A team of culinary enthusiasts (ok, fine, we just like to eat) from MSL and Emeril’s have been hosting monthly cook-off competitions — the theme of the first was chili, and for the second, everyone was asked to bring their signature dish. The competition has been heating up at these events, so when a Taco Cook-Off was announced, I knew I had to pull out all the stops. I began researching taco recipes (more on that later) but I knew that whatever I made HAD to be served in a homemade tortilla. I might have been intimidated by the thought of making my own tortillas, but I was emboldened by a recent tortilla-making how-to that Marc Matsumoto posted on twitter, and of course, motivated by the thought of taking the taco crown.
TJ Pitre, my friend, colleague, and cook-off cohort happened to have a near-full bag of masa harina, which is pretty much the only ingredient in tortillas, and I happen to have a brand-new tortilla press, so we teamed up to make a large batch. 7 large batches, in fact. The results were incredible in every way. I couldn’t believe how easy the tortillas were to make; we were adventurous enough to tackle both hard and soft shells. The hard shells were a little trickier, but after our 30th or so, we had all of the bugs worked out. They were so delicious and fresh, that I may not ever purchase packaged tortillas again.
I’ve been a big fan of the Sazerac cocktail since my first sip. It’s a cocktail rich with history and flavor.
I thought I’d share my photo journey of some of the different Sazeracs I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing over time (forgive the quality of the photos, they were all taken with my camera phone).
Fill a small old-fashioned glass with cracked ice and set aside. In another small old-fashioned glass, put the lump of sugar and just enough water to moisten it. With a spoon, crush the sugar, then add the Peychaud’s bitters, Angostura bitters, whiskey, and several ice cubes. Stir. Never use a shaker. Empty the first glass of ice, add the Herbsaint or Pernod, twirl the glass around, and shake the liqueur out. Strain the whiskey mixture into the glass, twist in the lemon peel, and serve immediately.
Yield: 1 drink
For more info on the Sazerac cocktail you can go here and here.
As a kid, I grew up eating Hubig’s Pies, as did my parents and my parent’s parents. I got a major craving for them after reading this story from the New Orleans magazine The Gambit. Now that I live in New York City, it’s difficult for me to get my hands on this tasty treat, but luckily I have a good friend who did me a huge favor and sent me these (minus the one apple pie I couldn’t wait to eat):
Check out this great video by writer Katie Van Syckle and director Bob Weisz on how Hubig’s Pies are made:
Originally from New Orleans, and now residing in Brooklyn, Ryan invited me over for a summer soiree where she and her roommate cooked up some serious Louisiana goodness–gumbo, alligator sausage, boudin and crawfish-stuffed baked potatoes (the latter being my favorite)!
Nothing like a little crawfish to make me realize just how much I miss the Crescent City…
This simple salad made of blanched farmer’s market green beans, sliced radishes and imported sardines, dressed with a little red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil was delicious! I ordered it at a small Italian restaurant in my neighborhood that serves mostly small plates.
And while I love going out to eat (almost 5 nights a week!), I might skip the visit to the restaurant next time I want this and just making it at home because it would be so easy to make myself. I think I might even throw in some chopped Kalamata olives to my version!
I’ve been on a wee bit of a sushi bender. My pal Ann took notice of the situation and brought over this set of sushi roll soaps. I went looking for them on line and found a site that sells, sushi soaps, pillows, bandaids and even a sushi fragrance. By the way, no detail is missed, the sushi roll soaps smell like ginger and they’re vegan.
Olive salad is a thing of beauty. Often it’s comes in jars as bits and pieces of olives and pickled veg, the very thing to gild a Muffaletta (a large round sandwich piled with ham, provolone, salami, mortadella, and Swiss, topped with chopped olive salad). Recently the Louisiana Restaurant Expo beautifully showcased a lot of local flavors, and among them, Perrone & Son’s line of stellar foods - most notably, the return of “whole olive salad.” Giant whole, pit-free green and Kalamata olives tangle in a sharp, briny oil and vinegar-based dressing with tender-crisp carrot rounds, cauliflower florets, pimento bits, capers, and the ocassional pepperocini…heaven. Sometimes, there’s no need for the sandwich, it’s just me, a bowl of olive salad, an ice-cold Moretti beer and my food mags. Ahhh Sunday.
I usually don’t work on Mondays and love to go out for breakfast or lunch by myself, a good book in hand. Last Monday, I decided to go to my neighborhood Spanish tapas restaurant and take advantage of their happy hour special–$1 oysters from 5-7pm! I cannot think of a better way to spend a Monday afternoon.
Instead of regular old French fries, a small taco stand in my neighborhood serves these–deep fried strips of yucca with chipotle ketchup and jalapeno mayo dipping sauces. Muy delicioso! Washed down with a cold cerveza, this was a really great snack. Although, eating two tacos and half a torta with them, did put me over the edge…
Filed Under: Kitchen Tips, Food-Related Random 
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