Indulgence Month!

Okay, so I've been on a blogging hiatus for the last week or so because I've been sidetracked by a very important upcoming event... Laura & Kevins Wedding! Several really great culinary events have happened, though. And I can't leave them out!

First, Gallatoires. My dad treated my sister Katie, her girlfriend Jen, and I to a dinner at Gallatoires - a New Orleans tradition. Located on the infamous Bourbon Street, this place is classic. You have to wear a coat to enter the door of this restaurant, so fancy attire is their way of keeping out the riffraff. The cuisine on the first floor is traditional cajun food stepped up to first class. Crab meat maison, oysters rockafeller, creamed spinach, fried eggplant, redfish with amandine sauce... yum! This event is definitely an indulgence. My dad, being the french quarter wine man, knows almost everyone who frequents Gallatoires - and with that advantage, we had an abundance of extra treats on the house! Katie and I started off with a drink made with cucumber gin, rosemary, and a floral liquor called St. Germain and I think there was also honey in it. Most delicious cocktail ever! We then moved on to a delicious and very special wine from Tablas Creek.

My main dish was a red snapper fillet topped with shrimp etouffee. Oh boy! That was a treat. It was like transformed gumbo (which we all know I love!) Everyone else at the table had some rendition of a grilled fish and a delicious sauce. For dessert - not to be skipped- bread pudding with bananas foster on top. This dessert meant business, and we could not collectively finish it because it was so filling! (but it was perfect)

Appetizers

Fresh Bread Every 5 Minutes!

Dessert

Apparently I was too excited to take a picture of the main dish! Oh well, you'll have to take my word for it :)

Procido Family

After being on a cloud for several days after Gallatoires, it was time to get to work on cake. I needed a little practice last week on my cake skills because the wedding is approaching and I could use all of the practice I could get! My friend Meg's boyfriend graduated from LA Tech (go dawgs!) so I made him a Tech cake that was alternating layers of chocolate espresso and vanilla almond. Buttercream decorations to go around. But wait! A bad thunderstorm rolled in right as I began to pipe designs on the cake, and alas... I was forced to complete the fanciness with a headlamp. Definitely a one time experience.

For the icing, I made the background sky blue so that the cake would be festive and pretty to look at and then I tried my hand at red icing. Let me just tell you, don't ever take red icing for granted! It took an entire tube of gel food coloring to dye chocolate buttercream icing red. I'm talking a cereal bowl worth of icing. That's a lot of coloring gel! It lends to a not too pleasant taste in the icing, so I only used red for the accents. All in all, I love the result of this cake!

Coming up soon will be the real wedding cake - all 12 layers of cake and zillions of raspberries of filling later. The event is in just 3 days!!!

On a savory note, I made some spinach rice pilaf to go with a nice grilled salmon filet and vegetable skewers. The pilaf was a last minute concoction, but hey - that's what cooking is about. We loved it! I promised Katie that I would post this recipe, because it is a must.

Spinach Rice Pilaf

1/2 cup orzo
1 cup basmati rice
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 T earth balance
2 cups defrosted frozen spinach
small handful of cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium pot melt the earth balance and saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and the orzo and toast the orzo slightly for about 1 minute. Add the stock and basmati rice, stir. Bring this mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Fluff the pilaf and incorporate the spinach into the rice. This takes a little effort, but using a wooden spoon, you should be able to fold the spinach into the pilaf so that the whole thing is somewhat green. If you prefer, you can puree the spinach with a little bit of stock in a food processor before adding it to the rice. Add some chopped cilantro, and/or parsley, salt and pepper to taste. For something snazzy, I added a handful of crumbled feta and a some toasted slivered almonds for crunch. Yum!