Now that we’re settling into the new year, our thoughts in south Louisiana turn to Mardi Gras and—once again—to entertaining. With that in mind, we decided this month to create a Louisiana-inspired menu incorporating some of the biggest food trends for 2017, including healthful herbs and spices like thyme and turmeric, purple vegetables and coconut oil.
The result is a menu of simple, tasty and just slightly trendy dishes that will delight your guests and make for a festive Mardi Gras-themed spread.
The Menu
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• Meyer Lemon and Thyme Fizz
• Trout Almondine
• Gold Rice with Turmeric
• Purple Cauliflower with Hollandaise
MEYER LEMON AND THYME FIZZ
One of the fun food trends for 2017 is herb-infused non-alcoholic drinks. Move over, cranberry and vodka—bartenders are mixing up fun and flavorful beverages that are delicious, festive and refreshing. The added benefit to these drinks is they will leave you headache-free in the morning.
Servings: 1
1 cup sugar
¾ cup water
Zest of 2 Meyer lemons
6 sprigs fresh thyme
Club soda or sparkling water, well-chilled
1. In a sauce pot over medium heat, bring the water and sugar up to a simmer to make a simple syrup.
2. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, remove the pot from the heat. Add the lemon zest and sprigs of thyme.
3. Allow this mixture to steep for 15 minutes, then remove the zest and thyme from the simple syrup.
4. Place the simple syrup in an airtight container. Chill until ready to use.
5. Fill a cocktail glass with ice. Pour 2 ounces of the lemon- and thyme-infused simple syrup over the ice. Top it off with 4 ounces of club soda or sparkling water. Serve with a slice of lemon.
TROUT ALMONDINE
We’ve updated this south Louisiana classic by sautéing the fish in coconut oil, another of the trendiest food products right now. Once much-maligned because of its high saturated-fat content, coconut oil is being appreciated anew thanks to research that has established the heart-healthy benefits of its high fat content. It is believed to increase the level of HDL or “good” cholesterol in the body greatly. It also contains triglycerides, which may help burn more fat. We found another benefit to using coconut oil in this dish: It adds a slight sweetness that marries with the delicate flavors of the fish, making a perfect balance. If you’re not fortunate enough to have trout or redfish in your freezer at home, there are many types of delicious, flaky fish available at local supermarkets or at our favorite, Tony’s Seafood.
Servings: 4
4 trout fillets
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ cup flour
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1. Heat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Season the trout with the salt, pepper and cayenne. Lightly dust the fillets with the flour.
3. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add the trout and sauté until the fish is golden on both sides, about 3-4 minutes.
5. Remove the trout fillets and place them on a wire rack in the preheated oven to keep the fish warm and crispy.
6. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the butter and sliced almonds. Sauté until the almonds are toasted.
7. Stir in the fresh lemon juice then remove the skillet from the heat.
8. Place the fish on four dinner plates, and top with the almond mixture. Serve immediately.
GOLD RICE WITH TURMERIC
Another big trend in food this year is turmeric—the ground root, deep yellow in color, that originated in Southeast Asia and India. For centuries it has been used
in many different remedies as an anti-
inflammatory and immune booster, and it is loaded with strong antioxidants. New research has shown the health benefits of turmeric can help in the fight against cancer as well as other diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. Turmeric can sometimes be found in its root form in your store’s produce section next to the fresh ginger. It is readily available in the spice aisle, ground into a bright yellow powder. Turmeric is often used in ethnic cooking, like Indian cuisine. We love to add it to rice, making the most flavorful and delicious yellow rice dish.
Servings: 4
2 tablespoons coconut oil
½ cup chopped scallions or green onions, tops and bottoms
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons turmeric
1½ cups Basmati or long-grain rice
2¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1. In a 2-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid, sauté the bottoms of the chopped green onions along with the salt and turmeric in the coconut oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute. (Reserve the green tops to fold into the rice after it is cooked, to keep their color nice and bright green.)
2. Add the rice and continue to sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Give the rice one last stir and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to low and allow the rice to simmer with the lid on for 5-6 minutes or until all of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Remove the pot from the heat. Keeping the rice covered, allow the rice to steam for an additional 7-10 minutes. Using a fork, fluff the steamed yellow rice and add in the chopped green onion tops. Serve along with the trout almondine.
PURPLE CAULIFLOWER WITH HOLLANDAISE
Purple veggies are another big food trend for 2017. The purple color is due to the same type of antioxidants as those found in red wine and purple cabbage. The taste of purple cauliflower is the same as its white counterpart, but the added benefit of the extra antioxidants makes this a hot vegetable for this year.
Servings: 4
1 head purple cauliflower
1 large pot of boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
1. Cut the purple cauliflower into florets.
2. Bring the water in the pot up to a rolling boil. Add the salt.
3. Drop the florets into the boiling water and blanch them for 1½ minutes or until the cauliflower becomes bright in color and is just becoming fork-tender.
4. Drain the cauliflower well and divide it among 4 plates.
5. Top with the warm hollandaise and serve immediately.
For the hollandaise:
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3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 stick melted butter
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1. Bring the water in the bottom of a double boiler to a simmer.
2. Place the top portion of the double boiler over the simmering water and add the egg yolks and lemon juice to the top portion.
3. Whisk the yolks and lemon juice vigorously until they become light in color and have almost doubled in volume. (Make sure the water stays just at a simmer and that you keep whisking to prevent the egg yolks from scrambling.)
4. While you continue to whisk, slowly drizzle in the melted butter until it is all incorporated and the hollandaise is thick and velvety. If the hollandaise seems to be a bit too thick, add a couple of tablespoons of hot water to thin it.
5. Season the hollandaise with the salt and cayenne pepper. Keep the sauce in the double boiler over the warm water to keep it warm until you are ready to serve.
This article was originally published in the February 2017 issue of 225 Magazine.