You can party Mardi Gras-style without traveling to New Orleans, though.  Get yourself a few strands of colorful beads and a mask, and make yourself a cocktail or two to celebrate the season.  Have you ever attended the festivities in New Orleans?  Or have you made your own party somewhere else?  Try out one of these French Quarter-inspired libations, and let us know how you like to celebrate…

Hurricane

2 ounces light rum

2 ounces dark rum

2 ounces passion fruit syrup

1 ounce orange juice

1 ounce lime juice

1 ounce dark rum

½ ounce simple syrup

½ ounce grenadine

Combine all ingredients in a shaker, strain into a large Hurricane glass filled with ice.  Garnish with an orange wheel and a cherry.

French 75

1 ½ ounces gin

¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ ounce simple syrup

¼ cup chilled dry sparkling wine or Champagne

Combine gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake for 20 seconds.  Strain into a Champagne flute, then top with chilled sparkling wine.  Garnish with a lemon twist.

Blue Bayou Cocktail

1 ½ ounces vodka

½ ounce blue curacao

½ cup fresh pineapple

2 ounces grapefruit juice

For a frozen treat, blend ingredients in a blender with 1 cup crushed ice until smooth.  Pour into a cocktail glass.  Or combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake for 20 seconds, then pour into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

The post Feeling Festive? The Season of Mardi Gras is Upon Us! appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Aioli: a creamy, emulsion spread consisting of garlic, pounded to a paste with a mortar and pestle, then whisked into egg yolk, lemon juice, olive oil, and seasonings. Some variants omit the egg yolk.

Arrabiata: Tomatoes, garlic, and red chili peppers cooked together to create a spicy sauce for pasta.

Bard: a thin slice of bacon or other fat secured to a roast of meat or poultry, especially very lean cuts, to prevent it from drying out while cooking.

Bearnaise: Emulsified butter with egg yolks, white wine vinegar, and herbs.

Beurre: French for butter. But if you see “beurre blanc” on the menu, watch for butter sauce with white wine, shallots, and vinegar.

Bolognese: a sauce, often tomato-based, with meat added.

Bordelaise: a sauce made of dry red wine, bone marrow, butter, garlic, and shallots. Often served with added mushrooms, and is a great accompaniment to red meats.

Charcuterie: a selection of preserved meats such as salami, prosciutto, sausages, or bacon.

Chimichurri: a green sauce made of chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and vinegar. Often used to season meat while grilling. Red chimichurri is similar but tomato and red bell pepper may be added.

Cioppino: a fish stew consisting of different fresh catches, including shellfish.

Compote: fruit and sugar cooked in water with spices.

Confit: food cooked in grease or sugars at a lower temperature than deep frying originally as a means of preserving, but in restaurants the method is used as a means of tenderizing. You may see fruit confit or meat confit on menus.

Consomme: a clear, strong soup made from richly flavored, clarified stock.

Crème Fraiche: similar to sour cream but is less tangy and richer in flavor. Also less viscous than sour cream, and with a higher fat content.

Flambe: a cooking procedure where alcohol is added to a hot pan to create flames. It is typically done to add a dramatic flair to foodservice but also may be done in the kitchen to add the flavor and aroma of liquor or liqueur to a dish (the alcohol content is burned out before serving).

Foie Gras: fattened duck or goose liver.

Fromage: French for cheese.

Gastrique: carmelized sugar, deglazed with vinegar, used for flavoring sauces.

Pate: a mixture of cooked ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste.

Polenta: cornmeal boiled into a porridge. The resulting grits can be baked, grilled, or fried.

Ragout: a method of preparation where a mixture of diverse ingredients are slow-cooked over low heat.

Rapini: a slightly bitter, green cruciferous vegetable from the turnip family whose buds are similar to broccoli.

Remoulade: a sauce made with mayonnaise and various herbs and condiments. The resulting mixture is similar to tartar, but is sometimes flavored with curry, horseradish, paprika, or capers.

Risotto: a rice dish cooked in broth until it is creamy.

Rissole: minced meat or fish, coated in egg and breadcrumbs, and fried.

Sashimi: very fresh raw meat or fish sliced into thin pieces.

Scungilli: very large marine snails.

Tapenade: finely chopped or pureed olives and capers with olive oil, sometimes with anchovies.

Tartare: a dish made from finely chopped or minced raw beef, often served with onions and seasonings.

Terrine: a loaf of meat similar to pate but more coarsely chopped.

Tripe: edible stomach meats, usually from cows.

Veloute: a light stock thickened with roux (butter and flour) and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Have I missed any that may be helpful to diners?  Please feel free to let me know, I will add them right away!

The post Fancy Dining 101: What Am I Eating? appeared first on Houston's Blog.