Recently I have had the great fortune of writing for Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine. Not only has it led to a variety of interesting research projects on the culinary roots of Louisiana and its inhabitants (perfect for this nerd), but it has also been a fantastic kitchen challenge. I have had fun developing recipes with simple ingredients such as peppers and citrus, but have also been challenged by coffee based recipes. As an avid and rather aggressive anti-coffee partisan, I do not have a whole lot of experience with the little beans. The bitter, jitter inducing juice does not agree with me or my hubby.

However, while I draw the line at a morning cup of Joe, I was looking forward to the challenge of incorporating the unmistakable flavor into my cooking.

Coffee based desserts, in the form of ice cream, panna cotta, crème brûlée and the like, came rather easily. The savory dishes were more of a challenge.

After much brainstorming and experimenting, this fantastic dish made its way onto our stove. With it’s rich, caramel tones this braised pork melts in your mouth. It is the perfect dish for the upcoming, cooler months of fall. Just be sure to give yourself some time to patiently work up an appetite and watch over the preparation.

If you feel like putting the work in a little goes a long way and this gut busting dish is definitely something you will want to share.

Coffee & Honey Braised Pork Belly (serves 4)

1.5 lb pork belly
1 large white onion, chopped
4 carrots, chopped into ¼” pieces
4 cloves garlic, sliced
½ cup Whiskey
½ cup water + 1 tbsp instant espresso
½ cup dark honey
10 sprigs thyme
1 tsp anise seeds
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Salt and pepper the pork belly on both sides and let the meat come to room temperature.

In a heavy bottom pot, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil until almost smoking. Add the pork belly and cook, flipping once until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove pork from pan and set aside. Pour all but 1 tbsp of fat off and add the espresso and whiskey. Let cook until alcohol evaporates, about 2 minutes. The alcohol may ignite, so be cautious. Add the honey and cook until fully dissolved, about 1 minute. Pour over pork.

Wipe out any debris from the pot and add the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Cook the onion, garlic, and carrots until soft and beginning to golden, about 8 minutes. Add the pork and juice and then add the bay leaves, thyme sprigs, anise seed and 2 cup chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 3 hours on low, stirring and turning every 45 minutes. The broth should cook down and thicken into a deep amber glaze.

When the pork belly is tender and easy to pull apart, remove from the heat and set aside. If your sauce is not to your desired thickness turn heat up and cook down until further thickened. When ready slice the pork and spoon sauce over.

Hi Friends!

Here’s a lovely, rich ice cream to keep you busy while we bounce back from our two weeks in Norway.

We’re a little worse for wear after a 48 hour return trip extravaganza, but we’ll be back next week with some more fresh, summery recipes so keep an eye out.

Burnt Orange Caramel Ice Cream with Candied Pecans (makes 1 quart)

2 cups whole milk
2 tsp cornstarch
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp mascarpone cheese
1 tsp orange rind
½ cup fresh orange juice

In a bowl, stir together ¼ cup milk and the cornstarch. Set aside. In a 4-qt saucepan whisk together sugar, corn syrup, orange rind and orange juice. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly until mixture begins to caramelize and turns a dark pumpkin color. Slowly pour in remaining milk, cream and salt and bring to a boil. Stir in milk/cornstarch mixture and cook until beginning to thicken, about 2 minutes.

Add 3 tbsp mascarpone cheese and mix until thoroughly combined. Remove from heat and let cool.

Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and process according the manufacturer’s instructions.

When ready to serve top with candied pecans and enjoy.

A second citrus recipe as we pack and prepare for a few weeks of visiting friends and family in Norway.

While I may have just said that I wanted to avoid duck and chicken dishes when experimenting with citrus, I gave in. There are only so many ways to cook meat and citrus, and while duck may be overplayed, it is certainly a classic. I was however very careful not to turn to the sticky, thick, gooey orange sauces that you so often see paired with poultry.

As I am rather pressed for time and my suitcase seems to have a mind of its own, I’ll let the food do the talking.

Duck with Satsuma and Red Onion (serves 2)

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 duck breasts, skin scored, salt and peppered
1 large red onion, thickly sliced
2 valencia oranges, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups chicken broth
¼ cup sherry
salt and pepper to taste

In a large sauté pan heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter until just beginning to brown. Add duck, skin side down and cook until skin is browned, about 3 minutes. Flip the duck and add the onion slices. Cook 2 minutes, until onions are just soft. Add the oranges and chicken broth and cover. Cook 10-12 minutes or until duck is medium rare. Remove duck and raise heat to a simmer. Add sherry and cook down until alcohol evaporates and the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon. Add remaining tbsp of butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Layer rice, oranges, duck and then top with sauce and onions.

Accompaniment: Steamed White Rice

This week we’ve been developing recipes based around citrus. It has been more of a challenge then anticipated, as I did not want to solely depend on desserts and sweets to fill in the blanks. At the same time, I wanted to avoid obvious choices such as Duck a l’Orange or Orange Glazed Chicken. So, where to start? When recipes become a struggle or you find yourself with cook’s block (it’s real, I swear), sometimes it is best to simplify. Cut back on ingredients or decide on a raw meal. This will eliminate the pressure to constantly create something extraordinary or overly complicated. In this case we did both, ditching  ingredients and choosing a raw meal when creating a mouthwatering Fennel Citrus Salad. 

Fennel Citrus Salad is a fantastic summer side. The salad is built on crisp, crunchy lettuces and fragrant fennel. The contrasting flavors of bitter greens and sweet citrus compliment each other perfectly, especially when you throw in a handful of sharp, fatty parmesan cheese. While this salad is fantastic as is, if you feel compelled to make a full meal out of the dish, throw in about 2 cups of chopped rotisserie chicken pieces and a handful of kalamata olives. As the season changes and citrus such as blood oranges and satsumas find their way into the markets, feel free to substitute. Even consider the tart flavor of grapefruit.

However you choose to serve it, you’ll be thrilled at the ease, speed and flavor of this simple salad.

Fennel Citrus Salad (serves 2-4)

2 endive bulbs, sliced lengthwise
½ head of radicchio thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 valencia oranges, satsumas, etc peeled and segmented
2 oz parmesan cheese, sliced and crumbled
Salt and Pepper to taste
White wine vinaigrette

Combine all ingredients, toss with salt, pepper and vinaigrette to taste. Garnish with chopped fennel fronds and dig in.

Happy belated 4th of July to all of you out there! We hope you all enjoyed the holiday with friends and family and took a few moments to reflect on what it means to be a part of this country.

Here in New Orleans we celebrated the birth of our nations with food, games, a boat parade and fire works on the Bayou. Bayou Saint John, despite a six foot alligator on the loose, enjoyed the first ever Krewe of Kolossos Parade. While rather meager in it’s first year, it was a good hearted attempt and sure to increase in participants as most first time events in New Orleans do. Here’s a quick pictorial run down if you missed it.

Even the pooch and a pelican got into it!

While the parade was a good excuse to get out of the house, much focus, as usual, was on food and drink. We organized at the last minute and scrambled the day before to find something to put on the table.

When in doubt and facing a looming crowd, simple is always better. At Gourmet & Gourmand simple means finding fresh, seasonal ingredients at the farmers market. Currently the Crescent City Farmers Market is teaming with glowing tomatoes, bright yellow corn and the biggest shrimp you have ever seen, among other things.  I bought the bulk of dinner at the market, including Tony Accardo’s gorgeous heirloom tomatoes.

Poached Local Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce

Everything we put on the table was simple and full of flavor. A little vinaigrette to highlight the sweetness of the tomatoes, some lime butter to offset the sugar of the corn, and tangy cocktail sauce to dunk the meaty, tremendous shrimp into, because, who doesn’t like cocktail sauce? None of the items were haute cusine and none needed to be. On a holiday like the 4th of July the focus need not be entirely on food, but on your friends, neighbors and the celebration of what makes this country so wonderful. (And, beating your husband at Taboo, that is very important).

We finished off the evening with dueling fireworks on the Bayou, where the tipsy crowds enjoyed themselves well into the darkness

If you live in New Orleans you have probably enjoyed lunch at one of Mona’s Cafe’s four locations. I’m especially a fan of their Mid City location on Banks Street, as it includes a small middle eastern grocery store, packed full of hard to find sundries. (As a side note, if you buy olive oil by the gallon, you can’t beat their prices). On evenings when I would rather not cook, a simple dinner of meze (small dishes) is a perfect way to avoid the kitchen and Mona’s offers a great selection to choose from. Recently I loaded up a basket with, among other, pita bread, yogurt, taramasalata and what I thought were juicy stuffed grapes leaves. Hungry from the day and ready to enjoy a no fuss dinner, I was rather disappointed to discover that I had purchased preserved, unprepared grape leaves, not the plump dolmades I was expecting.

A few days later I decided, rather then let them molder, to put the grape leaves to good use, stuffing them with a fragrant combination of rice, lemon, and herbs.

Dolmades, or stuffed grape leaves are a classic meze served throughout the Meditteranean and Middle East. We did my Greek roots proud and served our dolmades with grilled lamb chops and tzatziki.

While, this is a recipe of few ingredients it take patience as you need to cook the rice, roll the dolmas and then cook the rolls. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare.

When finished, you’ll be left with a delicious finger food to eat warm and new out of the pot or a lovely, lemony snack for the next day.

Dolmades (makes 30)

1 tbsp EVOO
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dill, minced
Juice and zest of one lemon
1 cup long grain, white rice
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Approximately 30 grape leaves
2 cups  chicken or vegetable broth
Juice of 1.5 lemons

Before you begin, drain the grape leaves and let sit in warm water for 30 minutes

In the meantime heat 1 tbsp EVOO in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook until very soft, being careful not to brown or burn, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin, lemon zest and juice, rice and chicken or vegetable stock. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until rice is al dente, about 10 minutes. Stir in dill and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and let cool.

Thickly line a dutch oven or heavy pot with the excess grape leaves you do not intend to use. This will protect the dolmades from burning as you cook them. When the rice is cool, drain the grape leaves and begin to stuff each. Lay each leaf on a cutting board or flat surface stem (if they have one) side down. Remove the stem and place 1 teaspoon of rice at the base of the leaf. carefully, beginning at the lower edges fold the sides of the leaf over the rice and then roll the entire parcel upwards until tight and no rice shows. Softly press the leaf with your hand and set in the dutch oven, seam side down. Repeat until you have no rice left, layering the dolmades in the pot as you run out of room.

Add 2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth and lemon juice. The liquid should come about half way up the first layer of dolmades.

Cover and bring to a low simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.

Eat hot, warm or let cool for tomorrow.

Since our big move we’ve been grilling rather frequently. The combination of a quiet neighborhood and comfy porch has, despite the uncomfortable heat, lured us outside to man a punishingly hot grill. The previous owners of the house were even nice enough to leave us an immense gas grill, but we usually stick to our tiny charcoal version, perfect for two people. Luckily for me, Gourmand enjoys manly pursuits such as grilling, so I get to avoid the heat while drinking Rum and Tonics in the comfort of the living room while he sweats outside.

While I am accustomed to cooking for adult humans, a friend recently visited with her toddler and after brainstorming a dish that both adults and nonverbal small people would enjoy, I came up with the following smokey, filling, delicious pasta. Toddler and all, we woofed it down greedily.

The grilled vegetables give the dish a great smokey flavor, while the day long marinated chicken is tender, juicy and subtle. The distinct flavor and juice of each vegetable provide their own sauce so there is no need to add a hot, thick ragu more appropriate for winter. A simple combination of olive oil, garlic and vinegar do the job nicely. Finish the pasta off with chunky slices of fresh Parmesan and you have yourself a wonderful meal.

Grilled Vegetable & Buttermilk Chicken Fettuccine (serves 6)

For the chicken:

1.5 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs
4 cloves minced or pressed garlic
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

For the vegetables:

1 pint cherry tomatoes
3 ears corn
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
3 spring onions
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

For the pasta:

1 lb fettuccine
2 cloves pressed garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar

In a large bowl combine chicken, olive oil, lemon juice, buttermilk, garlic and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate at least 6 hours.

Thinly slice zucchini and squash and quarter onions. Toss all vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill all vegetables on high heat until just charred and beginning to soften, using a grill basket if you have it for the cherry tomatoes. Times will vary depending on the vegetable, so be vigilant. Once finished set the vegetables aside and cook the chicken until slightly charred, but still tender, about 5 minutes per side.

Chop and toss the vegetables and chicken in a large serving bowl, set aside.

While the chicken and vegetables are cooling cook fettuccine in salted water according to package instructions. Al dente will be about 10 minutes. Toss the warm pasta with the chicken, vegetables, and mixture of pressed garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.