With decades' worth of hit songs, Patti LaBelle is internationally celebrated as a powerhouse singer. But if you have a penchant for soul food, you likely also know her as a pie-slinger, and the author of four popular cookbooks. “I think every morning when I wake up, What am I going to have for dinner? And who am I going to feed?” she says.
During the summer, LaBelle’s cookouts are the place to be. Delicious food is a given—and also “card games, dancing in the house and around the pool, and just showing up, and showing off, and having more fun than humans could possibly imagine.”
The dish she always serves: these Lobster-Shrimp Cakes with lemon aioli, a recipe she swears is so easy anyone can make it. Plus, “you don’t have to spend too much time over the stove,” she says, “so it’s perfect for summertime!” She likes to shape the cakes into four larger patties for a more substantial dinner. Aside from the usual suspects like bread crumbs and eggs, LaBelle brings the spice with habanero pepper. It's optional, of course—in her words, not everybody "can bang with the heat that I can".
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