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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

My spy boy told your flag boy, he gonna set yo flag on FIRE!


Take Away - Shrimp and Alligator Sausage Cheesecake

If there is one thing that can be said about Jacques-Imo's Cafe, it is that it inspires opinion.  It is one of the first true "restaurant memories" I have as an adult living in New Orleans. I am certain it was not the first restaurant I ate at after moving to New Orleans, but (much like the food) the memory of the place sticks with you.

Aside from the interesting name, Jacques-Imo's sticks with you because the humble look of the restaurant's outside yields to an unexpected experience of revelry combined with the opportunity to attend a food marriage ceremony that weds interesting and colorful with flavah!  

Jacques-Imo's before it opens daily
Highlights include:  Deep-Fried Grits with Tasso Shrimp Sauce; Blackened Tuna with Oyster Champagne Brie Sauce; Potato Crusted Gulf Fish with caper buerre blanc; Paneed Rabbit with Oyster Tasso Pasta; Paneed Duck with Sweet Potato Shrimp Sauce; Carpet-Bagger Steak with Bleu Cheese, Onion, Oysters, and Hollandaise; a Deep Fried Roast Beef Po-Boy (which is ridiculously delicious); some of the best Fried Chicken in New Orleans and this entry's featured recipe, Shrimp and Alligator Sausage Cheesecake.

The party atmosphere in the form of a lively bar filled with people waiting for a table is the first thing that greets the customer the minute the door opens.  The timely arriver will find that there are people already putting in names for tables.  However, since the bar area must first be crossed before arriving at the hostess station, a person will immediately realize that the thing to do is buy a drink while waiting 20 minutes(ish) for a table. 

Jacques-Imo's after the doors open and the food starts crankin.
The late arriver will have a more colorful wait because the hungry crew has been hydrating longer while waiting for their nourishment.  The table wait is QUITE a bit longer for the late arriver, but the street has its own show going.  In fact, the best part of ordering a drink at the later hour is the opportunity to have time to enjoy it with friends out on Oak Street in front of the Restaurant.  Live music is often flowing from the Maple Leaf Bar next door, and many of the folks on the street are pre-partying before eating and eventually landing at Maple Leaf.  There are also sometimes a few brave (or intoxicated) souls that are eating in the bed of the green Jacques-Imo's truck parked out in front of the restaurant.  Though I would personally pass on this option, a few of my friends have partaken of "truck-bed dining" on the street and enjoyed the party going on around them. 

Truck-Bed Dining
Once a hostess informs you that a table has been secured, you get the opportunity to walk up a few stairs and through the small kitchen.  Let me be clear, this IS the SHOW.  The fact that this kitchen is so small, cranks out such a volume of quality food, and has a staff that is in as good of spirits as those being served at the bar is amazing.  Here, you will likely see the creator and owner, Jacques Leonardi, walking around in a chef smock and either jams or a bathing suit (I can never tell).  If he is not greeting you kitchenside, he will likely be making rounds and giving out drink rounds and/or free appetizers later.  Nothing less should be expected from the Master of Ceremonies of this culinary circus.

Last week, before heading over to see the Saints perform exceptionally well in their first home pre-season game, Mollie and I joined some of our friends to partake of some Jacques-Imo's action.  Our friends Michael and Lisa Perniciaro were spending a weekend in New Orleans away from the kids.  I honestly have to say that, as the president of the fat man club, it absolutely angers me that Michael can put away so much food and not be a member.  He took out an appetizer, had some of Lisa's appetizer, cleared a double stuffed pork chop with a few sides and then eyed some additional fried chicken on the table.  His skinny man smile says it all....

Michael Perniciaro after eating more than humanly possible.
At some point the table got onto the topic of where Jacque-Imo's came up with its name.  Most speculated that it was a spin on the word "Jock-A-Mo," which can be found in the lyrics of the song "Iko Iko."  However, nobody knew what the word or the song meant.  Well, I looked it up for my friends at the table, and....here we go...

"Iko Iko" is a much-covered New Orleans song that actually is describing a parade collision between two tribes of Mardi Gras Indians. The song, under the original title "Jock-A-Mo", was written in 1953 by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford in New Orleans. The story tells of a "spy boy" or "spy dog" (a lookout for one band of Indians) encountering the "flag boy" or guidon carrier for another band. He threatens to set the flag on fire.

Crawford combined phrases chanted by Mardi Gras Indians and sets them to music for the song.  Per Crawford, “Iko Iko” was a victory chant that the Indians would shout and “Jock-A-Mo” was a chant that was called when the Indians went into battle.

"Jock-a-mo" was the original version of the song "Iko Iko" recorded by The Dixie Cups in 1965. Their version came about by accident. They were in a New York City studio for a recording session when they began an impromptu version of "Iko Iko", accompanied only by drumsticks on studio ashtrays.  Dixie Cup member Barbara Hawkins recalls, "We were just clowning around with it during a session using drumsticks on ashtrays. We didn't realize that Jerry and Mike had the tapes running". The recording session producers added bass and drums to the "clowning around" and released it to much fan.

Jay and Flor Ochs
Well, now that we have covered our history lesson for the day, permit me to indulge one more opinion.  Jacques-Imo's is good.  Experience it.  Do not let nay sayers misguide you that the place is "cliche" or that "there are other places" or that "the wait is too long."  In fact, when you are told that, ask the person how many times they have tried it.  I guarantee you that they have been there between 2 and a dozen times.  Thus, you know something is going right for it to take that many visits to form an opinion! 

Until you meet Jacque and his crew, here is a recipe that I collected from the hodge podge of online attempts to recreate his Shrimp and Alligator Sausage Cheesecake.

Shrimp and Alligator Sausage Cheesecake

1 1/3 cup bread crumbs
2/3 cups parmesan cheese
4 ounces butter melted
28 oz cream cheese - softened
4 eggs
2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup smoked gouda grated
2 2/3 cup onions - small to medium dice
2 2/3 cup mixed red, green and yellow bell peppers (finely chopped)
2 ounces butter
10 ounces alligator sausage (if you cannot find it, andouille or smoked sausage is a great substitute)
2 2/3 cup or 1 lb of shrimp - diced
1 pinch salt
1/2 tbl Fajita Majic (Paul Prudhomme)
1/2 tbl chipotle powder
chives, parmagiano & creole seasoning for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Thoroughly mix bread crumbs, parmesan and butter.  Press mixture into 10-inch spring form pan.  Bake approximately 10 minutes to set crust (lightly browned edges).  Set aside.

Using mixer with paddle mix cream cheese until smooth.  Add eggs, mix.  Add heavy whipping cream and Gouda. Mix until smooth (consistency should be like pancake batter).

Saute all vegetables until soft.  Add seasoning and shrimp and cook until just done.  Add sausage and fold into cream cheese mixture.

Wrap foil around pans to prevent leakage and fill pan evenly with mix.  Bake in water bath on the bottom rack in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Remove when an inserted knife is clean and the filling is set. 

Cool for at least 45 minutes before cutting. Remove from spring form pan and cut into 12 pieces.

To present (optional).  Place a pool of about 1/4 cup coulis (recipe below) on each plate.  Place a slice of cheesecake on the coulis.  Sprinkle freshly chopped chives over and around the cake. Top the cheesecake with about a tablespoon of coarsely grated Parmisan Reggiano cheese. Sprinkle Creole seasoning around the rim of the plate.

Creole Mustard-Tomato Coulis
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tbl garlic, minced
1 tbl shallots, minced
8 Roma tomatoes peeled seeded & diced (or 2 cans of diced tomatoes)
1/2 tsp. Creole seasoning
3 tbl Creole mustard (Zatarains)

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic and shallot until tender, about 3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the Creole seasoning and Creole mustard, stir.  Puree in a food processor or blender. Let cool to room temperature.

1 comment:

  1. Solid post. I've always wanted to try recreating this decadent app. FYI- there's a great book written by Dan Baum titled, "Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans". In it, Baum discusses the roots of the Indians' phrase Jacques Imo. If I remember (unlikely) I'll type it out for you when I get home.

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