John Besh’s New Orleans

Vinaigrette:
Yield: about 3/4 cup

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1⁄4 cup sherry vinegar
• 1 shallot, minced
• Leaves from 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons walnut oil
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Whisk sugar and sherry vinegar together in a large mixing bowl or salad bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add shallot and thyme. Whisk in canola, walnut, and pumpkin seed oils. Season with salt and pepper.

Pumpkin Seed Brittle:
Yield: 3/4 pound

• 1 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces pumpkin seeds
• 1 egg white

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Combine sugar, cayenne, salt, and pumpkin seeds in a medium bowl. Whisk egg white in a mixing bowl until foamy but not stiff. Fold egg white into the pumpkin seed mixture.
2. Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment paper. Spread the brittle mixture thinly and evenly on the silicon mat, and bake 20 to 30 minutes or until the brittle turns completely golden brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to let cool. Break the brittle roughly into 2-inch pieces.

Testing Note: The brittle puffs up while baking and will fall as it cools.

RESOURCES: My New Orleans (Andrews McMeel, 2009, $45).