Chez Nous

Lemon and Leek Risotto served with Sea Scallops with Brown Butter, Caper, and Lemon

I was walking down the aisle at the grocery and found sea scallops on sale, I couldn’t not buy them! Similarly, at the farmer’s market, my favorite vendor was selling leeks for 50 cents a piece. Butter, capers, and lemons are constant ingredients in my home, so this recipe came about out of what I…

Quick Leek and Onion Pasta with Anchovies

This is a really great weeknight dinner option. It takes only 20 minutes or so to make and is really satisfying with a crusty piece of bread or by itself. I really like the look of perciatelli pasta so when I do not feel like making homemade pasta, I reach for it on my shelf….

New Orleans – The Dinner

Nico and I finally made it to New Orleans, and we loved the city! The weekend we spent there, I think we saw at least 7 random parades, and at least three of those seemed to be private wedding parades. Music permeated the streets day and night and locals gathered around street corners with foldout…

Lemon and Herb Fingerling Salad

This is a really simple and quick potato salad. I take it on picnics with cold meats and biscuits. In fact, the leftovers would be great on a picnic with a few slices of pork and some leftover biscuits if you have any! We took it rock climbing the next day. The potatoes get more…

Beignets

I have to be honest. I didn’t love the beignets at Cafe du Monde. They were pretty tough. However, the ones at Cafe Beignet were divine! The piles of confectioner’s sugar trouble my fear of having sticky hands when I eat, but it is worth it. Freshly fried beignets are much better than any donut…

Slow Braised Pork Shoulder with Apple Au Jus

There are few things that seem to impress more than a large, well cooked, piece of roast. I especially like it when the bone is still intact. I suppose this is the closest I can get to roasting an entire pig or lamb until I build my own outdoor oven. Pork shoulder is a very…

Catfish Meunière with Capers

I love capers, especially when paired with butter, lemon, and a fresh piece of fish. This feels like a quintessentially French recipe to me, especially since I use the exact same sauce for my scallop dish. Trout Meunière is found on every classic New Orleans dinner menu that I saw, so I figured it was fair…

Fried Okra with Homemade Aioli

I felt like at least one thing had to be deep fried this evening, so I gave this a try. I read a lot of recipes about vegetables being deep fried and served with spiced mayonnaise. I figured this would be an opportunity to make my own aioli instead! I have been looking forward to…