Cajun Bloody Mary You’ll find a special Bloody Mary concoction in just about every establishment in New Orleans, always garnished with a salad of pickled vegetables. Pickled okra, pickled green beans, and green olives make up my personal favorite. This Cajun version packs some heat, so cut the Tabasco and Creole seasoning in half for a less spicy, but still zingy, cocktail. Prep Time: 5 minutes Chill Time: 3 hours Servings: 16 cocktails 1 64-ounce container tomato juice 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 1 tablespoon horseradish 1 teaspoon steak sauce 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce ½ lemon, juiced 24 ounces pepper vodka Garnish:  pickled green beans  pickled okra  green olives Mix all ingredients except vodka together in a lidded container and shake until the Creole seasoning is completely dissolved. Chill for a few hours before serving. For each cocktail, mix 4 ounces chilled mix with 1½ ounces vodka and serve over ice. Garnish with pickled vegetables. Gracious Host Tip: Make sure to have extra tomato juice on hand to dilute cocktails to suit your guests’ tastes.

Oysters Rockefeller One of the most sought-after recipes in the world, this version of Oysters Rockefeller is close to the one that came directly from Jules Alciatore, who invented the dish in 1889 at Antoine’s in New Orleans. The sauce of Oysters Rockefeller was so rich and buttery, they felt it should be named after the nation’s richest baron of the day, John D. Rockefeller. Bernard Guste of Antoine’s says the original recipe does not have spinach in it. It’s rumored that the secret of the original is green onions. The other secrets of this dish are tarragon and chervil. Use the freshest herbs you can find, and by no means ever use dried herbs for this dish. Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Servings: 4-6 4 sprigs flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely minced 4 green onions, finely minced handful of fresh celery leaves, finely minced 6 fresh tarragon leaves, finely minced 6 fresh chervil leaves, finely minced ½ cup dried fresh French bread crumbs   (preferably homemade) 1½ sticks butter, softened salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Tabasco, to taste 2 tablespoons Herbsaint or Pernod (optional) rock salt or kosher salt 2 dozen fresh oysters on the half shell, oyster   liquor reserved By hand, mix minced herbs together with the bread crumbs and the softened butter until it becomes a smooth paste. Season to taste with salt, pepper, Tabasco, and Herbsaint. Preheat your broiler. Lower the top rack to the middle of the oven. Spread the rock salt over a large baking sheet; this will keep the oysters level under the broiler so that they won’t tip over. Moisten the salt very slightly. Plant the shells in the salt, making sure they’re level. Place one oyster in each shell, plus a little bit of oyster liquor. Spoon an equal amount of the prepared paste over each oyster. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack and broil until the edges of the oysters have curled and the herb butter is bubbling, about five minutes. Watch carefully to make sure you don't overcook. Serve immediately.

Crab and Corn Bisque This recipe is adapted from the New Orleans School of Cooking. Claw meat is preferable, but the milder jumbo lump crabmeat will work just fine. Bottled Crab Boil can be found in your grocer’s fresh seafood section. It adds an interesting depth of spice that I find amazing. Cajuns make a roux for everything; it’s crucial to the flavor and texture of this soup. Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Servings: 8 2 quarts half-and-half 1 cup chicken stock ¼ cup flour ¼ cup butter 1 24-ounce can whole corn with liquid 1 pound crabmeat (claw or jumbo lump) 2 cups green onion, chopped ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1 teaspoon paprika 1-2 teaspoons crab boil (optional) 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped (garnish) Combine half-and-half and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Make a roux with the flour and butter. (See Roux Cheat Sheet at top.) When roux is ready, add to your simmering pot. Stir in corn with liquid and crabmeat, and simmer another 5 minutes. Gradually add 1 cup chopped green onions and all the seasonings and simmer another 5 minutes. Garnish individual bowls of soup with chopped green onions and chopped parsley.

Shrimp Creole The combination of chopped onions, celery, and green pepper appears in numerous Cajun recipes and are together referred to as the “Holy Trinity” of Louisiana cooking. Garlic is considered the Pope. Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Servings: 8 3 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 stick butter 8 tablespoons flour 2 cups onions, chopped 1 cup celery, chopped 1 cup green pepper, chopped 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped 3 cups chicken stock 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce 1 16-ounce can chopped tomatoes 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped ½ teaspoon fresh basil, chopped 3 bay leaves 1 tablespoon brown sugar 4 thin lemon slices 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Tabasco sauce, to taste 1 cup green onion, chopped 1 cup parsley, chopped cooked rice Sauté the shrimp in butter in a large skillet for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from pan. Add the flour to pan and stir over medium heat until lightly browned. Add onions, celery, green pepper, and garlic and sauté until they begin to turn transparent. Add the stock, tomato sauce, tomatoes, thyme, basil, bay leaves, brown sugar, lemon slices, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Simmer for at least 15 minutes. Add green onions, parsley, and shrimp during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve over rice.