nola bean

It's cold in them dere mountains

2010-07-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

It's still pretty damn cold here in Montana...and rainy. Really, really rainy. We finally saw the sun yesterday but I've resorted to fall type stews and braises to keep everyone here warm from the inside out. It's amazing how something with such humble ingredients can be so satisfying to the soul. A hearty serving of Chicken Thighs braised with Prunes (recipe below) served over Whole Wheat Couscous speckled with Toasted Almonds and just a hint of fresh ground Cinnamon did a world of good.

Since the weather has been wet, lots of indoor activities have been required and one of my favorites is bread baking. This is a simple fougasse, topped with chopped nicoise olives, fresh garlic, parsley and thyme. Perfect for sopping up that last bit of juice from our chicken braise.

Dessert! Another warm dish, Raspberry Clafouti (recipe below). Delicious and fun to say, baked in individual ramekins and topped with Sour Cream Ice Cream (not in the picture). Hopefully we'll have better luck with the weather and we can set our sights on lighter fare and warmer weather.

Prune Braised Chicken
Yields-6 servings (can easily be doubled or tripled)

3 pounds of boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs, each thigh cut into 3-4 pieces (Feel free to use any boneless, skinless chicken parts you like, but dark meat holds up so much better in a braise. If you decide to use white meat, cut the cooking time dine by about 1/2.)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup (maybe less) all purpose flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick coins
2 onions, peeled and cut into large dice
2 stalks celery, peeled and cut into large dice
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 large stems thyme
1 large stem rosemary
1 cup prunes
1 cup white wine or brandy
4 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade or at the very least a "low sodium" store brand)
1/2 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley

In a small bowl, soak the prunes in the white wine or brandy, 20-30 minutes. In a large bowl toss prepared chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Once coated evenly with S&P toss with enough flour to coat. Heat a large, deep saute pan or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, and when hot, brown the chicken pieces in batches, transferring the browned chicken to the side. Once all chicken in browned and set to the side, add the prepared vegetables to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium. You should have enough oil left from browning the chicken but if you need to add more, do it now. Cook the vegetables till just soft, keep them from browning if you can. Transfer the cooked veggies to the browned chicken pan with the slotted spoon. Drain any remaining oil from the pan. Remove the pan from heat, add the prunes with the brandy or white wine, return to the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes. (It's VERY important to move the pan off the heat while adding the prunes-especially if they are in brandy-eyebrows are a very important part of your face-watch for flaming alcohol.) Add the chicken stock and herbs, bring to a boil and then add the chicken and veggies that were set to the side. Cook for 45 minutes at a slow simmer, covered. At the very end fold in the chopped parsley, taste for salt and pepper and serve hot over rice, noodles or couscous. Sliced, toasted almonds make for a great textural garnish! Need a little more flavor, try adding a teaspoon or two of Dijon or Whole Grain Mustard at the end to finish the sauce without extra salt.

Raspberry Pecan Clafouti
Yields-8 individual desserts

1/2 cup Pecans (don't like pecans, switch it out for any other nut-hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds etc.)
2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
pinch Salt
1/2 cup granulated Sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2 pints Raspberries (again, don't like raspberries, try blues, blacks, currants, halved cherries even sliced stone fruits are delicious-apricots!)

In a food processor combine the pecans, flour, salt and sugar. Process till pecans are finely ground, but take care not to over process the nuts, they will eventually turn to paste. Once well ground, add the remaining wet ingredients and process till smooth. That's it! Really, this is a great, 5 minute prep time recipe. The best part is that the batter can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Great for a dinner party, when you serve your entree, pop these in the oven and by the time dinner is over you'll have a hot and delicious dessert.

About the cooking....to bake prepare 8, 4-6 ounce ramekins by lightly spraying with Pam and then dusting with sugar to coat. Place on a sheet pan. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, divide the fruit among the ramekins, divide the batter amongst the fruited ramekins and bake for 15-20 minutes. Top with whipped cream or ice cream to serve.

A Creole Tomato in Montana

2010-07-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

Creole Tomatoes are one of the best things about summer in New Orleans. The best thing for me about the summers is spending them in Montana. What's a girl to do-torn between her tomatoes and her environment? The solution for me...packing 20 pounds of Creole Tomatoes between dresses, shirts, socks and nightgowns. While I was somewhat concerned with the stain resistance of my clothing, my need for Creoles outweighed any items that could have become speckled with tomato seeds and sweet tomato juice. Luckily I arrived, with my tomatoes, both of us unscathed. Only one lonely tomato was squished. I can just imagine the face of the bag inspector as he pillaged through my garments-finding more tomatoes than clothes. If he was smart he would have kept one for lunch.

Since I have been here now a few weeks, the tomatoes didn't last too long and the few that remained were looking a bit worse for wear. I decided to slow roast them (recipe below) and use them on a open face turkey sandwich that we enjoyed paired with a Tomato and Watermelon Salad (overdone I know, but delicious all the same). The sandwich was served on thick whole grain-seeded bread picked up at the local farmers market, oven roast turkey, the slow roast tomatoes, Napa Cabbage slaw and topped with Smoked Mozzarella. Yum!

Slow roasted Tomatoes are perfect for countless applications and they are a great way to savor the summer for months after its end. Great on Pizzas, chopped into relishes for Fish or Pork, used to make uber rich tomato sauce, or just kept marinated in olive oil in the fridge for the occasional sandwich made special.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

3-4 Tomatoes, cored and cut into fat 1/2 inch to inch thick slices
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper
Herbs-fresh and chopped (use your favorite combination, I love parsley, lemon thyme and soft rosemary)

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place the sliced tomatoes on a silpat lined sheet pan (you can use parchment paper as a substitute), drizzle the tomatoes with the olive oil, sprinkle with the salt, pepper and your choice of fresh chopped herbs. Bake for 2-3 hours, even 4 if you want a drier result. Allow the tomatoes to cool before storing. If you are making a large batch and want to keep them marinated in the fridge, use gloved hands (the first aid kind, not the fuzzy mitten type) to place the roasted tomatoes in a tupperware container and cover them with olive oil. Press a piece of parchment paper directly on top and remove tomatoes as needed with a slotted spoon. DON'T use your dirty little paws, once you introduce bacteria into the batch they won't last long. And don't even think of tossing out the delicious oil when the tomatoes are gone. Use in vinaigrette's, as a marinade for a piece of fish or beef, or just used as a dip for some crusty bread. It's also great swirled into soups at the last minute, for making pesto or cooking eggs. The possibilities are endless!

Rocky Point Bee Project

2010-07-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

The newest addition to The Point this year....Bees!!! Jessi-breakfast cook and Gardener extraordinaire has decided to add even more to her plate. I'll let her take it from here..."I have been interested in beekeeping for several years and have always hoped to have my own apiary when my husband and I finally build our home. This winter a friend came to me wondering if I wanted to take over some of her equipment to keep bees here on the point and in turn care for her bees when she moved to Utah. I dove in head first, attended a course put on by the Montana State horticulture department and began reading everything I could get my hands on.

I was pleased to discover that our little town here in Montana actually has a bee supply store. Western Bee is able to provide everything from instructional books to actual bees. The bees arrive in town once a year in early May. Orders for bee packets must be made by late February or early March. The bees come in a simple screened box with about three pounds of bees, a can of syrup, and a queen caged at the center. Bees should be installed either early morning or late in the day so that they will cluster together to protect their queen and keep her warm. The queen cage is blocked with a small cork that can be removed with a safety pin and replaced with a small marshmallow. The worker bees eat the marshmallow to release their queen, all the while adjusting to her scent and beginning to build comb for her to lay eggs in. I banded the queen cage to one of the frames and placed the open bee box inside the super. Two days later, I remove the bee box and filled the empty space with the remaining frames. The bees were busy drawing comb and collecting pollen.

Since installation our bees have suffered some tough times. Their queen was lame (wasn’t producing eggs quickly enough) so the colony killed her and attempted to build a new queen. I ended up ordering a new queen from Tate’s honey farm and installing her. Less than twenty-four hours after installing the new queen a bear attacked the hive. I was able to rescue about a third of the hive and locate the queen. After re-assembling the hive, I rushed off to procure and install an electric fence. I was able to find a solar powered system and pounded posts for a small square perimeter. Since the fence went up the bear has left the hive alone; but fellow beekeepers have warned that once a bear knows what is inside a hive they may be willing to take a hit from the electric fence. Today the bees are busy trying to re-establish their hive and draw out comb to build the colony. I am hopeful that they will be able to build up the brood and maybe make enough honey to last the winter; but I doubt we will be able to harvest at all this season. The friend whose hive I am caring for has invited us to harvest from her hive so we will have some fresh local honey for Kristen to make amazing things with." Thanks Jessi!

I've been so inspired by the bee project that I will be following in Jessi's footsteps when I return to New Orleans. We can do a taste test with Big City and Little City Honey next summer! Big thanks are also due to Mr. Fountain (a handsome picture of him below)-a true lover of bees and full of all kinds of amazing bee knowledge-who helped us both with all the questions that we had for him.

Summer 8 for me-Summer 100 for the town!

2010-06-23T06:08:00.000-07:00

Summer eight...it hardly seems possible! Life has been very good to me and every summer it continues to get better and better! I arrived back in Montana on Monday afternoon and after a sprint thru the local Costco and Good Food Store we (Jessi and I) headed back to The Point.

I was relieved of my cooking duties for Monday evening so yesterday was my first meal of the summer season. Lunch was a beautiful bisque of Asparagus and Crab paired with a salad of Frissee, roasted Walnuts, French Green Lentils, crumbled Goat Cheese and Sherry Vinaigrette topped with a poached Egg. Dessert was a simple plate of sliced Pineapple topped with Strawberry Whipped Cream.

After a long, long nap, dinner prep started. We enjoyed Herb and Whole Grain Mustard crusted Rack of Lamb served with Bacon braised Cabbage and Garlic roast Yellow Potatoes, finished with a Rosemary Lamb Jus.

Our chilly weather (lows in the 40's...brrrrrr) paired perfectly with our dessert of hot from the oven Fiji Apple Crisp topped with Blue Cheese Caramel (recipe below) and sweet whipped Cream.
A few of the guests questioned my Blue Cheese Caramel, but the pairing of the sweet, thinly sliced apples with the salty bite of the caramel quickly reassured them that this pairing was a classic for a reason. Many a slice of Apple Pie has been graced with a slice of Cheddar, so the leap to Blue Cheese wasn't a long one.

Blue Cheese Caramel
Yields: about 1 1/2 cups

1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Water
1 1/4 cups Heavy Cream
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
2-3 ounces crumbled Blue Cheese

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix the water and sugar. Cover and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a medium brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Gradually, and with great caution, add the cream and the vanilla extract. Simmer until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the blue cheese. Serve warm, or add another 1/4 cup of heavy cream and serve room temperature.
**I like to transfer the warm, prepared caramel to a glass Pyrex measuring cup, and place it in a bain marie over low heat (see the first picture above). I place a paper towel in the bottom of the pot to protect the Pyrex cup and keep the caramel warm.

Hot Buns!

2009-07-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

I've finally come back to these steamed pork buns that I made last week, they were a first time try and they did not disappoint. After our fourth of July celebrations I had a few racks of pecan smoked ribs leftover and seeing that they were mighty tasty I hated for them to go to waste. After shredding the leftover rib meat I folded it together with some finely diced green onions, garlic, ginger, hosin sauce, sesame seeds and a few drops of roast sesame oil. It only took a few tablespoons of the Asian flavored pork for each bun and after a week of hearty eating it was a perfect lunch.
After making the dough (see below for the recipe), proofing, filling, proofing again and then steaming them (albeit in my makeshift steamer of a large roasting pan and 1/4 sheet pan, topped with a 1/2 sheet pan) I served them with a sauce of equal parts orange juice and tamari, a few passes of orange zest, ginger, garlic and green onion tops thinly sliced. A salad of our lakefront garden greens pulled it all together!
I could have eaten 6 of them but stopped myself at 3. This recipe will definitely be making a comeback, not only were they fun to make but they proved to be a fantastic way to utilize those leftovers that I can never bare to leave un-utilized!

Steamed Bun Dough Recipe
Yields: Enough dough to form 12 buns, can easily be doubled

1/3 Cup warm water
1 teaspoon granulated Sugar
2 teaspoons active dry Yeast
2 Tablespoons granulated Sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons canola Oil
1/4 Cup boiling water
1 large egg, fork-beaten
Approximately 2 1/4 Cups bread Flour

In the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the warm water and first amount of sugar until sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over top and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast.

Stir second amount of sugar, salt and cooking oil in large bowl. Add the boiling water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in egg and then add to the yeast mix. Add the flour to the work bowl and on low speed beat the mixture till a soft dough forms. Change the paddle attachment to the dough hook and knead for 5-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a greased bowl (spray with pan spray), flipping the dough to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for 1 1/2 hours to rise. Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and allow it to rest covered for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12 inch log. Cut the dough in to 12 even rounds. Roll the dough out to a 3-5 inch round with a lightly floured rolling pin. Place a few tablespoonfuls of filling in the center and then pull the sides of the dough up, twisting lightly to close. Place on a greased sheet pan and cover with a towel. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before steaming.

Steam for 10 minutes, serve warm.

*The best way to steam these buns is with a bamboo steamer set over a pan of lightly simmering water. Find one here.

Moonrise

2009-07-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

I have a hard time adjusting to the amazingly long days here in Montana. The sunrises around 5:45 but it doesn't set until 9:30-10:00. It's wonderful to have such a long day ahead of you, and the full moon makes the evenings almost as bright. In the past, I've taken advantage of the full moon alone with a glass of wine on my porch, but this summer all that changed. The boys over at the local rafting company invited us to a full moon float. We left the lodge by 10:30 pm and by 11:30 pm we were on our way to the base of the local dam. After getting the raft to the shore and shuffling cars to our final destination we embarked on an hour long trip down the river. The cool air was tempered by the warm water and the rapids that we encountered balanced out the calm. It was a long, beautiful and very wet experience. I wish I could have taken pictures, but I hated the idea of sacrificing my camera to the river. We wrapped up around 3:30 am and headed back to the lodge.
Before I started my evening of rafting I prepared a "last supper" for our guests that were departing early the next day. The dessert turned out beautifully, a sweet-tart apricot galette encased in a cornmeal pate sucre and then topped with house made ice cream and a drizzle of apricot syrup.
The stone fruit available in this portion of the US is unbelievable. I think we must receive the riper fruit, considering these beauties wouldn't be able to a survive a cross country trip. In another few weeks we'll have local apricots and cherries galore! These Washington apricots were picked up from the local grocery, and after a quick blanch to remove their soft skin they were ready for the cornmeal crust (see the recipe at the bottom of the post).

Of course before dessert we enjoyed a dinner of fresh Sockeye Salmon, shipped in earlier that day from the Pacific Northwest, over truffled creamed corn, lightly wilted baby bok choy from our lakefront garden and then finished with a yellow tomato and crispy bacon vinaigrette. It was delicious and beautiful. The salmon was oven roasted and the vinaigrette was flecked with finely diced shallots, fresh thyme and parsley from our herb garden (pictures of the herb garden to come) and leftover bacon from breakfast that morning. (see below for the vinaigrette's recipe)

Cornmeal Pate Sucre
Yields: Enough pastry for 1-15 inch galette or 12 individual galettes

2 Cups all-purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon Sugar
16 Tablespoons (8 ounces)butter, cold and cubed
6-8 Tablespoons cold water

Filling for Tart
3 #pounds of your favorite fruits, prepared (washed, sliced, blanched etc.)
1 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose Flour

For the dough; In the work bowl of a food processor combine the dry ingredients and pulse to combine. Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry ingredients and pulse 10-12 times till the butter is cut into the flour mix. Turn the butter/flour mix into a large bowl and slowly add the butter in, working the mix into a dough with your fingers. You want just enough water for the dough to come together when you press it into a disk. Too much water is a recipe for disaster, go slow-you may need less and you may need more than noted in the recipe. Gently form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 1/2 an hour hour. Roll the disc of dough out into a large circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Place the dough onto a silpat lined sheet pan, fill with your fruit filling leaving about 2-3 inches of dough on the outside rim. Casually fold the sides of the dough over the filling, brush lightly with an egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and bake for 30-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. Remove from the oven and allow the galette to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Yellow Tomato and Crispy Bacon Vinaigrette
Yields: 2 Cups

1 pound Yellow tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly diced
1/4 cup diced shallot
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
3 Tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1/2 Cup extra virgin olive oil
5-6 slices of cooked bacon, chopped (re-crisp in a saute pan if needed, you want it to be crispy!)

Easy enough, fold together all of the ingredients except the bacon. Taste for salt and pepper, then fold in the crispy bacon right before serving.

Summer Sweets!

2009-07-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

I had the great pleasure of working with Chef Anne Kearney years ago (!) at one of New Orleans finest restaurants, Peristyle. I worked with Anne for almost five years and for the last year of my time spent there I was her Pastry Chef. I've never truly embraced my love for desserts, they are much to concise, but looking back I'm glad I had the chance to practice those skills in such a fine establishment. While I now practice a much more casual plan of attack, the desserts here at the lodge never fail to finish the meal and sate the sweet tooth that our guests would never admit to having. Here are some of examples of what we have enjoyed so far this summer.

Wally, otherwise known as "Boss Man" loves his chocolate! Above was one of the first chocolate desserts I made. This Chocolate Cake was baked in pop-over pans (recipe below) and then finished with a warm Salted Walnut Caramel. It was divine and the cake is an easy one bowl concoction made with coffee.

When we have smaller groups of guests (around 8-10) I have a few assorted individual molds that I use mainly for desserts. These porcelain cobbler dishes were filled with huckleberries, blueberries and rhubarb from our lake front garden. The crispy almond and oatmeal streusel is crispy enough to play off the texture of the soft fruit underneath, but not hard enough to prevent the signature juicy runoff that makes a crisp a crisp. Another one of my go to recipes (see below for the recipe) for all the beautiful fruit that we are able to get our hands on all summer long.

We are fortunate enough to have rhubarb all summer long. With a much cooler summer the rhubarb season starts in late March and if we are lucky it will take us through late August. Jessi plants the rhubarb on the perimeter of the lake front garden as a natural deer repellent, its leaves are toxic. Many more rhubarb desserts to come!

Last night I had a chocolate dessert request and went with this Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe. I topped this uncharacteristically moist cake with Ginger Mint Whipped Cream. Too often flourless chocolate cake tends to be very dense, I almost under bake mine so that the center remains moist but the signature crunchy crust remains. (recipe below)

Our fourth of July dessert featured the most delicious Alpine strawberries the local farmers market has to offer. These are honestly the most delicious strawberries ever! They are tiny, about the size of a dime but what they lack in size they more than make up for in flavor. Each berry packs a jolt of summer sweetness with just a tiny bit of tang at the end...absolutely luscious! Strawberries will hopefully be in our future for another few weeks. The season is never long enough, but I will do my best to procure as many as I can for as long as I can.

The napoleon above was quick and easy dessert. A basic crushed Almond Florentine cookie (recipe below) layered with unsweetened whipped cream, the Alpine beauties and finished with a snowfall of confectioners sugar made for an appropriate finish. Off to cook lunch....

One Bowl Chocolate Cake
Yields-16 individual cakes

1 Tablespoon Butter, melted
2 Cups all-purpose Flour
1 Cup granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Cocoa
6 Ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 egg
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups very hot Coffee

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and lightly spray 16 popover molds* with pan spray. In the work bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all of the dry ingredients and beat on low speed. Lightly whisk the eggs together with the vanilla and add to the mixing bowl, still working on low speed. Slowly, to keep yourself from splashing, add the hot coffee to the batter and mix for a few minutes, still on low speed, until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking time, for 25-30 minutes. The cakes should be slightly domed and should spring back lightly when cooked through. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Unmold the cakes onto a cooling rack. Frost, drizzle or sprinkle them with your favorite icings, sugars or sauces. Serve.

*You don't need popover pans to bake these cakes, try using cupcake pans (filling only halfway), 2-8 inch cake pans or even a 13 X 9 inch baking pan for a sheet cake. Alternatively you can find the popover pans that I use here.

Fruit Crisp Recipe
Yields enough for 1 large crisp or 12 individual crisps (you can also use this as a crumb topping for a pie)*

1/2 Cup all-purpose Flour
1/2 Cup granulated Sugar
1 Cup Oatmeal
1/2 cup toasted Nuts (use your favorite or a blend)
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 scratches of Nutmeg
1 (4 ounces) stick cold butter, cubed

2 Pounds fruit, chopped or berries
1 Cup granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup all-purpose Flour

In the work bowl of a food processor combine the flour, sugar, oatmeal, nuts and spices. Pulse 2-3 times to combine the dry ingredients thoroughly. Add the cold, cubed butter to the work bowl and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal (forget all that nonsense about it looking like peas, I always thought that was a poor comparison).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a large baking dish or your individual molds with pan spray and set to the side. In a large mixing bowl toss the fruit or berries (or a mix) with the flour and sugar. Place the flour/sugar tossed fruit into the prepared molds and then generously top with the crisp mixture. Place the dishes or dish on a sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, remember you want your crisp to be golden brown and the fruit should be bubbly, if your lucky you'll get the all important juicy runoff down the sides). Allow the crisp to sit for up to 1/2 hour before serving,but it will be ready to go after 10 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or even better ice cream!

*The recipe for the crisp is easy to double or triple, keep it in a ziplock bag in the freezer and you'll always be ready for a quick dessert.

Flourless Chocolate Tart
Yields: 1-9inch spring form pan cake

10 Ounces dark chocolate, chopped
10 Tablespoons (5 ounces) butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated Sugar
7 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat the inside and base of a spring form pan with pan spray and then generously dust with granulated sugar, tossing any extra. Over a double boiler (or in the microwave) melt the chocolate. Allow chocolate to cool slightly before proceeding. In the work bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar until pale yellow and airy. Add the vanilla extract followed by the melted chocolate. Lightly, by hand, whisk in the egg yolks and set to the side. Again, working in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold the egg whites into the chocolate base, working in three batches. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. It is very important to not over bake this cake, when it is ready the top should be crispy looking, and when touched the cake below should have just a bit of jiggle left to it. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack and put it straight into the fridge. After 30-45 minutes, the cake will be ready to slice but not cold. Cut patiently, and serve with whipped cream or with a dusting of confectioners sugar.

Crushed Almond Florentine Cookie
Yields: about 3 dozen palm sized cookies.

1 Cup brown Sugar
8 Tablespoons (4 ounces) butter
1/2 Cup Corn Syrup
2/3 Cup all-purpose Flour
1 cup sliced Almonds

In a heavy bottomed sauce pot combine the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup, melt together over medium low heat. While that is melting together, combine the flour and almonds in the work bowl of the food processor and pulse on and off until the almonds are very well crushed. Add the flour/almond mix to the melted butter mix and stir.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with a silpat* and place 6 tablespoon sized globs of the dough. Bake for 8-9 minutes, rotating halfway through. The cookies will triple in size, will look lacy and be golden brown. Baking times on these cookies vary greatly with each oven so keep adding on the minutes, rotating the pans until they reach the perfect toasted brown color. Once the color is right, remove the sheet pan from the oven and using tongs pull the silpat off the sheet pan onto the counter. Allow the cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes then carefully remove them from the silpat by gently bending the silpat under the cookie and place them on a paper towel to remove any excess butter. When cool store them in an airtight container separated by small pieces of paper towel or parchment. Depending on humidity they will be crisp for 3-5 days.

* A silpat is a fantastic heat resistant (up to 500 degrees) baking sheet liner that is reusable. Never use them under the broiler or put in the dishwasher, hand wash and dry only! You can find one here.

Seven Year Itch

2009-07-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that in my last seven years of my summers spent at the lodge and the last three of them that I have spent writing about them that I've never shared a picture of my actual cabin on the lake. With an eastern view of the lake from my screened in porch I am lucky enough to be awakened with every sunrise of the summer, cool breezes keep my screened in porch pleasant enough for afternoon naps and reading, and the flower boxes that I start each year keep the breeze full of intoxifying scents.

One of my favorite rituals of starting a new summer is the visit that I make with Jessi (our gardener extraordinaire and breakfast cook) to the Southshore Greenhouse. Kathy, owner of Southshore, always has something new for me to discover and with her help I am able to create some beautiful boxes to make my porch even more habitable then should be allowed.

Every summer brings a fresh color and scent explosion and the hues of summer number 7 are all pale greens, silvery grays, whites and purples. Very "Gray Gardens"! The boxes are filled with all sorts of delights ranging from the deep purple and green leaves of Sweet Caroline, white pom pom shaped clusters of Verbena, Superbells tickled with pink, soft gray-green Silver Licorice Vine with the texture of lambs ears, the intoxifying scent of Ginger Mint, Heliotrope (my favorite this year) and the Lady Plymouth Geranium with the smells of rose and ginger that grace the green and yellow leaves that need only the caress of the hand to bring its heady scent into action.
White Diamond Frost, looks like tiny orchids trailing on a soft green vine, silvery-gray Dusty Miller and Spider Flower Cleome complete the boxes that wouldn't be the same without them.

The indispensable Gator, our all terrain and all purpose gardening, grocery toting monster, helped me move them from the back of the car and before I knew it I was wrapped up in planting. There are few things that can beat the satisfaction of getting just the right amount of dirty when the results are so satisfying everyday, and with every step in and out of my porch.

A few years ago, when I decided that I couldn't imagine a summer with out a trip to "my" lake front cabin I started adding personal touches that became infectious amongst myself and the owners of the property. One of the first changes that I made was to turn the porch floor from its dirty, worn white into a mixture of color blocked stripes in light blue, pale green and gray. Lil, the owner was so impressed with the results that when she passed by the green wicker chairs she couldn't resist buying them for my newly appreciated porch. The porch wouldn't be the same without them and if I could have left the flowers in their individual containers, without the worry of wilt and malnutrition, I would have kept them just that way.

One of the major changes of this summer is that we have decided that it's time to start collecting our photographs and my recipes into a book. No title yet, but we have spent some time scouting for other places than the Point in which to take a few more photos. Of course Kathy's green house was one of the first places to visit. Her greenhouse is one of the most magical places in the world! Its the perfect mix of bloomers, foliage, vintage pieces and utility that I have ever experienced.
Every time I come here, I can't stop myself from wishing that the main thoroughfare through the green house was wide enough to house a long table for a once in a lifetime dining experience. Luckily for us, outside her greenhouse there are plenty of options for an evening dinner and I will share photos of those in the coming weeks.
It feels wonderful to start sharing my summers with you again! The seven year itch has yet to make its appearance! Eat Well!

Getting off on the right foot...

2009-03-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

I've been told over and over again how breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This past Saturday confirmed that getting started with a "fresh from the Farmers Market" breakfast could honestly make mine just that.

It all started with what I considered to be our first official spring day here in New Orleans, a beautiful sunny morning, no humidity, blue skies with just whispers of clouds passing overhead, plenty of work for me to ignore and a porch just waiting for me to do nothing but lounge on it.

An early morning run to the Farmers Market yielded the plum blossom branches that I needed for a wedding cake later in the day, 2 dozen yard eggs, 2 pounds of fresh unsalted butter, 2 chocolate croissants (those were enjoyed by still in bed husband David, thank you Lisa) and a pint of cherry tomatoes.

Once the branches were pruned and in water I set to work quartering my tomatoes and scrambling my eggs, I reheated the grits left over from our dinner the night before and once the tomatoes were drizzled with some olive oil, salt and cracked pepper and the grits had a pat of butter slowly melting into them I headed for the porch and didn't look back.

I caught up on my week old New York Times (gotta love the book review), enjoyed more coffee than should be allowed and soaked it all in! Literally 3-4 hours later, I dragged myself off the porch, packed up the wedding cake, headed into the french quarter, set up the wedding cake and met up with a new friend visiting New Orleans from Brooklyn.

My new friend Sarah Sloboda is a wedding photographer who is planning on moving to New Orleans in a few months with her lovely beau Todd. After meeting up at Cafe Amelie we headed into the quarter for a drink and had a lovely time getting acquainted.

After a morning of lounging on the porch and sipping in the quarter my husband and I headed to the uptown restaurant Clancy's to meet his parents for a leisurely dinner.

Overall a great day, from morning to night, getting off on the right foot and then sitting right back down.

NOLA Bean's Scrambled Eggs
serves 1

2 yard eggs (cage free is the only way to go)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
a nice pat of fresh butter

Crack the eggs into a small bowl and lightly beat with a fork. I never use a whisk for scrambled eggs, I like the egg whites and egg yolks to ribbon through each other opposed to one homogeneous yellow bowl of foam. Season with the salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat a non stick skillet over medium heat and when warm add the butter. When the butter has melted and just started to foam pour the eggs into the preheated pan after waiting a few moments, move the eggs about with a rubber spatula, moving the eggs over each other and towards the center of the pan. Taste the eggs for seasoning, adding more salt and freshly ground pepper as needed or desired and plate.

Enjoy, preferably in a sunny spot!

Take a look...

2008-12-08T05:43:00.000-08:00

I had a moment of weakness for these cake pops designed by Bakerella, check out her new Christmas designs and I will post the comical pops that I made for my good friend KK and her "Pussy Party". Its really not as dirty as it sounds, she just loves kitties!

More to come soon...

Holy Chef...Season 5 Possums!

2008-11-12T17:24:00.001-08:00

Tonight is the night...Top Chef season 5 is back and even if I don't agree with all the casting decisions that were made I am ready to settle in, cocktail in hand and enjoy the show!

While the show is entertaining enough on its own, I can't get enough of the commentary from blog-Amuse Biatch! Following the drama and keeping us all grounded on the fact that yes...its still a reality tv show. Be sure to keep checking in on Amuse Biatch, they do call themselves "a gastronomic fiefdom devoted to Bravo's "Top Chef" and other matters gustatory--a biatchy, amusing smorgasbord of food snark and culinary mayhem".

Time for me to pack my knives and watch the first episode!

Keeps ya full and keeps ya going!

2008-11-12T15:55:00.000-08:00

Energy bars, what a rip off! Other than being full of god knows what, a majority of them just taste really, really bad! What can you do? Well, after watching my clients bring home bar after bar and then watching those bars sit in their pantries (next to the Goji Berries & Vegetable Bouillon Cubes) even longer I decided to take it upon myself to invent a signature energy bar.

These babies really taste great, with a fantastic chewy/crunchy texture, chock full of nuts, sunflower seeds, ground golden Flax, dried fruit, and Peanut Butter they keep you full and keep you going.

I started with a base of Kamut Puffs (Kamut is an ancient grain that is closely related to durum wheat, the puffed cereal has no sugar, no salt, no fat, is low in calories and is a great source of fiber) and shredded oat cereal (I love the Barbara's Bakery brand that is sold at Whole Foods, again a great source of fiber and also low in fat). I fold ground Golden Flax Seed, dried fruit, toasted nuts, and sunflower seeds and bind the bars with a cooked base of Louisiana Honey and all-natural Peanut Butter.

The Peanut Butter and Honey are brought to a boil and simmered for about a minute before I add it to the dry base.

The whole warm, deliciously sticky mess is pressed into a parchment lined and greased 9 X 13 inch pan. Baked at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes and allowed to cool they are then cut into bars for easy snacking.

These keep everyone full for a good while, I know that I can go for 4-6 hours before needing anything else. The bars are a great place to fold in flax seed, wheat germ, your favorite toasted nuts and dried fruits. Kept in an airtight container they keep for a little over a week.

Be sure to try this recipe and if you come up with a delicious combination that you are willing to share, be sure to post it in the comment section.

Start snacking!!!

nola bean Energy Bars
Yields: 1-9x13 inch pan (cut into bars or squares)

1 cup honey
2/3 cup peanut butter (use all natural or even that evil sugar laced stuff lurking in your pantry)
4 cups puffed whole grain cereal (I use Kamut Puffs made by Nature's Path)
2 cups shredded oatmeal squares, lightly crushed (I use a potato masher)
1/4 cup ground Golden Flax Seed
1/2 cup dried fruit (use any kind you like, if the fruit is large be sure to cut it into more manageable pieces)
1/4 cup toasted nuts, lightly chopped
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. In a small saucepan combine the honey and peanut butter. Bring to a boil, stirring often and watching constantly, and allow to boil for 1 minute. Pour the hot mixture over the dry ingredients and carefully fold all the ingredients together. (The peanut butter mix is very hot and will burn you...slow ya roll, take your time and be careful!) Press the mixture into a parchment lined and greased 9X13 inch pan and spread into an even layer. ( I use a sheet of foil cut to the size of the pan, and use it to press the mix into the pan because...its still HOT!) Bake in a preheated 325 degree pan for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. You want the bars to be golden brown when you remove them from the oven.

This is important...you need to let these cool completely in the pan before you try to cut them. Once they are cool remove from the pan and cut into bars or squares. Keep them in an air tight canister, or wrap them separately in saran wrap so that they are easy to grab on the go.

Favorite Dried Fruit/Toasted Nut Combos:
*Cranberry & Pistachio
*Zante Currants & Sliced Almonds
*Strawberries & Walnuts
*Blueberries & Pecans

Also, feel free to:
*Substitute toasted Pumpkin Seeds for the Sunflower Seeds
*Add candied, diced Citrus Peel or Ginger
*Add spices-cinnamon, fresh nutmeg etc...
*Try different puffed cereals and/or cereals!

Snack on my friends...

Mirliton Festival!!

2008-11-07T18:51:00.001-08:00

First things first...do you know what a mirliton is? The mirliton, also known as the Vegetable Pear, Chayote or according to my mother-in-law a merliton is a subtropical member of the squash family. The fruit, pear shaped with a thin light green skin holds a crispy milky white/green flesh which surrounds a single soft seed. Its downright delicious!

My mother in law makes one mean stuffed Merliton. A soft mix of Louisiana Shrimp, Peppers, Cornbread and thyme and if she's feeding a crowd she skips the stuffing, folds the cooked & mashed mirliton into the mix and bakes it casserole style with some crunchy bread crumbs on top. It makes for one mean buffet (say it with me y'all...boo-fey)!

Don't get me wrong, I love a stuffed mirliton but I really enjoy raw mirliton. There's no need for peeling or cooking and the recipe below will get you on your way. Not only does it utilize mirlitons but it also gives us all one more reason to use some local citrus.

Mirliton Slaw
Yields: 3 cups slaw

3 Mirlitons, unpeeled and cut into julienne (if you have a Japanese mandolin use the julienne attachment if not, you are looking for matchstick sized pieces of Mirliton
1/2 cup thinly sliced Red Onion
1 medium Satsuma, juice and zest
1/2 Meyer Lemon, juice and zest
2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
a good handful of freshly chopped Cilantro (use as much or as little as you like, omit it if you hate cilantro and substitute fresh Chervil or Parsley)
Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

This recipe couldn't be easier, Toss everything together in one big bowl, season to taste with the salt and pepper and serve as a side. It's also great with cooked Louisiana Shrimp, Crab meat, or even as a burger topper ( I love it on my turkey burgers...fancy-no?).

Mirlitons should be showing up at our local Farmers Markets soon. Until then enjoy the Mirliton Festival tomorrow from 11:30 am-7 pm in the bywater. Delicious food, live music and local artists.

Want a few more interesting Louisiana festivals...visit this website it lists each month's highlights.

Thursday night dinner party!

2008-10-26T17:32:00.000-07:00

I have a standing dinner party almost every Thursday evening, in the home of one of my favorite clients. After the kids (all five of them) have enjoyed their dinner of Chicken Nuggets, Corn and Pasta, the adults sit down to a relatively quiet meal. This past week was a particularly beautiful dinner. It may just be the yellow plates (one of my favorite colors) but everything looked as good as it tasted.

We started with a Bibb Leaf Salad tossed with a Creole Mustard Vinaigrette, roasted Butternut Squash and a thin slice of Bermuda Triangle Goats Milk Cheese. Bermuda Triangle is made by Cypress Grove Chevre. It is a soft ripened, double rind cheese with a Vegetable Ash rind. It is very, very good!
For the main course they enjoyed a piece of pan-seared Wild Speckled Trout, served over a bed of Spaghetti Squash and Broccoli Rabe. Sauced with a twist on the classic Amandine, made with the zest and juice of an organic Louisiana Satsuma instead of the traditional Lemon Juice, and in place of chopped parsley to finish I substituted a chiffonade of Basil from the family's garden.

Dessert was a classic, Chocolate Creme Brulee with a burnt Turbinado Sugar crust. Consumed in moments! A great meal!

Whoopie!!!

2008-10-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

What a busy Tuesday Farmers Market! A big thank you to everyone that came out and bought lunch/breakfast on Tuesday morning. The menu was a big hit, but I have to say that the Sweet Potato & Cinnamon Whoopie Pies were the biggest hit of all! I could have sold 100 of them, but I had to settle (and did so happily) for the 45 that I prepared. I had many requests for the recipe so it is below.

While browsing online I also discovered this gem of a blog (with the drawings to match)...Cake Spy. I was so happy to know that I was in the know when I saw her recent post of Whoopie Pies. Check out her blog, her drawings and her post...Everybody likes (Cookie) Sandwiches.

Enjoy the recipe and I hope to see you all again next Tuesday for NOLA Bean's final Tuesday at the Crescent City Farmers Market!

Sweet Potato Whoopie Pies

For the Cookie Cakes:
Yields-10-12 cookies (depending on the ice cream scoop you use)
2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
4 ounces Butter, unsalted and soft
1 cup Sweet Potato Puree (yes, you can use the stuff from the can, but if you can go the extra mile and make some fresh Puree from Louisiana Sweet Potatoes you will be glad you did!)
1 egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

In a bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set to the side. In the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and light in color. Add the egg, then the vanilla. Add the sweet potato puree and then add the flour mixture, mixing on a low speed so as not to overwork your batter.

This dough will be slightly sticky...don't worry, you are looking for a soft cookie/cake result.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and using an ice cream scoop portion out the dough, leaving 1/2 inches between the cookies. Refrigerate the portioned dough, sheet pan and all, for at least one hour, over night is better.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. You are looking for a cookie/cake that is just firm to the touch when finished. Allow to cool and fill with whatever you like, sandwiching two halves together right before serving.

Ideas;
-I served the Whoopie Pies filled with Whipped Chocolate Ganache on Tuesday, you could also fill with...
-Cream Cheese Frosting
-Plain ole Whipped Cream
-Pastry Cream
-Any kind of Citrus curd

Get Cooking!

Green Plate Special Menu for Tuesday, October 21!

2008-10-19T17:56:00.004-07:00

This week I am so excited to have a really comforting, locally sourced menu for the Crescent City Farmers Market "Green Plate Special". Stop on by and grab some grub! See you at the Market!

Green Plate Special Menu
Tuesday, October 21st
2008

Louisiana Shitake and Wild Rice Soup with Fresh Thyme
*
Louisiana Green Bean and Black Eyed Pea Salad with fresh Parsley, Pickled Red Onions, and Creole Mustard Vinaigrette
*
Meat Loaf Sandwiches with House Made Curried Ketchup on toasted, Buttered Brioche
*
LA Sweet Potato and Cinnamon Whoopie Pies filled with Chocolate Frosting

"THE" Wedding Cake...

2008-10-19T16:40:00.001-07:00

Lauren (the bride) and I have been talking for almost 3 years about her wedding and more importantly her wedding cake. Lauren, from New Orleans originally, currently resides in New York City working for one of the best wedding magazines (actually THE best wedding magazine...in my humble opinion) around! So when she contacted me a few years back, I was thrilled, flattered and ready to get baking.

She and her groom, Tim, decided on a Louisiana Satsuma Chiffon Cake layered with Louisiana Meyer Lemon Curd, Louisiana Satsuma Curd and Louisiana Grapefruit Curd, swathed in Vanilla Bean Butter Cream and then tastefully garnished with Sugared Citrus Leaves, Whole Candied Kumquats and strips of Candied Citrus Zests.

It was a long time in the planning, but the cake (baked on Friday), soaked with Satsuma Simple Syrup, crumb-coated on Saturday morning and then finished right before delivery really came together.

The cakes were made from almost all local ingredients, Butter, Milk and Heavy Cream from Smith Creamery, fresh Yard Eggs from the Core Family, Nick at "Grow" farm, and the Fonseca Family and organic Citrus from the L'hoste Family. Above you will see how the cake looked as separate tiers and below the finished cake!

Sitting on a French Ivory Cake Stand and placed in the doorway on an antique table it could not have been more beautiful. The wedding was held at Cafe Amelie, a gem of a restaurant...and the site of my beautiful wedding as well, in the heart of the French Quarter. Also known as the Princess of Monaco Courtyard the gardens and fountains inside are a beautiful contrast to the somewhat crowded, dingy streets that lay outside the gates. The courtyard itself with its brick walls, lush foliage and cast iron fountains are really quite a sight. If you live here, go eat and enjoy Chef Jerry's twists on Southern cuisine and if you visit please do the same. Their signature cocktail, the Amelie, is a twist on the Mojito made with Vodka instead of Rum, fresh Lime Juice, Mint and Club Soda. Just ask my momma...its not to be missed.

Lauren had her friend, an obvious talent, design and hand make her wedding toppers. The couple was a beautiful finishing touch floating on Butter Cream with the Sugared Citrus Leaves and Candied Kumquats at their delicately painted feet.

For Tim, I made three small Gateau's de Sirop...a traditional Creole Cake made from Steen's Cane Syrup and bathed in dark El Ray Chocolate Ganache. Each cake was layered with whipped Chocolate Ganache and one was prickled with toasted Almonds to break up the shine factor.

A beautiful setting, a beautiful couple and a beautiful cake...if I do say so myself. You can't ask for more. Congratulations Lauren and Tim!

A day at the Market...

2008-10-07T18:10:00.001-07:00

I have had such a great time hosting the "Green Plate Special" at the Crescent City Farmers Market for the past few weeks. The weather has been a little bit more temperamental (meaning rainy, hot and humid) than I was expecting but my faithful clients and good friends have been more than supportive. The food has been well received and I am doing my best not to run out of all the goodies we have been dishing up!

Our farmers are reaching the heights of one the most productive seasons that we have here in Louisiana. The produce at the market has been out of control, in flavor and in beauty and I appreciate our year-long growing season with every bite I take! Coming into season right now is Okra, Green Beans, Eggplant (both traditional globe/Italian & Japanese), Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Mizuna, Cucumbers, Green Onions, Yellow Squash, Green Peppers, & Zucchini. Mississippi is also in full Apple harvest mode and we still have our beautiful Creole Tomatoes since the weather has been holding hot and steady!

The Cucumbers lend themselves beautifully to all manners of salads but I've got pickles on the brain. I will share my pickle pictures and recipes in a future post, but for now I am concentrating on getting myself ready for a big, beautiful wedding cake and need to focus on Butter Cream, Cake Batter and Candied Citrus!

Our chalk board sign has been helping those of you who have been out to the Market decide which of our offerings you will enjoy! A big thank you to everyone that came out to the Farmers Market for the past two weeks, not only to support me while I melted under the Green Plate Special Tent, but also for supporting our local farmers and fishers! Hope to see you at the Market on Tuesday!

Bama Bag!

2008-10-06T18:53:00.001-07:00

There really isn't anything like coming home to presents! Today my honey surprised me with my very own "Obama Baggu". Since I shop for at least two clients a day I am always collecting more reusable grocery totes to fill with groceries for other people. I long since gave up plastic bags and try to avoid the paper bags...using them only when I forget to take the clean ones out of the dryer and put them back in the car.

The Obama Baggu bags are being printed in very limited supply, 250 of each color, and all the sales directly benefit the Obama/Biden campaign. You can get your own "Bama Bag" at http://obamabaggu.myshopify.com/ but you better hurry. The chocolate colored bag is already sold out!

My "Bama Bag" patiently waits for tomorrows groceries! Did I mention that these bags are made of ripstop nylon, hold up to 25 pounds and can carry the contents of 2-3 grocery bags?!

Shake the Soy!

2008-10-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

Not much of a post here just an experience that I need to get off my chest.

There are few things that make my day a little bit easier...a cool breeze when I step outside, dogs that come back inside when called, and a good cup of coffee. My favorite is an Iced Coffee with Soy Milk. Its not much, but it really does serve as the perfect start to the day as well as the ideal mid-afternoon pickup. So I was visiting my local coffee shop today and when I very politely (and with a smile) asked the Barista to please shake the Soy Milk, she flippantly gave the box a soft jiggle and slid my coffee across the counter.

Am I asking too much? Really...there isn't anything worse than a chunky coffee and I just don't understand how my meager request could result in such a sassed response. I have worked in a coffee shop before (a Starbucks no less) and I have seen it all. From the most ridiculously complicated orders to the most mundane requests I'm sure I rolled my eyes on more than one occasion, but I always shook the soy milk!

It's awt for gawd's sake...

2008-10-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

Art for Art's Sake is this coming Saturday! This fundraiser supports the Contemporary Art Center, takes place at the beginning of the fall every year and this year is even more special since "Art for Art's Sake is celebrating its 30th birthday. It has become a city wide event that has locals and tourists alike walking all over the city from the French Quarter, to the Warehouse District and down Magazine Street. Boutique shops, art galleries, jewelers, and antique shops will keep their doors open late to encourage "go-cup" fisted buyers to pull out their wallets and reveal new fall collections.

The Julia Street block party starts at 6:00 pm and the CAC opens its doors (for a $10.00 cover) at the same time for an art installation, food and live music. Canary Collective will also be hosting a show (this one free) at 329 Julia Street from 6-9.

On Magazine Street I am already looking forward to visiting my friends over at Perch, Katy Beh Contemporary Jewelery, House of Lounge, Aidan Gill, Juliet Interiors, Hazelnut, and my most favorite jeweler in the world...Gogo!

Gogo is doing it up as she debuts her new space at 4222 Magazine Street, just a few steps down from her previous store. Enjoy Cupcakes, Champagne and music provided by Dubla. Dubla Music will be spinning to set the mood for the new store. Shout out to my girl Niki who will be making her jewelery debut alongside a few other jewelers that Gogo has decided needed a little "Crescent City" representation.

I hope everyone gets their chic strut on this Saturday, enjoy the weather, a cold drink and help support our local merchants!

nola bean at the Crescent City Farmers Market!

2008-10-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

Actually, nola bean will be at the Crescent City Farmers Market every Tuesday in October! Every month the Farmers Market invites a local New Orleans Chef or Restaurant and they prepare a new menu every week with their inspiration being the goods of the CCFM Vendors.

I really look forward to this every year and this will be my third appearance under the Green Plate Special Tent. Take a look at the menus below and I will be doing my best to document my time at the market through the month, as well as providing you with the recipes to go along with them.

Green Plate Special Menu

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

Creamy Garlic Soup
*
Roast Sweet Potato & Black Eyed Pea Salad with fresh Spinach and a Roasted Red Pepper and fresh Thyme Vinaigrette (Vegan!)
*
Open faced Mustard braised Pork Shoulder Sandwiches on grilled Chibatta with Collard Green Slaw and Pickled Red Onions
*
Caramelized Mississippi Apple Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
*
Roast Tomato Bisque (Vegan!)
*
Mixed Greens Salad with Balsamic Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette and Candied Pecans
*
Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwiches served with Creole Mustard on Buttered Brioche
*
Sweet Potato Shortcakes with Sugar Macerated Muscadines and Smith Dairy Whipped Cream

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

Creamy Wild Rice and Louisiana Shitake Mushroom Bisque
*
Spinach Salad with toasted Pumpkin Seeds and a Fuju Persimmon Vinaigrette (Vegan!)
*
Pitts Farms Meatloaf Sandwiches with Curried Ketchup and fresh Arugula
*
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies filled with Apple Butter and Cream Cheese Frosting

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

Butternut Squash and Cilantro Bisque (Vegan!)
*
Pad Thai Rice Noodle Salad (Vegan!) (most of the ingredients in this salad will be from the market)
*
Green Curry Chicken over Brown Louisiana Popcorn Rice
*
Chocolate and Green Tea Pudding (Vegan!)

Ladies who Lunch...

2008-09-28T15:33:00.001-07:00

I am still catching up with friends since my return from Montana a few weeks ago. Katie and Susan were my lunch companions this past Saturday afternoon. We were able to find a table outside (under an umbrella, its beautiful here in New Orleans but a girl still needs a little shade) in which to enjoy cold beer, raw oysters, and a few other delights.

Grand Isle is a beautifully put together restaurant, founded by one of New Orleans premier restaurateurs/caterers, Joel Dondis and headed by Chef Mark Falgoust. The food is consistently delicious. Simple bistro classics, some of the best hand cut French Fries in the city, fresh and easy. The service can be a bit distracted and rushed but presented in a friendly way if you make an effort to be friendly yourself.

Since Gustav, oysters were hard to find for a few weeks but those salty Louisiana beauties were so good and so missed that we finished two dozen before we even had our second cocktail.

Marinated Blue Crab Claws were delightfully spiced with crushed Red Pepper and slicked with Olive Oil, served on a very random pale leaf of Napa Cabbage and accompanied by a plastic ramekin of spicy Remoulade. These plastic ramekins really bother me, they are so wasteful and honestly just look like junk. Everything else about this restaurant is top notch, a silver timbale wouldn't be a stretch in my humble opinion.

Large salads, one topped with gorgeous chunks Jumbo Lump Crabmeat and the other with Boiled Louisiana Shrimp were dressed with Dijon Vinaigrette and the house Green Goddess dressing respectively.

A great way to while away the afternoon and definitely a way to prepare ones self for a little bit of spending at Rubenstein's! (Just in case you decide to stop in, please ask for Tracey in the women's department, she's a star!)

Happy Birthday Becca & Casey

2008-09-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ladies! There really isn't anything better than cooking for people that you love! I wanted to make my ladies a really tasty cake for their birthdays, so I was able to come up with a cake that layered Classic Yellow Cake (see the recipe below) with my Candied Pistachio Brownie Cake. I alternated the layers with Apricot Frosting and then swathed the whole cake in Vanilla Bean Frosting, topped with Chocolate and Pistachio Brittle dipped Meringues

Here's the cake before the meringues are added (and before it almost fell on the floor, Yikes!).

Here is the end result, not only was I able to treat the ladies to a tasty birthday cake but I was able to use my tin cake carrier that I bought this summer in Montana. The most stylish way to transport a cake, I think I will be arriving at more parties with this in tow!

We celebrated with the ladies at Dante's Kitchen for Brunch! As always it was a scrumptious meal, Chef Emmanuel Loubier really knows how to run a kitchen (even if he may not have been in the house that day). From the spicy, clove laced Pickled Green Beans and Okra in our Bloody Mary's to the house made Hot Sauce it was all delicious.
nola bean yellow cake
yields: 2 nine inch cakes or 24 cupcakes

1/2 pound Butter, unsalted and room temperature
2 cups Cake Flour ( I use Swan's Down)
1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt, (I use sea salt for baking, since it is finer)
1 3/4 cups granulated Sugar
4 eggs (remember, cage-free is best!)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, butter cake pans and dust lightly with flour.

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk lightly to combine and set to the side. In the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy on a medium high-high setting. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, waiting to incorporate the next until the first is well mixed in. Add vanilla, beat to combine. Turn off the mixer and add 1/2 of the prepared dry ingredients, beat on a low setting and slowly add 1/2 of the milk. Turn off mixer and add the remaining dry ingredients, beat on a low setting and slowly add the remaining 1/2 of the milk. Scrape the sides of the bowl, mixing for 30 seconds on medium high speed to combine.

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking time. The cooked cakes should be golden brown, and just firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the cake pans and cool completely. Frost and decorate to your hearts delight!

Kurbiskernol...Bless you!?

2008-09-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

What a delicious discovery! One of my weekly clients just returned from one of many wonderful summer vacations, the most recent being Austria. They brought back a few decadent chocolates (that they keep in their bedroom! Love that!) a few loaves of artisan bread that they were very generous to share with me on most recent visit to their home and Kurbiskernol!

Kurbiskernol is an Austrian specialty, Pumpkin Seed Oil. This oil is unlike anything I have ever tasted and tastes remarkably of roasted, salted pumpkin seeds. After a little bit of online sleuthing I was able to dig up some facts. The pumpkin seeds that produce this oil are grown in East & West Stryria/Steiermark, in South Burgenland and in a small area of Niederosterreich and the oil that they produce are a European Union protected designation of origin product (much like champagne in France). The pumpkins grown are known as Stryrian Oil Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca) and are raised exclusively for their seeds. Unlike other pumpkins, the seeds inside of these green/orange/white pumpkins lack the hard white exterior hull that most pumpkin seeds have. The seeds are dried, roasted, cold pressed and then allowed to settle for up to 1 month and then finally bottled. The color can range from deep green to red.

The bottle that my family brought home is a viscous green that looks like murky emerald. It is delicious! Salty and deep, I paired it with Scallops. The Pumpkin Seed Oil is best utilized at room temperature, and looses its nutrients when heated. It also has a very low smoking point, so it could never be used for frying or sauteing. The list for what I would drizzle this on really could go on forever. For starters, Scallops (talk about that more in a bit), roasted Squash (especially acorn or butternut), into soups (puree of celeriac or even a oyster bisque sounds tempting), melon, beef carpacchio, raw or seared Tuna etc.

I was so overwhelmed with what to do with this new find I could barely keep myself from drizzling it over everything. I limited myself to roasted Acorn Squash and the Scallop Dish.

The Scallops were marinated in raw Garlic and Olive Oil, and then a hash of Shitake Mushrooms, diced Shallot, and Arugula. To top the dish off, I created a Curried Fuju Persimmon Vinaigrette. I haven't been able to taste the dish, but I just know that the flavors will work brilliantly together. My client promised that when she pulled the dish together that night she would take pictures and I will share them with you later this week.

The vinaigrette was a beautifully hued orange, it was the color of an yellow heirloom tomato. The base was concocted with Dulcet Madras Curry Mustard, a touch of Acadiana Honey, freshly ground Black Pepper, peeled and diced Persimmon and a mix of Canola and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It was so good and pretty, the teaspoon that I sampled with a drop of the Kurbiskernol was heavenly. Looking forward to their reaction.

To find your own bottle of Kurbisernol visit the Deimel Pumpkin Farm Website (in Stryria, Austria-for US shipping) and Hay River Pumpkin Farms (an American farm in Wisconsin that is raising the Austrian Oil Pumpkins).

Dinner Parties by nola bean

2008-09-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Almost everyone of my weekends are spent in the company of clients and private dinner parties are always a lot of fun to plan and execute. This dinner party took place last weekend at the home of my clients and they enjoyed a very special evening filled with good food, great wines (hand selected by my clients) and friends.

They started the evening with a salad that was taught to me by Chef Anne Kearney. Recently here in New Orleans, the chef who bought Anne's restaurant a few years ago decided to change the restaurant from what used to be Anne's Peristyle to what will now be Tom's Wolfe's. I have yet to visit Tom at the newly renovated space but I can't imagine how different Dumaine Street is without her beloved "Peristyle".

Getting back to the salad...I don't normally recreate items that former chefs have taught me, but with the passing of Peristyle I thought that recreating one of her signature salads was one of the very small ways that I could pay my respects. The salad starts with oven roasted Beets, thinly sliced and topped with pickled Red Onions. The Onions are pickled with a solution of Orange Zest, Red Wine Vinegar, Coriander and Water, and then allowed to sit overnight so that they turn the prettiest hue of purple. On top of the Onions, a combination of Jumbo Lump Crabmeat, Horseradish, fresh Aioli, Creme Fraiche, finely diced Chives, Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper which is topped off with a small Herb Nage (salad).

It really is one of the most divine and complex, yet still simple and satisfying salads. This salad is responsible for the transformation of many from Beet disgust to Beet love.

The second course was a Garlic Oil marinated, seared and sliced Pork Tenderloin served alongside a griddled Sweet Potato, Caramelized Onion and Parmesan Bread Pudding, Garlic Sauteed Broccoli Rabe and finished with a Steen's Cane Vinegar Demi Glace with fresh Thyme. A really great balance of acidity from the Broccoli Rabe and the vinegar laced Demi Glace and sweetness from the Sweet Potatoes and Caramelized Onions brought the whole dish together.

One of my favorite courses is always cheese! We are so fortunate to have a fantastic Cheese shop here in New Orleans called the St. James! Richard and Danielle are extremely dedicated and enthusiastic about their work and their cheese. Danielle was able to recommend the "Constant Bliss". Constant Bliss is a raw cow's milk cheese made by Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, Vermont. They describe their cheese below;

"Constant Bliss is based on a Chaource recipe, which we modified to suit our production schedule and cheesemaking facility. The result is a cheese which hardly even resembles a Chaource. It is a slow ripened lactic curd made only with fresh, right out of the cow, uncooled, evening milk. We actually begin the cheesemaking process before the cows have finished milking. Constant Bliss is made with raw whole milk. This is not a double or triple crème cheese as is sometimes thought. Seasonal variations in the milk result in variations on the surface and flavor of the cheese. We like to use Constant Bliss to highlight our milk, and rather than overpowering the natural microflora of our milk with cotton white mold, we prefer to see a mottling of diverse molds and yeasts, which are prevalent particularly in the summer months when the cows are out on grass. It is aged 60 days before it leaves the farm, and is a ‘sell it or smell it’ item for retailers.

We named Constant Bliss after a revolutionary war scout killed in Greensboro by native Americans in 1781. He was guarding the Bayley Hazen Military Road with his compatriot Moses Sleeper, who died with him."

I describe it as a sublime cheese! It wasn't too overpowering, grassy and sweet with just a tang that hits the back of your throat. I paired the "Constant Bliss" (how can you not love a cheese with a name like that?) with a thin slice of Quince paste and some Olive Oil Crisps. I instructed the guests that they should place the Quince Paste (just a tiny bit) on the crisp, top it with the cheese and to place the cheese down on the tongue so that the cheese is the first taste they experience followed by the quince and then the richness of the Crisp.

Please pardon my picture of the last course, I call it my "Fuzzy" Pavlova. Smith Creamery Heavy Cream lightly whipped (you can see how rich in butterfat the cream from the Smith's is by the almost butter yellow color) and folded into Creme Fraiche with peeled, chunked Colorado Peaches (which are not local but really out of this world in flavor right now!) that mousse like filling was rolled into a large rectangle of soft cooked Meringue. I served it on top of fresh Raspberry Puree and garnished with Confectioner's Sugar and crushed Pistachio Praline.

It was a great evening!

Slowly getting blitzed!

2008-09-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

Lu Brown is truly a treasure here in the Crescent City! Lu is the bar chef at Cafe Adelaide & the Swizzle Stick Bar. Lu can create cocktails that not only look and taste delicious but they also have stories behind them.

The cocktail below, "The Hansen's Sloe Blitz" was inspired by Ashley Hansen and her family's Sno Ball Stand-Hansen's. Lu started the cocktail with a ribbon of peel from a whole Lemon, dry Gin and Club Soda. She topped the cocktail with a "sno-cone" of crushed ice, a bouquet of mint for fragrance and a generous topping of sloe gin syrup that she reduced herself.

There really is no other way to describe this cocktail other than it is one of the most delicious libations that I have ever enjoyed! Truly...the Sloe Gin syrup slowly trickled through the cone of ice and sweetened my Lemon Gin Soda while the Mint made the whole experience as fragrant as it was flavorful!

Sloe gin is a red coloured liqueur flavored with sloe berries, the fruit of the blackthorn bush which is related to the plum. The blackthorn bush, a thorny tall-growing shrub which is commonly used as a security or privacy fence, is found throughout the the British Isles and flowers from March to May, with fruit ready for harvest in September through October. Sloe Gin is traditionally made with Gin, Sugar and Sloe Berries and allowing it to sit until sufficiently infused. Sloe Berries are much to bitter to enjoy raw, and since they are not commercially cultivated in the US you really won't have the chance.

I have done my best to try and source the Blackthorn Bush online, but no luck. If you can find one in the US please let me know.

In my opinion I will just leave myself in the capable care of Ms. Lu and her sloe gin syrup!

Better Bacon...

2008-09-17T16:05:00.001-07:00

An early day called for a bit of shopping this afternoon. I decided to spend my time and my dollars locally with "Ruby" owner Laura Lea Reid. Laura has decided to move the shop, currently located at 3932 Magazine Street, down the street (new address to be announced) and she is having a fantastic sale. One of the first things to catch my eye was a t-shirt manufactured by "Better Bacon".

"Better Bacon" t-shirts are produced by members of the Kids of Widney High, a Southern Cali band made up of young adults with developmental disabilities. My purchase of "Out of Shape Banana" was created by band member Peewee and inspired by the Velvet Underground Cd cover art by Andy Warhol really made my day!

Each of the shirts that band members create come complete with a tag that showcases a photo of the artist, their inspiration for the design and his/her personal credo. A proceed of sales directly benefits the "Kids of Widney High". Be sure to visit Laura over at Ruby to pick up a t-shirt, she doesn't have many left! She is the only distributor for Better Bacon in the state of Louisiana.

Want more info on the Kids of Widney High? Visit their website at;
http://kidsofwidneyhigh.com/

I'm getting all "Curried" away...

2008-09-16T16:43:00.001-07:00

I have am very lucky to work in some of the most beautiful homes in New Orleans and today I made a delicious Curried Zucchini Bread for a client. This bread is delicious, scented with heat from ground Ginger, toasted Curry Powder, Poppy Seeds and a dash of White Pepper. Flecked with freshly grated Lemon Zest and chopped Walnuts the result is a uniquely spicy, sweet treat. The recipe yields 2 loaves of Zucchini Bread or 18 muffins so I made a few of each.

Curried Zucchini Bread Recipe
Yields: 2 loaf pans or 18 muffins

1 1/2 cups chopped Walnuts
3 cups grated Zucchini
1/3 cup Poppy Seeds
Zest 2 Lemons

4 ounces butter, soft (1 stick)
1 cup granulated Sugar
1/2 cup brown Sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

3 Cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon each, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pans with 18 liners or spray two loaf pans and set to the side.

In a large bowl combine the chopped walnuts (excluding 1/4 cup for the top of the bread or muffins), grated zucchini, poppy seeds and lemon zest. In the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and both sugars. Whisk on medium speed till light and fluffy. Add the eggs, incorporating them one at a time, to the butter/sugar mixture and then add the vanilla extract. Mix until just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients and add the dry mixture to the butter/sugar mixture in two batches, mixing on medium low speed after each addition. Add the zucchini mix to the mixing bowl and mix on medium low speed until the ingredients are just combined.

Divide the mixture amongst the muffin cups or loaf pans and sprinkle with the reserved chopped walnuts. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes for muffins and 35-40 minutes for the loaves. Be sure to rotate the pans in the oven halfway through the cooking time.

When just firm to the touch, remove the bread from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the loaves and/or muffins from the pan, place on the wire rack and allow to cool completely. Enjoy as is for a great breakfast or snack.

Other ideas for serving;
-Toast slices of the loaves and lather with ricotta cheese
-Tear loaves into rough pieces and mix with some crumbled cooked bacon, a few eggs, and 1/4 cup of heavy cream and bake for a savory breakfast "bread pudding"
-Top with Chocolate Frosting and serve as cupcakes, sprinkled with additional Curry Powder for garnish.

Saintly Sweets...

2008-09-14T17:34:00.000-07:00

I've been perfecting my Sweet Potato Biscuit recipe since the beginning of the summer, so I took advantage of the Sunday Saints Brunch we hosted as one more opportunity to practice. These biscuits were in the company of a Caramelized Onion, Spinach & Gruyere Strata (a savory breakfast Bread Pudding of sorts), oven-roasted Hash Browns, Bacon, Vanilla-Almond Granola with Yogurt, and Shrimp Bisque. Spicy Bloody Mary's and Tangerine Mimosas started everyone off and we finished, crowded round the television enjoying Vanilla Meringues, Coconut Macaroons and sliced Peaches.

The Saints were defeated by the Redskins, 29-24 but the brunch was enjoyed by all!

NOLA Bean Sweet Potato Biscuit Recipe
Yields: 12 large biscuits or 24 minis (average)

2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Salt
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
4 ounce (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, cubed and cold
1 # Sweet Potatoes or 1 1/2 cups canned Sweet Potato puree
1/4 cup Buttermilk
2 Tablespoons Butter, melted (for the biscuit tops before baking)

Make Sweet Potato Puree: Roast the Sweet Potatoes on a foil lined sheet pan in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. The Sweet potatoes should be knife tender. Allow the potatoes to cool, peel and puree in a food processor. (This should yield 1 1/2-1 3/4 cups of Sweet Potato Puree)

Prepare Biscuits: In a food processor combine the Flour, Salt and Baking Powder, pulse 2-3 times to combine. Add the cubed, chilled butter to the food processor and pulse 5-6 times to cut the butter into the flour. Place the butter/flour mixture into a large bowl and fold the 1 1/2 cups Sweet Potato puree and Buttermilk in. You are looking for a soft, not too sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut into circles or squares with a floured knife or biscuit cutter. Place on parchment lined sheet pan, spacing them 1/4 of an inch apart. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and refrigerate the biscuits on the sheet pan for 15-20 minutes. Brush the biscuit tops with the melted butter and bake the biscuits in the preheated oven, for 25-3o minutes rotating the pan halfway through the cooking process.

Home Sweet NOLA...

2008-09-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

Things here in NOLA can be frustrating but mostly they are just delicious. Case in point, I went to join my good friend Beth to catch up after almost 3 days back from Montana. Beth a professor of World History at a local college moonlights at one of the best restaurants in the city as a bartender twice a week. Herbsaint, run by Chef Donald Link, has the most incredible Frog Legs I have ever tasted. Deep fried and tossed in a Buffalo Style sauce (Butter and Hot Sauce, I think they are using Crystal) topped with a few ribbons of Parsley. Nothing says welcome home more than a few great glasses of White Wine, Frogs Legs and good company. Many thanks to my friends at Herbsaint for easing me back into living in New Orleans!

Lets get back to one of the frustrating parts! We do receive our mail almost daily, but our Mailman never delivers packages, so I am constantly running to the post office to pick them up myself. Picking the packages up really does work out for the best though, at least they aren't being stolen off our front porch. (It has happened more than once!) Anxiously awaiting my many packages being sent from Montana I picked up the package below. You can see how well they handled and cared for my parcel. Unbelievably nothing was broken, so I was able to get my hands on my "Lava Jazz" bowl, courtesy of Mimi Warner of Finely Point, Montana.

I don't want to end on a sour note, so I snapped this picture of my favorite shrimp in the whole world...Louisiana Gulf Shrimp. Our Louisiana shrimpers work really hard to provide us with these babies and I thank them every day!

Missing Montana

2008-09-11T14:59:00.000-07:00

I finally made it home! After 2 cancelled flights and few car rides I returned to NOLA Monday night. Things here are good, a little wind-blown, but good. The heat and humidity take their toll, but I really have no right to complain after 3 months in the most beautiful place in the world.

If you haven't had the chance to visit Montana, I can not express to you how much you are missing. Cold glacier lakes, purple mountains, snow in June, cool breezes and so much more. I have had a fantastic summer with my Montana family, my Montana girls and the company of some very special guests. I am already dreaming of what next summer holds.

I wanted to share some of the pictures that I took in my last week, enjoy and get yourself out to some big sky country!!

S'more Please!

2008-09-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

Since I sat around watching CNN and the Weather Channel almost all day (fearing the hurricanes path towards my New Orleans home) yesterday an easy to assemble dessert was needed. Since temperatures are still dipping into the 30's and 40's at night we have kept a fire going for almost a full week. S'mores seemed like the answer. The Marshmallows may not have been homemade but the Graham Crackers were! Dusted with Turbinado Sugar and Cinnamon they "made" the Hershey Bars and Jet Puffed Marshmallows. Roasting the Marshmallows on driftwood sticks that Jessi and I whittled (I know...she whittles too!) points onto added just enough kitsch.

My sweet girl Maggie, has great taste. She could have cared less for the Marshmallows or the Hershey Bars but she sure did want some Graham Crackers!

Smore's in action below, this guest preferred a bit of char to her mallow!

With all this talk of dessert, dinner was an easy meal of Parmesan and Breadcrumb roasted Tomatoes (grown in the neighboring city of Ronan), pan roasted Broccoli, Roast Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes and Grilled Pork Paillards.

Cleaning out the Pantry...

2008-09-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

We are nearing the end of our summer and my main goal is to utilize as much of my pantry staples as possible. I hate to buy too much for the summer and I take it as a personal challenge to throw as little away as possible. With Bobby's leftover Carrot Cake I made these Carrot Truffles.

Cake Truffles are super easy, you basically take your leftover cake, throw it in bowl and mash it up. I then shape the mixture using a small ice cream scoop, roll by hand to smooth and then pop in the freezer for a few minutes. They are best dipped fully in chocolate, but with my limited end of the year white chocolate supply I dipped only the tops and then in a mixture of toasted Coconut and finely chopped Walnuts. This recipe is really inspired by Bakerella's Blog, http://bakerella.blogspot.com/ ...her cupcake blog is a lot of fun.

For dinner this evening I cooked Rack of Lamb. Sorry for the "Meat Mountain" picture below, but in my haste to get the food out to everyone hot, my final dish pictures were not up to par. The meal was one of my favorites this summer, even though the summer weather is officially over we haven't been above 60 degrees for days.

The final dish consisted of a loose puree of Sweet, White Onion, and home grown Zucchini, Wilted Swiss Chard (also from the garden) the Lamb Chops and to finish it off a reduction sauce of Chicken Stock mounted with roast Garlic Puree, roughly chopped Nicoise Olives and fresh Marjoram.

For dessert...my favorite! Pavlova. This time around I rolled the soft baked Meringue around whipped Heavy Cream and chopped Cherries from our own trees. So divine, even the none dessert eaters had a piece and I had little to share with Jessi!

Happy Birthday Bobby!

2008-08-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

Well the day started out with beautiful weather and a great golf game for our friend Bobby! I won't reveal how many years young he is, but he is looking and feeling good! I am always a sucker for a man that loves a good meal so for Bobby this evening we prepared Dill and Mustard Glazed Salmon served on a bed of Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Pastilla (this is Israeli Couscous cooked risotto style) with oven roasted Patty Pan Squash, Baby Roma Tomatoes and Brussel Sprouts.

No birthday would be complete with out a cake, and for Bobby I made a Carrot Cake flecked with Coconut, toasted Walnuts, fresh Ginger and Orange Zest. Iced with Lemon Cream Cheese frosting and finished with candles, a dusting of Cinnamon and home-grown Mint. Happy Birthday Bobby!

Waiter...there's a bat in my umbrella....

2008-08-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

Bats are a common occurrence on the property, but usually late. Today while opening up the umbrella on the terrace a bat fell out scaring us all quite a bit. We found the second one below nestled in the folds of the umbrella and decided to eat our lunch inside at the bar. I know the picture is blurry, but how close do you expect me to get? If you look closely you will see his little bat paw.

Since most of our guests have taken themselves on mini excursions today the four remaining guests enjoyed a light lunch of Artichoke and White Bean Hummus (a little lighter on the garlic this time!), Cold Crawfish Salad, Crisps, Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque and a beautiful salad of Rocky Point Lettuce, Blanched Green Beans, Cold Roasted Beets & Feta all dressed with a simple Red Wine Vinaigrette.

Dinner & a Market...

2008-08-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

Dinner could not have been less exciting last night. We all enjoyed, and I use the word "all" loosely, dinner in front of the TV so that we wouldn't miss a moment of Obama's acceptance speech. While I found the speech moving, a little heavy on the Bush attacks (even though he deserves them), and very inspiring I was one of the few. What we could all agree on though was dinner, if nothing else food should always be able to bring people together.

We enjoyed a Whole Grain Mustard Grilled Pork Loin Chop served on a bed of "Red Flannel Hash" and buttered Green Beans finished with a Whole Grain Mustard Jus. For those of you not familiar with "Red Flannel Hash" its a tasty combination of root vegetables, in this case Beets, Sweet Potatoes, New Potatoes, Parsnips & Caramelized Onion, finished with just a bit of Cream to pull it all together in the end. This New England staple is usually a breakfast food that utilizes leftover Corned Beef or Bacon, but its delicious in a vegetarian setting as well. Dinner finished with a Fiji Apple Crisp topped with Whipped Cream.

Don't be fooled by the Whole Food Market bags in the background of this photo below! Everything on the kitchen island was bought from today's Farmers Market or harvested from our own garden! You can see that the Patty-Pan Squash have had quite a growth spurt and the Zucchinis are becoming more and more prolific. Sweet Corn, harvested 2 hours before the Market, Tomatoes, Broccoli, Green Beans, Sweet Onions, Red Potatoes & lots of fresh cut flowers.

The sun has finally come back to us! After a solid week of wind storms, cloudy skies and constant drizzle our Raspberry bushes, both the red and the golden Raspberries have decided to give us a second harvest. The golden Raspberries below line the path to the lodge and I can not resist a stop on my way for a sun warmed Berry.

Moon over Montana...

2008-08-28T05:02:00.001-07:00

One of the best things about eating dinner at the lodge, is the fact that the evening view from the terrace is really out of this world. The evening below all came together, Grilled Pork marinated in Whole Grain Mustard and Honey served on a bed of Butternut Squash Puree and Montana gown green beans. The dish was finished with a ragout of Bacon Lardons, a brabant of Fiji Apple and Shallot cooked down with Sherry Vinegar, Sherry and Poultry Stock. It was a most spectacular meal.

When all was said and done even Pug Henry agreed! She spent a few good minutes "cleaning" the table for us. (Yes...her mother put her up on the table.)

And as I mentioned earlier, the views from the terrace at night are really breathtaking. This photo was taken 2-3 days before the full moon and the moon glow creates a purple haze as it competes with the reflection of the setting sun.

A Valley of Fire...

2008-08-28T04:52:00.001-07:00

The "Deep Draw" fire started as a "spot fire" a fire caused by a lightening strike and way to much dry land. Burning in Lake County, about 10 miles north of Elmo, the fire started out as a small 100 acres and after a hard week of burning consumed 1,500 acres. These are a few of the photos that I took from the Northwestern Point of the Lodge. High winds really aggravated the burn, but did make for a spectacular contrast to the sunset.

Garden Perfect!

2008-08-28T04:38:00.001-07:00

Jessi's Garden is really out of control! Our cucumber plant has taken up more room than we have ever experienced in the past and the zucchini and squash are beautiful. My favorites are the Patty-Pan Squash that are a little smaller than the palm of my hand. The Currant Tomatoes are a close second, but its hard to get them back to the kitchen without eating everything that you harvested by the time you get back to the kitchen door. We have been enjoying freshly grown Lettuce all summer, the Purple Kale is delicious and I can't leave out the Squash Blossoms.

Squash blossoms really are special. I use them as much as I can, and once our group of family thinned a bit, I was able to stuff a few of them with Herbed Ricotta and serve them with Braised Short Ribs. Underneath the Short Ribs was a chunky mash of Zucchini stewed down with fresh Thyme and Spring Onion. Almost a perfect plate...if I do say so myself!

A Tiny Sweet...

2008-08-28T04:31:00.000-07:00

Necessity is the mother of invention and when you have 20 hungry people and 1 partial cheesecake and need dessert...the Cheesecake Truffle is invented. I am sure that people have been making these for years, but I thought I was quite clever. I broke up the Cheesecake (homemade of course) crust and all and mixed it with finely ground Chocolate Wafers. Rolling the mixture with moist hands helped keep the mess down and then rolled the finished Truffle in additional Cookie crumbs. Garnished with a kiss of Milk Chocolate they were enjoyed by all.

Some Food for the Soul...

2008-08-28T04:13:00.001-07:00

The majority of the family staying here either lives or was born in Northern Louisiana. If I get lucky, they take one evening and prepare their signature meal. Other than my momma's Chicken & Dumplins there is really no other meal that I would love to have. The meal consists of Chicken Drumettes, Brown Rice ( a more recent substitution for the white rice that we all miss) & Chicken Gravy, Green Beans with Egg Sauce and 7-minute Cabbage. Its all delicious! The cabbage is cooked in butter, the Egg Sauce is lemony with a Tabasco kick, the beans are canned & the gravy is spicy!

Early in the trip I take a poll of all the cousins to see who has what cravings, and if they are easily translated into a lunch or dinner for twenty I make it happen. Roast Beef Po-Boys were one of the first things mentioned. So I made due with Whole Wheat Hoagie Rolls and kept the rest of the sandwich as classic as I could. Slow cooked Beef with lots of Garlic (important for all the Gravy that needs to smother the sandwich), fresh Mayo, chopped Romaine, thinly sliced Tomato and Pickle

Without question the favorite meal of the day, without question is definitely breakfast! Jessi, our Gardner extraordinaire is also the breakfast cook and she keeps it coming with creamy Grits, tons of Bacon, Eggs cooked any style to order, Waffles, Pancakes, Huckleberry Pancakes and if we are really lucky...Cinnamon Rolls (with or without Pecans). The coffee is French Market, a chicory blend that most of you are familiar with and the syrup is made locally by Eva Gates.

Family Favorites...

2008-08-27T14:55:00.001-07:00

Every family has their favorite meals and there are always a few things that I know I can get right, for everyone at the tables. The first is Spaghetti and Meatballs, not much I know but when made with freshly made Pasta & house made Tomato sauce everyone is happy at this meal. Wrap it up with Caesar Salad and toasted Garlic Bread.

One of the favorite lunch menus consists of freshly made Pizzas. Made with Whole Wheat Crusts, we had Pepperoni (of course), Veggie , Bacon Cheeseburger, BBQ Chicken and Mediterranean Pork. Everyone gets at least 3 slices and we were able to enjoy some locally grown, Dixon Melons wrapped with Prosciutto on the side. Not only a great meal, but a great way to use up those leftovers!
A birthday is always a great day with all this family around. Nothing beats a straight up Chocolate Cake slathered in Vanilla Bean Frosting and garnished with Edible Flowers & Mint from the garden. Sorry for the partial picture, I couldn't get to the cake cutting fast enough!

Sunrise & Sunset

2008-08-27T14:52:00.001-07:00

SUNRISE &

SUNSET!

Lets talk about fish...

2008-08-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

We are very lucky to have a grocery not to far away and they get some beautiful fish, especially the Wild Salmon and they also provide us with wild-caught Gulf Shrimp. Shout out to Super One Foods! Two of our most delicious seafood based meals were the Thyme Grilled Wild Shrimp Skewers served over a ragout of Montana grown baby Yellow Squash, fresh English Peas and Fingerling Potatoes, sauced with a Lemon Vinaigrette and finished off with Hush Puppies. There really is just something special about Hush Puppies, even the name is perfect.

This is our assembly line, 21 plates for 21 hungry people

A mountain of golden fried goodness, Hush Puppies! Try them on
their own drizzled with honey.

Our finished dish, every veggie on that plate is grown in Montana!

Another one of my favorite dishes was this grilled Wild Salmon. Sitting on a bed of 4 hour fresh corn, shucked and removed from the Cob and cooked down in olive oil, salt, pepper and finely chopped Marjoram from the herb garden. The Salmon marinated in a fresh Thyme and Olive Oil bath, was grilled and topped with garden grown Currant Tomatoes. Simply perfect.

I am very, very ashamed of myself.

2008-08-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

The summer has just continued to roll on by and my posts have been few and far between. I hope that the summer has treated everyone well, and after this week I will be returning home to New Orleans. Things here in Montana have just taken a turn for the winter. Temperatures have not been above 60 degrees and I have barely seen the sun for two days. The fog has started rolling in this afternoon and the lake is covered in a silvery gray haze. I know... I'm bragging.

Even though the summer has not held as many guests as those in years past, I have had a great time, a few surprises and cooked many meals. In order to make up for the the past month I thought I would share a few meals that we have enjoyed and the people we have had the opportunity to meet in one large post.

First up; Vietnamese bun. This is one of our favorite lunches, a classic Vietnamese cold Noodle Salad served with hot, seared beef on top. The salad is a mixture of chopped Cucumber and Romaine Lettuce on the bottom, room temperature Rice Vermicelli Noodles in the middle and then topped with a julienne of Carrot & Green Onion, Mung Bean Sprouts, Crushed Peanuts and a ton of freshly chopped Thai Basil, Cilantro and Mint. This is dressed with freshly made Nuoc Mam! Mrs. Rocky Point is a big fan.

After our lunch of "Bun" we prepared ourselves for a few weeks filled with cousins, sibling, nieces, nephews, friends of friends and daughters. At the most we were hosting 21 people here at the lodge but we were still able to keep it classy... almost.

Let us discuss the not so classy moments and just get them out of the way. Many of you have never heard of the "Taco Bag" before, but here in Rodeo country there really isn't anything like it. Those of us in the South have enjoyed in many a "Tater Tot Casserole" or "Frito Pie", but the beauty of the "Taco Bag" is that it is the invention and reflection of its maker. All right its really just a individually sized bag of Doritos's or Frito's or Tortilla Chips, name your favorite artery clogging salty snack here, lightly crushed and then topped with Chili, Cheese, Pickled Onions, Pickled Jalapenos, and Sour Cream. Don't even think of using a bowl, all the action for this tasty little meal all happens in that disposable chip bag.

Another "embarrassing but yeah..I made that" moment was the "Corn Dog Casserole". I am known as quite a utilizer of leftovers and when you have 4 Corn Dogs in the fridge from Richwines (one of the best "cook to order", locally owned drive thru's in the county) and 10 Hot dogs with their buns left from the BBQ the day before I saw it as a personal challenge. Unfortunately the result wasn't what I was expecting at all...it was utterly delicious. Believe it or not, you can add Heavy Cream, Whole Grain Mustard and diced Spring Onions to a bowl of chopped up "Dog's" and have one of the better savory Bread Puddings ever. Can you imagine the scene at your next backyard BBQ...

Lady number 1: "Who brought this?"
Lady number 2: "What...that?"
Lady number 1: "I don't know, what is that?
Lady number 3: "Why that's my famous corn dog casserole!" "Go ahead...try it, you'll like it."
(Lady number 3 tilts her head to the left, cracks her perfectly glossed lips into a smile and exposes those straight teeth while Lady number 1 & 2 devour said casserole from wilting paper plates and plastic forks, all the while nodding and shaking their heads in approval.)
End Scene. Picture of Corn Dog Casserole appears.

Happy Birthday Mr. Rocky Point...

2008-07-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

July 15th is a big day here at Rocky Point, a birthday for the man in charge! We celebrated with a New Orleans Style Lunch. Crawfish pulled from Lake Mary Ronan were boiled up Cajun Style, lots of Garlic, Corn on the Cob, and baby New Potatoes. We also enjoyed Red Beans and Rice, a WOP Salad and Garlic Bread. Delicious! Even Hungry Henry the pug, couldn't get enough!

For dinner we enjoyed some lighter fare, Dover Sole (fresh fish is flown in on Tuesdays and Fridays) rolled around thin slices of Yellow Squash, Shallots and fresh Thyme, served on a bed of Toasted Pine nut Couscous, Parslied Carrots and topped with a fresh Basil Hollandaise. No cake for this birthday, I served Dark Chocolate Souffles dusted with Powdered Sugar!

Feels like Fall...

2008-07-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

The weather in Montana is funny. It can be hot and cold, rainy and sunny and sometimes all of these things at the same time depending on where your standing on the point we occupy. Last night, the weather took a cool turn after a choppy, sunny day on the lake. I took it upon myself to make sure that our guests had a warm meal to fill them after their cocktail hour on the lake.

For dinner we enjoyed a Pancetta wrapped Pork Loin (it doesn't get any better than pork on pork) rubbed with a Fennel Seed Spice Mixture. After wrapping the Pork, I threw it on the rotisserie and served the dinner with Brown Butter roasted Brussel Sprouts, Sweet Potato Puree and Rocky Point Kale.

For dessert, Banana Cake served with Rum Caramel.

I have listed both the Fennel Seed Spice for Pork and the Banana Cake recipe below.

Fennel Seed Rub
3 Tablespoons Coriander
2 Tablespoons White Peppercorns
3 Tablespoons Fennel Seed
2 Tablespoons Herbes De Provence
3 Tablespoons Kosher Salt

Toast the Coriander, White Peppercorns and Fennel Seed in a dry saute pan over medium heat until fragrant and lightly toasted. Grind the toasted spices and then run through a sieve, removing any large pieces. Mix with the Herbes de Provence and the Kosher Salt. Great with pork, but can also be used on fish and chicken.

Banana Cake
The easiest cake ever! Made entirely in a food processor and can be baked in a bundt pan, round cake pan, muffin pan (for cupcakes) or in a loaf pan. Great plain-for breakfast, used as French Toast, topped with Maple Syrup while still warm or topped with Cream Cheese Frosting for a more traditional cake.
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
4 Bananas
1 stick butter, melted
2 cups Cake Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 cup Sour Cream
3 eggs

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process till smooth. Bake in any of the pans mentioned above in a preheated 350 degree oven, baking time will depend on what type of pan you choose to use, start checking after 25 minutes.

It looks a mess!

2008-07-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, no matter how great something tastes it just doesn't properly come across in a photo. For example, the other night we enjoyed this fantastic meal of oven roasted Filet Mignon, served on a bed of locally grown baby Carrots, Washington grown Asparagus, Rocky Point Kale and then topped with a salad of Kalispell Tomatoes. It was great, but it doesn't look it. Ce la vie, every last spear of asparagus was eaten, along with every bit of kale, beef and carrot!

A Taste of Italy...

2008-07-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Anitpasta is one of our favorite lunches, we pretend we are sitting on the coast of Italy even though the shores of Flathead lake serve us just fine! This week we enjoyed our Yellow Tomatoes alternating with roasted Sweet Peppers marinating in Garlic and Rosemary Olive Oil, assorted meats (Hot Coppa, Sopressata, Hot Calabrese, Bresalo), Prosciutto wrapped Canteloupe, Herb marinated Mozzarella, roasted Eggplant Caviar, grilled-Garlic rubbed Chibatta, and Arugula salad dressed with Lemon Vinaigrette and topped with shaved Parmesan and a grilled Zucchini and Squash salad served room temperature. A great meal in the perfect setting! Ciao.

Sweet Potato, Sweet Potato....

2008-07-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

I had a few Sweet Potato scraps to use up, so I boiled them in some salted water, pureed them and used them for Sweet Potato Biscuits. We enjoyed the biscuits

slathered with Whole Grain Mustard and Creme Fraiche, topped that with slow roasted Pork Tenderloin and some home grown Alfalfa Sprouts. We paired the sandwiches with a large Yellow Tomato Salad that included chunks of Cucumber, Shaved White Onion and loads and loads of Parsley.

Dinner and then some...

2008-07-07T09:20:00.001-07:00

I am so sorry to have left everyone waiting. The weather here has been extraordinary and I felt required to take up some of that time sunning on the dock. Perfection!

To get everyone up to date, we have missed 3 whole days of cooking. Friday, the fourth, we enjoyed a light lunch of...Gazpacho (see the recipe below) and Butterking Lettuce Salad to prepare our stomachs for dinner. Hickory smoked Baby Back Pork Ribs served with Blackeyed Peas, Cinnamon-Honey Sweet Potato Puree and Napa Cabbage Slaw. Dessert on the fourth was definitely a contender for the best of the summer...S'mores! Homemade Graham Crackers brushed on one side with a Milk Chocolate/Dark Chocolate Mix and then sandwiched with a homemade Marshmallows (that recipe is below as well) toasted over hot coals.

On Saturday I prepared a picnic for the group to enjoy on the party barge. Sandwiches of Goat Cheese or fresh Mozzarella with Arugula-Basil Pesto and Prosciutto, pressed on the the griddle and served at room-temperature, with a salad of chopped Tomatoes, shaved Cucumber and White Onion tossed with Red Onion Vinegar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The picnic food was great, the dead battery on the party barge did encumber the boat trip but the guests were great sports to enjoy lunch on the boat in spite of it all.

Saturday, the weather turned quite cool so I went for a traditional Beef Bourguignon. Lardons of Applewood smoked Bacon, Pearl Onions, chunks of Carrots and Celery, and the finishing touch of Montana Morels. I served the Bourguigon over creamy White Cheddar Polenta and finished the dish with a topping of Crystal Hot Sauce soaked Onion Rings and roughly chopped Parsley. Mint flecked Strawberries and Blueberries tossed with Sugar and New Orleans Amber Rum were served on Orange Drop Biscuits accompanied by Whipped Cream for dessert.
I enjoyed a easy day on Sunday, guests enjoyed lunch in Big Fork after a hike in the Jewel Basin.
An Asian themed dinner composed of Shrimp Spring rolls with Nuoc Mam for dipping and Char-grilled Pork Laska. Dessert was an easy Ginger and Honey grilled Peach with Mango Creme Fraiche and then sprinkled with Toasted Coconut.

All caught up, we will have more for you tomorrow.

NOLA Bean Gazpacho Recipe

2 pounds tomatoes, home-grown are best!

1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1 cup red bell pepper, diced

½ cup white onion, diced

½ cup lime juice

3 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

2 garlic cloves

1 medium jalapeno

¼ cup cilantro leaves

iodized salt and freshly ground black pepper,to taste

With a paring knife remove the core from the tomatoes. Split the tomatoes in half and over a strainer squeeze the seeds out reserving the juice. Run the tomatoes over the large holes of a grater, and rub back and forth to remove as much of the flesh from the tomatoes, leaving behind as much skin as possible. Set aside ½ cup of the chopped tomatoes along with ¼ cup of the cucumber, ¼ cup of the pepper, and 2 tablespoons of onion. In a food processor combine the remaining ingredients in a blender, starting with the liquid. Puree till smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill over night if possible. Serve the gazpacho in cold bowls and garnish with the remaining reserved diced vegetables.

NOLA Bean's Marshmallow's

4 envelopes Gelatin
1 1/2 cups water
3 cups granulated Sugar
1 1/4 cups light Corn Syrup
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups Confectioner's Sugar

Lightly grease a half sheet pan with pan spray, line with plastic wrap (the pan spray will help the saran to stick to the pan) allowing the plastic wrap to overhang the pan by a few inches, and then spray the plastic wrap with the pan spray. Set the prepared pan to the side. In the bowl of a kitchen aid mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the gelatin with 3/4 of a cup of water and let soften. In a small sauce pot combine the remaining 3/4 cup of water with the sugar, salt and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once the mixture boils and the sugar dissolves, cook the mixture for 9 minutes with out stirring. Be sure to use a timer. When your 9 minutes is up, remove the pan from heat and turn the mixer on low speed. Slowly add your sugar syrup to the mixing bowl. Once all the sugar syrup is added, gradually increase the heat to high and whip for 10-12 minutes. Once again, be sure to use a timer for this. Your final marshmallow mixture should be white and very stiff. Add the vanilla and pour into the prepared pan. This will be a sticky mess, so just focus on getting as much of the marshmallow into the prepared pan as possible. Spray the top of the marshmallow with pan spray and lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top to smooth. Set aside, do not refrigerate, for 3 hours. After 3 hours, remove the top sheet of plastic wrap and turn the marshmallow onto a confectioners sugar dusted cutting board. Remove the remaining plastic wrap. Grease the knife with pan spray and cut the marshmallows into your preferred dimensions, reapplying pan spray to your knife as needed. Dust the cut marshmallows with confectioners sugar toss to cover all the sticky cut surfaces and store at room temperature in a tin or ziplock bag.

For the love of Crawfish...

2008-07-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

We started the summer off with small batches of Crawfish, 30 or 40 at a time. We have now reached critical mass. Yesterday we brought in over 200 Crawfish, at least 15 pounds. The Crawfish are huge and they are tasty. We soaked and rinsed the Crawfish well and then boiled those babies up. It took the guests an hour to demolish the boil, baby Potatoes, Andouille and Corn. Just in case the Crawfish wasn't enough, I also stuffed some home-grown Texas (brought by our guests from Austin) Tomatoes with fresh Crab Salad served on a bed of our freshly grown Butterking Lettuce dressed with a Champagne Vinaigrette.

Dinner was also great...Morel Mushroom crusted Rack of Lamb served with Parmesan Baked Tomatoes, Cauliflower Puree and Garlic Wilted Spinach, but dessert...dessert was fantastic!!!
I made a Raspberry Creme Fraiche Pavlova, a dessert that literally takes minutes, is easy to forget about making and hard to forget after finishing.

Essentially, Pavlova is a sheet of basic Meringue, baked till somewhat still tacky, cooled, spread with a filling and rolled like a Jelly-Roll. We filled ours with fresh Raspberries, whipped Heavy Creme and tangy Creme Fraiche. Its a mess to slice, but you are easily forgiven after the first spoonful!

NOLA Bean's Pavlova

Pan Spray
5 large Egg Whites
pinch of Salt
1 1/4 cups granulated Sugar

1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1/2 cup Creme Fraiche
2 pints raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a half sheet pan with pan spray. Line with a sheet of parchment paper and then spray with pan spray. Set the pan to the side. In the bowl of a kitchen aid mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium high and gradually add the sugar until the egg whites hold stiff glossy peaks. Spread this meringue into the prepared sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through the cooking time. Remove the pan from the oven and invert the cooked meringue onto a sheet of parchment paper. Allow the meringue to cool for 10-15 minutes. In a large bowl combine the whipped cream, creme fraiche, and the raspberries. Once the meringue has cooled, remove the top sheet of parchment, spread with the creme fraiche filling and roll from the long side. The pavlova is ready to serve or can be refrigerated for a few hours. Use a serrated knife and a lot of patience to cut the pavlova. Messy is fine as long as it tastes good.

A little bit of Catch-Up...

2008-07-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just need a little bit of comfort food. I decided to find mine in the perfect Tuna melt. I know, a Tuna melt? But let me tell you, there is nothing like a Chive flecked scoop of Tuna salad plopped down on a piece of Winter Wheat Whole Grain Bread topped with a fat slice of Tomato & grated Swiss Cheese. Put that baby under the broiler and I am immediately brought back to summer camp. Absolutely
delicious!!!

Another wonderful event that has taken place is the blooming of the Rocky Point Peonies. They are opening up in every shade of pink, red and white. They are fat, and begged to be cut since the weight of the bud pulls the blooming beauties down to the ground. Jessi has been filling the home with Peony bouquets as fast as they are blooming.

After our week long vacation, guests started arriving yesterday afternoon. A few couples from Texas and another from New Orleans by way of Manhattan. They were ready for naps and then dinner.

For dinner we enjoyed...Grilled Filet Mignon on a bed of Montana grown Baby New Potatoes tossed with raw Garlic, Chive Oil and Whole Grain Mustard, and sauteed Baby Broccoli Rabe from the lake front garden. For dessert...Thyme Poached Plums on sweetened Marscarpone sprinkled with Pistachio Praline. Delicious.

This is for David

2008-07-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

I had to include a beautiful picture of my sweet girl Maggie! She is loving life out here in Montana and I know that my husband misses her! Love you David!

Cha, Cha Cha, Cheers....

2008-07-01T11:22:00.001-07:00

Jessi and I were getting antsy! We haven't had guests for almost a full week and in order for us to be busy, we engineered a party! We decided on a Mexican theme and I set up a table on my screened in porch. A few flower arrangements, vintage chairs, fresh linens and candles later our stage was set and we got to cooking.

Fresh Lime juice was squeezed, Salsa was mixed using our Kalispell Market Tomatoes, Guacamole was mashed, Corn Tortillas were heated, Chicken Thighs were braised in a Tomato and Chiptole enriched Chicken Stock, Red Rice was steamed and Black Beans were stewed with Apple Cider Vinegar, Cumin and Honey.

What a great night, the food was delicious and the setting could not have been more ideal! In addition to all of this great food, Jessi also made two beautiful Strawberry Rhubarb Pies. One for dessert and the second was served up for breakfast! I am working on getting Jessi to bring her pie recipe together for us and will post it soon.

Till then, how about my tried and true Guacamole recipe?

Ole!

NOLA Bean Guacamole...

3 ripe Avocados, skin & pit removed
4 cloves Garlic, minced
Zest and Juice of two Limes
2 Green Onions, diced
Salt and freshly, ground Black Pepper...to taste
1/2 small Jalapeno, diced
Crystal Hot Sauce...to taste

In a large bowl, mash the ingredients together with a fork or potato masher. I prefer a chunkier Guac, but feel free to work it as finely as you like. Chill with a sheet of plastic wrap pressed on the top to prevent browning and double check for Salt and Pepper before serving!

Tomatoes in Waiting

2008-06-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Rocky Point returns from a brief trip to New York today, so I am starting the Tomato brainstorming process.

First up, get all those pretty Tomatoes in a row. Ready to inspire, destined to delight!

Before Martha Finds it...

2008-06-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

I had to add one more post about a truly unique find at the Farmers Market yesterday-a beautiful looking flower. It turned out to be a wild growing member of the lily family called Bear Grass. According to some online research that I found Bear Grass typically grows in large, dense patches among lodgepole pine, subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce trees at elevations above 5,000 feet. It is found in the Northern Rockies, the Cascade and Coastal ranges, and the Sierras as far south as central California. Every few years, in June and July, it propagates offshoots from a creeping underground stem called a rhizome (RY-zome, from the Greek word for root). These give rise to sturdy green stalks that brighten the subalpine forest understory with large racemes (clusters) of small, delicately scented, creamy-white flowers. After the bloom is over, the offshoot plants die.

To put it plainly, they are just breathtaking! So look for this hard to find, difficult to source, sure to be the must have wedding floral in a Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine very soon!

To Market we go!

2008-06-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday there is a fantastic Farmers Market in the city of Kalispell. Jessi and I made a trip out this weekend in a desperate search for Tomatoes. While all of my friends and neighbors back home in New Orleans are knee deep in Creole Tomatoes, finding a homegrown Tomato in the great state of Montana is a difficult task.

Luckily we arrived 20 minutes before the market started, just in time to take our place in the dramatically long line for...TOMATOES!!

Aqua Gardens, run by husband and wife team of Ron and Kelley Zimmerman, supplies us with their beautiful, hydroponically grown red and yellow tomatoes and new this year, English Cucumbers.

The Tomatoes, looked like soft jewels and the Cucumbers are some of the best I have every tasted. I love that they individually hand wrap them in saran wrap to mimic the cellophane wrapped English Cukes that you find at the grocery!

We were also able to pickup freshly dug New Potatoes, Arugula, Red Spring Onions, and Radishes.

How about some scenery?

2008-06-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

Here's the view from my cabin. Waking up to views like this really makes the morning even better!

Lake View Garden

2008-06-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well here she is, our beautiful lake front garden! Jessi, our breakfast cook and Gardner extraordinaire has spent a lot of time and energy making this garden as productive as possible.

This year Jessi has included in the garden, Sunflowers, Sweet Peas, Green Pole Beans, Cushaw (also known as the "above ground tater")Peppers, Tomatillos, Tomatoes, Strawberries, Zucchini, Lettuce, Arugula, Chard, Kale, Garlic, Carrots and few other goodies that I am sure I'm leaving out.

The garden is a multi-level organic, surrounded by walls of chicken wire, to keep out the pesky deer. Each row starts and ends with Marigolds-natures bug control. The strawberries are hanging this year, to keep pug Henry from wiping out the Strawberry harvest and the roses in the front are purely decorative and now almost completely aphid free after the biodegradable dish soap water rinse that Jessi applied a few days ago. Mrs. Rocky Point is rose lover and she will use them to decorate the house for her guests. I will be experimenting with home made rose sugars and syrups.

Thai'ed up in the Mountains

2008-06-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

A little something different for dinner tonight... Shrimp Laska!

This spicy, creamy Coconut rich soup really hit the spot when the temperature dipped just a bit. Traditionally this dish is made with a Glass or Rice noodle. I had Buckwheat Somen and when it takes 1/2 an hour to get to the grocery you make do with what you have!

The dish is really very simple, made better with the addition of an Asian inspired Shrimp Stock and fresh herbs.

Your base is made of a paste composed of Coriander, Peppercorns, Asian Chilies, Lemongrass, Shallots etc and toasted in a large saute pan, Shrimp are added and cooked and then lots of Coconut Milk and your Shrimp Stock. I added a julienne of Carrot, Cucumber and Red Pepper and topped off the dish with chopped Cilantro and a chiffonade of Thai Basil and Mint.

Back to those Crawfish...

2008-06-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

After a few more days of trapping we had a few pounds of live Crawfish to work with and I set to making Crawfish stock for bisque, shelling the tails for meat, scraping the heads for fat and cleaning out the heads for stuffing.

A two day process at least, it was well worth the effort.

I rinsed the Crawfish and soaked them in cold water a few times to get them as clean as possible. After a cold water soaking, I placed them on the stove in a large pot filled with water, fresh Bay Leaf, lots of Salt and sliced Lemon. I brought them up to a boil ( with the lid on),let them simmer for 10 minutes, then turned off the heat and let them sit for 20 minutes. The water was strained off and the Crawfish were peeled and prepped for all of the above applications.

Crawfish Stock started with the shells, fresh Lemon, Celery, Onion, Carrot, Fennel, Thyme, Bay Leaf, Peppercorns and Parsley Stems. I brought this lovely concoction up to a boil and let the stock simmer for 45 minutes. Crawfish stock may not have the nicest of hues when finished, but it adds more flavor than anything else.

The stuffing, you can find the recipe below, was made and the heads were stuffed. Traditionally, only the thorax of the Crawfish is used, but if you can get all the head "gunk" out of the heads, I leave the heads on for a more formal presentation.

The bisque, made very classically but finished with a few shots of Brandy was served with Brown Rice and the stuffed heads. Delicious!

Freshly Grown...

2008-06-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Never underestimate the power of freshly grown Lettuce. The Spring Lettuce mix has just started popping down in the lake view garden. A simple salad accompanies most of our meals, but the lettuce alone is worth a pretty picture. This mix contains, Red Leaf, Oak Leaf, Mizuna & Green Leaf lettuces.

Simply dressed with a drizzle of Lemon Juice, Olive Oil, salt and freshly ground Pepper you can't ask for a better way to start a meal.

Crawfish Trapping Montana Style...

2008-06-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

Rumors of the freshwater Crawfish to be found in the surrounding glacial lakes prompted Mr. Rocky Point to start laying traps. Much to my surprise he came back with about 3 dozen Montana crawfish. You never really think about crawfish in Montana but in New Orleans we use them as much as we possibly can while they are in season.

The Crawfish that we have been trapping are much darker in contrast to the murkey red mudbugs from Louisiana. Hopefully, as the weather and water warms we will be able to procure them in greater numbers.

For now, we have them soaking and we will be enjoying the few that we have in a bisque and most importantly stuffing the heads! Get a first hand look at the Crawfish in the video below.

This is what happens....

2008-06-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you feed the dog from the table! Many thanks to Pug Henry for
perfecting her begging skills this summer!

Meat on the Bone

2008-06-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

There really is nothing like meat cooked on the bone! As a gift, a few of the guests had some absolutely beautiful bone-in Veal Loin Chops sent to the lodge from Allen Brothers. (www.allenbrothers.com)

So for dinner we enjoyed... Thyme and Orange marinated & grilled Veal Loin Chops served with a savory Morel Mushroom & Asparagus Bread Pudding sauced with Veal Jus.

The chops could not have been more delicious. Perfectly cooked (if I do say so myself) and enjoyed all the way down to the bone.

The bread pudding was inspired by a book that I just finished by Barbara Kingsolver called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. A truly amazing book that documented the life of Mrs. Kingsolver and her family as they spent a year procuring as much of their food from neighboring farms and their own backyard. I highly recommend the book, it is an inspiring look on how much we are missing in the short trip from fork to mouth. (www.animalvegetablemiracle.com)

Below is the recipe for the Morel Mushroom Bread Pudding, I have made a few changes from the original recipe provided by Deborah Madison that was included in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Book. Eat Well!

Morel Mushroom & Asparagus Bread Pudding

3 cups skim milk
4 egg yolks
2 egg whites, whipped lightly
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
1 baguette, torn into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt and freshly, ground Black Pepper
3 Tablespoons unsalted Butter
1 Pound Asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Pound Morel Mushrooms, washed & roughly chopped if large
1/2 cup chopped Parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl whisk together the Milk, Egg Yolks, grated Cheese, Salt and Pepper. Add the torn Baguette to the bowl, toss to combine and allow to sit for at least 2o minutes.

In a saute pan, heat the Butter over medium heat and cook the Shallots for 2-3 minutes. Add the Asparagus, cooking for 1-2 minutes followed by the Morels, cooking until they are just wilted. Season with Salt and Pepper, allow to cool to room temperature.

Once the Morel/Asparagus mixture is cool, toss with the soaking Bread, fold in the Parsley and then fold in the whipped Egg White.

Divide the Bread Pudding between 10 greased 6 ounce ramekins and bake in the preheated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Serve either in the ramekin or unmolded. Alternatively the Bread Pudding can be baked in a greased casserole dish for 45-50 minutes and served family style.

Eat Well!

Time for Lunch

2008-06-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post I am doing my best to watch our sodium and fat intake this year. Another way I am accomplishing this mission is to control portion sizes.

In the past I have plated all of our dinners, restaurant style, and left lunch as a buffet. Buffets be damned, I am plating everything this year. Portion control plays a huge role in diet and I am going to give it a whirl!

For lunch today we didn't invent the wheel. We enjoyed...Dill and Lemon Marinated Chicken Breasts with a salad of Montana grown Spinach, shaved Cucumbers, thinly sliced Shallots, chopped Kalamata olives, toasted Almonds, and crumbled Spanish Goat Cheese all tossed with a Dijon Tahini Vinaigrette.

Meat on a Stick

2008-06-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't like a kebab? One of our first dinners here at the lodge was this delicious dish... Grilled Pork Loin and Red Onion Kebab glazed with a Curried Peach BBQ Sauce and served on a bed of Sweet Potato Puree and Wilted Spinach.

I am doing my best this year to watch our fat and sodium intake this year and this BBQ sauce was a great way to achieve that.

The pork was cubed and marinated in a fresh Cilantro from the herb garden (Did I mention that Jessi, our wonderful breakfast cook and Gardner extraordinaire also grows all the herbs, a majority of our lettuce, tomatoes and other goodies? More on Jessi and here gardens to come.) then threaded with Red Onion. Grilled for 2-3 minutes per side and then glazed with the BBQ Sauce. A fun, flavorful change of pace. The recipe is below. Enjoy!

Curried Peach BBQ Sauce:

1 Tablespoon curry powder
2 Peaches, peeled, cubed
4 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoon tomato paste ( I always use no salt or low-sodium)
2 Tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

In a small sauce pot, toast the Curry Powder over medium heat until fragrant. In a blender combine the cubed, peeled Peaches, Canola Oil, Tomato Paste, Honey and Vinegar. Add to the sauce pot with the toasted Curry Powder and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Ready to go!

This sauce would also be great as a condiment, I think it would be great on a Turkey Burger!?

Have you noticed...

2008-06-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

So I am going to be very upfront and admit that I forgot to pack the cord that attaches from the computer to the camera (I'm sure that there is a technical term for that particular dohicky; but I'm a chef.) making the downloading of pictures for the blog difficult.

So, I am taking today June 27th, to catch us up on everything that has been going on up here for the past few weeks.

So pardon our date stamp and lets all just pretend that I have been on top of this blog from the beginning!

The view from my kitchen window...

2008-06-27T07:09:00.001-07:00

The view from my kitchen window has definitely made a change for the summer. I arrived in Montana after a long day of flying, knives packed and dog drugged, ready to start a summer of
Rocky Point cooking.

The lodge, Rocky Point Lodge, where I will be cooking is the home to a wonderful family from the state of Texas. New Orleans and Monroe natives, this
family has been traveling to Northern Montana for over 15
years and I have had the pleasure of cooking for them for the
past 5.

Last year, I started a daily journal entry on my website-nolabean.com, documenting our daily lunch and dinner menus as well as commentary on the locally available produce and the "goings on" around the lodge.

So here is the view from my summer kitchen window, I hope you will enjoy the view with me through the pictures and recipes that I leave for you here.

Eat well!

Welcome...

2008-03-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first posting of the official NOLA Bean blog, the continuation of my online journal found on www.nolabean.com.

NOLA Bean is a small boutique catering business in the uptown heart of New Orleans, with one full time employee...me.

While there will be no official definition of what I will try to showcase here, I am hoping to focus on fun things that I run across, pictures and menus from my latest parties, commentary on New Orleans restaurants, recipes that I develop and notes on other small Louisiana businesses.

I hope you enjoy the postings that I post here as often as possible!

Eat Well!