Just a little breakfast Bloody Mary… (Taken with Instagram)
Muffeletta, Cafe Maspero (Taken with Instagram)
Shrimp Étouffée with crawfish (Taken with Instagram)
This is Hollywood. He’s been shucking oysters for 39 years. If he hasn’t shucked an oyster for a couple of days, his hands actually begin to seize up (Taken with Instagram)
Jambalaya, seafood gumbo, Andouille sausage and red beans - Acme Oyster House, Nola (Taken with Instagram)
Famous Ferdi Special Po’Boy at Mother’s NOLA (Taken with Instagram)
Parkway Po’Boy (Taken with Instagram)
Lady Aga: Ratatouille
It’s a classic, you can’t deny
This particular version has been declared simultaneously ‘delicious’ and ‘a wine killer’ (thank you Granny for the latter). It’s by no means authentic (in all honesty more of a caponata with a kick) but it works. Serve as a side to roast lamb or chicken or as a…
Those of you who haven’t already, check out the inimicable Lady Aga. She’s also the best baker of cakes I know. Sweet!
Vampire-Baiting Roast Chicken
I saw this amazing-looking recipe on the London Food and Stories blog. It seemed too good not to try, and the thought of making mayonnaise with the leftover oil really floats my boat. You can find the excellent recipe here. In a nutshell, the chicken is pot-roasted with a s**tload of garlic (40 cloves-worth) and a sea of olive oil. The results are incredible.
One thing I added was a lil’ family tradition of mine - stuffing a load of Boursin under the skin of the breast. As everybody knows, Boursin makes just about anything better (try it on a digestive biscuit, it’s amazing).
So before anything else, the thing to do is find or cut an entry-point under the skin by the cavity, and then work a spoon between the skin and the breast, all the way to the end. Once you’ve loosened the skin you can stuff in the Boursin. Just push and squeeze it in, massaging it right into the corners, till you’ve got a uniform layer of the cheese under the skin. I ended up using about half a pack. All the while, be VERY careful not to make any rips in the skin, or, well, you’ll see what happens…
Browning the bird.
The roasted chicken. Check out all those lovely soft roasted garlic cloves. And guess what? I made a tiny tear in the skin near the cavity, and this is how it turned out, opened up like a zip. Ah well - it’s definitely not the end of the world. I mean, look at all that Boursin…
Served simply with a few potatoes and a sharp lemony, fennelly salad, this chicken is nothing short of amazing. And of course, a whole lot of leftovers, and a garlic mayo still to make. Actually, I’m hungry again.
Nature’s Candy
Baked peaches?… Baked peaches. Mmmm.
It’s just about the best deliciousness/ease of preparation ratio ever. Just halve some peaches, put them in a baking dish, drop a little honey or brown sugar on them, and stick them in a hot oven. If you’re having dinner, do this while you’re eating the main course. Be casual about it. In about half an hour they’ll be the most amazing semi-caramelised slices of fruit heaven, and you’ll have hardly lifted a finger.
What could make them better? Not much.
Well, maybe a bit of praline ice cream. OK, a big dollop of praline ice cream.
