This week’s Food & Drink section focuses on Mardis Gras and Cajun tastes! The Leader • Saturday, February 17, 2018 • Page 1B
Mardi Gras, the Fattest of Tuesday beverages recipe of the following:
By Ozzie C. Davis For The Leader
1 oz Light Rum 1 oz Dark Rum 1 oz Banana Liqueur 1 oz Blackberry Liqueur 1 oz Orange Juice 1 oz Pineapple Juice Splash of Grenadine Fruit to garnish Preparation: Mix in a glass and enjoy
Some may not know, but Mardi Gras literally means Fat Tuesday. Fat seems like a taboo adjective in this politically correct day and age, but nevertheless the plus sized party lives on. If you are wild enough to take a stroll down Bourbon St. in New Orleans this week you will find a variety of drinks and cocktails. From the glassy eyes, overly aggressive opinions and staggering of the average Mardi Gras patron, you may assume that as long as a drink has alcohol in it, it would be a proper Mardi Gras themed drink. You would likely be correct. However, since we are refined Houstonians with distinguished pallets, I want to only recommend the best. O.C.D’s Recommendation (Rum Version): Rum Runner Ideal drinking establishment: Johnny’s Gold Brick During prohibition, rum runners bootlegged hooch in order to circumvent laws and avoid taxation. However, the Rum Runner cocktail is legal and taxed. But the better news is that it is delicious and brings the Caribbean coastline to
Photo by Ozzie C. Davis The Rum Runner from Johnny’s Gold Brick, located at 2518 Yale St.
your taste buds. Made from light and dark rums, berry liquors, pineapple and orange juices with a splash of grenadine, Drizly.com has a simple
O.C.D’s Recommendation (Whiskey Version): Sazerac Ideal drinking establishment: Eight Row Flint The classic Sazerac was actually invented in New Orleans in the 1800’s and is the Louisiana Purchase version of the Old Fashioned. Some even claim that the Sazerac is the world’s first documented cocktail. According to recent Louisiana state legislation, the Sazerac is also the official drink of the City of New Orleans. With accolades like those, it is surprising that only half of the people I spoke with were familiar with the Sazerac. Before reading the Bonappetit.com recipe below, don’t even begin the bourbon versus whiskey versus rye argument as that is a discussion for another day:
Ice cubes 1 sugar cube or 1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon Peychaud’s bitters 1/8 teaspoon angostura bitters 1 teaspoon water 1/4 cup rye whiskey (such as Michter’s) 2 teaspoons absinthe (such as Pernod’s) 1 lemon peel twist
Preparation: Fill 1 old-fashioned glass with ice; set aside. Place sugar cube in another oldfashioned glass. Pour bitters, then water over sugar; muddle with back of spoon until sugar dissolves. Add ice to fill glass, then add whiskey. Let stand, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Discard ice from first glass; add absinthe. Swirl to coat inside of glass, then pour out absinthe. Strain whiskey mixture into glass. Twist lemon peel above cocktail and run along lip of glass. Discard lemon. So whether attending the parades in Galveston or your cousin in law, Boudreaux’s annual backyard crawfish boil, one needs to know which beverages to consume in order to really live up the Mardi Gras season. But be forewarned by Ozzie, these drinks are potent and should not be consumed in large quantities. As overindulgence may lead to an unnecessarily longing for dollar store Mardi Gras beads and stories that you conveniently forget to tell your teenage children.
By Ozzie C. Davis For The Leader
Photo by Ozzie C. Davis King Cake carries sweet tradition and even symbolism for the Christian faith that go hand-in-hand with Mardis Gras.
The King of Cakes, Get your country Mardi Gras style cooking fix at Esther’s As a Colorado transplant to Texas, I was completely ignorant to all things Mardi Gras and was confused when the first colorful, crown shaped pastry ended up in my office lunch room. Years later, I have a working knowledge of all things Mardi Gras and even understand a bit of its symbolism. Perhaps you, too, are baffled by the mysterious history of the Mardi Gras King Cake. Hopefully I can help you to become Cajun Conversational with what I would like to call the Ozzie’s Notes to King Cake. Although Mardi Gras and the King Cake tradition are a worldwide phenomenon, I will focus As for the cake itself, it is usually on the Gulf Coast traditions since that is likely a ring shaped pastry. It has a similar consistency the best anyway. In order to understand King Cake, we must to a French croissant and a coffee cake. It is first take a look at some Mardi Gras and Chris- layered with cinnamon and colored sugar. Some may also choose to use cream cheese based filltian background. Mardi Gras begins on January 6, which is also ings, or even chocolate and toasted coconut. The known as Epiphany and is precisely 12 days after cake is then traditionally topped with a cream cheese frosting and dusted with the purple, gold Christmas. Mardi Gras is a moving date and has several and green sugar patterns. There are many opinions of who makes the factors to determining its timeline. The date floats with the movement of the Christian tradi- best King Cake in the Gulf Coast, but as Oak Fortion of Lent and Ash Wednesday. The Lent and est resident Todd Richards mentions, two LouisiAsh Wednesday dates are tied to the Jewish tra- ana based bakeries commonly pop up, Gambinos dition of Passover. The Jewish Passover holiday and Manny Randazzo’s. Both of these locations are tied to the lunar calendar and is the first Full are able to ship King Cakes directly to your door Moon after the Vernal Equinox; the Vernal Equi- for around $50. However, Houston based bakernox is March 20. After March 21, we look for the ies and even local grocers have started making Full Moon. Once the Full Moon happens, the King Cakes for the Mardi Gras season. Now that we understand the King Cake and its following Sunday is declared Easter. Once we arrive at Easter, we must subtract back 40 days tradition, I dub thee “King for a Day” and I will while skipping Sundays to once again arrive at see you at the party. Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras (aka Fat Tuesday) is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. So the Mardi Gras party period is between Epiphany (always January 6) and Ash Wednesday (depends on the Moon). Confused yet? Me, too. Now let’s get to the tradition and symbolism of the King Cake. According to Catholic history, on the epiphany date, the three Wisemen came to Bethlehem to visit the Christ child. The Wisemen brought with them three gifts to give to Jesus. These three gifts are where the Mardi Gras/King Cake color symbolism comes into play. Gold is for power, purple for royalty/justice and green for faith. The cake itself is usually in an oval or circle shape to symbolize a crown for the Christ child as he was to be the King of the Jews and King of the World. Inside the layers of cake, there is a hidden plastic baby toy which symHouston’s best Cantonese and bolizes Jesus. As the cake is cut up Hong Kong dining experienCe. and distributed at a party during the Mardi Gras season, whoever maKe your reservation today! finds the baby toy in their cake is then declared, “King for the Day” Join us and must bring a King Cake to the tues. - tHurs. 11:00 - 10:00 p.m. next party. It is important to keep Friday - saturday 11:00 - 11:00 p.m. in mind that nearly every day between Epiphany and Ash Wednes4705 Inker Street | (713) 861-8883 Conveniently located off of I-10 and Shepherd day are reason to party and eat w w w. g i n g e r a n d f o r k r e s t au r a n t . c o m King Cake.
By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
Country cooking lovers rejoice. Esther’s Cajun Café has opened a second location at 1102 Pinemont A1 after its very successful venture on Yale Street. Tee Lewis, who is the daughter of owner Esther, said that some of her mother’s friends from church altered her to the space available in Dominion Plaza which also houses the Brazos School. Since Esther lives nearby, it was an easy choice to figure out where to expand. “She loves this neighborhood,” said Lewis who noted that the space was not a restaurant to start with and required a lot of work from them to get open. “We’ve been working on it for a year,” she followed with. The interior offers table and booth dining with a window into the workings of the kitchen. Patrons can dine in and take out. While the Yale Street location has a larger menu, the Pinemont spot is starting off with a smaller spread, including peppered steak, garlic roasted baked chicken and smothered pork chops. Sides include black-eyed peas, candied yams, mac n cheese and mustard greens. A separate case contains desserts. Lewis said they will build up the menu over time. Garden Oaks resident Betty Markoski, who tried out the restaurant with her daughter Allison, said she had a friend in the Heights who goes to the Esther’s on Yale had recommended it. Markoski commented on how tender the meat was in her meal. “You don’t even need a knife to cut it,” said
Photo by Betsy Denson Esther’s Cajun Café has opened their second location at 1102 Pinemont A1. Find country cooking on Pinemont Street.
Markoski. According to the restaurant’s web page, Esther’s great-grandmother, Mary Lewis, was known as the master of country style cooking. Gladiola Lewis, Esther’s mother, was also an expert in Cajun style cuisine. Both Momma Lewis and Mary Lewis passed their recipes down to the next generation. Lewis said that the Yale street location has been open for 10 years. “It’s always so packed,” she said. Lewis said that the Pinemont Esther’s will be open seven days a week and will offer breakfast starting on February 17. Posted hours on their Facebook page are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. but you may want to touch base first before you make a trip. Visit them at Esther’s Cajun Cafe & Soul Food on Facebook.
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