Jackson Jambalaya

 I had breakfast in bed this morning. I'm 64 years old and I'm not sure that's ever happened.

Maybe once, back in elementary school, if I was home sick and my mother brought some Campbell's chicken noodle soup to me on a tray. But I don't remember it clearly enough to count it. So, let's call this the first time.
Here's the thing‚ I don't know how to do nothing. 

I've been running hard for six years straight. Covid hit and we opened a restaurant in the middle of it, still needing 25 positions filled the day we opened the doors. Not one of my better business decisions. Then came a string of years, operating five restaurants and two bars in the Hub City, writing a weekly column, hosting culinary tours overseas, and publishing books. This fall alone I hosted nine consecutive weeks of tours in Europe, came home, and left the next day on a book tour for the new one. Then Christmas business. Then king cake season at the bakery. I haven't come up for air since roughly 2019.
I'm not complaining. I need to be clear about that. I love every bit of it, and business today is better than ever.

There were years, dark ones, early ones, when I was counting-change-in-the-sofa-cushions broke. So, when the sun is shining, I bail hay as fast as I can. The sun has been shining bright, and I am grateful for every bale.
But even a man who doesn't rest well knows when a recharge is needed.
My 33rd wedding anniversary came up and we decided to get away. Houston. Two nights. No itinerary, no research agenda, no obligations beyond a couple of restaurant reservations. Super Bowl weekend, which worked fine for us since I could not have cared less about the Seahawks or the Patriots. It was going to be an actual weekend of calm.
I don't have those. Ever.
So, there I was, propped up against hotel pillows at 6 a.m., the time I would normally be in the gym at home, or— if on the road— grabbing an Uber to some local breakfast spot to do reconnaissance. I haven't missed a breakfast since the late 1980s. I don’t know the exact day, but I know the exact era because it was during those 90-hour weeks in the restaurant’s early days when I probably slept until noon after a late-night closing shift and blew right past a morning meal. Since then, breakfast has been non-negotiable. 

For ten years before I opened the breakfast restaurant, I ate breakfast everywhere I traveled‚ London, Tuscany, Chicago, Barcelona studying menus, swiping ideas for decor and dishes. Once the restaurant opened, I was either working the breakfast shift or still researching on the road. Same story when we launched the bakery. Every morning in every city‚ find the best bakery, taste the pastries, bring ideas home, work with the crew to develop them.
But this morning in Houston, I didn't go to the gym. I didn't grab a cab. I didn't scout a single restaurant.
I picked up the phone and ordered room service.
And for about 45 minutes, I didn't feel guilty about it. I sat in that bed with a plate of eggs and bacon and I thought‚ I can probably do this once or twice in a lifetime.
Then I started going stir crazy. Fifty-three minutes, to be exact, before I was pacing the hotel room like a golden retriever who just heard someone say the word "walk" in a whisper from three rooms away.

So, I lied. I went to the gym in the hotel.
By noon we were out the door. Tex-Mex. Our second in two days. I spent six years doing deep research on Tex-Mex restaurants across Texas before opening one of my own‚ ten months into a pandemic, during a labor shortage. This is what's known in the restaurant industry as "a business plan developed by a man who also once got remarried by an Elvis impersonator." But I love Tex-Mex cuisine with my whole heart. 

We had a Nobu reservation for brunch, and I cancelled it from the back of the Uber on the way there because we passed Ninfa's‚ which, for those of you unfamiliar with Houston dining protocol, is roughly the equivalent of driving past a burning building. You don't just keep going. You stop. There are fajitas at stake.
I've always loved Houston. Spent a lot of time there in the 1990s and during my years of Tex-Mex research. Plus, Hattiesburg has a nonstop flight direct into Bush, which makes it almost too easy.
That evening I ended up watching the Super Bowl. It wasn't much of a game, as I suspected. The old adage that defense wins championships came true for the Seahawks as they schooled the Patriots who have enough rings, anyway.
But the weekend wasn't really about restaurants or football. It was about 33 years.
A little over three decades ago, my Uncle Hugh White‚ an Episcopal priest‚ married us in the sanctuary of Main Street United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. My family has been in that church for four generations. The next day we flew to Las Vegas and got remarried by Norm, the Elvis impersonator, at the Graceland Wedding Chapel. Anglican, Wesleyan, and Presleyan‚ all in 24 hours. Then on to Aspen for the official honeymoon.
I think about the man who stood in that sanctuary 33 years ago. Young. Bulletproof. No clue. Not about the failures or the restaurants or the books or the 90-hour weeks or the thousands of meals with thousands of people. He couldn't have imagined being 64, sitting in a Houston hotel room in his bathrobe, eating eggs off a rolling cart, and not wanting to be anywhere else.
I'm probably not built for breakfast in bed. I lasted less than an hour before the golden retriever in me needed to be somewhere, doing something, tasting something. Always has been. But I'm glad I did it once. Turns out if you sit still long enough, gratitude catches up with you.
Happy 33rd anniversary, Jill St. John.
Onward.

Chocolate Christmas Cheesecake

It's all about balance. The deep, smooth chocolate filling meets a crisp, slightly salty crust for a perfect bite every time. Ensure your cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing—otherwise, you’ll end up with lumps. And when you melt the chocolate, give it time to cool slightly before mixing it into the batter, so you don’t end up with curdled filling. It’s worth the patience, every time.

A few techniques can elevate this recipe to another level: chilling the dough overnight for a richer flavor, using a water bath to ensure an ultra-smooth texture, and letting the cheesecake rest for at least 24 hours before serving for the best flavor.

Serves 8 to 10

Preheat oven to 350°F

For the Crust

8 full-sized graham crackers
16 Oreos
6 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Place the graham crackers and Oreos in a food processor. Pulse until fine crumbs form. Place the crumbs in a mixing bowl, drizzle with the melted butter, and mix well.
Pour the crust mixture into a 9-inch springform pan. Starting in the center, press the crust firmly, moving excess crumbs toward the outer edge. Firmly press the remaining crust up the sides of the pan.
Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 300°F.

For the Filling

1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces dark chocolate, melted and cooled
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on high for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and repeat the process three times.
Add the sugars and salt. Beat on high, scraping the bowl every minute, for 3 minutes.
Add the melted chocolate and cocoa powder and mix well.
Lower the mixer speed and add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, ensuring each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides to ensure no large pieces of cream cheese remain.
Add the cream and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Pour the filling into the crust and place on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the center jiggles slightly when the edge of the pan is tapped.

Using a Water Bath: Wrap the springform pan in heavy-duty foil and place it in a larger baking dish. Pour hot water into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan. This helps prevent cracking and creates a silkier texture.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool for 2 hours at room temperature.

For the Topping

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Bring the cream to a boil in a small skillet. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Once all the chips have melted, pour evenly over the top of the cheesecake.
Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight before serving.

Using the Right Technique: When cutting, dip your knife in hot water and wipe it clean between each slice for pristine cuts.

Refining the Texture and Flavor: Cheesecake always tastes better a day or two after baking, once the flavors have had time to meld. For the richest flavor, make at least one day in advance.

Options for Enhanced Flavor and Texture

1. Add Depth to the Crust: Incorporate 1/4 cup finely ground espresso beans to the crust mixture for a subtle coffee note that enhances the chocolate.
2. Layered Ganache Topping: Add a second layer of dark chocolate ganache before applying the final whipped cream topping. This extra layer gives depth and a glossy finish.
3. Salted Caramel Drizzle: Drizzle salted caramel sauce over the finished cheesecake before serving for a contrasting note of sweetness and salt.
4. Infused Heavy Cream: For the filling, infuse the heavy cream with crushed espresso beans or cinnamon sticks before mixing it into the batter.
5. Enhanced Cocoa Flavor: Adding a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the filling can deepen the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee.