Grillades and Grits

Grillades (*gree-AHDS*) and grits — thin rounds of beef or veal, braised in a dark, tomato-based Creole gravy until falling-apart tender, served over stone-ground grits — is the Creole brunch dish that locals eat while tourists eat beignets. The name comes from the French *griller* (to grill), but the technique is pure braise: the meat is browned, the gravy is built, and the covered pot does its work for 60-90 minutes. The dish appears on every New Orleans brunch table and is one of the few Louisiana dishes that uses veal (round, cut thin and pounded — the same cheap-cut economy as Cajun seven steaks in LA3-06). Grillades and grits for brunch, preceded by a Milk Punch, is the Creole morning at its most unreconstructed.

Thin rounds (1cm thick) of beef or veal round, pounded thinner, browned hard in a cast-iron pot, then braised in a dark, roux-thickened tomato sauce with the trinity, garlic, cayenne, thyme, and bay until the meat is fork-tender and the sauce is thick enough to coat the grits beneath. The grits should be stone-ground, cooked slowly with cream or milk, buttered, and spread on the plate as a base. The grillades and their gravy are ladled over. The plate should be dark red from the gravy with white grits visible at the edges.

Grillades and grits is the centrepiece brunch dish. It is preceded by a cocktail (Brandy Milk Punch, see LA2-14, or a Sazerac) and followed by something sweet (beignets, bread pudding, pralines). Hot sauce on the table. French bread on the side for the gravy. Strong coffee throughout.