NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Broussard’s Restaurant has announced its summer seasonal menu will pay homage to a Louisiana staple, Creole cream cheese. Chef Jimi Setchim chose to highlight the intriguing and often forgotten item that was once a staple of the South Louisiana household because it is an authentic heritage food that embodies the history and lifespan of our city. The special prix fixe dinner and brunch menus will run through the end of August.
Creole cream cheese was an essential breakfast item across New Orleans, a sweet, tart, and mildly salty dairy product with the texture of yogurt. Made by mixing skim and whole milk with rennet, a natural enzyme that breaks down dairy, Creole cream cheese was vital to the early New Orleanians. It allowed them to extend the life of their dairy and create a farmhouse-style cheese. Originally created by the French settlers, Creole cream cheese takes its roots from crème fraîche. The natural bacteria in the air would cause the curd and whey in the milk to separate. Left hanging in the shade of a tree, the liquid whey would drip off, and the remaining solids would curdle together into a wonderful cream.
“For our Summer menu, I wanted to show off how versatile Creole cream cheese is,” said Chef Jimi. “The saltiness is used to counter the sweetness of corn in a macque choux and in a summery puree. The Creole cream cheese tartness is paired with fresh herbs to make an exciting Green Goddess dressing. Its tang is used to deepen the richness of grits. And of course, the myriad ways its sweetness can enhance desserts – paired with spiced gingersnap crust in a cheesecake and used to balance tropical passion fruit in a classic tart.”
Chef Jimi’s Creole cream cheese prix fixe dinner menu includes a choice of starters: summer peach and avocado salad with goat cheese, toasted almonds, and Creole cream cheese green goddess; or Gulf shrimp persillade with grilled corn and Creole cream cheese macque choux, pecans, and parsley pesto. Featured entrée choices are Creole moules frites with alligator sausage and Creole cream cheese and herb aioli; pan-seared duck breast with Creole cream cheese grits, pickled peppers, roasted peach and bacon glaze; and crispy pork belly porchetta with Creole cream cheese and summer corn puree, pecan pesto, pickled peppers and shallots, and peach and passion fruit glaze. Prix fixe dessert options include Creole Cream Cheese & Passion Fruit Tart with a lavender shortbread crust, passion fruit and peach coulis, and toasted pistachios; and Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake with gingersnap crust, bourbon peach compote, and mint coulis. The price of this menu is $55 per person.
The Brunch prix fixe menu offers the summer peach and avocado salad or duck and alligator sausage gumbo for the starter course. The entrées are peach pain perdu with Creole cream cheese and bourbon peach syrup or Louisiana blue crab quiche. The featured dessert is English toffee bread pudding with dark chocolate and salted caramel. The price of this menu is $47 per person.
To make reservations at Broussard’s, please visit broussards.com or call 504-581-3866.
