Archive for January, 2009

Creole Court-Bouillon

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

This is a rich, bolstered broth to poach and serve seafood in. A gentle poach. With no actual measurements I am going to offer it in the short-hand style of my kitchen recipe books, chronological order:

dark roux

onions, peppers, celery, & garlic

tomato, bay leaf, allspice, cayenne, fish fumet, thyme

mushrooms, olive oil, red wine, salt

Four “sets” to the recipe, meaning it’s cooked in four stages and you allow time to pass between each stage. The proportions should come easily enough to you. When this is completed let simmer 30 minutes or so to bring all the flavors together as one. Poach some boudin blanc, fish, shrimp, & salt cured pork in this and serve it all with some basmati rice or home-made pasta. Finish with lemon zest and parsley.

Mystery of the Epiphany

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

Here is a brief run-down of the story of the king cake, the centerpiece of carnival ritual and one of many colonial bastardizations of French culture adapted to the new, wild city of New Orleans:

6 January is known as Twelfth Night; twelve days after x-mas commences the beginning of carnival season and the baking and eating of king cakes up until the third Sunday before Ash Wednesday, which is the day after Mardi Gras day. Before it was known as Twelfth Night, 6 January was singularly regarded as the Feast of the Epiphany (”manifestation” in Greek) which celebrates the revelation of god in human form (”Jesus” to you & me). In Ireland this date is known as Little Christmas or Women’s Christmas(6 January is x-mas day on the old Roman calendar) and the men of the household assume all cleaning & home-making duties for the day while all the women meet at the restaurants and bars for some overdue socializing and good will and even receive gifts from their children in appreciation.

French culture, Catholic adoration, spiritual manifestation, & men doing housework. Consider it all while enjoying your cake.