In Pizza We Trust

by Daniel Harris

First, a haiku:

Pizza, so yummy

I could eat it all the time

I love you, pizza

Here at Bite and Booze, we believe pizza is less a food and more a way of life. #Pizzaluminati

#pizzaluminati

Some like it simple, maybe just cheese or pepperoni, and others like to throw on so many toppings you can barely see the cheese. Despite how you enjoy your pizza, you’ll love to feast your eyes on a few of our recent pizza pics.

Il Forno a Legna

Shrimp, smoked salmon, mushroom, mozzarella, parsley pizza at Il Forno in McAllen, Texas.

Jay D’s Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Jay D's Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Frank's Pizza Napoletana

Crawfish lagniappe pizza from Frank's in Shreveport

Lüke

Starting off brunch at @lukeneworleans with the flammkuchen, a southern German style caramelized onion, cheese, fig and bacon tart. Have you eaten at Lüke or other @chefjohnbesh restaurants?

A photo posted by Jay Ducote (@biteandbooze) on Oct 11, 2015 at 10:59am PDT

Dat'z Italian

Wood-fired pizza from Dat'z Italian at the Baton Rouge Blues Fest

Red Zeppelin

Loving on this leaning tower of pizza @redzeppelinpizza with @ruerusike! What are y'all getting into for lunch today? 🍕

A photo posted by Jay Ducote (@biteandbooze) on Sep 8, 2015 at 11:32am PDT

Jay D’s Barbecue Venison Pizza

Gimme pizza! P-I-Z-Z-A! Head to biteandbooze.com and check out @jayducote's Barbecue Venison Pizza recipe, using @hugjayd barbecue sauce and ingredients from @indieplate! #pizza #gimmepizza #yummy #indieplate #foodpics

A photo posted by Jay Ducote (@biteandbooze) on Mar 7, 2016 at 8:27am PST

Barbecue Bites: Jay D's Barbecue Venison Pizza

Sometimes when you get your hands on some venison and some fresh dough from Indie Plate, you have to just put it in the pizza.

Behold, our Jay D's Barbecue Venison Pizza recipe! All the hunters with a surplus of ground venison in their freezers this time of year, fear no more.

Jay D's Barbecue Venison Pizza

Jay D’s Barbecue Venison Pizza

Makes 2 10-12” Pizzas

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 lb ground venison
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp red chili flakes
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 pack of Indie Plate pizza dough, divided in half
1/2 cup Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce
6 oz shredded white Indie Plate cheddar cheese
1 red onion, diced
3 serrano peppers, sliced thinly to form little circles


Preheat oven to 375 F with two cast iron skillets inside.

In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Place the venison in the pan and break apart with a wooden spoon. Brown the meat in the olive oil for five minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, chili flakes, salt, and pepper, and continue to brown the venison, stirring often, about five more minutes. Reserve.

Roll or toss out half of the pizza dough. Work the dough until it's large enough to cover the bottom of your cast iron skillets. Remove the skillets from the oven. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil in each skillet, coating as much of the bottom as possible. Lay the dough down in the oil in each skillet. Pour two tablespoons of Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce onto each dough and spread it out. On top of the sauce, layer the ground venison followed by the cheese and then red onion and serrano.

Place skillets back in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and slide the pizzas onto a cutting board. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Drizzle each pizza with two tablespoons of barbecue sauce, then slice and serve.

Vino and Venison: Taking a bite out of the monthly wine dinners at L'Auberge Baton Rouge's 18 Steak

by Sydney "Brown Nose" Blanchard

If you haven't gotten a chance to check out 18 Steak at L'Auberge yet, you're missing out. The decor is totally luxe and over-the-top: quilted leather booths, dark interior lighting, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

It looks like somewhere The Godfather would bring someone he was either trying to kill or impress. And it's awesome.

Recently we had the opportunity to try one of 18 Steak's monthly wine dinners. The restaurant has been offering multiple course dinners paired with a variety of wines, and when L'Auberge Public Relations Manager Julie Collins got in touch with us about attending a dinner, we couldn't very well pass it up.

The dinner started with a cocktail hour where we sipped on champagne and admired the decor. We snacked on some passed hors d'oeuvres while Blair and Julie rekindled their friendship by nerding out over Harry Potter (you may have read about these two gals gushing over HP before in Put it all on 18 Steak).

Poppin' champagne like we won the championship game.

First course: oysters on the half shell

Once we were seated, the serious eating began.

Our first course consisted of a variety of raw oysters served on the half shell and paired with a lovely chardonnay, the William Fevre Champs Royaux 2013. One of the oysters, the table favorite, was a rare find from Japan. It was topped with a lemon-y granita and had a really unique flavor, different for those of us who are used to Gulf oysters.

Next, we were brought a duck confit salad served with fresh Louisiana strawberries. I wasn't a huge fan of how stem-y the greens were, but the confit made up for it. The strawberry sauce added an unexpected sweetness to the salad which went along nicely with the duck as well as the paired wine, the Bouchard Pere et Fils Beaune Reserve Bougogne Rouge 2011.

Second course: duck confit salad

Around this point, we were all two glasses in (well, three if you count the champagne at the bar). The previous courses had definitely whet our appetites, but we anxiously awaited the main course while juggling our multiple wine glasses.

When it was finally brought out, it took all our efforts to keep our jaws from hitting the floor. We were served a medium rare venison chop. Porcini crusted and topped with micro-greens, the venison laid in a red pool of cherry reduction. Cutting into it was like cutting into a stick of softened butter, and the texture was the same upon eating a bite. This dish paired elegantly with the Bouchard Pere et Fils Beune Savigny-les-Beaune 2012.

Main Course: Procini Crusted Venison Chop
with Cherry Reduction

The main course was Blair's favorite, but I enjoyed the dessert course most of all.

We were brought a beautiful little log of chocolate cake topped with a hazelnut creme and poached pears sprinkled with cinnamon. Chocolate syrup was dotted on the plate along with a dollop of pear jelly. This final course was served with the Bouchard Pere et Fils Beaune Gevery Chambertin 2012.

Blair goes to a lot of these dinners, so she's a seasoned professional. She was very happy with the amount of food we were served. Normally, she said, each course is a huge portion of food. At the end of the 18 Steak dinner, we were able to move and weren't feeling the 'itis.

Dessert: Chocolate cake with hazelnut creme and poached pears

Blair and I both appreciated that the wines weren't super heavy. Each glass paired nicely with each course, and at the end of the dinner we were each given a bottle of Pinot Noir to bring home.

If any of this sounds interesting to you, you're in luck! 18 Steak will be hosting another wine dinner featuring Hall Family Vineyards on March 25 for only $99 per person. And Julie told us to keep our eyes peeled for another dinner in April. More information can be found here.








If the wine dinner is a little out of your price range (normally, it is for me), Julie gave us the down-low on a great promotion starting this week in Bon Temps Buffet at L'Auberge. They're calling it Fisherman's Keep, and for $25 you can eat all the snow crab clusters, sautéed scallops, fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, stuffed crabs, barbecue shrimp, stuffed flounder and crawfish you can get your paws on until April 4. Julie suggests heading there Wednesday for dinner and hitting up Blitz Bingo at Edge afterward. Click here for the menu. 

Recap: Great Raft Beer Dinner at Restaurant Cotton

Great Raft and Restaurant Cotton made a dangerous combination

In honor of Louisiana Craft Brewers Week I felt it would be a good idea to post about a beer dinner featuring a brewery that couldn't make it to New Orleans for Wednesday's Louisiana Brewers Bash. Great Raft Brewing out of Shreveport, Louisiana recently announced their southward movement into the New Orleans market set for this November with Baton Rouge to follow in 2015. However, they are currently only available in north Louisiana, and during this past May's American Craft Beer Week, I had the opportunity to attend a Great Raft beer dinner at Restaurant Cotton, home kitchen of Chef Cory Bahr. With a six course tasting menu expertly paired with six unique brews, it easily proved to be worth the drive to Monroe for the bite and booze spectacle. I arrived early so as to have a couple extra brews at the bar and chat with a few people before we dined, then I headed upstairs to claim my spot at the table. Restaurant Cotton is a can't miss in the Monroe dining landscape. The food represents the region but with a unique contemporary twist. The old building has been beautifully redesigned into an open seating area and bar on the bottom floor with private dining and banquet space on the second floor.

Grilled Watermelon, Radish, Cress, Lime, Pink Pepper

Our dinner started boldly with the Make Believer Session IPA accompanied by grilled watermelon in a salad with thinly sliced radish, leaves of cress, a squeeze of lime juice, and crushed pink peppercorns. The compressed watermelon presented a unique texture while its inherent sweetness matched the acidity of the lime juice and the potency of the pink pepper. The mildly hoped and very drinkable IPA added some fruit and floral notes of its own to create a beautiful medley in my mouth.

Ipswich Scallop, Turnip, Vanilla, Grapefruit, Salsa Verde

The second course of the evening featured succulent seared scallops with turnips, vanilla grapefruit foam, and salsa verde partnered with the Commotion Pale Ale. The modern technique in the foam matched the precision in the textbook seared scallops. The flavors were interesting and resounding, creating a lasting flavor that somehow worked despite their perceived contradiction.

Pecan Smoked Pork Belly, Pickled Chioggia Beets,
Sweet Potato Puree, Root Beer Syrup

The third plate presented pecan smoked pork belly. Nothing else would be necessary. Still, Chef Bahr decided to partner that with house pickled beets, sweet potato puree, and a root beer syrup then pair the course with Great Raft's Disaster Proof. The earthy flavors highlighted each bite as the pork belly melted in my mouth and melded with the sugary and acidic notes of the accouterments. The Disaster Proof, a special release rye lager with floral New Zealand hops worked marvelously well as the beer cut through the fat of the belly while playing with the subtle herbaceous of the root beer syrup.

Venison Schnitzel, Stewed White Beans, Fried Carrots,
Bacon Beer Mustard Jus

Next up came the dish I most eagerly anticipated. Pounded out, battered, and fried venison rested atop a slathering of white beans with fried carrots and a jus teeming with bacon, beer, and mustard. The rustic and hearty dish put a smile on my face as it elevated my childhood deer camp memories to a new level. Paired with Nobody's Darling, an imperial Schwarzbier brewed in collaboration with Bluejacket, the schnitzel popped even more. The beer, a generously hopped black lager, contained all of the right flavors to both pair with roastiness and toastiness as well as contrast with the appropriately delicate bitterness.

Braised Rabbit, Sweet Peas, Gnocchi, Smoked Mushrooms, Parmesan

Our final entree course brought another rustic yet still incredibly contemporary dish. Chef Bahr went back to the game with braised rabbit served in a medley of gnocchi, sweet peas, smoked mushrooms and a little shaved parmesan. It is a hard to argue with a dish like this. Impeccable execution of every element on the plate made it hard to put the fork down even to get a swallow of the Southern Drawl beer from Great Raft which accompanied the course.

LA Strawberry Gelato, Cured LA Strawberries, Torn Lemon Cake,
Buttermilk Crumbs, Basil Seeds, Dill

All good meals end with something sweet. In this case, diners enjoyed a strawberry delight served alongside one of Great Raft's flagship brews. Reasonably Corrupt, the dark lager with a malty sweetness and notes of coffee and chocolate, provided the necessary counter balance to the fruity sweetness in the dessert. Strawberry gelato accompanied cured Louisiana strawberries, lemon cake, buttermilk crumbs, basil seeds, and a garnish of fresh dill. The deconstructed strawberry shortcake set my stomach right to end the evening in a magical way. Content with pure gastronomic glee, all I could do was tip my cap to Chef Bahr and to the great folks at Great Raft.

Bite and Booze's MasterChef Season 2 Journey

Ever since I started the whole MasterChef process people have wanted to know some things that I haven't been allowed to say.  Since we filmed in February, every contestant had to sign rather strict confidentiality agreements with FOX and the production companies to not divulge anything that happened on the show before it aired.  That being said, now that I've aired and did not receive an apron, I'm allowed to offer my commentary about a few things!

First things first, let's talk about what actually happened to me on the show.  Each chef had one hour to prepare their dish before going into the judges room where they got an additional 5 minutes to chat with the judges, finish cooking, and plate their dishes.

My hour went by really fast, but for the most part I was completely on pace.  I got my herbs chopped up and marinated the venison (recipe to come in a later blog post).  I then started working on the stuffing for the bell pepper.  All in all, things went exactly as planned.  Half an hour in I had both the venison and the bell pepper in the oven, so I turned my attention to the bourbon cream sauce.  Yes indeed, the bourbon.  While making the sauce, I most definitely did take multiple shots and flambéed some bourbon multiple times for the cameras.  After I toasted a friend and took one shot, the producers came up to me and asked if I could take another one on camera.  Of course I obliged.  Really, what were a couple shots going to do at that point?



Here is what they actually showed of me on MasterChef:

So that leaves a lot to the imagination.  I know my plate was a little sloppy, but the venison was cooked exactly how I wanted it to be!  I ended up waiting over an hour between when I finished cooking and when I went into the judges room.  A lot of people had to wait that long, but still, it seemed excessive.  Nothing I made held any kind of temperature, but the producers assured us that temperature would not be factored into the judges' decision.

The walk to the judges was even longer than it looks on TV.  It took a good stroll with that cart to get to them, and then we had to start plating our dish and talk to them simultaneously.  I introduced myself as I put the bell pepper back in the oven, put the sauce on the stove, and moved the venison to a cutting board.  Chef Gordon Ramsay told me "You look like a chef, you move like a chef, let's hope you cook like one."  I told him "Thanks Chef" and continue my prep work.  They asked me a little about my back story and why I was cooking the dish I had chosen.  I told them that it represented me on a plate because I grew up deer hunting with my dad, my Granny made my favorite cornbread stuffed bell peppers, and now, well, bourbon just made sense to use as an ingredient!  Bite and Booze, baby!

Then came the conversation that made the TV show.  What ACTUALLY happened is that Graham Elliot asked me if I had any more bourbon with me after I flambéed some.  I said yes, put the handle of Knob Creek on the counter, then asked Graham if he wanted a shot.  He replied with "No thanks, I'm driving."  Hahaha... very funny!  Then Gordon asked me if I had been drinking it, and I told him "I had a couple shots while I was cooking!"  Graham never told me anything about being scared to see what would happen next.  That comment came from a completely different clip with someone else in the kitchen.  Oh well, I guess it still made good TV!

I got rushed for time at the end as I was told my 5 minutes had expired so I just kind of threw the sauce on my plate and threw my hands up.  Graham Elliot asked me if I wanted to put the parsley that I had chopped on the plate too, and I felt a little silly.  I told them I didn't have to because time was up, but they insisted that it was my plate, so I put a little bit of parsley randomly over the top.  The time crunch certainly attributed to my lack of plating prowess.

When tasting my dish, Gordon Ramsay went first.  He and Graham Elliot both made comments about the venison looking like it had been cooked perfectly as I was cutting the chops.  The first thing he did was tear into the bell pepper and get a fork full out of the middle.  He tasted it, then promptly handed me a fork.  I tasted it for myself and knew right away it was bad news.  I said, "It needs more salt, Chef."  Chef Ramsay looked at me and claimed "It needs more everything!"  He then tasted the venison and stuck the back of his fork in some of the bourbon cream sauce and tasted that as well.  He seemed to like the venison, but as he walked away he said something along the lines of "What a shame.  The venison was nice, but the bell pepper was bland.... what a shame!"  Graham and Joe followed suit.  Their messages weren't much different other than Joe making a comment about the venison being cold.  I responded that its because I had been waiting for over an hour, but it didn't matter.  Gordon and Graham both said no and Joe didn't have to vote.  I told them thanks and turned to walk away.  After a few paces, I realized that I had forgotten my bourbon.  I turned back around, said I'm going to take this with me, grabbed the bourbon, and left the judges' room.

Despite not getting an apron MasterChef was still a great experience.  I had a blast, met some amazing people, and really had quite an enjoyable experience.  I was honored to be one of the 100 amateur chefs that they chose to go on the show.  I do have a couple regrets about my dish, but you live and you learn.  Next time I'll be ready!  Thanks for all the support from my Bite and Booze fans!

Any other questions about the show?  Post them in a comment and I'll answer what I can!!

MasterChef on FOX: Bite and Booze Style

So by now I'm sure you've heard that I am one of the "Top 100 Amateur Chefs in America" competing for the title of MasterChef on Season 2 of FOX's hit reality show.  Indeed, that is true.  I had the opportunity to go out to Los Angeles and film the show with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay as well as the other judges Chef Graham Elliot and Restaurateur Joe Bastianich.  Here I am on the set of MasterChef, preparing my signature dish for the judges:

Jay Ducote prepares his rack of venison on the FOX reality TV Show MasterChef

My signature dish featured a fresh herb roasted rack of venison with a Cajun shrimp and cornbread stuffed bell pepper.  I finished it off with a bourbon cream sauce because, well, I wouldn't be Bite and Booze without cooking with some sort of alcohol!

I'll post more about my MasterChef experience as well as the full recipe for my dish at another time!

Below is a video about Season 2 of MasterChef on FOX.  If you pause the video you can see me at two different points.  My face sticks out above the crowd at 0:27, and you can see my back very well at 1:30.

Needless to say, I am very excited to watch the show.  The whole journey was incredible and it is going to be fun to see how they edit all the footage they got and turn it into a television program.  Tune in to FOX on June 6th at 7 PM CT to see how I do.  If you don't see me then, the second episode airs the following day, June 7th.  The show will continue with the first round on Monday, June 13th and will move to the elimination rounds on Tuesday, June 14th.

Ford Family Tailgating Barbeque, LSU vs Florida

Yesterday, LSU played host to one of the biggest college football games of the year as #1 Florida came into Baton Rouge for a battle on the bayou.  In the spirit of tailgating festivities, I agreed to be the chef for the Ford Family Tailgating party and bring the old Third Row Monstrosity (barbeque pit and smoker made out of a beer keg and full sized aluminum barrel) to do my cooking on.  Charlie Ford was celebrating his 59th birthday, Jeremy Ford made a couple bacon explosions, Mama Ford took care of all the fixings, and Eusebio had helped me out by pre-marinating the meat... all that was left to do was for me to cook!

Chef Jay with the Monstrosity Doing Some Smoking

Our menu was extensive, we were cooking for around 150 people, and I'm pretty sure we had between 75 and 100 pounds of meat to grill and smoke, so it was important that we got started right away.  I lit the first batch of 100% mesquite charcoal in the pit at around 8:00 am and got things started by throwing two racks of ribs and five links of chicken and apple sausage into the smoker.

Chicken and Apple Sausage, Asian Ribs, and Bourbon Sesame Ribs in the Smoker

Throughout the day we cooked chicken breasts, chicken thighs, chicken wings, chicken sausage, pork sausage, elk sausage, venison sausage, a venison back strap, pork chops, pork loins, burgers, ribs, alligator tail, and bacon explosions in 18 different marinades.  The maple-bourbon-pecan chicken breasts were one of the earlier hits of the day.  I made a barbeque-maple-bourbon-hot sauce that was used to baste and flavor quite a few things that came off the pit throughout the day.  Most of the ribs came off the pit and out of the smoker with just a dry rub and no sauce was needed.

Ribs in the Smoker!

All of the food was fantastic.  People were eating it faster that I could cook it and I had to keep the pit stocked with mesquite and keep the fire blazing because there was never any downtime in the cooking.  Jeremy showed up with the bacon explosions around 10:30 am and we proceeded to get them in the smoker right away.  For those that don't know, a bacon explosion contains two basket-weaved lattice works of bacon.  One bacon sheet is laid out flat, then topped with two pounds of italian sausage.  That framework is then layered with any additional toppings or spices that one may desire, and then the other bacon lattice work is placed on top.  The entire thing is then rolled into a giant log that should look something like this:

Jeremy Ford with an Uncooked Bacon Explosion

The appropriate method of cooking is a slow smoke, preferably over a tasty wood like mesquite, hickory, or pecan.  We used mesquite, and boy did that work out well.  The bacon explosions were in the smoker for about six hours.  They were then wrapped in foil and placed on the grill for a little direct heat and to crisp up the outer layer of bacon.  The finished product looked like this:

Bacon Explosion Fresh out of the Smoker

Spicy Bacon Explosion

Mild Bacon Explosion All Sliced Up

The Bacon Explosion was a hit!  What a great experiment.  Thanks to Jeremy for creating it and bringing it to the party to let me cook it.  I think the masses were pleased with the delicious, mouthwatering, succulent log of meat.

The day was filled with cooking on the grill and the smoker... I'm pretty sure I was by the pit from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm, but I loved every minute of it.  The nice thing about being the cook at the tailgate party is that everybody gives you compliments all day long... and they brought me beers!  Lots of beers.  Ah, tailgating!  Here are a few more pictures of the food:

Pork Chops, Five Racks of Ribs, and a Pork Loin on the BBQ

Smoked Venison Back Strap and Grilled Alligator Tail

Grilled Alligator Tail with the Bone Still In

Special thanks to the Ford Family, Brandon, Dustin, and Eusebio for all the help preparing and setting up.  Thanks to Jeremy, Andrew, and Brandon, as well as everyone else who helped, for being my Sous Chefs for the day.  I had a great time, and the food was terrific.  We'll have to do it again some time!!

"Bon Appetit... that's French for good meal!" - The Reverend Brandon Brown

Baton Rouge Culinary Classic

The Baton Rouge Culinary Classic celebrated their 25th Anniversary this year and I was lucky enough to have a chance to attend the festivities.  The Culinary Classic is an annual event put on by the  American Culinary Federation of Greater Baton Rouge.  This year it was held in the downtown Sheraton Hotel Atrium.  I heard about it a week ago and asked Eusebio if he knew anything about it, being in the industry and all.  He had definitely heard of it but had never been before, so I bought a couple tickets and off we went!

The Culinary Classic a cooking competition with dishes entered into ten categories.  Chefs from around the state, and a few from out of state, gathered to try to take the gold medal and feed masses while raising money for scholarships for culinary students.  What a great way for me to spend a Monday evening!

When they opened up the dining a flood of people was unleashed upon the chefs at their stations.  My first stop was at the "crawfish" category where I sampled dishes such as Crawfish Four Way, Crawfish Ratatouille with Boursin Grits, and Crawfish Au Gratin in a Puff Pastry.  There were seven dishes in all, and each was spectacular.  It was a great way to start off the event.  The Crawfish Four Way was my favorite, if I had to pick one, but I could have gone back for seconds of everything.

My next visit was to the Pork, Lamb, and Game station where I was served generous portions of nine more delicious dishes.  I know it is a little dark, but see the picture below:

Starting at the bottom center was the best overall dish of the entire competition... not just according to me, but it actually won best in show!  It may not look like much in this snapshot from my iPhone, but it sure was delicious.  The dish was a Bacon Larded Venison Tenderloin layered with seared Foie Gras and Granny Smith Apple Fries, Cognac Cream Sauce, and a Balsamic Pomegranate Reduction.  Yeah, now I'm hungry again after typing that.  Wow!  Moving counterclockwise on the plate, I also had the Mojito Lamb; Grilled Venison ala Demetri; Blackened Foie Gras and Black Truffle Boudin; Walnut Crusted Pork Tenderloin with a Blackberry Bliss Demi-Glace; Bienvenue a Louisiane'; Braised Rabbit Grand Coteau; Sweet Potato, Tasso and Roasted Pecan Apple Wood Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry and Shiitake Mushroom Demi-Glace (freaking fantastic!); and Tea and Brown Sugar Candied Lamb.

All of the Crawfish dishes and the Pork, Lamb, and Game dishes were great.  Some were way more memorable than others, but all were incredibly delightful with intense flavors that the culinary creators should be proud of.  By the time I was finished with Pork, Lamb, and Game plate I was pretty full, but there were eight more categories to try so I couldn't put my fork down just yet.  Eusebio and I sampled some entries from the Poultry category and the Soup category, and then made our way to the desserts.  The dessert that really stood out to me was a spicy chocolate and cayenne soup!  It was perfectly spiced and had a beautiful consistency.  The soup was sweet on the lips but spicy on the back of the tongue.  So simple, yet it blended complex flavors together perfectly.  I could have had more of that dessert soup than any of the entrants into the actual soup category.

Since I didn't get to eat everything and this post has been long enough already, I'll just post the gold medal winners from each category for you to get a sense of the types of dishes that were available at the Baton Rouge Culinary Classic.  I think I'll have to go back next year!

Soup: Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Pepper Bisque (Very nice, but not incredible to me)

Salad: Asian Marinated Crab Claw Salad (Genius dish, very well flavored crab claw with salad on top)

Vegetables: Portabella Mushroom Wellington (didn't get to try)

Pork, Lamb, Game: Bacon Larded Venison Tenderloin layered with seared Foie Gras and Granny Smith Apple Fries, Cognac Cream Sauce, and a Balsamic Pomegranate Reduction (explained above, some of the best venison I've ever eaten, and I'm a deer hunter!)

Beef, Veal: Grilled Veal Tenderloin stuffed with Crawfish Mediterranean (didn't get to try)

Poultry: Duck and Foie Gras Wellington (tasty, but not that memorable for me)

Seafood: Mediterranean Stuffed Dual of Chilean Sea Bass & Atlantic Salmon (kicking myself for not trying this one!)

Louisiana Nouvelle: Pecan Blackened Pork Tenderloin with a Warm Pecan Pepper Jelly Glaze (see seafood comment)

Crawfish: Crawfish Tamale with a Chili Rotel Sauce (tasty, as was everything else on the plate, and I did not like it as much as the Crawfish Four Way or the Crawfish and Homemade Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi)

Desserts: Heaven in your Mouth (Chocolate Mouse with a Chocolate Cheesecake Square, not as good as A Study in Chocolate which was the soup mentioned above)