One of the highlights of my trip to Louisiana last week was a visit to the New Orleans Cooking Experience, a cooking class presented by Janice B. Macomber or “Boo” as she is affectionately referred to. Boo is an advocate of real Southern home cooking and proper hearty food so it was wonderful to see her speak so passionately about the dishes she grew up eating. The demonstration was peppered with some unbelievable tall tales and stories about living on the bayou – we could have listened to her all day!
We cooked southern classics like gumbo, a deep smoky soup made with a roux and spicy bourbon pecan bread pudding (with a splash of Tabasco sauce for good measure), a really sweet and fluffy dessert typical of the region. It was a wonderful way to get an introduction to some classic New Orleans dishes. Boo was also kind enough to give me a copy of her cookbook, which is full of her wonderful stories and make her recipes extra special. This is one of my favourites and it’s extremely simple to recreate for a taste of the deep south at home!
