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PHOTO BY ROMNEY CARUSO

most important step is to take the empty Rouses dressing container and throw it in the outside trash can, so that you can take full credit for preparing the dish without worrying about anyone discovering your clever ruse. “What I find interesting about the holiday dinner table in the southern part of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast is that there is a lot more seafood on the dinner menu than you would traditionally find elsewhere,” Mike says. The shrimp and mirliton and oysters Bienville dressings can intimidate home cooks who might otherwise prepare them from scratch. Ordering them premade by Rouses allows families the chance to try something a little more daring and a lot more local, with less fright from an already fraught kitchen holiday. Mike explains that the shrimp and mirliton, with its local ingredients from local farms and fisheries, is a wonderful side. Meanwhile, the oysters Bienville is a particular treat for out-of-towners who don’t necessarily know what Louisiana cuisine is all about. It is brimming with local oysters and flavored with lots of oyster liquor. In other words, if you want something a little bit different, and with a Louisiana flair, it’s the perfect item. “These dressings are holiday classics,” says Mike. “They are some of our best-selling products in the deli. We sell out of shrimp and mirliton and oysters Bienville every year — they are two of our most requested items.” Every year the deli prepares more and more dressing to keep up with demand, and every year, he says, they sell more than the year before. “We expect to double the sales of shrimp and mirliton this year. And you know, it just continues growing a bigger and bigger fan base.” Maybe this is the year your family becomes a fan. Even if some people insist on calling it “stuffing.”

Prefer to make your own? Flip to our Holiday 101 Cooking Guide, starting on page 34, for these delicious holiday recipes! For even more recipes, head to www.rouses.com.

Mr. Anthony Rouse’s Down Home Oyster Dressing, page 42

Stuffed Mirlitons, page 44

Cornbread & Andouille Dressing, page 43

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