Perseverance Rover Landing

 Launched in July 2020, NASA's Perseverance Rover landed on Mars on February 18. The rover, designed to search for signs of past microbial life on Mars or water, carries a host of instruments and cameras. It even has a small helicopter designed to test out the potential for flight in Mars' thin atmosphere. Remarkably though, Perseverance's camera's captured this fantastic video of the rover landing on the Red Planet. Even in the midst of the pandemic, humanity can still do remarkable things. 

Star Trek Series Rankings Updated

A few years ago, with the premiere of Star Trek Discovery, we did a ranking of all of the Star Trek television shows. A few new series later, we thought it was time to revisit those rankings. 

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine—Being set on a space station meant that the show’s writers had to develop plot from character interactions rather than weekly visits to new planets. As a result, DS9 featured the best sustained character work from a Star Trek series. Sisko, Kira, Dax, Odo, Quark, Jake, O’Brien and Bashir all underwent significant character growth throughout the show’s seven seasons. Kira transformed from unrepentant terrorist to loyal soldier and leader. Bashir went from rookie doctor to war-weary veteran. Poor Chief O’Brien had to suffer some life-altering tragedy at least once a season. DS9 also developed a strong stable of villains or recurring characters like Garak, the exiled Cardassian spy, Gul Dukat, Kai Winn, the Jem’Hadar, Weyoun, and the Dominion. 

Star Trek: The Next Generation—The show that launched a million Picard memes. After some brutally terrible episodes at the beginning of Next Generation’s run, the show offered a positive vision of humanity’s future. Crewmembers on the Enterprise accepted one another’s cultures, sought peace and cooperation, and generally lived together in harmony.  Captain Picard was more lawyer than soldier, seeking to peacefully resolve disputes rather than resort to violence. Commander Data, the android, sought to become more human. Worf, the security officer, was the last honorable Klingon in the galaxy. The female characters, however, were underdeveloped. Counsellor Troi loved chocolate and frequently lost her empathic powers. Dr. Crusher had a know-it-all son and an episode where she had sex with a ghost. The less said about the short-lived Tasha Yar and the rape planet the better. 

Star Trek: The Original Series—The Original Series may be ranked too low, but I couldn’t find a reason to push it higher. The show’s campy elements occasionally overwhelmed creator Gene Roddenberry’s view of a utopian future. The show featured strong character work and sci-fi plotting. Allegories abounded about racism, the Cold War, and contemporary American politics. The episode titled “City on the Edge of Forever” featured Kirk back in the 1930s allowing a young woman (whom he loved) to die rather than change the course of Earth’s history. TOS also established the relationship between Captain Kirk, the logical Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy that would anchor the series and six follow-up movies. The show is, and remains, a classic. 

Star Trek Discovery--Discovery is and remains a mixed bag. Visually, it is glorious to behold. CBS has spared no expense in bringing the world of Michael Burnham, Saru, Tilly, and the rest of the Discovery crew alive. The show has pushed new boundaries in inclusion featuring and highlighting LGBTQI+ characters and the cast might be the most talented of any Star Trek series. But the show's writers and producers struggle to find anything truly interesting to say or do with this bottomless well of talent. The series spent 2 seasons trying ret-con itself into the pre-TOS world before going a thousand years into the future. That time jump freed the writers from continuity, but the show still struggles with basic plotting and consistent character development. 

 

Picard--Bringing Patrick Stewart back as Picard? Great idea. Separating himself from Starfleet over a matter of principle? Oh, hell yeah. Bringing back fan favorites like Riker, Troi, Seven of Nine, and Hugh? Great. Then why does the result feel so haphazard? Mainly because the writers of Picard failed to bring anything new to the table in terms of the character of Jean-Luc Picard. He's the galaxy's most noble British-Frenchman and then he gets caught up in a plot about sentient androids and a galaxy threatening monster from another dimension? Picard--great setup, lousy finish. 

Star Trek: Voyager—Voyager began with a great premise: A Federation starship, stranded over seventy years from home, all alone in the Delta quadrant. Without the support of Starfleet how would they survive? The ship had a strong willed female captain and a racially and ethnically diverse crew. Yet the show squandered it all, never developing its characters beyond single, easily identifiable traits. There’s Chakotay, he’s Native American. We know that because he goes on vision quests. There’s Harry Kim, the navigator, he’s young. There’s Seven of Nine, she used to be a Borg and wears cat-suits to appeal to young male viewers. Then there were the same recycled plots about the holodeck malfunctioning, encountering God-like aliens, and a seemingly endless supply of shuttlecraft even though the show seemingly destroyed them every other episode.  

Star Trek: Enterprise—Undoubtedly the weakest of all the series, Enterprise was a prequel to the Original Series trying to tell the story of the founding of Starfleet and the Federation. Instead, the show recycled too many old plots from the previous series without offering anything new or interesting. The characters (always the most important part of a series) were even blander and more inoffensive than the crew of Voyager. The over-sexualization of female characters continued with Vulcan science officer T’Pol continually subjected to Seven of Nine-esque costuming. This was a show that refought World War 2 (again) with space Nazis, had numerous poorly handled 9-11 allegories, and a series finale that focused on Commander Riker from Next Generation rather than any of its own characters. 

Jacques Pepin

Jacques Pepin is one of the most famous chefs in America--at least among chefs. Born in Bourg-en-Bresse, France in 1935, Pepin worked in his parent's restaurant growing up. At the age of 13, he started an apprenticeship in a local restaurant. By 16, he was training in Paris. From 1956-1958, as a member of the French military, he became personal chef to several heads of state including Charles de Gaulle. 

In 1959, he immigrated to New York to work in the kitchen of the internationally renowned restaurant, Le Pavillion. In 1961, he declined an offer to become the White House chef under John F. Kennedy. He enrolled in Columbia University, eventually earning a bachelors and masters degree. The university, however, rejected his PhD thesis  on French food in literature because the university viewed it as unserious for academic pursuits. Pepin eventually left Le Pavillion and took a job working at Howard Johnsons where he designed the restaurant's menu. In 1974, Pepin suffered a near fatal car accident and was forced to retire from professional kitchens. 

In the mid-1970s, Pepin reinvented himself as a culinary educator. His textbook, La Technique, appeared in 1976 followed by La Methode in 1979. Pepin did not fill the books with recipes, but rather lavish photographs of the techniques required to become a skilled cook. Numerous famous chefs in America today credit La Technique with sparking their interest in cooking in the first place. In 1982, Pepin joined the faculty of the French Culinary Institute, a new cooking school in New York City. That same year, he filmed a television pilot for PBS called Everyday Cooking with Jacques Pepin. 

Pepin eventually filmed several more series for PBS, including one with his dear friend and famous culinary personality, Julia Child. Together they filmed Jacques and Julia Cooking at Home in 1999. They participated in numerous fundraisers for PBS. Pepin and Child also helped create the gastronomy program at Boston University. 

Today, Pepin, even at the age of 85 and in the midst of the pandemic, continues to film cooking videos for a series titled, Jacques Pepin Cooking at Home. The recipes are simple and delicious and a comforting reminder of the wonders that can come from a simple home kitchen. 

Bonsai, Philosophy, and More!

 A few months ago, the nursery manager at Underhill Bonsai, Evan Pardue, had the chance to interview Mike Lane, a noted bonsai artist. Their wide ranging conversation includes bonsai, philosophy, and fun places to visit. Enjoy! 

Crawfish Boil Coins

 While we're all disappointed not to be gathering for the Crawfish Boil this coming weekend, we thought it would be nice to share some of the awesome coins that our own Benson Green has created over the past few years. 

In 2018, Benson came up with this beauty. 

In 2019, he made this one. 

In 2020, Benson created this one. 

Check back in this space next year to see what Benson comes up with next! 

Crawfish Boil Recap Videos

While we may not be having a crawfish boil this year, we can still all look back at Crawfish boils from years past and look forward to ones in the years ahead. 

 Here's our recap from 2019. 

Here's our recap video from 2017.

 

Louisiana Culinary Dictionary 2021 Edition

Louisiana has a rich and diverse culinary tradition, drawing upon influences from West Africa, the Caribbean, France, Germany, Italy, and a host of other places. Over the centuries, these cultures have fused to create a food landscape that can seem confusing to outsiders. Just what is in gumbo? What’s the difference between Cajun and Creole? What exactly is a praline? In an effort to help make things a little easier to understand, we’ve created a quick and easy reference guide to some Louisiana’s most popular dishes, foods, and cuisines. This week will cover everything from andouille to Creole and then next time we’ll tackle doberge cake to red beans and rice.  

Andouille— Andouille is a sausage made from pork, garlic, pepper, onions, wine, and other seasonings that was imported to Louisiana by the Acadians (French settlers deported from Canada as a result of the Seven Years War in the 18^th century). Andouille is a staple of Creole cuisine and is known for being spicy. The town of LaPlace has two famous andouille makers—Jacob’s and Bailey’s and both are famous for their sausage. 

Bananas Foster— Created by Ella Brennan at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans, this dessert is made from bananas and vanilla cream. It is covered in a sauce made from butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, and banana liqueur. The dish is a popular table side presentation at Louisiana restaurants since the butter, sugar, and bananas are cooked down and then the alcohol is added to the pan and ignited. The dish reflects Louisiana’s history as a major importer of bananas from Central America in the early 20^th century. 

BBQ Shrimp— The name BBQ Shrimp is somewhat misleading since the shrimp are actually sautéed (cooked in a pan rather than over open flame) in a sauce consisting of butter and Worcestershire sauce. While you can find BBQ Shrimp at a number of New Orleans restaurants, Mr. B’s Bistro in the French Quarter remains the best place to try out this local classic. 

Beignets—Another French creation, beignets are a type of fried dough that are commonly served for breakfast while covered in powdered sugar. Although in New Orleans, breakfast foods can be eaten at any time of the day. When cooked correctly, beignets will puff up in frying oil leaving a delicious exterior and a soft fluffy interior. Café Du Monde in the French Quarter is still your best bet for mouthwatering doughnuts. 

Boudin—The other type of famous sausage from Louisiana, Boudin is a white sausage made of pork, pigs liver, heart, and has rice stuffed into the casings. Boudin is more regionally specific than Andouille and is more typically found in the Acadiana region of Louisiana (Lafayette and Lake Charles amongst other areas). 

The interior of Boudin. 

Cajun—Cajun specifically refers to the cuisine developed by the French settlers of Louisiana who were exiled from Canada during the Seven Year’s War. You will see them referred to by various terms including Cajun and Acadian (the region in Canada where they came from). Cajun cuisine tends towards simple, straightforward dishes cooked over a long period of time. The Cajuns tended to settle in areas outside of New Orleans in the bayous and other low lying areas around the Mississippi and Louisiana’s other rivers. 

Crawfish Etouffee—Crawfish etouffee is a dish consisting of crawfish, rice, and a roux. A roux is flour and fat (generally butter) cooked together in order to thicken sauces. Etouffee in French means to smother. So at its most simple, the dish is like a thick stew consisting of crawfish and served over rice. The dish differs from gumbo (to be discussed next time) by featuring a blond rather than dark roux—a blond roux is cooked for less time than a typical darker roux and takes on a different flavor profile.  

Crawfish Etouffee 

Creole—The other famous type of Louisiana cooking, Creole cuisine blends French, Spanish, West African, Caribbean, German, Italian, and Irish influences. As each of these immigrant groups (voluntarily or not) arrived in Louisiana, they brought with them favorite ingredients and spices. As these groups interacted and shared their cooking their cuisines fused together. Famous Creole dishes include: crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, gumbo, turtle soup, red beans, and dirty rice. Green peppers, onions, and celery represent the so-called Holy Trinity of Creole cooking (to be discussed more next time) are essential to making most Creole cuisine.

Doberge cake—The doberge cake was created by New Orleans baker Beulah Ledner in the 1930s. Ledner adapted the cake from the famous Hungarian Dobos cake that consists of nine cake layers separated by buttercream frosting. Ledner made several changes to the traditional recipe including swapping out the buttercream for a custard filling. Today some cakes have gone even further, alternating the custard with layers of chocolate pudding.  Ledner also topped the cake with either frosting or a hard shell of fondant. 

Gumbo—Gumbo is a stew that came out of southern Louisiana during the 1700s. It consists of stock, a roux, the holy trinity (explained below), and traditional Louisiana proteins. Unsurprisingly Cajun and Creole gumbos differ slightly. Creole gumbo contains shellfish and tomatoes while Cajun gumbos omit the tomatoes and also include some type of game bird. After making a roux (done by pouring one part flour into one part oil or other fat cooking at a high temperature and mixed until a dark brown), you add the vegetables, then the meat and the dish simmers in stock for at least three hours. Gumbo is traditionally served over rice.  

A traditional gumbo 

Holy Trinity—The Holy Trinity of Cajun and Creole cuisine is onions, bell peppers, and celery. These three vegetables form the basis for the most famous dishes of Louisiana including gumbo and etouffe. The Trinity is related to mirepoix, the traditional blend of vegetables in French cooking that are the prerequisites for making soup, stock, stews, and sauces.  

Jambalaya—Jambalaya is a Creole dish descended from Spanish and French culinary traditions. It consists of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. The meat generally consists of smoked sausage (preferably andouille), and some other protein (pork, chicken, crawfish, or shrimp). Making jambalaya involves cooking down the holy trinity of vegetables, adding and cooking the proteins, then adding stock and the rice, and cooking until the rice is finished. Jambalaya is closely related to the Spanish paella, which undergoes a similar cooking process. There is also some variation in the different forms of jambalaya. A “red” jambalaya, which is traditionally found closer to New Orleans, includes tomatoes in addition to the holy trinity. The other more rural version of jambalaya, found in southwestern and south-central Louisiana, omits the tomatoes, creating what is known as a “brown” jambalaya—the meat is traditionally cooked in a cast iron pot giving it a more brownish tint.

King Cake— The king cake began as a dry French bread dough topped with sugar with a bean inside. Over the past several hundred years the king cake has evolved into a sweet cake covered with sugar and icing. The dough is now braided, stuffed with cinnamon, cream cheese, or other fillings. The cakes are circular and hollow in shape. The colors atop a king cake are the same as the ones of Mardi Gras—purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power.  King cakes also feature a small plastic baby hidden somewhere in or underneath the cake. The superstition being that the person who finds the baby is responsibility for bringing the next king cake. 

The muffuletta 

Muffuletta—The muffuletta is a New Orleans sandwich introduced to the region by Italian immigrants. The sandwich rests on muffaletta bread, a traditional Italian style of bread similar to French bread but heavier, and is covered with layers of marinated olive salad, mortadella cheese, salami, mozzarella, ham, and provolone. 

Po’ Boy—A po’ boy is the Louisiana version of a submarine sandwich, also known as a sub, a grinder, a hero, or a hoagie. Po’ boys consist of a New Orleans style French bread (made most famous by Leidenheimer Baking Company). This type of bread is known for its crispy exterior and soft fluffy center. The fillings for po’ boys include roast beef, fried shrimp, crawfish, oysters, crab, or catfish. Typically you can order a po’ boy dressed or not. A dressed po’ boy includes lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayonnaise. 

Pralines—French settlers to New Orleans began making their own version of this famous French dessert soon after their arrival in Louisiana. With plentiful amounts of sugar and pecans, New Orleanians replaced the traditional French almonds with pecans and added cream to thicken the mixture of nuts and sugar. The result was a dessert with a fudge-like consistency. Pralines are made by combining brown sugar, pecans, butter, and cream in a pot and stirring until the water has evaporated. The thick textured liquid is then dropped onto wax paper or aluminum foil in order to harden and cool. 

Pralines cooling 

Red Beans and Rice—Perhaps the most famous of Louisiana’s Creole dishes, Red Beans and Rice is made up of red beans, the holy trinity, spices (typically thyme, cayenne, and bay leaf) and leftover pork, ham, or sausage (again, usually andouille) very slowly cooked together in a pot and served over rice. Tradition holds that Red Beans and Rice are always served on Mondays because Monday was the traditional wash day for women (who also did all of the cooking). As they did their backbreaking laundry work, poor women could start the dish at the beginning of the day and then ignore it for the rest of the day. Today, the dish is popular both in restaurants and for large family or social gatherings. This combination of easy preparation and flavorful ingredients help explain its enduring popularity. 

Now that we’ve come to the end of our Louisiana Culinary Dictionary, hopefully you have a little better sense of Louisiana’s most famous foods and maybe why we all love them so very much.