HungryC

Yes, the icing food coloring does stain some, but the caramel coloring doesn't. You can buy powered caramel coloring from King Arthur Flour's website.

You could try black food coloring paste--the kind used in cake frosting. It is widely available under the Wilton brand name at most craft/hobby stores and cooking stores. Or, try caramel coloring--it's more deep, deep brown than black--it's the stuff used to make loaves of pumpernickel bread turn that dark shade. The hummus will probably be light grey--I think that only the seed coat of the black garbanzos is black. The insides are the same color as regular chickpeas, and the skin color fades after cooking. This might be an interesting appetizer for a Halloween party...

Gustav has reactivated my PTSD, so I'm feeling the need to make preparations. How do you prepare, food-wise, for a storm in the gulf? I make a big pot of gumbo or red beans to divide & stick in the freezer; I figure someone will always take me in if I show up with gumbo in-hand. I'm going to fill up my largest plastic containers with water and fill the freezer--apparently a well-packed freezer can hold its temp for up to 3-4 days.

Question: I know cooked beans can be successfully frozen. If I do the boil-and-let-sit-an-hour instead of the overnight soak, can I freeze the beans at that point, or do I need to cook them until nearly done, and then freeze? ← I freeze all of my dried beans completely cooked....black beans, blackeyed peas, field peas, lady cream peas, red beans (of course), great northerns, etc. My freezer is always full of cooked beans/peas. About the only thing I cook fresh and never freeze is chickpeas---I don't like the texture of the frozen, reheated ones.

Can't you get San Crispino gelato at FCO? If I were stuck there for a layover on the way to Thailand, I'd certainly be tempted to get a pint or two packed for travel--when you're stuck in the air in a metal tube, some hazelnut or cicciolato fondente might do wonders. Or you could just sit in the middle of the concourse and eat it all with a spoon!

Here's a vote for Barilla Plus--it is a multigrain pasta, relatively high in protein and lower in carbs, that actually tastes like pasta. It is only available in thin spaghetti, reg spaghetti, elbow, and penne shapes, but it is light years ahead (in taste) of the straight whole-wheat stuff. http://www.barillaus.com/Home/Pages/Barilla_Plus.aspx

I got a good laugh this AM at the thought of you sorting the beans! I agree with the previous posters--the lentils are supposed to cook into mush to thicken the soup. One problem with your sort-by-size approach is that size isn't really the determining factor in cooking time: some smallish beans like black beans or chickpeas take forever to cook, while larger beans like dried limas or blackeyed peas cook in a much shorter period of time. If you REALLY want perfectly cooked beans mixed together, don't buy mixed beans in the first place. Cook batches of your favorite varieties separately, them mix together once they're all perfectly to your liking. Or try the cheater's tip: when I overcook the bean soup into mush, I rehab it by adding canned beans at the very end.

Just say NO to those imported shrimp, please. I live on the LA coast, where many of my neighbors and friends are still attempting to make a living catching shrimp. Cheap imported shrimp (often pond-raised) is killing the domestic fishery. Cheaper isn't always better. Insist on wild-caught shrimp.

Shameless self-promotion: you can take my LOUS 303 Food & Culture in Louisiana class in Spring 09 (through the School of Continuing Studies at Tulane). The spring schedule of classes comes out in October, I believe. More ways to get inside NOLA food: --if you're interested in food history, visit the Hermann-Grima House on Thursdays, when volunteers cook in an original 19th century historic house kitchen in the French Quarter. A regular cadre of folks sustain this activity; you could join them. --Louisiana Cookin' magazine is a pretty decent effort: http://www.louisianacookin.com/ The various features vary in quality, but it's definitely worth a read. My main tip to a TU freshman wanting to understand NOLA food is to get the hell off campus. Too many Tulanians don't ever explore much of the city beyond the immediate University area and the French Quarter. So much of what's great about our locale lies far outside of those two neighborhoods.

Since you're a group of volunteers, my first thought is to refer you to Cafe Reconcile, so you can support another good cause with your catering order. Cafe Reconcile is operated by a nonprofit youth services organization; it teaches hospitality industry skills to at-risk teens and young adults. Here's a link to their catering menu: http://www.cafereconcile.com/staticdocs/cafe-menu-cater.asp You could probably order 30 individual lunches from the regular menu and get them packaged to go. Or, depending on the job site/volunteer location, you could order whole pans or half pans of food from the catering menu. The cafe has a basic menu of Louisiana classics, all pretty tasty: fried catfish, red beans & rice, jambalaya, a couple of gumbos, smothered okra, and (my favorite) white beans & shrimp. I'd definitely give Cafe Reconcile a call, see what they can do for you.

I'd love to know more about any CSA startups in this area. I can see the concept appealing to urban dwellers, but once you get out past the 'burbs in the NOLA area, the backyard garden is alive and well. (BTW, it's high time to plant your fall tomato transplants.)

Are you a Maroon, Hungry C? Let's hear the Scholarly Yell!!! ← Maroon, hell no. I'm a proud SEC alum thru and thru. Geaux Tigers. Hot boudin, cold couche-couche, and all that. Went in dumb, came out dumb too, just like Randy Newman says. I can sing the alma mater and both verses to the fight song. I did graduate from TU as well, but the Hullabaloo is the dumbest cheer in all of college football. And docsconz, you walked right by my office window today. Too bad I'm home sick or I would have given you a campus tour myself. Thanks for considering the Wave....to make this food related, some of the best NY style pizza in NOLA is located just off campus at the Dough Bowl, with a cute little creperie just a few feet away from it.

docsconz, I hope for your sake that kid #2 is also considering Cal and Chicago!

Ooh, I haven't had a good hushpuppy in quite some time. I like chopped green onions (tops & white parts), as well as a little bacon grease in the batter, some chopped fresh parsley, and a whole lotta black & red pepper. My one hard and fast hushpuppy rule is NO SUGAR. Best when served with fried speckled trout and homemade tartar sauce.

Cream of nectar Cream of chocolate mixed with coconut Sno-bliz (a pink, tart, hard-to-describe flavor) Any of Ashley's "special" flavors (ask if she's cooked up anything new)

I found this crawfish Monica copycat recipe online, thought you might like to see it: http://www.gumbopages.com/food/seafood/crawfish-pasta.html

My fave fried pie dough is a biscuitty short crust made from self-rising flour, shortening, and an egg. It can be sticky to handle, but if you keep it chilled, it's not impossible to work. 2 cups self-rising (White Lily), 1/4 cup shortening, 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk, 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar if you'd like; cut in shortening, beat egg & milk together, then stir into flour mixture. Stir until all of the flour is hydrated, then scrape from bowl & divide into two parts & chill in fridge 1 hour before rolling. This basic dough can be used for savory pies, too. The dough can't be rolled as thin as regular pie crust, but the thicker, breadier texture stands up well to deep frying. Fillings must be cooked first (raw fresh fruit has too much water in it to cook during the relatively short frying time). A little rum or bourbon is a nice addition to fruit pie fillings. Also try adding a little heavy cream to powdered sugar for a good drizzle/icing.

Also a very simple explanation on cookie spreading: if the cookie sheets are hot (or even really warm), the cookies will spread more than usual. This often happens when you're recycling sheets for additional batches, or if you leave the baking pans atop the range while preheating the oven.

Don't bother coating the ham, just adjust the seasonings in your recipe accordingly. Most tasso is heavily spiced with white pepper, black pepper, cayenne, thyme, and salt, so you could compensate for your more lightly flavored smoked ham by adding a little more of those seasonings into the cream sauce. Or bite the bullet and mail order a bunch of tasso from http://www.thebeststopsupermarket.com/ The Best Stop supermarket in Scott, LA....IMHO, the best tasso around. Both the pork and turkey versions are first-rate. I buy a few pounds at a time, slice it into chunks, and freeze. It is an essential seasoning ingredient in my kitchen: beans, peas, gumbo, jambalaya, slow-cooked veggies, just to name a few.

In addition to the cream sauce/pasta thing, you could try fried crawfish. A deep fried item can be a good way to introduce a new food to a potentially resistant palate. If your intended audience needs even more "disguise", make fried crawfish poboys and put a little remoulade or spicy mayo/ketchup/horseradish sauce on the bread.

Also know that most takeout/fast-food style schwarma is cooked on a vertical gas rotating grill (like gyro or puerco al pastor)...it's a big, compressed, rotating log of chicken. The gas flame chars the surface, which is sliced off (thinly) as it cooks, leading to a particularly crispy/crunchy texture. The flavor profile is easy to duplicate with a marinade, but the texture is hard to mimic without a vertical grill.

Can't wait to sit on the upholstered banquette and drink a ramos gin fizz!

I'm a fan of peanut oil for frying. For onion rings, I use thinly sliced onions, soaked for a while in soured milk (I never have buttermilk on hand, so I just stir cider vinegar into whole milk) in the fridge. If the rings are very cold, more flour will stick to the outside without the use of egg (egg can lead to a tough coating sometimes). Don't forget to season the flour, too. Can't help you on the duck fat for deep-frying; I've never used duck fat for more than a pan-fry. You might want to try the old southern trick of flavoring "new" oil with a slice or two of bacon: drop the slice of bacon into the oil as it heats, and fish it out once it is cooked to a crisp (but not burned).....it really adds a nice smoky, porky flavor to the oil, esp. complementary to fried chicken.

I'm a fan, too. The herb plates accompanying the pho are some of the best in town. Often you'll get culantro (ngo gai) or rau ram in addition to the usual holy basil & cilantro & bean sprouts. Has the bahn mi place located in the new strip mall across the side street from HK Market opened up? I haven't been over that way in a while, but it looked like a promising new cluster of joints, including a viet seafood restaurant. Can't remember the name of the bahn mi place, sorry.