On Friday, Grandpère and I attended the grand opening and ribbon-cutting of the reconstructed plantation kitchen at the historic Edward Douglas White House a few miles up Bayou Lafourche from Thibodaux.
The national Historic Landmark, situated on the banks of scenic Bayou Lafourche near Thibodaux, Louisiana, was the residence of two of Louisiana' s foremost political figures, Edward Douglas White, who was governor from 1835 to 1839, and his son, Edward Douglass White, who was appointed to the United States Supreme Court in 1894 and served as chief justice from 1910 to 1921.
Historians date the construction of the plantation home anywhere from the late eighteenth century to the 1830's due to the evidence of contrasting architectural features found within the house. The house more prominently represents the Creole-style cottage design that was popular in south Louisiana prior to the Civil war, but was transformed into a Greek Revival house in the 1840's, reflecting the impact of Anglo-American culture on the Acadian Bayou landscape in the mid 1800s.
The kitchens of the plantation houses were usually situated in separate buildings to keep the heat of the kitchen out of the house and to protect the house in the event of a kitchen fire. Below is the newly reconstructed kitchen.
The hearth of the kitchen where the food was cooked.
David, Ray, and Danny Weimer, pictured below, constructed the kitchen. That's Papa Ray with his sons on either side.
Twenty-six years ago, Ray and his two brothers, Mike and Ronnie, built our house. David worked on the house during the summer when he was 15 years old. Danny was only about 8 years old, so he maybe got to help pick up trash, but that's about all. Maybe his dad even gave him a few bucks for his work.
Chef John Folse, pictured below, and his staff cooked our meal in the kitchen hearth as in days of old.
Chef John Folse is the owner and executive chef of his Louisiana based corporations. His Lafitte's Landing Restaurant in Donaldsonville is recognized as one of the finest restaurants in and around New Orleans. White Oak Plantation, in Baton Rouge, houses his catering and events management company, "Voila!" Louisiana's Premier Products, his cook and chill plant in New Orleans, manufactures soups, sauces, entrees and meats for food service and retail establishments across the country. Chef Folse is the author of numerous books and publications available in bookstores nationally.
John is respected around the world as an authority on Cajun and Creole cuisine and culture. He hosts his own national television cooking show on PBS.
Chef Folse again and someone you may recognize standing at the preparation table. No, I did not help prepare the meal, but I was so bold as to ask for a photo with the chef, which I said would be viewed all around the world.
Chef Folse shared with us from his vast knowledge the history of Cajun cooking. The influences on what we know today as Cajun cooking are varied and are derived from seven main groups, which I list from memory: French, Spanish, German, Acadian, Native American, African, and Caribbean.
Our meal is pictured below.
The dishes included:
Grilled Cornish game hen
Jambalaya
A mess of greens
Corn maque choux
Corn bread
Mixed green salad
All of the dishes were delicious - altogether an excellent meal.
We dined in tents set up under the oaks. The weather was warmish, but large fans strategically placed outside the tents circulated air so that we were not uncomfortable.
Grandpère standing next to one of the old oak trees on the property.
A large branch of the same oak tree.
The recipe for a mess of greens or voodoo greens is below. Back in the olden days, folks had to use everything that was edible, not just carrots, but carrot tops, not just turnips, but turnip tops, etc. The mess of greens prepared with Chef Folse's recipe was quite tasty.
Click on the recipe for the larger view.
