Rick Buehl and Chef Tom Weaver at Event

New Orleans has its share of excellent restaurants and chefs, and this month we are pleased to provide a sampling of some of the best restaurants in the French Quarter. As part of the Southern Comfort’s Third Annual Tales of the Cocktail festivities, many of the restaurants created special recipes for the event. Our restaurants include Galatoire’s Restaurant, Café Giovanni, Court of the Two Sisters, Brennan’s and Antoine’s.

Galatoire’s Restaurant, 209 Bourbon Street, a New Orleans favorite since 1905, shares their recipe for Oysters Rockefeller.

Oysters Rockefeller

Serves 12

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Method: To make the Rockefeller sauce in a food processor, combine all sauce ingredients except the butter and breadcrumbs. Puree. Transfer to a mixing bowl and then add butter and fold in the breadcrumbs, blending well.

Arrange twelve 8-inch cake pans; fill each with rock salt to cover the bottoms. Arrange 6 oysters in each pan. Fill a pastry bag with Rockefeller sauce. Pipe equal portions of sauce over each shell (if you don’t have a pastry bag, use a spoon). Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Then broil for 3½ minutes until the topping is bubbling.

Remove from the oven and transfer pans to napkin-covered serving plates. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Chef/Owner Duke LoCiciero of Café Giovanni, 117 Decatur Street, shares his recipe for Southern Comfort BBQ Pork and BBQ Sauce.

Southern Comfort BBQ Pork and BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

Method: Add all ingredients to large saucepot. Bring pot to a boil and let simmer for 1 hour.

Method: Mix all ingredients and let marinate overnight. Clean pork tenderloin by cutting off silverskin. Season with salt and pepper and either cut into 2-inch thick medallions or grill whole. Serve over the salsa and pour BBQ sauce over the pork.

Executive Chef Tom Weaver of the Court of the Two Sisters, 613 Royal Street, shares his recipe for Sassy Southern Comfort Shrimp.

Sassy Southern Comfort Shrimp

Serves 4

Method: Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat, add red onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic and cook until clear. Add the shrimp and cook until they start to turn pink; toss and add Creole seasoning. Slowly add the Southern Comfort, and be careful because this may flare up. Add Zydeco seasoning, cane syrup, lemon juice and ketchup and cook about three minutes to reduce the liquid. Swirl in softened butter a little at a time until all is incorporated. Add the green onions and parsley and mix well.

To Serve: Divide the rice evenly among four serving plates off to one side. Equally distribute the shrimp next to the rice. Spoon the remaining sauce over the shrimp evenly among each plate. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve with hot French bread.

Zydeco Seasoning

Method: Combine all except olive oil in a stainless steel mixing bowl and mix well. Slowly add the olive oil while whipping with a wire whisk.

Executive Chef Lazone Randolph of Brennan’s Restaurant, 417 Royal Street, shares his recipe for Brennan’s Bread Pudding St. Joan d’Arc with Southern Comfort Sauce.

Brennans Bread Pudding St. Joan d’Arc with Southern Comfort Sauce

Serves 15 –18

Ingredients: Dozen eggs, raisins, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, roasted pecans (optional), dried cranberries, butter, Southern Comfort, 6 cups heavy cream, milk, ground cinnamon, 1½ pounds stale French bread.

Step 1 (Berry Mixture)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and marinate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2 (Pudding Mixture)

In an extra large mixing bowl combine the eggs, extra egg whites, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and heavy cream. Stir this mixture until well blended, then crumble the French bread into the bowl and fold in until the bread is completely moistened.

Step 3 (2^nd Part of Pudding Mixture)

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients, whip with an electric mixer until it is tripled in size, thick and pale colored. Combine this mixture into the Step 2 mixture.

Step 4 (Merinque Mixture for the Pudding)

With an electric mixer beat the egg whites until they begin to peak and then add the granulated sugar. Beat until very stiff.

Step 5

Gently fold the meringue mixture into the pudding mixture and then fold in the marinated berry mixture.

Step 6 (Crouton Topping)

Cut the French bread into small cubes (crouton-size) and drizzle the melted butter over them; then stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Place on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven and toast lightly, being careful not to burn them.

Step 7

Pour the pudding mixture in a buttered 13”x9”x2” baking dish, then top with the croutons mixture. Set the baking dish in a larger pan filled with about ½ inch of water. Cover the pudding lightly with foil and bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 1½ hours. (Remove the foil once out of the oven in order to keep the croutons crispy.)

Step 8 (Southern Comfort Sauce)

In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract until very hot, but not boiling. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl combine the cornstarch with the cold milk and stir until there are no lumps. Adjust the temperature to low heat, and then add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan. Stir until everything is well mixed and continue to cook a little longer until the sauce gets creamy, being careful not to scorch. Remove from the heat and mix in the Southern Comfort.

Step 9

Powdered sugar for garnishing

Place a generous amount of Southern Comfort sauce on individual serving plates and top with a sliced portion of bread pudding. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Top with roasted pecans (optional).

Roy R. Guste of Antoine’s Restaurant, 713-717 St. Louis Street, shares the recipe for Antoine's Café Brûlot Diabolique (Devilishly Burned Coffee), which was developed by Jules Alciatore in the 1890’s. At the restaurant they serve it in beautiful specially designed stemmed-demitasse cups. Antoine Alciatore opened Antoine’s in 1840, and it is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States.

Antoine's Café Brûlot Diabolique (Devilishly Burned Coffee)

Directions: Put the cinnamon, cloves, lemon peel, sugar, and brandy in a fireproof bowl and heat on an open flame. When the brandy is hot, but not boiling, bring the bowl to the table and ignite with a match. Use a ladle to stir and pour the liquid around the bowl for 2 minutes. Pour the hot coffee into the flaming brandy and ladle the mixture into demitasse cups.

Read more about Southern Comfort’s Third Annual Tales of the Cocktail and New Orleans in the Destinations, Hotels & Resorts, Restaurants, Arts & Antiques, Music Scene and Events sections.

For additional information, please visit the Southern Comfort’s Third Annual Tales of the Cocktail website, as well as the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau website.