-Funding for "Kevin Belton's Cookin' Louisiana" was provided by... -I'm Kevin Belton, And today on "Cookin' Louisiana," we're visiting the state's pick-your-own fruit and vegetable farms.

First up, a lovely pumpkin soup, then a lot of berries in our Chantilly cake, and finally, blueberry custard pie.

Come on, pumpkin, let's go pick some berries.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ -Yes, that's right.

You came right out of the patch, right out of that pumpkin patch.

Hi, guys.

Welcome to my "Cookin' Louisiana" kitchen.

Thank you for joining me on this tasty tour of the state's best flavors and dishes.

Now, a visit to one of Louisiana's pick-your-own farms is a great way to savor the state's fruits and vegetables fresh off the vine.

These farms offer you pick strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, and depending on the season, there's the opportunity to pick squash, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes.

Of course, in the fall, you can choose the perfect pumpkin right from the patch.

While you're planning your farm experience, here's a recipe for pumpkin soup.

So in our pot, let's get in a little oil.

Now, I'm gonna put a little sausage in this, okay?

Most Louisiana recipes, we use a nice, firm sausage.

This is a smoked sausage.

Basically, it's a ground sausage and it gets firm with smoking.

So in the pot, we have that oil, we have this sausage, and you notice I'm not touching it.

There's a way to let things stick just a little bit.

So by the time we get the stock in, it'll get that flavor right up off the bottom of the pan.

So you see -- see on the side, see how we getting that little bit starting to stick?

That's what we're talking about.

We're not talking about a whole lot to where things are burning.

So now that we have a little flavor started, let's go in with a little onion.

Now, this is a sweet onion.

Of course, yellow onion, red onion, a white onion, just whatever onion that you have.

Doesn't this smell great?

Oh, I wish you could -- I'm sorry.

I keep saying that, gang.

I wish you were here with me to smell it.

A little bit of Creole seasoning.

We're going to get in a little bit of salt.

Not too much.

A little bit of oregano.

A little bit of cumin.

Look at the bottom of our pot.

That's what we're talking about -- that little bit there.

I'm going to use a spicy tomato.

That tomato with that moisture will also help that little bit to come off the bottom of the pan.

Now that we have a little moisture in our pan, let's go in with a little garlic.

See the difference?

Exactly what I was talking about.

See how that cleaned up really, really nice just by that little bit of moisture from the tomatoes?

Now I'm going to get in some white beans.

And we'll give this a little stir, and then we'll get in our pumpkin.

Little chicken stock.

And, you know, I like to put just a bit of stock in to make sure I work the bottom of the pan to get any little goodies up off the bottom of the pan.

So let's get the rest of our stock in.

And we're going to need this to come up to a boil.

So let me taste what we have right now.

Just a little bit.

Ooh, great.

That's good.

Have enough salt.

Might just do just another pinch of Creole seasoning.

The salt is fine.

And now let's get in our pumpkin.

Now, as you can see, this is just pureed.

So I'm going to get this up to a boil.

We're just going to let this cook for those flavors to blend together.

Now, typically, folks, let it go for at least 20 minutes, okay?

I think we're good.

And now we just have to make sure this gets heated all the way through.

This has come together so nice once it gets heated all the way through.

Now our spinach.

The spinach will wilt fairly quick.

And I know it looks like a lot, but once it gets stirred in, it hits the heat...

This is it.

Watch how quick this takes.

That's why you only need the spinach in for just the last minute.

I don't like to let the spinach go too, too long, just for those stems to get tender.

Tell you what, this looks so good.

I can turn the fire off.

Come on.

Oh, don't you look so good?

Don't you just look so good?

I mean, on a nice, nice cool evening.

A little bit of green onion.

A little parsley just to liven it up just a bit.

And of course, a few homemade croutons.

That was our ode to autumn pumpkin soup.

Next, we'll celebrate spring with a berry, berry good Chantilly cake.

We're at Mrs. Heather's Strawberry Farm in Livingston Parish, and we're going to meet Heather Hughes and talk about the sweet Louisiana strawberry.

What's the season for strawberries?

-We usually open around March the 15th.

The strawberries, in order for them to ripen, we need the sun.

So the cool nights and the warm days are perfect.

The riper they get and the deeper red they get, almost that purple look, those are the sweetest.

That's the ones that are really juicy.

-Now let's go pick some strawberries.

Now I want to make something to show off those berries from those you-pick farms, and that's a Chantilly cake.

I have flour.

Baking powder.

A little salt.

I'll just get this kind of mixed in.

Then we'll just move this off to the side, and show you the other wet ingredients that's going to go with this.

So in our bowl, I have just plain yogurt.

You could probably use a vanilla-flavored yogurt if you would like.

But here this is just the plain yogurt.

So we have our yogurt.

Let's get in a little oil.

And, you know, and the reason for oil in cakes like this, it keeps the cake nice and moist.

That's what the oil is for.

So let's just start working this in.

Just want to get this spread out a little bit in here.

I just wanted to incorporate this just a little bit in.

So now let's get in our eggs.

Now that the eggs are in, now let's get to it.

Now we can start to whisk this in.

And as soon as everything just becomes blended, we'll be good to go.

Now, I don't know if you've ever had a Chantilly cake.

Actually, I don't know if you've ever been to a you-pick farm because they are absolutely fantastic.

And you know, a lot of them, when you're out picking, they let you eat as much as you want while you're picking.

Oh!

And what that does is because you eat and you can't pick because you've eaten so much, you don't want to pick anymore, so it all balances out.

A little sugar.

Let's get our sugar in.

Oh, yes.

Now we're going to start to brighten it up.

A little vanilla.

How about a little lemon juice?

Along with lemon zest.

That zest helps brighten it up, because think about it, how often do you take fresh berries and put a little squeeze of lemon over them?

Oh, they're so good that way.

So now that this is completely together, we have to mix the two.

Let me grab my spoon again, and let's start just... Now you notice I'm not using any machinery for this.

Of course, if you would like, you can.

So I'm just making sure that this all starts to get incorporated.

You're going to see this is going to get nice and smooth.

You can see how it's coming together.

Oh, yes.

Let's proceed.

Doesn't this look just absolutely fantastic coming together?

Mom made a lot of cakes, and often she did them just like this.

Oh, that's what we want.

Now, what I have done, I have buttered our pans, and down in the bottom, I've cut a piece of parchment paper because once it cools, you can take a spatula, run it around the sides and then turn it over to let it come out and help it come out really easily.

Now, today I'm making two layers.

I have done this sometimes and made three layers, where the layers are a little thinner, but that way, you get more that mascarpone cream inside and you get more berries.

If the boys were having friends over, guess what, sometimes I'd make four layers.

So depending on how much you want, how many layers of cake do you want to make?

So today we're going to do two.

So let's get our batter in.

Alright.

Let's get some in here.

Sometimes my mom, when she would make a cake, she would take a 1/2 cup and put in 1/2 cup batter at a time into each pan, so they would pretty much be even.

I think she had me do that because she could check it out just by her eyesight that one wouldn't have more than the other.

So let me get this here.

Let's just bounce this.

Now this is another thing that my mother taught me.

I always wondered why when she made a cake, she hit the pan, and she says that knocks out any air bubbles.

There we go.

Oven 350 degrees.

We're going to bake these for 25 minutes or until we take a knife or a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.

So let's get these in the oven.

Do they look even to you?

Can you tell?

Okay.

Alright, thank you.

350 degrees, 25 minutes to 30 minutes.

We'll start checking them at 25 just to make sure that it comes out clean.

Now, that mascarpone filling that I was telling you about.

Powdered sugar, heavy cream, and, of course, mascarpone cheese.

Let's get our heavy cream in.

Now we can break out the tools.

So we want to whip this into peaks, then we're going to get our mascarpone in.

Something that helps you at home if you're making whipped cream from scratch like this, the colder the cream, the quicker it will come up to peaks.

And if you would like, put your bowl in the freezer.

So if your bowl is in the freezer, that cream is really cold, this will come up to peaks in no time.

Now, you see, we're starting to get some body.

Okay, let's go ahead and get our mascarpone in.

Alright.

Come on.

Alright.

Now I'm going to whip this till it gets it nice and smooth, and we have some nice peaks.

And by the time that happens, I'll check on our cake.

Now that our cakes are cooled, let's go ahead and put it together.

I like a nice, rustic look to this.

So let's put in this mascarpone whipped filling, whipped topping.

Let's just spread this all over the top.

Just take your time and spread it all over.

So let's take some of our berries.

And let's just sprinkle our berries over the top.

This nice little mixture.

We have a few spots here.

Alright.

Right there.

Now let's go with our next layer right on top.

Press it down just a bit.

Oh, this just looks so good.

And this reminds me so much of Mom and Grandmother.

Make it as pretty as you want.

If you want to go on the sides, go on this side.

I think we're pretty much even all the way around.

Now I'm going to take a mound of berries, put them right... on the top.

I like to just kind of pile them up there.

And now, just for a little look, I like to take -- put some berries all around the sides.

Just to kind of decorate it.

We can do some raspberries.

Just pop them around like little caps popping up.

This last one right here.

Now, I know this takes time, gang, but now, here, right in between, a little blueberry.

It takes just a little bit of time to make something look so nice.

But I tell you, I think it's worth it.

Alright?

Because we do eat with our eyes before we eat with our mouths.

And this cake, I tell you, if you've never made this type of a topping, I think you're really, really going to love it.

Really going to love it.

So there we go.

Now let's take just the rest of our berries... and just put some right on the top.

Oh.

Oh, I tell you, it looks so good.

Now watch how easy.

So if we would have decorated the sides of the cake, now our plate will remain clean.

So here we have New Orleans-style Chantilly cake, the ultimate Easter dessert.

Next, we're going to turn the page to summer with an old-fashioned blueberry custard pie.

One of the things that I think is great about these farms is that the kids can actually come and see where food grows.

-And I tell them, turn the bushes, 'cause sometimes they hiding in them bushes.

Oh, yeah, look.

[ Chuckles ] Look at how pretty that one is.

That's what I tell the kids to, when they come, break the stem off Don't squeeze the berry and try to pull them off, because if you squeeze them, you gonna squish them.

-Guys, I've got to tell you, a visit to a Louisiana pick-your-own farm is a fun, family-friendly activity.

Plus, it's delicious.

Now, we just made that Chantilly cake where we had raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries.

This time, let's highlight the blueberries.

So for our pie crust, what I have, I have half the flour in our processor.

Here I have a little sugar and you see a little salt.

Let's put that in.

We're going to give this a quick buzz.

Now I want to cut in my butter.

So as you see, the butter is just cubed.

Let's just go ahead and drop the butter around.

Now, of course, you know, using a food processor makes this really, really easy.

And if not, we could do this in a bowl.

If you don't happen to have a food processor, do it in a bowl.

It takes a little longer, but that's okay.

So let's go ahead and start getting this pulsed.

I like to pat it so that that flour off the top goes right back down.

Now let's get in the rest of our flour.

You see those little lumps that's starting?

That's our butter getting cut in.

Looks like little pebbles.

That's the butter.

That's what we call cutting in.

So few more pulses.

I think that should do it.

Now, at this stage, this is where -- see the little -- see the little pebbles, look like little pebbles in there?

This is where I would pour this into a bowl and then start working it with cold water.

Cold, cold, cold water.

Once we get that dough formed, put that on a piece of plastic, shape it into a ball, and then put it in the fridge, okay, and let it rest.

I have one I've already done, and I've already put it into our pie shell, okay?

Once it rests, dust your counter.

Roll it out onto your counter.

And there's two things -- you can cut it the shape of the pie pan.

Alright?

Pick it up.

lay it in.

Or you can lay it in the pan and just trim the edges.

Whichever way is easier for you.

So in our bowl, let's get to work what's going to be nice with these blueberries.

In our bowl, we have some sugar.

Into it, let's add a little buttermilk.

Now, if you're not a fan of buttermilk -- You know, I love to cook with it.

You know, drinking it by itself, I'm not the biggest fan.

I had an uncle where at dinner he would always have a glass of buttermilk, and I accidentally tasted it one day.

He says, "You ought to have a taste of this," and I did.

And oh, my toes popped out of my shoes.

But I guess I have to try it again.

I just have that childhood memory, and I've barely tasted it since then, but I'll have to give it a shot.

Let's get in some eggs.

That's three eggs, and we're going to go ahead and beat to get worked in.

A little vanilla.

And I have some melted butter.

Oh, yes.

Let me get this whisked together.

So now that we have this mixed together really good, I have flour and I have a little bit of salt right on top.

That's what that is.

Now I want to whip this up to where all of my flour gets mixed in, where I don't have any, like, clumps of flour, so we just have to take our time.

Just to make sure it gets all mixed in.

So you work that side.

Now let's get our blueberries in.

And, you know, I want to be really gentle now with our blueberries.

I don't need to beat this anymore.

I just want to stir this to get them mixed in.

Now, let's pour this right into our pie crust.

Now, one of the things that you hear about often when you're baking with blueberries is tossing them with flour because, like, especially if you're putting them in a cake or a muffin, that flour allows that blueberry to attach to the batter and not sink all the way down.

Here, the custard will bake all around the blueberries, so we don't have to worry about sinking.

I have the oven preheating 350 degrees.

Just take a look at it.

We will see you in just a little bit.

350 degrees for 50 minutes and we'll have wonderful blueberry custard-y pie.

I can't wait.

Are you ready for some pie?

Because I know I am.

Now I'm going to take our pie.

I'm just going to give a nice little cut.

Now the thing about custard pies, they are not as firm as some pies would be, but you know what?

They eat just as good.

So let's get our plate.

Come on.

There we go.

On you go.

Look at that, look at that.

Now, rest you here.

Let's take... a little powdered sugar.

Blueberry custard pie, a delicious summer dessert.

Now you have to take advantage of the bounty of the seasons with fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables.

They'll taste even better if you pick your own.

Thank you for joining me on this culinary road trip.

Now, keep the party rolling.

Bring the big flavors of Louisiana to your home, so I'll see you next time for more "Cookin' Louisiana."

-The companion cookbook to "Kevin Belton's Cookin' Louisiana" is available for $28 plus shipping and handling.

You can also order an hour-long DVD of favorite dishes from the series, for $19.95 plus shipping and handling.

Both the book and favorites DVD are available for $43.95 plus shipping and handling.

To order these items, call 1-866-360-4928 or order online at wyes.org.

-Don't look.

They say a watched pot never boils, so stop looking.

Because cream will never whip when you're looking.

Have you ever tried to do a cooking show where you can't move?

Because the audio is saying they hear a rustling, so that's why I'm standing here like this, and I am just going to slowly try and cook without moving my arms.

Our dressing is here, and it's been sitting here and the flavors have been blend-- blending.

[ Chuckles ] [ Babbles ] It's blending together.

♪ Oh, yeah ♪ Whoo!

Yee!

Behind the back.

♪ The cream cheese, do the cream cheese, do the cream cheese.

♪ Da-na-da, na-ah-ah, unh, unh ♪ ♪ Mm ♪ Churn it, churn it, churn it, churn it.

♪ -For more information about "Kevin Belton's Cookin' Louisiana," visit wyes.org.

-Funding for "Kevin Belton's "Cookin' Louisiana" was provided by... ♪