Toastmasters Speech #4- How to Say It
Has anyone here been to New Orleans? What did you like most about your trip there? My favorite part about New Orleans was the FOOD. They had absolutely the BEST food. Even now, I think of the slow-cooked beef brisket with the slightly spicy horseradish sauce and the chewy, crunchy extra sweet pralines- it makes my mouth water! :) I went to New Orleans in May to go to the Jazz fest and although I listened to some fabulous music, the food was unbelievable and most memorable thing about my trip. In my short, 4 day visit, I went to two of New Orleans top restaurants: Herbsaint and Emril Lagasse’s restaurant, NOLA. I’d like to give you a “taste” of New Orleans by course: appetizers & salads, main entrée and dessert!
First, let me bring out the appetizers and salads. The crab cake is a work of art. It almost looks too good to eat! The formal description is: Pan roasted crab cake with smoked eggplant puree, feta cheese, crispy spinach in a citrus butter sauce. It tastes like HEAVEN. The smokiness of the eggplant tempers the pungent cheese. The clear, citrus butter sauce surrounds the crab cake so that every bite you take drips with a combination of crunchiness, rich buttery flavor and a kick of citrus. How about a light salad? Perhaps arugula with roasted beets, burrata cheese and topped with a walnut vinaigrette. Arugula leaves have a slightly bitter flavor, but the beets add an earthy taste. The creamy burrata cheese, similar to mozzarella, but a little sweeter offsets the bitterness of the leaves. The nutty tasting dressing tops the delicious combination and clings to the leaves with each bite. If you’re not into crab or arugula, let me tempt you with a baby greens salad, tossed in a sherry-wine vinaigrette, served with blackberries and warm pistachio-encrusted goat cheese. The tangy dressing along with the creaminess of the cheese, the sweetness of the berries and the crunchiness of the nuts work together to orchestrate a symphony for your taste buds! Whether you choose a crab cake, arugula or baby greens salad, you will NOT be disappointed!
Moving on to the main entrée- I hope you’re still hungry! Here are you options: Olive oil seared gnocchi with lemon, parmesan and local tomatoes or, Shrimp and Grits. If you’re a gnocchi fan, this dish will tempt you. Gnocchi are small dumplings, make from potatoes, flour, eggs and cheese. The flavorful and starchy dumplings are seared, which means they are burned quickly with intense heat. The searing gives an almost grilled flavor. On top of that, the light dusting of parmesan, a hint of lemon and red, ripe tomatoes add to the texture of this dish, leaving you wanting more. Not a fan of grits you say? Nonsense! You will LOVE this dish. Gulf shrimp, sautéed with green onions and paired with smoked cheddar grits, apple smoked bacon and drizzled with a spicy butter sauce. These smoked cheddar grits taste as creamy as mashed potatoes with an intense cheese flavor. Paired with the gulf shrimp, the textures blend together in your mouth with a dash of spice from the green onion. The apple smoked bacon adds a sweetness, while the spicy butter completes the richness of this entrée, making you believe you’re becoming royalty! Not your common fare, the gnocchi or shrimp and grits taste so excellent that you would go home raving about this, too!
Did you leave any room for dessert? I sure hope so, because these dishes memorize the senses. Homemade peach sorbet. It looks like a fluffy, orange-tinged cloud. And it tastes as divine! Pieces of the ripest peaches are churned into sorbet with sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. You could be eating the most delicious peach pie of your life, but without the crust. And finally, I really did leave the best for last. Vanilla bean crème brulee. You may have had this before, but never like THIS. Extra creamy vanilla bean custard, topped with a caramel-colored caramelized crunchy sugar. This unbelievable dessert uses an extra dose of vanilla beans in the recipe. You can see all the tiny black specks that give the custard a potent vanilla flavor, adding a slightly buttery taste. It’s a small portion, so as to have been baked perfectly even and makes a beautifully light end to the meal- if you weren’t so dismayed when it was really gone! :) Your sweet tooth will be more than satisfied at the end of this meal with either of these wonderful desserts: the peach sorbet or the vanilla bean crème brulee.
I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry! And ready to jump on a plane back to New Orleans right now! :) These full course meals I’ve described with appetizers & salads, main entrees and dessert give just a small idea of what awaits you in New Orleans. So many more food creations, cafes and cuisines exist which need telling about. Gumbo and catfish, muffelatas and po-boys, crawfish and bodine balls. Oh, it was all sooo delicious!! Have I made you want to visit to New Orleans yet??
First, let me bring out the appetizers and salads. The crab cake is a work of art. It almost looks too good to eat! The formal description is: Pan roasted crab cake with smoked eggplant puree, feta cheese, crispy spinach in a citrus butter sauce. It tastes like HEAVEN. The smokiness of the eggplant tempers the pungent cheese. The clear, citrus butter sauce surrounds the crab cake so that every bite you take drips with a combination of crunchiness, rich buttery flavor and a kick of citrus. How about a light salad? Perhaps arugula with roasted beets, burrata cheese and topped with a walnut vinaigrette. Arugula leaves have a slightly bitter flavor, but the beets add an earthy taste. The creamy burrata cheese, similar to mozzarella, but a little sweeter offsets the bitterness of the leaves. The nutty tasting dressing tops the delicious combination and clings to the leaves with each bite. If you’re not into crab or arugula, let me tempt you with a baby greens salad, tossed in a sherry-wine vinaigrette, served with blackberries and warm pistachio-encrusted goat cheese. The tangy dressing along with the creaminess of the cheese, the sweetness of the berries and the crunchiness of the nuts work together to orchestrate a symphony for your taste buds! Whether you choose a crab cake, arugula or baby greens salad, you will NOT be disappointed!
Moving on to the main entrée- I hope you’re still hungry! Here are you options: Olive oil seared gnocchi with lemon, parmesan and local tomatoes or, Shrimp and Grits. If you’re a gnocchi fan, this dish will tempt you. Gnocchi are small dumplings, make from potatoes, flour, eggs and cheese. The flavorful and starchy dumplings are seared, which means they are burned quickly with intense heat. The searing gives an almost grilled flavor. On top of that, the light dusting of parmesan, a hint of lemon and red, ripe tomatoes add to the texture of this dish, leaving you wanting more. Not a fan of grits you say? Nonsense! You will LOVE this dish. Gulf shrimp, sautéed with green onions and paired with smoked cheddar grits, apple smoked bacon and drizzled with a spicy butter sauce. These smoked cheddar grits taste as creamy as mashed potatoes with an intense cheese flavor. Paired with the gulf shrimp, the textures blend together in your mouth with a dash of spice from the green onion. The apple smoked bacon adds a sweetness, while the spicy butter completes the richness of this entrée, making you believe you’re becoming royalty! Not your common fare, the gnocchi or shrimp and grits taste so excellent that you would go home raving about this, too!
Did you leave any room for dessert? I sure hope so, because these dishes memorize the senses. Homemade peach sorbet. It looks like a fluffy, orange-tinged cloud. And it tastes as divine! Pieces of the ripest peaches are churned into sorbet with sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. You could be eating the most delicious peach pie of your life, but without the crust. And finally, I really did leave the best for last. Vanilla bean crème brulee. You may have had this before, but never like THIS. Extra creamy vanilla bean custard, topped with a caramel-colored caramelized crunchy sugar. This unbelievable dessert uses an extra dose of vanilla beans in the recipe. You can see all the tiny black specks that give the custard a potent vanilla flavor, adding a slightly buttery taste. It’s a small portion, so as to have been baked perfectly even and makes a beautifully light end to the meal- if you weren’t so dismayed when it was really gone! :) Your sweet tooth will be more than satisfied at the end of this meal with either of these wonderful desserts: the peach sorbet or the vanilla bean crème brulee.
I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry! And ready to jump on a plane back to New Orleans right now! :) These full course meals I’ve described with appetizers & salads, main entrees and dessert give just a small idea of what awaits you in New Orleans. So many more food creations, cafes and cuisines exist which need telling about. Gumbo and catfish, muffelatas and po-boys, crawfish and bodine balls. Oh, it was all sooo delicious!! Have I made you want to visit to New Orleans yet??
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