A Quick Trip to the Big Easy

Beep and I had a short weekend trip to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, check out the video/food montage and this list of wonderful restaurants. We always hit the standard fare in New Orleans, this time we branched out and in the little time we had tried a few new places. We ate, drank, napped, then ate, drank and napped a little more.
Our first food stop was Lüke, Chef John Besh welcomes you to Lüke, his homage to the grand old Franco-German brasseries that once reigned in New Orleans. We started with spicy and wonderfully garnished bloody marys, followed by a not so light lunch, as we had intended, but I wouldn't have changed a thing. It was perfect! We had a reservation at Cochon, where chef Donald Link combines his German heritage with Cajun cuisine, in other words, MORE PORK. Well, long story short, we hit the Ritz concierge room and ended up missing our reservation. Some things happen for a reason. We ended up at the Davenport Lounge, downstairs and enjoyed some wonderful small plates and live music from Jeremy Davenport. A quick walk down Bourbon for some interesting people watching and an obligatory drink at The Old Absinthe House, we were home shortly after midnight. We awoke the following morning and enjoyed a light breakfast back at the concierge lounge, and headed north to Baton Rouge. Lunch at a great little Mediterranean spot and dinner at Jubans. It is worth repeating, if you only have one chance to visit New Orleans, you must visit the regulars, but if you are lucky enough to visit the crescent city more than once, change it up and get off the beaten path!
THE STANDARDS: (I wish we would have had time for!) Brennan's, Antoine's, Arnaud's, Mother's, Cafe Du Monde, The Pelican Club, August, Lafitte's Blacksmith Bar. These are just a few of our favorites in the Big Easy, as you can see it takes more than one weekend or one visit to enjoy all this city has to offer. I didn't even cover any of the spots on Magazine or the Garden District!

Tomato & Mozzarella Tart

A quick and easy recipe that is oh so versatile made with things from my garden! This large tart is perfect for lunch with a green salad on the side or when catering I make individual tarts in mini tart pans for a bite-size appetizer. Once again, this recipe can be changed to fit any occasion. Follow the basic preparation method and mix up the ingredients for an endless variety of tastes. A couple of variations to this simple tomato and cheese tart are: Mediterranean: a pesto with basil, thyme, parsley and marjoram topped with tomatoes, goat cheese, kalamata olives and artichoke hearts.
French: Caramelized onions and leeks with Gruyere and prosciutto (I know the meat is Italian.) Goat cheese, tomato and arugula, I could go on and on.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Pie crust (See recipe for Pate Brisee)or cheat and use a ready made Pillsbury crust.
4 1/2 T Pesto (See Basil Pesto recipe)
2 Medium tomatoes, sliced
1 Medium ball fresh Mozzarella, sliced
2 T Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Kosher salt, to taste
Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Serves: 6-8

PREP:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust in an 8 or 9 inch fluted tart pan. Place a piece of parchment paper over the dough and fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake 10-12 minutes. Remove weights and spoon pesto over the crust, bake an additional 6-8 minutes. Meanwhile, slice tomatoes and cheese. Remove crust from oven and top with tomatoes and cheese alternating slices. If the crust bubbles, prick with a fork or knife to deflate, prior to placing the slices. Sprinkle with Parmigiano and return to the oven to bake until edges are golden brown, approximately 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cool enough to remove outer rim of tart pan, slice and serve or it can be served room temperature as well. Garnish with fresh basil if desired. Cover and store remaining slices in the refrigerator.

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

I recently came across this recipe for Panna Cotta and decided to give it a try. Beep always orders the light dessert at one of our neighborhood restaurants, so I thought, "why not make it for him at home?" Perfect for summer, this cool, creamy, much easier option to creme brulee is a joy to prepare. Quick and simple, no baking, it has become my new go to dessert. Just be sure to give yourself enough time for the chilling process, this is not a make at the last minute dessert. I was so pleased with the accuracy of the recipe, I wouldn't change a thing.


INGREDIENTS:
2 C Heavy cream
1 Vanilla bean
1/2 C Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1/2 C Whole milk
1/2 C Whole milk Greek yogurt, I used 2% and it was fine
Sliced strawberries for garnish, I made a blueberry sauce, see recipe below

In a small saucepan heat the cream over medium heat, split the vanilla bean, scrapping the seeds, place the seeds and bean in the cream. Add the sugar to the pan and bring to a simmer over medium-low, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin over the milk and allow it to soften. When the cream reaches a simmer, remove the vanilla bean, turn off the heat and stir gelatin mixture into the hot cream until dissolved. Stir in the yogurt and pour into eight 4oz. ramekins. Place all ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or overnight.
To serve, un-mold by dipping the bottom 3/4 of the ramekin in hot water and loosen with a knife. Invert onto a serving plate and garnish with your choice of berries, sauce or honey, whatever you like. Beep likes blueberry sauce with his, so that is why I chose to make it.

BLUEBERRY SAUCE:
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, I used a lime, it was what I had on hand.
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREP:

Wash and crush blueberries with a fork; add sugar, lemon juice and salt. Mix well. In a small saucepan, bring blueberry mixture to a boil; boil 1 minute. Add vanilla. Chill. (I kept it at room temperature to serve with the panna cotta.) I also made half this recipe and it was just enough for the eight servings.
Serve over puddings, cake, or ice cream.

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

I adapted this recipe from an old Fort Lauderdale friend's. We used to have a dinner club and one of the girls made a terrific rice salad with a cumin vinegarette. I eighty-sixed the rice to create this wonderful black bean and corn salsa. This is a great way to use left over corn on the cob, I always buy more than we can eat. You can use canned corn, but it just isn't the same.

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 Ears corn on the cob, cooked and cut from the cob
1 Small jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 15oz. Can black beans rinsed and drained
2 Small tomatoes seeded and diced
1/2 Small red onion, diced
Pinch Garlic powder
Pinch Adobo seasoning
Pinch Ground cumin
Salt & Pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro, chopped to taste, I like a bunch
1/4 C Cider vinegar
Olive oil added to vinegar to equal 1/3 C

PREP:
In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients except vinegar and oil. In a small bowl whisk together vinegar and oil. pour over salsa and stir to coat. Store in refrigerator up to one week. Great served with chips, chicken or toss with cooked rice and make additional dressing for a rice salad.

Howard Ahren's Pickles

One of Beep's favorites, his mom got this recipe from the head of the kitchen at Pine Crest, Howard Ahren, hence the name. This is the perfect use for all of the cukes I now have growing in my garden. This pickle is the basic ice box cucumber or bread and butter pickle. A balance of sweet and sour with a few simple seasonings. I don't do anything different than Kim. I do slice the cukes and onions on my mandoline to make things easy. I peel the cukes, but don't take quite all the green. If you finish the pickles and still want more, simply slice up some more cucumber and onion and add them to the marinade and keep refrigerated up to one week.

My Summer Garden

I do actually do things other than cooking, I thought I might blog a little about them as well. My husband loves to say that, "For an Indiana farm girl, you have such a brown thumb." I think that I may have finally proven him wrong. Over the last two years I have taken to planting more than just my standard herbs and I think it has gotten slightly out of hand. This year Bo chopped away at an out of control Wisteria, clearing a small patch perfect for a little more than basil (See Basil Pesto and Tomato & Mozzarella Tart) and thyme. I was determined to raise the bar this year, so I planted all the regulars plus, watermelon, strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. Great tip, by the way, the guys at the nursery know their stuff, they sold Beep hot peppers to plant along side the herbs and veggies to keep the pests away without using any chemicals!
So proud, I picked my first cucumber last week, thinking that all I was growing was vines and leaves I was astounded to find this 14 inch vegetable hiding under the large ground cover! I have included the spoon for scale at Beep's request. I also picked my first tomato and jalapenos this week. Related recipes to follow. Mom-mom made the best cucumber salad that is one of Beep's favorites, so it would be fitting to mix up a batch. Cucumber water is also a refreshing summer treat, or just a bowl of iced water, sliced cucumber and wash cloths by the pool may be the answer. (See Mom-mom's cucumber sandwiches and Howard Ahren's Pickles).
My blackberries were exceptionally good this year, very sweet, some Texans have told me that it was due to all the spring rain. (See blackberry buckle and blackberry lemonade).
So, get out there, get your hands dirty, make the kids dig along side you and reap the rewards of a bountiful garden full of memories and fantastic flavors to share with your family!

Austin Eatery Adventures

School is out and we had a quick family trip to Austin, one of our favorite weekend getaway destinations. We hit most of our favorite places, but it is difficult to fit them ALL in, only being there for a long weekend. Check out the links to our favorite spots and some photos of the yummy food we could fit into our busy schedule.
First stop and favorite pizza at HOME SLICE! The king of pizza parlors. Beep and I split our favorite, White Clam pizza. The kids filled up on Calzone, Cheese by the slice and Garlic Knots. Go early or be prepared to wait, even with the newly expanded spot next door, getting a seat is no easy task.
Day two: a late breakfast, early lunch of Crepes and we were off to South Congress for some family shopping adventures. Where else can you find cowboy boots, candy shops and Lucy in Disguise. Check out the the costumes, they never grow up!
We skipped our favorite local BBQ joints, Green Mesquite and Salt Lick and opted for a short drive to try something new. We headed over to Lockhart, with only minor amounts of whining from the backseat of, "How much further, are we there yet?" I suppose it was worth the drive, Beep had a beef rib that rivaled Fred Flintstone's famous carside treat and the family style food, history and atmosphere were an experience. We rounded out the trip with a Texas Steak House, Eddie V's. Texas has so many steak houses, this one is not much different from the rest, great selection of seafood though and Beep and I shared what was possibly one of the best desserts we have ever tasted. It was a variation on Bananas Foster that I don't even know how to begin to describe. We just thought it was YUMMY! Another late lunch at Juan in A Million was a must and well worth it. Again, go in between breakfast and lunch so you may not have to wait???? The queso with guacamole and ground beef is wonderful, AKA in Dallas as Bob Armstrong Dip.

Basil Pesto

Basil is another item in my garden that just keeps on giving. I end up having trouble coming up with ways to use it all summer long. Pesto is one of my favorites, and I love that it can be used in so may recipes. The basil is wonderful alone, but works great in pasta; warm pesto cream over your favorite noodle or tossed with a cold pasta salad. This weekend I whipped up a quick snack using the pesto. Instead of the standard pesto, sun-dried tomato and cheese terrine, I simply stirred a couple of spoonfuls of pesto into equal parts cream cheese and goat cheese, chopped some sun-dried tomatoes and stirred those into the mixture. Serve with crackers.

INGREDIENTS:
3 Large cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 C Pine nuts
2 C Basil
1/4 C plus 2 T Olive oil, the best quality
1/4 C Parmesan cheese, high quality freshly grated

PREP:
Place the garlic, salt, pine nuts and 2 T of olive oil into a blender. Blend, pulsing and scraping down the sides until the mixture is finely chopped. Add the basil to the blender and blend on low adding the remaining 1/4 C of oil. Blend in the cheese, just until mixed and taste for additional seasoning. Place in an airtight container, top with a small amount of oil to maintain color. I top with a layer of film(plastic wrap) pressed directly on top of the oil and then another layer of film over the container. Will store in the refrigerator up to one week. You can freeze for a month, but add the cheese after you thaw.

Blackberry Lemonade

One use that I have found for my blackberries growing in the back yard is this tasty beverage, that just screams SUMMER. Simple, quick and use whatever type of berries you may have on hand. You could also use limes and and make a limeade. I suggest doubling this recipe, it disappears way to quickly!





INGREDIENTS:
2 C Water
1 C Sugar
1 C Blackberries overflowing
1 C Lemon juice, freshly squeezed 4-5 lemons
2 C Cold water

PREP:
Put first 3 ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Turn heat down and simmer for five minutes. Squeeze lemon juice. Allow blackberry mixture to cool slightly and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients. Press berries with the back of a spoon to release all the juices. Pour lemon juice through the strainer to remove any small seeds and pour in the remaining 2 cups of water and refrigerate.

Blackberry Buckle

This is me trying to use all my constantly ripening blackberries! It also happens to be one of my favorite recipes for summer time fruit. The recipe is from, The Amish Cook, a book filled with great stories as well as recipes. The original is Rhubarb Crunch, but since I am the only one in my family who will eat Rhubarb, I make it will blackberries or blueberries or I end up eating the entire thing!
INGREDIENTS:
1 C Granulated sugar
1 1/2 C plus 3 T flour
3 C Rhubarb, diced, I use blackberries or blueberries whole
1 C Brown sugar firmly packed
1 C Rolled oats
1/4 C Butter, softened
I also add the following,
*1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp almond extract in the fruit mixture
Warm milk or cream for serving, or serve the crunch warm with vanilla ice cream.

PREP:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the sugar and flour. Add the fruit and stir until evenly coated. Place in a greased 9X13, (I use a 10 inch round baking dish.) In another bowl, combine the brown sugar and oats, and cut in the butter to make a crumbly topping. Sprinkle the topping over the rhubarb mixture. Bake for 40 minutes, until the rhubarb juice bubbles up through the golden brown topping. Serve warm with milk or cream or ice cream.
Serves: 4-6