus using a fine grater, such as a Microplane.You must be very careful not to zest any of the pith which can make your liquor bitter. I place the zest and any residual oils in a one quart ball jar and then top it off with alcohol. I use a whole liter and close the lid tightly. The jar is then placed in a cool dark place for at least five days and up to two weeks. Slowly but surely all of the essential oils will be released and the zest will turn almost white. Then I make a simple syrup which I set aside to cool for at least a day. The zest is strained from the alcohol and the alcohol is combined with the simple syrup. At this point, I usually bottle the liquor and set it aside for the next one or two months. Voila! Christmas arrives and all I need to do  is make gift tags for my liquor and hand them out.

This is such a simple gift yet everyone, including me, loves it. People start asking me around October if I am making a new batch. The great thing is that people will often return the original bottle for a refill, making my job that much easier.   I gave out about 20 bottles this year and unfortunately didn’t save any for myself so I may just have to make another batch or two.

“I will eat only salad.” Or so I thought earlier this week, after days of indulging in wonderfully rich holiday meals and libations. I felt certain that it would be salad only or nothing at all well into the Mardi Gras season.

But fast forward to today and I find myself excitedly planning my New Year’s Eve celebration. Salad will have to wait. Fireworks are being purchased, some of my husband’s wild ducks from a hunting trip earlier this fall have been pulled from the freezer, and a container of plump Gulf oysters are resting in the fridge. Gumbo made from a holiday turkey carcass is underway, and all is right with the world. Such is the life in Southeast Louisiana.

The tiny wild duck breasts will be wrapped around slices of fresh jalapeno and a sliver of cream cheese before being wrapped in bacon and quickly grilled while we all sit around an open fire. This is an old hunter’s recipe that often graces grills down this way. (The remaining duck carcasses will be roasted and then simmered to make a rich stock for the next gumbo!)

I had been planning to make a simple oyster stew with the oysters — it’s been on my mind lately. But now that a gumbo is in the works, I’m thinking about a garlicky oyster pan roast like the one they do at Mosca’s…Or maybe chargrilling the oysters with butter, garlic, and cheese (a la Drago’s)? Either dish would provide a great reason for pulling out a loaf of crusty French bread for sopping up buttery, garlicky juices. This year our Gulf oysters are super briny and delicious; talk about a real reason to celebrate after all they’ve been through as of late.

If oysters are on your mind, too, here is a recipe to help get the first weekend of the New Year going in the right direction!

Oyster Pan Roast

Recipe from Charlotte’s Table, Ecco Press, 1998

• 8 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 bunches scallions, chopped
• 1 medium rib celery, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed between your fingers
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed between your fingers
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed between your fingers
• 4 dozen oysters, shucked and well-drained
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• Salt (this will depend on the saltiness of the oysters) and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Creole Seasoning, to taste
• 1/2 cup unseasoned fine dry breadcrumbs or toasted fresh breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. In a large skillet or low-sided saucepan, melt the butter with the olive oil over low heat. Add the scallions, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and rosemary. Continue to cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the drained oysters and stir well to combine with the vegetables. When the oysters just begin to firm up (about 3 to 4 minutes), stir in the heavy cream and parsley and remove from the heat. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning. Place the contents of the skillet in a shallow baking dish (or individual ramekins). Sprinkle a thin layer of breadcrumbs over all and broil 6 inches from the heat source, until the oysters are cooked through and breadcrumbs are lightly browned, usually 4 to 6 minutes.

Serves 8 as an appetizer

When it comes to little girls, or at least little girls like mine, you can never have anything too pink, too tiny, or too precious. Anything falling into one of those categories seems to elicit a smile. So when the December issue of Bon Appetit came out a few weeks back and I got a quick glimpse of the cover, I just knew that I had to make their Candy-Striped Peppermint Meringues for my daughter’s 7th birthday party. They’re pink, they’re tiny, and they’re oh, so precious. As a matter of fact, they are so precious that even this very full grown little girl (me) couldn’t resist them herself…

As a food professional who is responsible for coming up with new and fresh ideas daily, it’s not all that often that something jumps out at me with such gusto. Sure, we often find inspiration within the pages of magazines and on the menus of our favorite new haunts, but it’s rare that I see a recipe that I feel compelled to duplicate exactly as written, but such was the case with this one. And so, when preparing the food for Lily’s party, I pulled out my Bon Appetit and tried my hand at these little meringue cookies.

Of course the beauty of meringue is its pure simplicity. Sugar and egg whites. Period. The only things added to this basic formula for these are a pinch of salt, a smidgeon of peppermint extract, and a few drops of red food coloring. The instructions were foolproof, (I’m really not a baker at heart), and after just a few minutes of bonding with my mixer, this is what my baking sheet looked like going into the oven:

I cannot tell you how excited I was when I pulled these out a couple of hours later. It’s completely passive cooktime (put in oven, set timer, and forget about them. Really!) and even my husband, who is very much a guy’s guy and very much not into pink, was impressed. As a matter of fact he started rattling off a list of names of friends who he thought would enjoy some of these little gems for Christmas!

And speaking of Christmas, we’ve even made a batch of these for our Homebase Christmas party today…so the whole office will get to try them.

 Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Holidays!

It’s holiday time and there seems to be “bark talk” at every turn.  Lots of folks are writing in for recipes, it’s in all the food magazines, all over the food web, and especially the catalogs.   “Buy me, buy me, buy me”, they all say.  It seems the entire world is thinking about bark!  Well, it’s the perfect, festive, yummy gift.  So yeah, let’s have a crack at it.  Come on, you can make it yourself!  Hmmmmm, but how?  There is recipe, upon recipe, upon recipe.  In the simplest description, you melt chocolate, or other candy, let it set, then make another layer.  Then break it apart when it cools.  Snap… like tree bark.  Is this related to Buche de Noel or the Yule log or a Christmas tree… why so many tree references during the Holiday?  Duh….  Well, what ever the case, chocolate bark is delicious isn’t it. Read more »

Only in New Orleans or France!

Reveillon comes from the French word reveiller which means to wake up.  Here in New Orleans it roughly translates to a holiday celebration. Reveillon dinners are held on Christmas Eve after midnight mass or New Years Eve and have been a tradition in New Orleans since the French first came and settled here. In true New Orleans style reveillon dinners are held during the entire month of December. Whether it be in people’s homes or at a restaurant the dinners tend to be lavish. Usually several courses of rich, luxurious dishes followed by several courses of dessert and a bouche de noel. It was said that back in New Orleans’ heyday these dinners would last into the wee hours of the morning and sometimes until dawn.

The reveillon tradition had waned somewhat. That is when The French Quarter Festivals Inc organization decided to bring the tradition back. They are hoping to lure locals and tourists alike to the French Quarter to celebrate the holidays. There are over a dozen restaurants participating this year, including Emeril’s and Emeril’s Delmonico. I have included the menu for both restaurants.

I will be attending a reveillon dinner this Friday evening. I am celebrating not only the holidays but also a birthday.

Emeril’s

FIRST COURSE

Turtle Soup “en Croute”

SECOND COURSE

Fricassee of Crawfish with Veal Sweetbreads, Artichokes, and Truffle

THIRD COURSE

Foie Gras-stuffed Mississippi Quail with Warm Lobster Salad and Kumquat Vinaigrette

FOURTH COURSE

Apple Butter Calas with Walnut and Eggnog Anglaise

Emeril’s Delmonico

FIRST COURSE (Choice of)

Creole Charcuterie: Beef Daube Glacé with Andouille Sausage, Housemade Mustard, and Pickled Okra

Or

Winter Green Salad with Savory Rice Calas, Fennel, and Satsuma Vinaigrette

SECOND COURSE (Choice of)

Crab and Mirliton Bisque

Or

Sautéed Frog Legs with Almonds, Capers, and Lemon

THIRD COURSE (Choice of)

Rabbit Fricassee with Caramelized Root Vegetables, Leeks, and Sherry Reduction

Or

Pan Roasted Quail with Oyster Dressing and Mushroom Gravy

FOURTH COURSE

Café Brulot - Crème Brûlée with Chocolate Praline

This morning we had visitors in our test kitchen: Jessie Lagasse-Swanson and Jilly Lagasse, two of Emeril’s daughters, were here with photographer Chris Granger. They were working on a few author photos for their upcoming cookbook, The Gluten Free Table: The Lagasse Girls Share Their Favorite Meals. Here they are smiling for the camera…Jessie is on the left, and Jilly is on the right.

As with any cookbook project, the closer it gets to the manuscript due date, the crazier it gets trying to get it all done, and these ladies are in the home stretch of a cookbook project they’ve been working hard at for a couple of years now. They are pretty impassioned about this project, and rightly so: both Jessie and Jilly have struggled with gluten intolerance for years. Growing up as daughters of a chef has given them an edge, though, since cooking is in their blood. They are both great cooks — and when faced with the challenge of changing their diets for improved health, they found that with a little creativity, they could still enjoy eating well while living gluten-free. Their cookbook, which includes over 100 gluten-free recipes, is their attempt to share some of their hard-earned knowledge with others who struggle with gluten intolerance and celiac disease. The book, which is  being published by Grand Central Publishing, is scheduled to be on bookshelves in October 2012.

Next month they will be photographing their recipes for the book with photographer Chris Granger, but for today, it’s a wrap!

Spicy stuffed eggs seem to appeal to everyone. Deviled eggs are a classic dish for just about any occasion from bridal showers to holiday parties. The real appeal is that deviled eggs are inexpensive and quick and easy to make. You can also get pretty creative with the stuffing. The title “deviled eggs” probably refers to the classic rendition of this dish which was piquant. There is a long history to deviled eggs that I won’t go into now.

This year I thought it would be fun to make deviled quail’s eggs as an hor d’oeuvres for Thanksgiving. There are not many places in New Orleans to buy quail’s eggs. The only place I have seen them so far is at The Hong Kong Market on the Westbank. I asked a co-worker if she wouldn’t mind stopping in on the way to work to grab a few dozen for me. The eggs come in a ten pack and I only got three. Thirty tiny eggs for twelve people seemed appropriate.

The eggs are so incredibly precious with their dappled shells. In case you don’t know, teeny, tiny, dainty little bites are in high style.

I have never really seen a recipe for deviled quail’s eggs, I have mostly seen them poached or fried. I think I know why, they were incredibly difficult to peel. It just so happened that my cousins and my aunt had come over to help prepare for Thanksgiving and I employed them to peel eggs with me. The problem is that the shell is fairly thick and the shell does not come off easily. It is easy to scar the white. I noticed my cousin Stewart just popping them in his mouth like popcorn. He used the excuse that it wasn’t perfect and therefore he should just eat it. Aaagh! Now we are down to about 20 eggs. Oh well. They are pretty hard to resist.

Once peeled, it’s back to the basics of deviled eggs. Slice the eggs in half, remove the yolk, make the stuffing and the garnish. I decided to make a simple stuffing of just mayonnaise, mustard and salt and pepper. My aunt suggested we garnish them with caviar and crème fraiche but alas I was all out of caviar. Maybe next time. I did have some smoky Spanish pimenton which has just the right amount of spice and smoke to make the eggs feel special in a subtle way.

The deviled eggs were a big hit, maybe because we all knew how much time and love went into them. The next time I make deviled eggs I think I will use a small to medium egg but I will experiment with different stuffing. There are so many ways to go with this, crabmeat and tarragon, shrimp, herbs, roasted red peppers, sour cream and chives, and of course caviar and crème fraiche.

In case you are looking for a recipe, Chef Emeril has several inventive recipes that you should try.

Caramelized Salmon Deviled Eggs

Crabmeat Deviled Eggs

Emeril’s Deviled Eggs

Show thumbnails as slideshow

Egg yolks

Leslie and Barbara Peeling Eggs

Peeling eggs

Aunt Barbara piping the stuffing into the eggs.

The finished product

Egg whites

IDEA: 

What, what, what?  What is for dinner tonight?  This question, again.  Ate all the thanksgiving leftovers…  Had chili the week before… tacos not too soon before that…  What will the kids eat without complaint?  But I’m tired of making their old stand-bys.  Aka the before mentioned dishes…hmmmmm.  They love broccoli.  Do you think they’ll eat broccoli soup?  Because it just got cold outside down here in New Orleans….  I know, I know, woe is us right?  Well that’s what I want right now and that’s what I’m making.  What else.  Do you think they’ll go for fried chicken cutlets with tomato sauce and cheese over pasta?  I think we have a winner!

INGREDIENTS:

What do I know I have already?  Boxed broth of some sort, breadcrumbs, parmesan, onions, and garlic.  What I better have– olive oil, flour, milk and eggs.  So I need broccoli, chicken, tomato sauce, pasta, and mozzarella.  To the market somebody to go!  What a quick run…in and out, 10 minutes tops!  I bet some of you only need the broccoli (you have chicken in the freezer and you keep pasta and tomato sauce around, don’t you….)   Skip the store.  Go ask your neighbor, “Hey, neighbor, do you have some broccoli I can borrow?”

METHOD:

Big pot of water on the burner for pasta.  Check.  Medium pot on the burner for soup.  Check.  Roughly chop two onions and smash a clove of garlic (remember, you are going to blend anyway).  Add some oil to that soup pot then fire it up.  Add the onions, garlic, some salt, and pepper and after cooking for a few minutes, pour in your broth.  Let this simmer for 15 minutes while you get going on other things.  Cut 2 large heads of broccoli into florets.  Two things going.  One more to go.

Set out three containers for dredging the chicken.  Flour in one.  Egg and milk in another.  Mix breadcrumbs and parmesan in a third.  Season them all with Essence.  Take boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs about 2 at a time), and put between plastic and pound until about 1/4-inch thick.  Set on a plate and repeat with the rest.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Dip the pieces in the flour, egg, then the crumbs and put on a small tray.  Once finished, wrap and refrigerate. 

Is the pasta water boiling yet?  Add salt and pasta.  Don’t forget to stir it.  Has the soup broth been simmering for 15 minutes?  Add the florets and cook until tender, you know, six minutes or so.  Turn off the heat and let sit for a minute.  Tend to the pasta i.e. drain it.  Toss with olive oil.  Add a bit of salt and pepper.  Set aside.  Check.

Blend the broccoli soup.  Taste it.  Add salt and pepper.  Is it too broccoliky?  Pour in a bit of cream.  Wait, I could have sworn we had some cream in this fridge.  Who’s running this household!  Ok, milk it is.

NOTE:

Guess what folks… you can do all of the above a day or so ahead, but if you do it all at once, you’re looking at just under an hour. 

Once you’re ready to serve, in this case, after work and after running the kids to piano and they are howling about how hungry they are in the car….  “HOW LONG UNTIL DINNER????”  Get home, turn on the broiler.  Shout, “Fifteen minutes until dinnertime, guys”.

ASSEMBLE:

Fry the breaded chicken on the stove top in an inch of oil them put them on a baking sheet.  Spoon on some tomato sauce and top with mozzarella.

 Don’t use parchment paper under the broiler like I did here.  Almost burned down the house!

Broil for 2 minutes or so (depending on how close you are to the element).  Meanwhile, heat the soup, the noodles, and extra sauce in the microwave.  Don’t burn the chicken.

The soup… just enough to coax the kiddies into eating (sour cream never hurts).  It worked.

 Dinner has been served.  Complaints, anyone? 

Recipes:  Broccoli Soup and Boneless Pork Chops Parmigiana  (I made with chicken instead)