Class Schedule - May 2012
$30 per person
* We require phone or email confirmation for a reservation. Full payment for class is required 3pm the day before class to guarantee your reservation.
Class Descriptions
For information on our "Hands On" classes, please click here.
Monday's - Red Beans & Rice
The kidney bean or red bean was brought to New Orleans by white sugar planters that fled from Haiti after the slave revolution. Red beans and
rice is a traditional dish of Louisiana Creole cuisine. Originally red beans and rice were made only on Mondays because of wash days. New
Orleans women would be out hand washing the laundry while the red beans slowly cooked on the stove. While Monday washdays are largely a
thing of the past, Red Beans remains a traditional dish in households as well as many restaurants on Mondays. The Red Beans otherwise known
as kidney beans are soaked overnight before cooking. After soaking the beans you discard the old water and replace it with new water for your
pot. Add finely diced or pureed holy trinity (green bell peppers, white onions, celery) plus green onions, parsley and garlic. We refer to the six
vegetables as the “Holier than Thou Trinity”. Then you can add creole spices and hot sauce. In the past pork bones were added which were left
over from Sunday dinner. It is an old custom from the time when ham was a Sunday meal and Monday was washday. Today we add ham hocks or
diced ham to add flavor to the beans. Then slowly cook your beans over a low heat for several hours and serve over rice. Sign up for a Cooking Class Here >>
Tuesday's - Shrimp Etouffee
Crawfish étouffée was created in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Breaux Bridge is in Acadiana or what locals refer to as Cajun
Country. The restaurants of Breaux Bridge were the first to offer crawfish openly on their menus, and is well known for its
crawfish farming and cooking. In 1959, the Louisiana legislature officially designated Breaux Bridge as "la capitale Mondiale
de l'ecrevisse" or "the crawfish capital of the world". Étouffée is pronounced Eh Too Fay, and comes from the French word
étouffer, which means to smother. This luscious dish star ts with a roux. A cr eole roux is made by browning butter or
oil and flour together on a low heat. The roux used for an étouffée is a brownish-or ange color, which is much
lighter than a gumbo roux. This lighter roux will give the dish a completely dif fer ent taste than gumbo, and has a
thicker consistency than gumbo. Like many Louisiana dishes the holy trinity (onions, green peppers and celery) is added . It is usually
seasoned with cajun spices, green onions, garlic, parsley, and a rich shrimp stoc k. The best way to describe the dish is a thick cajun
stew full of delicious, plump crawfish (or shrimp, depending on the season). Étouffée is usually served over rice. Sign up for a Cooking Class Here >>
Wednesday's - Jambalaya
Although there is much speculation about the origin of jambalaya, the facts are unclear. The most commonly repeated folklore is that the word
derives from the combination of the French jambon meaning ham, the French article à la a contraction of à la manière de meaning "in the style
of," and ya, thought to be of West African origin meaning rice. Hence, the dish was named "jamb à la ya." However, ham is not the signature
ingredient of the dish and there is no known African language in which "ya" means "rice." Another source suggests that the word comes from the
Spanish jamon (ham) + paella, a noted Spanish rice dish. However, Spanish speakers would call a ham paella paella con jamon, not jamon paella.
All we know for sure is the first records of Creole Jambalaya originate from the French Quarter in New Orleans. It was an attempt by the Spanish
to make paella in the New World. The strong French influence in New Orleans, and spices from the Caribbean changed this New World paella into
a unique dish. Creole Jambalaya or “Red Jambalaya” is found primarily in and around New Orleans. Creole Jambalaya includes tomatoes in their
recipe is why the Cajuns refer to it as Red Jambalaya. Creole Jambalaya includes a variety of different ingredients including tomatoes, chicken,
shrimp, The Holier than Thou Trinity (onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, green onion and, parsley), rice, creole spices and hot sauce . The Cajun
Jambalaya originated in southern Louisiana by the Cajuns around the bayou. The Cajun Jambalaya includes a variety of meats such as tasso (a
cajun dried pork or turkey), andouille (smoked pork sausage), chicken, or any wild game. They also include the Holy Trinity , rice, & cajun spices. Sign up for a Cooking Class Here >>
Thursday's - Chicken & Andouille Gumbo
While a Creole roux is made from butter and flour the Cajun roux is made from oil and flour. Cajun gumbos are
made with a darker roux. This is why they use the oil instead of the butter because they can achieve a darker roux with oil rather than
butter. The gumbo is double-thickened with dark oil-based roux and then using either okra or filé powder, but never both. The Cajuns
preferred the filé powder over the okra. The use of filé (dried and ground sassafras leaves) was a contribution by the Choctaw Indians.
The Cajuns typically make a chicken and andouille sausage gumbo. Although, in Acadiana you can find gumbos made from various wild
game meat. The Cajuns include the Holy Trinity (onions, bell pepper and celery) in their recipe but never tomatoes. Sign up for a Cooking Class Here >>
Friday's - Seafood Gumbo
All great gumbos begin with a roux. Roux has its origin in French cuisine. The word roux is derived from the french word beurre which
mean browned butter. The roux used in gumbos is much darker than a typical roux made by the French. Creole gumbos are made by
browning the flour with butter and creating a medium-brown roux. The thick soup also contains a mixture of vegetables referred to as the
Holy Trinity (onions, bell peppers and celery). We like to add garlic, green onions and parsley to create the Holier than Thou Trinity.
Seafood Gumbo contains some combination of oysters, shrimp, crawfish, and/or crabs. The Creoles favored okra in their gumbo over filé
powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves). The word gumbo was derived from a West African word for okra, suggesting that gumbo was
originally made with okra. Creoles always add tomatoes to their gumbo too. Tomatoes are used in Creole gumbo due to the influence of
Italian immigrants to the city. Sign up for a Cooking Class Here >>
Saturday's - Jambalaya
Although there is much speculation about the origin of jambalaya, the facts are unclear. The most commonly repeated folklore is that the word
derives from the combination of the French jambon meaning ham, the French article à la a contraction of à la manière de meaning "in the style
of," and ya, thought to be of West African origin meaning rice. Hence, the dish was named "jamb à la ya." However, ham is not the signature
ingredient of the dish and there is no known African language in which "ya" means "rice." Another source suggests that the word comes from the
Spanish jamon (ham) + paella, a noted Spanish rice dish. However, Spanish speakers would call a ham paella paella con jamon, not jamon paella.
All we know for sure is the first records of Creole Jambalaya originate from the French Quarter in New Orleans. It was an attempt by the Spanish
to make paella in the New World. The strong French influence in New Orleans, and spices from the Caribbean changed this New World paella into
a unique dish. Creole Jambalaya or “Red Jambalaya” is found primarily in and around New Orleans. Creole Jambalaya includes tomatoes in their
recipe is why the Cajuns refer to it as Red Jambalaya. Creole Jambalaya includes a variety of different ingredients including tomatoes, chicken,
shrimp, The Holier than Thou Trinity (onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, green onion and, parsley), rice, creole spices and hot sauce . The Cajun
Jambalaya originated in southern Louisiana by the Cajuns around the bayou. The Cajun Jambalaya includes a variety of meats such as tasso (a
cajun dried pork or turkey), andouille (smoked pork sausage), chicken, or any wild game. They also include the Holy Trinity , rice, & cajun spices. Sign up for a Cooking Class Here >>
Sunday's - Chicken & Andouille Gumbo
While a Creole roux is made from butter and flour the Cajun roux is made from oil and flour. Cajun gumbos are
made with a darker roux. This is why they use the oil instead of the butter because they can achieve a darker roux with oil rather than
butter. The gumbo is double-thickened with dark oil-based roux and then using either okra or filé powder, but never both. The Cajuns
preferred the filé powder over the okra. The use of filé (dried and ground sassafras leaves) was a contribution by the Choctaw Indians.
The Cajuns typically make a chicken and andouille sausage gumbo. Although, in Acadiana you can find gumbos made from various wild
game meat. The Cajuns include the Holy Trinity (onions, bell pepper and celery) in their recipe but never tomatoes. Sign up for a Cooking Class Here >>
