Upon the conclusion of one of my very good friends bachelor party a few weeks ago, a weekend that was spent exploring the finer parts of New Orleans, we needed a great deal of sustenance before we got back in the car and made the grueling trek six hours north to Memphis. After strolling around for too long looking for a suitable Sunday brunch, a concierge at one of the hotels on Bourbon Street gave us directions to what he stated was the finest brunch in the city. While we were a touch skeptical at first (the best brunch in New Orleans is a fairly lofty perch), after eating at The Court of Two Sisters, it may have been the finest brunch I’ve eaten anywhere at any restaurant.

As we ambled in, three days of New Orleans in our rearview mirror, we were promptly seated on one of the most New Orleans-esque outdoor patio settings. The beautiful architecture adorned a large courtyard surrounded by a jazz band, flower arraignments and a wading pool. Considering the four of us were looking slightly haggard, with one member of our party a shockingly molten shade of green, and probably feeling much worse than our outward appearance would have let on, the meal was life saving.

As you walked into the brunch seating, done in a buffet style, there were two chefs making ready to order Eggs Benedict (with a few variations) and two huge serving stations with everything from Gumbo to fresh fruit to bananas foster and everything in between. I had to drive, so I only went through four plates of food, but I was certainly the last place finisher at the table. As we left this truly New Orleans restaurant, I asked the Maitre D’ about recipes or books on The Court of Two Sisters and he just asked for a business card to send me an email. From that email are the recipes below. And obviously, when you get back down to New Orleans, don’t tell me I didn’t tell you where the best brunch in the Big easy is.

Pan Roasted Chicken Breast With Wild Mushrooms, Andouille & Natural Pan Gravy

Ingredients:
Four 6-8 oz. Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless)
1 cup Andouille Sausage (or any other good
quality smoked sausage), diced small
1 cup Assorted Wild Mushrooms (Shitakes, Portobello, Oyster, Crimini, etc.), thinly sliced
1 cup Chicken Stock or Broth
2 tbsp. Chopped Parsley
2 tbsp. Chopped Green Onion (green parts only)
4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
1 tbsp. Chopped Fresh Garlic
Salt, Pepper, Cayenne
2 tbsp. Room Temperature Unsalted Butter
1 cup All Purpose Flour
4 tbsp. Olive Oil

Method:
Preheat oven to 475°. In a large sauté pan, heat half of the olive oil. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and cayenne on both sides, dredge in four and shake off excess. When oil is hot sear the chicken breasts on both sides. When sufficiently browned, remove from pan, place in a baking dish and put in the oven to finish. Wipe out pan and then add the rest of the olive oil. Add diced Andouille. When fat starts to render, add mushrooms. When mushrooms start to crisp (about 4- 5 minutes), add green onions and correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove fully cooked chicken breasts from baking dish. Place on serving plate. Place Andouille/Mushroom mixture on top on chicken breasts. In the same pan, deglaze with chicken stock, add thyme sprigs and reduce by _. Take stock/thyme mixture off heat, whisk in the room temperature butter, correct seasoning with salt and pepper, add parsley, stir and then pour over chicken breasts and Andouille/Mushroom mixture.

Yield:
4 people

Shrimp Toulouse

Ingredients:
2 pounds 36-40 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound butter, softened
1 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, small dice
1/2 cup red bell pepper, small dice
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
2 teaspoons Toulouse seasoning (Creole seasoning)
3/4 cup white wine

Method:
Heat 2 ounces of butter in a large sauté pan. Add mushrooms and green and red bell peppers and sauté, until clear. Then add green onions, shrimp, and Toulouse seasoning and sauté until shrimp start to turn pink. Add white wine and reduce liquid by half. When liquid is reduced swirl butter, about 3 ounces at a time, over low heat. When all butter is incorporated, remove from heat and serve over white rice.

Yield:
6 portions.

Grillades & Grits

Ingredients:
Grillades
2 lb. Veal cutlets, trimmed
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. White sugar
1 tsp. Black pepper, coarse ground
(Blend above 3 together)
1 cup Vegetable oil

Method:
Cut veal into medallions about 3 inches by 3 inches and pound with a mallet to flatten. Heat oil in a medium size sauté pan. Season the cutlets with salt, white sugar and black pepper mixture and brown on both sides for about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Ingredients:
Sauce
1 cup Bacon grease or vegetable oil
1 cup Flour
1 qt. Veal stock or water
1/8 tsp. White pepper, ground
1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper, ground
1/8 tsp. Black pepper, ground
1 tsp. Salt
3 tbsp. Butter
1 cup White onion, julienne
1 cup Green bell pepper, julienne
1 cup Celery, julienne
1 tbsp. Garlic, minced
1 cup Mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cup Tomatoes, peeled, seeded & diced

Method:
Heat bacon grease (or vegetable oil) in a 4 quart heavy pot, stir in flour and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly to make a dark roux. Add veal stock, white pepper, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 20-30 minutes. In a separate medium size sauté pan, heat butter on moderate flame. Add onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic and cook about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and tomatoes and cook about 2 minutes. Then add veal cutlets and vegetable mixture to sauce and cook covered on low heat about 30 minutes until veal is tender.

Ingredients:
Grits
4 cups Water
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 cup Quick golden grits
4 tbsp. Butter

Method:
Bring water to a boil.
Add salt and slowly stir in grits.
Reduce heat, add butter and cook about 5 to 7 minutes.

To Serve:
Spoon about 1/2 cup of grits onto plate, off center, then spoon grillades half of the way on top of grits and onto plate. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Yield:
Serves 6 to 8 people.

Chocolate Espresso Torte with White Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Coulis

Ingredients:
Torte:
1 lb. Lightly Salted Butter, softened
12 oz. Semi Sweet Chocolate
4 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate
7 oz. Sugar
2 oz. Espresso Coffee Grinds
2 oz. Water
2 oz. Grand Marnier
12 each Eggs

Method:
Put butter, chocolates, sugar, coffee and water in top of double boiler on medium heat. Heat and stir until chocolate and butter are melted. Let cool, put eggs into a bowl and beat slightly. Add chocolate mixture and Grand Marnier. Put into buttered cake pan and bake in water bath at 350º for 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool, refrigerate at least 2 hours. Invert pan to remove.

White Chocolate Ganache:
1 lb. White Chocolate, chopped
1 cup Cream
2 oz. Lightly Salted Butter
Method: Heat in double boiler until melted and keep warm.

Raspberry Coulis:
2 pints Fresh raspberries, rinsed
1 cup Sugar
1 oz. Water
Method: Heat until sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and puree, strain and chill.

To Serve:
Slice torte into 12 slices. Put 2 oz. White chocolate ganache onto serving plate, put torte in center and drizzle with raspberry coulis.

A Special Thanks to Joe Fein III – President of Two Sisters for helping with all of the recipes. The Court of Two Sisters has won numerous awards, a few of them being: Best Dining - Gold Award, Best Outdoor Dining and Best Breakfast / Brunch and in 2001 they won New Orleans Magazine Reader's Choice Awards for Best Outdoor Dining.
Click here for Court of Two Sisters website.
Court of Two Sisters is located at 613 Royal St. New Orleans, LA 70130 and the phone number is 504-522-7273(reservations recommended).