Xander’s hour lesson turned into the whole afternoon, which bled into early evening. The young boy finished his painting and wandered off to feed the chickens, followed as always by his canine shadow, Gopher. Bo roused himself from his nap with a yawn. “Has it been an hour yet?” he asked.
“It’s been four hours,” Maggie answered.
“What?” Bo jumped to his feet. “I didn’t mean to pass out.” He glanced at the finished canvas on the easel. “Hey, you’re really good.”
“That’s not mine. That’s your son’s.” Maggie pointed to Xander.
“Huh?” Bo rubbed his eyes. “Are you telling me Xander did this? Seven-year-old Xander?”
“Yes. He’s got a gift, Bo. Whether it’s from God or the universe or genetics, I don’t know. But wherever it’s from, it’s magical and special, and I want to help him.”
Bo ran his hands through his thick black hair as he tried to process what Maggie was telling him. “Yes. Sure. Do whatever you have to. I just want him to be happy. And feel good about himself. He needs that. He deserves it.”
Bo walked over to his son, picked him up, and carried him back to where Maggie was standing. “Wanna get something to eat?” he asked Xander, who nodded yes. “You wanna come with?” Bo asked Maggie, who shook her head no.
“You two go. I’ve got something I need to do.”
“Okay.” Bo rubbed noses with Xander, who gave a slight smile. “Do me a favor, buddy, go wait by the car. I’ll be right there.” He put Xander down, and the boy ran off around the side of the main house to the front drive where Bo had parked. Bo turned to Maggie. “Not to be crass and inartistic or anything, but the more lessons you give him, the more I get to see you in a way that even Ru can’t have a fit about.”
“I was so busy obsessing about Xander’s talent that I didn’t even think of that,” Maggie said. “But yes. Yay!”
Bo laughed. Then he bent his head down close to Maggie’s and kissed her. It was a kiss as soft and warm and electric as any she’d ever experienced or even fantasized about. Maggie shuddered. But this time, in a good way.
Bo held a finger to her lips and she nodded. The kiss, as well as any that followed, would be their secret . . . for now. No sense in poking the odious bear that was Rufus.
Bo disappeared into the darkness and Maggie soon heard the sound of his car driving away from Crozat. Then she turned back to the canvas on her easel and began sketching. She continued through the night, and when dawn broke, she transported her canvas and art supplies down to her special spot by the bayou, where she painted quickly and fiercely.
When Maggie was done, she eyed the result with a serenity that she hadn’t felt as an artist for a very long time. The painting depicted the languid bayou scene, but with a heightened photo-realism. Beyond that, an inquisitive art aficionado would discover something else—the silhouette of a man. Some would argue it wasn’t even there, that it was the mind playing tricks on the viewer. This was the artist’s intention—to imbue her work with a bit of sensual mystery.
She lay down and rested her head on a thicket of moss. “I know now,” she thought to herself. “I know why I came home.”
Then she smiled, closed her eyes, and with the soft Louisiana morning air as her blanket, Maggie fell asleep.
Crawfish Crozat
Ninette’s signature dish is deceptively simple, but for a good reason. While many recipes bury the crawfish in heavy cream sauces, Ninette’s is designed to let its delicious flavor dominate.
Ingredients
1 lb. peeled and cooked crawfish tails
1 cup okra, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1 lb. regular or whole wheat penne
4 tbsp. olive oil
3 minced garlic cloves
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (subtract or add more, depending on your taste for spicy)
¼ tsp. ground gumbo filé
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. thyme
¼ tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. Cajun seasoning, any brand
(Note: if your Cajun seasoning has salt, you may want to reduce the ½ tsp. sea salt. You can always add more if you feel it’s needed.)
Instructions
Mix the salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, filé, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, thyme, and Cajun seasoning together in a small bowl.
Warm two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on a medium flame, and add the okra and red pepper. Cook until softened, about five minutes. Turn off the heat and add the crawfish; stir so it absorbs some of the vegetable’s warmth.
Cook the penne until it’s al dente, and drain. Toss it with the remaining oil and the herb/spice mix.
Add the crawfish, okra, and red pepper, and toss gently.
Note: Don’t have crawfish or okra? Substitute shrimp and broccoli. Don’t like seafood? Substitute two cups of chopped cooked chicken.
Serves 4–6.
Chulanes
The broadest definition of a praline is a flat sugar candy flavored with nuts. Recipes often call for butter and brown sugar. Here is Tug’s somewhat healthier version, named in honor of his alma mater, Louisiana’s prestigious Tulane University.
Ingredients
8 oz. unsweetened baker’s chocolate, melted
½ cup honey, warmed
¼ tsp. vanilla (you can substitute a liquor like rum or bourbon if you prefer)
¼ tsp. sea salt
1 cup mix-ins, like chopped nuts, raisins, dried fruit (Tug’s favorites are raisins and slivered honeyed almonds)
Instructions
Stir the honey into the melted chocolate. It will be soupy. Don’t worry about that.
Add the vanilla and salt, and stir.
Mix in the mix-ins.
Line a baking sheet with parchment. Drop the Chulanes onto the parchment by large spoonfuls.
Place in the freezer until the Chulanes harden. They can be kept in the fridge after that and will have a chewy consistency.
Makes 12.
Bourbon Pecan Bread Pudding
Bread pudding is one of those fun dishes that’s easy to adapt to anyone’s taste. Lia jazzes hers up with bourbon and that other Louisiana staple, pecans. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Ingredients
4 ½ cups lightly packed bite-size croissant pieces (about 4 croissants)
1 cup chopped pecans
3 large eggs
¾ cups granulated sugar
1 cup milk
⅓ cup bourbon, plus 1 tsp.
½ cup heavy or whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. dark brown sugar
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Dry bread uncovered at room temperature for 12 hours (or dry the bread in a 250-degree oven for one hour).
Butter an 8 × 8 baking dish.
Arrange the bread in the baking dish. Sprinkle the pecans over the bread, making sure they’re evenly dispersed.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, milk, ⅓ cup bourbon, ½ cup of cream, vanilla, and salt. Pour it slowly and evenly over the bread.
Cream the butter with the brown sugar and teaspoon of bourbon, then dot the pudding with the mixture.
(Note: you can chill the pudding, covered, for anywhere from an hour to a day before baking, but this is optional.)
Bake the pudding in the middle of the oven until it’s slightly puffed and golden and the middle has set—approximately 40 minutes.
Serves 6.
A Lagniappe* about Plantation Shudders
I became fascinated by Cajun culture when I was a student at Tulane University. During a visit to Louisiana after graduation, my friend Jan and I drove up the east bank of River Road, and we were drawn to a dilapidated but stunning plantation. It was glorious architecturally but in total disrepair. Yet a woman was offering tours. Her name was Gaynell Bourgeois Moore, and she worked for the only member of the Hayward family who refused to okay a sale of the plantation, Ashland-Belle Helene, to Shell Oil Company.