Letoyant Creole Wine

Mardi Gras, “Fat Tuesday”, is the last day of the Carnival season as it always falls the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Mardi Gras may be over, but this recipe keeps the soul and spirit of the Creole heritage alive and well …and into your home.

I had the pleasure of meeting one of the authors (Louis Metoyer) of the cookbook  this recipe is taken from last week at Tesoro Winery on Fat Tuesday. Louis is a local, hailing from nearby Menifee, CA. The term “charming” doesn’t do this cultural gatekeeper justice. He’s a man on a mission to share and celerate the tradition’s of the Creole cultural heritage and its people. Louis’ cookbook will be out in the spring. You can watch for it and all things Creole through his Web site www.bayoutalk.com. You can read the recipe here

Recipe taken from the book
Qu’est-ce qu’on va manger,
“What are we going to eat?”
By Louis H. Metoyer and John R. Metoyera

A perfect pairing for this recipe is a wine Louis developed in conjunction with the mighty winemaking team at Tesoro Winery in Temecula, CA.  The Letoyant Creole wine ($35) is  an  estate  2007 Syrah grown on Tesoro Winery’s Kimberly Vineyards in Temecula Valley.  Expect to see an intense purplish color with a spicy sage flavor that compliments the cultural Creole cuisine.  I think you’ll enjoy the vanilla, cherry and plum flavirs with a nice earthy finish.

An added benefit of purchasing  this wine is a portion of the proceeds benefit Northwestern State University Creole Heritage Center courtesy of Tesoro Winery and Bayou Talk Newsletter.