New Orleans’ Galatoire’s will rise again

…a bastion of Creole dining, Galatoire’s is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year

By: Faith Bahadurian
   Fine dining is understandably slow in returning to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans. With many properties still under repair, and many residents still unable to return home, the city’s tourism industry will be rebuilt one restaurant at a time.
   Of the more well-known restaurants, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen had reopened as of mid-November, as had Susan Spicer’s Bayona. Two of Emeril Lagasse’s restaurants, Emeril’s and NOLA, are reopening this month, with Emeril’s Delmonico expected to re-open in the New Year.
   Also expected to return in the New Year are Antoine’s, Commander’s Palace, and Galatoire’s.
   One of New Orleans’s most venerable institutions, and a bastion of Creole dining, Galatoire’s is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Last spring I watched as they received the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant of 2005, and they’ve since released a cookbook featuring the restaurant’s famously rich recipes along with just-as-rich reminisces about Galatoire’s colorful history and clientele.
   As a side note, residents of Baton Rouge are elated due to the fortuitously planned Nov. 28 opening of Galatoire’s Bistro in their city, albeit with a somewhat different, and more limited, menu than its New Orleans namesake.
   Jean Justin Galatoire came to the United States from the village of Pardies, France, at the foot of the Pyrénées Mountains. He brought with him a restaurateur’s instincts honed at his native region’s tables: Serve "copious portions of excellent food; very potent generous cocktails; and great service. Eating at Galatoire’s is more like eating in the comfortable home of a special friend. The only difference is that this friend never runs out of food and drink. No one is in any hurry to leave."
   "Galatoire’s Cookbook, Recipes and Family History From The Time-Honored New Orleans Restaurant" (Clarkson Potter, $35) was written by General Manager Melvin Rodrigue, the first non-family member to hold that post, along with Jyl Benson, the restaurant’s publicist. The lack of an open restaurant didn’t stop them from having a big street party to celebrate the book’s release, complete with servings of the restaurant’s famous shrimp rémoulade.
   The book is packed with special recipes for holiday entertaining, with many making 10-12 servings. Appetizer and brunch items play a starring role, with classics like Pommes Soufflés, and Creole Eggplant, the latter served with confectioners sugar.
   The photographs and family stories in the cookbook are a testament to the important role Galatoire’s has played in the festive social life of New Orleans, and reassurance that they will soon be ready to play that role again.
CREOLE BLOODY MARY
from "Galatoire’s Cookbook"
Makes 1 cocktail.
   1½ ounces premium vodka
   2 or 3 drops Tabasco sauce
   3 ounces tomato juice
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
   Fresh lemon juice to taste
   ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
   Ice
   Tiny pickled onions, lime wedges, celery stalks, spicy pickled green beans, and/or green olives, for garnish, if desired.
   Shake the vodka, Tabasco, tomato juice, salt, pepper, lemon juice, Worcestershire and ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain and serve over ice. Serve with garnish of your choice.
SHRIMP REMOULADE
from "Galatoire’s Cookbook"
Serves 6.
   ¾ cup chopped celery
   ¾ cup chopped scallions (white and green parts)
   ½ cup chopped curly parsley
   1 cup chopped yellow onion
   ½ cup ketchup
   ½ cup tomato purée
   ½ cup Creole mustard or any coarse, grainy, brown mustard
   2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, or to taste
   ýPage=011 Column=002 OK,0009.00þ ¼ cup red wine vinegar
   2 tablespoons Spanish hot paprika
   1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
   ½ cup salad oil
   4 dozen jumbo (15 count) shrimp, peeled, boiled, and chilled
   1 small head iceberg lettuce, washed, dried, and cut into thin ribbons
   Mince the celery, scallions, parsley, and onions in a food processor. Add the ketchup, tomato purée, Creole mustard, horseradish, red wine vinegar, paprika, and Worcestershire. Begin processing again and add the oil in a slow drizzle to emulsify. Stop when the dressing is smooth. Chill for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Correct the seasoning with additional horseradish, if desired, after the ingredients have had the opportunity to marry.
   In a large mixing bowl, add the sauce to the shrimp and toss gently to coat. Divide the lettuce among 6 chilled salad plates. Divide the shrimp evenly atop the lettuce and serve.
CRABMEAT RAVIGOTE
adapted from "Galatoire’s Cookbook"
Serves 4.
   (The cookbook gives recipes for sauces such as the béchamel and hollandaise called for here. You can also refer to any basic cookbook for recipes, or, in the case of hollandaise, use the excellent prepared Delouis Fils brand, available at gourmet markets like Whole Foods.)
   One 16-inch French baguette, sliced into ¼ inch rounds
   ½ cup clarified butter
   2 tablespoons salted butter
   ¼ cup finely chopped scallions
   1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, cleaned
   1 teaspoon salt
   ½ teaspoon cayenne
   1 cup béchamel sauce (basic white sauce)
   1 cup prepared hollandaise sauce
   Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Brush sliced bread with clarified butter, and bake on cookie sheet 10 minutes. Set aside.
   Melt salted butter in large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add scallions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add crabmeat, mix gently, and sauté an additional 3 minutes. Add salt, cayenne, and béchamel. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, just until hot, remove from heat and fold in hollandaise. Adjust seasoning and serve at once with toasted bread rounds.
For up-to-date information on New Orleans restaurant re-openings, visit www.nomenu.com/RestaurantsOpen.html.