Crawfish Étouffee ToTry

Posted on by May 30, 2018

Inspired by the recipe here. Note it uses the three peppers and the trinity.

Ingredients

2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
1?2 tsp. dried thyme
3?4 cup canola oil
3?4 cup flour, sifted
1?4 cup finely chopped onion
1?4 cup finely chopped celery
1?4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
3 cups seafood or chicken broth
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
2 lb. peeled crawfish tails or peeled medium shrimp
1 cup finely chopped scallions
Cooked white or yellow rice, for serving
Instructions
In a small bowl, combine salt, cayenne, white pepper, black pepper, basil, and thyme; set spice mixture aside. In a 4-qt. heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over high heat until it just begins to smoke. Sprinkle in flour, whisking constantly, and cook for 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking constantly, until roux is the color of dark chocolate, about 30 minutes. Add onions and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until onions soften, about 5 more minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in 1 tbsp. reserved spice mixture, along with celery and bell peppers. Continue stirring until roux has cooled and darkened slightly, about 5 minutes; set aside.
In a 2-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 2 cups broth to a boil. Gradually add roux and whisk until incorporated. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove pan from heat; set broth mixture aside.
In a 4-qt. saucepan, melt 8 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. Stir in crawfish tails and scallions and cook, about 1 minute. Add remaining spice mixture and reserved broth mixture, along with remaining broth and butter, and stir the pan to combine until glossy. Remove pan from heat and serve etouffee with rice.

2-Bone Prime Rib Roast

Posted on by May 30, 2018

5/29/2018 – We had put a vac-packed frozen, 2-bone Prime Rib Roast in the refer to thaw two days ago. Removed it this morning and salted with Kosher salt and let set out in the vacuum bag for about an hour to thaw more. About 2 PM, seasoned it with cracked black pepper and inserted garlic slices into slits in the top of the roast. Mary read and followed Bobby Flay’s recipe. It was good and the simple prep was nice. Continue reading →

Savory Beignets and Egg Yolk Mouse ToTry

Posted on by May 29, 2018

From the video by Chefs Kristen Essig and Michael Stoltzfus of Coquette here.

2C water
2C milk
18 tbsp firm, not hard, butter
S&P to taste
————–
14 eggs in a bowl
————–
4 potatoes, riced*

Combine all in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Mix with a wooden spoon until blended and dough comes together and the thin layer on the bottom of the pan forms a crust. Add to a stand mixer with a paddle blade on medium low and blend until smooth and cooler…comfortable to touch with your bare hand.

As the mixer turns on medium-low pour in one egg yolk and white at a time as the previous one blends in.

While still warm fold the riced potato mixture into the dough that is still warm.

Using a small scope drop scopes of the dough into 2″-3″ of 350-degree canola oil.

Fry 2-3 minutes per side, remove and S&P to taste.

Serve on a pool of Egg Yolk Mousse.  Pair with Gumbo as the entre.

Egg Yolk Mousse
12 egg yolks from hard-boiled eggs. Mashed in the food processor with all the following until smooth.
1/2 C mayo
1/2 C Sour Cream
a few splashes of hot sauce
juice of 1 lemon
S&P to taste

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* From gnocchi with a grater is the following extract with a way to rice potatoes without a ricer.

  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, and bake them on a baking sheet for 45 minutes to one hour, or until they are fork-tender. For best results, turn the potatoes over halfway through the baking time. Let the potatoes cool slightly.
  2. Peel the potatoes, and then pass them through a potato ricer, food mill or grate them over the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl.

Grits with Chaurice and Shrimp

Posted on by June 5, 2018

This was an experiment by using the Chaurice we made and liked in place of our Chorizo that is typically used. The chaurice had been frozen in a vac pack so looked like the small piece of fresh we had left over. Having been through the grinder only once with the 1/4″ die meant it was chunky when browned. A lot of grease from the high-fat sausage was soaked up by the paper towels but it still made the dish greasy and did not impart much spicy tones. We also preseasoned the shrimp with creole seasoning but that also did not kick it up. The difference in this cook and the past one was the onion and garlic in the chaurice and in the creole seasoning. The original recipe did not call for them. Peeled one pound of headless shrimp and shook on Kit’s Creole seasoning, covered with plastic and let marinate in the refer for an hour.

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Spicy Catfish ToTry

Posted on by May 25, 2018

Inspired by the Black Iron Blog.

Ingredients
6 x 6-8oz. catfish fillets
peanut oil for frying
marinade for catfish – 1 cup buttermilk + Louisiana hot sauce to taste
marinate catfish for at least 2 hours prior to frying.

2 cups seasoned corn flour (masa harina, 1 TBsp cayenne, 1 tsp. paprika, salt&pepper to taste, and a pinch of garlic and onion powders)

Method:
In a large black iron skillet pour peanut oil to a depth that will cover fish by 1/2 inch. Preheat oil to 365°F.

Remove fish from marinade and dredge in seasoned corn flour, shaking off excess. Fry until fish pieces are golden brown. Do not overcook. Remove from skillet and drain on a cooling rack.

Creole Jambalaya w/ Pork Chops ToTry

Posted on by October 12, 2018

Inspired by Chef Folse here.

Comment: The original jambalaya of New Orleans was tomato based and flavored with a combination of sausages, ham and chicken. Often, the dish was “thrown together” at a moment’s notice when unexpected friends dropped by and a quick entrée was needed. In such a case, sometimes heavy-smoked sausage and tomatoes were the only ingredients needed for a great spur-of-the-moment meal.
Ingredients:

6 thin-cut, bone-in pork chops
2 pounds smoked sausage, sliced
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
granulated garlic to taste
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced celery
½ cup diced red bell peppers
¼ cup minced garlic
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup petite diced tomatoes
4½ cups chicken stock
3 cups long grain rice
½ cup sliced green onions
¼ cup chopped parsley

Method:

  1. Season pork chops to taste using salt, pepper and granulated garlic.
  2. In a 7-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown pork chops on both sides then remove and set aside.
  3. In the same Dutch oven with pan drippings, sauté onions, celery, bell peppers and minced garlic 3–5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted, stirring often.
  4. Mix in smoked sausage and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Blend in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a rolling boil then stir in rice. Return mixture to a rolling boil then reduce heat to low. Season to taste with salt, pepper and granulated garlic.
  6. Add green onions and parsley, stirring to incorporate. Carefully place pork chops on top of mixture and gently press into liquid.
  7. Cover and cook 45 minutes. Do not stir or remove lid.
  8. Remove from heat and allow to sit 15 minutes before serving.

Andouille Sausage by Chef Folse ToTry

Posted on by May 25, 2018

Comment paragraphs below and inspiration for the recipe is from Chef John Folse here.

Andouille Sausage
PREP TIME: 6 Hours
SERVES: 5 (12-inch) links

COMMENT:
Andouille is the nationally famous Cajun smoked sausage of Louisiana. Made with pork butt, shank and a small amount of pork fat, this sausage is seasoned with salt, cracked black pepper and garlic. The andouille is then slowly smoked over pecan wood and sugar cane. Andouille is stuffed into the beef middle casing, which makes the sausage approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter. When smoked, it becomes very dark, almost black in color. It was not uncommon for the Cajuns to smoke andouille for seven to eight hours at approximately 175 degrees F.

Traditionally, the andouilles from France were made from the large intestines and stomach of the pig, seasoned heavily and smoked. In parts of Germany, where some say andouille originated, the sausage was made with all remaining intestines and casings pulled through a larger casing. The sausage was seasoned and smoked, and it was served thinly sliced as an hors d’oeuvre.

It is interesting to note that the finest andouille in France comes from the Brittany and Normandy areas. It is believed that over half of the Acadian exiles who came to Louisiana in 1755 were originally from these coastal regions.

INGREDIENTS:

5 pounds pork butt
1/2 pound pork fat
1/2 cup garlic, chopped
1/4 cup cracked black peppercorns
2 tbsps cayenne pepper
1 tbsp dry thyme
2 tbsps salt
6 feet beef middle casing (see butcher or specialty shop)

METHOD:

  1. Cube pork butt into 1 1/2-inch cubes. Using a meat grinder with four, 1/4-inch holes in the grinding plate, grind pork and pork fat. If you do not have a grinding plate this size, I suggest hand cutting the pork butt into 1/4-inch square pieces.
  2. Place ground pork in a large mixing bowl and blend in all remaining ingredients.
  3. Once well blended, stuff meat into casings in 1-foot links, using the sausage attachment on your meat grinder. Tie both ends of the sausage securely using heavy gauge twine.
  4. In your home style smoker, smoke andouille at 175-200 degrees F for approximately 4-5 hours.
  5. The andouille may then be frozen and used for seasoning gumbos, white or red beans, pastas or grilling as an hors d’oeuvre.

Pork Spare Ribs Smoked with 5POGS

Posted on by May 29, 2018

5/22/2018 – This cook produced the best flavored ribs I have made. The seasoning with 5POGS 24 hours before then before the foil and finishing in the oven is the best yet. The ACV-diluted Stubbs BBQ Sauce gave it the sauce flavor profile without the sticky sauce. The bark is very good and the meat is moist and tender. Will season more cooks this way and see if it is consistently good.

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