My baby brother was killed in an accident last week and I am crushed.  He spent the weekend after July 4 with us here in New Orleans and we spent Saturday afternoon in the kitchen cooking together, something we loved to do. His final task was to stand over the stove, pressing and cooking 32 torillas for our taco feast. He grumbled at the tedium of it, but got it done. We had some people over that night to help celebrate Jim's birthday, and Drew ate at least 4 tacos. He had a couple more for breakfast Sunday morning; I'm very glad that I have the memory of that weekend as my last of him.

I've only included 1 new recipe this week; it's from the May/June 2022 edition of the magazine and is one Drew and I developed and tested together on another of our long weekend Big Cooks. He came on occasion and helped me out for the magazine, called himself my sous chef. He had never had anything prepared as this one is, and he loved it; he probably made it for himself a dozen times over the last 18 months.  I'd get a text from him, "I'm making that damn chicken again". It's a multi-step recipe, but it's worth the time.

Enjoy the recipes, stay cool, safe, and healthy, and, as always, let me know what's on your mind. 

Best regards,

Susan Ford, Publisher and Editorial Director

Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

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Firecracker Chicken

Of all the recipes my brother Drew helped me test, this is the one he made over and over again. He made it the week before he died-- I bet there was a jar of the garlic sauce in his refrigerator. It's got a lot of moving parts, but it is delicious.

Barbecue Shrimp

From Ralph Brennan's excellent cookbook New Orleans Seafood, this is my favorite way of preparing the classic that was originally created at Pascal's Manale.

Pimiento Cheese

This recipe is perfect for these hot summer days. Make a sandwich with it on white bread, of course, but stuff it into celery sticks, spread it on a hot burger, eat it with a spoon.