Adapted from The Royal Oak Restaurant and Pub. I fell in love with this creamy sauce when I first tasted it back in 1970 at the Royal Oak Pub in New Orleans, owned by Mr. and Mrs. John Newsham. They used to serve it with fried eggplant, and it is one of those texture and flavor combinations that I will never forget: the crisp eggplant nestled into the nutty, garlicky puree (as thick and luscious as butter-cream). Later, when I became a chef, the Newshams were big supporters of my career and even shared with me two of their family recipes, including this one, after Mr. Newsham passed away. I will always be grateful to them for the many food memories, and for their kindness.

Ingredients

　　3 slices bread (preferably a rustic white bread), soaked in 1 cup ice water, then squeezed dry

　　3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

　　1/4 cup garlic cloves

　　Juice of 2 lemons (about 6 tablespoons)

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　2/3 cup blanched almonds

　　3/4 cup olive oil

　　Place the bread, vinegar, garlic, and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse to mix thoroughly. Add the salt and almonds and blend. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil (the final mixture will be creamy and smooth). Taste and adjust the flavor to your liking with more lemon juice or olive oil.

　　Cooks' Note

　　This sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. In addition to fried eggplant, this sauce is delicious with Seasoned Pita Crisps (p. 89) and Roasted Red or Golden Beet Salad (p. 102).

　　From Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer Copyright (c) 2007 by Susan Spicer Published by Knopf.Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook.Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas. Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.