Issue November - December 2015 (2024)

Home//Louisiana Cookin'/November - December 2015

Louisiana Cookin' is the only national magazine for the connoisseur of Louisiana's unique culture, cuisine, and travel destinations - and now you can enjoy every single page on your tablet! Each issue contains more than 50 authentic recipes, with tips from professional chefs and home cooks alike.

in this issue

FIRST, YOU MAKE A ROUX.HOLIDAY LIGHTS AND FESTIVE BITESWAY BACK IN THE 20TH CENTURY, an age-old tradition was revived in New Orleans. Réveillon dinners made a comeback. Réveillon dates even further back, to the 19th century. Before you fall asleep during my history lesson, listen up: After midnight mass on Christmas Eve, dozens of New Orleans restaurants swing open their doors for Réveillon dinners. Even if dinner at 1 a.m. is not your thing, you need to experience a Réveillon dinner at least once. If you just cannot bring yourself to have dinner at that hour, the good news is that many restaurants throughout the city serve their Réveillon menus throughout the month of December (visit holiday.neworleansonline.com to see all of the participating restaurants). The best one I ever attended was at Upperline Restaurant in uptown New Orleans.…1 min

FIRST, YOU MAKE A ROUX.FANTASY DINE-AROUNDThis year, the holidays in Louisiana promise to be as busy and fun as ever. Louisiana somehow knows how to blend centuries of tradition with cutting edge creativity, especially when it comes to holiday dining. Personally, I have this great fantasy of taking a mini-road trip through South Louisiana, with fine dining stops at some of my favorite restaurants. If youd like to join me on my fantasy dine-around, hop in.In Lafayette, Id visit Prejean’s, of course. For 35 years, this place has been turning out some of the best Louisiana cooking around. Buttermilk potato biscuits anyone? Yes, please. There is something special about the rustic atmosphere and the red and white checkered tablecloths, but I think what they do best at Prejean’s is their dark roux gumbo. And those…1 min

FIRST, YOU MAKE A ROUX.PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFTSConsider a couple of really great books that have debuted this year. I like Hungry for Louisiana: An Omnivore’s Journey (LSU Press, 2015), by Maggie Heyn Richardson. The book has sections focusing on crawfish, snowballs, boudin, file, tamales, oysters, jambalaya, and my personal favorite, Creole cream cheese. There aren’t many recipes, but if you want to know the history of these foods and how they became part of the culinary fabric of Louisiana, it is all here.However, if you’d like to give someone a Louisiana cookbook that’s chock full of recipes, consider Father Jude’s Cajun Collarnary Cookbook, by Father Jude Halphen. This book is 270 pages of nothing but recipes, and some are true winners. Sure, you’ll find a basic pot roast, chicken picatta, and grillades and grits. But Father…1 min

FIRST, YOU MAKE A ROUX.CHEF CHATSpeaking of Juban’s, I sat down with Chef Joey Daigle for a quick conversation about what to expect during this year’s holiday season:What does Juban’s have planned especially for the holidays this year? We offer a three-course prix fixe menu focused on the holidays, with the works: turkey, stuffing, gravies, and we do a big business with to-go orders. You can find the menu on our website a few weeks in advance. It’s a pretty extensive menu with lots of choices, including fried turkeys, whole roasted pork loins, and beef tenderloins. There are usually two different soups, and for desserts we do pecan pie and trays of bread pudding. I love the sides: cornbread stuffing, rice dressing, seafood stuffi ng, mirliton stuffi ng.What has become a house signature dish at…1 min

FIRST, YOU MAKE A ROUX.THE NEW STUFFED BIRDI CAN’T HELP BUT SMILE when I think about lining up a bird in the sights of my father’s old 12 gauge. Whether I’m going for duck or dove or wild turkey, hunting game birds usually brings me more joy than sitting in a cold tree stand hoping a big buck will come trotting by.Of all the birds I’ve hunted, quail has long been my favorite for sport. The little birds roam around on their feet, but when spooked, the whole covey will flush from the brush and take flight.As thrilling as the hunt is, I also get excited to see quail on a restaurant menu. One of my absolute favorites is Chef John Folse’s classic Death by Gumbo, a quail stuffed with oyster and andouille rice dressing and then…3 min

Issue November - December 2015 (2024)

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