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– ONE Book, SIX Inspiring Recipes –
With the release of The Fresh Table: Cooking in Louisiana All Year Round, we’re looking back at stories from the blog and the origins of the book’s recipes.
To see where it all started, see these six features below.
Pictured: (top, from left to right): Pomegranate & Pistachio Crostini and Red & Yellow Bruschetta
Bottom: Sun Dried Tomato Hummus and Watermelon Juice with Basil
Sides: Radish Crostini and Stuffed Mushrooms
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One of the best parts of what I get to do (besides eating fresh, seasonal produce) has to be meeting all of you.
This past Saturday, I prepared my Pea Pesto with Seeduction Bread and freshly-baked baguettes for a cozy crowd at Red Stick Spice Company, making good use of Red Stick’s Basil Olive Oil and fresh, seasonal peas.
Pictured: Pea Pesto ingredients–fresh sweet peas, Parmesan, pistachios, garlic, basil, and spices to taste. If you can count your ingredients list on one hand, then you’re doing something right.
The results?
A happy crowd (and an even happier cookbook author) as we dug into the brightly-colored spread puréed (to perfection) with Parmesan, basil, and pistachios.
It was quite the experience.
Pictured: me and Corbin, a local blogger‘s son who is learning to cook. Photo taken this past Saturday at Red Stick Spice Company during my demo for Pea Pesto. Thanks Nicole!
I even got to meet the lovely “Corbin,” a local food blogger’s son and novice chef in the making. His mother, Nicole, who writes the blog, “Dolce Vita,” was amongst our company and will be chronicling Corbin’s adventures as he learns to cook this summer! Only in Baton Rouge.
But the demo wasn’t just peas.
I’m always impressed by the perceptive ideas Louisiana residents have about their culture’s culinary traditions. What started as tips and tricks for seasonal produce (and Pea Pesto) ended with an in-depth discussion of “will this trend continue?” from a family in the front row.
And, I didn’t quite know the answer. Because, well, the question was tough. I even asked them to repeat it a few times –
“Will this trend continue?”
Well, what “trend?” That Louisiana food continues to evolve? That it will one day stop being (subconsciously) seasonal?
I don’t have a crystal ball, so I’m incapable of seeing the future, but the fact that the question was raised is pretty telling.
For those of you reading this post outside of Louisiana, you might be surprised to find that books like The Fresh Table are not like the ones in my grandmother’s pantry. When my mother worked in the New Orleans food industry (some 30-years ago), books like The Fresh Table wouldn’t have been possible due to the state of our food traditions. As “blackening” was being refined and preserved, great pains were taken to share Louisiana food with tourists and public broadcast media, allowing chefs like Paul Purdhomme to prepare Blackened Redfish on PBS and reach millions with The New York Times.
Pictured: Linda’s hands scrolling through some cherished favorite (family) recipes. As corny as it sounds, it’s important to record and publish for future generations.
As we move onward into the twenty-first century, these traditions are anxiously kept. In fact, LSU’s Special Collections houses an entire Louisiana and Lower-Mississippi Valley collection in which they aim to preserve our region’s cookbooks. By actively acquiring books each year, they save future generations from having to scrounge to find these texts.
And, like the question, “Will it continue?” I truly believe new food traditions will expand the “Louisiana” brand and help it to grow.
After all, I may be one of the very first Louisiana food writers to have composed her cookbook using a blog as the template. Has someone in our state done this before me? I’d like to know.
And, in doing so, I’ve found my own “niche” – seasonal produce, what’s affordable, fresh, and available each Saturday morning at Red Stick Farmer’s Market. I’ve done so in a way that honestly reflects my life with Louisiana food—my approach was never forced, but part of an everyday eating experience. As much as my mother’s red beans and rice will always define the flavors of this state’s traditions, the way I eat each week from Louisiana farms is truly “Louisiana” to me.
I was explaining to Daniel Schumacher (Louisiana Cookin’) on the phone yesterday that the Acadian Great Expulsion is not unique to the eighteenth-century. In fact, LA residents are joined by new pilgrims each day.
Whether it’s Dan’s fixation with Louisiana that allowed him to move from New York to New Orleans, or my own Acadian-specific journey from Rockland, Maine, to Baton Rouge, LA, our state is home to a much more far-reaching population (and, thus, nuanced cuisine) than images of our food culture may suggest. Sure, we make the best jambalaya or étoufée in the states, but it’s not all we make.
But, I digress, really, I do.
I have “new foods” and “fresh dishes” and “fresh ideas” (not just my column, but also the concept) on the brain for a variety of reasons this week.
Primarily, the next few days usher in an exciting blur of events, as I share the recipes from the book and how the blog made this possible. As I meet more and more south Louisiana residents, I am constantly reminded of our changing cuisine, and I love hearing your thoughts about living and eating Louisiana.
I hope to see you all at any of the below events (and, perhaps, for more pea pesto!):
Wednesday, March 27th (12:00 – 1:00): Lunchtime Lagniappe Series at the Louisiana State Museum
Thursday, March 28th (6:30 – 9:00 p.m.): Baton Rouge Gallery, The Fresh Table Book Party & spring celebration with Daniel Schumacher of Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine, Cheramie Sonnier of The Advocate, and Alisa Plant, LSU Press with music by Calico Axe, Flatbed Honeymoon and a ton of sponsors (see below).
Saturday, March 30th (12:00 – 2:00 p.m.): LSU Barnes & Noble – Cooking Demo & Book Signing!
As I get ready to cook and talk with you all, I want to extend my warmest gratitude to everyone who has tested, commented, and gone home to make my recipes for their families and friends. Without your feedback, I doubt the six recipes I feature above—such as my Sun Dried Tomato Hummus or Watermelon Juice with Basil—would be as reliable and lovely as they are today. “It takes a village to raise a child” (as the saying goes), and, in my case, it has taken a village of readers to bring The Fresh Table from my home to yours.
As a way to show thanks, please join me Thursday night for free food, drinks, and music at Baton Rouge Gallery (more here).
Our event is sponsored by Abita, Amato’s Winery, Bayou Teche Brewery,Coffee Call, Denicola’s Foods, Reginelli’s, Restaurant IPO, and 926-Muff.
Please join us if you can, and I look forward to seeing you all!
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From Blog to Book: Introducing The Fresh Table,
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