We were married 23 years when we had the foodie experience of our lives. It still stands as one of our top meals of all time.

We were on a business trip to New Orleans for the NAFEM show held every two years. We had many friends in our industry and several that were quite close. One couple told us they were celebrating their 40th anniversary at The Commander’s Palace and would like us to join them–their treat. We didn’t even have to think about it. We were all in!

In case you didn’t know, Commander’s Palace is the place where Emeril Lagasse got his start in the culinary world. It is known as one of the finest restaurants in America, and we were going there for dinner. We were awe-struck at the thought. But it gets better…

We found out they had reserved the Chef’s Table where we would dine at a table across from the Sous Chef as he prepared our 7 course meal complete with wine pairings. Ahhh!!

The place was packed with diners. We were escorted through the noise to double doors that led us to the birth place of fine dining. We owned a commercial foodservice company, so my husband was all too familiar with the inner workings of a busy kitchen. But he had never experienced it as the one being served; and served we were!

Our chef, Tory McPhail, was the longest running Executive Chef in Commander’s Palace history until he retired in November, 2020. He now resides in Montana where he “guides three busy restaurants in Bozeman”, as his LinkedIn page states. He gave us our own signed copy of the menu, marking each of the 7 courses we enjoyed with the wine pairings.

The one dish that stands out to this day in my memory is their Creamed Corn with Jalapeño and Thyme. We hope you’ll take time to enjoy this dish while the summer sweet corn is at it’s finest.

Creamed Corn with Jalapeño and Thyme

Ingredients:

• 8 ears fresh corn, shucked
• 1 pint heavy cream
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced
• 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
• 1 Tablespoon butter

Directions:

• Stand an ear of corn inside a large bowl. Using a small knife remove the kernels, being sure not to cut into the cob. When all the corn has been scraped off, scrape the cob with the back of a knife, break the cob in half and place in a large pot. Repeat with the remaining ears of corn.
• Pour the cream into the pot. It probably won’t cover all the cobs. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil, taking care not to let the cream boil over. Stir and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the cream starts to thicken. Using tongs, remove the cobs. If not thick enough, make a roux using corn starch and water and thicken to your liking.
• Add the corn and the jalapeño to the pan and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The corn should be tender. Add the thyme, stir in the butter and adjust seasoning as needed.

Recipe from Commander’s Kitchen Cookbook, page 248