Friday, February 17, 2012

When it's Mardi Gras time the go-to place in Brazil is Rio de Janeiro; in Italy, it's Venice; in Spain, it's Cadiz, and in the United States it's decidedly New Orleans. But, when Mardi Gras comes Feb. 21, most of us will remain right here in the Valley.

If you can hang on until March 9, you can taste the unique foods of New Orleans and hear some of its jazziest jazz in the Campus Center Auditorium at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, when the Department of Music and Dance will host a fundraiser called New Orleans @UMass. The event will bring New Orleans to the university in the form of one of its most prestigious chefs: Susan Spicer. Her restaurant is called Bayona, and it's where Jeff Cox, chair of the music department, used to eat on special occasions during the 17 years when he was a professor at the University of New Orleans.

Of course, as a music expert he also enjoyed the musical life of the city.

"Our home was in the Marigny Triangle: just down river from the French Quarter," Cox said in a recent interview. "A few blocks away was Frenchman Street filled with restaurants and bars. The Washboard Chaz trio would frequently perform at the Spotted Cat bar. Listening to them was a delightful way to spend a Sunday afday afternoon."

Participants in New Orleans@UMass will share this delight because while Spicer cooks, the Washboard Chaz Trio will play Delta, Piedmont and Chicago-style Blues. The UMass Jazz Ensemble, directed by Jeffrey W. Holmes, also will perform. As Marilyn Kushick of the music department explains, "Like the many pops concerts presented in the past, the audience will sit at tables with cloths, handmade chocolates and flowers. Susan will demonstrate a couple of her dishes, and there will be a four-course meal featuring her food."

The menu includes Shrimp Remoulade or Goat-Cheese Croutons with Madeira Cream and Wild Mushrooms followed by Pork Grillades with Peppers or Vegetable-Stuffed Mirliton. There will be a salad plus side dishes of Pickled Cheddar Spoonbread, Smothered Greens and Glazed Turnips. For dessert there's a challenge: whether to go for the elegant Café au Lait Pot de Crème - so seductively velvety - or to luxuriate in lusciously sweet Bread Pudding with Praline Sauce.

With dishes such as these, it's no surprise that Cox describes Bayona as "truly one of the top restaurants" in New Orleans, and calls himself "a devoted fan" of Spicer's cookbook: "Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes from Susan Spicer's New Orleans" (Knopf).

In it Spicer describes coming to live in New Orleans as a 7-year-old, and as a teen loving the city and the Bohemian life style it offered. She fancied the idea of becoming a cook, but says her father "put the kibosh on that." So she wandered around finding jobs here and there, "eating curry and fried fritters in London, crudités plates and crêpes in Paris." Eventually she returned to New Orleans and started catering with a friend, then followed her into the restaurant business.

"From the get-go I found cooking mesmerizing," she writes. She went on to do an apprenticeship in France, then back to various chef's jobs in New Orleans, and finally to her own restaurant, Bayona, which opened in 1990. Since then she's continued to sharpen her skills in London, Malaysia, Thailand and Peru, and has been recognized with many awards, including a James Beard Award and the Mondavi Culinary Excellence Award. Her restaurant regularly receives Five Beans - the highest rating from the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

"Crescent City Cooking," published in 2007, is not just a compendium of New Orleans' classics. It features contemporary cooking from Louisiana and beyond. So, alongside recipes for Gumbo, Crayfish Pies and Shrimp and Tomato Bisque, it also includes recipes from Thailand, Greece, Indonesia and the Middle East - anywhere, it seems, where the food is vibrant with herbs and spices.

Two typical examples will be featured in Spicer's demonstration at the March 9 New Orleans@ UMass event. They are Crayfish Beignets with Brandied Tomato Sauce and Goat Cheese Croutons with Wild Mushrooms in Madeira Cream. To see how she makes these and share in the dinner and music, purchase tickets by March 5 by calling at 545-2511 or visiting www.umasstix.com/musicanddance. The doors open at 6 p.m., and the music begins at 6:30 p.m.

For some of Spicer's recipes that fit the Mardi Gras season, look below.

Goat Cheese Croutons with Wild Mushrooms in Madeira Cream

This is the recipe for one of the appetizers from the New Orleans@UMass menu.

For the croutons

¼ cup fresh goat cheese softened to room temperature

4 slices whole grain bread

1 tablespoon butter, softened

In a small bowl use a fork to combine the goat cheese and butter. Lightly toast the bread. Spread equal portions of the goat cheese mixture on the toast. Trim the crusts and cut the squares in half. (The toast will have a cleaner edge if you trim after spreading on the cheese.) Set aside

For the Madeira Cream

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

1 cup Madeira such as Rainwater or Sercial

1 cup heavy cream

In a small saucepan simmer the shallots in the Madeira until the liquid is reduced to ¼ cup. Add the cream, bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer 5-10 minutes until the cream thickens slightly.

For the Mushrooms

½ pound wild mushrooms preferably a mixture of oyster, shiitake and chanterelles)

2 tablespoon butter

1 garlic clove, minced

Madeira cream (from the previous recipe)

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons nipped fresh chives plus extra for garnish

Turn on the broiler. Remove the tough stems from the mushrooms. Slice or tear the mushrooms into pieces. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is bubbling but not browned, add the mushrooms and cook until they are golden brown and crispy: 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and Madeira cream.

Turn the heat to high and boil for 2 minutes until the mushrooms have absorbed most of the cream. Season with salt and pepper and fold in the chives. Broil the goat cheese croutons until bubbly and lightly browned. Arrange on plates and spoon the mushroom mixture over them. Garnish with chives.

Classic N'Awlins Remoulade

This recipe comes from Spicers' "Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes." The author notes that the world has two versions of remoulade. "French remoulade means celery root remoulade ... bound in a creamy white mustard-mayo dressing. But in New Orleans, classic remoulade is red and more of a vinaigrette made with two traditional spices, paprika and cayenne, and balanced with plenty of celery and parsley that provide a fresh, clean crunch." Spicer will be featuring it in one of the appetizers at the New Orleans@UMass event.

2 tablespoons finely chopped onions or shallots

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons Creole mustard

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

½ teaspoon cayenne

Juice of 1 medium lemon

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

Salt and pepper

1 cup olive oil

¼ cup finely chopped celery heart

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions

Whisk the onion, garlic, mustard, vinegar, paprika, cayenne, lemon juice, horseradish, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, then stir in the chopped celery, parsley and scallions. This will keep 2-3 days in the fridge

Crayfish Beignets

One of the featured dishes in Spicer's demonstration at the New Orleans@UMass event, this recipe makes 24 servings.

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1½ cups soda water

½ pound crayfish tails, coarsely chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

½ green bell pepper or poblano, diced

1 bunch scallions, chopped fine

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Salt

Hot sauce

Vegetable oil for frying

Stir the flour and baking powder together and whisk in the soda water to make a smooth thick paste. Stir in the crayfish, peppers, scallions, garlic and lemon zest.

Add salt and hot sauce to taste. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. Heat 1 inch of oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Drop the batter by spoonfuls into the preheated oil, and cook, turning frequently, until golden brown: about 3 minutes. Serve with Brandied Tomato Sauce

Brandied Tomato Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise, preferably home-made

2 tablespoons cream

¼ cup ketchup

1 tablespoon brandy

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or parsley

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl Serve immediately with hot beignets, or cover and chill until needed. This sauce will keep 2-3 days in a refrigerator.

Smoked Duck PBJ with Cashew Butter, Pepper Jelly and Apple-Celery Salad

Here's Spicer's riff on the peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich concept. Smoked duck is not easy to find in the north but other smoked meat could be used, or you could use cooked duck breast. The recipe is from "Crescent City Cooking."

2 teaspoons softened butter

8 slices multi-grain bread

¼ cup cashew butter

¾ cup hot pepper jelly

¼ pound smoked duck, shredded

Grilled red onions

Salt and pepper

Spread the butter on both sides of the bread. Grill each side 1 minute until toasted but not too dark. Spread 4 slices of bread with cashew butter (see below) and the remaining 4 with pepper jelly, Warm the duck meat and the onions (see below) in a 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Divide the meat and onions between the 4 sandwiches. Slice the sandwiches in half. Serve with apple-celery salad.

For the Cashew Butter

1 cup chopped cashews

½ cup peanuts

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon molasses

Salt

4 tablespoons softened butter

Roast the cashews and peanuts for about 7 minutes at 350 degrees and cool. In a food processor puree the nuts with the honey, molasses and a pinch of salt. Add the softened butter and puree again. Add a splash of water if necessary to get a spreadable consistency.

For the Grilled Red Onions

1 large or 2 small red onions cut in ¼-inch thick rings

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Toss the onions with the olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Grill, broil, or roast for about 5 minutes until wilted.

For the Apple-Celery Salad

1 Granny Smith apple

2 celery heart ribs

1 shallot, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Salt

Peel, core and thinly slice the apple. Slice the celery hearts thinly on the diagonal. In a medium bowl, toss the apple and celery with the shallot, olive oil, vinegar and salt to taste.