Spinach Cheddar Pancakes with Tomato-Orange Cream Saucefeatured
A great take on a breakfast favorite, these savory pancakes are thick, fluffy, and chock full of spinach (Note to parents: these are a most delicious way to sneak a healthy dose of veggies into your kid’s diet). Skip the maple syrup and instead, drizzle this stack with a tangy tomato cream sauce spiked with orange zest.
The inspiration behind these savory pancakes comes from a wonderful dish I had at a sunny little spot called Lady Marmalade in Toronto. Their brunch menu featured a Cheddar Spinach Waffle drizzled with a Tomato-Orange cream sauce. I loved the combination of flavors and thought I’d give it a try at home.
More »
Share
New Orleans Wine and Food Experience: Saturday Grand Tastingfeatured
After the NOWFE Friday Tasting Event, not to mention the Royal Street Stroll and the wine seminars during the day, the thought crossed my mind that I may have to be airlifted out of the Big Easy. But I pushed on. For you. What can I say, I’m a professional 🙂
One of the first treats we had was courtesy of Tory McPhail, executive chef of the acclaimed Commander’s Palace. McPhail did a tongue-in-cheek take Commander’s Palace’s famous turtle soup, creating a Milk Chocolate Turtle Soup with peanuts, chewy caramel, mini marshmallows, mint, and molten chocolate poured over. This dessert took home NOWFE’s award for Best of Show: Sweet.
More »
Share
New Orleans Wine and Food Experience: Friday Grand Tastingfeatured
I know many of you were drooling over all the NOLA good eats I posted from the NOWFE Royal Street Stroll. Well that was just a warm-up to the two-day Grand Tasting event! I’m going to skip right to dessert first, because that’s how I roll.
Peaches and Cream with peach schnapps shooter & rose violet cotton candy (M Bistro at The Ritz Carlton)
What may very well have been my favorite dish of the entire event was pastry chef Thomas McGovern’s (M Bistro at The Ritz Carlton) unconventional “Peaches & Cream”. Looking more like something from Killer Klowns from Outer Space than a dessert, this eye-catching creation was otherworldly good. The combination of flavors and textures was spot on. On the bottom was a base of roasted peaches, streusel, and a cool white chocolate mousse. Over that was a layer of white chocolate gelée, followed by a poofy crown of cotton candy made out of violet and rose sugar, with a peach schnapps-filled pipette sticking out.
I squeezed the schnapps shooter over the floral-scented cotton candy, and as it dissolved and melded with everything else, different textures unfolded. I loved every second of this dessert; I felt like I was uncovering various dimensions that morphed as I ate it…revealing interesting textures and layers of complimentary flavors. What an entirely unexpected experiential treat.
More »
Share
Café Du Monde {New Orleans}featured
No visit to New Orleans is complete without a stop at Café Du Monde. Open 24/7, every day of the week (except Christmas), a sticky plate of Café Du Monde’s famous beignets and chicory-laced café au lait make the perfect breakfast, afternoon pick-me-up, dessert, late-night snack…ok, so really any time is a good time for a pit stop at Café Du Monde.
Now, let’s talk beignets — square-shaped pillows of fried dough bliss topped with an avalanche of powdered sugar. The texture of the beignet is crisp and crunchy on the outside, and chewy on the inside, with a bit more substance than fellow fried dough brethren, doughnuts and carnival zeppole. Although one order comes three to a plate, you’ll be surprised how quickly they disappear. Two bits of advice to keep in mind before inhaling a plateful of beignets:
- Wear light clothing that will camouflage the mess of powdered sugar you are bound to make of yourself.
- When you go in for the kill, whatever you do, don’t breathe in. You’ll end up choking on a lung full of sugar and make a big scene.
You’ve been forewarned.
More »
Share
