It’s APRIL already?!? Whew, it’s been a minute! Here’s what’s been going on…

I have always done my best work in bed 😊 – philosophizing, planning, recipes…in fact most of my best recipes come from my dreams – think Peach Lavender Tart! Recently I was tasked with creating a menu that would jive with the play “Beauty and the Beast” and naturally Ragu and “The Grey Stuff” embedded themselves in my brain like a chigger - sleepless nights ruminating and creating...and yes, again, DREAMING up this recipe. I did NOT research The Grey Stuff and thankfully did not come up with either cookies ‘n cream whatnot OR Chicken Liver Mousse. My brain went to Earl Grey Tea, and the successful result was Earl Grey Madeleines with Earl Grey Mousse, Crushed Amaretti and Candied Orange Peel. Delicious!

This, after a restful hiatus in St. Lucia, which I needed BADLY. Naturally, I rewarded myself with a monstrous amount of quick work upon return – in the next 2.5 weeks I fed almost 500 people – and if you know how I operate, that’s A LOT. As I’ve said many times, Lula’s should have been called “These Two Hands”… Gotta pay for those vacations!

I learned a few things while my amazing husband Gordon and I were in St. Lucia, whilst bamboo rafting, chocolate making, rum drinking (the dark aged stuff is FABULOUS and I brought some home with me), gliding through the rainforest canopy, and mountain climbing (not literally – just two hours uphill and down in 85 degree heat with 95% humidity…more than once… ONE thing I learned is hire a driver. The roads are so bad, your nerves are just about SHOT every time you reach your destination. Another fascinating experience is the rainforests and the things you learn about FOOD! Did you know the Pineapple comes from a shrub in the Bromeliad family, there’s only one pineapple per bush, it takes a year for the one pineapple to mature, and then the bush dies and seeds grow another one and it takes another year for ONE MORE PINEAPPLE?!?!? Same for BANANAS (except it takes 15-18months)!!! Don’t ever complain again about the cost of these two fruits!

Something I already knew was the history and importance of the cacao tree – and teach this stuff in all iterations of my chocolate “and” classes … but I’d never made chocolate before (the primitive way) and it was AWESOME. You POUND and you POUND and you POUND the cacao nibs with a mortar and pestle until it turns into a paste, gleaming and unctuous, and you add the cocoa butter (from the same bean) and your favorite amount of sugar to make the chocolate bar YOU want! The same way Montezuma’s slaves had to make it for his 20 cups of cocoa every day (not sweetened, by the way) to increase his fertility. He introduced it to the Spaniards who took it to Africa, etc., and it has flourished there as well.

Caribbean Cuisine

I’m not a huge fan of Caribbean food, but I do have my favorites – Ajiaco Stew (actually Columbian) Jerk of course, Curried Fish Stew (and all of the fresh FISH!), and Calaloo (we make it up here with Collards). I got so excited the other day when a client wanted Ajiaco – I have so few occasions to serve it. Think Chicken Noodle with potatoes instead, avocado, limes, capers, corn…and cilantro! Soooooo yummy. No FOOLIN’!

About Chef Lori

Chef Lori Pierce, owner of Lula's, creates unique, boutique cuisine to impress your guests and clients in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area. Our custom recipes and menus delight an intimate gathering of 10, a celebration for 100, and anything in between.

At Lula's, Love is ALWAYS our first ingredient!