The Grand Tasting at New Orleans Wine and Food Experience 2012-with Crabmeat Donut Recipe
Just wanted to share a few pics with you from the Grand Tastings at the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, which took place at the Morial Convention Center a couple of weeks ago. Among so many items, some that stood out to me were Crabmeat Donuts (I’ve shared the recipe below), which I found amusing and unusual. But then I was in a Thai restaurant in So Cal a week later and saw little Shrimp Donuts on the menu – who knew??? Seafood Muffelattas – well, that’s different – muffelattas, the New Orleans sandwich invention that’s always included a selection of salume between the bread– go figure… And then there was the deconstructed Crawfish Boil. Well, it’s certainly easier to eat without all those pesky tail shells to bite and heads to suck, although maybe not as much fun. Enjoy the pics – and the recipe for Crabmeat Donuts with Crab and Avocado Shooter is below the slideshow… Crabmeat Donuts with Crab and Avocado Shooters Crabmeat Donut 1 3/4 cups flour, plus some for rolling 3 tablespoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon blackening seasoning 2 eggs 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying 4 tablespoons lump crabmeat 2 tablespoons water Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate mxing bowl, mix the eggs, oil, water and crabmeat together, then slowly fold into the dry ingredients. Knead to from dough, and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness on a flour dusted board. Cut with a 1/2 inch donut cutter. Fry in heated oil for about 1 minute each. Avocado Shooter 1 large avocado, peeled and pitted 2 tablespoons sour cream 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 1/2 teaspoon coriander 1/4 teaspoon cilantro, chopped 1/4 teaspoon cumin 2 tablespoons lime juice Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste Blend all ingredients together in a food processor, and refrigerate until chilled. Crabmeat Garnish 1/3 cup lump crabmeat 1 tablespoon diced tomato 1/4 teaspoon cilantro, chopped Creme fraiche for drizzling Mix ingredients together and chill until ready to use. Fill a shot glass 3/4 full with the avocado shooter mixture. Fill the top of the glass with Crabmeat Garnish, and top with a skewered Crabmeat Donut. Drizzle with Creme...
read moreThursday at The New Orleans Wine and Food Experience
As I mentioned in my last post, I have been in the Crescent City, enjoying the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience (NOWFE), a 5 day long epicurien blow out. NOWFE celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, as a fund raiser for several regional organizations fighting hunger and supporting culinary education. The feasting began on Tuesday evening with the Ella Brennan Award Dinner, and various of the city’s best known restaurants continued through Wednesday and Thursday by hosting a series of wine dinners. For me the festivities began on Thursday, with a welcoming media reception at the Carousel Bar of the historic Monteleone Hotel. The bar (and yep- it’s called Carousel because that’s what it is) has had a face lift since I peeked in at it last August while attending IFBC NOLA. Not only was the bar quite impressive, but the excellent food, wine and wonderful service we received there were standouts, too. Some of my fellow attendees included Liz Williams (Founder and Director of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum), and Ron Ben-Israel, renown cake decorator who flew in from New York to participate, and as you can see jumped right into the spirit of New Orleans. Then we took to the street for the Royal Street Stroll. Rue Royal, the traditional “main drag” of the Vieux Carré, is filled with antique shops and boutiques (who opened their doors to us), and perhaps more ornate ironwork than any street in the Quarter. On Thursday night, it also was full of food and drink vendors eager to share their taste with us. And since it was New Orleans, there were also great street musicians, too. My favorite – The G-String Orchestra. My favorite bites- the Barbecued Oysters from Drago’s (grilled on their very own hook and ladder truck) and the Shrimp with Stone Ground Grits from The Pelican Club. Oh, and what would any New Orleans celebration be without a krewe marching through the streets. For tonight- who else- The Krewe of Cork, along with The Cork Poppers Marching Band. ...
read moreArriving Just in Time for the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience
I arrived in New Orleans last night. I’m here to attend the New Orleans Food and Wine Experience. Trying to get back on good footing after Hotwire.ocm completely screwed up my car rental reservation. I spent an hour or so on the phone with their customer service last evening, but in spite of her help and profuse apologies, they seemed unable to get me a car- a glitch in the computer system she said. Oh well… So I made a reservation this morning at Budget- let’s hope they get it right and will be going to pick up my car in an hour. But back to the Wine and Food Experience (NOWFE). It’s their 20th anniversary. I know some of you may not have heard of it- I regret to say I had not really been aware of it either until tipped off by my online friend and editor at OKRA (the online publication of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum-I’m going to visit there this afternoon), Stephanie Carter, who suggested I request a media access pass. Thank you so much, Stephanie, and thanks to NOWFE for granting me a media pass. Here are some of the great events I have to look forward to in the next few days. Tomorrow evening Things kick off with a little reception at the Monteleone Hotel before we head off to the Royal Street Stroll. Rue Royale in the French Quarter will be open to foot traffic only so that participants can stroll the antique shops there, enjoy live music, watching the Krewe of Cork parade all while sipping wines and enjoying tastes from some of the city’s finest restaurants, like Antoine’s (my cousin, Raoul tells me this is one of the oldest eateries in the country). The Bombay Club, Drago’s and The Pelican Club. Royal Street Stroll Friday afternoon I head off to a seminar on Rosé wines (you all know how I feel about them) at the Marriott. And then Friday and Saturday evenings are devoted to the Grand Tastings at the Convention Center-samples of wine from more wineries I can begin to mention here, and offerings from New Orleans’ finest chefs. Grand Tasting Oh, and just for a little bonus, Barefoot Wine invited me to a champagne luncheon at Antoine’s Friday afternoon. I’m a lucky girl, right? You can read more about my time at NOWFE at the following posts: Thursday at The New Orleans Wine and Food Experience The Grand Tasting at New Orleans Wine and Food Experience 2012 Oysters Rockefeller, Escargots and Barefoot...
read moreRosé Fest 2011-Part 4 Swiss Chard and Salumi Tart
I love tarts, and over the years, I have usually included a savory vegetable tart, as well as a dessert tart in my Rosé Fest menu. This Swiss Chard and Salumi Tart was this year’s hit.
read moreSummer Jazz Sunday Brunch Menu-Zucchini and Roasted Red Pepper Frittatta
Frittatas are easy to whip up, are a perfect dish for brunch, and ideal for taking outdoors, as they are great at room temperature,as well as hot out of the oven.
read moreCamp Blogaway 2011 Recap
A recap of Camp Blogaway 2011, and a few pics of some of my favorite things from there this weekend.
read moreMardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, and a Recipe for Macaroni and Cheese
Ash Wednesday is the other side of Mardi Gras’ coin. Sharing a recipe for Macaroni and Cheese, a meatless dish that hardly seems like a sacrifice, to soothe the Ash Wednesday blues.
read moreLA Helps LA Event Recap
I think I can safely say everyone had a great time at LA Helps LA. Big thanks to all our bloggers and vendors. The food was great, and the wine and cocktails were delish!
read moreAn Homage to the Gulf, a Short Elegy for Shrimp and a Recipe for Remoulade
I have spent the last month organizing a fund raising tasting event (LA Helps LA), here in Los Angeles, to benefit the Gulf Restoration Network based in New Orleans. Because it was all over the news this summer, some may think it’s about the BP oil spill. Or perhaps because we have just passed the 5th anniversary of hurricane Katrina, some may think it’s in response to that. While it’s a silver lining to a very dark cloud, that the oil spill brought attention to the Gulf, and while I hope our nation never forgets the destruction wrought by Katrina, it’s not just about the BP oil spill, or Katrina. In this post, I am going to share with you a few issues, issues that have existed for a very long time, and that I wish everyone understood about the Gulf Coast region, which is the third coast of our nation. Perhaps it'll give you a better sense of why I have poured so much energy into this event. Much of this information came from www.healthygulf.org, which has been in existence since 1995- well before either of the above mentioned occurences. I urge you to visit their site for more info. The Dead Zone Sounds scary, right? And it is, although maybe not in the way you’re thinking. You may have read my relating of this story before. On a summer visit to New Orleans as a young teenager, I accompanied my Uncle JuJune and Aunt Leticia on a trip to “make” the groceries, as they say down there. I marveled at the low price of shrimp in the local grocery stores (a premonition of my life as a chef, perhaps). Uncle JuJune responded “hell, they’ll just give ‘em away if you drive a pick up truck down to the Gulf, they got so much of it.” Unfortunately, they are not quite so plentiful now. I was so saddened to learn what has happened, in the course of my adult lifetime, to shrimp in the Gulf. A “dead zone” (an area where oxygen levels in the water are too low to support life) forms seasonally off the coast of Louisiana and Texas, which while varying in size from year to year, often reaches the size of states like Delaware and New Jersey. Those fish, crabs, and shrimp that can swim away from the Dead Zone do so, while others simply die. So what causes the causes the Dead Zone ? It’s no mystery. According to www.heathygulf.org, “when the Mississippi River reaches the Gulf of Mexico, it is loaded with nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. The polluted water acts as a fertilizer of algae, resulting in large algal blooms. When the algae die, they sink to the saltier water below and decompose, depleting already low oxygen in the deeper water. Because the salty bottom waters do not mix well with the lighter, fresh water from the Mississippi River, oxygen in the water is not replenished, resulting in a large dead zone in bottom waters. There has been an almost threefold increase in nitrogen entering the Gulf from the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the last 30 years. Nitrogen remains the prime factor in causing the Dead Zone. The largest source of nitrogen is commercial fertilizer used throughout the...
read moreLA Helps LA -Tasting Event to Benefit Gulf Restoration Network
On Sunday, October 3rd, food bloggers in Los Angeles, along with many local and national businesses will be doing their part to restore the Gulf of Mexico, one tasty bite and one yummy drink at a time.
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