Chefs to Watch

As a Chef and entrepreneur in this great state of Louisiana I find myself admiring the competition around me daily. This region is filled with some of the best Chefs, farmers and restaurants in the country. Our great cuisine has been a part of our culture for years and with every new generation of chefs it gets just a bit better. 

I personally like to walk a fine line between enjoying the style of many early settlers infused together and enhancing our history with modern day twists. There are a few dishes that as homegrown chef I refuse to alter as they have been so good for so long why mess with them. The dishes are some of the most commonly known to non-natives and eaten daily by residences: Chicken and Sausage  Gumbo, Étouffée, Corn Maque Choux and Red Beans & Rice. These are some recipes I learned at an early age and are to good to mess with, my point being that I believe it is important these new generations of chefs respect the history as well develop the future. 

Annually Louisiana Cookin' magazine picks a group of "Chefs to Watch" that they feel stand out among the crowd. This year I was lucky enough to be chosen among these great chefs. These chefs are proud of there heritage and respect the culture enough to constantly be supporting local farmers and vendors through daily use in there kitchens. You can find the full list of the chosen Chefs and there featured recipes in the September/October issues. These recipes are for the dish that each chef will be featuring at the Chefs to Watch Event October 21st at Cafe Reconcile. This event is a huge fundraiser for Cafe Reconcile and great opportunity for Louisiana Cookin' to help support the efforts of the Cafe with underprivileged youth trying to fulfill there culinary dreams while developing the next generation of Chefs and Restauranteurs. Tickets can be purchased very soon at  http://Louisianacookin.com or donations can be made directly to the cafe at http://cafereconcile.org

hope to see you there!

Cheese or not cheese?!?

Hogs head cheese is becoming a bit more popular these days especially with the Southern Chefs riding the Charcuterie wave. As an advocate of farm fresh local products I often find myself trying to creat recipes with the less commonly used parts. I, like the Farmers, have no desire for any parts or crop to go to waste. With this particular dish I am not trying to reinvent the wheel as this recipe has been fairly standard for years. Despite the name there is no "cheese" involved however the finished project after being put in a mold of sorts can slice or even spread like a few different styles of cheese. Without a doubt the big taste is pig, now with every recipe the enhancing favors can vary but none the less the pig is the star. For instance in my application I have placed a whole head in a stock pot with 3 gallons water and added 1 stalk celery, 2 cups garlic cloves, 1 red onion, 1 large carrot, 1 bell pepper. After boiling the head for 2.5 hours I double up the original veggies and add them for another hour to have the veggies in different stages when finished. At 3.5 hours the skull can be removed (falls of the bone) leaving the cartilage, skin, fat, veggies and water in the pot. At this time I drain 50% of the water out ( the less water the firmer it gets) and use the immersion blender to purée all the ingredients. This is a good time to add your favorite seasoning, hot sauce or any extras (I like adding beer at this point) you want while completing blending process.Now your ready to place the mix in its molding device (Pyrex, hotel pan, cake pan, ice cube trays, etc) so that it can be chilled for 24 hours prior to serving. The following day you may slice away and place it on your favorite chip, cracker, toast point or whatever application you have planned.

Chappapeela Farms Hog Head-July 2013-stage 1

Me and My Big Mouth Podcast! Check it out, great listen!

http://bigmouthpodcast.com/

Restaurant IPO

Its been awhile since I have been on my Blog but I am making time to get back into it. I have recently excepted the challenge and opportunity of opening a new Restaurant in Downtown Baton Rouge with a pair of very successful Lafayette business men. The concept is on the cutting edge of culinary best described as "Tapas with a Southern Flair". The Menu will have a large variety of small plate offerings as well as Salads, Soups and a few exclusive entrees all with the fusion of international and highlighted with a Southern twist. I will be posting developments in the menu as well as tenative opening dates as they become available. Thanks for your continued support of this deep Louisiana culture one meal at a time!

Cedar Plank Salmon

CEDAR PLANK SALMON

-          1 FILET OF SALMON (SKIN OFF)

-          2 CUPS BROWN SUGAR

-          2 TBL SPOONS DRY TARRAGON

-          1 TBL SPOON DRY MUSTARD

-          1 TSP SALT

-          1 TSP PEPPER

-          1 CEDAR PLANK

-          PRE-HEAT OVEN TO 450F.

-          SOAK PLANK IN WATER WHILE PREPARING FISH.

-          LAY FILET OF SALMON OUT ON CUTTING BOARD AND SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER. MIX OTHER INGREDIENTS IN MIXING BOWL AND RUB MIXTURE ON TOP AND BOTTOM OF FILET.

-          PLACE FILET ON TOP OF CEDAR PLANKWHICH IS CUT TO FIT LENGTH OF FILET.

-          PLACE PLANK ON TOP OF BAKING DISH HOLDING WITH AN INCH OF WATER FOR MOISTURE. PLACE IN OVEN FOR 15MINUTES OR UNTIL 145 DEGREES IS REACHED.PLANK CAN BE PLACED DIRECTLY ON A GRILL AS WELL WITH LID CLOSED.

 REMOVE FROM OVEN OR GRILL AND SERVE ON PLANK

The Royal Wedding's reception food!

It has been on my mind as to what they ate at this huge event that's been on every channel the last week. There was so much coverage I think they interrupted "Swamp people" twice while I was watching my weekly fix. After planning, catering and paying for our wedding not to long ago all the details of this "Royal wedding" really have peaked my interest. For starters with initial talks of over $20 million being spent on this one day I cant help but think what did the "Royal Chef" make off of this event. I know from being in the Banquet/ Wedding business  for awhile now that the Chef would get a % of sales. Wow by my calculations that "Royal Chef" should have gotten a commission check of at least $400,000 (I would have done it for $300,000). I read an article that said that "one" of the receptions at Buckingham Palace would have 650-700 attendees and passed Canapes would be the menu because the Palace's "Royal Kitchen" can only handle buffets and dinners up to 150. Are you kidding me? Okay I retract my earlier statement about the $400,000 and only doing it for $300,000, I want the full $400k and Ill build you a kitchen to handle the 700 guests. Better yet wanna talk about dinner impossible, give me a handful of Louisiana Chefs, a few culinary students from one of those fancy shmancy schools over there and ten stewards to keep the plates and pots washed and Ill make it happen. So below is a picture of the canapes that were at the "Royal Reception" according to this article I found. Now I don't know about you but after sitting around for hours waiting on the the Royal Chariot to arrive I would have been starving and this would not have cut it. I have catered allot of weddings including my own and I know from experience when my bride and I walked into the reception our guests had to wipe there face and set down the Alligator sauce piquant to welcome us as newlyweds. However as a Chef I do have a pet peeve of guests tearing down a reception buffet like wild animals before the wedding party arrives but thats a story for another day. The "Royal Chef" must have had at least 2 of each item per guest and according to the photo that's at least 7,000 canapes and "were still starving"!

Job well done Chef! Dont want the next one, call me Ill do it!