Archive for the Category » New Orleans Classics «
06
Jan 2011
Jan 2011
Today is January 6, 2011. The Twelfth Night. The Feast of the Epiphany. Little Christmas. King’s Day. It commemorates the Three Wise Men’s visit to the Baby Jesus on the twelfth night following his birth. In New Orleans, today marks the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of the carnival season. This is also the City’s first official day for King Cake sales.
King Cakes, which were originally prepared to honor the Magi’s journey, are circular or oval shaped pastries braided with cinnamon-sugar and topped with white fondant icing and tons of purple, green and gold sugar (carnival colors [ ... ]
24
Dec 2010
Dec 2010
Until recently, we celebrated Christmas back home in New Orleans. The upside: being with family and enjoying all the wonderful holiday traditions we grew up with. The downside: orchestrating Santa’s arrival in another city! Now, for obvious reasons, we have Christmas in Georgia. It’s bittersweet. While we love waking up in our own home on Christmas morning, we all miss sharing this special day with the rest of our family. So I’ve begun a few new holiday rituals to keep homesickness at bay. For one, we party on Christmas Eve just [ ... ]
Category: Christmas, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving, Vegetables
Tags: mirliton, Shrimp Recipes, tasso 3 Comments
06
Dec 2010
Dec 2010
I’ve never liked Shrimp Creole. Maybe it’s because my mom never cooked it or because the few restaurant versions that I’ve tried were disappointing. But oddly enough, it has always been a dish that I wanted to like.
I hadn’t thought much about my dysfunctional relationship with Shrimp Creole until recently while reading through a bunch of recipes and stories on roux-based dishes. Every time a Shrimp Creole reference crossed my desk, my mouth watered. They all sounded so rich, comforting and tasty, but my food memories recalled otherwise. I had never eaten a bowl of Shrimp Creole that was rich, [ ... ]
Category: Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Roux, Seafood, Shrimp, Stock
Tags: Creole Cooking, French Bread, New Orleans Recipes, Rice, Roux, Seafood, Shrimp Creole, Shrimp Recipes 8 Comments
15
Nov 2010
Nov 2010
Gumbo is one of the many New Orleans dishes steeped in tradition. Just about every family has their own unique style, cooked a certain way with specific ingredients. Each pot tells a story or reveals a bit of family history.
Our family gumbo was my great-grandmother’s Creole Seafood Gumbo. She graciously passed that recipe on to my mom who continued the tradition of preparing the dish for specials occasions. The pot was always teeming with fresh shrimp, previously boiled crabs (for extra flavor) and briny oysters. The gumbo was thickened with a light roux and canned okra and finished with tomato [ ... ]
Category: Chicken, Gumbo, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Pork, Roux, Stock
Tags: andouille sausage, cajun, creole, Gumbo, Roux 6 Comments
11
Nov 2010
Nov 2010
I’d like to give a shout out to the New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival which is this Sunday in Uptown New Orleans. New Orleans has a ton of festivals throughout the year, but I think this one is really cool because in addition to celebrating one of our most beloved culinary traditions, the poor boy (accurate spelling) sandwich, it also sets out to promote and preserve a way of life.
You see, the Carrollton area that plays host to this event represents a big part of New Orleans culture. In this Uptown New Orleans neighborhood, residents harmoniously co-exist with restaurants, businesses [ ... ]
06
Nov 2010
Nov 2010
Got a craving for crawfish? My husband does. And this time of year when live crawfish are not running (out of season) one of the only ways to satisfy his craving is with frozen Louisiana crawfish tails. In New Orleans, frozen crawfish tails are a heavily relied upon convenience food. Many folks outside of Louisiana are unaware of this great product, but it’s available in the frozen seafood department of most supermarkets across the country.
Now as much as I love the usefulness of frozen crawfish tails, their taste and texture take a small but noticeable hit during the freezing process. [ ... ]
Category: Crawfish, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Roux, Seafood
Tags: cajun, crawfish, creole, New Orleans Recipes, Roux, Seafood 10 Comments
05
Oct 2010
Oct 2010
Truth be told, I didn’t learn how to make a dark, rich roux from my family. My relatives, who are all incredibly talented and passionate cooks, prepare meals with a heavy Creole hand. So their sauces and gravies generally rely on butter-based white and blond roux. My mom’s Seafood Gumbo, a recipe handed down from my great-grandmother, also follows Creole lines. The gumbo is thickened with a light roux and okra and is flavored liberally with tomato sauce. I was a young adult before I associated the rich, smoky flavors of other gumbos, étouffées and dark gravies with a roux. [ ... ]
Category: Gumbo, New Orleans Classics, Roux
Tags: Gumbo, New Orleans Recipes, Recipe, Roux 3 Comments
02
Oct 2010
Oct 2010
There are many schools of thought on roux-making. Some cooks prefer the traditional and time-consuming approach of combining the flour and fat at room temperature then gradually increasing the heat until the mixture reaches the proper color and consistency. Others start their roux on the stove top and finish it in the oven. There are also folks who make it in the microwave or cook it dry by browning flour in the oven without any fat. I, on the other hand, have adopted the quick cook method described in Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen.
The quick cook [ ... ]
01
Oct 2010
Oct 2010
“First you make a roux” is that ubiquitous phrase associated with classic New Orleans and South Louisiana dishes. It’s written about in many cookbooks, debated in lots of food circles and feared by many professional and home cooks. But what exactly is a roux (pronounced “roo”)? Well, a roux is nothing more than fat and flour cooked together to a desired color and thickening capability used to enhance stocks and other liquids. The concept is simple, but the flavor, texture and color a roux lends to a dish is anything but!
Since roux is the cornerstone of New Orleans cooking, learning [ ... ]
