Video 3: Irish Mist Cake

Video 4: Irish Mist Cake

Recipe: Hot and Spicy Flaming Chocolate Mousse

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From Denny: If you are coming for a visit to New Orleans this April you might want to sign up and take these cooking lessons from some renowned New Orleans chefs!

Photo of Royal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana.

From Country Roads Magazine: Each week renowned New Orleans chefs including Maras, Poppy Tooker, Frank Brigtsen, and Boo Macomber come to The House on Bayou Road to teach their delicious lessons, at 5:30 pm each Thursday through Saturday in April. 2275 Bayou Road, twelve blocks from the French Quarter on Esplanade Ridge. All classes are $150 per person, all inclusive. (504) 430-5274.

Hot and Spicy Flaming Chocolate Mousse

From: House on Bayou Road, Chef Poppy Tooker

Yield: Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds semisweet chocolate morsels

½ tsp cayenne pepper

4 egg yolks

2 cups heavy cream

¼ cup sugar

8 eggs whites

¼ tsp coarse salt

8 sugar cubes

¼ cup 151 proof rum

Directions: Place the chocolate in a Pyrex bowl and melt in the microwave. Stir in cayenne pepper. Cool to room temperature.

Using an electric mixer, beat in egg yolks one at a time. Whip 1 cup of heavy cream until thickened. Gradually, add the sugar, beating until the cream is stiff.

Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the whipped cream. Stir about one third of the cream mixture into the chocolate. Gently fold in the remainder, sprinkling pinches of salt into the mixture as you fold. Pour into individual serving dishes or a serving bowl and refrigerate, allowing it to set for at least 2 hours.

Before serving, whip the remaining cup of heavy cream. Soak the sugar cubes in the dark rum. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream, then carefully place the rum soaked sugar cube on top. Light the sugar cube and serve.

New Orleans Restaurant Review: Boucherie

Image by marcp_dmoz via Flickr

From Country Roads Magazine: "In a city where good times often equate to good food, the joy of finding a terrific restaurant where you can wine and dine really well on extraordinary food and libations, at extremely reasonable prices, can produce a near-reverential response.

Boucherie, the new eatery that occupies the former Iris restaurant site just off Carrollton Avenue near New Orleans’ Riverbend, fulfills that need for those who want to enjoy the excitement of dining out on exceptional cuisine in a carefree, lighthearted environment. The kicker is that none of the food items cost more than $15…not even the specials."

For the full review, go here.

Recipes from Boucherie: These guys sure don't lack for imagination in their food offerings!

Oyster and Sweet Potato Soup with Grilled Fennel

From: Boucherie

18 oysters, shucked, reserving liquid
2 Tbsp butter
1 Vidalia onion
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
1 head garlic
2 sweet potatoes
1 Idaho potato
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1 qt veggie stock
1 bulb fennel
1 tsp fennel seed

Sweat onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in butter, add peeled and chopped potatoes. Add liquid, thyme, and bay leaves and slowly cook until potatoes are tender. Quickly purée in blender until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, soy sauce, and thyme. Blanche fennel bulbs in water with fennel seeds until tender. Grill until almost charred. Bring soup up to a boil and drop in oysters.

Serve immediately.

***

Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly with Stir-Fried Rapini

From: Boucherie

(Serves 15- 20)

1 whole pork belly
2 cups fish sauce
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
1 head garlic
1 bunch scallions
½ cup ginger
2 Tbsp grated palm sugar
Water to cover
3 bunches cleaned rapini
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced ginger
2 Tbps soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice

Combine first eight ingredients and slowly bring belly up to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours, or until tender. Lay in a casserole dish and cover with cooking liquid. Press with weights, and cool overnight. Slice into 3 ounce portions and sear the skin until crispy. Stir fry rapini with ginger and garlic, add soy and lime juice.

***

Drunken Red Wine Sausage

From: Boucherie

(makes 20 sausages) to be served with Creamy White Beans, or on Bread

5 lbs diced pork butt
1/4 cup salt
2 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup strong red wine (cabernet or shiraz)
10 feet hog casing

Season pork and bring to near freezing, while freezing grinder parts. Finely grind pork and mix in chilled red wine until emulsified. Refrigerate and set up sausage stuffing attachment. Pipe into casing, twisting sausages between each link. Let sit in fridge for at least 1 hour uncovered to allow pellicle to form. Slowly smoke to 150 degrees internal temperature. Grill over high heat and serve immediately.

***

Bacon Brownies

From: Boucherie

(Makes 10-12)

3 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 oz unsweetened chocolate
6 Tbsp bacon fat
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup finely chopped bacon (preferably cured and smoked)

Melt bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate with bacon fat over a bain-marie. Cool to lukewarm. Cream sugar and eggs together and slowly add melted chocolate. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and bacon pieces. Line pan and bake at 350 degrees until brownies are set.

Video: New Trend on Grocery Savings - Grocery Auctions!

From Denny: Now I've heard it all! But it does make sense. Grocery Auctions are gaining in popularity as food prices are the highest they have been in twenty years. It does make sense to bid for items you use every day and in great quantity. Just keep in mind these bulk items are offered because they are grocery store left-overs, often close to the expiration date. But hey! If you have a house full of hungry teen-aged boys the expiraton date won't matter at all! :)

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