Making Roux with the High Priestess of the Bayou

It’s hard to make any authentic New Orleans dish without starting with a roux base, but cooking a proper roux is one of the most difficult skills to master. So I jumped at the chance to attend a class on cooking roux from the High Priestess of the Bayou, aka Janice Bourgeois “Boo” Macomber.

The High Priestess, "Boo" Macomber

And why was she teaching this class? Because she just published a book, of course! The High Priestess also teaches cooking classes throughout Louisiana, and this class was sponsored by the Southern Food & Beverage Museum. That was enough culinary credibility for me. More importantly, she was taught to cook in the traditional Cajun way by her mother and grandmother.

This is what a blonde roux looks like.

Here are a few of the roux-making secrets I learned from the High Priestess. How long do you cook the roux? For three beers. When a teetotaler asked for clarification, she advised 45 minutes over medium heat and 15 minutes over high heat. But, she warned, you should never attempt to cook a roux over high heat unless you are a born and bred Cajun. What do you do with roux? Turns out that roux is for much more than just gumbo. It can be used as the basis for red beans & rice, dirty rice, jambalaya, and many other popular dishes. 

Lined up for a taste of the High Priestess' cooking.

According to the High Priestess, this is the proper way to cook a roux.

Ingredients

Holy Trinity (3 onions, 4-5 celery stalks, and 1 bell pepper, chopped)

Resurrection (the addition of 3-4 minced garlic cloves to the Holy Trinity)

Trifecta (Worcestershire sauce, salt, and cayenne pepper)


Preparation

  

1.       Start with a large saucepan and warm it over medium heat. Add 3/4 cup vegetable oil and 1 cup flour and begin stirring. Do not use butter or olive oil.

2.       Open your first beer and turn on some music.

3.       Keep stirring. It should be bubbling but not burning.

4.       Open your second beer. Your roux should have some color. This stage is called a blonde roux.

5.       Keep stirring.

6.       Open your third beer. When your roux turns the color of peanut butter, throw in one chopped onion. The onion will cool down the roux, and the caramelizing of the onion will keep the roux from burning.

7.       Add the rest of the onion.

8.       Add the rest of the Holy Trinity (or Resurrection, if you prefer).

9.        Season with the Trifecta to taste.

     10.   You’re done! Open another beer and celebrate.

Jambalaya made with the High Priestess' roux.

We are leaving New Orleans soon, so my first attempt at roux will be in California. But as long as I cook it while drinking Abita and listening to zydeco, my roux should be a success.

Me & Kermit

A New Orleans native who grew up in the music-rich Treme district, Kermit Ruffins is a famous jazz trumpeter, newly minted restaurateur, and sometimes actor (primarily playing himself). He has a standing gig with his BBQ Swingers at Vaughan's Lounge--a dive bar on Lesseps Street in the Bywater neighborhood. This is no ordinary bar.You have to buzz first, and then they let you in.  

Vaughan's Lounge--a legendary neighborhood New Orleans bar.

Vaughan's is a simple set-up with two levels: the first level consists of a dance floor with a few tables, a jukebox playing rock n’ roll hits from the 50s & 60s, and a cigarette machine. A few stairs up, the second level has a bar which serves cheap beers and cocktails in plastic cups.

A dog-friendly bar! Actually, not a rare sight in New Orleans.

Kermit was the first in his band to arrive, and we recognized him right away. He helped himself to one of the Bud Lights in the ice bucket and set up his iPod to start playing tunes—Elton John’s "Benny and the Jets," Jay Z’s "Empire State of Mind," and Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon" were just a few of the selections on his eclectic playlist.

Waiting for the band to begin...

 We decided to approach him for a picture, and he very graciously obliged.

Where can you get a hat like Kermit's? Just buy it here.

Emboldened, we took the opportunity to pepper him with a few burning questions. Which jazz trumpeters does he admire? Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan. What made Louis Armstrong one of the greatest trumpeters of all time? He could hit a higher octave on his trumpet than any other trumpeter before or since. Why Bud Light? He can drink it throughout the set and never worry about getting drunk. Who's doing the cooking at his new club in the Treme? Kermit does the cooking, and his meat is sourced from his friend’s freezer full of game meat. Last week he cooked up raccoon and he encouraged us to stop by on Sunday for his sea turtle soup.

Kermit doesn't just play the trumpet, he also sings.

The band started out with some crowd favorites like "The Sunny Side of the Street," but gradually the tempo picked up, the drinks loosened everyone’s inhibitions, and the dance floor got crowded. Here's Kermit and the BBQ Swingers performing "Swing Your Booty All Night Long," which really got everyone moving.

If you want to see Kermit, and you really should, you can catch him on Sundays cooking and blowing at his own place, Kermit's Treme Speakeasy, on Tuesdays at Bullets, and on Thursdays at Vaughan's.

Louisiana Junk Food--Sweets, Part 2

Uncle Al’s Stage Planks and Lemon Planks

Waiting in line at the corner grocery store, I got into a conversation with the guy behind me. He pointed out the Stage Planks next to the register and fell into a reverie of how his grandmother would serve him Stage Planks and a cola every day after school. So I grabbed a pack of the Stage Planks and Lemon Planks when I checked out. These cookies have a long history in the Louisiana area but are getting harder and harder to find.

Beware--Planks are addictive. The Stage Planks are similar to a thin ginger or spice cookie, but even crispier. The Lemon Planks are similarly crisp but more like a sugar cookie, and the lemon flavor seems to emanate from the frosting. 

These taste like spice cookies

and these taste like sugar cookies with lemon frosting

Le Jeune Bakery’s Original Old Fashion Ginger Cake

Five generations of Le Jeune’s have been baking Ginger Cake and French Bread (their only two products) since 1884, and they continue to use original recipes developed in the 19th century. But sometimes change is good, and perhaps the LeJeune clan should take this to heart. The Ginger Cake is dry and not very gingery in flavor. It tastes like something you would pack for a long and arduous journey. 

Meh

Cajun Brand Sweet Dough Tart, Pineapple Flavor

This sweet is also known as Cajun Pie, and is particular to the Cajun area of Louisiana. Cajun Pie/Sweet Dough Tart is a well-loved treat in Cajun Country. Cajun Brand uses a recipe that is more than a century old, and like the Ginger Cake, its age is showing. It’s available in a number of flavors, from sweet potato to blackberry to coconut. Pineapple was the only variety left at the counter of Billy & Ray’s Boudin Shop where I picked up mine, which speaks to the popularity of Cajun Pie. This pie/tart doesn't resemble the flaky pastry one would normally expect. The filling was a bit dry and the ratio of filling to dough led to a very cakey product. But this may be due to the fact that the Sweet Dough Tart sat on our counter for a week before I tried it... I will give the Cajuns the benefit of the doubt and accept that this is more of an acquired taste.

Probably better when it hasn't been sitting around for a week and any other flavor besides pineapple.

Southern Sweet Potato Pie Company Ooey Gooey Cake

This cake is comprised of three layers—1) a dense bottom layer with a nice crumb and lightly sweet; 2) the ooey gooey layer whose consistency is just as advertised and is incredibly sweet; and 3) a crunchy sugary top. Even for me, this was too sweet. Half a piece is plenty and will still send you into a diabetic coma. Mayor Bloomberg would most certainly ban Ooey Gooey Cake.

Should come with a warning label.

The verdict--a big thumbs up to both Ooey Gooey Cake and Planks. It's a good thing we're heading back to California soon: all of this wonderful local junk food is affecting my waistline.