La Morenita
Published April 23

As family, friends, some readers of my blog and anyone within earshot for Baton Rouge’s Ryan Airport are aware, I was supposed to travel to Mexico this week. My destination was Oaxaca, considered by many to be the birthplace of much of what is considered distinctively Mexican cuisine. But, after three successive days of flight cancellations I had nothing to show for my South-of-the-Border aspirations except for a much more intimate acquaintance with the inside of our metro airport.

So, what is a disappointed and frustrated food writer to do under such circumstances? Close the weekend down by attacking a bottle of fine tequila for one, but also visiting one of the more interesting retail spots to open in Baton Rouge in a long time, La Morenita.

We have had a smattering of small grocery/deli places that catered to the Latin American demographic, but La Morenita is our first, real super-mercado. READ MORE...

Chardonnay: To oak or not to oak.
by Steve Staples

The relationship between wine and the wooden barrel goes back as far as the first century A.D. During the Greek and Roman eras the most commonly used storage and shipment vessel for wine was the clay amphora. But because of the fragile nature of these clay vessels, wooden casks became the accepted substitute and the craft of cooperage evolved. (If you know someone with the surname Cooper, it's a safe bet that there were barrel makers among his ancestors.) So the oak influence common to many modern wines is actually a by-product of its storage and transportation. Phenols present in the barrel wood infuse vanillin aromatics into the wine contained therein; toasty notes come courtesy of the heat-dried wood from which barrels are typically made.

The practice of superimposing wood influence onto the natural pure fruit characteristics of a wine is a matter of taste. But the practice is so common, people often mistake the wood influence discernible in lots of chardonnays for an element inherent to the wine's fruit character. But that ain't necessarily so. In addition, to balance the wood influence, the fruit is ripened to a higher level, so as not to be overpowered. Thus the drinker is presented an oaky, high alcohol, fruit bomb. Nothing wrong with that, of course—if this is the style you prefer it can be found in many California chardonnays. In some cases chardonnays expressing both styles—oaked and unoaked—can be made by the same winery. READ MORE...

Pack a picnic for the gorgeous spring weather, and don't leave this pimento cheese behind. It's easy to put together, and more than a little addictive. Recipe from Company Burger in New Orleans.

Inspired by the sublime weather of the past few days, we've had picnic food on our minds. Enter pimento cheese. You either love the stuff or hate it, and we fall into the former category.

Sure, you can find store-bought pimento cheese that is edible, but have you ever looked at the ingredients listed on those little plastic tubs? Y-I-K-E-S. Too many unpronounceable (and unspeakable!) ingredients, if you ask us. Do you want a mystery substance that will survive Armageddon, or do you just want something to eat?

Anyway, this recipe from Company Burger is a keeper, and it makes a ton. We halved the recipe and ended up with three to four cups of pimento cheese. That goes a long way. READ MORE AND GET THE RECIPE...

Made with Mint
Published April 21

You might remember a blog post last year entitled "Mint Fail", in which I lamented the abuse my mint suffers in the hands of a neglectful gardener. I happily report that the very same plant that almost passed away in 2011 is still with us and looking good! Tastes good, too.

A few days ago I needed to bring an appetizer to a poolside get-together with friends. Resisting the urge to go the store-bought chips and salsa route, I opened the fridge to see what was on hand, keeping in mind the mint and other herbs growing right outside. Among our oversupply of fruit was a spare cantaloupe, and we also had some salami. I was first introduced to the glorious combination of cantaloupe and prosciutto years ago in France, though I'd never recreated the dish at home. Salami is close enough to prosciutto, I told myself, and my appetizer quickly materialized. READ MORE...

"Where's the beef?" you ask... well, most of it will be at La Provence on Thursday, April 26, for the monthly themed dinner. For this installment La Provence is partnering with Two Run Farm—an artisanal meat operation in Vaughan, Mississippi. On the menu served several different ways will be Charolais. (That's a cow, not a grape... though there will be wines paired with each dish.) Vanilla ice cream for dessert will come courtesy of Mauthe's Progress Milk Barn, another small southern Mississippi outfit. Cocktails at 6:30 pm; dinner at 7 pm. $65 per person. Call (985) 626-7662 for reservations.
• • • • •
Each year, the town of Breaux Bridge devotes a full weekend to paying tribute to the humble crustaceans we all know and love … by doing its best to eat them all. At the annual Crawfish Festival May 4–6, why stop at etouffée when you can also have fried crawfish, crawfish boudin, crawfish sausage, crawfish boulettes, crawfish egg rolls, crawfish dogs and, of course, boiled crawfish by the ton. No one seems to have come up with a crawfish dessert yet, but we assume it’s only a matter of time.
• • • • •
The fourth annual NOLA Veggie Fest May 12–13 will be a glorious celebration of all things veggie, and all are welcome: foodies, vegans, vegetarians—even carnivores who enjoy an occasional healthy vegetable. The festival features samples, vendor booths, cooking demos, nonprofit groups, speakers, films and—of course—lots of delicious veggie food for those interested in healthy eating, cookery, sustainable living, animal protection or simply exploring new cuisines.
• • • • •
The Big Gateaux Show? Sign us up! The twentieth anniversary of the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience means lots of special events, like an international cake competition and tasting on Friday, May 25. Pastry chefs from across North America will create their own signature anniversary cakes to be paired with champagne at the burlesque-themed Big Gateaux Show. Attendees, celebrity hosts and judges—including Louisiana's own Chef John Besh—will pick a favorite among the confections.
• • • • •
More? DIG INTO OUR CALENDAR OF EVENTS ...