PASSIONATE RATIONS

Perhaps I have been remiss thus far in failing to mention America’s culinary jewel—New Orleans (or, as it’s often fondly referenced, “N’Awlins” or “Nola”).  My ancestors, too, would be disappointed, as I hail from French-Canadian stock and it was those Frenchies who helped found the town that eventually became the capital of Cajun-dom.  Though my visit there occurred in springtime, some time before Katrina, my memories of the food I experienced are vivid still.

Of course, these days one cannot mention New Orleans without reference to Katrina and, surely, amongst all it took, Katrina also took its toll on the gastronomic offerings of the city.  I am grateful and humbled to hear, however, that even the destructive forces of nature could not destroy the culinary spirit and soul of that city.  I urge you to check out The New Orleans Menu.  They post a daily tally of re-opened restaurants in the city, by neighborhood and they keep tabs on the heartbeat of Nola cuisine.

There is a sultry slowness to New Orleans in springtime.  Though early enough in the year to still be relatively bearable, walking out the front door of our French Quarter inn found us soaked through with sweat in short order.  The heat slowed our steps like a southern drawl, but did not dim our appetites.  We dined daily on beignets from Café du Monde, sullying forever the ability of a mere doughnut to ever again suffice (if ever they did).

Varying our menus for lunch and dinner, we tried everything from the fried-oyster Poor Boy at Johnny’s (never has a hoagie roll been so blessed), to red beans and rice at any number of establishments, to bananas foster at its sacred birthplace, Brennan’s.

I thought I had tasted bananas foster before, but I was wrong, oh so very wrong.  Of course, the union of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, liqueur and bananas could never be bad, but Brennan’s particular take on that chemistry resulted in a dish so sublime that I have been unable to order it anywhere else since, for fear of severe anticlimax.  Though they gave us the recipe, I have not been able to try my hand at it for the same reason.  And bananas foster was only one of many fabulous offerings at Brennan’s regular brunch, which I highly recommend to you.  Their turtle soup is delicate and complex, and their Eggs Nouvelle Orleans (poached eggs on crab meat topped with a brandy cream sauce) is rich and succulent.  Go hungry.  Stay awhile.
__________

STATUS, VEGETARIAN ADVENTURE, DAY 4: I bid adieu to my foie gras d’oie on New Year’s eve and have been successfully vegetarian for four days now (although I confess to not researching whether the Urgelia and Fontina cheeses I had yesterday were produced using animal rennet. And speaking of Urgelia–this is a new find which I heartily recommend. A cow’s-milk, semi-soft cheese from Spain, tangy and aromatic). Today’s menu has, thus far, consisted of: two mini slices of home-made white pizza with pesto-garlic sauce, button and shitake mushrooms, pineapple, mozzarella, smoked provolone, asiago, parmesan, romano and fontina shredded cheeses (no, I didn’t check them either). Oh, and one Dr. Pepper. Off to a good start….