So once a month at Zona 78, we prepare a 5 course themed meal that's paired with wine for our guest. This months theme was Mardi Gras, and here's some photos I stole off of Zona’s instagram.
This was my first wine dinner pairing as the new Sous Chef and it was really cool for me. When I first started cooking I worked for a creole chef who was from New Orleans...so these were dishes I was familiar with and have made before. I first started cooking when I was 15 years old at the historic Hotel Congress and worked there for 6 years.
I made the étouffée 2 days before the dinner to allow the the harsh creole flavors to soften and become one harmonious flavor profile.
The recipe I used as a base for the poppyseed vinaigrette recipe was out of my mothers Martha Stewart cookbook. I highly recommend Martha’s recipes for when you need a base to build around. Martha’s the best.
I really took my time dredging the shrimp for the po’ boy open faced sandwich. I delicately smothered each shrimp in a flour/cayenne/salt/pepper mixture, dipped ‘em in an buttermilk-egg wash, then rolled ‘em in panko.
Our dirty rice dish was actually made quite clean. No chicken gizzards. Just Mahatma rice, Louisiana mirepoix, andouille sausage and spices. Garnished with grilled lemon and some micro greens that were brought in as a free sample from a provider seeking our business.
The king cake was made the night before by Chef German. If you look at the picture of the cake closely, you'll see a small plastic baby figure in one. We placed one in each tables plate. The tradition is that whoever gets the baby piece, will have good luck throughout the rest of the year...but will be responsible for purchasing next years dinner or for throwing the next Mardi Gras party. The guest loved the story and had a good laugh.