Month of Salads #9: Beausoleil

Beausoleil's Grilled Shrimp Pasta Salad

Beausoleil gets a lot of recognition for their curried chicken salad sandwich on their brunch and lunch menu, but their other versions of salad also highlight bold flavors that come together in a way that has this big guy craving something a little greener. I'm a huge fan of their seafood salad, but I ventured out of my norm for this post and gave their grilled shrimp pasta salad a try. The skewered grilled shrimp were lightly seasoned, superbly succulent, and slightly warmed atop a cool pasta salad. A rainbow of Rotini pasta dressed with a pistou sauce which is essentially a Provençal pesto with cloves of garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil was satisfying without weighing me down. For an added fresh bite, some red onion, peas, and tomatoes round out the textures and flavors. Chef Nathan takes things to an entirely different level with goat cheese. It marries all of the flavors together and makes this a truly restaurant quality pasta salad.

Seriously Playful Food: Bread & Circus Provisions is a Welcomed Wildcard in the Lafayette Culinary Scene

The Chop Block Melt on Rye: Pork Cheek Pastrami, Corned Beef & Smoked Beef Tongue,
Slaw, Swiss and Celery Salt Mayo. Pictured with a Swamp Pop Noble Cane Cola.

Bread and Circus Provisions started out providing different preserves and sauces at a farmers market in Lafayette, LA. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, they now grace a new brick and mortar location that packs a lot of character. The term Bread & Circus comes from a Roman method of politically appeasing the masses, not with good policy, but instead with distractions such as food or entertainment.

Co-Owner and Chef Manny Augello prepping for dinner service

Inside you'll find a hostess stand/bar combo, shelves of their homemade preserves and sauces as well ask books about Lafayette's culinary scene and dinner series, a fresh cooler full of local veggies, a fridge full of Swamp Pop and a dining room full of atmosphere.

Owners Manny Augello and Abi Falgout are dedicated to sharing their love of food with Acadiana and it doesn't just come through, it slaps you in the face. Their infectious personalities and passion for what they do make their slamming food monumental in this community. I had the fortune of stopping by Bread & Circus while filming the Louisiana Culinary Trails project for Louisiana Travel. The place filled up quickly for dinner service packed and the food was rolling. I can definitely say that if you're looking for great, local, modern and amazing cuisine and environment, you need to check out Bread & Circus.

Pictured at the top of the post is a hearty, but tastefully balanced lunch. The Chop Block Melt, composed with different cuts of meat such as Pork Cheek Pastrami, Corned Beef & Smoked Beef Tongue, that provide savory and salty elements while the sandwich finishes with a fresh slaw gives that crisp clean crunch.

If you're a big fan of Asian style soups this is the one for you. The Boneless Pork Rib Ramen has a broth that knocks your flavor socks off. Rich, but light at the same time; the savory tones from the pork spark up garlic spikes throughout sips. The udon noodles and sprouts absorb the flavor well while the pickled quail egg has a tiny kick that sends the dish over the top.

Boneless Pork Rib Ramen: Soy Braised, Miso Broth, Udon Noodles, Pickled Quail Egg and Sprouts.

If you aren't used to eating things like beef tongue and lamb heart, don't be freaked out. The Braised Heart Tacos are reminiscent beef fajitas with a stew meat-type texture and sautéed onions. The feta is saltier than a normal taco cheese and brightens up the dish. Add a few sprigs of fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime and you've got a fiesta!

Braised Heart Taco: Slow Cooked Lamb Heart, Cilantro, Curtido, Lime, and Feta.
Pictured with a Parish Brewing Co. Canebrake.

Chef Manny Augello cares about his diners. To prove it he makes each batch of noodles for the House-Made Pasta Carbonara fresh to order. Some say that's crazy, I say it's genius...and delicious. Savory, cheesy, tangy. Get it and stick your head through the window to watch him make the pasta by hand, from scratch, and to order.

House-Made Pasta* Carbonara: Pork Cheek, Black Pepper Butter, Pea Shoots, Goat's Milk Cheddar, and Toasted Breadcrumbs. *Pasta Noodles made Fresh to order.

PCP Home Fries. Translation: cheese fries on steroids. Instead of the basic popular girl, bacon, Bread & Circus chose the sexy cool nerd with more substance: pork cheek pastrami. Topped with tangy swiss and a garlicky finish, these fries are more than satisfactory.

PCP Home Fries: Pork Cheek Pastrami, Garlic, Smoked Meat Gravy, and Melted Swiss.

Not your mom's charcuterie board, Bread & Circus keeps a well curated selection of cuts for their board lovers. The saltiness of the meats with the cream of the mozzarella provides your taste buds with balance... add stone ground mustard for a zingy surprise! 

B&C Charcuterie Board: Stone Ground Mustard, Fresh Mozzarella, Assorted cuts of Pork, and Salmon.

Crispy-tarty goodness, Fried Green Tomatoes at Bread & Circus Provisions is the best combination of this classic dish I've had in quite some time. The natural tanginess of the tomatoes and the smooth savory tasso tartar sauce sustains this perpetual mouth yin and yang...until it's gone.

Fried Green Tomatoes: Panko Crusted, Tasso Tartar Sauce, and Crab Claw Relish.

Don't be afraid of the rawness or the slightly-different-than-what-you're-used-to texture of the Lamb Tartar. The lamb is mixed with sweet red onions and spices that lend a hand to this creatively yet literally plated dish. Creaminess from the raw quail egg yolk acts as a thicker substance and tangy Tabasco house mayo kicks the flavors up another notch. Slap on some crunchy rye bread and it's a date. I love lamb.

Lamb Tartar: Raw Finely Diced Lamp, Tabasco House Mayo, Raw Quail Egg and Onion on Rye.

Three Gluttonous Sins Class: Butter

Fresina's Whole Wheat Elena Piccola Pasta, Mushroom-Oregano Brown Butter Sauce

Since February I've been doing monthly cooking demos at Fresina's Pasta Company in the Drusilla Shopping Center in Baton Rouge.  Fresina's is a family-owned pasta company that makes their Italian specialties from scratch.  You can go check out the great Italian market with more amazing food crammed between the walls that I can imagine.  In the back, between where the pasta is made, Frank and Linda have a little Tuscan-style kitchens where chefs conduct cooking classes and guests get to learn, socialize, and eat!  I'll be there with my brother Eric from BR Beer Scene on June 15th and 16th to do a pizza and beer class, then again July 27th and 28th for some TBD Italian specialties.   To sign up for any classes that I'm teaching or that anybody else is teaching, just stop in Fresina's or give Linda a call at 225-926-1341.

Pinot Grigio with Course 1, Sangiovese with Course 2, Presecco with Course 3

I titled a recent class "Three Gluttonous Sins: Butter, Bacon, and Chocolate."  Each course was also paired with an exceptional Italian wine from International Wine and Spirits. Here is the recipe and result from course one.  The other two will follow in other posts.

Course 1: Fresina's Whole Wheat Elena Piccola Pasta, Mushroom-Oregano Brown Butter Sauce

1/2 Pound (two sticks) of Sweet Cream Butter, Divided
1 Yellow Onion, Finely Diced
8 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/2 Cup of Fresh Oregano Leaves, Plus More for Garnish
1 Tbsp Veal Demi-Glace
1 Cup Chopped Mushrooms (Mini Portabellas)
Fresina's Whole Wheat Elena Piccola Pasta
Parmesan Reggiano Cheese
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Boil slightly salted water over high heat to prepare for the pasta.

As water is heating, prepare the sauce.  Over medium high heat in a sauce pan, melt 2 Tbsp of butter.  Add the chopped onion and sauté until they start to become translucent.  Add the garlic, oregano, demi-glace, and mushrooms and continue to sauté for a few minutes.  Add the remainder of the butter and melt into the sauce, stirring all the flavors together.  Reduce heat and allow the sauce to simmer, browning the butter slightly.  Taste, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

With water at a rolling boil, add the 8 ounce box of Fresina's Whole Wheat Elena Piccola Pasta.  Stir until the water returns to a rolling boil.  Cook for approximately 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta reaches and al dente stage.  Remove the pasta from the water and add it to the sauce pan with the sauce.  Stir it all together and plate.  Add freshly chopped oregano and grated Parmesan cheese.  Bellissimo!

Food Porn from an Airstream: Ignatius Reilly's Gourmet Street Food

Some chefs just get it.  Marcus Day is one of those chefs.  His cuisine is uncompromising.  Food and flavor before all else.  No shortcuts.  Handmade pastas, sauces from scratch, and creativity daily.  The story becomes even more remarkable because Chef Day does it all out of a vintage Airstream trailer.  And he has a name that came out of local literature: Ignatius Reilly's Gourmet Street Food.  For anybody living under a rock, Ignatius Reilly is the name of the main character in John Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces.  Ignatius Reilly is an educated, eccentric, but often slothful 30 year old living in uptown New Orleans.  And he loves to eat.  To know more, read the book.

Bolognese with Fresh Pasta and Parmesan

Marcus also clearly gets the overall Food Truck movement.  The idea of a concession stand on wheels is as old as traveling carnivals.  However, gourmet mobile eateries slinging restaurant quality grub at affordable prices... well that's what turns a trend into a revolution.

Chef Marcus Day's Ignatius Reilly's Gourmet Street Food

Social media has played a large role in the surge of meaningful mobile food vendors.  Chef Day has been on top of his branding from the beginning, posting pictures of dishes of Facebook and interacting with his customers on Twitter.  He also uses the channels to tell his fans where he is set up for lunch, dinner, and even brunch on the weekends.

Carrot Ginger Soup with Mint Creme Fraiche 

Ignatius Reilly's concept is fresh and local, to every extent possible.  His signature items are handmade pastas, carefully crafted soups, and specialty sandwiches.  The top photograph of the bolognese is perhaps Chef Day's signature dish.  Ever on the menu, the pasta with beef sauce and layers of Parmesan lives up to its permanent place on the menu board.  After one bite you can taste the freshness of the homemade noodles and the unique bolognese.  The latest dish that I've tried from Marcus is the above carrot ginger soup.  The delicious and nutritious soup is finished with a little butter to add that wonderful extra richness and then topped with a dollop of mint creme fraiche to just take it over the top. 

Eggs Cancienne: Poached Eggs, Grilled Don's Andouille, French Bread Toast, Fresh Cheese Grits, Tasso Hollandaise 

As I mentioned earlier, Ignatius Reilly's sets up for weekend brunch around Baton Rouge as well.  Make an effort to track him down any weekend and you won't be sorry.  The Eggs Cancienne represent a fantastic all around dish that would be worthy of any brick and mortar joint.  Chef's Day own spin on the classic Eggs Benedict, the tasso hollandaise is bright and rich and is simply superb with the cheese grits on the bottom.

Creme Brulee Pain Perdu: NOLA French Toast, Steen's Cane Syrup, Candied Pecans, Powdered Sugar 

Not to stop there, also found on the brunch menu at times is a French toast dish with some Louisiana favorites.  I could eat this creme brulee pain perdu for breakfast or dessert at any time and be completely content.

Everything that Ignatius Reilly's serves comes in containers made from recycled products which just furthers the notion that Chef Day has it figured out.  Next time you see his stainless steel Airstream around town, make sure to stop by, order some great food, and tell him hey.  You won't be sorry!

Louisiana Culinary Institute's Race to Cannes

The Louisiana Culinary Institute's Third Annual Race to Cannes cooking competition presents an opportunity for state's best culinary students to challenge each other for a trip to the Cannes Film Festival.  Their journey to France will provide them with an opportunity to work with world-famous chefs as part of the festival's culinary team.  I had the privilege of judging two of the head-to-head match ups in the second round of the single-elimination bracket.  The ingredients that the chefs had to work with were chicken livers, red lentils, and oyster mushrooms.  Let's see what the chefs created!

Rumaki served with braised lentils and oyster mushroom salad

Chef number one was Bryan Poche.  His colorful dish featured rumaki with braised lentils and an oyster mushroom salad.  Rumaki, for those wondering, is a bite-sized morsel typically consisting of a water chestnut and duck or chicken liver wrapped in bacon and marinated in soy with either ginger or brown sugar.  Bryan's rumaki had excellent texture and flavor.  I would have preferred to have a little more flavor in the salad and in the lentils, but overall this dish had plenty appeal.

Southern fried chicken liver with red lentil and oyster mushroom tomato sauce over pasta shells

Our next dish came from Taylor Johnson.  Taylor took his chicken livers and gave them a nice, crispy southern fry before placing them over some pasta shells.  These were easily my favorite fried livers of the day, but I found the rest of the dish to be a little displaced.  The lentils were hardly noticeable and plate could have used more sauce.  The oyster mushrooms were there, but they didn't add much to the dish and kind of got lost as well.  In the end, I loved the livers, but the lentils and mushrooms didn't get their share of the love.

The other judges seemed to agree with me.  While the scoring was extremely close, Bryan Poche moved on to the third round of the Race to Cannes!  I think one thing that set him apart was that he happened to be the only competitor to not deep fry his livers.  Way to do something different, Bryan!

Pan-fried chicken livers with red lentils and oyster mushrooms

The next match up began with a spectacular dish from Jeremy Campbell.  His fried livers sat on top of a bed of red lentils cooked to a point where they still retained a little texture.  He added a veal demi-glace and the cooked down oyster mushrooms to bring it all together.  I didn't want to stop eating the lentils and demi-glace at the bottom of the dish.  The livers left a little to be desired as they had lost some of their crispiness, but everything else worked so well that I ate every bit of my food.

Southern style fried chicken livers with pepper jelly sauce served with sauteed red lentils and smoked oyster mushrooms

The final plate of the evening came from Logan Alfred.  Logan delivered more delicious food, though his plate could have been a little less monotone.  Still, his smoked oyster mushrooms were absolutely my favorite mushrooms of the day.  They had just the right amount of hickory smoke flavor to make me thing I was at a KCBS competition.  Additionally, Logan used some panko bread crumbs on his fried livers and topped them off with a pepper jelly sauce.  Unfortunately, the lentils were a little bland, especially compared to flavors from the mushrooms and livers.

Both of these dishes were really amazing and it was hard to see either of them lose.  I had one point separating the two dishes.  The other judges clearly scored them fairly evenly as well.  Ultimately, the judges and I agreed that the winner was Jeremy Campbell's dish.  I think that veal demi-glace with the lentils is what really set him over the top.

I'll be excited to see how Bryan and Jeremy do moving forward in the competition.  My hat off to all of the competitors as well as everybody at the Louisiana Culinary Institute for putting on this great culinary challenge.  I can only hope to be back to judge (and eat) more! 

Bite and Booze Entry: Marx's Foods Iron Foodie 2010 on Foodie BlogRoll

VOTE FOR BITE AND BOOZE IN THE IRON FOODIE 2010 NOW!!!

I recently had the pleasure of being selected as one of the top 25 challengers in the Marx Foods Iron Foodie 2010 contest on Foodie BlogRoll.  You can find the blog post that I wrote to enter here... but the best part was getting to cook with the secret ingredients that Marx Foods sent me!  I had no idea what to expect when I opened the package, but to my surprise there were some pretty interesting ingredients awaiting some culinary creativity.

Eight Products To Choose From

The challenge asked each competitor to choose three products from the group of eight secret ingredients.  My secret ingredients included:

• Dried Aji Panca Chilies
• Vanilla Beans
• Fennel Pollen
• Dried Wild Porcini Mushrooms
• Tellicherry Peppercorns
• Dulse Seaweed
• Maple Sugar
• Smoked Sea Salt

The dish I decided to create was a pan-seared duck breast with smoked sea salt and dried Aji Panca chilies over a homemade Tellicherry peppercorn pasta with a wild Porcini mushroom cream sauce.  I got hungry just thinking about it.

The first step was to place a little bit of the smoked salt on the skin side of the duck breasts and let them sit over night in the refrigerator.  This helps to draw out the moisture in the skin and allow it to get extra flavorful and crispy when cooking the next day.

Duck Breasts with Smoked Sea Salt

Next I needed to rehydrate the dried wild porcini mushrooms, so I placed them in a bowl with some warm water.  I also gathered some of my other ingredients for sauce including shallots, olive oil, white wine, brandy, cream, butter, salt, and some tellicherry peppercorns.

Imgredients for the Wild Porcini Mushroom Sauce

Next it came time to make the pasta.  I gathered the flour, eggs, water, olive oil, salt, and crushed black peppercorns and then starting combining them to make the dough.  

Tellicherry Peppercorn Pasta Ingredients

After I got the pasta rolled out and cut, it was time to put the focus back on the porcini mushroom cream sauce.  I started with cooking down the shallots in olive oil.  After they were translucent, I added the brandy and white wine (1 cup each), peppercorns, and mushrooms, then let that reduce about before adding a cup of cream.  Once that had reduced about halfway, I started whisking in the butter.

Wine, Brandy, Shallots, Mushrooms, and Peppercorns Reducing

Wild Porcini Mushroom Cream Sauce

Now that my sauce was left to just simmer and let the flavors continue to meld together, all I had to do was boil my pasta and cook the duck breasts.  I put the homemade pasta in boiling salted water and let it get nice and tender.

Boiling the Homemade Peppercorn Pasta

And now the highlight: I added a little bit of chili oil that I made with the dried Aji Panca chilies and olive oil to a pan, sprinkled some chili seeds on the salted duck breasts, and seared the duck skin-side down for a few minutes to ensure a crispy skin.

Duck Breasts Searing in Chili Oil

After I got a good sear on the skin side, I flipped the breasts over, seared the bottom very briefly, then moved the pan to the oven with the skin up.  I let them continue to cook in a 400 degree oven for about 8-9 minutes, then removed them and let the duck rest for a bit.

Crispy-Skin Duck Breasts Moved to the Oven

Smoked Sea Salt and Aji Panca Chili Duck Breasts Resting Before Being Sliced

Now that everything was cooked, all I had to do was plate the dish.  I move the boiled pasta into the pan that the duck breasts cooked in with little chili oil residue.  I then ladled some of the mushroom cream sauce on to the pasta and tossed that around to get coated really well.  I started the plate with the pasta and cream sauce at the bottom and then topped that with a sliced duck breast, then finished the dish with a drizzle of the cream sauce over the duck and a little parsley for garnish.  Bon Appetit!

Finished Product: Seared Duck Breast with Smoked Sea Salt and Dried Aji Panca Chilies over Homemade Tellicherry Peppercorn Pasta with a Wild Porcini Mushroom Cream Sauce

Italy - The 2010 FIFA World Cup Bites and Boozes

Italy

I made sure not to feature one classic dish from France as part of my World Cup tour, and I could certainly do the same for Italia.  Their cuisine is known and replicated throughout the world, yet never quite the same as when you actually eat it there, so I've heard. Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BC. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences from Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Germanic, Gaelic, Norman, Jewish and Arab cuisines. Significant changes occurred with the discovery of the New World with the introduction of items such as potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers and maize, now central to the cuisine but not introduced in quantity until the 18th century. Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity, abundance of difference in taste, and is known to be one of the most popular in the world, with influences abroad.

Pizza and pasta are what first come to mind when Americans think of Italian fare, so I thought I'd look at something a tad bit different.  Minestrone is one of the cornerstones of Italian cuisine, and is just about as common as pasta on Italian tables. Minestrone (Italian: minestra [soup] + -one [augmentative suffix] hence "the big soup," the one with many ingredients) is the name for a variety of thick Italian soups made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes. There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season. It can be vegetarian, contain meat, or contain a meat-based broth (such as chicken stock). Angelo Pellegrini, however, argues that the base of minestrone is bean broth, and that Roman beans "are the beans to use for genuine minestrone."

Limoncello (or lemoncello) is an Italian lemon liqueur mainly produced in Southern Italy, mainly in the region around the Gulf of Naples, the Sorrentine Peninsula and the coast of Amalfi and islands of Procida, Ischia and Capri, but also in Sicily,Sardinia, Menton in France and the Maltese island of Gozo. Traditionally, it is made from the Sorrento lemon, though most lemons will produce satisfactory limoncello. Limoncello is traditionally served chilled as an after dinner digestivo. Along the Amalfi Coast, it is usually served in small ceramic glasses themselves often chilled, the Amalfi coast being a center of both ceramic and limoncello production. This tradition has been carried into other parts of Italy.

For some thoughts on Italian beer, check out the BR Beer Scene!

Thanks and Credits:
http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2007/07/27/homemade-limoncello-recipe/
http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Chicken-Minestrone-with-Pesto
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limoncello
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minestrone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_cuisine