Who Is The King of Cakes?

Every year, right about this time, I start really craving king cake. I try to fight it with everything I've got because after all I'm only two weeks out of the holiday season. But I'm a New Orleanian, and as a New Orleanian it is my birthright to move directly from christmas season into carnival season, no questions asked. Well, actually there is one question: Where do I find a really good king cake? Certainly there is no problem finding a king cake and I liken the seasonal treat to a bowl of gumbo. Everybody has it, but finding a truly enjoyable one can be a challenge. At it's worst king cake is dry but can be rectified by a good coating of icing and crunchy, colored sugar. However, at it's best king cake is moist, not too sweet and heated up in a toaster oven for a few minutes to give it that just out of the oven greatness. Every year I ask every other person where they get their king cakes from and I get the standard answers. Randazzo's, Haydel's, Gambino's, Dorignac's.......Whole Foods. Ok, quick sidenote, Whole Foods does plenty of things well, but king cakes are not one of them. Also, I'm going to throw stuffed or filled cakes out of the equation here because it's cheating. I'm looking for good king cake in it's true form. So far, for the last three years, my favorite has been the one I have bought from the small coffee shop called Coffee &. That's no misspelling, the place is called Coffee &. This endearing dive of a donut and coffee shop manages to make a pretty decent king cake that I would say ranks up there with my all-time favorite McKenzie version. But I long for more. No offense to the fine folks of Coffee &, but this place is more of a video poker destination than it is a bakery and I truly believe there is better out there that I just don't know about. So I ask you, where have all the good king cakes gone?

Pure Comfort

If I did not know anyone in our family and Greg and Mary merely invited me over to join their family for dinner on Saturday, I would have left their home with one impression: Good, old-fashioned family dinners still exist. Maybe it had something to do with the informal formality of all of us sitting down at a nicely set table to share a meal together. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the comfortable casualness of our monthly eat togethers; however, in this instance I took a particular pleasure in seeing our family sit down to a nice meal without it being a holiday. Memories of a time gone by, or at least my childhood came rushing back. And then there was the food. Sure, everyone wants food that is delicious and enjoyable, but good, down-home cooking creates an experience like no other. I can't choose a favorite dish here because each one for me was simply comfort food. It was like a comfort sampler and the more I ate the more I wanted more. Even beyond all of this, maybe what made everything feel warm and fuzzy (aside from the wine) is that we talk about what a fun time we had at the last get together and start immediately planning for what's on deck next month. Cheers to you Hollier Hills and I'd like another helpin'.

Happy New Year!

We're back in the comforts of our own home today after a week and a half excursion to Taos, New Mexico. Although I did not make my weekly report last week (busy between skiing and recovering), there was a whole lot of cooking going on in our ski valley lodge. Being how we were with Lauren's father, his wife and her family, 5 of the 9 people staying in the house were Korean, which allowed us many opportunities to observe the preparation and sample the flavors of korean cooking. Spicy soup broth, pickled kimchee and bean cakes quickly became part of our daily diet. But my job was not to merely enjoy korean cuisine but to also offer a slice of my culture, a taste of New Orleans. Everyone wanted gumbo, so I gave them gumbo. Not just gumbo made with andouille sausage, but andouille sausage I transported from Jacob's smokehouse in LaPlace, where you will find the best andouille anywhere, seriously anywhere. The gumbo was a hit and served as a nice change up in our daily offerings of soup. Koreans eat soup everyday, which I must note is an added bonus on a cold, ski vacation. I hope everyone enjoyed the New Year's holiday and we look forward to seeing you next weekend at Hollier Hills.