July 2005 Archives
I stopped at PJ's in Clearview Mall this morning. It's an interesting coffee shop, because of its size and location. It's a long, skinny place, with a central aisle and two rows of small tables on either side, one row against the wall, one along the windows. The shop opens into the mall, and there's an entrance to the parking lot as well.
PJ's is a chain, but it's a local one. The coffee is good. The pastries vary from location to location. I don't know what sort of quality control the company places on its franchisees, so it's difficult to tell if the variances reflect upon the individual locations or the chain itself. As a result, I usually just get a coffee when I go to PJ's. In that regard, however, the place is a winner. Their coffees and teas are good quality and fresh.
The PJ's in Clearview advertises wireless Internet service, but it's been my experience that the service is down more than it is up. It's hard to tell whose problem this is, but it reflects poorly on both provider (Broadband IP) and shop. Note to Broadband IP - I doubt anyone expects the average barrista to be able to troubleshoot the shop's wireless network, so you're going to get the blame. As I sit here (I'll post the message when I get back to my office), I can connect to the access point, but I'm unable to request an IP address or connect beyond simply detecting the presence of the access point.
In terms of people-watching, this shop is fertile ground. Being in a mall, you'll encounter shoppers, mall-walkers taking a break from their exercise, shop patrons who came to the mall specifically to have a cuppa, and a wide range of interesting characters.
Conclusion: This shop makes a good meeting point for folks in Metairie. It's quiet (no noisy blenders like you hear at Starbucks or CC's). The coffee is good and the atmosphere generally quiet. Don't count on this shop for Internet--if you're looking for a place to sit and check your e-mail and such, try someplace else.
Grits are usually thought of as a Southern dish, not specifically Creole. We're going to "creole" them up today.
The Podcast (30:14, 27.6MB)
The Recipes
Creole Grits And Cheese Casserole
4 cups cooked grits
½ Cup Onion, chopped fine
¼ cup Green Onion, chopped fine
2 cups Grated cheddar cheese, divided
1 tsp Zatarain's Creole Seasoning
1 Egg beaten
2 Tbsp parsley
Prepare grits according to recipe on package. Add the next five ingredients to grits and blend thoroughly until cheese has melted.
Pour mixture into baking dish and top with 1 cup grated cheese and parsley.
Bake in 350°F oven for 30-45 minutes.
Serves 8-10
Grilled Corn Grits
from Zea Rotisserie And Brewery
Ingredients:
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup grilled corn
1 cup yellow grits (not instant)
Directions:
To grill corn, shuck off husk. Lightly butter corncob and grill over charcoal or open fire until slightly blackened. Cool corn and cut kernels from cob with a sharp knife. Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add heavy cream and return to a boil. Slowly whisk in the grits and then the corn. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 5 to 6 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Spicy Creole Tomato Grits
Prep Time: 45 Minutes
Yields: 6 Servings
Ingredients:
1 cup yellow stone-ground grits
2 large Creole tomatoes, chopped
½ cup bacon, chopped
¼ cup butter
¼ cup sliced garlic
3 cups water
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp salt
2 tbsps canned chopped green chiles
¼ cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
Method:
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Reserve drippings in pan. Add tomatoes, butter and garlic. Sauté until garlic is tender. Mix in water, cream, salt and chiles then bring to a boil. Gradually stir in grits, blending well. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Remove from heat then blend in cheese until melted. Pour grits into a shallow baking dish until ½ inch–¾ inch thick. Place in refrigerator until grits are cool and set. With a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out grits patties. Set on a plate and top with crawfish étouffée, shrimp Creole or eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce.
Grillades and Grits
* 8 thinly pounded veal escallopes, about 3 ounces each
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1-1/2 cups bell pepper, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
* 1 bay leaf
* 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend
* 4 ripe tomatoes, diced
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 quart beef stock
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/4 cup cool water
* 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
* Cooked grits
Season veal escallopes on each side with salt and pepper. Heat butter in a large skillet and sauté the veal until it is lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer cooked meat to a platter and hold in a warm oven whilie prepping the sauce.
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the onion, green onion, bell pepper, garlic and celery until tender. Stir in bayleaf and Italian seasoning, and add the tomatoes, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce.
When the mixture is well-blended, stir in the stock and cook for 5 minutes, stirring freqently. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water, and stir it into the sauce to thicken it. Add the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook over medium heat until reduced by 1/4. Remove the bay leaf.
Spoon the sauce onto warm plates, and center a veal escallop on each. Place grits on the side of the meat, ladle additional sauce over the grits and meat. Garnish with parsley and a few capers. Serves 8.
I've mentioned this place in passing before, but it's worth repeating. Cafe Angelina, at W. Esplanade and Transcontinental in Metairie, is a true gem. It's nowhere near as crowded as the CC's on Veterans as a rule, and definitely more friendly and less noisy than Caffee Caffee on Clearview and W. Esplanade.
Cafe Angelina has an Italian theme, and the background music is a neat mix of traditional Italian songs, Louis Prima, Dean Martin, etc. It's clean and well-lit. It's very suburban (it's in a strip mall, after all, near the Robert's grocery), so it's lacking in "unique" character to that extent.
The coffee is pretty good. They don't have coffee w/chicory, but their dark roast will do fine. They've also got a full kitchen, doing breakfast, lunch and dinner. They've got anything from coffee cake and muffins for breakfast to a full plate of eggs, sausage, and grits.
To sum it up, I like this place because:
1. the coffee is good
2. it's got wireless internet
3. they're not opposed to me doing my work here -- at Caffe Caffe, they've got these "no studying" signs all over the place.
4. no blenders! one of the things that makes CC's or Starbucks so noisy is the number of blended drinks they make. Even at Starbucks, where they have acoustic covers for the blenders, it's nasty.
Cafe Angelina, give it a try when you're out in Metairie.
New Orleans and Creole Potato Dishes
The Podcast (30:57, 28.3mb)
The Recipes
Brabant Potatoes - See the Creole Chicken Podcast
Creole Parsley Potatoes
Yield - 12 Dinner Servings
Ingredients
4 LBS CREAMER RED POTATOES
2 TBSP LEMON JUICE
1 GALLON CHICKEN STOCK
1/2 LB BUTTER
1 TSP WHITE PEPPER
1 TSP SALT
1 BUNCH CILANTRO (Chopped)
Method
Peel potatoes, wash in cold water and douse with lemon juice. (This will stop potatoes from turning brown.) Use a large stock pot and over high heat, boil the potatoes in the chicken stock. Test the potatoes for doneness after 10 minutes, by cutting one in half with a knife. The potatoes should be watched carefully and removed the minute that they are cooked though. Do not over cook the potatoes. The potatoes can be refrigerated at this time for service latter or held covered in a warmed serving bowl.
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet. Add the potatoes and lightly fry in the butter. Add the remaining seasonings, turn frequently to coat all sides of the potatoes with the cilantro. Continue cooking for an additional 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Alternate Method #1
1 TSP SPANISH PAPRIKA
1/2 TSP GROUND CAYENNE PEPPER
Add the above ingredients at the end, the deep red color and taste will greatly enhance this dish.
Alternate Method #2
Use crab boil in lieu of the chicken stock, this add a distinctive South Louisiana flavor.
Creole Potato Salad
* 3 pounds red potatoes, cubed
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1/2 cup creole mustard
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
* 1 medium size sweet onion, diced
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water to cover 12 minutes or until tender, drain and cool slightly.
Stir together mayonnaise, creole mustard and the next six ingredients in a large bowl; add potatoes, eggs, onion, tossing gently.
Serve at room temperature or chilled. Serves 8
Pomme de Terres Soufflees (Soufflee Potatoes from Antoine's Restaurant)
2 pounds large potatoes
Oil
Salt
Wash and peel the potatoes and cut lengthwise into slices 1 1/4 inches wide and one-eighth inch thick. Soak the potato slices in cold water to remove excess starch.
Have two pots filled with oil, one at a moderately hot temperature (275 degrees F) and the other at a very hot temperature (400 degrees F). Drain the potatoes and dry them carefully. Put a single layer of potatoes into a frying basket and lower the basket into the moderately hot oil. Keep moving the potatoes around, dipping the basket in and out of the oil until the potatoes begin to brown and to puff. The partially cooked potatoes may be set aside for awhile before the second stage, or may be finished immediately.
Put the partially cooked potatoes in a basket and dip the basket into the pot of very hot oil. Again be careful to cover only the bottom of the basket with potatoes and to keep them moving around in the oil until they are golden brown, well puffed and crispy.
Remove from the oil, drain on absorbent paper and sprinkle with salt for seasoning. Serves 6.
Grilling with Creole Seasoning, and Blackened Steak.
We're back after the hurricane threats! This week we talk about Creole seasoning, with a couple of recipes for making your own as well as some thoughts on the commercial blends. Recipes include some grilled fish and one for Prudhomme-style blackened prime rib.
The Recipes
Creole Seasoning
A very versatile seasoning blend. Use this as a base seasoning, and build upon it in your dish.
* 2 tablespoons onion powder
* 2 tablespoons garlic powder
* 2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
* 2 tablespoons dried sweet basil
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon white pepper
* 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
* 1 tablespoon celery seed
* 5 tablespoons sweet paprika
Combine in food processor and pulse until well-blended, or mix thoroughly in a large bowl. The recipe doubles or triples well. Give lots of it away as gifts to your family and friends.
Chef Emeril's Creole Seasoning
* 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
* 2 tablespoons salt
* 2 tablespoons garlic powder
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
* 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
* 1 tablespoon dried leaf thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight container. Makes about 2/3 cup.
Creole Grilled Hamburgers
Sprinkle hamburger patties liberally with Creole Seasoning and grill to desired doneness.
Creole Marinated Grilled Red Snapper
Prep Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
2 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper
1 whole cleaned red snapper
Combine the onions and garlic. Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour 1/2 marinade over fish with onions and garlic. Let fish marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Grill fish on both sides for about 7 minutes. Warm remaining marinade and serve over cooked fish.
Salmon Filets in Fine Herbs
PREP TIME: 25 minutes
SERVES: 6
INGREDIENTS:
* 6 (6-ounce) salmon filets
* 1 cup olive oil
* 1 tbsp grated lemon peel
* 1 tbsp fresh minced tarragon
* 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
* 1/2 tbsp fresh chopped chervil
* 1 tbsp chopped dill
* 1 tbsp minced garlic
* fresh ground black pepper to taste
* kosher salt to taste
METHOD:
In a mixing bowl, combine oil and all herbs other than salt and pepper. Wisk thoroughly to create marinade. Remove 6 teaspoon of marinade and set aside for later. Place the fish on a large cooking sheet and coat with the marinade. Allow to sit at room temperature 15 minutes. While fish is marinating, prepare grill according to manufacturer's directions. A small amount of smoke wood may be added for flavor. When ready to serve, place fish on grill and cook 2-3 minutes on each side for medium. Place the cooked fish onto the serving plate and top each with 1 teaspoon of remaining marinade.
Watching Emeril on Food Network. He's got a guest star tonight, Mario Batali. It's no coincidence, of course, that the first episode of the new season of "Iron Chef America" follows this show and Mario is the Iron Chef.
The show is kinda neat, they're doing split-screen shots of the two chefs, and they're both walking over to each other, commenting and cracking jokes. There's a good rapport here.
The first dishes for each were a bruschetta for Mario and a muffeletta sandwich for the E-man. I don't know where Emeril got this round loaf of bread from for the muff, but it certainly wasn't United Bakery on St. Bernard Avenue. He's talking about how we hollow out the bread when we make a muff. Maybe with that goofy thing you're making, cap. In Emeril's defense, however, his olive salad is just excellent, and his meats and cheeses are to-die-for. That's the obvious plus of being in NYC.
Emeril then made gorgonzola gnocchi and Mario did homemade pasta with garlic and mushrooms. Now they're both doing softshell crabs...yum!
one of the things New Orleanians try to do before a hurricane hits is to cook up food in the 'fridge and freezer prior to a hurricane hitting. That way, if the household loses power during/after the storm, a lot of good food won't go to waste.
So, that was the theme tonight. Zuppardo's grocery sells fresh "chicken tenders," which are chicken breasts sliced up. They were on sale the other day, so i bought a pack. Rather than freezing them, I cooked them up. Checking the freezer, I had a pack of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets in there. The original plan for tonight was to make a seafood pasta with some fresh scallops, but it got a bit fancier quickly.
OK, chicken, puff pastry, scallops. Further raiding of the 'fridge yielded a half-pint container of whipping cream, sliced mushrooms, half a green pepper, a medium onion, and a couple of green onions. I had some frozen chicken stock I pulled out as well.
I dusted the chicken tenders with creole seasoning and browned them in olive oil. I use extra Vigo extra virgin olive oil for cooking. I take a wine bottle, load it up with some rosemary and tarragon, then add the olive oil. That's the oil I used tonight. Setting aside the chicken, I added a bit more fresh oil and sauteed the scallops for about five minutes. Scooping them into a bowl, I deglazed the pan with some white wine (an inexpensive sauvignon blanc).
Now, for the sauce: half a medium onion, half a green bell pepper, two green onions, all chopped fine. Saute for five minutes or so i olive oil. When the onion is clear, add about three tbsp of flour to thicken. Added a cup of chicken stock, 1/4 cup or so of white wine, then the cup of whipping cream. Fire on the burner is fairly hot, medium, so this is still pretty thick. Adding back the scallops and the liquid thins out the sauce a bit, then add the 'shrooms, and remove from heat.
On to the chicken--i made four pastry-wrapped sets by putting two chicken tenders on a pastry sheet, cutting it down, and matching with a similar-sized piece, pouring on some a bit of the sauce. Baking the pastry will cook off most of the sauce, leaving the onions and such in with the chicken. Brown the chicken/pastry for about 20 minutes until it's nicely brown. Generously scoop the sauce over the chicken, serve with crunchy New Orleans french bread, and pour the wine!
:-)
...thanks to Tropical Storm Cindy. I had to deal with storm preparations for a couple of clients. I'd lecture everyone on the importance of a disaster recovery plan here, but this is a food blog. :-)
I'll post some thoughts and recipes later today if things settle down.
family demanded too much of my time today! Happy 4th, everyone!
There are no Yats in the audience for Emeril's TV show. How do I know this? The audience always applauds when he says he's adding garlic to a dish. If Yats were there it would be different:
Emeril: How about we add some garlic?
Yat: You better add some garlic, cap, 'cause I'm not eating that bland-ass food you're cooking otherwise...
:-)
I don't usually plug events and such, but this caught my eye:
Martin Wine Cellar
July 2005 Tasting Events
For the latest information visit the Tasting Events page at MartinWine.com
Thursday, July 7
Rose Colored Glasses
hosted by Ian McCaffery
$20 per person
Nicolas Feuillatte Rosé NV -- $37.99
Saintsbury Vin Gris Rosé 2004 -- $11.99
Charles Joguet Chinon Rosé 2004 -- $14.99
Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Rosé 2004 -- $14.99
Lucien Crochet Sancerre Rosé 2004 -- $23.99
McCrea Cellars Rosé of Mourvedre 2004 -- $17.99
Tablas Creek Rosé 2004 -- $19.99
Tempier Bandol Rosé 2004 -- $26.99
If you've never been to a Rose tasting, consider doing so. Roses are great summer wines, much better than white zins and a welcome change-up from whites.
