I had never before seen, tasted or even heard of  “Blueberry Basil,”  until my pastry pal, Mia, talked about her “Blueberry Basil ice cream.”  She got her plant from Mr. Mizel at the Crescent City Farmers’ Market, so I high-tailed to the market on and sure enough, he had this beautiful plant for me to buy!  Amazingly, the flowers and leaves both have an intense blueberry aroma, reminiscent of fresh-baked blueberry muffins.  The flavor is less blueberry, more gentle peppery basil, with a hint of sweetness - fascinating!  Mia’s ice cream was phenomenal, served alongside a soft blueberry cake and tangy lemon curd.  I muddled some leaves and fresh Lousiana blueberries for a kicked-up Blueberry Mojito.  Oh how I adore blueberry season.

Last night, a friend of mine told me about an unbelievable recipe that Paula Deen came up with.  It’s called the “Lady’s Brunch Burger,” and is comprised of a burger, topped with bacon and a fried egg, than is nestled between a bun made of glazed donuts!  That’s right–a bun of glazed donuts!!!  I’m not sure if I should try one.  But if any of you readers do, please let me know what you think!

Did you know that President Obama and family have an “Official White House Photostream” page on Flickr?   You can view photos posted almost daily of the goings-ons at the White House!  And if you are like me, you’ll be very interested in what dessert he’s serving at his next dinner party or what Michelle and local students are planting this spring in the beds of the White House Vegetable Garden.  How cool is that?!

I’ve been on a tart-making jag.  Simple, fresh and easy, this most challenging part is the crust - and even that is a cinch when using a Basic Sweet Crust.  The fruit, of course is your choice - I like berries.  The filling was a bit of an experiment - one that worked out well and was very easy - a blend of one-third each Mascarpone, Ricotta and Greek yogurt, sweetened to-taste, with powdered sugar.  When I brought this tart into work, it was devoured in 10 minutes, by a band of rabid wolves AKA my co-workers.

Photo courtesy of: Ulterior Epicure

This evening I came across a new form of cracklings at The John Dory!  Instead of being pork skin, they were made from cod!  I’m not exactly sure how they are prepared, but if I had to guess, I would say that the fat from the cod is deep-fried, possibly having been dried first.  At any rate, they were fantastic.  Sprinkled with pickled mustard seeds, they were a very dressed up version of fish and chips.

I just had these for brunch yesterday.  They seem so easy to make and were absolutely delicious that I definitely plan to make them at home!   They would also be a great treat to make with kids!

Simply take store-bought cake doughnuts and lightly grill them until they are slightly charred and warmed through.  Sprinkle them generously with cinnamon sugar and serve with coffee immediately.

This beautiful Roasted Vegetable and Cous-cous Salad was served at a Memorial Day/Going-Away party I attended this weekend.  The varying textures and salty-spicy-roasted flavors were incredible.  While the dish is a bit labor-intesive, the final result is sooooo worth it.  As we head into warmer weather months, fresh, cool, clean vegetable-centric dishes seem apropos.

I’m not sure how Chef David Slater managed to transport me to Coney Island in a matter of seconds last Saturday, but his fried clam strips were like a gourmet blast from the past!  Dipped in a light and crunchy batter, the clam strips (from somewhere in Maine, Louisiana he kept joking…) and fresh zucchini blossoms were out of control!  Served alongside of them was a little finger bowl of preserved lemon aioli.  The dish was the perfect blend of salt, sweet and sour.  And while the rest of the food I ate that evening (I think we had about 8 courses…) was great, this dish was so simple and delicious, I know I’ll be craving it for weeks to come.

One of my favorite things about eating in New Orleans is all the local pride found on each plate.  At brunch on Sunday, I ordered a crab salad that was beautifully garnished with paper thin slices of fried sweet potatoes, Lousiana citrus segments and spring pea shoots.  Several of the ingredients in the dish were sourced from area, down to the Blue Plate mayonnaise used to dress the salad.

As you probably guessed by the bag of Zapp’s potato chips in the photo, I was in New Orleans this weekend!  This was one of my many meals on my visit down south–an assortment of cold cut sandwiches from my favorite Magazine Street deli.  Of the five, my favorite was the sandwich piled high with warm slices of pastrami, swiss cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing on rye.  How I managed to have dinner just hours later?!  I’m still not sure…

Sam

Hot Pastrami, Swiss, Cole Slaw on Rye with Russian Dressing