SHOW & RECIPE FOR JUNE 16

This week we broadcast from one of our favorite events anywhere, the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience…

THE NEW SUPERSTAR
As the TV-famed chefs of New Orleans’ global reputation – whether homegrown delights like Cajun-country’s Paul Prudhomme or adopted sons like Emeril Lagasse – get a bit older and more settled in their ways, a whole new generation is attracting our admiration. At the moment, the most successful of these is John Besh, with four wonderful restaurants in the New Orleans area and a love its culture, cuisine and people. We chat with John about the joys and sorrows of building an empire in post-Katrina New Orleans.

THAT BAREFOOT GIRL
As the summer months get hotter and hotter, at least some of the wines we love at other times in the year seem too intense, too heavy.We taste our way through the incredibly popular (and populist) wines of Barefoot with perky, blonde winemaker Jennifer Wall. It’s enough to make us want to hit the beach – not to mention pull our resurrected and remastered CDs of all our old Beach Boys albums.

THROUGH BRENNAN EYES
Houston knows the legendary Brennan clan – especially since their Brennan’s of Houston has been a success in these parts for more than three decades. But to get the real scoop on how restaurants are doing in the Crescent City, we sit down with Ralph Brennan. As the former president of the New Orleans, Louisiana and even NATIONAL restaurant associations, Ralph’s vision reaches a lot farther than the lovely “dueling oaks” across from his Ralph’s on the Park.

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe…
MUSSELS IN GARLIC AND WINE SAUCE

4 pounds mussels
¼ cup minced shallots
5 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive
1 bay leaf
1½ cups dry white wine
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 ½ cups very fine julienne strips of carrots
1 ½ cups very fine julienne strips of leeks
1 ½ cups very fine julienne strips of root celery
3 tablespoons soft butter
3 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon salt
3 drops Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup freshly chopped parsley

Scrub the mussels well under cold running water. In a kettle heat the olive oil over moderately low heat, add the shallots, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, leeks, celery, and carrots. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes stirring the vegetable until crisp-tender. Add the wine, salt and ½ cup of water; bring the mixture to a boil. Add the cleaned mussels, cover the kettle and steam them in the vegetable-wine broth for 8 minutes, or until each mussel has opened. Discard any unopened mussels.

With a slotted spoon transfer the mussels and vegetables to a heated bowl, keep mussels covered. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into measuring cup, and if necessary add enough water to measure 4 cups of liquid. In a saucepan melt the butter, add the flour and cook over low heat for 1 minute to make a roux, do not brown the roux.

Whisk the broth, a little at a time into the roux, whisking and bringing the sauce to a boil. Simmer the sauce for two minute; add the lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, and taste to your liking. Divide the mussels and vegetables into 4 heated soup plates, pour the sauce over each serving, and top with fresh chopped parsley. Serve with crusty French bread. Serves 4.