This bread is a real winner! But first, we have news:

Thanks to everyone who left a comment last week on my first ever giveaway! I'm happy to announce that the winner of the Louis Armstrong recording is John Mark!  John Mark, send me your address at thesouploop@gmail.com and I'll get this on its way to you.

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This was my lunch. I ate it all.

Avery Island is a gorgeous place; it's surrounded by a long lace of bayous, has plenty of wildlife roaming around freely (deer, bears, raccoons, alligators), and houses the beautiful Jungle Gardens and Bird Sanctuary.  You can spend a full day there soaking up the splendor, especially if you pack in a trip to the Tabasco factory.

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Today, April 24, Smithsonian Folkways is reissuing a rare live recording that Louis Armstrong, New Orleans' favorite son, recorded just months before he died in 1972.  Not only does the CD package (or digital download, your choice) contain Louis Armstrong classics like Mack the Knife and Hello Dolly, but it also includes a 16-page booklet with some of Armstrong's favorite New Orleans recipes!  I got a huge kick out of reading recipes for things like "Oysters a la Gov. James Noe," "New Orleans Pussy Fingers" (catfish strips), and "Walter McIlhenny's Frogs a la Creole."  These are some classic recipes that need to be read and prepared, even if altered, to keep them alive.  I was most excited, though, to find the recipe for Rice Calas--deep-fried rice fritters that were commonly sold as street food in New Orleans.  Served warm, with a powdered sugar sprinkle and dipped into Steen's Cane Syrup, there may be no finer breakfast.  More on the callas in a minute!

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It all starts with seeds...

Last week, I visited Avery Island, Louisiana, the home of the McIlhenny Company and Tabasco.  Lucky me!  I and nine other food writers (Amy Sherman, Camper English, Hank Shaw, Sarah Spigelman, Jeffrey Pogash, Gaby Dulkin, Jenna Weber, Lori Lange, and Jessica of Modern Day Moms) toured the fields, barrel warehouse, processing factory, and the island itself, and had some amazing food along the way.  I'm still reeling over a particular dark chocolate torta made with Tabasco Sweet & Spicy Sauce....swoon!  Plus, we stayed at the beautiful Marsh House, the homestead of the Avery McIlhenny families, which was nice and cozy, especially during Monday night's thunderstorm.

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Do you remember the eggplant at Liuzza's I wrote about a while back, the eggplant I said was like eating eggplant dreams? Well, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  We've been back to Liuzza's no less than four times in the past weeks just for the eggplant (of course, we stay for more).  I really wanted to replicate it with this fried eggplant, though that's not quite what happened. But what did happen was something mighty delicious.

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I've been wanting to write about Babylon Cafe for the longest time, but it seemed I always forgot my phone or left the camera behind when I went there. We mostly went there between the summers of 2008 and 2009, because we used to live just down the street.  Now, it's a rarer occurrence, but Babylon still calls to us now and then. It's the bread, people. It's the bread.

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Life gets a little sweeter when you have some crawfish boulettes sitting around waiting to be noshed. Boulettes are hushpuppy-sized fried rounds of a crawfish, breadcrumb, and vegetable mixture, usually served with a remoulade or tartar sauce. I've seen them described as a crawfish hushpuppy before, but in truth, they're much lighter, softer, and more delicate than a hushpuppy.  Folks eat them as a side dish to a catfish or shrimp fry, as appetizers to meals like etouffee or gumbo, on their own with fries and coleslaw, over rice in either a brown or red gravy, tossed in Italian-stye red gravy and spaghetti, or flattened a little between po-boy bread as a sandwich (like a crabcake sandwich). They're like a little bit of spring, and a huge reward that comes from picking the crawfish tails no one can eat at the end of one of these:

An Easter crawfish boil! What all the lucky children get to attend.  Our brother-in-law Jeremy made this one, and he put cauliflower in it (yum!) and artichoke, which is the best treasure at the boil. The artichoke heart becomes extremely tender and filled with boil juices, then you carve it and divvy it up to share. It melts in your mouth.

But on to the tails:  If you have no freshly picked tails, you can still make boulettes with a one-pound bag of frozen crawfish tails; just make sure they are from LOUISIANA, NOT CHINA. I can't all-caps this statement enough. If the price is prohibitive, you can substitute cooked shrimp. Heck, you can even substitute crab, but that would definitely take the priceline in the other direction.

Most recipes for boulettes keep the vegetables raw, but we like to saute them first to sweeten the flavor and refine the texture a bit. I rolled my boulettes in a mixture of flour, cornmeal, and breadcrumbs for textural interest, but you can use any combination of these to equal 1 1/2 cups.  I've included a spunky little tartar sauce recipe that should make you feel like you're not in Kansas anymore.  I hope you try these!  If you like crab cakes, you'll be a fan for sure.

crawfish boulettes with spunky tartar sauce

• 1 small yellow onion, in small dice
• 1 stalk celery, in small dice
• 1/2 a green bell pepper, in small dice
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 slices bread, toasted (I threw some leftover hot dog buns and whole wheat in there) (or 1 1/2 cups soft breadcrumbs)
• 1 pound cooked crawfish tails (include any yellow fat with them)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• a few shots of Tabasco
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

for breading and frying:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup seasoned dry breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 cups vegetable oil, or enough to fill your pot with 2" of oil

spunky tartar sauce:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Creole or Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon drained capers
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• ground black pepper to taste
• 3 shots Tabasco

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, green onions, and garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Saute for about 7 minutes, until soft.  Let cool to room temperature.
2. Tear the bread into 1" pieces and place them in a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Process until breadcrumbs are formed.  To the breadcrumbs, add the cooled vegetable mixture, the crawfish tails, the egg, salt, pepper, Tabasco, and cayenne.  Pulse several times until everything is finely chopped and well combined.  Transfer to a medium bowl.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot to 360 degrees (when you throw a small cube of bread in the oil, it should immediately start sizzling and turning into a crouton, but not burning).  Meanwhile, form the boulettes: Place the 2 beaten eggs in a small bowl, and combine the flour, cornmeal, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper in another bowl.  Scoop the crawfish mixture into golfball-sized balls, gently coat in beaten egg, then gently dredge in breadcrumb mixture.  Handle them lightly, for they are fragile as angel wings.
4. When the oil is hot, gently lower boulettes in batches to avoid overcrowding, and fry for about 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.  Remove to paper towel-lined plates using a slotted spoon.  Let drain and cool for several minutes before eating.
5. For tartar sauce: mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until well-combined.  Taste for seasoning; I didn't need to add any salt, but you might want some.

Makes about 20 boulettes: enough for 6 side dish servings, or 4 entree-ish servings

My grandfather, Kent Walker (or Pops), was famous for two things he made every year: peanut brittle, and peach ice cream.  I remember the first time I was at my grandparents' house and realized all the kitchen hubbub was because they were making ice cream, when I was about seven.  Making ice cream! In this strange wooden contraption that made a lot of noise, and for some reason required a bunch of salt.  You've never seen a kid's eyes grow wider. I mean, in my mind, ice cream was magically deposited in ice cream parlors and grocery stores by the angels. I had no idea that mere mortals could produce something so wonderful just by mixing some cream and sugar together.  My life was changed.

These days, we are so completely spoiled by our newfangled ice cream makers, with no need for ice, salt, elbow grease, or earplugs.  I've had a Cuisinart machine for several years, and I hardly ever use it.  I think if Pops were here and he ever opened the freezer to see the Cuisinart bowl sitting in there, perfectly chilled and ready to go, he would scold me for not making ice cream every chance I could.  So this week, I got old-fashioned, and did something that I hardly ever do: I made ice cream.  Not some simplified version with condensed milk, either, but the real deal, eggs and all.  The strawberries are so beautiful right now, I just couldn't think of anything I wanted more than a cold, creamy, berry-filled treat.

Even so, I did want to make something that wouldn't bust the buttons off my jeans, if you know what I mean.  So I used mostly milk, a tiny bit of cream, and a lot less sugar than I normally would. You know what? I love it.  It's not super sweet, and it doesn't taste like anything you get in a carton at the store, which is usually super-ooper sweet and fake pink.  If you like a simple bowl of strawberries and cream in the spring, you'll like this.  I would applaud anyone who chooses to crumble some shortbread cookies into the mix as well.

In the summer, when the heat is deadening and peaches are big and bruising, we'll make it Pops' way.

lighter strawberry ice cream

• 2 cups milk (I used whole)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup minus 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 pints strawberries, rinsed and hulled

1. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk and cream until hot but not boiling.
2. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl.  When the milk is hot, slowly pour about half of it into the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly, to temper the eggs.
3. Return the pan to the stove, and slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Cook, stirring, about 7 to 10 minutes, until slightly thickened (it will coat the back of a spoon thinly).  Do not boil.  Turn off heat and stir in vanilla and salt.
4. Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a medium bowl to strain out any cooked egg bits.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
5. While the custard chills, chop ten strawberries into 1/4" pieces.  Place the remaining strawberries in a food processor or blender, and pulse until pureed.  Set aside.
6. When the custard is cold, pour it into the bowl of an ice cream maker, and process according to manufacturer's directions--I churn the plain custard for 20 minutes.  When the custard is soft-serve consistency, pour in the strawberry bits and puree, and churn another 5 minutes or so, until well-mixed.
7. Pack ice cream into a freezer-safe container with a tight-fitting lid, and let firm in the freezer for a couple of hours.  Once it's frozen solid, you'll want to let it sit out at room temperature for about 15 minutes before scooping it.

Makes 2 quarts

Hopefully, in about 48 hours when the floods have subsided, we'll head out for a picnic.  We'll pack up some fried chicken or buy some crawfish or pick up a coupla po-boys, but whatever the food is, we'll grab some shade to enjoy a few hours of the last precious non-heatstroke-inducing sunny days in New Orleans.  Gosh, I sure hope this rain stops soon!

Fried chicken has got to be the quintessential picnic food, and all over the country, too--not just the south.  Everybody loves it, it travels well, it's easy to eat out of hand, and it's usually really, really good.  When I get a hankering to fry up some chicken, Paul does his happy dance and begs for me to fry about 30 chickens.  He could probably eat it all!  We've tried lots of recipes over the years, but I recently unearthed a couple of tricks (read: secrets) that help it come out pretty heavenly and super duper crispy:

1. Dredge your chicken dry-wet-dry, and put an egg yolk in the wet batter.  True!
2. After frying, bake all the chicken at 350 for about 40 minutes, so you won't bite into any undercooked pieces. It's true! This is Ina Garten's method, and it saves me all kinds of grief.

When it comes to seasoning the dry flour and the wet batter, there are no rules.  You can make it garlicky, herby, extra extra spicy, or even...mustardy?  Try anything!  I'm always happier with my chicken when I'm afraid I've overseasoned the flour, so I would advise you to just go for it.  GO FOR IT.  You might just have the most heavenly picnic in history.

extra-crispy fried chicken

for the wet batter

• 1 cup flat beer (or water)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• lots of ground black pepper
• several shots of Tabasco

for the dry flour

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (or to taste)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• lots of ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

• 3 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken parts (I used 6 drumsticks and 4 thighs)
• several cups of vegetable oil for frying

1. Preheat the oven to 350, and set a baking rack over a sheet pan to hold the chicken once it's fried.
2. Make the wet batter: Combine the beer and egg yolk well in a small bowl.  Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and Tabasco in a medium bowl, whisking well.  Slowly pour the beer mixture into the flour mixture, stirring thoroughly to remove any flour lumps.  (If this mixture gets too thick from sitting out, thin with a tablespoon of water.)
3. Make the dry flour: Combine all the ingredients, whisking well, and divide between two medium bowls (one bowl will be for the wet chicken).
4. Heat 1" of vegetable oil to 365 in a medium to large pot (I use an 8-quart pot) with high sides.  If you don't have a frying thermometer (I don't), test the oil by dropping in a crouton-sized piece of bread--any old bread will do.  If it starts sizzling immediately and turning into an actual crouton, it's good to go.  If not, it's not hot enough--or it's too hot if the bread starts to burn right away.
5. While the oil heats, rinse and pat dry the chicken pieces. If you like, you can season the naked chicken first, with salt, pepper, cayenne, or what have you.  Dredge the chicken first in dry flour, then in wet batter, then in the other bowl of dry flour.  Set aside until ready to fry.
6. Add chicken to the hot oil in batches to avoid overcrowding; I fry 4 pieces at a time.  Fry for about 15 minutes per batch, turning over after 8 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.  Remove to the baking rack and let rest while you fry the other batches.
7. When all the chicken is fried and on the baking rack, place the baking sheet in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with a knife.  Let cool about 5 minutes before eating.
8. See? I told you it was crispy!

Makes 8 to 10 pieces, serves 4

P.S.: Even with this amount of Tabasco and cayenne, the chicken wasn't too spicy.  So if you want red-hot chicken, I would definitely increase those amounts!

Last week, when I wrote about sharing more recipes using leftovers, I had no idea I was going to get to eat some yummy steak pizza this weekend! Paul cooked steaks on Friday night, while I sauteed mushrooms and made a salad.  I love Paul's steaks: they're simple but so delicious, rubbed with olive oil, seasoned with salt, black pepper, and thyme, and cooked in a lot of butter and olive oil in the pan.  If you find yourself with one leftover steak but two or three people to feed, a pizza is a great way to go. Nothing stretches leftovers like a big ol' piece of bread. Plus, you can put all sorts of colorful veggies and cheese on there; make it beautiful and it will be good.

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