menu m enu M IL K PU NCH BU TTER M IL K BISCU ITS
with Ham and Blackberry Preserves A N DOU IL L E
in Sharp Cheddar Pastry GR IL L A DE S CH EE SE GR ITS GR EEN SA L A D
with Red Onion, Grapefruit, and Avocado K ING CA K E BR E A D PU DDING
Mardi Gras Brunch
BU TTER MIL K BISCU ITS
with Ham and Blackberry Preserves
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've given enough Mardi Gras brunches to know that the first thing people crave after a night of revelry (in addition to some liquid refreshment, of course) is a salty, buttery treat, preferably one that is warm and bite-sized. A ham biscuit is the perfect thing, particularly if you cut the biscuits no more than an inch and a half in diameter. These biscuits are especially flaky thanks to the frozen butter and the last minute refrigeration before baking. A smear of blackberry preserves provides a sweet counterpoint to the smoky ham—as well as a touch of Mardi Gras color. For a bit of heat, try green pepper jelly instead. You’ll still be firmly in the Mardi Gras color range.
4 cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 ½ sticks butter, frozen, cut into ½-inch cubes 1 cup buttermilk ½ stick butter, melted 12 thin slices smoked ham 1 jar blackberry preserves or green pepper jelly
M A K E S A BOU T 2 4 BIS CU ITS In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda to blend. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of peas. (You can also do this with your fingers.) Add the buttermilk and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle top with flour. Roll into a ¾–inch thick rectangle and fold in half. Repeat rolling and folding process three more times. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Return the dough to a lightly floured surface and re-roll the dough into a round about ½-inches thick. Using a 1½-wide biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out as many biscuits as possible and arrange on the sheet pan. You should have at least 24 biscuits. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the pan of biscuits in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Remove and bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned on top and baked through. Tear the ham slices into two or three pieces per slice and fold in half so that they will fit on the biscuits. Slice each biscuit in half. Brush each side with the melted butter. Place the ham on one side and smear the preserves or jelly on the other. Combine and serve immediately.
Lunch gumbo
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n New Orleans and the nearby southeastern Louisiana parishes, “Gumbo Weather” is not a cutesy term, it’s an actual season, beginning sometime in November when the temperature finally starts to drop and continuing at least through the Super Bowl, a huge gumbo day. (When I found an enormous pearl from an oyster in a seafood gumbo I’d made for Super Bowl XLIV, we put it on top of the TV as a talisman. I’m still convinced that’s why the Saints won for the first time ever!) There are Gumbo Weather cookbooks and blogs; there’s even a folk/blues band by the name somewhere in Texas. But for most of us, the words denote that joyous period when you can open the doors and put a pot on the stove, and maybe even wear a sweater. The great characteristic of gumbo is that it’s an infinitely flexible culinary art form—there are as many versions as there are people who make them. Cajun gumbos feature a roux so dark it all but hides the seemingly mysterious ingredients,
menu m enu R A MOS GIN FIZZ
CH EE SE T H U M BPR IN T WA FER S W ITH PEPPER J EL LY SE A FOOD GU M BO P OTATO SA L A D RU M PECA N PIE
with Whipped Cream
Strawberry Basil Mojitos
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use the word “mojito” fairly loosely here, as I substitute lemon for the usual lime juice and basil for mint. By any name, this is a refreshing cocktail that makes excellent use of the bounty of berry season. I made mine with Old New Orleans Crystal Rum, distilled from sugar cane grown in southeast Louisiana, but any good white rum will do. M A K E S 6 TO 8 CO CK TA I L S 2 cups white rum
Club soda
2 cups Strawberry Basil
Strawberry halves and basil
Syrup (recipe below)
sprigs for garnish
In a pitcher, stir rum and berry syrup together to mix well. Pour into highball glasses over ice and top each with a splash of club soda. Garnish with two or three strawberry halves and a leafy sprig of basil.
S T R AW B E R R Y B A S I L S Y R U P M A K E S 1 QUA RT 4 cups strawberries, washed, 1 bunch basil stemmed, and halved
2¼ cups sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
Place berry halves in a large bowl and crush them using a potato masher (or pulse briefly in a food processor). Place the crushed berries in a large, heavy bottomed pan, add the lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes until the fruit is very soft. Strain into a medium saucepan, and with a ladle, press as much juice from the berries as possible. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the sugar. Stir until sugar is just dissolved. Remove from heat, add the basil, and let steep for about 20 minutes. Remove basil and strain syrup into a pitcher. Any leftover syrup can be refrigerated for up to two weeks.
Classics the
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ather than focusing on a single event or menu, this chapter includes my versions of New Orleans classics from Jambalaya and Red Beans and Rice to Peacemakers and Pralines. Chef Donald Link will walk us through the muffuletta sandwich he perfected. Included is my list the favorite po-boy places of various New Orleans chefs and other characters, among them Chef Jack Leonardi of Jacques-Imo’s fame holding his own two iconic po-boys, slow-roasted duck and fried green tomato with shrimp remoulade. I also share my very personal roundup of the city’s iconic watering holes, from the Napoleon House to Vaughan’s in the Bywater to the revolving Carousel Bar in the Monteleone Hotel. And, there are recipes for classic cocktails too, of course, including newer ones like a Satsuma Margarita that reflect the post-Katrina influx of MexicanAmericans. Along the way, there will be plenty of asides addressing things as arcane as what constitutes a “dressed” po-boy and why red beans and rice is a traditional Monday dish. Finally, there is a playlist of classic New Orleans tunes.
menu m enu SATSU M A M A RG A R ITA V IEU X CA R R E CO CK TA IL “ PE ACEM A K ER”
Fried oysters in a hollowed baguette with homemade tartar sauce CH ICK EN & A N DOU IL L E JA M BA L AYA R ED BE A NS & R ICE DONA L D L IN K‘S M U FF U L ETTA M A RY COOPER’S PR A L IN E S
W H AT CONSTIT U TE S A “ DR E S SED ”
po-boy
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ew Orleans has its own language for lots of things, including the city’s iconic sandwich, the po-boy. Out of towners are always startled when a server asked them if they want their sandwich “dressed.” The answer should always be a resounding “Yes!” and the results will be the same no matter where you’re doing the ordering. A “dressed” po-boy means iceberg lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and pickle. Period. If you want some creole mustard (a good addition to a roast beef po-boy) or hot sauce (de riguer with shrimp or oysters) those are “accessories” and you take care of them yourself.
Julia Reed’s New Orleans Food, Fun, Friends, and Field Trips for Letting the Good Times Roll Julia Reed Photography by Paul Costello Rizzoli International Publications, Inc. 300 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10010 www.rizzoliusa.com ISBN: 978-0-8478-6364-8 $50.00 Hardcover, 8 x 10 inches 224 pages 150 full color photographs Rights: World For serial rights, images to accompany your coverage, or any other publicity information about this title please contact: Pam Sommers, Executive Director of Publicity, T. (212) 387-3465, psommers@rizzoliusa.com