Celebrate Both the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras with Three Great New Orleans Cocktails

It's rare that one American city is called upon to play host to two major events almost simultaneously. Yet that is what is happening in la belle New Orleans this week where happy Mardi Gras party goers will mix with hopeful Super Bowl ticket holders.

But have no fear - New Orleans is more than up to the task at hand. Her fine hotels, outstanding restaurants, famous streets and multicultural cuisine can easily welcome them all, especially when the many visitors have a chance to taste one of the City's famous cocktails. 

THE SAZERAC COCKTAIL - This honored cocktail is the very first recorded American cocktail to be created and is credited to Antoine Amadie Peychaud, a Creole apothecary before the dark days of the Civil War.

He crafted the cocktail from a mixture of cognac or rye whiskey, absinthe or Herbsaint and Peychaud's Bitters. 

According to culinary legend he served his new drink in the large end of an egg cup which was called a coquetier in French. The americanization of word conversed the French word into the word "cocktail" and so gave a name to a whole catagory of over 125,000 drinks! 

THE HURRICANE COCKTAIL - Was there ever a cocktail with such a perfect name? This drink can steady the nerves of anyone facing a frightening future whether from high waters or the horrors of war. For you see, this cocktail was created by Pat O'Brien during the early days of World War II.

Faced with both an excess of lower grade rum forced on him by distributors and also many nervous service men, he blended his unwanted rum, fruit juice and grenadine together and happily served his creation in an available bowed glass that mimiced the shape of a Victorian wind-resisent oil lamp. 

The name of the lamp transferred to the cocktail and is now the official drink of New Orleans' French Quarter. Today it often served in a plastic cup since the City premits enjoying a cocktail in public but only in a non-breakable despoitable plastic container. Safety first please!

BRANDY MILK PUNCH - Don't be fooled. This is not exactly your mother's good-night glass of milk. Instead, it is a favorite for one of New Orleans' grand tradition: Sunday Brunch. After church, friends and family could (and still do) meet at one of the City's classic restaurants such as Cafe Adelaide or Brennan's to discuss the week's events.

Brimming cups of brandy, milk, cream and nutmeg mixed together were and still are perfect to calm a troubled stomach from the night before or ideal to match the rich foods in the Sunday feast before them. Ah, New Orleans, she always has an answer for every question. 

What a grand city!  

Gumbo Is the Perfect Food When Tying on Some Mardi Gras Fun

It’s Mardi Gras all over the world right now and no food says “Carnival!” quite like a bowl gumbo from a warm Louisiana kitchen. And no food better represents the diversity that is critical to the culinary world that we all enjoy each and every day.

American gumbo owes its first conception to the French settlers who colonized the southern region of the Mississippi River for King Louis XIV, hence the name "Louis-iana", in 1682. Being on a great river and near the Gulf of Mexico, they adapted their beloved bouillabaisse fish stew from the French port city of Marseille to include the local ingredients that were then available.

Home cooks who lived near the region's various waterways enriched their sea stew with crawfish, catfish, oysters, crab and shrimp. Those cooks who lived further inland added instead wild birds, deer, duck, squirrel, goose and boar instead – all flowing with the season’s availability.

The resulting hunting trips and journeys along the area’s many bayous and streams, led to the French colonists encountering the region’s first inhabitants, members of the Choctaw Indian nation. The tribe’s resourceful cooks shared their knowledge of file’ - a unique flavorful powder created from ground sassafras tree leaves, with the newly arrived Europeans. Everyone agreed the resulting difference in the stew was simply amazing.

As Louisiana expanded and grew in wealth, its cuisine continued to develope, embracing in a unique way all the influences that made it then and now one of America’s truly great cities.  

Spanish influences added the tomato, still considered a poisonous fruit in the northern English colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut, as well as bell peppers, celery and onions.

Black slaves were soon brought from Africa to work in the vast landed cotton plantations and rice fields of the South in one of the darkest periods of American history. And though enslaved, many still remembered their homeland and added okra to flavor and thicken the stew. In fact, it is the Africa word for okra that gives gumbo its present name.   

Many of the freed black slaves of New Orleans (yes, there were freed black slaves in the city and many ran very successful businesses) were known as outstanding cooks. Many spoke French and ran restaurants, bakeries and taverns  – all adding to the elegance and flare that is still the hallmark of Mardi Gras today.

That unique style can be seen in how the freed black women of New Orleans worked around a restrictive and oppressive law that required all freed female slaves to wear a scarf or fabric tie around their head instead of the fashionable hats worn daily by the elegant white ladies of the City.

Working again with the ingredients at hand and their rich African heritage, these remarkable women created wrapped head turbans, called tignon, that were works of art and far more stunning than any milliner’s creation.

Today those head wraps form the basis of many of the much more elaborate head pieces worn in Mardi Gras parades in Rio de Janeiro and around the world. 

Similarly when file’ and okra were not available, these cooks reread their vaulued French cookbooks and created a roux of flour browned in pork lard that added color, texture and taste to the now legendary gumbo of Louisiana.

Later additions would include cayenne peppers, Tabasco and other hot seasonings, but to this day, the purist among southern cooks adds NO additional spices and depend on the essence of the base ingredients (along with the mandatory roux, okra or file’) to do the job.

Perhaps that simplicity is a lesson to us all as well as a reminder to do the simple with such flair and style that our efforts become as unique and as unforgettable as la belle New Orleans herself.

Laissez le Bon Temp Rouler! Longue vie Carnival!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012

Mardi Gras, the Chef’s Toque and the Court of the Two Sisters

There is no destination in America that offers more elaborate costumes (or cuisine) then New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Whether enjoying the grand parade of the customed “Indian” clubs in the streets of the old French Quarter or glazing at the elegant attire at the private krewe balls while enjoying chilled champagne, there is no simply no other place like grand New Orleans.

Yet none of this is new to the Big N.O. Whether it’s the classical white towering toques that New Orleans’ famed chefs wear or the stylish tignon head wraps still worn with pride by many of the city's most beautiful women, New Orleans has always been a city of flavor and fashion flare.

When New Orleans’ first professional chefs arrived they were French and they brought with them the culinary traditions of their homeland – including the wearing of the venerated toque or tall white chef's hat. First wore in the 16^th century, this hallmark hat began as a simple European tradesman’s hat, enabling the harried venders to quickly identify the chief cook among the many other tired kitchen servants.

As cooking developed into a profession and random cooks became trained chefs, the toque rose in height and importance. The legendary French Chef Marie-Antoine Careme designed the now universal chef attire of the white jacket and, of course, tall starched toque. Tradition says the 100 folds of the classic toque honor the fact that Chef Careme knew 100 different ways to cook an egg. Amazing!

When New Orleans' early chefs walked to market they often nodded their heads to the free black women of the city who also wore their own distinctive headwear.  In 1785 the then Spanish governor of Louisiana passed a law requiring free women of color to cover their hair and avoid any use of feathers or jewelry. When the French retook possession of the Mississippi colony, they continued the ruling.

Not to be denied their identity, these remarkable women developed elaborate scarf wrapping techniques, known as making a tignon, to make an art of what was supposed to be a restricting limitation. Free and creative, these women held a unique position in post-Civil War New Orleans, often acting as culinary suppliers to the chefs.

Two individuals who were heirs to this world between worlds were the two Camors sisters, Emma and Bertha. Together they designed and created gowns for many of the city’s finest ladies (and quietly for some of their husband’s special ‘friends” as well). At their workshop the treasured fabrics and ribbons moved through their skilled fingers as they also savored the drifting nearby smells of rich creole cooking. Year after year the sisters stitched gown after gown in the courtyard of their elite establishment on Governor’s Row.

Each year they traveled to Paris, the home of fashion, then and now, to study the latest Worth designs and purchase the rare laces and rich fabrics available only there. Once back at home, they skillfully blended the legacy of Europe's style with the cross-cultural influences of New Orleans to create gowns as memorable as the city itself.

The flavor and flare of their creativity is captured today by two brothers, Joseph and Jerome Fein, owners and directors of the restaurant - The Court of the Two Sisters.  Located in the exact location of the sisters’ workshop, this esteemed destination offers one of the city’s best brunches, all to the sounds of New Orleans jazz, just behind a wrought iron gate of promised grace near a softly flowing fountain.

If it seems another world, well, it is – especially at Madri Gras where fans and feathers, beads and bubbles mingle with cuisine and chefs in tall toques smile at the end of the day and say as only a southern chef can say, “Ah, New Orleans!”   

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

The Tale of Champagne Charlie, New Orleans and the Miracle Letter

For those in the know at Mardi Gras, champagne is a must at the private Krewe Balls where the daughters of the South’s leading families are still introduced to society in New Orleans in the grand style. Nearby in a reserved seating area, many other lovely ladies in full ball gowns wait, each holding a “call-out” dance card that lists the name of their partner for every memorable dance.

It is a magical environment and one that is perfect for the elegance of champagne. Yet champagne is not an ‘indigenous’ wine in the South and had to be imported for America to learn to love it, thanks to one remarkable and courageous man - Charles Camille Heidsieck.

Born in 1820, Heidsieck was surrounded by champagne from birth. He was the son of Charles-Henri Heidsieck, the famed French champagne merchant who rode into Moscow on a white stallion in 1811, just ahead of Napoleon's advancing army, with case upon case of champagne and order book. He was ready to offer credit to the winning side and cash-only to the losing side.

Despite the victorious bells that pealed in Beethoven’s glorious 1812 Overture, Napoleon lost in the first of many losses that would lead to his exile on the remote island of St Helena. Meanwhile back in France, there was still champagne to blend and sell.

By 1852 the younger Charles had learned the champagne trade and was ready to look for new markets. The new and growing nation of America seemed perfect. Landing in New York with a large shipment of high quality champagne, his wine and outgoing personality charmed everyone. He opened enough accounts that soon he had to obtain the services of a stateside agent to represent him when he returned to France.

Success after success followed and soon Heidsieck was exporting large quantities of champagne to America. When he traveled to America, his arrival was covered in the major newspapers and the grand dames of society competed to obtain his presence at their balls and salons.

Heidsieck was a skilled marketer and understood the importance of image matched to the quality of his produce.  His sparkling personality matched his wine perfectly and soon he was known simply in America as “Champagne Charlie”.

Everything went well until Charles (or "Charlie" as the Americans affectional called him) received word that a civil war was about to break out in the United States. With over half of his future revenue tied up in unpaid American accounts, Charles hurriedly boarded the first ship to the U.S. to collect the funds before chaos broke out.

On arrival he was shocked at the situation he found. In an effort to cut the economic base from the South, the American Congress had just passed a new law heavily restricting trade with the south - especially cotton. Charles had earlier accepted undelivered southern cotton as payment from some of his outstanding accounts. Based on the new law, his former agent refused to work with him to obtain payment or to account for strangely missing funds.

Horrified at the financial disaster now facing him, his family and his employees, Charles sought the aid of the rich and famous whose homes he had once graced. But with the first bloody causality lists now consuming the attention of everyone, no one had time to help a French wine rep for champagne that no one was now in the mood to drink.

Taking matters in hand, Charles headed south to New Orleans to appeal for direct payment from those who owed him money. But the Civil War that now consumed the nation made it impossible for him to travel directly to the Crescent City.

For over a year and with dwindling finances, Charles Heidsieck struggled to reach his destination. When he finally arrived in New Orleans he found a city shattered by war and poverty, not the glittering jewel of the South that Charles had known in happier days.

No one had creditable money, only piles of worthless Confederate dollars. Once more cotton was offered in payment for the long ago enjoyed champagne. That was not what Charles wanted but it was better than nothing.

Actually the South had been unable to export cotton to the waiting mills of Europe for over a year. As a result, cotton was very valuable but exportation was blocked by the northern navy. Charles loaded his precious cotton aboard a blockade runner (a la Rhett Butler of Gone with the Wind fame) in Mobile, Alabama only to learn that the ship and its cargo had been captured at sea and destroyed.

Depressed and without any funds, Charles returned to New Orleans to learn that the city had fallen to the Northern forces and was occupied by the unsympathetic Major General Benjamin F. Butler (known to Southerns as “Beast Butler”). Because Charles had naively agreed to carry letters from the Confederate Government to various French textile manufacturers inquiry about the purchase of army uniform should he be able to reach Europe, Butler convicted him of being a spy and threw him in jail!

Finally those who had enjoyed his champagne in peace came to his defense in war. As the news spread that Charles of Heidsieck Champagne fame was imprisoned in New Orleans, letters supporting his character begin to arrive at the White House from both the States and France. The resulting diplomatic furor is known in history as the “Heidsieck Incident”.

His release was finally granted on 16 November 1862. By this time, he was in frail health with his business nearly destroyed. Returning to France, he found that his beloved and long suffering wife had been forced to sell off portions of the family’s estate to keep the demanding debt collectors at bay.

But fear not, the story has a happy ending. In early 1863 there was a knock on his front door. When Charles Heidsieck answered, he found an American missionary with a packet of papers and a letter standing there.

To his amazement the good minister carried a letter that was from the brother of Heidsieck's former dishonest agent in New York. The letter’s writer was ashamed of how his brother had cheated Heidsieck and wanted to offer him a stack of deeds to a piece of land in distant Colorado as a means of repayment.

As it turned out, the deeds established ownership to about a third of a new western town called Denver. Within a very short time, the massive mineral finds were discovered nearby and Denver became the richest city in the American West.

Charles soon sold the land and with his heaven-sent new wealth proudly re-established the Heidsieck House of Champagne. As the story of his struggles and his courage to succeed spread, royal court after royal court declared Heidsieck the champagne for those who wanted to enjoy only the best.

But nowhere was he more loudly cheered and his champagne enjoyed more then in New Orleans. To this day, those who swirl at the great and grand Krewe Balls always take a moment and raise their glasses to the beauty and heritage of the evening and the tale of Champagne Charlie, the man who, like the brave city of New Orleans, never, never gave up! 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Culture Magazine Offer Great New Cheese Trend and Service Ideas

Whether you’re planning to celebrate Mardi Gras or the upcoming Royal English Wedding, there’s no better way to mark the day then to add some cheese to your festivities. Just do it in a new way.

And if you’re looking for the hottest new trends in all things cheese, there is no better publication to read than Culture Magazine: The Word on Cheese.  The current Spring 2011 issue contains a wealth of innovative ideas to share with readers.  Here’s an overview of just a few:

Page 24 - How a flight of fabulous aged goat cheeses is a culinary must this season.

Page 46 – Cheese expert and book author Janet Fletcher describes the trend to move Italian fruit mostarda condiment from meats to cheese sampler plates.

Page 9 – Discover how the inventive genius Thomas Edison helped to create quality French cheese wrapping papers while developing the motion picture camera.

Page 26 – With the royal William and Kate wedding coming up, Andy Jenkins explores the history of Britain’s legendary Indian Pale Ale or IPA and which cheeses are the best culinary love match.

Page 11 – Need cheese information while you’re on the move? Try the great new cheese app created by Chronicle Books and Janet Fletcher featuring over 75 tasty cheeses and 25 themed cheese plate combinations.

Page 38 – If you think that sherry is the only wine to match with cheese, then let Tara Q. Thomas of New York City show you how to select and match fruit wines with cheeses both domestic and international.

Page 56 – What chef doesn’t enjoying working with spices and flavorings. Matthew Rubiner invites anyone interested in matters culinary to enter the world of flavor additives such as porter, Irish whiskey, seaweed, candied lemon peel, hops and pistachio nuts to cheese to name just a few.  

Page 104 - Karen Edwards explains the growing art of cheese carving.  It's stunning on a buffet or side board. It doesn't melt and the left over cheese can be saved. 

Page 101 - Tired of the same-old, same-old when it comes to pale colored service plates for cheese? Well, consider abandoning those traditional off-white china plates and heavy wooden boards and discover with Eilis Maynard the fabulous new colored cheese plates being created now by top tableware designers.

Interested? Hope so – Just don’t wait a long time to purchase your copy of Culture Magazine as every issue sells out fast. The magazine is brimming with informative article after informative article, all with beautiful photos (just like all the culinary magazines used to have, but sadly few do today). 

But why not just subscribe? It’s easier and that way you’re sure to always have a copy of this very valuable and very useful culinary magazine. It's a great investment in style and innovation for all things that "say cheese." You're sure to be the next culinary star - Count on it!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011