April 14, 2026 2 Comments

New Orleans School of Cooking is serving up a mouthwatering menu in the Jax Lot for French Quarter Fest featuring Pasta William with Shrimp and Smoked Sausage, rich and savory Crawfish Bread, and the iconic Bananas Foster to top it all off. With perfect weather in the forecast, there’s no better time to celebrate these bold, comforting flavors with the sweet sounds of local music. Can’t make it out? No worries—we’ve got you covered with a step-by-step guide to recreating this delicious lineup right in your own kitchen!


Crawfish Bread

Ingredients:
½ C. butter (1 stick)
½ C. onion, small diced
½ C. green bell pepper, small diced
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. Joe’s Stuff seasoning blend
¼ C. flour

½ C. chicken stock
½ C. shredded parmesan cheese
½ lb. crawfish tails with fat
1 loaf French bread sliced into rounds
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Optional Ingredients:
½ C. artichoke, chopped
¼ C. white wine
½ C. chopped frozen spinach
cream cheese

Procedure:

  1. Sauté onions, peppers, and garlic in butter, add Joe’s Stuff. Make a roux by adding flour.
  2. Slowly stir in stock and Parmesan cheese until cheese is melted then add crawfish tails.
  3. Place French bread rounds on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spoonful of the crawfish mixture onto the bread then top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350°F until the cheese becomes golden brown and bubbly.

Makes 5–6 servings


Pasta William

Ingredients:
1 C. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. cooked crawfish tails (or any seafood)

¼ C. green onions, chopped
1 lb. pasta of choice
2 Tbsp. Joe’s Stuff

Procedure:
Sauté cooked crawfish tails (any seafood) with butter for 3–5 minutes. Add heavy cream, Joe’s Stuff, and cooked pasta. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer until cream reduces and coats pasta.

Garnish with chopped green onions.

Use pasta of your choice, cook as directed on package.
Use Joe’s Stuff to taste.

Makes 4–6 servings


Bananas Foster

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 ounces banana liqueur
2 small bananas, sliced into ½" coins

4 ounces spiced rum (in a measuring cup)
Ground cinnamon
Vanilla bean ice cream

Procedure:

  1. In a medium saucepan or skillet over medium heat, melt butter and sugar until a smooth paste forms (2–3 minutes).
  2. Stir in banana liqueur and bananas. Increase heat to medium-high.
  3. Carefully pour the rum along the inside rim of the pan. When the mixture comes to a simmer, gently shake the pan and ignite with a long lighter.
  4. Gently shake the pan while sprinkling cinnamon into the flames.
  5. Allow flame to burn out, then simmer until sauce reaches desired consistency. Remove from heat and let bubbling stop before pouring over vanilla bean ice cream.

Notes:
Optional: add ½ tsp Joe’s Vanilla Extract and a pinch of salt before igniting.


 




2 Responses

Angela
Angela

April 17, 2026

corrected recipe with sausage added
Pasta William Recipe: Our Signature Pasta with Creole Cream Sauce and Shrimp and Smoked Sausage

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 c heavy cream 2 tbsp. butter 1/2 lb cooked crawfish tails (or any seafood) 1/2 lb smoked sausage 1/4 c chopped red pepper 1/4 c chopped green onions 1 lb pasta of choice 2 tbsp Joe’s Stuff (seasoning blend)

Procedure

Prepare pasta of your choice, cook as directed on package. Sauté red pepper, cooked crawfish tails, and smoked sausage with butter for 3-5 minutes. Add heavy cream, Joe’s Stuff, and cooked pasta. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer until cream reduces and coats pasta. If desired, add additional Joe’s Stuff to taste. Garnish with chopped green onions.
Nilene Thompson-Finn
Nilene Thompson-Finn

April 14, 2026

The Pasta William mentions smoked sausage in the paragraph at the top of the page, but there’s no mention of it in the actual recipe! Can that please be fixed? This seems like an easy and tasty dish.

Leave a comment


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