New Orleans Beignets at Cafe du Monde

Beignets served at Cafe du Monde 24/7

Cafe du Monde at Jackson Square

"Only two spots left!" the horse carriage driver bellowed. At Jackson Square, several of these vehicles depart at a time.  They wind around the streets, the nimble horses hooves rhythmically clicking against the pavement like long fingernails tapping on keyboards. On the opposite side of the street, one of the main landmarks in the city-Cafe du Monde- is open day and night. Inside, flocks of waiters and waitresses flutter around tables, as tourists sit down to vaccuum in the snow-covered, irregular-shaped donuts, excited to be in a restaurant that never closes. 

On the opposite side of the square, St. Louis' Cathedral regally reaches to the night sky, as statues cast giant shadows that enthrall photo-takers.

St. Louis Cathedral interior, at Jackson Square

The second Cafe du Monde location is in another section of town, near the view of the bustling Mississippi River. A small cafe du monde is surrounded by the competing stands doing their best to sell the hottest hot sauce on earth, while long barges float, seeming clumsy, much like a Hummer or limousine trying to find a parking space in a crowded parking lot. It is closer to the port where coffee entered the United States for the first time in the 1700's. so  people quickly grew fond of the unique taste in their cup, thus still adding it to Louisiana coffee to this day.

History 

In the middle ages, the Spanish made bunuelos, fried flour-water balls. The French made a similar concoction called beignets (from the word beigne which means to raise), and took them to Louisiana, where it became a staple, and was declared the state donut in 1986. In New Orleans, Cafe du Monde began serving strong coffee and beignets since 1862, during the Civil War. 

The New Orleans coffee served along with the beignets has chicory (endive root, related to lettuce) in it, because it was added to stretch coffee supplies during the French civil war, when it was scarce. It added body and flavor.

Pontalba Building, at Plaza de Armas (Jackson Square)

Recipe from: http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/2276442-Cafe-Du-Monde-Beignets

1 tablespoon yeast 

3/4 cup of warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

1/2 cup of evaporated milk

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 tablespoons shortening

3 1/2 cups of flour

optional: experiment by placing 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Homemade beignet dough

Homemade beignet squares

Roller for cutting beignet dough into squares (Cafe du Monde, Riverwalk)

Heat water until it is almost boiling, add a tablespoon of sugar, then cool until the water reaches 115 degrees.  Add the yeast to it. Mix ingredients in bowl; beat the yeast water in too. Knead the dough for five minutes, and let sit for an hour. Next, roll out the dough onto a generously floured surface, and cut into squares. The dough will be very soft; therefore you will need a lot of flour. Fry the squares in a pot filled with oil until they're golden. Remove them and place on paper towels. Serve on a dish; sift powdered sugar on top of them. If you only spoon the sugar on them, it will clump.

Homemade beignets fresh out of frying pot

Beignet frier at Cafe du Monde, Riverwalk

Sprinkling powdered sugar on the beignets

References
http://www.ehow.com/about_5392837_history-beignets.html
http://www.mademan.com/mm/history-beignets.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091119093550AAsqVeP
http://coffeetea.about.com/od/typesoftea/a/Chicory.htm
http://www.cafedumonde.com/coffee

Bananas Foster from New Orleans

Mardi Gras mask next to Bananas Foster on homemade vanilla ice cream

The rumbling sounds of the band entered Jackson Square. The familiar notes of "Oh when the saints....go marching in...." reminded all tourists that they were in New Orleans, a city of music. 

When you entered the French Quarter, where lace ironwork adorned with vibrant greenery and delicate flowers framed every balcony, you might spot a tourist seated to observe the crowds below.
The Spanish crown still proudly waves its flag over this area, announcing every street name in its tongue. When you turn onto Royal Street, or Calle Real, your feet and ears will force you to stop and listen to the blues, or rock, or even Led Zeppelin and Michael Jackson being played on a violin and ukulele as the transfixed crowd irepressibly smiles. The only way for you to advance along this street is to tear yourself away from the music to take a break every so often in one of several art galleries, where you will find anything from French art to local artists' clever transformation of recycled material into "canvas" for poignant portraits of people.

If you hurry, you might finally see Brennan's sign, further ahead, where you can try the original bananas foster.

History

The only deepwater port in the U.S., this city has been key in the entrance of many products in the past to this nation, such as coffee, and bananas in the 1950's. It was created at Brennan's restaurant on Royal Street in the French quarter of New Orleans in 1951 by Chef Paul Blange, and named after one of his best clients, Richard Foster. Often, the lighting of the alcohol, a feat, is done in front of the customer, next to his/her table.

The smooth cinnamon syrup combined with the cooked, soft bananas tastes delicious on vanilla ice cream. 

Recipe from Brennan's http://www.brennansneworleans.com/r_bananasfoster.html

6 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups brown sugar

6 whole bananas, peeled, halved lengthwise and quartered

1/3 cup dark rum

1/4 cup creme de banana

Vanilla Ice cream

Heat the cinnamon, sugar, butter, brown sugar, and banana slices, cooking for five minutes. Add dark rum, and light it with a match until the alcohol burns off. Add the creme de banana and repeat; this one may be harder to burn, depending on the content of alcohol in the brand you choose. I was successful with the rum on my second try, but my banana creme refused to burn! I was only able to find one brand in the supermarket, so I had no choice.

Serve warm on top of vanilla ice cream. It is best to serve immediately. However, if it is necessary, you can save leftovers and warm in the microwave, then place on top of ice cream once more.

References

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Fruit/BananaFoster.htm

http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/review/USA_LA_Port_of_New_Orleans_254.php

Buttermilk Pie at Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana

A young woman in a flowering antebellum yellow dress gaped at the locked door to the patio. "That happens often. Some people say that a ghost is responsible," she commented, then told a man in our group how he could remove the lock. I shivered as I saw the black netting covering the mirrors in the lonely rooms, and observed an abandoned tea tray left on a bed. 

When we exited the house, I marvelled at the beauty of the oaks in the garden.  Two rows of them were facing each other, like the marines that held up swords out for contestants in the Miss Universe pageant. In this case, however, the star was not a person-- it was the plantation home. 

We were at Oak Alley Plantation, one of the old sugarcane plantations of the South, located in Vacherie, Louisiana. A leaflet outside the house boasted the movies (Such as Interview with a Vampire), TV shows (Ghost Hunters, for example), and Beyoncé music video that had showcased the lavishly set home. A ride on a road alongside the Mississippi River bank will take you past several sugarcane plantation homes that are about 45 minutes away from New Orleans.  Oak Alley (and several others, such as St. Joseph´s Plantation, Laura´s Creole Plantation) is located on the side of the river that is a bit more protected from the Mississippi River flooding.

Its restaurant features among many other dishes, several sumptuous desserts. The pecan pie I tasted was good enough to make me want to make it  and compare it to my present favorite recipe. For this post, I chose their buttermilk pie, something I had never tasted before (unless butterscotch pie counts).

Oak Alley Plantation Recipe

1 3/4 cup raw or light brown sugar
8 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
9-inch unbaked pie crust
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (sprinkle on top of pie after it is cooked)

Preheat the oven to 350º. After preparing an unbaked pie crust, mix the pie batter. Melt the butter in the microwave, place it in a bowl, and add sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla, and buttermilk (you can make the buttermilk by placing half a tablespoon of lemon juice in a 1/2 cup measure, then add milk until it fills the cup--let it sit for five minutes). As you can see in the photo on the left, the batter resembles pecan pie batter, except it doesn´t have pecans. After you have mixed the batter properly, pour it into the pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. When it is done, sprinkle the cinnamon on top. 

 References
Oak Alley Plantation Buttermilk Pie Recipe Postcard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttermilk_pie
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-buttermilk-pie.htm
http://www.oakalleyplantation.com/visiting/restaurant/