Around Town: Mixing Up Some Magic

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One of the greatest things about this town that we highlight constantly is the ability to eat and drink amazing things all in the name of charity. Mixing Up Some Magic is one of these events. A four-course meal, complete with pre-dinner cocktails, from Commander’s Palace. Sounds good, right? How about doing that all in the name of charity? Even better! Mixing Up Some Magic is a partnership between Commander’s Palace and Liberty’s Kitchen to help support Liberty’s Kitchen’s programs.

Liberty’s Kitchen “provides at-risk youth, ages 16-22, with the opportunity to build a better future by increasing their ability to change their situation and engage in a supportive community where they learn life, social and employability skills in a culinary setting. The intensive training program combines hands-on food-service training with classroom instruction, individual case management, education programs and job placement services and/or a return to an educational setting.” To put this in more perspective of recent events in the city, Liberty’s Kitchen provides some of the most vulnerable youth in our community the tools to become productive and successful members of society rather than a statistic or news report. This is a cause we can all get behind.

Now that we’ve gotten the who, what and why out of the way, it is time to get to the Where, When and How:

Mixing Up Some Magic
Sunday, January 29
6:00 pm
Individual tickets are $95 per person ($25 is tax-deductible)
Tickets available here.

Spot at the Bar: Bénédictine D.O.M.

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The distinctive bottle of Benedictine (image from Crown Wine and Spirits)

A bottle of Bénédictine D.O.M. proved to be a little more difficult to obtain than you’d think. I figured walk into any liquor store and you could score a bottle easily. Not the case here in New Orleans. You’ll certainly find Bénédictine in just about every liquor store, only you’ll be getting it in the form of B&B, Bénédictine and Brandy. After I was able to finally score a bottle from Vieux Carre Wine and Spirits, the tasting was on.

Bénédictine is, at least superficially, reminiscent of Chartreuse: It was initially created by French monks, uses a ton of herbs, and said monks ran into a heap of trouble along the way. But that is about where the similarities stop. Bénédictine blends a mere 27 herbs to Chartreuse’s 132, which I found noticeable in the complexity on a head to head tasting. The Benedictine monks had their monastery destroyed in the French Revolution and their property plundered, while the Carthusian monks got expelled and their property seized.

Although not quite as complex as Chartreuse, Bénédictine is still a complex liqueur with a strong herbal smell and flavor. It is also rather viscous. This thickness and the pronounced flavor make Bénédictine a likely companion to mix with “stronger” liquors, Scotch, Brandy, etc. Bénédictine is a popular ingredient in many a classic cocktail, such as the Vieux Carre, the original Singapore Sling, Bobby Burns, etc.

I’ve found that a Bénédictine on the rocks isn’t bad, but it certainly takes a little getting used to. Of course, I’d recommend sticking to mixing this spirit.

Since the traditional Bénédictine cocktail recipes are pretty easy to find, here’s one I’ve created which I call Last Rites.

Simply add equal parts Luxardo, Gin, Bénédictine and lime juice (sounds pretty familiar? It is a Last Word subbing the Chartreuse with the Bénédictine)

Luxardo, Bénédictine and Death's Door Gin

Normally, I’d have made this with fresh lime juice, but Cupcake needed the limes we had on hand for dinner. Which means it was time to improvise: enter a bottle of Nellie and Joe’s Key West Lime Juice. While a nice fix in a pinch, I find that fresh lime juice makes this a better drink.

No limes? No major problem

Nellie and Joe’s is a great back up system to always have on hand. It will stay fresh in the fridge for about a month and provides you some great versatility. No time to juice limes or simply no limes at all? Break out the bottle, but when you can go with the fresh squeezed stuff. When making drinks for people, I find it is important to be flexible and always have a backup plan!

The Last Rites--The Nellie and Joe's tints the color a bit more than fresh lime juice

It certainly gives you a different flavor profile than a Last Word would and, in my opinion, isn’t as nicely balanced (due to Bénédictine’s strong presence). But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a tasty drink.

Opening Today: City Greens

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Now that football season is (pretty much) over and there is a slight lag before Mardi Gras kicks in, many people around town will try to get to those resolutions to eat healthier and lose weight they made a few weeks ago. Today, City Greens in the 909 Poydras building (the First Bank and Trust Building), joining a bevy of recent restaurant openings in the area and makes meeting those goals a bit easier. According to the press release:

Most of the lettuce served at City Greens comes from a hydroponics farm located in Florida, which is owned and operated by Kazenmaier [one of the co-owners].
“By growing our own lettuce, we’re offering a higher quality of organic greens to customers,” says Kazenmaier, Co-Founder. “We’re able to maintain a consistent high standard of product throughout the year instead of the ups and downs related to seasonal growing conditions. City Greens only serves the freshest ingredients. If there are products that do not meet our standard of freshness then they will not be served to customers.”

If City Greens can stick to their promise to provide nothing but the freshest greens, I think it will be a welcome addition to downtown dining. City Greens derives its name not just from the salads they serve, but also their approach to eco-friendly operations.

City Greens uses Eco-products, which makes serving containers, utensils and cups made of recycled materials. All salads, soups and wraps are served in these eco-friendly to-go containers. “We made a conscious decision to supply eco-friendly products in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint,” Birtel [the other co-owner] says. “Not only do we want to create better lifestyles for New Orleanians, we want to encourage a healthier environment as well.”

To really capitalize on the eco-movement and helping New Orleans, I’d love to see them move that hydroponic farm into the metro area and outside of Florida.

City Greens is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and will offer light breakfast to go with the salad/soup menu.

If anyone gets a chance to check it out before we do, please let us know what you think in the comments

What’s Happening

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Usually we save our these kinds of posts for Fridays to give you slackers some ideas for the weekend, but thanks to insane work issues we don’t have much else to talk about right now. So here is a run down of what looks interesting to us:

1. The opening of Manning’s–January 19. Manning’s is the Harrah’s/Archie joint venture that’s been going up by Ernst Cafe. I think Celeste over at Bouillie has this adequately covered for us (here). Here’s the menu.

2. Prospect 2–Through January 29. Some of you may remember Prospect 1 from two years ago and Prospect 1.5 from last year. Well this weekend is your second to last weekend to go see some cool contemporary art at Prospect 2. Prospect is the premier biennial of international contemporary art. What’s that mean exactly? It means every two years a bunch of world-renowned contemporary artists descend upon New Orleans to bring together a collection of contemporary art that is likely unrivaled by anything in the world. The history of biennials is pretty cool. In 1895 a bunch of people in Venice didn’t quite think they had enough great art to look at in Italy, so they invited artists from around the globe to display their works at the world’s first international art exhibit, the Venice Biennale. That Prospect hit the ground running and almost instantly established itself as the US’s premier contemporary art biennial makes this just another kick ass thing in New Orleans that is underappreciated. So, do yourself a favor and check out some art this weekend or next before its gone. Ticket info is here.

3. Dat NOLA Race–January 21 at 3:00pm. When you live some place, you’re often going to put off doing and seeing some of the coolest stuff the city has to offer. I saw this frequently during my time in the nation’s capital. Inevitably when a friend was moving to a new city, they would spend their final week or so rushing through every museum and every monument in DC that they had never bothered to go see. To help combat that problem, the folks at Dat NOLA Race have created what is “part adventure race, part scavenger hunt, and all FUN. Use your wit to solve clues, your charm to get help from the locals, and your speed to overcome your competition and conquer the course in the least amount of time” With the average course covering between 2 and 4 miles, this is a good way to see more of the city and stay true to your resolution to exercise more.

4. Hogs For the Cause. While Hogs for the Cause isn’t until March 24, they’re releasing the important information on Friday. When I get my hand on it, I’ll put it up here.

The Epiphany: Homemade King Cake

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Today is the Feast of the Epiphany or Twelfth Night or King’s Day in many corners of the world, including this one. For me, it is the day that you can finally eat king cake. As with many a New Orleanian, my childhood memories of king cake were McKenzie’s or disappointment. While McKenzie’s are still available (in a mnner of speaking) from Tastee Donuts, they just aren’t the same. But the classic McKenzie’s style of no icing, no filling is still my go to. Last year, I undertook making my own king cake, and will undoubtedly do so again this year. The process is really easy (if not a bit time intensive), the proof in that is that I’ve been able to pull it off multiple times with success. If I can do it, you can bet your ass you can.

I started with this recipe posted over on Chef’s Lagniappe and through some tweaking by Cupcake (through her excellent baking knowledge) and myself (through totally screwing things up by accident) we came up with what turned out to be a nice light, fluffy king cake. So without further ramblings, here’s the recipe (which was, in fact, posted last year):

Ingredients for king cake:
1/2 cup warm water
5 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 2 tsp sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup warm milk
3 large eggs
2 egg yolks
4 oz unsalted butter plus an additional 2 tablespoons of butter plus extra for greasing the bowl and baking sheet
A few tablespoons of cinnamon and sugar
Marischino cherries (optional)

Ingredients for way too much icing and decorations:
1 lb powdered sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
Milk, enough to make a glaze
Purple, Green and Gold sugar
nonpareils (the rainbow sprinkles–optional)

Directions:
1. Combine the warm water, yeast and 2 teaspoons of sugar in a bowl and set in a warm place until the yeast begins to bubble (around 10 minutes, but may wildly vary–yeast is tempermental).

The wee yeasties (that's a science joke!)

It is always good to see that the yeast is alive and kicking. Sometimes the store-bought stuff is DOA.

2. Combine both flours, the remaining sugar, nutmeg, salt and lemon zest in a mixer. Add in the warm milk, the eggs and yolks, plus the 4 ounces of butter (melted). Beat that bad boy with a dough hook on medium until the mixture is smooth.

3. Once the dough is smooth, throw some flour on the counter and knead the dough. Add flour as needed until the dough is no longer sticky. Keep on kneading until the dough is nice and stretchy.

4. Transfer dough to a greased bowl. You can use any number of things to grease a bowl when baking, melted butter, Pam, olive oil, etc. Cupcake says it is best to pick something that matches what is in the recipe already to keep a consistent falvor profile (unless you are deliberately trying to introduce another flavor). Flip the dough so the top of the dough is greased. Cover the dough and set aside until doubled (hour and a half/two hours or so).

Dough Man Rising

This is a great magic trick, cover the dough mixture and in about 90 minute it doubles in size!

5. Push the dough down, then transferred back to a lightly floured countertop. Separate the dough into three strands for braiding.

6. Once you get the three strands separated out, create a cinnamon/sugar mixture (50/50 is about what we went with). With your mixture made, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Brush the butter on the first strand and sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. No need to go overboard, just enough to give a little extra sweetness and flavor to the bread. Repeat for the remaining two strands and braid the three together. NOTE: If you would like to add a filling to your king cake, we would add it as you braid.

The Dusted Strands

I have no reason to add this other than I'm proud of it.

7. Place your undoubtedly beautiful braid on a buttered baking sheet, and make it into an oval. Pinch the ends together to seal closed. Cover the braided oval and let rise for another 45 minutes. Depending upon how long it takes your oven to pre-heat to 350, you’ll want to start that sometime during this step.

8. If you want to add in the McKenzie cherry piece to your king cake, you’ll want to add the cherry pieces into the dough just before dropping it into the oven.

Embedded Cherries

9. Bake until golden brown. This could range anywhere from 25 minutes to 45 minutes depending upon the oven. Once golden brown, set aside to cool.

10. While the king cake is cooling, make the icing. If you’re going for a traditional McKenzie’s like we do, you’ll be able to significantly reduce the amount of icing you make. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. As you’re mixing, mix in just enough milk to get a glaze. Like pornography, you’ll know it when you see it.

11. Once your king cake has cooled, glaze and decorate with alternating purple, green and gold sugar sprinkles. If you added the cherries, use the nonpareils around the cherries. We use just enough glaze to act as a “glue” to keep the sprinkles attached to the king cake. If you lean more towards the icing king cakes, go hog wild.  As you can see below, my skills at aesthetically decorating a king cake are pretty abysmal.  Of course, pretty has no impact on taste.  Just ask the praline.

Ugly, but awesome king cake

Spot at the Bar: New Amsterdam Gin

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Photo from New Amsterdam Gin

I was first introduced to New Amsterdam Gin at a Tales of the Cocktail event hosted at MiLa. The gin hadn’t particularly made it onto my radar, but we had been to plenty of special dinners at MiLa and have always been pleased, so we figured we’d give it a shot.

As far as gin’s go, New Amsterdam falls into that catch-all category of New American (or New Style) gins, which basically means it isn’t a London Dry, Genever or Plymouth gin. That New Amsterdam is unlike most any other gin you’ve had is obvious from the get go. While not all gins are dominated by juniper flavors, New Amsterdam basically forsakes it all together. The result? A citrus focused gin that boasts the ability to be enjoyed straight. While few outside the frat houses would typically have the desire or fortitude to take a slug of warm gin, new Amsterdam’s smooth candied orange flavor actually make this an accomplish-able feat for most people (of course, not that you should). Best of all is New Amsterdam’s low price, we were able to pick up a liter bottle from the Rouse’s for a mere $19.99.

This isn’t to say that New Amsterdam is the kind of gin you go looking for to use in classic gin based cocktails. It isn’t. But it is a great change of pace to vodka in many citrus driven cocktails and as an easy re-introduction for those who have sworn off gin entirely. I’ve found it the New Amsterdam to bring in rave reviews for cosmopolitans and, in most instances so far, preferred by vodka drinkers instead of their normal vodka cosmo. At such a cheap price, its basically a no-brainer.

My New Amsterdam Cosmopolitan
1.5 ounces New Amsterdam Gin
.75 ounces Cointreau
.25 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice
1 ounce cranberry juice (I prefer to use the tarter 100% cranberry juice, if you prefer a sweeter drink go with the cranberry cocktail)

Shake over ice, strain into a chilled glass. Orange peel for garnish. Enjoy!

What’s Cooking: “Garlic” Bread Pudding (sans garlic)

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Silly snafus must run in my family.  And this impromptu weeknight dessert showcases that perfectly.  Here’s the story.  My parents invited us over for dinner last night.  When we got there, they had a yummy dinner in the works and asked me to make some garlic bread.  They handed over a baguette and all the fixings, but when I started working on the baguette, it was completely stale and dried out (snafu #1).  To give you an idea of how bad it was, my dad decided he could snack on some of the dried pieces with a bit of cheese but I think he almost broke a tooth (which I guess could be snafu #2?).  Earlier in the night my mom had confessed that she didn’t have anything for dessert, so I decided I could turn that dried out bread into bread pudding!

So I scavenged around in her kitchen and pulled out some milk, eggs, triple sec, vanilla, sugar, caramels leftover from Thanksgiving, and whiskey.  I chopped the bread into small cubes (which, by the way, is way easier with a serrated knife).  Then I whisked together 2 cups of milk, 2 eggs, a teaspoon of vanilla, 1/2 cup of sugar, and a splash of triple sec.  Spread the bread cubes out in a buttered baking dish and pour the liquid over.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350.

While we were eating dinner, we realized that it wouldn’t really be bread pudding without a sauce, so then I remembered the caramels.  $1.25 suggested a whiskey caramel sauce, so I got to work.  I have no clue how many caramels we had, so you’ll have to improvise…when they were peeled it was a big handful, does that help?  I melted the caramels down in a double boiler with a splash of milk.  Once they melted, we added probably about 1/3 cup of whiskey.  You’ll probably want to add it a little bit at a time depending on how many caramels you have.  BTW, we had WAY too much sauce (snafu #3?), but give me some credit, I was winging it and my original goal was garlic bread!

You’re probably wondering what my big snafu was, considering I just told you about my creative solution to the stale bread.  Well, snafu #4 (or wherever we are in the counting) came when I got the bright idea to blog about the whole thing.  You already know I tend to have more “technical difficulties” than most.  Last night I took that to a whole new level when I tried to use the Word Press App on my iPhone and ended up posting a couple of pictures of the bread pudding LIVE to the blog, without any explanation or anything.  Just some random bready pictures for your viewing pleasure.  If you happened to get that post, sorry bout that!  $1.25 rescued me this morning and pulled them down.  Now they’re in their rightful place in the post where they belong, surrounded by words and explanations like they deserve.  See, this bread pudding was just a big cluster…from start to finish.

But, speaking of the bread pudding, it was really good!  I’m very proud of myself for swooping in to resuscitate the baguette to give it a new purpose in life.  And for the record, I think everyone enjoyed it more than they would have enjoyed the garlic bread.  Just goes to show what a little flexibility and creativity can offer in the kitchen…oh and it helps to have a well stocked pantry.  Garlic bread turned bread pudding!

Pizzicare: New York in the City

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As you walk in, you’re sure to be struck by the subway tiles, the seemingly miles of pies and slices that are all visible behind the clean glass, all while a flurry of activity zips off near the pizza oven. You get the slight tug that you’ve just walked off of a wide New York City avenue, but the cleanliness and beats from the brass band at the neighboring wine bar will remind you this is no NYC joint. Pizzicare (peet-zee-cah-ray) is the most recent venture of Jeff Baron and Bart Bell, both of Crescent Pie and Sausage Company and Huevos (now relegated to pop-up status), Pizzicare has a special focus on putting out high quality pizza pies and slices at a reasonable price. So far, they’ve delivered in a big way.

Endless choices for your slice (photo courtesy of Pizzicare)

Pizzicare’s quest for high quality ingredients takes it to a pretty familiar spot, as it sources a good bit of its meatiest toppings from Crescent Pie and Sausage. The remaining meats you’ll find on your slice are from Boar’s Head. Pizzicare even has a daily veggie pie that is topped with whatever the community gardening program, NOLA Green Roots, pulls from its gardens that day. You certainly can’t get any fresher than that! The result is a pizza that is very tasty, but doesn’t weigh you down for the rest of the night.

Pizzicare’s design lends it to a quick and efficient takeout and delivery business. For those looking for a quick lunch, Pizzicare is a great choice. Swing in, pick a slice or two to heat up and you’re on your way. Can’t pull yourself from the office or couch? They’ll deliver for you. Of course, this doesn’t mean that dine in isn’t a viable option. Pizzicare’s high takeout and delivery business means you’re likely to have the restaurant to yourself, which makes it an easy place to bring the kids. For the adults looking to dine-in, if you like a beer or some wine with your pizza you’ll need to BYOB for the time being. One thing that some people may find a turn off for dining in is the music from the neighboring Therapy Wine Bar can invade the space a bit at times, but so far the music has always been great!

While the traditional mark of New York style pizza is cheese, or if you’re feeling adventurous, some pepperoni, Pizzicare’s topping heavy specialty pizzas have proved too much of a pull for us to bow to some NYC “tradition.” Of course, given the generous helping of toppings on a thin crust slice, eating your pizza may take a bit more work than you’re used to. In the end, I promise you it is well worth it. Another mark Pizzicare hits perfectly are the ‘breadsticks.’ Pizzicare’s garlic knots and pepperoni sticks are a rather addicting way to get your temporary carb, meat and sauce fix while waiting on your pie to come fresh out of the oven. More than once we’ve found ourselves trying to soak up every last bit of the garlic and parmesan sprinkle topping with the sticks, or if we’ve exhausted that supply, the crispy pizza crust. Even with all that gushing about the food, one of the nicest surprises out of Pizzicare is the bill. Most every offering on the menu is priced a bit cheaper than whatever may be considered comparable at the other pizza places around town. High quality and great taste at a cheaper price? Sounds like a winner to me.

Half fried chicken and broccoli rabe, half Crescent Sausage pie (photo courtesy Pizzicare)

It will be really nice to watch Pizzicare grow, because much of that will signal the rebirth of the Tulane corridor. More selfishly, Pizzicare’s success will mean more offerings and convenience. As the business gets settled, the menu will expand (as it did yesterday with the addition of sandwiches) and the delivery zone will increase as will the number of drivers. Personally, I’m most looking forward to them opening on Sundays so I can flip on the Saints game and have some excellent pizza to soak up my Saturday night without leaving my house.

In all Pizzicare is a welcome addition to the neighborhood and is sure to make its mark on the city’s booming pizza scene in no time.

Pizzicare
3001 Tulane Ave
504-301-4823
Monday through Saturday, 11:00 am to 8:00 pm
Delivery, takeout, dine-in
BYOB, takes all forms of payment

What’s Cooking: Cheesy Stuffed Shells

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We’ve had a bit of a hiatus around here recently, but the good news is that even though the blog has been quiet, our kitchen has been busy!  So I’m finally putting down the pots and pans and picking up the computer to bring you recaps of all the yummy things we’ve been working on over the past few weeks.  First up is this quick and easy stuffed shells recipe.

$1.25 and I came into an abundance of meaty spaghetti sauce not too long ago and when we got tired of same old same old spaghetti, I decided to re-purpose it in the stuffed shells.  So, for starters, you need some sauce.  You absolutely can use store-bought non-meaty sauce, though, so no stressing if you don’t have any “laying around.”

Here’s what you’ll need:

15 oz whole milk ricotta

1 egg, beaten

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Italian seasoning, salt and pepper

1 package of shell pasta, cooked for about 1/2 of the recommended cooking time

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

While the pasta cooks, mix together the ricotta, egg, garlic, cream cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and the parmesan cheese.  Season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a square baking dish.

Drain the shells well and then gently stuff them with the filling.  By undercooking them, they’ll be a little more resilient to breakage, but you still have to be careful.  Line up the stuffed shells in your baking dish.  You will probably have some pasta left over, but it’s good to have extra in case any of the shells break in the process.

Pour more sauce over the shells.  Top the stuffed shells with sauce and then cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30-40 minutes until the sauce bubbles.  Then uncover and bake until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.  Enjoy!  They are perfect for a cold night when you need something warm and hearty.

The Dante’s Pop-Up Love Triangle

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I’m sure by now, you are all aware of Noodle and Pie, the pop-up by the Dante’s Kitchen (it goes up in Coulis). If you’d like to read a bit more about it, the folks at Gourmet and Gourmand wrote about it last month. Pretty straight forward, a restaurant in town runs a pop-up, big deal. Where is the intrigue? Well things get a little interesting. While most folks at Dante’s are resting on Tuesday nights (Dante’s is closed then), another place pops-up in their kitchen. So Dante’s runs a pop-up at Coulis on Mondays and hosts a pop-up on Tuesdays. Got it?

Neil McClure, General Manager of Dante’s, is the driving force behind McClure’s Barbeque. McClure’s opened last night for the first time, and while we were unable to attend, our friends that scooped us on this story called it “the best BBQ in NOLA!!!” Yes she did use three exclamation points. In addition to being the best BBQ in town, we were also informed that McClure’s sports the best macaroni and cheese ever served in a restaurant. That’s some big billing right there.

McClure’s plans appear to be testing out the food on Tuesday nights, but eventually transition to serving lunch at Dante’s Mondays through Fridays. Currently, McClure’s is serving things family style, so you’ll get a taste of everything. Of course, much like the Tuesday night dinners, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this fall to the wayside once enough feedback has been generated to see what works and what doesn’t.

If anybody happens to check it out, please drop us a line to let us know what you think.