The courses included an arugula fennel, onion, and orange salad, dirty beans and rice, crabcake po'boys with remoulade and coleslaw. We also enjoyed a champagne cocktail with gin and Meyer lemon juice and homemade cheese crackers.
I (Lauren) made a classic New Orleans cocktail called a French 75. I got this recipe from Food and Wine, I substituted gin for the cognac as the cocktail can be made both ways and I had gin. I then made an arugula, fennel, and orange salad from a recipe by Susan Spicer, the Chef at Bayona in New Orleans.
I (Dani) decided to make Cheddar Cheese Straws as an appetizer and Crab Po' Boys with a Honey-Mustard Slaw.
The Cheddar Cheese Straws were from Southern Living and really turned into crisps. The only modification I made to the recipe was to use 2 tsp of Paprika plus 1 tsp of Chipotle Chile Powder.
The Honey Mustard Slaw was from Bon Appetit and I modified the recipe quite a bit. I am not a big mayonnaise eater and I like my slaw with more than just cabbage.Here are the modifications I made:
- 3/4 of 1 head of Green Cabbage Shredded (instead of 1 full head)
- 6 carrots shredded
- 6 red radishes shredded
In the dressing, I used 1/2 cup mayonnaise and 1/2 cup non-fat greek yogurt to replace the 3/4 cup of mayonnaise.
The Crab Po' Boy was from Gourmet and I modified the recipe slightly since I don't like mayonnaise or plain lettuce.
Here are the modifications I made to the mustard-mayonnaise:
- instead of 1/3 cup mayonnaise, I used 1/6 cup mayonnaise and 1/6 cup non-fat greek yogurt
- I could not find Sweet Pickles, so I used sweet pickle relish
In the sandwich, I replaced the lettuce with my Honey-Mustard Slaw.
I (Kim) decided to try the Cooking Light version of Baked Louisiana Dirty Rice and Beans. The only change I made to the recipe was to use red bell pepper in place of the green & dried thyme instead of the fresh.
I (Rebecca) brought a New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce. This was a simple bread pudding from Cooking Light made with French bread soaked in a mixture of milk, eggs and spices and sprinkled with bourbon-soaked raisins. After baking in a water-bath, the bread pudding is served warm with a tablespoon of the accompanying Bourbon sauce.
