I parked myself along the bar at the Absinthe House on Bourbon Street and carefully paced myself through various Absinthe tastings as I was determined to do a little on-site investigation into this drink with a mysterious past. As the tastings progressed, I found myself at first ever so gently brushing off a pesky little green fairy who seemed determined to perch herself on my shoulder arguing with me that I should have another and yet another. Allez, be off with you! I cried out. Finally gone, but she would eventually return again and again as duty calls. It’s interesting to know that it was not until 1912 that the real Absinthe was banned and for good reasons having laid to waste a generation of innocently curious drinkers. The psychoactive pleasures of absinthe having been decried as leading to toxic side-effects and eventual madness. A generation of artists, poets, musicians and painters all bemoned the abscence of absinthe as it were. And while I am on this subject, why was I not surprised to learn that America’s first cocktail, the Sazerac, was invented in New Orleans? A bartender with hollowed eyes and looking more dead than alive, gave me a little history on the drink as he blended together a little Bourbon, some Herbsaint, bitters and a lemon peel. With that I was ready to toast the Big Easy. Truth be told, it was not going to be a favorite of mine. It must be an acquired taste. As I worked my way down Bourbon Street, stopping in and out of one establishment or another, one is indeed priviledged to see a little bit of everything shall we say. How often do you get that opportunity? Everything is proudly on show and appeals to all our varied tastes. And everything is available for a price. You can take it from there. It’s the next morning you have to worry about!
Now, sure as I’m standing here, if you have ever been to the “Big Easy” and stopped in at one of the many restaurants, you surely must try a dish thats guarantee to knock you from here to the baoyu and beyond with its many delicious flavors. I am talking about maple shrimp and grits, a dish I found went rather well with a glass or two of dry French Champagne. There are many variations of this dish, far too many but this one comes the closest to what I had that late morning in the French Quarter.
New Orleans “Maple Shrimp and Grits” Original Recipe to Many
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup “New Orleans Stone Ground Grits”
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded
4 slices bacon
1 cup chopped white or yellow onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup chicken stock
3 green onions, chopped (white and light green parts only)
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
Juice of a lemon, about 1-2 Tbsp
½ cup Maple Syrup
½ tsp Red Chile Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Now about those wines:
1997 Bollinger – Extra Brut Champagne R.D.
2002 Chartogne-Taillet – Brut Champagne Cuvée Fiacre Taillet
NV Laurent-Perrier – Brut Champagne (great one and reasonable)
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 1998 (I could never leave out the widow!)
2002 Moët et Chandon – Brut Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon