Dennys Food and Recipes: Creole recipes

Showing posts with label Creole recipes. Show all posts

01 April 2010

Awesome Sauces 4 Spring and Summer Seafood

Boiled crawfish photo by adie reed @ flickr

From Denny: Spring is here in Louisiana and summer will be on its heels. The crawfish are in season and the shrimp, well, Gulf Shrimp are awesome any time from Louisiana to Mississippi to Florida. We prefer to eat local and are proud of our seafood. We are especially proud of our oysters for which we developed the pasteurization process to kill off potential dangerous bacteria. Because of this relatively new pasteurization process you can dine on raw oysters year round - if they are certified Louisiana oysters.

Compiled here are a number of simple seafood sauce recipes to enjoy on your seafood this spring and summer, whether you like raw oysters, boiled, fried, baked or broiled shrimp and crawfish. Remoulade, Creole and Cocktail sauces are very popular here. We will even take the last recipe of Beurre Creole sauce and layer it over a perfectly grilled steak. Lump crabmeat sauces are often combined with steak in our restaurants.

Recipes Featured:

Red Remoulade Sauce
Cajun Style Remoulade Sauce
Cajun Hot Sauce
Louisiana Traditional Creole Sauce
Louisiana Spicy Creole Sauce
Oysters Rockefeller Sauce
Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
Cocktail Sauce for large group
Cocktail Sauce
Beurre Creole

RED RÉMOULADE SAUCE

From: wafb.com (TV station)

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Yields: 2 Cups

This Creole-style rémoulade is thought to be the original Louisiana version. This sauce can be served over shrimp, lump crabmeat or salad.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¾ cup Creole mustard
½ cup sliced green onions
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup minced celery
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp paprika
salt to taste
Louisiana hot sauce to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large ceramic mixing bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar and Creole mustard. Whisk until well blended. Mix in green onions, parsley, celery and garlic. Add paprika for color. Continue mixing until well blended. Season with salt and hot sauce. Cover with plastic wrap, place in refrigerator and allow to sit overnight.

Shrimp Remoulade at Tujaques, photo by gary j wood @ flickr

CAJUN STYLE REMOULADE SAUCE

From: Wayne Allen @ Cooks.com

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 of a large red pepper
1/2 stalk of celery
1 green onion (including all the green)
1/4 cup of fresh parsley leaves
3/4 cup of mayonnaise
2 tbs of Dijon mustard
2 tbs of ketchup
2 tbs of horseradish
a couple shakes of worcestershire sauce (Lea and Perrins brand is best)
a couple shakes of Tobasco bramd hot sauce
2 tsp of paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Puree in food processor or blender until smooth.

CAJUN HOT SAUCE

From: Cooks.com

INGREDIENTS:

FOR 2 1/2 CUPS SAUCE:

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. bell pepper, chopped
1 green raw jalapeno pepper with seeds, minced
1 clove garlic, minced

SEASONING MIX:

1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. red (cayenne) pepper
1 c. fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
1 1/4 c. seafood stock or shrimp stock
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic and cook about 3 minutes. Add the seasoning mix and stir well. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and bay leaf, cover, and bring to a boil. Add the stock and brown sugar and return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook about 15 to 20 minutes.

Use this sauce for a shrimp and rice dish: Add the 1 lb. raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined shrimp and bring the mixture back to a boil. Cover, cook about 5 minutes, and remove from heat. Serve the shrimp on top of a mound of rice surrounded with sauce. Serve with lots of cold beer.

LOUISIANA TRADITIONAL CREOLE SAUCE

Yield: 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp. chopped green onion
2 tbsp. chopped green pepper
1/4 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried sweet basil
16 oz. can low sodium tomatoes, undrained

DIRECTIONS:

Saute onion, green pepper and mushrooms in oil over low heat 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 20 minutes. Serve with fish, chicken or beef.

LOUISIANA SPICY CREOLE SAUCE

For: Fish or roasted meat

From: Cooks.com

INGREDIENTS:

3 tsp. melted butter
2 bell peppers, chopped fine
1 finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove
1 (#2 1/2) can tomatoes with puree
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 diced chili peppers

DIRECTIONS:

Boil 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring with wooden spoon. Sauce is placed over meat in a flat dish in refrigerator overnight. Then, when ready, cook meat as desired.

COCKTAIL SAUCE for boiled shrimp

YIELD: 4 1/2 cups - for serving a large group.

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. ketchup
2 c. chili sauce
1/4-1/2 c. prepared horseradish (we like the cream variety at our house)
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. cider vinegar (we prefer fresh lemon juice)
6 drops Tabasco sauce (we like Louisiana Hot Sauce brand, less vinegary, and we use more since it is not as hot as Tobasco - about 2 Tablespoons)
1/4 c. finely minced celery
1/4 c. finely minced onion

DIRECTIONS:

Mix together and refrigerate. Use for all seafood cocktails.

SMALLER VERSION COCKTAIL SAUCE - or used as a BLOODY MARY DRINK MIX

SHRIMP COCKTAIL SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c. lemon juice (or less)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. horseradish
6 tbsp. minced celery
3 tbsp. grated onion (or less)
1/4 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

Chill. Yields 1 1/2 cups sauce. 1 cup sauce will serve 4 to 6 cocktails.

SHRIMP COCKTAIL SAUCE - tomato sauce version

INGREDIENTS:

1 small can tomato sauce
Dab of Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar
Dab of Garlic salt
1/2 bottle cocktail sauce
Picante sauce to taste
Creamy horseradish to taste

DIRECTIONS: Mix all together.

Oysters Rockefeller Sauce

PREP TIME: 1 hour

SERVES: 6

This, the most famous of all oyster dishes in Cajun country, was first developed at Antoine’s Restaurant, by Jules Alciatore in 1899. Named Rockefeller because of its incredible rich flavor, the original recipe included no spinach.

INGREDIENTS:

1 dozen shucked oysters with liquid
1/4 pound butter
1/4 cup diced onions
1/4 cup diced celery
½ cup chopped green onions
2 tbsps diced garlic
1 cup cooked frozen spinach (thawed)
1 tbsp flour
1 pint heavy whipping cream
½ ounce Pernod or Herbsaint
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Louisiana Gold Pepper Sauce
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a two quart sauce pan, melt butter over medium high heat. Sauté onions, celery, green onions and garlic, approximately three to five minutes or until seasonings are wilted. Add cooked spinach, and using a metal spoon, chop well into the vegetable mixture. Cook until spinach is hot and well incorporated into seasonings. Add flour and blend well into mixture, being sure to remove all lumps. Add whipping cream and oyster liquid, stirring constantly until sauce is thick and bubbly. Add Pernod, sugar, Worcestershire and Louisiana Gold. Continue stirring until all is well blended. Season to taste using salt and pepper. To ensure a sauce-like consistency, additional cream or water may be added. Continue to cook approximately 10 minutes, add oysters and cook 5 minutes. Pour the contents of the sauce pan into a blender and puree on high speed. Serve 2-ounces of the Oysters Rockefeller Sauce with your favorite trout, chicken or veal dish.

Beurre Creole

PREP TIME: 15 Minutes

YIELDS: 1 Cup

This sauce is excellent over broiled or sautéed fish or grilled shrimp.

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces unsalted butter, chipped
½ cup dry white wine
2 tbsps lemon juice
2 thin lemon slices
¼ cup jumbo lump crabmeat
¼ cup diced tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp sliced green onions
8–10 whole peppercorns
1 whole bay leaf
3 whole basil leaves
1 tsp tomato sauce
dash of Louisiana hot sauce
salt and cayenne pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a sauté pan, combine wine, lemon juice, lemon slices, crabmeat, tomatoes, garlic, green onions, peppercorns, bay leaf and basil over medium-high heat. Sauté approximately 3 minutes or until juices are rendered into the pan. Add tomato sauce, blend well into mixture and continue to cook until juices have been reduced to approximately 2 tablespoons. Swirling pan constantly, add a few chips of butter at a time until all is incorporated. Do not use a metal spoon or wire whisk as hot spots may develop and butter will separate. Season to taste using hot sauce, salt and pepper. Serve as is, or strain if desired.

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29 March 2010

Awesome Sauces 4 Louisiana Seafood

05 March 2010

Enjoy Louisiana Culture: Love Those Eggplant Recipes

*** Fun article about Louisiana food culture. 3 eggplant recipes and 4 cooking videos to get you on your way to cooking this great vegetable! Funny veggie photos of eggplants "in the wild." :)

Immigrants Blend to Create Food Culture

With our Sicilian and Italian immigrant cultures over a century old now in Louisiana we still love eggplant dishes. Eggplant pasta can be found in the humble Italian eateries, eggplant appetizers stacked high at the most elegant restaurants from New Orleans to Lafayette, eggplant in home-made casseroles for that creamy texture, and, of course, warm eggplant dips for social gatherings like football parties, weddings, christenings and family reunions!

Sauteed Eggplant with Honey and Cheese

Eggplant Bad Rap: Bitterness and Seeds

Some people frown at eggplant as it is a nightshade plant like tomatoes. The key to using eggplant in any dish is to sweat down the raw slices with some salt in a colander over a bowl to catch the bitter juices as they scurry out of the vegetable. That bitterness is difficult to digest and is often the main complaint people have about the vegetable. Some people soak their eggplant in milk to draw out the bitterness as in a recipe below.

The other complaint is the seeds. If you make sure to cook, bake, fry or sauté it long enough the seeds soften into the “no-bother” stage. Eggplant tends to absorb oil when you sauté or fry it so take care to watch how much you use for any dish if you are watching your calories.

My father used to like to coat eggplant slices with batter and sauté it in a pan and it sure did soak up the oil, enough to make me run for the Highland hills. Tasted great but if you cannot handle much oil which is acidic on the stomach you might want to try another method like baking the eggplant.

Japanese Style Eggplant Salad - scroll down to photo credits for link to photographer's flickr page for ingredients list

Louisiana Men Are Great Cooks!

When it comes to eggplant I’m part of the lazy cook crowd and prefer to peel and dice up the eggplant, sweat out the bitterness for about 30 minutes, rinse it and then throw it together with some spices, cheese and whatever else grabs me, shove it in the oven, covered, and let it bake away until soft, succulent and wonderfully tasty!

Louisiana men LOVE to cook and especially for large gatherings. They are often heads of law firms, newscasters, founders of a local phone or natural gas company and they still choose to cook for anyone and everyone. They can also be what we call “country boys” who may have a construction, factory or refinery job, love to hunt and fish in their off hours and cook for their families and friends whenever someone drops by for a visit. They often get on their new tech cell phones and call around and invite just to have an excuse to cook. Men who love to cook; does it get any better than that?

Eggplant Nixon Humor

Cajun Cookbook and River Road Recipes

One local newscaster in Baton Rouge, an extremely popular man, was Cajun Vernon Roger (pronounced French way, not Anglicized). He’d do the news in this metro market and then slide on over to the cooking segment to assist the local chefs or do his own dishes. He was full of personality and showmanship. Most of all the man could really cook! So many viewers liked his cooking segments that he eventually self-published a spiral bound cookbook that was instantly a big hit, enjoying several printings for many years. Though he is gone and the original cookbook is out of print there is still a newer version of his cookbook available where they reduced the calories for more modern tastes.

You can order from Barnes and Noble: Roger’s Cajun Cookbook Lite. The Number is ISBN-13: 9780681480049 if you desire to look elsewhere and retails for about $27. You can occasionally find an autographed version in the used book section and they run about $75 each. The original cookbook is hard to come by unless you check out a used book fair and hope you get lucky.

Amazon.com has the original cookbook and the newer version with far more available well-priced copies than Barnes and Noble.

Also, a real sacred cow here in Louisiana is the beloved charity organization of the Junior League that published the nationally popular cookbook series: River Road Recipes. Most people love the first two cookbooks. This eggplant recipe is from River Road Recipes II: A Second Helping, originally published in 1976, which is available from Amazon too from $3 to $18.

Here are several recipes to enjoy and maybe think again of trying this versatile much maligned but tasty vegetable!

Eggplant Medallions with Crawfish Cream Sauce

From: Vernon Roger – Roger’s Cajun Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 eggplant peeled and sliced 1/4–inch thick

2 cups corn flour (fish-shrimp fry)

1 cup whipping cream

½ teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce/other hot sauce brand you like, this one is not as hot as Tabasco brand

1/8 teaspoon oregano

1 Tablespoon brandy

2 Tablespoons butter

½ onion, chopped

3 Tablespoons chopped green onions

1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped

1 cup milk

Vegetable oil for frying like peanut oil that can take a high heat

1 cup crawfish tails (you could substitute shrimp or other seafood you like)

1 cup sliced mushrooms

Directions for frying eggplant: Soak eggplant in milk 7 minutes. Remove and discard milk. (This is where the bitter juice of the eggplant went, so you definitely want to discard this liquid.) Season corn flour with salt, red pepper, black pepper and ½ teaspoon garlic powder. Heat oil. Dip slices in corn flour. Fry in hot oil till golden brown. Remove, drain on paper towel and keep warm.

Directions for Sauce: Melt butter in skillet. Add chopped onion, mushrooms and sauté 3 – 4 minutes. Add whipping cream. Simmer on medium to high heat till cream reduces by half. Add salt, red pepper, black pepper, oregano and hot pepper. Simmer 1 minute. Add crawfish, green onions, and parsley. Simmer 1 minute. Add brandy and simmer 1 minute. Lay 1 slice eggplant on plate. Spoon sauce over eggplant. Repeat with as many slices as desired.

Eggplant Parmesan - demos the layering technique

Eggplant Frittata - she shows you how to peel, slice, wash it if you are unfamiliar with eggplant

Eggplant Yuck or Yum! Poll

Do you like to cook and/or eat eggplant?

68% Yes, often
23% Yes, occasionally - it is a nightshade plant after all...
5% No, are you kidding? Yuck to the highest power!
5% Maybe - never gave it much thought but willing to try it now

Grilled Eggplant

Eggplant Tomato Curry - Louisiana elected 1st Indian-American governor, parents: Dems, he: Republican

Eggplant Ground Meat Casserole

From: River Road Recipes II: A Second Helping, published by the Junior League of Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1976. Recipe donated by Mrs. Arthur Keller

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients:

4 large eggplants

1 large onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 large bell pepper, chopped

4 pods garlic, chopped

3 medium slices baked ham, cut into small pieces

1 cup butter (2 sticks)/you can substitute another oil of your choice like canola oil or extra-virgin olive oil as this is a 1970’s recipe and the Junior League has updated it for modern tastes in successive cookbooks.

1 ½ pounds mixed ground beef and pork

6 to 8 slices stale bread

½ cup cream

1 cup milk

5 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Bread, cracker, or potato chip crumbs to top

Directions: Peel, dice and simmer eggplants in small amount of water until tender. Does not take long. (I like to sweat the eggplant first to remove bitterness, and then proceed to boiling.) Sauté together onion, celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic and ham in butter/other oil you prefer until soft. Add all meat and cook until done. Combine bread with cream, milk and beaten eggs. Add this mixture to cooked meat and vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Pour into ungreased but wet, not too deep, large casserole. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes. When done, sprinkle top with your choice of bread or cracker or crumbled potato chips crumbs. Allow 2 to 3 minutes to heat. Remove from oven and serve.

Eggplant Man Humor

Savory Eggplant Tomato Butter

From: Chef Michael Flores from San Antonio, Texas that he uses for wedding menus

Makes: 2 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled and finely chopped eggplant

½ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup peeled, seeded and finely chopped plum tomatoes

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon oregano leaves, crushed

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Directions: In a medium saucepan, combine eggplant, onion, tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, oregano, salt and black pepper. Cook over very low heat; stirring frequently, until eggplant is brown and tender, 10 to 15 minutes; cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine eggplant mixture with butter until blended.

Divide butter in half; place each half on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Shape into logs, 1 inch in diameter; wrap securely.

Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Use within a week or freeze up to 3 months. Serve with grilled chicken and fish or toss with pasta, rice and vegetables.

*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe! Have a great weekend!

14 February 2010

07 February 2010

Welcome!

Enjoy a wide range of food from the newest beverage trends to pasta to all things chocolate to Louisiana food and more.

Reporting on food news, trends and new delights with lots of demonstration food videos along with the recipes. Merging my three food blogs into one: Romancing The Chocolate, Comfort Food From Louisiana and Unusual 2 Tasty!

Awesome blog photo from one of my fav Louisiana restaurants - Bittersweet Plantation by Chef Folse.

Email me: warriorspearl@gmail.com.

Enjoy a cup of coffee with me and let's talk like all good foodies love to do! And please join me on Google Friend Connect and Google Plus. - Denny Lyon

Dennys Food and Recipes

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