Roca—Traditional Southern Fare with a Twist



To spotlight some of Vicksburg, Mississippi’s finest and best restaurants, I decided there would be no better place to start than Roca. This restaurant is located inside the Vicksburg Country Club and offers daily lunch specials, a full dinner menu, and a Sunday brunch as well as Sunday football specials in the bar.
    As I strode to my table in eager anticipation of the fine dining awaiting me, I noticed a medley of others there for the same treat—business professionals, golfers from the course outside, and several groups of young hipsters, all enjoying the fare. Jay Parmegiani, the owner and head chef, came by to greet me and spend a few minutes talking to me about Roca and its expansive menu.
    Roca has been open a little over two years. Parmegiani explained, “To get to this point has been a long and grueling struggle, but it has finally begun to come together in a pretty picture that I can be proud of.” Parmegiani is no newbie to the restaurant industry. He grew up in a home with parents who loved international cuisine. His father owns the local restaurant Jacques’ Café and boasts a culinary career that has taken him all over the world. Parmegiani took full advantage of the worldwide culinary influences his dad passed on to him. “I didn’t always want the lessons my father was teaching me,” he reflected, “but somewhere along the way, I decided to be thankful and take advantage of the talents around me and learn what I could.”
    Parmegiani moved on to attend culinary school in Miami, Florida, and worked in numerous restaurants there. “In the restaurant industry,” he stated, “it is imperative that you work with multiple people so that you have a wide array of knowledge and experience to pull from when you get ready to create your own restaurant menu.” He added that all chefs go through trial and error to find what works and does not work in the creation of a menu, in the preparation and presentation of menu items, and in the ambiance of the dining experience.
    At the end of the conversation, I asked him for suggestions of what to sample while I was there. He said, “Look around.” I did and saw that almost every patron there was having the fried chicken. I made my decision and put in an order for the same. As I awaited my appetizer, I could not help but notice that Parmegiani was hard at work, concentrating on his kitchen staff and what they were preparing for patrons. I learned Parmegiani is meticulous about what he serves and is in constant communication with his staff to make sure they are performing to his high expectations.
    I started my lunch with a sampling of the Crab Cake Napoleon as well as the Benton’s Prociutto and Smoked Gouda Fritters. They were both absolutely amazing. I could not believe the flavor Parmegiani was able to pack into this petite crab cake, and the prociutto and smoked Gouda were outstanding as well. Also on the menu for starters are such selections as Shrimp and Grits, Buttermilk Fried Calamari, and Potato Gnocchi, all with the exceptional, traditional flavors we Southerners have come to expect, but with a Parmegiani twist for that extra bit of zing.
    Soon I moved on to the entrée. I had been looking forward to this since the moment I laid eyes on the chicken-laden lunch plates passing by me headed to other tables. The menu’s Fried Chicken was not your usual southern fried chicken breast; it was so much more! The chicken had been removed from the bone and cut butterfly style with a sweet honey glaze drizzled over it so that every bite had a small amount of it. Layered beneath this juicy piece of heaven were a few more surprises. The black-eyed peas were seasoned and cooked with more of the Benton’s bacon, so surprising and delicious at the same time. The mashed potatoes were another of Parmegiani’s creations that used small red potatoes, smashing them with the skins on.
    Roca offers other lunch specials throughout the week that include lasagna, meatloaf, and red beans and rice, as well as a take on beef tips and rice. Also included on the menu are steaks, pastas, and seafood dishes, all of which can be enjoyed during dinner with a glass of wine. Guests can choose from over 40 wines from the ever-changing wine list as well as sample their seasonal martinis. Presently, their seasonal beverages include caramel apple martinis and Oktoberfest lagers.
    For dessert, I sampled two very different treats. The first was the Milk Chocolate Espresso Torte, one of many house specialties offered on a regularly rotating basis. This espresso torte is filled with mocha-flavored pastry cream and topped with decadent chocolate ganache—the chocolate lover’s dream with an added bonus of coffee flavor. Truly, I thought I had found the most perfect dessert. That is, until I sampled the second one. Again, Parmegiani surprised me with this one—his Pecan Lace Cookie Cup. It was a shell filled with vanilla pastry cream and garnished with the freshest fruits in season. I know it sounds simple; but, trust me, it is anything but simple tasting.
    Parmegiani took me on a tour of the kitchen and showed me how to make this flavorful dessert. The shell is a combination of pecans, almonds, and sugars all melted together on the stovetop; then it is baked on a sheet pan, cooled, then carefully formed into the shell waiting to be filled with a variety of things. The vanilla pastry cream is a refreshing, light-tasting palette cleanser that is perfect after dinner. Let’s not forget the nod to our Southern roots; the cream is topped with a variety of in-season fruits that can include strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, apricots, bananas, and many others.
    After talking with Parmegiani and tasting some of his most popular dishes, I highly recommend stopping by Roca. While I did not sample the fire-baked pizzas on this occasion, I plan to save that until I can stop by on a Sunday and enjoy it with my favorite football team on the TV. If I see that Sunday football is not going to work for me, I want to sample it with some live local music. After smelling those pizzas and watching others around me devour them, I am really looking forward to this occasion.

Pecan Lace Cookie Cup with Vanilla Pastry Cream, Seasonal Berries, and Strawberry Coulis

Vanilla Pastry Cream
1 quart plus ½ cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 ounces cornstarch
9 ounces sugar
Pinch salt
3 eggs
    Combine milk and vanilla in a 4-quart saucepot. Bring to a scald. In a stainless steel bowl, blend cornstarch, sugar, salt, and eggs until thoroughly combined. While whisking rapidly, add the hot milk to the egg mixture. Do this slowly to avoid scrambling the eggs. Pour mixture back into pot; and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to boil. The mixture should thicken to a pudding-like consistency. Cook for another 10 seconds. Pour the pasty cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to cool; then store in the refrigerator. The pastry cream will keep for 3 days. Yields 4 cups   

Pecan Lace Cookie Cups
3½ ounces unsalted butter
3 ounces sugar
1 ounce Karo corn syrup
1/8 cup heavy cream
3½ ounce sliced almonds (lightly crushed)
1 ounce pecan pieces (lightly crushed)
1 ounce oats
    In a 4-quart saucepot, cook butter, sugar, Karo syrup, and cream over medium heat until butter has completely melted. Add crushed almonds and pecans; cook for 2 minutes. Then add oats. While stirring constantly, cook for approximately 4 minutes; the batter should pull away from the sides of the pot. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
    Using a silpat, place 1 heaping tablespoon of the batter on the center, and bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool just until pliable, and mold cookie over an inverted cup. Repeat until you have 4 cups. Use the breakage for garnish. This will take some practice. If the cookies are too hot, they will fall apart; if too cold, they will become brittle before you have the opportunity to mold them.

Strawberry Coulis
1½ pounds strawberries (hull removed)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 ounces sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
    In a blender, puree the berries; and add a little water to make 2 cups of liquid. Blend a little of the liquid with the cornstarch to make a slurry. Then combine with the rest of the liquid. Cook in a 4-quart saucepot over low heat, just until the sauce simmers. Add the lemon juice and sugar, and then taste. You may need to add a little more sugar if the berries are not sweet enough.
Filling
½ cup strawberries (hull removed and sliced)
½ cup blueberries   
    Assembly: Place a small pool of strawberry coulis in the center of 4 dessert plates. Top with a cookie cup. Fill each cup with a blend of strawberries, blueberries, or other seasonal fruit. Top with 2 heaping tablespoons full of the pastry cream. Sprinkle broken pieces over the top and around the plate. Lightly dust with powdered sugar.