NEW ORLEANS RESTAURANTS & FOOD - Chef's Corner
Chef Tom Weaver of The Court of Two Sisters Restaurant
At The Court of Two Sisters, Chef Tom Weaver can often be spotted in the stretch between the dining rooms and courtyard. Stopping to talk to diners he often fields questions about just what type of cuisine he’s cooking.
“A woman asked me if the eggplant casserole is Creole,” he says. “It sort of is. But if you look at the ingredients it’s more complicated.” The dish has the trinity of bell peppers, onions and celery, the basis of Creole cooking. But it also has andouille sausage, more indicative of Cajun cooking and the “German coast” between New Orleans and Cajun Country.
The two regions are so closely tied that their cooking have come to share many common elements. So even the most Creole of restaurants in New Orleans have Cajun influences. And it’s not hard to go to Cajun country and find Shrimp Creole on a menu.
At The Court of Two Sisters, Weaver has a mixed grill that exemplifies the blending of cuisines. It includes a chicken breast with a Creole mustard sauce, spicy andouille sausage and boudin, a Cajun sausage stuffed with highly seasoned pork and rice. The dish is complemented by broccoli with a tasso hollandaise sauce, a mix of bold Louisiana flavors with refined cooking technique.
In a more rustic dish, he grills boneless pork loin with a Louisiana cane syrup and bing cherry glaze. He serves the pork with Cajun dirty rice and candied yams.
A new Zydeco fish dish brings together different local elements as well. He prepares a Gulf fish like redfish or drum in a seasoning mix like a Jamaican jerk rub, made with red pepper, Creole mustard, paprika, cumin and soy. He then sears the fish in a skillet and finishes it in the oven before serving it with a garlic, lemon butter sauce. The result is a bold mix of Louisiana flavor.