Rouses Everyday - May & June

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My father’s side of the family is from Des Allemands, Louisiana, which in French,
literally translates to “the Germans.” Catfish is the catch of choice in Des
Allemands, as it grows in the lakes there and is fished and farmed regularly. My
grandmother was from Paradis, not far from Des Allemands. She spoke broken English that
I could barely comprehend through her thick Cajun-French accent, and boy could she cook!
When I was growing up, there was never rice served with gumbo. There was always a huge
bowl of well-garnished,mayonnaise-rich potato salad that I put in my gumbo. I loved gumbo
that way and still do. When I first got to Café Adelaide, I wanted to do a catfish dish. A good
friend and longtime cook here, Chucky Williams, was making potato salad for the crew to
snack on. I took one bite and said, this reminds me of my grandmother’s recipe.
We do a cornmeal-crusted catfish over Paradis potato salad with ten-vegetable Creole
mustard slaw and charred green tomato tartar sauce. It’s a very simple dish but a huge hit
with our lunch crowd daily.
GERMAN
Paradis Potato Salad
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
1 pound Red Bliss Potatoes,
boiled and smashed
2 cups mayonnaise
½ cup yellow mustard
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
1 red onion, minced
10 hard boiled eggs, minced
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
4 shots Tabasco
4 shots Steen’s Cane Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
HOW TO PREP
While potatoes are still warm, mix all ingredients
together in a non-reactive bowl. Allow to cool fully
and preferably let marinate 4-12 hours before serving.
Madame Begue
the Mother of Brunch
by Chef Chaya – Rouses Bakery Director
Meet Madame Begue, New Orleans’ first
celebrity chef.
Elizabeth Kettenring, 22, moved to New
Orleans from Germany in 1853 to join her
brother, who worked as a butcher at the
French Market. She married one of her
brother’s friends, Louis Dutreuil, and went to
work in Dutreuil’s new coffee shop across the
street from the French Market, the now famed
Tujague’s Restaurant (Tujague’s is the second
oldest restaurant in the French Quarter). She
began feeding her brother and his crew a late
morning meal after they finished work at the
market, and a tradition was born.
After her husband’s death, Elizabeth married
their bartender, Hipolyte Begue, and they
renamed the restaurant Begue’s Exchange.
Together they created an institution. Patrons
would gather in her second story dining
room for an epicurean feast. Courses of food
would start hitting the table promptly at 11
am and continue for hours, culminating finally
in coffee and brandy. Seven days a week for
25 years, Madame Bague wowed her patrons
with exceptional Creole cuisine. Everyday the
menu would change, depending on what was
fresh at the market, but an omelet and a fish
course were always included.
Begue was famous for her Liver á la Begue,
Turtle Soup, and a myriad of other classic
Creole dishes. In 1884, came the Cotton
Exposition, and with it an explosion of
tourism. Breakfast at Begue’s became a top
tourist attraction. By the time she died in
1906, her famous “second breakfast” was
celebrated far beyond New Orleans.
Charred Green Tomato
Tartar Sauce
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
2 green tomatoes, sliced and grilled
4 egg yolks
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon Crystal hot sauce
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 tablespoon cornichons
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups Canola oil
HOW TO PREP
In a blender, purée all ingredients except oil. Slowly
drizzle in oil in steady stream. Taste, reseason, and
pass through fine mesh strainer if desired.
Des Allemands
by Chef Carl Schaubhut, Café Adelaide,
Loews New Orleans Hotel
Des Allemands Catfish
We like to brine our catfish in a mixture
of water, mustard powder and Creole
seasonings for at least an hour. Dredge
through a mixture of cornmeal and Bob’s
Red Mill golden masa harina corn flour.
Fry for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees
and season with Creole seasonings.
Serve with Charred Green Tomato Tartar
Sauce and a nice charred half lemon for
extra acidity and snap and enjoy with an
ice-cold La 31 beer!