Local and Seasonal Recipes

This can be made with frozen blackberries that have been thawed. Using frozen fruit doesn’t seem to diminish the flavor of this cordial. This drink is so right in Louisiana. Whenever I drink it, I feel that it just grew from the ground of this state. Use it to make a blackberry Kir or lemonade by adding 1 or 2 tablespoons to a glass of champagne or white wine (Kir) or to a glass of lemonade for a spiked blackberry lemonade. Or, of course, drink it in a cordial glass.

Louisiana is blessed with so many wonderful foods that we will never run out of ideas for what to cook. Our list of local raw ingredients from both the land and the sea has spawned hundreds, if not thousands of cookbooks. We all have our favorites. And we all have the ones that we are requested to make for potlucks and shared meals. I am in awe of how many times I see the same recipe — say for shrimp Creole — and it is completely different from my own recipe as well as different from the last one that I read. We all put our spin on the food, yet we are all united by it. Everyone recognizes it as a Louisiana dish.

These are some of my favorite dishes to make with all of the ingredients in the market and saved in my freezer right now. Fresh corn is always a delicious choice, but sometimes when I find it on sale, I cut it off the cob and freeze it for times when I do not want to use the commercially frozen corn or canned corn. I do the same thing with pecans when I find them on sale.

Louisiana’s eaters are open to new flavors, yet still cling to the old ones. It is that certain style and careful preparation that make it particularly Louisiana. The willingness to adapt our food to new flavors as new people move to the state — adding their special twists to our food —makes Louisiana special. This is what keeps our food vibrant and alive. We don’t live in the food past.

You can make a company meal of these menus. Nibbles of spiced pecans to pique the appetite, served with a Kir Royal or regular Kir of blackberry cordial.  For an appetizer that looks great as well as tastes great, the stacked eggplant will surprise and please your guests.  A main course of stuffed roasted chicken and a vegetable side of corn and bell peppers could be rounded out with crusty bread and butter. And a dessert of your own choosing is in order. It could be as simple as vanilla ice cream with more cordial and a demitasse finish.

My mouth is watering already. Have fork, will travel!

Blackberry Cordial

1 quart blackberries or dewberries
1 pound sugar
1 pint brandy or bourbon
2, 3 or 4 cloves to taste

1. Wash the berries and remove any stems. Place the berries in a food processor and process. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth in a colander and collect the juices.

2. Add the sugar and the cloves. Stir until the sugar dissolves in the juice. Allow to stand for 2 to 3 hours, depending on the degree of spiciness you desire, and remove and discard the cloves. Add the spirits, stir and place the mixture into bottles. Allow to cure for 1 month in a cool, dry place.

Eggplant and Tomato Stacks with Cheese Sauce

Cheese Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon hot sauce
½ cup sharp cheddar cheese

Stacks

1 egg
1 large Italian eggplant, peeled and cut into ½-inch slices
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup olive oil, more if necessary
3 or 4 large tomatoes, cut into ½-inch slices, at room temperature (Count the number of slices that you need after you have cut the eggplant. Don’t slice more than you need.)

1. for the cheese sauce Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add flour. Cook to make a white roux, stirring for about 4 minutes. Stop if the roux begins to darken.  Add the milk, whisking to incorporate the milk and flour. When warm and thick, add the hot sauce and grated cheese. Set aside. 

2. Make the stacks Break the egg into a bowl large enough for dipping the eggplant slice. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Beat the egg and water with a fork. Dip each slice of eggplant into the egg wash. Place the breadcrumbs and the cheese in a bowl and mix together thoroughly. Then coat the eggplant with the breadcrumbs. 

3. Place ¼ cup olive oil into a pan and heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Add enough eggplant to fit loosely in the pan. Cook until the slices become crisp on each side, about 4 to 6 minutes per side. Repeat until all of the eggplants are done. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.

4. Divide the eggplant slices into 6 portions. Place tomato slices in between the eggplant slices. Place the stacks on serving plates. Pour cheese sauce over each stack. Serves 6

Corn and Bell Pepper Sauté

This dish takes advantage of two major native products — corn and peppers — eaten long before Europeans moved to Louisiana. They taste wonderful together, and there are so many other combinations for this. The use of butter and cream in cooking came from the Europeans who settled in Louisiana. How exciting that our food is such a mash-up.

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon canola or other neutral oil
1 bunch scallions, sliced thinly, keeping the white parts and the green parts separate for garnish
6 ears of fresh corn, shucked and the kernels cut off the cob
2 large bell peppers, 1 red and 1 either yellow or orange, seeded and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup half and half
¼ teaspoon hot sauce

1. Melt the butter in a pan. Add the oil. When the foam of the butter subsides, add the scallions and sauté until they begin to wilt, about 5 minutes. Add the corn kernels and bell peppers and continue to cook. This should be long enough to warm the corn and the bell peppers until the peppers just begin to become soft. 

2. Add the garlic and cook about 2 minutes more. Mix the cream and hot sauce. Add the cream mixture and toss well. Sprinkle with sliced green parts of the scallions and serve. Serves 6 to 8