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MY
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EVERYDAY
MARCH | APRIL 2017
the
Barbecue
issue
B
lunt and persnickety, Chef Warren Leruth was not only creative but also
a fearlessly innovative chef. He started out as a food chemist, so he was
trained to be particular about his procedures and recipes.
In food circles, he was the Renaissance man who did things his way. Rather
than expand with his restaurant’s popularity, he removed tables. Generous with
his time and talent, he developed dishes for other restaurateurs, and many of
those recipes remain as standards of their kind.
New Orleans as a city for fine dining beyond Creole cuisine came to national
attention in 1965, when Leruth renovated a Victorian shotgun cottage across
the Mississippi River in Old Gretna. He stirred our culinary world forever.
Who had ever heard of fried parsley as a garnish?
When the late and legendary chef introduced oyster and artichoke soup to the
world at his eponymous restaurant, the dish became an instant classic. Families
across the country quickly conjured up their personal versions of the “secret”
recipe. As most secrets evolve, it wasn’t one for very long. Now it is available in
many variations of goodness in cookbooks and on the Internet. Sadly, Leruth
never produced a cookbook, leaving only two small booklets and a handful of
recipes reproduced in a few publications.
Chef Greg Reggio began his cooking career as an apprentice at LeRuth
’s.Herecalls
with fondness his days on the restaurant’s kitchen line and credits his time there
alongside Leruth for providing the inspiration and training he needed to succeed.
Greg is now one of theTaste Buds, a trio of chefs who have developed innovative
recipes at such groundbreaking restaurants as Semolina, Zea Rotisserie & Grill
and Mizado. Chefs Gary Darling and Hans Limburg are his partners.
Working with Gary Darling, who was then executive chef in Al Copeland’s test
kitchen, Leruth was also responsible for Popeyes biscuits and the restaurant
chain’s famous red beans and rice and dirty rice recipes. When you use a non-
separating salad dressing or eat at Outback Steakhouse or Burger King, you
could be enjoying something that Leruth created.
With his food chemistry background, Leruth was excruciatingly specific about
each ingredient. He had strong opinions about tasting procedure and insisted
that a flavor fully reveals itself on the third bite. He was the master of what he
called “The Comeback Taste.”
Greg Reggio’s Artichoke
& Oyster Soup
Serves 10 to 12
“The inspiration for this version of oyster and artichoke
soup comes from my first professional cooking job at
LeRuth’s and my mother’s oyster stew that highlighted
fresh flavors and buttery finish,” said Reggio. We think
Leruth would be proud of this takeoff on his creation.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
1½ sticks unsalted butter, divided
All-purpose flour, as needed
1
quart shucked raw oysters, with juices
1
cup diced (¼-inch) yellow onion
½ cup diced (¼-inch) celery
2
teaspoons minced garlic
2
tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1
tablespoon Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish
Magic, or another low-salt Cajun spice blend
1
teaspoon fresh thyme
2
cups heavy cream
Shrimp stock, as needed, up to 1 cup
Kosher or sea salt, to taste
½ cup sliced (¼-inch) green onion
2
cups artichoke hearts
HOW TO PREP
Begin to prepare this recipe by
making a blond roux. Melt 1 stick of
butter in a heavy, 6- to 8-quart pot
over medium heat. Whisk in enough
flour to bring the texture of the
mixture to that of wet sand. Cook the
roux until the color becomes a light tan and the aroma
is somewhat nutty. Do not brown the roux. Remove the
roux from the pot and set aside.
Place the oysters and their juices in a saucepan. Cook
just until the oysters are plump and their edges fan out.
Be careful to not overcook them. Remove the poached
oysters from the liquid and spread them out on a sheet
pan to cool. Reserve the liquid. Once the oysters are cool
enough to handle, cut them into ½- to ¾-inch pieces.
In another pan, blanch the artichoke hearts in boiling
water until tender. Allow them to cool and cut them into
½-inch pieces.
Melt the remaining butter in the skillet. Add the onion,
celery, garlic and parsley. Cook over medium heat until
the onion is translucent and the celery is tender. Do not
brown the vegetables.
Add the heavy cream, bring to a boil and simmer for
5 minutes. Whisk in enough of the roux to bring the
thickness to that of cake batter. Add in all of the reserved
oyster liquid and enough shrimp stock to thin the soup to
a medium thick consistency, using up to 1 cup of shrimp
stock to your preference. Cook for 5 minutes at a simmer.
Adjust salt if necessary.
Just before serving, add the oysters, artichoke hearts and
green onions.
Leruth’s legacy
by
Kit Wohl +
photo courtesy
G.E. Arnold,
NOLA/The Times-Picayune archive