Hungry for Louisiana – Hungry for Louisiana

Farmers Markets, Fresh from the Gulf, Hungry for Louisiana, Local, Louisiana, Shrimp

Texture, crunch and a range of flavors in shrimp and fennel salad with tangy vinaigrette

You will not regret making this salad. Before you even go to the “trouble,” understand that it is nothing more than 3 simple components: fresh cooked shrimp, chopped veggies and a really nice dressing. C’est tout, OK? Do not glaze over at the list of ingredients, because this is easy and really adaptable. Plus, it’s just damned delicious and I want you to experience it. With me?

Desserts, Fruit, Hungry for Louisiana, Local, Louisiana, Strawberries

Homemade strawberry syrup is easy and seasonal

Mmm….homemade syrup made from fresh local strawberries — how great does that sound drizzled over ice cream or poured over waffles or pancakes? It’s easy to make, is preservative-free and is a super use of fresh Louisiana strawberries.

Desserts, Healthy, Hungry for Louisiana, Local, Louisiana, Southern, Strawberries

From the fresh strawberry file…mmm…sorbet

I live with four people who love gooey, chocolate-y, creamy desserts, dense cookies and brownies and oversized bowls of ice cream. No shortage of SweetTooths in this house. But I admit to preferring the palate cleanser, something cool, light and nuanced that rounds out a meal without making me lose consciousness. And as the weather has started to warm up, I’m thinking sorbet is the thing.

Cocktails, Crawfish, Hungry for Louisiana

Crawfish wontons start with great étouffée

It’s étouffée season up in here!

After a cold and wet spring 2015 in South Louisiana, crawfish are now in great supply, and are on the table in many forms. I love to spot those familiar one-pound packages of tail meat sitting in jumbles of ice in local grocery stores. Impossible to resist, because they’re only around this time of year. Time to get your étouffée on.

My étouffée recipe, which I include at the end of the crawfish chapter in Hungry for Louisiana, is super decadent not because it calls for over-the-top amounts of butter, but because it uses double the amount of crawfish tails than most. I know, indulgent. But so good. Sooo good! And it’s really pretty quick to prepare, making it weeknight-worthy for busy families. This week, we 5 nearly polished off an entire recipe with just a little leftover. And that brings me to this post…what better way to use up a small amount of something yummy than to stuff it inside a wonton.

Hungry for Louisiana, The Writing Life

First book signing a sell-out!

Thanks so much to all who came out to the Baton Rouge Gallery, Center for Contemporary Art on the officially launch night of my book! We SOLD OUT that evening of copies of Hungry for Louisiana, An Omnivore’s Journey and noshed on some great food by Kathy Mangham and Gourmet Girls Catering. Kathy made fabulous seasonal hors d’oeuvres, including two of the book’s 18 recipes! We also enjoyed the first truly pleasant spring evening of 2015 after a long, wet and chilly winter in Baton Rouge. It was Friday the 13th, and it was awash in great omens!

I’m hearing from many folks about how much they’re enjoying reading the book and learning more about Louisiana’s irreplaceable food culture. I love feedback and would love to hear your thoughts. You can find the book through the link on this site, on Amazon and at numerous regional Barnes & Noble Booksellers, BAMs and local independents. Lots of signings coming up! Click here for Events.

Thanks again!

Maggie

Crawfish Fennel Salad with Tangy Vinaigrette, one of 18 recipes found in Hungry for Louisiana.

Dairy, Farmers Markets, Hungry for Louisiana

Mmmmm….Creole cream cheese

Creole cream cheese. Ever heard of it?

If you’ve got roots in New Orleans, or some parts of Cajun Country, or if you’re a Slow Food disciple and track endangered foods, it might be familiar. But there are still a good many people throughout Louisiana and the rest of the country who have yet to discover this indigenous farmhouse cheese and its unique flavor profile.

A few years back in South Louisiana, when both Smith Creamery and Chef John Folse’s Bittersweet Plantation Dairy were making Creole cream cheese, you could find tubs of it on local grocery stores shelves. Then Smith Creamery experienced a large fire, and was later bought by Kleinpeter Dairy, and Folse opted to close his operation and focus on other ventures. Creole cream cheese was still being made in the region, but Baton Rougeans couldn’t buy it without special ordering it or driving over an hour to the Covington or Crescent Farmers Markets. Now you can find it again in the Capital Region as well as other parts of the state.

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