Cool Summer Cocktails at Cure

I snapped a few quick pictures at the Slow Food New Orleans cocktail class at Cure. We learned the tricks of the trade for 3 summer cocktails that featured local, fresh ingredients including the Anejo Highball, Bramble and Peach Smash.

While all were delicious, I'd have to say my personal favorite was their take on the Anejo Highball (I'm not sure why the called it anejo when it was made with a blanco, but I guess it just sounds better...). Ingredients included fresh cucumber slices, lime juice, tequila and bitters, it was the first cocktail of the evening. It was followed by the Bramble, made with a fresh blueberry puree, gin and lemon juice and with the peach, bourbon and mint "smash" as the finale.

Lots of great information, techniques and fabulous cocktails were enjoyed by all. Here's the recipe for the light and refreshing Anejo Highball:


2 cucumber slices
2 lime wedges
1 part simple syrup
1 part fresh lime juice
2 parts blanco tequila
a little club soda
splash of Angostura Bitters

-Muddle the lime and the cucumber
-Add the the simple syrup, lime juice and tequila and stir
-Fill the glass with ice and top off with club soda
-Add the splash of bitters

Enjoy!!And if you have yet to visit Cure, put it high on your list if visiting an upscale, beautiful cocktail lounge with great drinks, nice small plates on the menu and a really comfy atmosphere, sounds like a good time to you! We need more of this in New Orleans!!

Pesto Trapanese

It all started with a beautiful bowl of heirloom cherry tomatoes....

Our friend Cynthia from New York (Farmhouse Table and our partner in crime for the Divine Sicily tour), was coming in to town with 3 incredible wines that she brought back from Sicily made by this unconventional and somewhat controversial producer that we will be visiting on our trip, Frank Cornelissen. I wanted to keep things simple to allow the wine to be the star of the show, and also wanted something that was utterly Sicilian.

Off to the Tuesday Crescent City Farmer's Market I went, in search of local ingredients I could use for this meal. I am a tomato fanatic so I went a little crazy at the heirloom tomato lady's stand and then again at the cute guy's stand and came home with bags of heirloom tomatoes in all different sizes, shapes and colors, plus a big bag of fresh basil.

So, I started digging through all of my cookbooks and found this classic Sicilian pesto made with fresh cherry tomatoes. I decided to use Lidia Bastianich's version as I have found all of her recipes to be tried and true. And she did not disappoint on this one! Delicious, light, fresh and very unique, this is the perfect summer pesto. Just add some of Chef Daniel Esses' homemade fettuccine, good friends and a few bottles of wine for an amazing meal!

Pesto Trapanese
From Lidia's Italy

Serves 4 to 6


¾ pound (about 2-1/2 cups) cherry tomatoes, very ripe and sweet
12 large fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup of whole almonds, lightly toasted
1 plump garlic clove, crushed and peeled
1/4 teaspoon peperoncino or to taste
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste, plus more for the pasta
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound spaghetti
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano

Recommended equipment:
A blender (my preference) or a food processor
A pot for cooking the spaghetti

Rinse the cherry tomatoes and pat them dry. Rinse the basil leaves and pat dry.

Drop the tomatoes into the blender jar or food processor bowl followed by the garlic clove, the almonds, basil leaves, peperoncino and ½ tsp salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine purée; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large bits or pieces have survived.

With the machine still running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, emulsifying the purée into a thick pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning. (If you’re going dress the pasta within a couple of hours, leave the pesto at room temperature. Refrigerate if for longer storage, up to 2 days, but let it return to room temperature before cooking the pasta.

To cook the spaghetti, heat 6 quarts of water, with 1 tablespoon salt, to the boil in the large pot. Scrape all the pesto into a big warm bowl.

Cook the spaghetti al dente, lift it from the cooking pot, drain briefly, and drop onto the pesto. Toss quickly to coat the spaghetti, sprinkle the cheese all over, and toss again. Serve immediately in warm bowls.

Deliciously Versatile Chermoula

Thanks to one of my favorite local chefs, Dan Esses, I've recently become infatuated with Chermoula, a very versatile spice paste used in Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. In its most basic form it is a combination of parsley, coriander, onion and garlic. It's deliciously fragrant and fresh tasting and is usually used as a compliment to fish, although I'm finding you can use it on just about anything! Chermoula can be used as a marinade, dressing, dip and use it on meats, fish, roasted veggies, salad....you get the idea!

Here's a basic Chermoula recipe:

Ingredients:

* 1 bunch cilantro (coriander), finely chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
* 2 tablespoons paprika
* 1 tablespoon cumin
* 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
* 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
* juice of 1 lemon

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.


Most recently I roasted 2 lbs of eggplant, caramelized a sweet vidalia onion, boiled 2 potatoes and threw them in the food processor with the Chermoula to make a thick spread. I went to Nor-Joe's off of Metairie Road for a can of roasted piquillo (another new obsession thanks to Dan!) and stuffed the eggplant spread in the sweet little peppers. I also got some pine nuts there and toasted those, crushed them and used them as a garnish with fresh cilantro. This was my offering for our DC-10 dinner featuring "weird wines" where I paired it with a Negroamaro from Puglia, the Tormaresca Masseria Maime. Amazing wine, pretty decent pairing and the dish got rave reviews!

Next I'm thinking of using it as a marinade for a nice piece of fish, served over some red quinoa...you can make up a batch of the Chermoula and keep it in the refrigerator for about a week and put it on everything!

Fettuccine with Porcini Paired with COS Nero Di Lupo

Two things come to mind when pairing with Sicily's most popular red wine Nero D'Avola, either a meaty red sauce or something with mushrooms to complement the dark earthiness of the varietal. This is a deliciously simple recipe that was featured in the NYTimes years ago and is still one of my favorites; meaty porcini mushrooms meet smoky pancetta!

Fettuccine with Porcini
Adapted from The New York Times, 11/1/06

Takes about 1 hour | Serves 4

2 ounces dried porcini
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 ounces pancetta, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fresh fettuccine
4 eggs at room temperature, beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley leaves
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving.

1. Place porcini in a bowl, cover with about 1 cup warm water, and soak 30 minutes. Drain well, straining liquid into large measuring cup. Place porcini on several thicknesses of paper towel, cover with paper towel and press to remove moisture. Cut very large pieces in half.

2. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a skillet large enough to hold pasta for 4 servings. Add pancetta and sauté until barely beginning to brown. Add garlic and sauté another minute or so.

3. Add porcini and cook until heated through and beginning to brown. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Warm 4 plates.

4. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for pasta. Cook pasta about 3 minutes and drain well. Transfer to skillet, add remaining oil, and cook over low heat to incorporate and heat ingredients. Gradually add 3/4 cup porcini liquid. When some has been absorbed, remove pan from heat. Add eggs and fold together quickly, to warm eggs without scrambling them. Add a little more liquid if needed. Immediately divide among plates and garnish with parsley. Serve at once with cheese alongside.

Classic Roast Chicken Provençal

Because of the intense Mediterranean sun, France's Provence region is known for it's herb fields and olive groves and this recipe showcases both. And when the lavender is in bloom, the memory of it's intoxicating smell and vivid flowers stay with you forever. If you can get you hands on a little fresh or dried lavender you could add that to your herb mix as well! Served with a nicely chilled bottle of the Kermit Lynch Vaucluse Blanc, bon appetite!

Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients
1 whole roasting chicken
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon freshly ground course black pepper
zest and juice from one fresh lemon
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dry thyme
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dry rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon fresh lavender of 1/2 teaspon dry lavender*
1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
*optional


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse chicken and set aside.

Prepare the marinade. Zest the lemon, mince the zest placing it in a medium size stainless steel bowl. Once the lemon has been zested, juice the lemon, putting the juice in the bowl with the zest. Prepare all of the herbs, mince all and add them to the bowl with all remaining ingredients. Mix all ingredients well and reserve.

Place the chicken in a large stainless steal bowl. Slightly pull the skin from the breast section and place a bit of the Provençal marinade between the breast meat and the skin.

Pour the remaining marinade over the entire chicken making sure that the entire chicken is coated well.

Place a chicken roaster in a roasting pan, place the chicken upright on the roaster and place in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until the chicken has reached 165 degrees.