Taigan Fetch Magazine by Taigan

In My New Orleans: The Cookbook, Iron Chef finalist and James Beard award winner John Besh writes: “Mardi Gras is not just a party. It’s that crucial glue that keeps our city bonded.” He is right, of course, and there’s a whole chapter in his lovely new book that proves his case. But make no mistake, Mardi Gras is also a party. An extremely lively and really, really long one, and the bon temps definitely roll.

Carnival season in New Orleans officially begins on Twelfth Night (January 6th) and runs through Fat Tuesday. The last two weeks are especially concentrated with balls and parades, but it’s the last final days when full-throttle Mardi Gras Madness kicks in. The largest and most elaborate parades roll, monarchs at some of the grandest and oldest balls are crowned, and there is not an available table in the city for that last Friday lunch before Lent.

Packed in between are private affairs ranging from King Cake parties (whoever gets the slice containing the tiny plastic baby has to give the next one), parade watching parties, epic weekend brunches, spontaneous crawfish boils and post-ball breakfasts—just to name a few.

If you’re a local, you have no choice but to join in. And if you’re a displaced local, you feel compelled to spread the traditions. I have given Mardi Gras parties in Bath, England (featuring crawfish—or, as they say over there, crayfish—from Sweden, grits and grillades, bourbon soaked bread pudding) and the Upper East Side of Manhattan (shrimp remoulade; chicken ettouffee; and pralines for dessert) and watched as the bemused guests donned beads and ate every bite. In both venues I made Pimm’s Cups and Ramos Gin Fizzes and Sazeracs (recently voted the official cocktail of New Orleans by a Lousiana legislature who should have better things to do). So they also drank—a lot.

Taigan’s own Suzanne Rheinstein, Hollyhock proprietor and decorator extraordinaire, hasn’t lived in New Orleans for more than thirty years, but she celebrates in Los Angeles every carnival season with raw oysters on the half shell and gumbo or jambalaya. She fills her house with purple irises (the Mardi Gras colors are purple, green, and gold) and always serves Brandy Milk Punch, the New Orleans breakfast of champions and the tastiest hangover cure known to man.

For more formal affairs, she has jumbo lump crabmeat shipped in from “home,” serves it on Boston lettuce and tops it with a divine green goddess dressing, and follows with grillades or catfish courtbouillon (locally pronounced coobiyon). But it is not just Mardi Gras that inspires Suzanne’s Creole menus. “Our restaurants here are superb, so I don’t want to compete with that kind of food,” she tells me. “I always come back to the food I grew up with.” On Valentine’s Day, for example, she is throwing a brunch in honor of three houseguests, and plans a menu of an old-fashioned sausage, egg, and cheese casserole, “billionaire’s bacon” (broiled with brown sugar and black pepper and so delicious), and homemade buttermilk biscuits with hot pepper jelly. Accompanied, of course, by milk punch.

I myself will be imbibing a few milk punches on Mardi Gras morn before I venture out to catch the hand-painted-and-glittered coconuts thrown by the Krewe of Zulu, whose raucous parade kicks off the day. They are the most coveted parade “throws,” and almost as beautiful as the masks and crowns from Goldbug Studio whose amazingly talented owner and designer Ashley Carter grew up, not surprisingly, in New Orleans. Her masks are breathtakingly ethereal creations, and the perfect thing for an elegant Mardi Gras dinner or private masked ball.

I’m so inspired I may have to have a dinner (mask de riguer) myself. I am dreaming of a table set with gorgeous crystal glasses in Mardi Gras colors from Corzine and company, along with more crystal bowls jammed with the purple irises Suzanne recommends. I’ll start off with the aforementioned jumbo lump crab with green goddess dressing and follow with John Besh’s divine veal grillades and creamy jalapeno grits. For dessert, I’ll have Sucre’s festive purple, green, and gold King Cake, the best version of that traditional sweet I’ve found.

To make your own Mardi Gras inspired dinner, I offer recipes below, including the Brandy Milk Punch recipe in Besh’s cookbook from Timmy Riely, a Mardi Gras maven and long time lieutenant in the Krewe of Rex. – Julia Reed

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING

1 bunch green onions, roughly chopped with some green
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/3 cup parsley, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons chives, roughly chopped
1 cup mayonnaise, homemade or Hellman’s
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or more to taste
3 tablespoons anchovy paste
½ cup sour cream
salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix all ingredients except sour cream and salt and pepper in food processor until green onions and herbs are finely chopped and the mixture is well-blended. Place mixture in mixing bowl and fold in sour cream. Add salt and pepper and check for seasoning.

John Besh’s Jalapeno Cheese Grits
Serves 6-8

1 cup stone-ground white corn grits
1 jalapeno pepper
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons mascarpone or cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Edam cheese
Salt

1. Heat 4 cups of water in a large heavy-bottomed pot over high heat until it comes to a boil. Slowly pour in the grits while whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 20 minutes.
2. While the grits are cooking, pan-roast the jalapeno pepper in a small skillet over high heat until the skin is brown and blistered. Cut the pepper in half lengthwise and remove the skin and the seeds from the pepper and discard. Mince the flesh and add it to the pot of grits.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and fold in the butter, mascarpone, and Edam cheese. Season with salt.

John Besh’s Slow-Cooked Veal Grillades
Serves 6-8

4 pounds boneless veal shoulder, sliced into thin cutlets
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons Basic Creole Spices (see below)
1/4 cup rendered bacon fat
1 large onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups canned whole plum tomatoes, drained and diced
2 cups Basic Veal Stock (see below)
Leaves from 1 sprig fresh thyme
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
Tabasco
2 green onions, chopped

1. Season the veal cutlets with salt and pepper. Whisk the flour together with the Creole Spices in a medium bowl. Dredge the cutlets in a seasoned flour and shake off excess. Reserve a tablespoon of seasoned flour.
2. Melt the bacon fat in a large skillet over high heat. Fry the cutlets, several at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Take care not to overcrowd the skillet. Remove cutlets from the skillet and continue to cook in batches until all the veal has been browned. Set the veal aside while you continue making the sauce.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-high, add the onions to the same skillet, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until they are a deep mahogany color, about 20 minutes. Add the celery, bell pepper, and garlic, reduce the heat to moderate, and continue cooking, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon of reserved seasoned flour into the skillet and stir to mix it into the vegetables.
4. Increase heat to high, stir in the tomatoes and Veal Stock, and cook until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderate and stir the thyme, pepper flakes, bay leaf, and Worcestershire into the vegetables. Add the veal cutlets, cover, and simmer until the veal is fork tender, about 45 minutes.
5. Season with salt, pepper, and Tabasco, then add the green onions. Serve over creamy Jalapeno Cheese Grits.

Basic Creole Spices
Makes 1/2 cup

2 tablespoons celery salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1. Mix together the celery salt, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and allspice in a bowl. Transfer the spices to a clean container with a tight-fitting lid, cover, and store.

Basic Veal Stock
Makes 7 cups

1 pound veal bones
1/4 cup canola oil
2 onions, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 leek, white park, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bottle red wine
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the veal bones into a roasting pan and rub them with 2 tablespoons oil. Roast the bones until well browned, about 45 minutes.
2. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they are almost mahogany in color, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the celery, carrots, leeks, garlic, and tomato paste and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add the browned veal bones to the pot, along with the wine, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns and 3 quarts water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer, skimming any foam that rises to the surface, until the stock has reduced by half, about 2 hours.
5. Strain through a fine sieve into a container with a cover. Allow the stock to cool, then cover and refrigerate, or freeze the stock in small batches to use later.

Timmy’s Brandy Milk Punch
Serves 4

1 cup brandy
3 cups milk
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 gratings fresh nutmeg
Handful of ice cubes
Crushed ice in 4 glasses

1. Put the brandy, milk, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and ice cubes into a blender and blend for 20 seconds.
2. Strain into glasses of crushed ice and serve.

Above, far left: Mardi Gras and Milk Punch aficionado Timmy Reily, properly masked as a lieutenant in the Krewe of Rex. Clockwise from top center: Grand Lieu Amethyst Hock by Saint-Louis, Toccata Amber Hock by La Maison, Toccata Chartreuse Champagne Flute by La Maison, all at Corzine & Co.; The Golden Lady mask by Goldbug Studio at The Mercantile; Jumbo Lump Crabmeat with Green Goddess dressing; Grillades with Jalapeno Cheese Grits from My New Orleans: The Cookbook, 200 of My Favorite Recipes & Stories from My Hometown by John Besh

For King Cakes and Mardi Gras chocolates, shop Sucre on TAIGAN.com

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