Preserve & Conserve

There is no end to the food creativity of the people of Louisiana. We have tried to find ways to eat just about everything. There was even a campaign, albeit unsuccessful, in the early part of the century to encourage us to eat nutria as a form of nutria control. We fell in love with blackened redfish and we had to be restrained, so as not to wipe out the redfish population.

Food journalist, Poppy Tooker, has reminded us over and over, “Eat it to save it!” This can apply to things that are waning in popularity like Creole cream cheese. Without enough people continuing to eat it, local dairies began to discontinue the product. But enough demand by enthusiastic eaters encouraged Mauthe’s Progress Milk Barn to make the cream cheese available again. Today smaller dairies make their versions of the cream cheese, and many ice cream shops offer Creole cream cheese ice cream.

Broiled or barbecued oysters were becoming hard to make at home in small family-sized quantities. You can’t get just two dozen oysters and shuck them yourself when they are sold by the sack or half-sack. You can buy a pint or two already shucked, but without the shells. These days it is possible to buy faux shells, some of which look real, which are oven  and grill safe and can be used and reused in lieu of oyster shells. Let’s hope that all of the real oyster shells can be recycled to help conserve the coast.

Although children still climb Japanese plum trees to eat the fruit, we don’t really appreciate how special these trees are. They taste a bit like apricots. They look a bit like apricots. Many people call them nespoli or misbeliefs. This article isn’t about the true genus and species of this fabulous fruit, so let’s cut directly to the wonderful jam that it makes. Let’s not let this fruit go to waste. 

Through animal farming of all types, we are keeping the cuisine of Louisiana fresh and sustained. Whether it is crawfish farming and its pairing with rice farming, turtle farming, or alligator farming, we are keeping our food culture alive.

Conservation is about conserving culture as well as the environment. That means protecting the foods that we eat to protect our culture. It means protecting the environment so that we can continue to eat the food and to live the way of life that is found in Louisiana.

Creole Cream Cheese for Breakfast

Creole Cream Cheese
½ gallon skim milk
¼ cup buttermilk
1 rennet tablet

To Serve

5 fresh figs washed and cut in half (My grandmother would send us to the fig tree in the back yard and tell us how many figs to bring back for breakfast)
2 tablespoons cream (I like to use half and half, but you can use heavy cream)
Piece of French bread

1. CREOLE CREAM CHEESE Combine skim milk and buttermilk in a large pot. Stir to heat evenly. When it comes to heat to 85 F, remove from heat. Add about ¼ of the rennet tablet. Stir.

2. Transfer to a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Poke holes in the plastic wrap for steam to escape. Set aside for 2 days. Do not place in refrigerator.

3. Line a glass bowl with 2 layers of cheesecloth. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the curds to the cheesecloth. Gather the ends of the cloth, lift from the bowl and tie the top together. Using a dowel or the handle of a wooden spoon, hang the the curds over a deep bowl. Place in the refrigerator to drain overnight.

4. TO SERVE Place 1/4 cup of Creole cream cheese in a bowl. Add figs or other fresh fruit. You can also use a drizzle of cane syrup, homemade fruit preserves or jam, or sprinkle a bit of sugar over the cream cheese.

5. Pour cream over fruit and cream cheese. Dip French bread into the cream cheese like a scoop or spread the cream cheese onto the French bread and enjoy.

Broiled Oysters

1 tablespoon olive oil plus 5 tablespoons olive oil
1 pint raw oysters
3 or 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
¼ cup finely chopped fennel fronds
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons
¼ cup chopped parsley for garnish

1. Preheat broiler. Place one tablespoon of olive oil in a faux oyster shell or ramekin. With a pastry brush, brush the inside of the 12 oyster containers with oil so the oysters don’t stick. Then place one oyster in each faux shell. Place the shells on a cookie sheet. (You may end up with fewer than or more than 12 oysters unless you actually buy 12 oysters.)

2. In a bowl add the liquid from the oysters, the 5 tablespoons of additional oil, (you can use butter, but if you do, roast the oysters in the oven and don’t broil them or the butter might burn), garlic, fennel, cheese and lemon zest. Mix well until the mixture is uniform. Divide the mixture into 12 and spread over the oysters.

3. Place the cookie sheet into the broiler for 5 minutes. Check the oysters. The liquid should be bubbling and the cheese browning. If the cheese isn’t browning, return to the broiler for up to 2 more minutes. Check again. You will see the oysters begin to curl on the ends.

4. Remove from the oven and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

Japanese Plum (Misbeliefs) Jam

Be sure to use unbruised fruit. And don’t use bottled lemon juice with any preservatives. The preservatives will interfere with the pectin in the lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead.

5 ½  pounds fresh, washed and pitted Japanese plums
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
4 pounds granulated sugar
5 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1. Place a saucer in the freezer. Place the fruit and lemon juice with up to ¼ cup water in a pot. Add the lemon skins with the pulp, but without the seeds. Stir. Cook covered, on a very low flame for about 15 minutes. That will cause the fruit to give up its juices and the liquid will begin to simmer.

2. Add the sugar and stir. Cook about 20 minutes. Make sure that all of the sugar dissolves. Do not overcook.

3. Check for the set point. Put about a tablespoon of the liquid from the pot onto the plate that has been in the freezer. Wait a minute, then push the edge of the puddle of sugar to the middle. If it remains folded up, it is done. If it immediately repuddles, cook it up to 5 more minutes and try again. Remove the lemon skins.

4. Place in clean jars and place the lids on the jars. You can process the jam or do what I do. I just place it in the refrigerator to eat and give away to friends.