painperdu

All Cuisine is Fusion Cuisine- and Asian Spiced Duck Tamales

I was pulling on my socks and shoes early last Saturday morning, about to head off to the farmer's market, when the thought came to me- "all cuisine is fusion cuisine".

It wasn't a complete non-sequitur. On Wednesday evening I was sitting with a friend at a lovely event  called A Taste of Santa Fe, brought to the Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica by the Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau. My friend and I were listening to a presentation given by  the thoroughly entertaining Chef Rocky Durham, Culinary Director of the Santa Fe School of Cooking.

He was talking about the foods we take for granted today- like chiles, tomatoes, potatoes, squashes, corn, beans, and chocolate- that are indigenous to the American Southwest, and completely unknown to the rest of the world before European explorers brought them back to the "old world." That's right-think Ireland without potatoes, Italian food without tomato sauce and polenta, and amazingly, even Indian and other Southeast Asian cuisines without chiles!

He then introduced his Duck Tamales (hang on the recipe is coming), which he told us incorporated some Asian spices- namely ginger, soy and star anise (Chef Rocky worked under Chef Ming Tsai for a while). Now I love fusion cuisine, but my friend said "I don't normally like fusion cuisine, but these sound good. I'll have to give them a try."

The next evening, I happened to be at the opening festivities of America I AM, celebrating the African imprint in America, at the California Science Center, where the East African curries (which are really Indian in origin) were served. Are you beginning to see where I'm coming from with this? And the day after that, I received my copy of Chef John Besh's newly released coffee table cookbook, My New Orleans, in the mail. New Orleans- ground zero for fusion cuisine on the  North American continent! (I'll be reviewing it next week, so check back). So starting out in New Orleans and ending up in L.A., seems like I've been eating "fusion food" pretty much all of my life.

Needless to say, the Duck Tamales were delectable. And yes, Chef Rocky graciously sent his recipe for the absolutely delicious tamales. He writes that the "masa recipe is slightly untraditional, but the light, creamy texture is fantastic with the duck filling." I agree.

Duck Tamales

For the Masa:

1 1/2 pounds masa harina
6 ounces unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
5 1/2 cups warm water (or as needed)
 
Cream together butter, baking powder, salt and masa harina with an electric mixer until a light, even texture is achieved. With motor running, pour in warm water until a creamy, spreadable texture is achieved.  Cover tightly and set aside at room temperature until needed.

For the Filling:

8 duck legs
12 ounces  dark soy sauce
3 cups brown sugar
3 oranges, cut in half
2 bunches scallions, chopped
6 tablespoons fresh ginger root, chopped
2 sticks canela
4 pieces star anise
4 guajillo chiles
Water as needed


Reserving 1/2 cup chopped scallion, place all other ingredients in a stock pot and add water until legs are JUST covered.  Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until meat pulls easily away from the bone (approximately 1 1/2 hours)
Remove legs from the liquid and reserve. Pick the meat and skin from the bone and place in work bowl of an electric mixer.
Return the bones to the liquid and simmer to reduce until a syrupy consistency is achieved.  Strain the liquid  to use later on cooked tamales. 
Add the reserves 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions to the meat and mix until it has the appearance of pulled pork.

Yield 3-4 dozen

The directions for forming and steaming the tamales are adapted from Rick Bayless's Authentic Mexican :

Preparing Corn Husks:

Simmer the husks in water to cover for 10 minutes, weighted with a plate to keep them submerged. Then let them stand off the fire for a couple of hours until the husks are pliable. When you are ready to form the tamales, separate out the largest and most pliable, and that are at least 6 " by 6-7" long. If you can't find enough good ones, overlap some of the larger ones to give wide, sturdy, unbroken surfaces to spread the dough on. Pat the chosen leaves dry.

Forming tamales:

Tear extra husks into 1/4" wide strips, to tie tamales. Lay out a large, lightly dried corn husk. Spread a portion (@ 3-4 Tablespoons) of the dough into about a 4-inch square, leaving @ a 1 1/4" border along the sides. Spoon the filling down the center of the dough. Pick up the the two sides of the corn husk and bring them together, causing the dough to surround the filling, then wrap it around the filling. Twist and tie off the ends (not too tightly, they will expand during steaming).

Steaming the tamales:

Set up a large saucepan with a collapsible vegetable steamer or a Chinese bamboo steamer and @ 1" of water. It's best to line the steamer with extra corn husks to protect the tamale from direct steam contact, and to add more flavor. Make sure there are small openings for drainage, so condensing steam won't pool.  If the tamales don't take up the entire steamer, fill in the open spaces with loosely wadded aluminum fill to keep them from falling down. When all the tamales are in the steamer, cover them with a layer of leftover husks. Set the Lid in place and steam over a constant heat for about 1 hour.

Open the tamale husk and drizzle approximately 1 tablespoon of the yummy, and syrupy duck sauce over the duck tamale, and let your mouth delight if the fragrance of "fusion cuisine".

 

From Ain'ts to Saints- and a Sandwich in Their Honor

This Sunday I attended the Alumnae Brunch of the Xavier University Club #6. Club #6 happens to be the Los Angeles chapter New Orleans’ Xavier University, and the largest and most active of the alumnae chapters of Xavier outside of New Orleans itself.

While the business at hand was fund raising, there were many updates throughout the day on the status of the Saint’s game. Norman Francis, President of Xavier University for 4 decades (and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom) got up to speak, and the first thing he said was “I watched the first half of the Saint’s game in my hotel room this morning, and I want to give you an update.” He gave the latest score, and talked about the team going to the Super Bowl this year- "from ain’ts to Saints”.

In 2006, the year after the flood, the Saints made it to the playoffs, and I remember my brother, Al, saying, “now Uncle can die happy” referring to my Uncle Roy, the last of my father’s remaining siblings. They didn’t make it to the Super Bowl that year, although the New Orleans valiantly supported their team, and gave them a rousing welcome home parade in spite of their not quite making it. Al told me this morning that this year is their best shot. “They’ve got a great team,” he said, “and they’re undefeated so far.”

In their honor, I’m offering my Cal-Italo version of a New Orleans Italian classic, the muffelata. A fellow catering chef, who also happens to hail from the Crescent City area, and who I sometimes run across once said to me, “Why would anyone eat a muffelata, when they can get an oyster po’boy?”  Well, I know what he means. I’ve never cared for pickled vegetables myself, and the traditional muffelata sandwich tops its selection of Italian deli meats with a green olive and pickled vegetable salad (usually containing cauliflower, carrots and celery). I also happen to prefer black olives to green, so I’ve come up with my own way of dressing the sandwich. I hope you’ll enjoy it.  And go Saints!

 

“Cal- Italo” Muffelata

For each sandwich:

3-4 slices each of :
Mortadella, Capocolla, Salame, and Calabrese (or any combination thereof)

2  slices of very thin Prosciutto

1-2 slices Provolone Cheese

1/2 Roasted Red Bell Pepper

Tapenade *

Lettuce and Tomatoes

Mayonnaise (or if you’re feeling ambitious, you can make some aioli)

I like to use a crusty California style Petit Pain  Rustique (available at La Brea Bakery and Trader Joe’s here in L.A.) for individual sandwiches. You can use larger Pain Rustique, Foccacia, or Ciabbata, and slice the sandwiches into smaller pieces. In New Orleans, they use a softer Italian, and usually sesame crusted, loaf.

* I make my own, using the following recipe from Joyce Goldstein’s The Mediterranean Kitchen, but you can use premade tapenade available at Costco, Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.


Tapenade

1 cup pitted Niçoise or Kalamata olives ( okay- you can throw in some green olives, too, if you like)

2 tablespoons rinsed and chopped capers

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons  rinsed and chopped anchovies (you can leave these out if you are serving vegetarians, but if you aren’t please keep them in)

1/2 teaspoon or so of freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons of Cognac or Armagnac (optional)

1 tablespoon of grated orange zest (optional)

4-6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Aioli

Add to food processor bowl:

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon over them and let sit for 10 minutes

Mince:

3 large cloves gralic (or more if you are brave)

Sprinkle @ 1 1/2 T. kosher salt over garlic and mash to a paste

Add to the egg and yolk along with 1 scant t. Dijon mustard

Slowly drizzle in through feed tube if food processor:

1/2 C. extra vrigin olive oil

1 C. canola oil

until an emulsion forms

Finish with freshly ground white pepper and a few more drops of lemon juice, to taste

Place all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until pureed, but still slightly chunky. Ms. Goldstein advises us to use it “recklessly”.

BlogHer Food 2009's Local Reunion Lunch Meet Up

I was privileged to enjoy a wonderful poolside lunch a few days ago with fellow food bloggers (we met last month at the 1st annual BlogHer Food conference in San Francisco), in The Dining Room (under the care of Executive Chef Dakota Weiss) at the newly renovated Shangri-La Hotel in Santa Monica. Thankfully it was Thursday, and not Wednesday, when our whole region was under a deluge. I couldn’t help noticing during my drive to Santa Monica that grateful Angelenos wasted no time in "untopping" their convertibles.

The Shangri-La is a perfect “Chamber of Commerce” spot of an oceanside boutique hotel retreat (and  speaking of “Chamber of Commerce- it was definitely a “Chamber of Commerce” day). The hotel houses a luxurious poolside bar and several cabañas- which I hear can be reserved if you’re looking for a more private meet up.

The Shangri-La graciously hosted our group, as they are seeking to build rapport with the local food blogging community. Kudos to the local food blogging community- we’re actually building a community here in notoriously community challenged L.A., and lunching at the Shangri-La was a great first step in the right direction.

I arrived a bit early, and had three menus placed in front of me as I sat down- the regular lunch menu, an "executive" lunch, and as it happened to be DineLA week, there was a special menu for that, too. It was the one to focus on for most of us.

Harry Shearer Interviews Army Corps of Engineer's Whistle Blower

Once again, I am so grateful for Harry Shearer's continuing to shine the spotlight on post flood New Orleans, and the ongoing issues the city faces, even when most of the country has seemed to move on.

Here is an excellent interview he did this weekend with Maria Garzino, a whistle blower within the Army Corps of Engineers. I especially hope all of you who still refer to the destruction of New Orleans as a "natural disaster" will listen.

Ciao,

Gisele, born in the now still mostly deserted 7th Ward of New Orleans

Off to Dillard University

Last week, my young cousin Byron left Los Angeles to attend Dillard University in New Orleans.

Byron, the oldest son of my cousin Illona, was born a sensitive kid, and sometimes that sensitivity wandered into moodiness (hey- I understand that one). When Illona gave birth to Justin, Byron’s younger brother, she decided to close up the day care business she had run since she was a teenager, and take a job at USC, in the hopes that both of her sons would take advantage of the tremendous educational benefit offered to employees and their families, and attend college there. But Byron struggled academically. I remember a couple of years back when I heard he was considering colleges in Louisiana, asking him what had happened to USC.

“I can’t get in there” Byron said, with an air that was matter of fact, but masking a ruefulness at the same time.

Justin has greatly excelled academically, and also packed up to go off to school this year, to a prestigious boarding school on Ojai, to which he received a scholarship. Illona gave them a farewell party a couple of weekends back, and I felt some undercurrents of “less than” expectations for Byron, while, of course, very high expectations were expressed for Justin. Not a healthy situation, perhaps, for either of them.

Illona was very happy that Byron was accepted to Dillard. “They’re willing to work with him” she said. “He’ll get more attention there.”

I am thrilled that Byron will be spending the next few years in New Orleans and wrote him a good bye letter saying as much. Here is a copy of the letter I wrote and delivered  to him the day before he left.

4 Years Later

 "The stark and tragic images of human suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina reminded us, yet again, that civil rights and equal rights are still the great unfinished business of America."

                                                                                                                     -Senator Edward Kennedy

This weekend marks the 4th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s hit on the Gulf Coast, and today the 4th anniversary of New Orleans’ awakening, in spite of being spared a direct hit, to being flooded by the effects of waters surging up the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. And this week marks the 4th year since the startling “Third World” images were broadcast across our airwaves from one of our nation’s most beloved cities. It’s all been overshadowed in the news, of course, by the death and funeral of Sen. Edward Kennedy.

I was heartened to hear the above quote this week from Sen. Kennedy, which told me that he understood the significance of what happened in New Orleans. He understood it in a way that the administration in power at the time completely failed to, and that many Americans still fail to understand.

I am reminded, in thinking about this, of a dinner party I attended a few months back. One of the other guests was a woman who had immigrated to the U.S. from Russia. Somehow the discussion right away got on to political matters, and she made the statement that there was no corruption in the U.S. Now granted, it’s most likely not a fair comparison between Russia and the U.S. when it comes to corruption, but as you probably suspect, I heartily disagreed. And though I don’t remember the segue, she then uttered the phrase “well, except for slavery” in referring to American history, and our lack of corruption. Well, that just floored me. It’s beyond me how anyone can discuss America at all and discount slavery- and its effects which still reverberate throughout every aspect of our lives. Not just slavery, which some people may dismiss by saying it happened a long time ago, but the Civil War over slavery, the Reconstruction period following the war, the Jim Crow period following that, the fight for civil rights which grew out of Jim Crow, right into today’s so called “post racial America” of President Barack Obama with its “birther” movement, and tea bag parties.

I said many times during our past Presidential race, that it was my belief that the candidacy and eventual Presidency of Obama, gave this country the opportunity to heal, in a way we’ve never had before, the deep wound of slavery that is so central to our history and national psyche.

If one is alert at all, and honest, the images of post-Katrina New Orleans should have reminded us, that we can never say, “except for slavery” when discussing American history, nor that there is no corruption in America. It’s once again time, to grab the opportunity, and renew our commitment to the dream of an America where there is liberty and justice for all.

P.S. New Orleans still needs our help. Here is a link where you will find actions that you can take now to help. Katrina Action Network

Ms. Leah Chase Receives Another Lifetime Acheivement Award

Ms. Chase, whose name readers of this blog are familiar with, was given another lifetime achievement award this month- this time from the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans (she had previously received one from the Southern Foodways Alliance) .

When I mentioned it to my uncle he responded, "it's no wonder-she's important to that city and its food reputation." I might also add that she is such an inspiration to so many, working tirelessly for what she believes in, and always very gracious and accessible to all.

Here's a clip from the Southern Food and Beverage Museum's latest newsletter.

This past month, the Southern Food and Beverage Museum hosted its gala in honor of Leah Chase.  During the dedication ceremony, Leah's granddaughter pointed out that Leah never lets the bad (Katrina) or the good (awards and honors) stop her from continuing along her path.  To drive the idea home, she ended her speech with a message to her grandmother, in words that Leah must often use, regarding the gallery named after her at SoFAB. 

"Grandma, this is great.  We knew you could do it.  We are proud of you.  Now let's move on."

Next post I'll share with you what Ms. Chase had to say to me about the differences between  Cajun and Creole food the last time I spoke with her. You'll love it, so tune in.

My Father's Day Tribute

My father has been gone now for 13 years. About a week after my father's funeral my youngest brother called to say he had dreamed about Dad. "He was standing beside a barbecue grill" Eric said.

It was appropriate. My father enjoyed cooking. My mother was the everyday cook, especially when  we kids were young, as Dad worked overtime in those early days to establish his practice. My father was the holiday cook.  My mother was the adventurer, trying all sorts of new recipes when we arrived in Los Angeles- lasagna made with cottage and jack cheeses, and tacos made with  ground beef and those awful premade hard shells- it was the 50's after all. Dad was the keeper of the flame, cooking the dishes he had watched his mother cook in New Orleans- the gumbos, and the oyster and ground beef stuffing for turkey that was traditional in our family. Mom tried a chestnut dressing one of our first Thanksgivings in Los Angeles. We all pronounced it "nasty" and it was never seen again.

My father left New Orleans for Los Angeles when I was young, in search of a better life for himself and his family.  He took us back to visit as often as he could, and I have many fond memories of steamy summers there. I loved the large Sunday family gatherings in the shared yard between the two houses my grandfather had built on St. Anthony Street many years before, one occupied by my Aunt Leticia and her family, and the other by my Nanny Marion. There was ham, fried chicken, potato salad and watermelon, and all sorts of deliciously flavored sodas which were delivered by the crateload to the houses like milk was delivered to ours. We were not allowed sodas back home in Los Angeles, except on very rare occasions- my father was a dentist and it was deemed unhealthy for us. Along with the feast, there was a whole lot of storytelling, music and dancing. Dad would often spend our last day there filling an ice chest with shell fish from the Gulf to take back to Los Angeles. I realized, when I started writing about New Orleans, how much he must have missed it, and the family he left behind. He continued to visit regularly for the rest of his life. Now I, too, have come to understand the appeal of "the city that care forgot", and indeed to love it. I often wonder what life would have been if we had stayed there, and I recognize the difficulty of the choice he made.

Choices

I wrote earlier about meeting Misty in the French Quarter at En Vie. She gave me her phone number, so I called her again towards the end of my trip. She asked how I had enjoyed my visit. I shared with her that it had been somewhat difficult for me.

She said "New Orleans tests you if you want to live here."

Indeed.

I say she's a tough mistress. Charming and beautiful, but petulant and demanding. She’s difficult, and entrenched in her ways, but her allure is undeniable. She gets her hooks in you, and doesn’t let go.

Misty suggested I just sit back and let things happen when I expressed my frustration to her.

How differently people there approach things. Here in Los Angeles everyone is into making things happen, “creating","manifesting” their own reality.  They believe in attracting everything to themselves that they need or want. I’ve even heard the suggestion that you can change things in your life in an instant by changing your mind, making a choice.

But in New Orleans, people have squarely hit against forces they cannot control. I remember using the phrase “ever since they started trying to tame the river” in the presence of my friend Jerry, a fellow expatriate of NOLA. What exactly I was discussing, I don’t remember, but I was, no doubt, showing off my newly learned knowledge after reading RISING TIDE: THE GREAT MISSISSIPPI FLOOD OF 1927 AND HOW IT CHANGED AMERICA , and learning a great deal about the history of the Army Corps of Engineers’ flawed attempts at flood control in the region.

Jerry let out a hearty guffaw. “You can’t control that river.”

And so it’s true. The river is mighty- wild and powerful- and a force beyond our control, as it keeps reminding us.

I talked to a friend last week who asked about my trip. Once again, I found myself saying to someone, that it was “somewhat difficult.” I started in, relating to her the various moods I’ve encountered in NOLA during my trips since the flood.  The celebratory mood at the homecoming to the first Mardi Gras PK, the realization of the hard realities they were hitting a year later, and the entrenched discouragement of this trip, in spite of small and individual successes.

“I was reading something about New Orleans the other day” she said. “The article said the city isn’t coming back, that whole neighborhoods are still empty.”

“It’s not true. It is coming back” I responded. “Some neighborhoods are back and doing well. Some are not. But it all depends now on the choices they make.”  Yes-choices.

While choices are important in creating our reality-and when I think about Ray Nagin (hmmm-maybe it would be good if they kept him in China) I realize it’s something the people of New Orleans need to consider very seriously- the rest of us can learn from them that we cannot control every force. We learn that we must live in balance, that we must make good and proper choices to live harmoniously with those forces, and that our good and proper choices must still sometimes inevitably yield to forces beyond our control

Okay- I promise we'll get back to food and fun next time.

Ciao,

Gisele

Treeless Leeves- The Army Corps Is At It Again

Army Corps orders thousands of trees chopped down 

Here they go again. The Army Corps of Engineers' track record when it comes to flood control along the Mississippi has been disastrous. Remember the drowning of New Orleans. Here's a clue- it wasn't the natural disaster Hurricane Katrina that devastated the city.

Just a couple of months before the post-Katrina flooding of NOLA, I finished reading  a book I highly recommend to everyone.  RISING TIDE: THE GREAT MISSISSIPPI FLOOD OF 1927 AND HOW IT CHANGED AMERICA by John Barry is, among other things, a history of the flawed policies regarding flood control in the Mississippi Delta. It's a book that took Mr. Barry 20 years to write, and although it is history, it reads like a novel. I highly recommend it to anyone who ever wondered how it was that New Orleans found itself in the position it did in late August of 2005. In fact, I recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand New Orleans. You'll also come away learning much about this country, and how things work in the corridors of power, just in case you didn't know already.

And now, I read today the article linked to above on the latest pursuits of the Army Corps. Please read it (and seriously-pick up Rising Tide) and then do whatever you can to get the word out about this, and hopefully stop it. Do we really need, in a world threatened by global warming, to have our government destroy thousands of trees (many old growth) across the country? Please take action now!