Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Blog

Grilling & Chilling at the Red Fish Grill

2008-06-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

New Orleans is notorious for sweltering summers, so to beat the heat, Ralph Brennan’s casual seafood restaurant Red Fish Grill invites you to relax and enjoy their $25 Grilling & Chilling menu (excluding tax and gratuity).

The limited-edition special, which runs through the end of August, gives diners a three-course meal of tasty appetizers, fresh seafood and refreshing desserts.

“New Orleans is a city celebrated for our gastronomic gatherings,” Ralph Brennan, owner and operator of Red Fish Grill said. “In this spirit, Red Fish Grill is encouraging locals and visitors alike to visit the French Quarter and enjoy the benefits of grilling, while avoiding the heat and hassle of cleaning up the kitchen.”

Red Fish Grill retaining a focus on fresh, regional cuisine, the Grilling & Chilling menu features an assortment of local seafood specialties. The restaurant kitchen’s wood-burning grill results in enhanced flavor.

“Some of our most popular menu items are grilled dishes and this menu features a great blend of grilled items and local favorites,” said Red Fish Grill Executive Chef Gregg Collier. “Redfish, Gulf shrimp, P&J oysters—as you can see it’s our job to keep the menu hot and the customers cool.”

The limited-edition menu is available by request upon seating with advance reservation through June, July and August.

Crab and Shrimp Cobb Salad Tested

2008-06-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

We recieve many compliments about Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, but this review was too good not to share. This book works for everyone, even the most novice cooks as Tippins' recipe test reveals...

"As a college student and definitely not a professional chef I try to find recipes that are easy but delicious. I am helping my mom cook dinner this summer and am trying to find a recipe that appeals to my health-conscious parents and my hungry, football-playing younger brother.

Last night for dinner I decided to make the Crab and Shrimp Cobb Salad with Remoulade Sauce from Ralph Brennan’s New Orleans Seafood Cookbook. It looked delicious and healthy but the several pages of instructions seemed like a daunting undertaking. However, I was determined to create this dish and impress my family.

After reading all the steps and beginning my preparation I realized that the three pages of instruction were not because the recipe was difficult but instead were detailed steps to instill confidence in the chef that they were preparing the dish correctly. The oohs and aahhs from my family as I brought out the salad encouraged me to try more recipes from the Cookbook and my mom was so impressed she started taking pictures of the salad.

The Crab and Shrimp Cobb Salad was such a hit that I know I will look in the Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook for another recipe. In fact, I have already scoped out the crabmeat lasagna with crab-&-chanterelle butter sauce for the next time my mom needs help with dinner. "

- Submitted by Tippins June 10, 2008

Ciao Down Before Sundown!

2008-06-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

Bacco is offering a special three-course tasting menu of customer favorites for $25 through August 31. The Ciao Down Before Sundown! menu will be featured nightly between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Known for redefining Italian cooking in New Orleans, Bacco has won over many a guest with its use of local and regional ingredients prepared using traditional Italian cooking methods.

“Bacco has always been focused on serving the freshest and finest ingredients,” Owner and Operator Ralph Brennan, said. “The result of combining the best of Creole and Italian cooking has spurred rave reviews of Bacco’s popular culinary creations, many of which are featured in the Ciao Down Before Sundown! menu.”

The menu offers guests a selection of prized customer favorites for each course, including Bacco’s signature Lobster Ravioli which Zagat guide said “will send you to heaven”.

Gambit's "Growing Up Brennan"

2008-05-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Ian McNulty of Gambit continued his review of the cookbook in a blog post that not only shares his thoughts on the cookbook, but also shares some of Ralph's childhood memories.

"Though it was published in the elegant format of a coffee table book, this weighty volume is clearly intended to be used in the kitchen where its thorough advice on seafood selection, handling and preparation will be invaluable to those who weren’t necessarily brought up shucking oysters and catching redfish." - Ian McNulty

Growing up in the Midwest, I fished, but never had the opportunity to shuck an oyster so this is all new information to me. However, McNulty's reference to the books format did bring back some childhood memories. My mother had a stack of Southern photography coffee-table books in our living room. I used to spend hours looking through those books and dreaming about what it would be like to grow up in the South. Just the thought of climbing in the ancient Oak trees was enough to make me consider moving.

If you're going to be a child in the South it has to be pretty spectacular grow up in a culinary family. I think Ian is of the same mind, as he asked Ralph to share some childhood memories. What future foodie wouldn't want to grow up taking day trips with Ella and Adelaide Brennan?

These outings still seem to have an impact on Ralph. Many of his favorite desserts have familial ties and are adult takes on classic childhood sweets. While I sometimes still dream about growing up in the South, somehow I believe that tasting these treats is the next best thing.

Read Ian McNulty's full post on bestofneworleans.com

Tie-Dye Traveler Reviews Red Fish Grill

2008-05-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Double Chocolate Bread Pudding Named 'Best in the Quarter'

I wrote before last week's New Orleans Food & Wine Experience that anytime is a good time to visit New Orleans for great food.

Reviewing travel and food blog year-round posts about New Orleans cuisine is proof that the cities culinary genius isn't seasonal.

It's my job to bring media into the restaurants to review the food. Since I am pretty impatient it can be hard waiting for reviews to print, but when you get a good one it's definately worth the wait.

That said, I love to come across bloggers unsolicited comments about the restaurants. It's always a treat to here a new perspective on the food, service and such. A great review validates our excitement about the restaurants and the service provided.

Recently Kat Robinson, writer for Tie-Dye Travels posted about her trip to New Orleans. She focused on nine great places to visit in the city and included Red Fish Grill in her list. Read Kat's post to see which eight other locations made the list. Take a minute to enjoy a typical Red Fish Grill meal with her... but save room for dessert!

"You’re doing yourself an injustice if you don’t save room for the Quarter’s best bread pudding -- the Double Chocolate Bread Pudding." - Kat Robinson

Bread pudding is a New Orleans classic dessert, so Ralph Brennan included two versions of this dessert in the cookbook. You can make Ralph Brennan's Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce (pg. 277) or Chocolate Bread Pudding with Two Chocolate Sauces & Almond Bark (pg. 280) at home. I promise you will be pleased with both.

Photos: Red Fish Grill sign and Double Chocolate Bread Pudding from Tie-Dye Traveler

New Orleans Wine and Food Experience

2008-05-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

At any given time of the year New Orleans is a fantastic place to enjoy great food and wine. That said, one of best times for foodies to flock to the Crescent City is just around the corner. The New Orleans Food and Wine Experience (NOWFE) is celebrating 17 years as one of the South's premier food events.

Suprisingly, this year will be my first year attending the event. However, as I've asked around and realize that I am not alone in this position. Many locals are too busy manning their own restaurants to make it to the official events. Sometimes it's tough to be a host.

However, Ralph and team are regulars and will be amoung the 75 Chefs, 175 wineries and 1,000 wines participating in the five-day event. Running from May 20 - 24th NOWFE brings in more than a half-million dollars to regional charitable organizations.

John DeMers of Delicious Mischief is a regular at the event and gives a great overview of the event on his blog and shares his perspective on NOWFE Ralph's cookbook.

"Each year, it seems, produces at least one dazzling new cookbook devoted to New Orleans cuisine. At this year’s edition of NOWFE, Ralph Brennan’s brand-new seafood magnum opus is expected to be all the buzz."

Thanks for the kind words John, and hope to see catch you at this year's NOWFE.

For those interested in attending event tickets are still available.

Super Chef Selects Cookbook

2008-05-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

Super Chef is an online magazine that follows the careers, empires, trends, media, and brands of super chefs in America and abroad. So we were happy to see a review of the cookbook posted on the site.

Acclaimed writer Juliette Rossant, who has interviewed and profiled some of the most renound chefs of our time, reviewed the cookbook and answers the question, "How much influence does a restaurateur have on a restaurant's cuisine if he/she is not the executive chef?"

While Ralph isn't officially a chef, his staff have given him the title "Taster in Chief". And taste is what counts, right?

Photo: julietterossant.com

Cooking, New Orleans Style!

2008-05-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

Recently Nola.com added a new online cooking show to beef up their culinary content. "Cooking, New Orleans Style!" takes viewers inside some of the most exclusive kitchens in the Crescent City and provides a real view of restaurants behind the scenes. Several of the Ralph Brennan restaurant chefs and even Ralph himself have been featured on the show.

The show offers a great opportunity for home cooks to see how Ralph Brennan's chefs really prepare the recipes from the cookbook in their own kitchens. Three of the cookbook recipes have already been featured, although Bacco's barbeque shrimp is the Italian twist on the cookbook's traditional recipe.

Check out these videos to see the chefs behind the cookbook.

Baked Oysters Ralph- with Ralph Brennan and Chef Haley Bittermann

Grilled Redfish and Crabmeat with Lemon Butter Sauce- with Chef Gregg Collier of Red Fish Grill

Barbeque Shrimp- with Chef Chris Montero of Bacco

A Food Writer's Fish Tale

2008-05-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

In setting out to create 'the definitive guide to New Orleans seafood' the most anticipated reviews were those from the local community. Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook isn't a restaurant cookbook, it's a book to define the cooking of New Orleans most valuable culinary asset- our local seafood.

New Orleanians may have a laid-back attitude a la Laissez ke bon temps rouler, but we take our food very seriously. New Orleans has a competitve and challenging culinary community, which may be why the book took nearly a decade to finish from concept to printing.

Interested to see what local food critic Ian McNulty thought about the cookbook? Did Ralph Brennan achieve his goal to create 'the definitive guide to New Orleans seafood'?

Read "Ralph Brennan's Seafood Cookbook helps tell the story of our evolving local mania."

A Refreshing Pimm's Cup for a Hot Summer Day

2008-05-07T05:47:00.000-07:00

An English import, the Pimm's Cup has been adopted by New Orleanians as ". . . the perfect quaff on a hot summer's day," according to the introduction to the drink in Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook on page 402. While controversy exists over the date of the drink's creation (ranging from 1821 to the 1840s -- Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook states 1823), it's agreed that the drink's creator was one James Pimm.

According to Wikipedia, James Pimm of Kent, England, came to the city of London in 1823 and bought an oyster bar near the Bank of England. Within ten years, Pimm had five oyster bars to his name catering to the financial elite.

Pimm's beverage was initially offered as a tonic specially designed to accompany the oysters. It was a gin-based beverage with quinine and herbs and served in a small tankard called a No. 1 Cup and intended to be an aid to digestion. The liquor concoction eventually became known as Pimm's Cup No. 1.

The recipe of Pimm's Cup No. 1 is a closely guarded secret. Only six people know the recipe according to CocktailTimes.com. The drink is embraced by the upper class of Southern England, being only one of two drinks offered at Henley Royal Regatta and the Glyndebourne opera festival (the other being champagne) as well as being the drink of choice for Wimbledon.

The drink entered the commercial market in 1859 with Pimm selling the business and the use of his name to Frederick Sawyer in 1865. In 1880, future London mayor, Horatio Davies, bought the business with a franchise of Pimm's Oyster House following in 1887. Pimm's No. 1 sold briskly to be joined by other Pimm's concoctions. Pimm's No. 2 (whiskey-based) and Pimm's No. 3 (brandy-based) were introduced in 1851 with Pimm's 4-6 created in the wake of WWII. Only Pimm's No. 1 is still regularly produced with Pimm's No. 6 (vodka-based) only occasionally produced and a version of Pimm's No. 3 called Pimm's Winter Cup produced during the holiday season since 2005. The others were phased out in the 1970s and 1980s.

Pableaux Johnson of Bayoudog.com describes a well-made Pimm's Cup:

"In the tongue, it's simultaneously fresh and light; spicy and tart. A slight, citrusy acidity complements sweetness from lemon-lime soda or lemonade (barkeep's choice) as the cucumber provides clean, vegetal flavors and a satisfying crunch for the salad-deprived."

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook uses sour mix and ginger ale to create the Pimm's Cup's signature bubbly citrus taste.

Wikipedia: "James Pimm" 10/08/07
Wikipedia: "Pimm's" 03/29/08
"CocktailTimes.com: "Pimm's Cup"
Bayoudog.com: "In the Cups: Pimm's Cup"
photo courtesy of mooganic, used under this Creative Commons license

Prepare a Tureen of Turtle Soup Tonite

2008-05-06T06:12:00.000-07:00

Turtle Soup is not a dish one sees everyday. Difficult to find outside the New Orleans and Louisiana Coast, most know the dish, potage a la tortue, from the 1988 movie Babette's Feast. In Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, a recipe for Turtle Soup can be found on page 136.

While supplies of fresh water turtles, the only kind lawfully sold as food, are abundant in the New Orleans area to make Turtle Soup, in other parts of the country, the dish is illegal. According to Wikipedia, many turtle species are listed as "threatened" or "endangered" and their hunting and capture is illegal. The loss of an adult turtle can seriously harm populations of the amphibian as breeding adults are difficult to replace. Fortunately for those who don't live in New Orleans, turtle meat can be bought from specialty markets or by mail order. Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook has a four-page section that focuses on hard-to-find ingredients ranging from durum flour to seafood starting on page 424. Ordering the meat also solves the problem of dressing a live, snapping turtle.

Soups have a long history. In a piece by Andrew F. Smith at cheftalk.com, he states that boiling foods gained steam when reliable water- and heat-proof containers were developed around 3,000 BCE. Boiling was a huge innovation in cooking technique. Boiling cooked a submersed food completely and evenly unlike open air fires where our ancestors had to regularly turn their food in order to cook it. Also, previously discarded animal parts like the bones suddenly became edible, with boiling techniques able to extract the nutritional value of the discards, making broths.

In 1794, Jean Baptiste Gilbert Payplat dis Julien opened a restaurant in Boston that specialized in soups. Nicknamed "The Prince of Soups," gourmands of the era flocked to Julien's establishment including French foodie Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, a politician and gastronome who visited American during the height of the French Revolution. While Julien created Julien Soup, his specialty was the making of Turtle Soup.

Turtle soup entered the American mainstream at the very top. The dish had become popular with the upper classes. With turtle so expensive to import, only the wealthiest could afford real Turtle Soup. Over time, a mock turtle soup was developed that used veal that could be enjoyed by the middle class. Janet Clarkson of kitchenproject.com states that the soup was a regular item on the menu of the Lord Mayors banquet in London while The Old Foodie recounts that turtle soup was part of the menu for the Corporation of the City of London's banquet for the Allied Sovereigns: the English Prince Regent and future King George IV, Tsar Alexander I of Russia and the King of Prussia,Friedrich Wilhelm III. President Taft so loved the dish that he brought a special chef with him to the White House in order to make it.

The dish was so popular that writer Lewis Carroll praised it in his book, Alice in Wonderland. Gui Alinat of Tampabay.com uses the verse to open his article about Turtle Soup:

"Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?"

In "A Seafood Cook's Companion" on page 44, Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook discusses the possible scarcity of finding turtle and suggests that some home cooks rely on oxtail or veal as substitutes.

Wikipedia: "Turtle Soup" 04/01/08
ChefTalk.com: "History of Soup"
Kitchen Project: "Turtle Soup and Mock Turtle Soup" 03/01
The Old Foodie: "Turtle Season" 06/18/07
Tampabay.com: "Home Cooks, Please Don't Mock Turtle Soup" 04/27/05

photo courtesy of qmnonic, used under this Creative Commons license

Cobb Salad: A California Import Given a Creole Twist

2008-05-05T06:18:00.000-07:00

Cobb Salad was created at the Brown Derby by the manager Bob Cole. On page 153 of Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook is Crab and Shrimp Cobb Salad with Remoulade Sauce. Unlike the traditional Cobb salad that is dressed with chicken and cheese and a special Cobb salad dressing, Ralph Brennan's offering is presented with shrimp, crab and a corn relish with remoulade sauce.

Salad has had a roller-coaster ride throughout culinary history, at some points a desirable and practical dish and at others a suspicious and even potentially dangerous one. Lynn Olver's Food Timeline records that the ancient Greeks and Romans would dine on raw vegetables with a dressing of oil, vinegar and herbs. Greek physicians Hippocrates of Kos (c. 460 BCE-c. 370 BCE) and Galen of Pergamon (c. 129 CE-c. 210 CE) both recommended a diet of fresh vegetables as it was easy to digest. Further they recommended that salad should be the first course of a meal because salad wouldn't create obstructions for the latter courses. Foodies of the era argued that salad should be the last course as the vinegar dressing conflicted with the taste of wine.

Salad is a corruption of a vulgar Roman phrase herba salata meaning "salted herb." The dish fell into decline after the fall of Rome, though western Europeans continued dining on raw vegetables on fast days or for medical purposes. The Byzantine Empire continued the practice of salad and later reintroduced it to Medieval Europe via Italy and Spain, though vegetables would be picked or cooked.

During the Renaissance, the consumption of fresh vegetables simply was not done. It was feared that uncooked vegetables led to illness so vegetables were well-cooked, deriving the plant material of its nutrients. According to Salad-Recipe.net, Delmonico's Restaurant in New York began to offer salads to their high-end clients, making the dish a "wealthy" one in popular perception.

Arthur Schwartz of thefoodmaven.com retells the story of the creation of the Cobb Salad as originally told by the Brown Derby itself:

"One night in 1937, Bob Cobb, then owner of The Brown Derby, prowled hungrily in his restaurant's kitchen for a snack. Opening the huge refrigerator, he pulled out this and that: a head of lettuce, an avocado, some romaine, watercress, tomatoes, some cold breast of chicken, a hard-boiled egg, chives, cheese and some old-fashioned French dressing. He started chopping. Added some crisp bacon -- swiped from a busy chef. The Cobb salad was born."

And it has proved popular indeed. According to the Brown Derby Restaurant Group, more than four million of the salads have been sold since 1937.

While not labor intensive to prepare, Cobb salad can be time consuming in order to get the correct taste. Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook advises preparing the lettuce three days in advance, the remoulade dressing two days in advance in order to permit the flavors to fully develop, and the remainder of the ingredients the day before serving.

The Food Timeline: "Salads" 03/22/08
Salad-recipe.net: "The Story of Salad's Success"
The Food Maven: "Original Cobb Salad"
photo courtesy of CP, used under this Creative Commons license

Flaming Finish to a Fine Meal

2008-05-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

After a fine meal of Pecan-Crusted Speckled Trout with Rum-Butter Sauce (pg. 204) followed with Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie (pg. 287), what could be better than a well-prepared cup of coffee to accompany that dessert? Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook offers a Cafe Brulot Diabolique on page 408. This coffee offers the diner a dramatic finish when the clove-studded lemon and orange peels are set aflame. When preparing this recipe, it's stated that "Because the flames from the burning alcohol typically rise at least 2 to 3 feet, this recipe should not be prepared on a stove with a low hood, nor in a kitchen with a ceiling lower than 8 feet from the floor."

Ian McNulty at FrenchQuarter.com writes:

"It ends up tasting like very thick, sweet coffee with the deep citrus and clove flavors mellowing the sweetness. . . It is especially popular as a finale to a big holiday meal, such as the New Orleans reveillon feast. . . It is also one of the most memorable ways to cap off a glorious New Orleans meal."

Coffee has a long history beginning around 850 CE when a goatherd named Kaldi noticed how lively his goats became after eating berries coming from a certain shrub in Ethiopia, according to koffeekorner.com. Cultivation of coffee trees dates to around 1100 CE on the Arabian Peninsula. Arabs making the beverage referred to it as "qahwa" meaning a beverage made from plants. The first cafe opened in Constantinople in 1475. English coffeehouses became the birth place of tipping the staff. In order to speed one's order or improve one's seating, a cup was prominently placed with an accompanying sign that said, "To Insure Prompt Service."

Surprisingly, Lloyd's of London was born of a coffeehouse. Edward Lloyd opened a coffeehouse in London on Tower Street in 1688. According to Wikipedia's history of Lloyd's, the coffeehouse was frequented by merchants, shipowners and sailors who would discuss insurance deals among themselves. Later members of the insurance arrangement formed a committee called The Society of Lloyd's and moved to the Royal Exchange in 1774.

The first coffee plants were brought over from Europe in 1723 by a French naval officer by the name of Gabriel de Clieu who smuggled a seedling that he planted on the island of Martinique. By 1777 it had become a major crop for Martinique, where it would have been easily transported to New Orleans.

The Louisiana State Museum states that New Orleans is the number one coffee port in the U. S with it's 241,000 tons coming from 31 countries. In 1995, coffee shipped from New Orleans accounted more than a quarter of all coffee imported to the United States. As a commodity, it's second only to oil and more than 400 billion cups are drunk annually.

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook states that flaming coffees came via French cooks and waiters in the early 1800s. This is a recipe that produces 10 - 12 1/4-cup servings. According to the cookbook, "If you have a large kitchen, your guests can gather 'round to enjoy seeing you recreate the loveliest of all Creole dining rituals."

FrenchQuarter.com: "Light My Fire: The Spectacle and Tradition of Café Brûlot" 2006
KoffeeKorner: "Coffee History" 03/30/00
Wikipedia: "Lloyd's of London" 03/30/08
Louisiana State Museum: "New Orleans and Coffee" 2002
photo courtesy of Kaleid, used under this Creative Commons license

The Sweet Potato Vs. The Yam

2008-05-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook isn't afraid of a little controversy. On page 305, the issue of the sweet potato as opposed to the yam is tackled in the introduction to the recipe "Fluffy Sweet-Potato Pie." While yams are common to Africa and South America, the sweet potato ". . . has been a staple of Southern pantries for generations."

At plantanswers.tamu.edu, the two plants are stacked in a side by side comparison of characteristics. The sweet potato had taken root during Neolithic times while the yam entered the scene at around 50,000 BC. Another major difference is in the health benefits each plant provides. While yams are very low in Vitamin A, the orange varieties of sweet potatoes are quite high. In fact, a 3 1/2 ounce serving of baked sweet potato has 8,800 IU of vitamin A with 141 calories, making the root an excellent choice for those watching their weight.

Peggy Trowbridge Filippone at About.com notes that the sweet potato is grown in the Southern United States while yams are primarily cultivated in Africa, parts of Asia and the Caribbean. The first recorded instance of the word "yam" dates to 1676 and is a corruption of African words njam, nyami and djambi meaning "to eat."

Wikipedia.com states that the sweet potato is native to the tropical parts of the Americas and became domesticated about 5,000 years ago. In 2007, Louisiana contributed 15.9% of the American crop of sweet potatoes, making it third in production behind North Carolina and California. Wiki also recounts this story:

The Frenchmen who established the first settlement at Opelousas in 1760 discovered the native Attakapas, Alabama, Choctaw, and Opelousas Indian Tribes eating sweet potatoes. The sweet potato became a favorite food item of the French and Spanish settlers and thus continued a long history of cultivation in Louisiana.

The Wikipedia entry for yams comments that the tuber can grow to lengths of 2.5 meters or over 8 feet in length. It began to see cultivation around 8,000 BCE in Africa and Asia. They are particularly valued for their storage in West Africa and New Guinea, up to six months without refrigeration, which is important during the annual food scarcity at the start of the rainy season. Surprisingly, yams of African origin cannot be eaten raw due to the natural substances in the tuber that can cause illness. As well, skin irritation from handling raw yams can occur, although a simple bath of cold water can relieve it.

The Library of Congress explains the confusion over terminology neatly:

In the United States, firm varieties of sweet potatoes were produced before soft varieties. When soft varieties were first grown commercially, there was a need to differentiate between the two. African slaves had already been calling the ‘soft’ sweet potatoes ‘yams’ because they resembled the yams in Africa. Thus, ‘soft’ sweet potatoes were referred to as ‘yams’ to distinguish them from the ‘firm’ varieties.

Whether a person calls it a yam or a sweet-potato, it makes for delicious food. Fluffy Sweet-Potato Pie is correctly identified as a "delicious comfort food" in Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook.

Plant Answers: "What is the Difference Between a Sweet Potato and a Yam?"
About.com: "Sweet Potato and Yam Differences" 2008
Wikipedia: "Sweet Potato" 04/29/08
Wikipedia: "Yam (Vegetable)" 04/25/08
Library of Congress: "Question: What is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?" 03/01/07
photo courtesy of Carl E. Lewis, used under this Creative Commons license

Pour the Original New Orleans Cocktail--The Sazerac

2008-04-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook includes everything New Orleans, including the city's most famous cocktails. Perhaps the oldest recipe among them is the Sazerac, a rye whiskey-based drink that is flavored with Peychaud's bitters and Herbsaint anisette liqueur on page 401.

Chuck Taggart of Gumbo Pages had this to say about the Sazerac experience:

This is an absolutely exquisite cocktail. As you sip it, you come across layer after layer of flavor -- the warmth and glowing burn of the rye, effused with the flavors of spice and honey, the bite of the bitters balanced with the sweetness of the sugar, with the subtle yet complex flavor of the anise underneath and the perfume of the lemon oil from the twist feel like a symphony inside your mouth. This is also a drink that warms up well, revealing even more flavors. Sip it very slowly. Savor it. Take your time with it.

In the 1830s, a Creole apothecary by the name of Antoine Amadie Peychaud came from the Caribbeans and set up his shop in the French Quarter. Using a family recipe, he created Peychaud bitters which he would dispense to his fellow citizens in a brandy-based beverage with a splash of water and some sugar. Many assume that the way the drink was served, in an egg cup called coquetier, led to the name cocktail, but Robert Hess of Spirit World in a post dated May 29, 2006, shoots down this theory, pointing out that the word "cocktail" had been in existence since at least 1803.

The drink quickly became a staple in the city's coffee houses (read: Bars). At Wikipedia, it's stated that in 1859, John Schiller opened the Sazerac Coffee House in the French Quarter. Schiller also had a sideline in the sales of a French cognac called Sazerac-de-forge et fils and he used this brandy with Peychaud's bitters. The drink eventually came to be known by the name of the coffee house where it was served.

The drink underwent a change in 1870. A gentleman by the name of Thomas Handy took over the Sazerac Coffee House. With changing tastes and a new difficulty in getting cognac, rye whiskey became the base of the drink. Handy formed the Sazerac Company as well, buying the Peychaud Family's bitters recipe along with the bar. An absinthe coating of the glass was introduced at this time as well, the final evolution of the drink we know today.

While Hurricanes are the drink most commonly associated with the city of New Orleans, Chuck Taggart observes that "Hurricanes are for tourists. Sazeracs are for natives." The Sazerac is viewed as the quintessential New Orleans cocktail and was under consideration for the title of official cocktail of the State of Louisiana. On April 10, 2008, The Daily Illini in a post from the AP newswire reported that an effort had been made by Senator Ed Murray to declare the drink the official state cocktail. Due to concerns of the state's image, the Louisiana State Senate voted the legislation down in a vote of 27-8.

While not officially recognized, the people of New Orleans hold the drink close to their hearts. Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook advises using Old Overholt rye whiskey in preparing the Sazerac.

Gumbo Pages: "The Original Sazerac Cocktail"
The Spirit World: "Sazerac" 05/29/06
Wikipedia: "Sazerac (cocktail)" 04/09/08
The Daily Illini: "Odds and Ends: Senate Rejects Bill Making Sazerac Official La. Cocktail" 04/10/08
photo courtesy of Lee Coursey, used under this Creative Commons license

Oysters Rockefeller

2008-04-29T06:04:00.000-07:00

With the abundance of oysters available to the New Orleans chef, it's no surprise that Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook features more than 10 recipes starring this fruit of the sea. Among the most famous of oyster dishes is Oysters Rockefeller, which is featured on page 80.

Oysters Rockefeller was created in 1899 by a New Orleans chef named Jules Alciatore. His great grandson, Roy F. Guste, Jr., writes at foodreference.com that his ancestor created the dish after having difficulty procuring the necessary European snails for cooking. Being unable to get the desired snails, Alciatore decided to look closer to home for a more reliable supply of product, choosing gulf oysters as his substitute. He created a rich sauce that was green in color and in naming the dish, chose the name Rockefeller as an exemplar of "rich." At the time the dish was created, John D. Rockefeller was the famous robber baron of Standard Oil Company and at the height of his fame as a capitalist and philanthropist.

Rockefeller came from humble beginnings, first getting his start in business acting as an assistant bookkeeper for Hewitt and Tuttle, produce shippers and commission merchants in 1855. The Rockefeller Archive's biography tells us that Rockefeller became involved in oil refinery in 1863 with partners Maurice Clark and Samuel Andrews. In 1870, Rockefeller and assorted partners created Standard Oil Company with the company being organized into a trust in 1882. By the 1890s, it's estimated that Standard Oil owned 75% of the petroleum business in America. According to trivia-library.com's study of the richest people in history, when Rockefeller retired from active leadership of Standard Oil in 1896, its estimated his fortune was worth around $200 million.

His tendency to philanthropy was there from his earliest days in business when he would tithe 10% of his paycheck to the church. Wikipedia.com lists his many philanthropic enterprises. He favored educational and public health causes as well as basic sciences and the arts. While he gave money to recognized institutions such as Harvard, Columbia, Vassar and Yale, he also helped small colleges become major institutions such as the University of Chicago which started life as a small baptist college and became a world-class university by 1900 with Rockefeller's help.

While a northerner, his programs had great impact in the South. In 1884, he was the major financial backer for an Atlanta college for African-American women that became Spelman College. In 1902, he created the General Education Board. Designed to help education at all levels across the country, its biggest impact was in the pioneering schools for African-Americans in the South. His 1909 Rockefeller Sanitary Commission was a key component in wiping out hookworm disease in the South.

While he gave huge donations throughout his life, totalling about $550 million dollars, he was noted for his more playful habit of giving out dimes to children though he switched to nickels during the Great Depression. Cheekily, he even passed dimes to President Herbert Hoover and fellow mogul Harvey Firestone.

While some recipes call for a puree of green vegetables to create the green-colored sauce, Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook uses spinach to give the dish its signature color.

foodreference.com: "The Real Oysters Rockefeller"
The Rockefeller Archive: "John D. Rockefeller" 09/97
Trivia-Library.com: "Richest People in History: John D. Rockefeller"
Wikipedia: "John D. Rockefeller" 04/28/08
photo courtesy of zzzack, used under this Creative Commons license

Meet the Man Behind the Book: Ralph Brennan

2008-04-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

According to his profile at the Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook website, Ralph Brennan is a third-generation restaurateur who entered the restaurant business after a stint as a CPA for Price Waterhouse and Company. It's stated that his grandfather, Owen Edward Brennan, opened the first of the family's many restaurants in 1947, which quickly became a popular eatery of the French Quarter scene. Since that time, the Brennan Family legacy of fine food has only increased, composing 12 restaurants owned by different branches of the family. Among Ralph's restaurants are Bacco, Ralph's on the Park, Red Fish Grill and Disneyland's Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen. He also co-owns Mr. B's Bistro, Commander's Palace and Brennan's of Houston.

His love of fine food has garnered Ralph the laurels of success. Among his many awards are the The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association's Gold Plate Operator of the Year for 2004 as well as his 2005 induction into the Louisiana Restaurant Association's Hall of Fame. But along with his love of food is his love of the city he calls home: New Orleans. He chooses to open restaurants in historic structures which are lovingly renovated. Among them are Ralph's on the Park which is located in a structure identified as the first concession stand opened at City Park in 1860 and Commander's Palace which has been a restaurant since 1880.

His current project, Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, has been garnering rave reviews. Ironically, this book may never have happened had Ralph not had his first oyster as a teenager. With his father very allergic to seafood, Ralph was raised on a diet of steaks and potatoes. In a piece at NOLA.com by Judy Walker, he states:

"I was in high school when some older guys invited me to play golf with them," Brennan said. After their round they went to Bozo's, where a couple of beers helped the first oyster, perched on a cracker, go down." I said 'That isn't bad,' and had a couple more," he said.

The spark of inspiration for a cookbook was lit when Charlee Williamson, VP of Ralph Brennan's Restaurant Group, overheard food writer John Mariani comment that the definitive seafood cookbook has yet to be done. At neworleanscitybusiness.com in an article by Emilie Bahr, Ralph states the idea floated around in his head for about five years before he began to bring together his team of talent for the project. Originally projected to take about two years, the project took four, largely due to Hurricane Katrina. He had this to say about his cookbook:

“What makes this different is it’s not just a restaurant cookbook,” Brennan said. “I think it will have a broader appeal. We also wanted to make a statement. Seafood is very, very important to our cuisines here, to the people that live here.”

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook: "Ralph Brennan and The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group" 2008
NOLA.com: "Seafood city: New Orleans Recipes Abound in Ralph Brennan's Cookbook" 04/17/08
New Orleans City Business: "Ralph Brennan Serves Up Seafood Cookbook" 04/08/08

Photo by Kerri McCaffety. Copyright by The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

It's Friday! Who Wants Pizza?

2008-04-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

If there is one dish nearly everyone can agree on enjoying, it's pizza. And Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook is ready to please with a Crawfish Pizza with Pancetta and Roasted Garlic on page 249. In the introduction, it's stated that "cooks in South Louisiana never seem to run out of ways to cook crawfish, so the appearance of a crawfish pizza was probably inevitable." Inevitable indeed, as pizza and it's variations have been prepared since Neolithic times.

According to Linda Stradley's whatscookingamerica.net, the dish has been prepared since the Stone Age and was baked beneath the stones of the fire. Having the toppings on top of the bread permitted people to enjoy the dish without the need of plates or utensils. In Virgil's The Aeneid, one stanza refers to the devouring of cakes of flour:

Their homely fare dispatch’d, the hungry band
Invade their trenchers next, and soon devour,
To mend the scanty meal, their cakes of flour.
Ascanius this observ’d, and smiling said:
“See, we devour the plates on which we fed.”

Pizza as we know it today, with its rich tomato sauce, developed after tomatoes were brought back from South America. At pizzajoe.co.uk, it's stated that tomatoes, initially viewed as poisonous by Europeans, began to be eaten in the late 1600s. Peasants in Naples, Italy, began to use tomatoes on their herbed bread about this time. Queen Maria Carolina (1752-1814), wife of Ferdinando IV, King of Naples, enjoyed pizza so much that she arranged to have a pizza oven installed at their summer palace at Capodimonte.

According to a history written by Cliff Lowe at inmamaskitchen.com, pizza became the break-out food of 1889 when Queen Margherita, wife of Umberto I, became curious about the flat-bread dish the peasants dined on. She horrified members of her decorous court when she became a fan of the peasant dish, though the common people embraced her for it. She ordered a local pizza chef, Rafaelle Esposito, to the palace to bake a selection of pizzas for her dining pleasure. In her honor, he created the Pizza Margherita that commemorated the Italian flag with its colors of red (tomato sauce), white (mozzarella cheese) and green (basil), which is still a popular dish to this day.

The dish came to America in the late 1800s with the arrival of Italian immigrants. It remained a dish associated with the Italian community until the end of WWII, though pizzerias opened in New York City and Chicago prior to the war. American servicemen became fans of the dish while stationed in Italy and sought it out after the war ended.

Today, the pizza is entrenched in our culinary culture with 23 pounds consumed annually by the average American and its own holiday, International Pizza Day on February 9. The Guinness Book of World Records credits a 100-feet and one inch diameter pizza made in Havana, Florida, as the largest pizza made and consumed.

With New Orleans chefs' tendency to put its own spin on recipes, it's only natural that an enterprising chef jumped at a chance to put local seafood on pizza.

whatscookingamerica.net: "History & Legends of Pizza" 2004
PizzaJoe.co.uk: "Pizza Facts and History" 2003
inmamaskitchen.com: "Pizza History"
photo courtesy of bucklava, used under this Creative Commons license

Use That Stale Bread

2008-04-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook features a recipe that uses stale ingredients -- bread, in this case -- to make a Praline Bread Pudding with Praline Creme Anglaise and Caramel Sauce. The recipe, on page 282 in the "Desserts and Dessert Sauces" chapter, uses a water bath for the baking of it and calls for a nine- or ten-inch piece of day-old French bread. The praline creme anglaise sauce can be prepared with praline liqueur -- or not, as the home chef desires.

The Food Timeline site by Lynn Olver has an extensive history of pudding. Most likely developed as a way to use stale bread and extend food resources, it has gradually evolved from the Middle Ages into the desserts of today. An excerpt from the Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink by John F. Mariani suggests a Roman origin to the dish:

"The word seems to derive from the Old French boudin, (sausage), and, ultimately, from the Latin botelinus, for many puddings were a form of encased meat or innards. The earliest examples of this word in English refer to such dishes. Dr. Johnson's Dictionary (1755) defines the word as a "kind of food very variously compounded, but generally made of meal, milk, and eggs."

Mark R. Vogel of ReluctantGourmet.com dates the creation of bread puddings to the 13th Century. Bread was soaked in water or milk and was seasoned with sugar and suet with fruits or spices adding flavor then baked. Sometimes these ingredients would be placed in the center of a hollowed out piece of bread called a "sop." French variations called for the bread to be prepared with milk, eggs, raisins, rum and oranges. Today's bread puddings are made by pouring custard over cubed bread and baking.

Stephanie Jaworski's Joyofbaking.com includes in its history of bread pudding a discussion of the use of water baths in its preparation. It's necessary in order to protect more delicate recipes from burning, drying out or curdling (where a milk or egg mixture breaks down into its liquid and solid parts.)

Ian McNulty of FrenchQuarter.com has this to say about bread pudding:

"When most bread goes stale it gets tossed in the trash or fed to the birds. But for some lucky loaves, going stale is just the beginning of a transformation into bread pudding - the ambrosial dessert that is a mainstay finale at Creole restaurants across New Orleans."

He credits bread pudding's popularity to the bread itself. The bread soaks up any sauce it is presented with, infusing the dish with further flavor, and its softer texture makes a nice contrast to the pecans, raisins or walnuts that often top the dish. Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook's version of the recipe is topped with a pecan and brown sugar crumble.

The Food Timeline: "Puddings" 06/10/07
Reluctant Gourmet: "How to Make a Delicious Bread Pudding"
Joy of Baking: "Bread Pudding"
FrenchQuarter.com: "Proof in the Bread Pudding--
Chefs Add Variety to New Orleans' Classic Dessert" 2006

photo courtesy of FotoDawg, used under this Creative Commons license

Seafood is Best... Fresh

2008-04-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

After sampling the Shrimp and Bacon en Brochettes during the launch party for Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook I had to try this recipe at home. (That's an image of the passed party appetizers above.) Since it was such a crowd pleaser at the party my boyfriend and I opted to test out the recipe as a main course instead of the appetizer option.

Unfortunately our first attempt at preparing this recipe was delayed. Due to deadlines and a busy weekend schedule we bought the shrimp a day ahead of time. Rule number one... read the instructions about checking freshness and quality in the Seafood Cook's Manual at the beginning of this book.

"The best measure of freshness for store-bought shrimp, raw or cooked, is their smell. The fresh ones carry a clean, rather astringent smell with no unpleasant 'fishy' odors..." (Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, pg. 38)

Had I remembered this tip on checking freshness I would have insisted that the clerk let me smell the shrimp before sealing them in the take-away bag. However, I relied on the reputation of the store to provide quality seafood.

We began to prep the next day and pulled out the shrimp, which were very fishy smelling. Now, it may have been the day-long delay from purchase to cooking time which ruined these shrimp, however typically store-bought seafood should last for a day if refridgerated.

So my advice to readers... become familiar with the ways to safely select, store and prepare seafood. The section in Ralph Brennan's cookbook called "A Seafood Cook's Manual" offers an excellent array of tips and methods for safely securing and preparing seafood for consumption. Keep these instructions in mind when you head to the store and use this section even when you're making seafood recipes from other cookbooks.

As for my attempt at Ralph's Shrimp and Bacon en Brochettes, you'll have to check in on the blog later for an update. This seafood scandal didn't dissuade me from testing the recipe, it's just delayed the process a bit. I'll keep you posted.

Photo: Courtesy of BlakeMakes.com

Potatoes Pontalba

2008-04-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

With New Orleans chefs' tendency to commemorate great events and important personages, it's not surprising that the Baroness Micaela Almonester Pontalba numbers among those so remembered. On page 341 of Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook in the "Accompaniments, Etc." chapter, the Baroness receives her due. Potatoes Pontalba is a homey, comfort-food dish made with cubed potatoes, onion, garlic and tasso (a spicy, dry-cured ham traditional in Cajun cooking) and makes a wonderful side dish to the main courses featured in the cookbook.

At FrenchQuarter.com, it's stated that Micaela Almonester, born in 1795, was the daughter of a genteelly poor Creole mother and Spanish-born father by the name of Andres Almonestera y Roxas. Roxas established a large fortune in New Orleans during the late 1700s and contributed large sums of money to establish today's St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo and the Presbytere. He also left his daughter the land bordering Jackson Square where Micaela built the Pontalba buildings during the later 1840s. The buildings were a sensation, both for their beauty and utility as well as being built by a woman at the center of a notorious scandal.

At the age of 15, Micaela married a French cousin by the name of Clestin de Pontalba and moved to France. A New York Times article written August 31, 1997, by Angeline Goreau tells the tale of a troubled marriage complete with meddling in-laws, greed and violence. Her in-laws' constant maneuvering to take control of her finances finally exploded into violence and scandal October 19, 1834:

". . . on the morning of Oct. 19, the 80-year-old Baron de Pontalba, dueling pistols in hand, burst into the sleeping quarters of his 40-year-old daughter-in-law (the future Baroness de Pontalba) and fired three shots into her chest. Perceiving that she was wounded but not yet dead, he pursued her through several rooms of their country estate, repeatedly shooting - but missing. Finally, he gave up, rewrote his will in favor of a military school and killed himself."

The murder attempt eventually led to the Baroness' separation and she returned to New Orleans. Bill Thayer's website has an article from the Louisiana Historical Quarterly by Henry Renshaw that details the Baroness' quest to build the Pontalba buildings on the land inherited from her father. Emphasizing her family's ties to Jackson Square is the fact that the Battle of New Orleans was fought on her uncle Ignace Delino de Chalmette's plantation.

After completing the buildings, she returned to France and (eventually) her husband, dying at the age of 78 in 1874.

FrenchQuarter.com: "Micaela Almonester Pontalba: The Baroness of Extremes " 2006
New York Times: "A Spectacular Mess of a Marriage" 08/31/97
Bill Thayer's Website: "Jackson Square by Henry Renshaw"
photo courtesy of David Paul Ohmer, used under this Creative Commons license

Fishy Returns Anticipated in Lake Pontchartrain

2008-04-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

Part of the appeal of Louisiana is the variety of hunting and fishing opportunities available to both locals and tourists, providing the base that New Orleans' culinary habits are built on. While Hurricane Katrina played havoc with the coastal environment, it has also permitted an opportunity for residents and policy makers alike to change their approach and look at new ideas for the rebuilding of environmental assets.

A Times-Picayune article dated April 20, 2008, by Christine Harvey reports that a new proposal has been presented by Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana (CCA) to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development requesting that rubble from the old I-10 bridge span be used in Lake Pontchartrain to build two new artificial barrier reefs:

"The reefs would measure an acre each and be midway between I-10 and the U.S. 11 bridge, which links Irish Bayou in eastern New Orleans and Eden Isles south of Slidell. . . The project would mimic shell reefs found in nature and give marine life, such as oysters and clams, a hard surface to attach themselves to, John Walther Walther, a volunteer coordinator with CCA Louisiana's reef restoration and building program said. Their presence is invaluable for the food chain, as they attract more fish to the area, he said."

The Coastal Conservation Association has sponsored 3 other artificial reef projects, the most recent being a reef constructed in Calcasieu Lake. According to the CCA, the 1.5-acre reef is located 20 yards from Turner's Bay Island and was designed to protect the small island from erosion and enhance fishing in the area. The reef attracts oyster beds, which helps in both cleaning the water and attracting other fish to the area. Chas Drost claims that he has noticed an increase in the number of fish being caught at the site this spring.

The St. Tammany Parish Government website has a news release dated April 4, 2008, regarding the proposed projects. While reef restoration is part of the proposal, it also includes a plan to use 2000 feet of the west twin span as a fishing pier. Anticipated returns on the project are expected to be seen within two year's time. “Reefs and bridges make great fishing locations,” says Parish Environmentalist Brian Fortson. “The combination of these two projects in Lake Pontchartrain will create an excellent fishing environment.”

All in all, it's safe to say that Louisiana's rich bounty of seafood is well-protected for chefs and gastronomes to continue to enjoy in the future.

SOURCE: "Proposal would turn rubble into reef" 04/20/08
SOURCE: "CCA builds new reef to protect Turner’s Bay Island in Calcasieu Lake" 09/17/07
SOURCE: "New Angles Proposed for Recreational Fishing" 04/04/08
photo courtesy of diongillard, used under this Creative Commons license

On Today's Menu: Sauteed Frog Legs

2008-04-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

If the home chef is feeling adventurous, Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook is able to take one on an unforgettable culinary cruise. Sauteed frog legs with wilted baby spinach and creamer potatoes, on page 263, is one of the more unique recipes in the cookbook. In the notes, it's suggested that the best quality legs are domestic frogs, most of which are from Florida. If using frozen legs, it's best that the meat is used as soon as it is thawed as this meat has a short shelf-life of a day or two.

The modern history of this dish begins in the 1880s. At Exploratorium.edu, a short history of Rayne, LA, is presented by Amy Snyder about the city known as the "Frog Capitol of the World." A gourmet chef called Donat Pucheu began to ship bullfrogs to restaurants in New Orleans. As time went on French businessmen, the Brothers Weill, arranged to export the delicacy to restaurants around the world including Sardi's in New York City.

In the cookbook, it's stated that Chef Georges-Auguste Escoffier (The Chef of Kings and the King of Chefs) introduced the dish to Albert Edward, Prince of Wales in the early 1900s while running the Carlton Hotel's kitchens. In order to slip the dish onto the menu, Escoffier renamed it as the more appealing "cuisses de nymphes aurore" or "thighs of the dawn nymphs," rather than frog thighs.

By the mid 1900s, Rayne has stopped the exportation of bullfrogs. According to foodreference.com, Bangladesh became a major exporter of frogs for a time but later banned exporting frogs because the heavy cultivation of frogs led to an increase of the fly population. Insecticides proved to be too costly to be practical so the frog population was kept at home, catching flies.

While the modern diner views frog legs as a delicacy, an archaeological dig in the Czech Republic revealed the remains of 893 frog bones, most of them the bones of thighs, the meatiest part of the frog. Salvador Bailon, a leading expert of frogs in history, revealed in an abc.net article by Rossella Lorenzi that, "Everything seems to confirm that frog consumption was merely an opportunistic choice at that time." Neolithic Czechs tended to hunt frogs in the months of March or April:

Those months see the height of mating activity, when frogs tend to gather in great numbers and can be easily captured. "The frogs could have been simply gathered directly from the pond, or ... other more specialised methods could have been used, such as ground traps during their migration or by fishing on a line and hook," writes Rene Kysely, an archaeologist of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

The mild and pleasant flavor of the frog, comparable to other white meats, makes this unconventional dish an elegant surprise. Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook suggests serving this with a soup or salad to make a complete meal.

Exploratorium: "Frog City: Rayne, LA"
Food Reference Website: "Frogs & Frog Legs"
ABC: "Stone Age Europeans Ate Frogs' Legs" 06/27/07
photo courtesy of mbloore, used under this Creative Commons license

Walker Weighs In...

2008-04-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

While restaurant, food and cookbook critics nationwide will be commenting on Ralph Brennan's cookbook the most anticipated reviews are those from New Orleans. In creating this cookbook the Ralph Brennan team sought to capture the essence of seafood cooking beyond their restaurants and across the city... no small feat in a celebrated culinary community known for spectacular seafood dishes.

Judy Walker, Restaurant and Food Editor for The Times-Picayune New Orleans' daily newspaper, evaluates the book in "Seafood City: New Orleans Recipes Abound in Ralph Brennan's Cookbook"

Walker's story headlined the newspapers' living section this week and shares the story behind the cookbook... from Ralph's first New Orleans experiences with seafood to compiling a book through the challenges of Hurricane Katrina. The review supports the cookbook and it's comprehensive coverage of local seafood.

Following Walker's post-Katrina commitment to share recipes from New Orleans the article lists several recipes from the cookbook:
- Crabmeat and avocado with spicy vinaigrette
- Louisiana seafood boil
- Grilled redfish and crabmeat with lemon-butter sauce

We thank Judy Walker for sharing the story behind Ralph Brennan's first cookbook and look forward to hearing what other locals have to say about the book.

Take Off With Pompano en Papillotes

2008-04-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

New Orleans has long been known as a capitol of fine dining, where all the senses are shamelessly indulged with the aromatic food attractively presented among background music of fine silver ringing against even finer china. Showy presentation in the finer dining establishments of the city still reign supreme and Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook can help the home chef make a showy presentation as well. On page 176 is a recipe for Pompano en Papillotes with crab butter sauce.

Preparation en papillotes means preparing and serving a dish in a paper case. During the cooking process, the paper case puffs up from the steam, making a delightful surprise for the diner to discover upon opening. The traditional sauce, made with a white wine base, has been updated to a savory crab butter sauce. This particular recipe was created in the early 1900s to honor Brazilian-born aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont.

Wikipedia has an excellent history of the aero-pioneer. Santos-Dumont was born the sixth of eight children to a coffee plantation owner, a French-born engineer who created various labor-saving devices on his plantation. After his father fell ill in 1891, the family relocated to France where 18-year old Santos-Dumont went to Paris in order to continue his studies in physics, chemistry, mechanics and electricity.

In the late 1890s, Santos-Dumont became interested in flight, taking balloon rides and moving on to learning how to pilot the balloons themselves. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics recounts his flight career in great detail. While his first balloon, the Brazil was successful, achieving flight with a payload of about 114 pounds in 1898. His second balloon, the America, won first prize from the Aero Club of Paris study of atmospheric currents and stayed afloat for 22 hours. He went on to design and fly dirigibles and planes. He retired from flying in 1910 after a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and later committed suicide in 1932 in his native Brazil.

His flying exploits made Santos-Dumont a celebrity. To this day, debate rages over whether Santos-Dumont or the Wright brothers were the first to fly an airplane. He delighted Parisians by dropping into Paris by way of his flying machines to have a coffee or greet state officials. He is also credited as being the inspiration for the male wristwatch. During a celebratory dinner after a successful flight in 1904, Santos-Dumont complained to his friend, Louis Cartier about the difficulty of timing his flights using the traditional pocket watch during flight. Cartier responded with the creation of a watch mounted on a leather band and fastened by a metal buckle, which Santos-Dumont wore on all his future flights.

Santos-Dumont was passionate about the future of flight. He felt that advances in air travel heralded a new era of prosperity for mankind. Acting on his convictions, he released his plans for the Demoiselle monoplane to the general public for free. It was published in America by the magazine Popular Mechanics in June 1910.

In a New York Times article (pdf) published April 11, 1902, celebrating his arrival in America, it's stated that, "He wants no patents, cares not who imitates his machine, invites competition, and is willing to spend his money, but will not consent to display his achievements without influential backing."

The airy Pampano en Papillotes are a perfect tribute to this innovator of flight who delighted the hearts of New Orleanians.

Wikipedia: "Alberto Santos-Dumont" 04/14/08
AIAA: "Alberto Santos-Dumont" 2008
New York Times: "Santos-Dumont Arrives" 04/11/1902
photo courtesy of Brianfit, used under this Creative Commons license

The Devilishly Divine Red Velvet Cake

2008-04-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Red Velvet Cake is a southern recipe dating to 1902 and is usually frosted with butter roux icing or cream cheese buttercream icing. Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook has a Creole version of red velvet cake on page 308. Rather than a traditional flat-cake presentation, this sponge cake is rolled up into a spiral with a layer of white chocolate mousse inside and drizzled with a cafe-brulot inspired creme anglaise that is simply delicious to contemplate.

While most research shows that the dessert is most likely of southern origin, its been strongly associated with the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City due to urban legend. According to whatcookingamerica.net, the legend has it that a lady asked for the cake recipe from the hotel and was charged $100 for it. In revenge, she in turn handed out free copies of the recipe to her friends and acquaintances. But a search of restaurant archives produced no records whatsoever proving that the restaurant developed this cake.

This myth was probably reinforced by the media printing articles referring to it. At The Big Apple website by foodie Barry Popik, a full history of the cake along with reprints of articles featuring the cake is available. Many versions of the recipe dated from the 1950s are identified as Waldorf red cake. An article published in the Hillsboro, OH Press-Gazette in May 1959 had this to say about the cake:

This is a $300.00 recipe! Yes, that price was actually paid for it, and you are getting it free! It seems that two young ladies were served this cake when eating at a Chicago hotel one day, and since it was a bit unusual they asked if they might have the recipe. The hotel obliged, and asked them to write down their names and addresses. A short time later they received a bill for $300 and after going to court about it, the verdict was made that they were obligated to pay the bill.

At Wikipedia, it's said that earlier versions of this cake needed no additional color because the reaction of vinegar and buttermilk tends to naturally turn cocoa a reddish-brown color. Before the introduction of a more alkaline dutch-processed cocoa, this color would have been more intense and pronounced. During WWII, rationing of food stores was common and clever bakers would use boiled beats in order to enhance the red color when making this dessert.

While this cake reached the heights of popularity across the country in the 1950s, Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook presents this old Southern favorite with a contemporary twist making an elegant and tasty conclusion to any dinner party.

SOURCE: "History of Devil's Food Cake"
SOURCE: "Red Velvet Cake" 02/14/07
SOURCE: "Red Velvet Cake" 04/12/08
photo courtesy of Darwin Bell, used under this Creative Commons license

Mix Up A Ramos Gin Fizz with Ralph Brennan

2008-04-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

In the Spirits chapter of Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, it's stated on page 400:

"It should be a given that New Orleans has a very old acquaintance with liquor, in light of its having been the country's favorite party town as long as anybody can remember. . . What is certain is that New Orleans has produced more than its share of famous cocktails over the last century and a half, the gin fizz, the Sazerac and the hurricane among them."

The Gin Fizz, a concoction featuring cream, egg white, and orange flower water, is a genuine New Orleans phenomenon. It was even referred to as a New Orleans Fizz up north at the height of its popularity during the 1910s. Chuck Taggart of Gumbo Pages tells of former Louisiana Governor Huey P. Long and his affection for the beverage, which drove him to bring along the New Orleans Roosevelt Hotel bartender to the New York Roosevelt in order to enjoy the creamy, floral-flavored beverage. The trade name of "Ramos" was acquired by the Hotel Roosevelt after Prohibition was repealed.

Liquoranddrink.com has an excellent short history on the Ramos Gin Fizz taken from New Orleans Drinks and How To Mix 'Em by Stanley C. Arthur. An enterprising bartender named Henry C. Ramos came to the city of New Orleans by way of Baton Rouge and introduced his signature drink in 1888 after purchasing the Imperial Cabinet Saloon located at Gravier and Carondelet. Upstairs was a restaurant called The Old Hickory, where Ramos mixed up his soon-to-be famous beverage.

Ramos and his drink really broke into the mainstream after his purchase of the infamous Tom Anderson saloon, The Stag, in 1907. At the height of its popularity, 35 shaker boys were employed at the saloon in 1915 for Mardi Gras and were unable to keep up with the demand. At Cocktailchronicles.com, Paul Clarke posted a history of the Ramos Gin Fizz dated September 11, 2005. Ramos kept his very popular drink mix a secret, but when Prohibition and the Volstead Act was enacted on January 16, 1920, it is surmised that he revealed the recipe to the world as an act of civil disobedience, hoping to inspire the home mixologist.

Ramos is to be thanked for two reasons. First, for creating such an excellent beverage and secondly, for sharing it with the world, ensuring its survival for the past 110 years. And thanks to Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, the home chef can prepare a piece of New Orleans history.

SOURCE: "The Original Ramos Gin Fizz"
SOURCE: "Ramos Gin Fizz"
SOURCE: "In Praise of Difficult Drinks, Part I: The Ramos Gin Fizz" 09/11/05
Photo by Kerri McCaffety. Copyright by The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Fix Up a Dish of Spicy Fried Calamari Today

2008-04-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a spicy dish to serve as "finger food" at your next party, Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook has just the dish for you. On page 98, the cookbook presents a Spicy Fried Calamari with Lemon Aioli Sauce. The spicy flavor comes from the tablespoon of cayenne pepper used in the recipe.

Calamari is actually a corruption of an Italian word, calamaro, which means squid. In America, the word was adopted to indicate dishes made from squid. Peggy T. Filippone at About.com states that the squid is a cousin of the mollusk family and has evolutionary links to the octopus and the cuttlefish. Like the octopus, the squid releases a dark inky substance when feeling threatened. Surprisingly, this ink is edible and can be used in cooking calamari dishes.

Wikipedia.com identifies calamari as being of Mediterranean origins and is usually served as a fried appetizer. Common sauces include peppercorn mayonnaise, tzatziki or marinara sauce. Ralph Brennan's offering is served with a side of lemon aioli sauce. Unlike traditional aioli sauces which are made from olive oil, this sauce is made from canola oil and has an added dash of Dijon mustard.

In August 2006, Chowhound.com had a short debate about the name calamari vs. squid. Among the responses, Peter Cherches on August 8, 2006, quoted from a 1996 New York Times article touching on how squid entered the culinary scene, tentatively dating its popular entree to around the early to mid 1980s:

"Once only caught for bait, squid, a mollusk that has long been popular on Mediterranean, Asian and southern European menus, was little more than an overabundant throwaway for Long Island fishermen. . . Even up to 15 years ago squid fetched fishermen barely 10 cents a pound. Today the price is more that $1 a pound, and squid, or calamari, as it is increasingly being called, has become fancy fare at gourmet restaurants and seafood markets."

Qualityseafoodmarket.com states that squid imports have increased by 30,000 tons a year since 1990 with California waters producing up to 50,000 tons annually though El Niño has affected that total.

SOURCE: "What is Calamari?"
SOURCE: "Squid (food)" 04/14/08
SOURCE: "Peter Cherches" 08/08/06
SOURCE: "Squid (AKA Calamari)"2005

Photo by Kerri McCaffety. Copyright by The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Bridget Makes Sesame-Seared Tuna

2008-04-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

We're happy to announce one of the first customer reviews. Bridget of Blake Makes tested Ralph's Sesame Seared Tuna and looking at the picture above the recipe was definately a success in her kitchen.

Ralph Brennan's Sesame-Seared Tuna with Avocado-Horseradish Sauce is listed under the appetizer section in the cookbook, but Bridget makes a great point that it can be served as a main dish too. Who said all New Orleans cooking is heavy? This recipe is a perfect light meal for hot summer months, especially in New Orleans!

One thing I love about cookbooks is that you can add and subtract according to taste. So if you're looking for a healthy, lighter meal hold the sauce. Looking to indulge? Pour it on! With a little creativity you can make this book work not only for the way you want to cook, but the way you want to live.

Thanks to Bridget for testing out this recipe. Her Sesame-Seared Tuna looks fantastic and was created sans professional chef, photographer or food stylist.

Ralph, thanks for creating a cookbook really works for the home cook... and to Bridget, Bravo!

Photo courtesy of www.BlakeMakes.com

Crab Cakes, Ralph Brennan Style

2008-04-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

While crab cakes are a dish most commonly associated with Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay area, Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook offers a spicier local version on page 56, prepared with Creole seasonings and pepper sauce. According to Wikipedia, the cake is usually served with a sauce of some kind, the most common being remoulade, tartar sauce or ketchup. Mr. Brennan's version is served with a spicy ravigote sauce using peppers, lemon, horseradish, mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggs. The ravigote recipe can be found on page 372.

Crab cakes are the result of a lengthy evolution of minced meat recipes that have been around since ancient times. At the foodtimeline.org, economy is cited as being a primary reason for the development of minced meat and bread recipes. It was a subsistence strategy in order to further limited supplies of meat. This food tradition was most likely brought to America with the earliest of English colonists where such economy was vital. One of the earliest American Recipes dates to 1685 by Robert May in The Accomplist Cook, which was reprinted in facsimile form in 2000 by Prospect Books: Devon. While the recipe isn't the easiest to follow, May uses unusual ingredients in his seasoned breading:

Take the meat out of the great claws being first boiled, flour and fry them and take the meat out of the body strian half if it for sauce, and the other half to fry, and mix it with grated bread, almond paste, nutmed, salt, and yolks of eggs, fry in clarified butter, being first dipped in batter, put in a spoonful at a time; then make sauce with wine-vinegar, butter, or juyce of orange, and grated nutmeg, beat up the butter thick, and put some of the meat that was strained into the sauce, warm it and put it in a clean dish, lay the meat on the sance, slices of orange over all, and run it over with beaten butter, fryed parasley, round the dish brim, and the little legs round the meat.

Crab dishes prepared with breading reached the height of popularity in the mid-1800s according to surveys of cookbooks. At GourmetSleuth.com's history of the crab cake, the first printed mention of "Crab Cake" came in 1930 in Crosby Gaige's New York World's Fair Cook Book. Tom Fitzmorris in New Orleans Menu Daily argues that crab cakes came to New Orleans in the early 1990s, replacing stuffed crabs on local menus.

With the abundant supply of crabs along the Gulf Coast so readily available to the home chef, crab cakes will enjoy a long sojourn in many a kitchen.

SOURCE: "Wikipedia: Crab Cake" 03/31/08
SOURCE: "The Food Timeline: Lobster, Crab, Shrimp & Oysters" 02/26/08
SOURCE: "GourmetSleuth.com: Crab Cakes" 05/10/07
SOURCE: "New Orleans Menu Daily: Crab Cakes" 2007

Photo by Kerri McCaffety. Copyright by The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Get to Know Executive Chef Haley Bitterman

2008-04-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

In Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, Mr. Brennan equally credits Executive Vice President Charlee Williamson and Executive Chef Haley Bitterman (née Gabel) of the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group with moving the cookbook forward. He states on page 16 that, "It has been exciting to watch the two of them grow over our many years of working together."

According to the Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook website, Chef Haley first met Ralph Brennan at Mr. B's Bistro during her externship for the Culinary Arts Academy of Cincinnati. After her 1990 graduation, she returned to Mr. B's and served her apprenticeship under Gerard Maras where she was influenced by Maras' use of the freshest and finest of regional and local ingredients. The website identifies Haley as a trend-setter:

"In 1993, Haley was the first woman to be named Executive Chef of a Brennan Family (of Commander’s Palace Fame) kitchen when she was named Executive Chef of BACCO, Ralph Brennan’s Creole Italian restaurant adjacent to the W Hotel in the French Quarter. "Haley's combined talent, personality, and genuine love of food contributed to her early success at BACCO and her continued success today", says Ralph Brennan."

Her profile at the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group site states that she became Corporate Executive Chef in 2000 and she has also served as Director of Operations since June 2005. Among her many accomplishments, she appeared on John Schoup's Great Chefs of the New Guard television series as well as being a featured chef in the accompanying book.

Not only is Executive Chef Haley Bitterman an award-winning chef, she has also represented Louisiana and New Orleans culinary traditions on the world stage. She has prepared dishes for the United States Ambassador to Canada's residence in Ottawa as well as at the Montreal Highlights Festival, which features chefs from around the world preparing indigenous recipes. While she has worked her magic for two presidents, President Bill Clinton at a private home reception in New Orleans and President George W. Bush at Bacco's post-Katrina, she most recently prepared a luncheon for First Lady Laura Bush at Ralph's on the Park.

Her adventurous culinary side led her to support the move to eliminate trans fat from the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group's chain of restaurants, stating that, "As people are becoming more aware of trans fat and are now reading their labels in the grocery store, we wanted to lead the way in bringing a healthier menu to our customers."

SOURCE: "Chef Haley Bitterman" 2008
SOURCE: "Our Team: Haley Gabel"
SOURCE: "First Lady Visits Ralph's on the Park" 03/12/08
SOURCE: "Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group Eliminates Trans Fat" 05/16/07
Photo by Kerri McCaffety. Copyright by The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Industrial Fish Farms in the Gulf of Mexico Questioned

2008-04-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

An article Monday in The Times-Picayune by Chris Kirkham states that federal fisheries regulators are meeting in Baton Rouge this week to debate the ecological sustainability of large-scale, industrial fish farms off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It is hoped that such a plan will help redress the balance of the trade deficit in seafood. Currently, America imports 80% of the seafood consumed in this country and more concern has been shown recently by consumers about imported seafood, particularly from China. There is evidence that farm-raised seafood from China, particularly shrimp, are tainted with banned antibiotics and other chemicals.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States currently has a seafood trade deficit of over $9 billion annually. Some fish farming does occur in the U.S., generating about $1 billion income, two-thirds of which comes from the farming of oysters, clams and mussels. Another 10% is generated by shrimp production.

In an article dated April 8, 2008, posted at foodandwaterwatch.org about a new study titled "Fish Story: Why Offshore Fish Farming Will Not Break U.S. Dependence on Imported Seafood," it is argued that large-scale farming will not affect the trade deficit in seafood. As stated in the article:

"According to the report, the United States exports more than 70 percent of its seafood to countries where it fetches the best prices. In turn, U.S. retailers buy their seafood from wherever they can get it cheapest, oftentimes in places with lower quality and health standards, such as China and Thailand."

According to the study, over half of domestic demand for seafood can be satisfied with current United States production, cutting down the necessity of importing seafood.

There are fears that large-scale fish farming might harm the environment and the economy. At fishupdate.com, in an article dated October 25, 2007, Sal Versaggi of Versaggi Shrimp Company and the Southern Shrimp Alliance argues that the issue is larger than the economic problems aquaculture production would address:

"People are so personally and economically linked with the ocean and coasts here - residents and visitors alike enjoy boating, fishing, seafood, swimming and so many more benefits. These are important and need to be safeguarded from the threats associated with offshore aquaculture."

SOURCE: "Fish farm plans under scrutiny" 04/07/08
SOURCE: "Aquaculture in the United States" 03/19/08
SOURCE: "Ocean Fish Farms Will Not Eliminate Seafood Trade Deficit" 04/08/08
SOURCE: "Offshore Aquaculture in Gulf of Mexico "May Yield Economic Distress" 10/25/07
photo courtesy of ewen and donabel, used under this Creative Commons license

The Versatile Beignet

2008-04-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

Beignets are a dish closely associated with the city of New Orleans and were in fact declared the official state doughnut in 1986. In an article by Linda Stradley at whatscookingamerica.net, the etymology of beignet stems from the Celtic word bigne, meaning "to raise." Coincidentally, the word bigne also means "fritter" in French. The pastry was brought to New Orleans in the 18th Century, with Stradley crediting the Ursuline Nuns of France who came to the city in 1727. The 1902 Picayune Creole Cookbook had this to say about the dish's origins and popularity:

"The ancient French colonist brought the custom of serving sweet entrements and eatres, such as Beignets, Compotes, Souffles, Gelees, etc., from the old mother country to Louisiana. . . The custom of serving these sweet entrements spread from New Orleans to other portions of the United States, till now no fastidious chef would think of keeping a fashionable hotel or restaurant with including some of these in the daily bill of fare."

According to Wikipedia, the beignet is a type of choux pastry which is made of butter, flour, water and eggs, but unlike most choux pastries, the beignet is fried rather than baked. The high moisture content acts as the raising agent of the pastry, puffing it out during cooking. Wikipedia also correctly notes that the pastry, though usually served with a coating of confectioner's sugar, can be served as a savory dish as well with the addition of crawfish or shrimp.

Houmatoday.com, the online edition of The Courier of Houma, Louisiana, has an article by Laura McKnight dated November 16, 2007. In the article, McKnight reports a number of southern Louisiana family traditions related to the beignet. Windell Curole of South Lafourche remembers that the pastry was named from the French baigner, meaning "to swim" or "to bathe." Curole said, "The lump of dough 'swam' or 'bathed' in the hot oil to become a beignet."

Charlene Breaux of Raceland recounts this story told to her by her grandmother:

"In the very early days, the Cajun women would make their own bread each day. A small portion of the bread would be pulled and stretched thin, then deep fried for a quick breakfast. This could be given to the men as they left for the field to begin their day’s labor."

Breaux added that the beignet would be served plain, with cane syrup or with fig preserves.

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook offers a savory beignet recipe stuffed with crawfish with a tomato-tarragon tartar sauce on page 324. According to the book, this recipe can also be made with shrimp, lobster or a mixture of crab and smoked, flaked redfish.

SOURCE: "History of Beignets" 2004
SOURCE: "Beignet" 04/03/08
SOURCE: "Choux Pastry" 03/26/08
SOURCE: "Beignets: More Than Just a Doughnut" 11/16/07
photo couresy of elizabethtrittpo, used under this Creative Commons license

What's on the Menu?

2008-04-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

In just a few short hours we will be celebrating the launch of Ralph Brennan's Seafood Cookbook at Ralph's on the Park. The weather is holding steady at a bright 85 degrees and all signs are pointing to a successful event tonight. It's perfect New Orleans weather for a sipping a Sazerac on the balcony overlooking City Park.

As the invitations were recieved and more people heard about the event the number-one question I have been asked is "What's on the menu?"

So for all of you who haven't asked but are dying to know what food Ralph Brennan has planned to serve at the party of the year, here you go... dig in!

Passed Appetizers
Shrimp and Bacon en Brochettes
Sesame-Seared Tuna with Avocado-Horseradish Sauce
Crawfish Springrolls
Red Fish Grill Barbecue Oysters with Blue-Cheese Dipping Sauce
Redfish Court-Bouillon (in rocks glasses)
Mini Redfish Burgers

Action Stations
Crawfish Ravioli - BACCO
Barbecue Shrimp - Jazz Kitchen
Shrimp and Crawfish Vol-au-Vents - Ralph's on the Park
Andouille Crusted Redfish & Creole Mustard Aioli - Red Fish Grill
Fried Green Tomatoes with Ravigote Sauce & Hot Butter Sauce - RBRG

Dessert Display
Double Chocolate Bread Pudding
Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie
Lemon Icebox Pie
Creole Red Velvet Roulade with Café-Brulot Crème Anglaise

Beverages
White Wine
Red Wine
Abita Beer
Red Fish Grill Lemonade
Sazeracs
Hurricane
Pimm's Cup

The Nutritional Facts of Seafood

2008-04-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

In Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook's Introduction, it's stated that seafood is the strongest thread in the fabric of New Orleans' culinary history. From the cookbook:

Over many generations, New Orleans cooks relied heavily on fish and shellfish to energize their imaginations. The reason may be that seafood offered them almost limitless options in their seasonings, sauces and methods.

New Orleans' cooks and chefs were on to something more than they realized. Not only were these people responsible for presenting the hungry diner with delicious, multi-varied dishes, they were often serving up plates full of health benefits.

SeafoodHealth.com presents a survey conducted by McCormick & Schmick's, featuring an array of facts about seafood consumption in America. Surprisingly, a quarter of respondents ate seafood primarily for the health benefits conferred such as the consumption of Omega-3. Of the respondents, 37% cook seafood at home at least once a week.

Phillipfoods.com has an excellent discussion by Dr. John La Puma, MD FACP, of why seafood is rightly called "Brain Food". Omega-3 is an excellent source of unsaturated fats and with the human brain composed of 60% fat, the fat truly goes to your head! As well, eating seafood also helps lower the risk of heart disease and heart attack in three ways:

They act to thin the blood naturally. They keep the lining of the arteries smooth, and clear of thickening and inflammation. They act as a natural anticoagulant by altering the ability of platelets in your blood to clump together.

A seafood nutrition chart featuring the United States' top 20 seafoods can be found at Seafoodbynet.com. Unlike most traditional nutritional charts, this chart features information on Omega 3 found in different fish and shellfish as well as the expected calorie, carb, protein and cholesterol counts.

SOURCE: "Seafood Statistics"
SOURCE: "FAQs: Nutrition and Seafood"
SOURCE: "Seafood Nutrition Chart" photo courtesy of rastafabi, used under this Creative Commons license.

Presenting Charlee Williamson

2008-04-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

Among the nine-person team who brought us Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook is Charlee Williamson. A 15-year veteran of Ralph Brennan's Restaurant Group, she is the Executive Vice-President. In the cookbook's acknowledgments, Ralph Brennan credits her (as well as Executive Chef Haley Bittermann) as spear-heading the project amidst the chaos of life in post-Katrina New Orleans (which included the loss of her home during the storm) as well as earning an MBA from Tulane University.

Her profile at the Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook website is a tale of a young woman slowly working her way up in the restaurant industry including stints at TCBY Yogurt and the Embassy Suites' Plaza Grill in Austin, Texas. She joined the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group in 1993 as the marketing manager at Bacco and Mr. B's Bistro. She defined the position, a new one in the company at the time, showcasing her multiple skills in the process.

Her profile at the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group lists her extensive duties:

As Executive Vice President, Charlee is responsible for company strategic planning and development, comprehensive annual marketing planning, full service, in-house advertising services, ongoing guest feedback, recognition and satisfaction programs, market growth strategies, continuous improvement initiatives and consumer, community and media relations.

An alumna of the University of Texas at Austin, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising and has recently completed her MBA at Tulane University. A life-long resident of New Orleans, she is active on the Board of Directors of the National Restaurant Association's Marketing Executives Group, the Junior League of New Orleans and the Preservation Resource Center.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, she was immediately active in getting the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group's dining establishments open for business despite losing her home. In an article published September 30, 2005, in New Orleans CityBusiness, she announced that the Red Fish Grill had received the first state-approved, post-Katrina health permit and hinted at a grass-roots marketing campaign to advertise the reopening of the restaurant.

SOURCE: "President and Mrs. Bush Dine at Bacco" 10/10/05
SOURCE: "The Team: Charlee Williamson" 2008
SOURCE: "Our Team: Charlee Williamson"
SOURCE: "New Orleans' Red Fish Grill issued first health permit after Katrina" 09/30/05
Photo by Kerri McCaffety. Copyright by The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jazzy Jambalaya

2008-04-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

Jambalaya is yet another characteristic dish of New Orleans. Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook features a creole version of the dish made with andouille sausage, pickled pork or ham and shrimp on page 266. The book states that Jambalaya is one of the oldest of creole recipes. The dish seems to share origins between paellas, which are of Spanish origin, and traditional African rice dishes. Etymologically, the word Jambalaya is a combination of French and African Bantu terms. The French jambon means "ham", while the Bantu word "ya-ya" means rice.

Creole Jambalaya, as opposed to the Cajun version which does not feature tomatoes, originated in New Orleans' French Quarter according to Wikipedia. It evolved from Spanish paellas. A key spice in paellas, saffron, was difficult to acquire in the early days of the city due to the high cost of importing the spice from abroad. Creatively challenged, cooks began to substitute tomatoes, creating the dish we know today. The first printed reference to the word dates to 1872 while the 1909 edition of The Picayune's Creole Cookbook identifies the dish being of Spanish-Creole origin.

About.com, in an article by Diana Rattray, offers an alternate explanation to the origins of the dish with this colorful story taken from The Dictionary of American Food and Drink:

A gentleman stopped by a New Orleans inn late one night to find nothing left for him to dine upon. The owner thereupon told the cook, whose name was Jean, to "mix some things together" --balayez, in the dialect of Louisiana -- so the grateful guest pronounced the dish of odds-and-ends wonderful and named it "Jean Balayez.

In Gonzales, Louisiana, a gentleman by the name of Steve Juneau developed the idea of naming the city the "Jambalaya Capitol in the World" with an accompanying annual festival in order to promote the city. The city's title was confirmed in 1968 by Governor John J. McKeithen. Held over Memorial Day weekend, the festival's main event is the Jambalaya Cooking Contest. Other activities include a carnival, live music, car show and the crowning of the Jambalaya King and Queen.

SOURCE: "Jambalaya" 03/31/08
SOURCE: "Southern Food: Jambalaya"
SOURCE: "The Jambalaya Festival" 2008
photo courtesy of MetalCowboy, used under this Creative Commons license

Our First Review

2008-04-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

I’m very excited to report that the first review of the cookbook appeared in the Tyler Morning Telegraph last week! Food editor Shauna Wonzer reviewed newly and soon-to-be released cookbooks and here’s what she had to say about Ralph’s…

"Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook" (Vissi D'Arte Books, $45) is one of the most visually appealing and mouth-watering collections I have seen in a long while. The 430-page hardback book includes color photography throughout. Its visual appeal would make it a conversation piece on anyone's coffee table. But it might not stay there long. It's sure to make its way into your kitchen for use. If you love New Orleans-style cooking, the recipes are ones you will find yourself using.

The book is divided into several sections, including a seafood cook's manual with chapters on crawfish, shrimp, oysters and specialties such as alligator, frog legs and turtle. There is also space dedicated to appetizers, gumbos and soups, salads, main courses and desserts. The basics are also included with chapters on stocks, seasonings, sauces and drinks. Recipes for shrimp bisque, seafood-stuffed flounder with garlic butter sauce, redfish court-bouillon and chocolate bourbon pecan pie are sure to inspire you to become adventurous in the kitchen. If you are looking to take a culinary travel adventure without leaving home, this is the perfect way.”

Read the full review

Shauna comments that cookbooks are a great way to give your kitchen a makeover. I’m excited to see how Ralph’s cookbook can freshen up my kitchen and interested to hear what it does to yours…

Introducing the Ubiquitous New Orleans Poor Boy

2008-04-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

Whenever a visitor arrives in our fair city on the crescent, it's almost inevitable that at one point or another, a poor boy is ordered by the hungry traveler. And its the only sandwich that "dresses" for the occasion, usually with iceberg lettuce, tomato slices and mayonnaise along with the diner's choice of filling, ranging from beef to ham and even french fries. Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook features a poor boy recipe on page 256 filled with fried oysters.

FrenchQuarter.com presents a story by Ian McNulty of the origins of the poor boy. In the 1920s, two brothers and former street car conductors, Clovis and Benjamin Martin, opened a restaurant on St. Claude Avenue. In 1929, the city's street car conductors went on a four-month strike. Taking on the cause as their own, the Martin brothers began to feed the strikers from the back of their restaurant, creating an inexpensive sandwich made of bits of roast beef slathered with gravy. When a striker would arrive, the call would go through the kitchen, "Here comes another poor boy!" Over time, the sandwich became known as a poor boy.

Wikipedia presents other stories of the origin of the sandwich, one of which comes from Jay Harlow's The Art of the Sandwich. According to Harlow, the term stems from the French phrase, pour boire, which means peace offering and referred to the sandwiches men would bring home to their wives after a late night on the town.

Wikipedia also correctly identifies the importance of the proper bread in order to have a genuine poor boy sandwich:

A key ingredient that differentiates po' boys from subs, gyros and grinders is the bread. Louisiana French bread is different from the traditional baguette, in that it has a flaky crust with a soft, airy center. . . The crust of Louisiana French bread is very crispy--so much so that it is difficult to eat without leaving crumbs. But the interior is very light and airy, often less dense than regular white bread.

The sandwich is considered such an important part of New Orleans' culture that a festival has been created to celebrate it called the New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival. Part of the festival is the collection of stories about the poor boy. In a question emphasizing the importance of the bread to an authentic poor boy is, "How far away from NOLA have you encountered po-boys (and how bad were they without authentic New Orleans French Bread)?"

SOURCE: "New Orleans' Po-Boy Is A Rich Food Tradition"
SOURCE: "Po' Boy" 03/30/08
SOURCE: "Share Your Po-Boy Story"
photo courtesy of Jef Poskanzer, used under this Creative Commons license

Tomatos Make The Dish

2008-04-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes are part of the Creole triumvirate of a seasoning blend made from tomatoes, onions and sweet peppers, according to Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook. The Shrimp Creole on page 220 features this saucy seasoning in an easy-to-prepare recipe that takes less than an hour to make. Tomatoes entered the New Orleans stage of the culinary arts thanks to the Spanish Conquistadors, who encountered the vegetable in South America and later brought it to New Orleans during their 40-year period of colonization beginning in 1762.

According to Wikipedia, the tomato was discovered when the Spanish first came to South America in the early 1500s. It was distributed throughout Europe and the Spanish Colonies with cultivation in Spain starting in the 1540s. By the mid-1700s, cultivation of the plant had spread throughout the colonies though many plantings were ornamental in nature and not necessarily used in cooking due to a false belief that the plant was poisonous.

In an article, "The Tomato Had to Go Abroad To Make Good," it is stated that the tomato has been commonly eaten for about the past 100 years in the United States. Being largely cultivated as an ornamental plant, the vegetable was also known as "love apples" from the French phrase pomme d'amour. The article argues that the tomato's first known appearance in New Orleans is in 1812.

It was embraced by Mediterranean cooks when first introduced in Europe. The first cookbook with tomatoes listed among the ingredients was published in 1692 in Naples, though the recipes appear to be of Spanish origin. Terry Thompson-Anderson, author of Cajun-Creole Cooking, states in an excerpt of her book the identifying characteristics of Creole-Italian cuisine:

The most unique feature of the cuisine is its tomato sauce, commonly referred to as "red gravy" or "tomato gravy." This rich sauce, used over meats and pasta, has dozens of variations from family to family.

The acidic property of the tomato helps to bring out the other flavors in a dish, making it beloved ingredient of chefs. This vegetable is rich in anti-oxidants, particularly lycopene and benefits the heart and the prevention of prostate cancer.

SOURCE: "Tomato" 03/31/08
SOURCE: "The Tomato Had To Go Abroad To Make Good"
SOURCE: "Cajun-Creole Cooking"

photo courtesy of Sylvar, used under this Creative Commons license

The Heart Loves Fish

2008-03-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

The heart loves a fish diet. Maintaining a diet that includes two portions of fish a week leads to many benefits. The American Heart Association has this to say on the subject, "Fish is a good source of protein and doesn’t have the high saturated fat that fatty meat products do." The American Heart Association also notes that a diet rich in Omega-3 also reduces cardiovascular disease (CVD).

PUFA Newsletter, a quarterly newsletter for health professionals about polyunsaturated fatty acids, presents the findings of a September 2007 National Heart, Lungs and Blood Institute (NHLBI) report that has further details on the intersection of Omega-3 fatty acids, CVD and arrhythmias. The newsletter states:

The NHLBI report focused on arrhythmias, the major underlying cause of sudden cardiac death, which accounts for about 37% of all cardiovascular disease deaths. Some 80% to 90% of all sudden cardiac deaths stem from ventricular arrhythmias.

While the NHLBI noted the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids in preventing arrhythmias, it would not commit to advancing public policy guidelines, instead calling for more research into the subject as reported at FatsofLife.com, the sister site to PUFA. Their refusal stems from three major studies of heart disease patients with implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). Fats of Life states:

In these studies, patients who consumed fish oil experienced either no benefit or a greater likelihood of developing arrhythmia. . . Upon closer examination, however, it turns out that not all arrhythmias are alike. The type may depend on the patient’s clinical condition, such as chest pain or heart attack (myocardial infarction), and the cause of the arrhythmia.

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook features recipes with seafood rich in Omega-3 such as trout (Trout Amandine or Trout Meuniere), tuna (Sesame-Seared Tuna) and oysters (refer to our blog entry on oysters, 3/18/08). Shrimp, crab and crawfish have smaller amounts of Omega-3. Help your heart and your appetite by preparing one of the dishes presented in Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook.

SOURCE: "American Heart Association"
SOURCE: "PUFA Newsletter" 03/08
SOURCE: "Fats of Life" 03/08
photo courtesy of aussiegall, used under this Creative Commons license

Meet Chef Gregg Collier

2008-03-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook features recipes developed by Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group Chefs, among them the Executive Chef Gregg Collier of the Red Fish Grill, located in the French Quarter. A 1990 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Collier served his apprenticeship under Chef Emeril Lagasse and Commander's Palace's own Executive Chef Jamie Shannon in the early 1990s.

While at Commander's Palace, he learned all the culinary stations of the operation. He later moved onto Chef Allen's Restaurant of Florida and to New Orleans' own Bayona under Chef Susan Spicer, but returned to the Commander's Palace Restaurant Family in 1998 to assist in the opening of Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse. He began to develop his unique culinary signature characterized by creativity and whimsy while at Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse. After a stint at Foodies Kitchen in Metairie, Louisiana, he joined the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group as the Executive Chef of the Red Fish Grill.

jtison5 in a post dated November 11, 2007, had this to say about his dining experience at the Red Fish Grill:

We had the opportunity to eat at the Red Fish Grill on November 3 while in town for the Jaguar/Saints game. The Hickory RedFish with crab meat mentioned above is one of the best meals I have ever had. Kudos to Chef Collier!

The above link also features a video of Chef Collier in action, preparing Red Fish Grill's signature hickory grilled red fish with crabmeat and lemon butter sauce. He prepares it over the Red Fish Grill's hickory wood burning grill and states that the restaurant uses about 25,000 pounds of Red Fish annually. The recipe is included as well.

Yahoo! Travel lauds Chef Collier's extensive seafood menu which features a minimum of seven types of gulf fish daily. The Red Fish Grill is called, ". . . a triumph of cuisine, style and design."

SOURCE: "Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook"
SOURCE: "Red Fish Grill"
SOURCE: "Cooking New Orleans Style! with Chef Greg Collier of the Red Fish Grill" 10/31/07
SOURCE: "Red Fish Grill"
photo courtesy of Bob Jagendorf, used under this Creative Commons license

Crawfish Season Under Pressure

2008-03-26T07:10:00.000-07:00

The Times-Picayune ran a piece March 24, 2008, about this year's crawfish market. Many pond farmers are considering draining their fields early this year, even though the height of the season has arrived, in order to plant crops of rice and soybeans. It's expected that basin fishers will take up the slack in production. Key issues affecting this year's anticipated yield are rising costs in fuel and bait, a later start to the peak of the season and an earlier-than-usual Easter.

2theadvocate.com also pinpoints bad weather earlier in Easter week that displaced traps, causing farmers to fall behind in production. Andre Leger, owner of Chez Francois Seafood had to stop taking orders the morning of Good Friday, but resumed in the afternoon after receiving more of the crustaceans:

Leger said crawfish farmers usually work their ponds intensely for three days before Good Friday to meet the high demand, but near tropical storm-strength winds earlier this week frustrated the harvest.

“We just never caught up,” he said.

According to Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, the crawfish is a late-comer to the culinary stage. Cookbooks from the late 1800s and early 1900s mainly used crawfish in bisque. It was not till the 1960s that crawfish came into its own.

Gretchell Soileau Spears at her homepage has a short piece on crawfish which sheds further light on the development of commercial crawfishing. Initially an incidental catch, the 1940s saw the development of a commercial fishery dedicated to crawfish at the Atchafalaya Basin. Researchers at LSU began to experiment with the cultivation of crawfish in man-made ponds in the 1960s. Since that time, 75 million to 110 million pounds of mudbugs are harvested annually.

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook rightly places crawfish as one of Louisiana's top exports as well as one of the state's top industries. Oversea demands for the crawfish centers on France, Sweden and large swatches of Asia. In Sweden, where the crawfish is steamed whole and flavored with dill, four to five million of the crustacean are imported annually.

SOURCE: "Feeling the Pinch" 03/24/08
SOURCE: "Weather Limits Crawfish Supply" 03/22/08
SOURCE: "Welcome to the Spears Homepage"
photo courtesy of Michael (mx5tx), used under this Creative Commons license

Fried Green Tomatoes: An Unexpected Culinary Superstar

2008-03-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

Fried green tomatoes are a surprise culinary superstar of decidedly mysterious origins that Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook features in its appetizer section. Nilesh Parekh of Buzzle.com in a post dated September 10, 2007, states that the dish originated in southern India, while Wikipedia credits it as a traditional southern dish. Wikipedia also points out the differences between northern fried green tomatoes and its southern sister: the northern version uses white flour while the southern uses cornmeal or corn flour for the coating. Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook uses a combination of the three coatings.

Al Forno Charleston posted an interesting article dated August 19, 2007, that takes an in-depth look at the history of the dish. He points out that Fannie Flagg, author of the book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, in her cookbook based on the novel states that the dish gained in popularity during the Depression when folks were forced to expand their subsistence strategies. Charleston argues that the dish is actually a Northeast or Midwest transplant with possible links to the Jewish community:

Fried green tomatoes are by no means a Southern dish at all. By all accounts, they entered the American culinary scene in the Northeast and Midwest, perhaps with a link to Jewish immigrants, and from there moved onto the menu of the home-economics school of cooking teachers who flourished in the United States in the early-to-mid 20th century.

In 1987, author Fannie Flagg published Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which Universal took to the big screen under the title of Fried Green Tomatoes in 1992. The story is inspired by Flagg's great aunt, Bess Fortenberry and her restaurant, the Irondale Cafe. At this time, the distinctive dish broke into mainstream culinary culture and began to be featured in restaurants across the South. Demand is such that 60 to 70 pounds of tomatoes are prepared daily, making for 600-800 slices, with more prepared on Sundays.

Ironically, then-owners of the Irondale Cafe, Bill and Mary Jo McMichaels were forced to develop a large-batch commercial batter for use in deep fryers in response to the overwhelming demand for the dish that the movie created. Mary Jo McMichaels tells of the vertiginous rise of the dish at the website, The Original Whistle Stop Cafe.

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook offers a spicy version of this humble dish, dressing it with a flavorful ravigote sauce and hot butter sauce. The recipe also permits the use of very firm, newly ripened tomatoes just past the green stage as well as using the more traditional green tomatoes.

SOURCE: "Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe" 09/10/07
SOURCE: "Fried Green Tomatoes (food)" 02/12/08
SOURCE: "Fried Green Tomato Swindle" 08/19/07
SOURCE: "Irondale Cafe Restaurant History"
SOURCE: "Irondale Cafe Original Whistlestop"

photo courtesy of Clearly Ambiguous, used under this Creative Commons license

Ralph's On The Park

2008-03-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ralph's On The Park is an all-around culinary experience of pure Louisiana-French cooking presented in an atmosphere of casual-dining elegance that takes full advantage of its historic location in the heart of New Orleans's City Park. Ralph Brennan's fourth venture opened in 2003 and is located in a circa 1860 two-story building that has been fully renovated. Initially built by a cattleman turned restaurateur as a coffeehouse and concession stand, the location has passed through the hands of many prominent restaurateurs. No small part of its charm are the large murals painted by local artist Tony Green featuring local historical events.

According to Ralph's On The Park website, the restaurant was voted "Best Restaurant Post-Katrina" by 29% of New Orleans CityBusiness readers. Times-Picayune blogger Brett Anderson rhapsodizes about his Sunday brunch experience in a post dated October 10, 2007:

The evidence is there at brunch, when dusky bowls of seafood gumbo give way to plates of sweet potato pancakes draped over plump house-made molasses sausages. It is because of food like this that New Orleanians consider Sunday morning just another opportunity to hit the town.

CitySearch.com gives Ralph's On The Park five out of five stars. Pableaux Johnson, an editorial reviewer for CitySearch, emphasizes the solid menu featuring New Orleans dishes like fried green tomatoes and seafood such as oysters. In a review posted October 30, 2007, by a user named "robertaltman," he singles out the food and atmosphere, calling it the best in the city and gives his experience five stars. He adds, "Quite simply: go. It is worth it, under any circumstances."

SOURCE: "Ralph's On The Park"
SOURCE: "Ralph's On The Park Murals"
SOURCE: "Brett Anderson" 10/10/07
SOURCE: "CitySearch.com"
SOURCE: "One of the best restaurants in New Orleans" 10/30/07
Photo by Kerri McCaffety. Copyright by The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Louisiana's Fisheries Receives $19 Million from the LRA

2008-03-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

The Times-Picayune published an article by Chris Kirkham today that will warm the hearts of seafood lovers and fishermen everywhere, announcing that $19 million has been granted to help rebuild the fishing industry in Louisiana ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Last fall, the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) called for project proposals that would help the state's fisheries recover from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"This program is designed to support the recovery of coastal Louisiana's fisheries industry through direct investment in infrastructure projects that will improve the viability and long-term sustainability of the commercial and recreational fisheries," said John T. Landry, Chair of the LRA's Infrastructure Task Force. "I encourage all interested parties to apply."

With an approximate six-week window to apply, from October 26 to December 14, 2007, the LRA received 61 proposals. After review, a panel of national fishing industry experts chose 15 projects that they felt would most benefit the beleaguered fishing community. Among the projects chosen were the Bucktown marina and recreational area projects and New Orleans' City Park fishing piers, while Grand Isle received $2 million dollars to install a boat lift and build commercial fishing docks. Adam Knapp, deputy director of the LRA looks to these projects to help the coastal regions of Louisiana.

"The expectation we have is that these investments . . . are going help put a foothold back in for the fisheries sector as they're climbing back up, and bring them back to the level they were at before," said Adam Knapp, LRA's deputy director. "They're not all processing plants, they're not all boat launches. There are a myriad of different things that got funded."

Plaquemines Parish received the lion's share of the funding, receiving nearly $5 million dollars for projects including ice houses, processing plants and the rebuilding and extension of the Venice shipyard. Plaquemines Parish currently has a recovery project on the boards relating to the Venice boatyard with an anticipated build time of four months once the project receives its Corp of Engineers permit. Click here to see photos of the Venice Marina post-Katrina.

SOURCE: "Fisheries revival plans get state money" 03/19/08
SOURCE: "State Launches Program to Rebuild Fisheries Infrastructure" 10/26/07
SOURCE: "Plaquemines Parish Recovery Project Update"
SOURCE: "Venice Marina Hurricane Katrina Photos"
photo courtesy of jasminedelilah, used under this Creative Common License

Gumbo Is Delicious

2008-03-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook features four gumbo recipes for the home gourmet to prepare. In the book, it's stated on page 110 that "The chances of two Louisiana cooks coming up with gumbos that are exactly alike are about the same as the New Orleans Saints football team winning two Super Bowls in succession." Its a wonderful recipe that allows for adaptation and improvisation, permitting the cook to use virtually any kind of meat or seafood in its preparation. Mark W. Huntsman states that written reference has been found where owl, muskrat and even squirrel has been used in gumbo.

Both Ralph Brennan and Huntsman contends that the dish is of West African descent. Huntsman states:

Although the French contributed the concept of the roux and the Choctaw invented filé powder, the modern soup is overwhelmingly West African in character. Not only does it resemble many of the okra-based soups found in contemporary Senegal, the name of the soup its self is derived from the Bantu words for the okra contained within (guingombo, tchingombo, or kingombo. A legacy of the colonial era, the modern French word for okra is quite simply “gombo”).

Gumbo is in fact named for one of its principle ingredients, okra. The Food Reference Website explains that the word is Bantu in origin and is in fact one of the few words that have entered the English language via the transmission of the African slave population. Ralph Brennan states in his cookbook that the recipe has been around over 200 years. According to Stanley Dry, Dr. Carl A. Brasseaux of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette discovered the first written reference to gumbo in 1803 in New Orleans. The dish was prepared for a gubernatorial reception.

Dry probably captures gumbo's appeal for cooks best when he states that, "part of Gumbo's virtue, apart from its deliciousness, is that the dish is very forgiving of the cook. . . ingredients may be changed to use what is on hand."

SOURCE: "History of Gumbo"
SOURCE: "Gumbo"
SOURCE: "A Short History of Gumbo"
Photo by Kerri McCaffety. Copyright by The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

How to Enjoy Oysters

2008-03-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook offers 12 recipes for the oyster lover. From appetizers like Baked Oysters Ralph to a main course of Oysters and Fettuccine, aficionados of this mollusk can design an entire meal around it -- except dessert, of course. The cookbook not only has recipes using oysters but a thorough preparation guide as well for those preparing this fruit of the sea for the first time.

The Atlantic or Eastern Oyster can be found along the Atlantic Seacoast from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean and along the Gulf of Mexico's coastline and has long been harvested by coastal Louisiana's residents. Texas Parks and Wildlife states that this oyster is one of the most popular coastal mollusks on the market and is necessary to the health of coastal regions in cleaning the water and providing a habitat for other small species like crabs or fish.

Oysters are a great source of nutrition as part of a well-balanced meal. PCC Natural Markets reports that eastern oysters are rich in zinc and vitamin B12 and are an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements dictionary, zinc is necessary to the proper function of the immune system and the sense of taste and smell while vitamin B-12 helps maintain the nerve and red blood cells.

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook recommends buying your oysters from a reputable seafood market. When determining freshness, make sure that the oysters don't smell "fishy." They should have a fresh, astringent-like smell when shucked or raw. Store at 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit and use within a day or two of purchase.

SOURCE: "Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica)" 04/11/07
SOURCE: "Oysters" 2007
SOURCE: "Office of Dietary Supplements"
photo courtesy of Chris Seufert, used under this Creative Commons license

Introducing Kerri McCaffety, Photographer of Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook

2008-03-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Kerri McCaffety is a photographer of rare talent. A graduate of Tulane's Newcomb College with a B.S. in Anthropology, she is a veteran photographer with 11 books to her credit -- five of which she also wrote. As one of the featured authors of Tales of the Cocktail 2007, John Mariani of Esquire refers to Kerri as "one of the great photojournalists in America." Her books largely focus on the culinary and architectural history of New Orleans.

In Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, she again visits the culinary side of the Big Easy and creates photos where one can practically smell the rich astringency of the balsamic vinegar brown butter sauce or the heavy sweetness of dark chocolate. She further explores the enigmatic architecture of the city with photos of the classic buildings housing Ralph Brennan's Restaurant Group's three New Orleans venues as well as Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen at Disneyland throughout the book.

In McCaffety's biography, Eric J. Brock, an architectural and social historian, states that "Kerri McCaffety is, in my opinion, a genius. Her works are destined to become pillars of Louisiana's cultural record. Indeed they already are." Brock's words are indeed true with McCaffety's photos of famous (and infamous) French Quarter bars permanently stored in the Lousiana State Museum's archives. Her photographs have been featured in House Beautiful, Metropolitan Home, Town and Country and Travel & Leisure.

Her post-graduate internship was served under Peter Woloszynski, photographer of World of Interiors where she discovered a love of architecture and interiors. House Beautiful currently has two articles featuring her work online, one of which showcases her love of New Orleans architecture and interiors.

Joseph Urso, in his review of Kerri's book, St. Joseph Altars, dated February 20, 2004, on Amazon.com refers to the heirloom quality of her photography while Donald Mitchell "a practical optimist" and an Amazon Top 10 Reviewer in his review dated July 24, 2004, of Majesty of the French Quarter, compliments her attention to detail and says that "Versailles could use her talents."

SOURCE: "Kerri McCaffety" 2007
SOURCE: "Kerri McCaffety"
SOURCE: "House Beautiful"
SOURCE: "A Vivid Reminder" 02/20/04
SOURCE: "A Lush, Luxurious, Loving Look at the Vieux Carre" 07/24/00

Photo by Kerri McCaffety. Copyright by The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Kenny Sara & The Sounds of New Orleans Appearing Live

2008-03-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, located in Downtown Disney at Disneyland features regular live entertainment every evening. For the next three weeks, former New Orleans resident Kenny Sara will be entertaining the weekend masses with his band, The Sounds of New Orleans. He has been regularly playing at the Jazz Kitchen since December 2002, after a stint in New York appearing in the play One Mo' Time, among other accomplishments.

According to Sara's website, he began playing professionally at the age of 14 with "seasoned musicians" and has played with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Bo Diddley, James Earl Jones and Woody Allen. A multi-talented performer, he plays the drums, sings and acts. He has also spent time backstage acting as an assistant conductor and producing.

CindyH on Disney's DISBoards recalls her experience at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen when responding to the question posed by Ember, "Any romantic ideas for Disneyland?"

Kenny Sara and his band were playing, and they are really good! The night that we were there, someone put in a request (there's a tip bowl in front of the band) and they announced that someone had just proposed and she said yes! They played We're Getting Married or some other song, really fun and nice.

A review from Still Fumin' News gave Kenny Sara and The Sounds of New Orleans high marks along with Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen itself. The reviewer found it an excellent, all-around experience worth checking out.

SOURCE: "Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen"
SOURCE: "K. Kare Music Co."
SOURCE: "Any romantic ideas for Disneyland" 08/15/05
SOURCE: "Still Fumin' News" Winter 2005
photo courtesy of paparutzi, used under this Creative Commons license

Bacco

2008-03-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

Bacco blends two traditions close to Ralph Brennan's heart: Italian cooking and New Orleans seafood. It is the result of a long family practice stemming from Ralph Brennan's grandmother, Philomena Vaccaro. This shows in the menu, with dishes like Crawfish Ravioli and Creole Calamari. End with one of Bacco's delicious desserts like the Lemon Ice Box Pie, and it's easy to see why the restaurant has become a New Orleans tradition.

From the Bacco website:

Our childhood memories are similar to many New Orleanians because historically Italians have made up the largest immigrant population in the city. Our maternal grandmother, Philomena Vaccaro, was raised in the French Quarter- overlooking the French Market. Her love of food and passion to feed others was a natural in an Italian family household. How ironic we all ended up in the restaurant business!

First opened in 1991, Bacco was the first major, fine dining establishment to reopen in the French Quarter after Hurricane Katrina in early October, 2005. They even hosted a Presidential visit on October 10, 2005. About this visit, Ralph Brennan said, "It is an honor to showcase for [President Bush] the bold flavors and gracious hospitality for which New Orleans is internationally known."

A review by 2Honest dated February 7, 2008, on Trip Advisor refers to the "celebrity factor" as well as the excellent food and accommodating chefs. Another review on Trip Advisor by DrJRC dated February 28, 2008, lauds the customer service he received during two visits. Trip Advisor ranks Bacco 59 out of 797 restaurants in New Orleans.

Frommer's gives a nod to Bacco's fighting spirit in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and mentions how paper plates and plastic tableware were used when the restaurant initially reopened. (Real china and silverware were broken out for the President during his visit, however.) Special attention is paid to the fact that Bacco is not your average Italian dining experience, replacing the typical dishes of spaghetti and marinara with a rich menu of Italian dishes utilizing local seafood.

SOURCE: "Bacco Home Page"
SOURCE: "President and Mrs. Bush Dine at Bacco" 10/05
SOURCE: "Bacco Restaurant: Traveler Reviews"
SOURCE: Frommer's review
photo courtesy of Ralph Brennan's Restaurant Group

First Lady Visits Ralph's on the Park

2008-03-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

The fair city of New Orleans hosted a visit last week for First Lady Laura Bush. Reporter Stacey Plaisance covered the March 3, 2008, visit for the Associated Press. Mrs. Bush's visit included remarks at Henry C. Schaumburg Elementary School in the morning, to which she granted $75,000. She also visited The Idea Village, an economic development organization for social and economic change and recovery, where she spoke on many topics, including recovery of the restaurant industry. Mrs. Bush and her party then stopped for lunch prepared by Executive Chef Haley Bitterman at Ralph's On The Park, a member of the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group.

Ralph Brennan attended the lunch, where discussion focused on housing. Members of Habitat for Humanity, among others, also attended. "Ralph's on the Park is proud to showcase the gracious hospitality and culinary creativity that define New Orleans," Ralph Brennan said. "We are delighted to welcome the First Lady back -- particularly to discuss housing recovery, an issue near and dear to all of our hearts."

It wasn't the first visit to one of Ralph Brennan's dining establishments for the First Lady. As mentioned in our previous blog entry, President and Mrs. Bush visited the city in October 2005 to survey damage and talk to community leaders during a three-course dinner hosted in at Bacco. Twenty-five guests attended, including Mayor Ray Nagin and members of the Bring Back New Orleans Commission. Chris Montero, Executive Chef at Bacco and contributing chef to Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, prepared a meal including Gumbo Ya-Ya.

The housing issue has resonance for Ralph Brennan's Restaurant Group. 70% of their employees' homes were destroyed according to estimates made in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Included in the list were the homes of Bacco General Manager Roy Barre and Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group Executive Vice President Charlee Williamson. A photo of the President at Bacco can be found here.

SOURCE: "Mrs. Bush's Remarks at a Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative Grant Announcement" 03/03/08
SOURCE: "First Lady returns to New Orleans, announces library grants" 03/03/08
SOURCE: "Ralph’s on the Park's Superior Service Selected for First Lady Lunch" 03/03/08
SOURCE: "President and Mrs. Bush Dine at BACCO"
SOURCE: "President Visits New Orleans to Discuss Hurricane Rebuilding Efforts" 10/10/05
Photo by Kerri McCaffety. Copyright by The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook May Help Pregnant Women

2008-03-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, its true, seafood is great for you! A study by Dr. Shelia M. Innis and Ralph W. Friesen published in the March 7, 2008, edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrates a link between DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid), the source of Omega-3 fatty acids, and the development of the eyes and brains of newborns via the consumption of seafood and other foods rich in Omega-3. The study focused on pregnant women and their intake of DHA starting in the fourth month of pregnancy till birth and showed that some women were DHA deficient.

A news release (PDF) dated March 7, 2008, from the Child & Family Research Institute where the study originated goes into more detail and states that the typical North American diet, rich in meat and little fish, may pose a risk to the neurological development of infants. The study is part of a general trend to update dietary recommendations for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

For the study, the researchers recruited 135 pregnant women and randomly assigned them to either a group that took an omega-3 fatty acid supplement or ones that took a placebo. All the women continued eating their regular diets. The supplement added the equivalent of two fatty fish meals per week, an amount that the researchers estimated would prevent deficiency. The researchers tested the women’s blood samples at 16 and 36 weeks of pregnancy and measured the amount of DHA (docasohexaenoic acid), a type of omega-3 fatty acids that’s known to be important for brain and eye function.

Women with a diet rich in fish gave birth to babies with stronger visual activity. Testing showed a noticeable difference between babies with more meat in their diet and babies with more fish in their diet (via pre-natal nutrition of the mother and breast-feeding) with babies with high DHA levels scoring better than DHA deficient babies as early as two months of age.

With Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, expectant or breastfeeding mothers will find easy to prepare, delicious recipes that will help meet their nutritional needs. We would welcome any comments from expectant or breastfeeding mothers, doctors or nutritionists who would like to shed further light on this subject.

SOURCE: "Essential n-3 Fatty Acids in Pregnant Women and Early Visual Acuity Maturation in Term Infants" 03/07/08
SOURCE: "American Journal of Clinical Nuitrition" 03/07/08
SOURCE: "Typical North American Diet is Deficient in omega-3 Fatty Acids" (PDF) 03/07/08
SOURCE: "Child and Family Research Institute"
photo courtesy of Nereus Dooley, used under this Creative Commons license

About The Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Blog

2008-03-07T06:03:00.000-08:00

Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook is a perfect blend of prime Louisiana talent: restaurateur Ralph Brennan, five of his hard-working chefs, veteran cookbook editor Gene Bourg, quintessential New Orleans photographer Kerri McCaffety, and recipe tester Paulette Rittenberg. You can bring these flavors to your table when Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook arrives in stores this spring.

The Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Blog will introduce food lovers, chefs, journalists, and taste travelers to the amazing talents behind this book. Just like a New Orleans cooking class, we will torture you each day with stunning photographs of spicy dishes, tall tales, and family recipes that bring the blessings of the bayou right to your table.

New Orleans is a city proud of its connection to the water -- although that can sometimes get out of hand! Nestled between freshwater Lake Ponchartrain to the North and the saltwater Gulf of Mexico below with mighty Mississippi catfish prowling the territory between, we live with the sea.

We've taken a licking here in New Orleans but we know how to lick back! You'll be licking your fingers (and the pan) when you try these thrice-tested dishes that celebrate the Fruits de Mer, the shellfish and crustaceans, the mollusks and game fish, that are the bounty of a healthy wetlands.

This blog is brought to you by the public relations team behind Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, including a blend of some of the city's hottest Internet talent: the krewe at Deveney Communications, a top-5 boutique PR firm (PR Week), and Patron Saint Productions, an online PR firm nestled in the Bywater Tech Center in the Ninth Ward -- Yeah You Right!

Patron Saint Productions maintains the Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Blog with daily weekday postings, comment approval, and spam removal: be nice or leave! Bloggers are responsible for their own words. Posts on this blog are not written by The Ralph Brennan Restaraunt Group, Inc., and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone involved in this blog except, hopefully, the person whose name is shown on the post or comment.

We welcome your participation in the Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Blog. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact George Williams, Blogmaster, Patron Saint Productions, email george.williams [at] patronsaintpr [dot] com, phone +1 (504) 342-4806.

Advance Praise for Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook:

Despite a gastronomy based so largely on local seafood, New Orleans has never had a comprehensive book on the subject--until now. Ralph Brennan, one of the city’s finest restaurateurs, and Kerri McCaffety, one of America’s great photographers, have combined their efforts to produce a book on Louisiana seafood that is not just authoritative and mouthwatering but exceptionally beautiful.
—John Mariani, Esquire Magazine and author of The Encyclopedia of American Food

A MASTERPIECE! Ralph Brennan and his culinary team have written a truly eloquent, educational and historical cookbook on seafood and New Orleans cuisine! The recipes and the photography are exceptional. Ralph is a true New Orleanian who has a deep passion for great food and unwavering devotion to the Crescent City.
—Paul Prudhomme, Chef and Owner, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen and Magic Seasoning Blends

Comments Policy

2008-03-07T06:02:00.000-08:00

We welcome your participation in the Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Blog. All comments become the property of The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc.

Comments are moderated for approval by Patron Saint Productions, Inc., before they are posted. The blogmaster reserves the right to reject comments deemed unacceptable for this blog on a case-by-case basis. The definition of "unacceptable comments" for the purposes of this blog includes, but is not limited to:

* spam (i.e., off-topic or overly commercial in nature)
* copyright infringement
* abusive or harassing language
* libelous or defamatory remarks
* violation of privacy or confidentiality
* comments on topics other than cooking or Louisiana seafood

Comments do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Ralph Brennan or The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc., or Patron Saint Productions, Inc. Failure to remove a posting or comments does not constitute approval. We reserve the right to change these editorial standards at any time with no notice.

Photo by Kerri McCaffety. Copyright by The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Terms of Use

2008-03-07T06:01:00.000-08:00

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