Lally Brennan, chef Meg Bickford, and Ti Martín at Palm Desert Food & Wine.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOLLIE BKIMBERLING
Ray Hoyt drove a hundred miles just to have brunch on Sunday at The Gardens on El Paseo. The San Dimas resident — and devout follower of the Instagram account for Commander’s Palace in New Orleans — brought a friend to the sold-out Palm Desert Food & Wine jazz brunch because Commander’s is his “favorite restaurant in the whole United States.”
A show of hands during the event revealed a surprising number of attendees had been to Commander’s, but Hoyt probably had been the most often (his daughter attended college and later was married in New Orleans). He plans to make his ninth dining experience there in 12 days to celebrate his birthday. But the jazz brunch offered an opportunity to watch executive chef Meg Bickford in action with proprietors Lally Brennan and Ti Martín flanking her and sharing anecdotes.
A jazzy New Orleans vibe — provided by a horn quartet (Los Angeles’ Blow Brass) — welcomed brunch attendees to the festival terrace for a pre-brunch reception featuring brandy milk “punch,” Mumm Champagne (served straight or in mimosas with orange or cranberry juice), and hot coffee and tea. Christa Cotton, CEO of New Orleans–based El Guapo Bitters and a James Beard Foundation fellow, added Mardi Gras–esque fashion and dance to the scene.
Inside the tent, yellow, green, and blue balloons floated above rows of tables. Bickford, Brennan, and Martín began their presentation with a blue crab Ramos gin fizz — a fitting concoction given Henry Charles Ramos’ mixology history in the French Quarter.
Braised pork belly with crawfish sauce and poached egg.
Brandy milk punch.
Chef Bickford cooking.
Guests.
“We love drinking in the morning,” Brennan said as Bickford gave a cocktail shaker purpose. “It may be strange to some of you, but give it a try,” she encouraged tongue-in-cheek to a crowd that already was getting their glass flutes refilled by servers carrying bottles of Mumm.
Aproned volunteers set before each guest a square-pedestal glass bowl of crab topped with frothy gin fizz and a dollop of Louisiana bowfin caviar. (Brennan noted that Commander’s Palace sources 90 percent of its ingredients from within 100 miles of the restaurant.)
As guests savored their first course, the band struck up “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
For a second course, Bickford showcased Creole cream cheese grits (Commander’s makes its own cream cheese) with leeks, cremini and shitake mushrooms, poached eggs, lunchbox (mini) peppers, and pork belly in a curried crawfish sauce. A vegetarian option featured mushrooms, artichokes, and leeks with an Herbsaint (New Orleans liqueur) coulis.
Guests enjoying their dessert.
Adding vivacious commentary throughout the brunch, Martín explained the “second line” concept derived from New Orleans’ parade tradition — by which people fall in behind the main procession, as in a jazz-accompanied funeral. She explained the use of waving white handkerchiefs in the second line and then invited attendees to participate. Bickford, Brennan, Martín, the brass quartet, and most all the 140-plus attendees snaked through the tables waving white napkins before the brunch’s third (sweet) course.
Keeping on point with highlighting New Orleans in the first two dishes, the Commander’s trio brought with them bright-red strawberries from Ponchatoula, Louisiana. Bickford demonstrated preparation of buttermilk-biscuit shortcake, which was served over strawberries that had become tantalizingly syrupy (after being married for an hour with sugar) and with a Chantilly cream.
Martín continued with humor in her parting advice: “If there’s anything you take away today,” she said, “it should be these three words: Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.”
Brunch ticket buyers were able to partake in the festival’s Grand Tasting event that began on the terrace and in the larger, adjacent tent within minutes of the brunch ending. They also were alerted to a “New Orleans” bar in the reception area serving a French 75 cocktail made with syrups and bitters from Cotton’s El Guapo company.
As with other Palm Desert Food & Wine events, a portion of proceeds from brunch ticket sales benefited FIND Food Bank.
Entertainers.
Attendees.
Ponchatoula strawberry shortcake.