ODE TO THE CRESCENT CITY

Last month I had the pleasure of participating in a culinary immersion of New Orleans. Now to say that this was a once in a lifetime experience would be an understatement. How many people have an opportunity to enjoy four days of incredible food at some of the city’s best restaurants prepared by New Orleans finest chefs? Did I mention the cooking demos? Oh what a treat!

Join me as I take a quick trip down memory lane…

Sunday, March 10

Dinner at Commander’s Palace – one of New Orleans legendary restaurants. Located in the beautiful Garden District, this gem never disappoints. The food and service were impeccable.  Our menu (and note this was not a select one from each course menu…you received a full portion of each):

Appetizers: Turtle Soup and Commander’s Romaine Salad

Entrees: Pecan Crusted Fish and Tournedos of Black Angus Beef

Dessert:  Creole Bread Pudding Soufflé

I must admit that this was the most wonderful thing I have ever tasted. Now…lest we forget, I don’t have a sense of smell (or taste…the Tasteless Gourmand), but the airy texture of the soufflé along with the creaminess of the Whiskey sauce added table side was unbelievable!

Monday, March 11

Our first full day of immersion began with a trip to the New Orleans Cooking Experience, a unique cooking school housed in a beautifully refurbished historic 19th century Victorian mansion.  Our first experience was provided by the R&D team at Diversified Foods who demonstrated the distinct variations on authentic Louisiana Cajun and creole cuisine based on region.

Course one began with a look at gumbo:

French Quarter Gumbo, the more traditional version, with chicken, shrimp and Andouille

Bayou Lafourche Seafood Gumbo with crab, shrimp and oysters which is found most often in the coastal regions where seafood is bountiful.

Opelousas Style Duck, Quail, and Smoked Sausage Gumbo with a dark roux, Tasso and Cayenne pepper, more of a bayou style with ingredients native to the bayous.

Course two featured other well-known Louisiana menu dishes:  Jambalaya with chicken, Andouille and tomatoes; Fried Trout with Creamy White Beans (DELISH); and Rabbit Sauce Picante

Finally, course three … dessert:

We started with a New Orleans staple … Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce, followed by Rice Pudding (one of my personal favorites), and Tarte a la Bouille.

Our day started early and I didn’t eat breakfast, because with a simple taste of each item, I was STUFFED!  Thankfully, the afternoon involved a walking tour of the French Quarter led by famed NOLA food historian Poppy Tooker, as well as a trip to the Southern Food & Beverage Museum.

Dinner was a special treat … a special menu at Calcasieu, the private dining facility for Donald Link’s Cochon.  Served family style…I think the menu speaks for itself. My favorite – the Braised Beef Short Ribs.

Tuesday, March 12

On Tuesday, we returned to the New Orleans Cooking School for another cooking demonstration. This one was presented by some of New Orleans most talented chefs/authors…Poppy Tooker, Chiqui Collier, Janice “Boo” Macomber, and Gerard Meras. And as someone that loves to cook, I was thrilled to not only have a chance to taste their incredible food, but to get a copy of the recipes…SCORE!

Everything was great, but I have never had BBQ Shrimp like Chiqui’s. In all honesty, half the stuff sold as BBQ Shrimp in restaurants isn’t authentic! Chiqui’s was full of fresh garlic, herbs, white wine and head on shrimp. This was the real deal and the broth was soooo good, I just wanted to turn the bowl up.

Dinner was a trip to the venerable K’Paul’s Kitchen. Though Chef Paul was unable to join us due to a last minute conflict…the meal was great just the same.

Wednesday, March 13

We began the morning with an extra early stroll down to Croissant d’or Patisserie. A quaint little pastry shop on the far end of the Quarter (i.e. not touristy) for the most delicious, freshly baked Almond and Chocolate croissants you’ve ever tasted. Do yourself a favor and be sure to put this shop on the must try list! But that was just the teaser. We then walked down to The Stanley for the best Soft Shell Crab Benedict I have ever had!

Beat only by this Bananas Foster French Toast that one of my companions selected.

No trip to New Orleans would be complete without those tiny little crustaceans we all know and love … Crawfish! And to conclude our trip, we were honored with an authentic Crawfish Boil compliments of Zatarain’s.

If you’re a foodie and you’ve never been to New Orleans, put it on your bucket list. This city’s amazing culinary heritage is chocked full of incredible stories and the flavors of the seven nations that make up the area.

As always…I am the Tasteless Gourmand!