While I don't miss a lot of things about New Orleans and especially it's New Years that often left me on a sidewalk hyperventilating of an anxiety attack, I will say, I miss the food. How I wish I could head over to Elyse's and pull up a chair at her table and feel full of everything.
Tonight, we are going to try to fill this house up on our own. With delicious food, good company, and tasty drinks pulled right out of some New Orlean's favorites.
The menu tonight includes the French 75 which is one of my favorite Champagne drinks, warm crab dip, black eyed peas, and Trout Amandine.
Bon Appetit!
FRENCH 75
The French 75 pays homage to the French 75 artillery weapon from World War I. When the French and American fighter pilots came back from their raids successfully, they drank this cocktail in honor of the artillery weapon’s design.
Makes 1 serving
1¼ ounces Cognac
¼ ounce fresh lemon juice
¼ ounce simple syrup (see Note)
Ice
3 ounces chilled Champagne or other sparkling wine
Combine the first three ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled champagne flute. Top with the Champagne and garnish with the lemon twist. Serve.
Note: Simple syrup could not be simpler. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar with 1 cup water and heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Do not let boil. Remove from the heat and let cool. Store the simple syrup in a tightly sealed bottle in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
John Besh's :
BLACK-EYED PEAS
Serves 8
This is such a simple dish, but too often it’s not well executed. The key is to let the peas cook slowly and to give them some love. If they need more water, let them have it. We don’t want the peas to overcook so they explode in the pot; we want them soft enough to burst in your mouth.
¼ cup rendered bacon fat
2 onions, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 pound dried black-eyed peas
1 pound smoked pork jowls or smoked ham hocks
2 bay leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco
4 cups hot cooked Basic Louisiana Popcorn Rice (page 15)
1. Melt the bacon fat in a large heavy-bottomed pot over moderate heat. Add the onions and celery and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the black-eyed peas and the pork jowls to the pot, cover with 2 inches cold water, and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cover the pot.
3. Gently simmer the peas, adding more water as necessary to keep the peas covered by 2 inches, until the peas are soft, about 2 hours. Discard bay leaf. Season with salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Serve over Louisiana Popcorn Rice.
TROUT AMANDINE
Serves 6
In traditonal French cooking, a whole fish would be lightly dredged in flour and cooked in butter. In New Orleans we prefer the skinless trout filet. Properly browning the butter makes all the difference. Don’t rush it; take your time swirling the butter in the pan so that the milk solids brown and give off the signature, nutty aroma that is heightened once you add the almonds. Add the lemon juice and serve while the sauce is still foamy.
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon Basic Creole Spices (page 13)
6 5-7-ounce skinless speckled trout filets
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 tablespoons butter
½ cup sliced almonds
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1. Put the milk into a wide dish. Put the flour and Creole Spices into another wide dish and stir to combine. Season the fish filets with salt and pepper, dip them into the milk, and dredge in the seasoned flour.
2. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the filets and cook on each side until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a serving platter.
3. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl the skillet over the heat so that the butter melts evenly and cook until the butter turns brownish, 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the almonds, and cook, stirring gently, until the nuts are toasty brown, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice, parsley, and a dash of salt.
4. Spoon the browned butter and almonds over the fish and serve.
WARM CRABMEAT DIP
Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Meyer.
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup minced scallions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
8 ounces cream cheese
1 pound lump crabmeat, cleaned
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. When butter begins to bubble, add scalions and parsley; cook for 3 minutes, or until scalions are translucent. Add flour and stir to coat vegetables; add milk and cook for 5 minutes. Add cream cheese and stir until blended. Add crabmeat and seasonings, stirring wel; cook over low heat until the crabmeat is hot. Serve in a chaffing dish with warm bread, or serve individualy on slices of toasted baguette.
Serves 6 to 8
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