Guest Post with Chef Joan Donatelle to celebrate Apple and Seafood Month
#applemonth #applesandseafood #applepancettachutney #seafoodmonth Apples, the ubiquitous fruit So common that it is easy to take apples for granted. Ever present in fruit bowls and brown bag lunches. I love apples and I became caught up in a game of how many unexpected ways can I use apples in a recipe. Sure we all love apple crisp and apple pie. The French, Germans, and Italians have all used apples as a component of main courses. I asked myself, why not just push the apple
Insanely Easy and Delectable Toscana Salsa Bruschetta
When I had my catering business and restaurant, we had to be extremely efficient with our purchasing dollars. As a general rule, our products needed to turn over every month so we did not have our money sitting on the shelves as we used to say. We loved the imported goods from Italy and prepared lots of Italian dishes for our catering customers and restaurant. The Toscana Salsa was inspired by using what we had on hand to create new dishes for our regular customers. This sals
October is Gumbo Season
Typically, in Louisiana, when the temps drop outside, it's a signal for the Gumbo season. I just taught a virtual class on the secrets of my Gumbo for the local coop recently, it's been a learning curve to learn how to be comfortable talking to a screen instead of living folks. All in all, it went great, I made the roux really fast, demonstrating a new technique of heating the oil really hot, toss in the flour, and stir like crazy. The result is a super quick roux that gets d
Chef's Secrets to make life easier in the kitchen
One of the greatest lessons one can learn in the kitchen is how to work organized and efficient. I have spent my career teaching staff and students how to work smarter, not harder. When we owned the restaurant, we wrote that mantra on the walk-in door so we could see it every day as a reminder to be more mindful of our intentions of the day. As I continue to log hours behind the stove, I still learn lessons and I hope I never stop. Cooking is a journey, never a destination. H
