|
Recipes, Louisiana
Gentlemen Series
People often ask about the recipes included in the Author’s Notes from my Louisiana
Gentlemen Series. Usually, they’ve lost or misplaced their copy of the book
with the recipe they particularly liked in it, or else have some special question
concerning it. Here are the recipes as a collection, with a few of the more
usual questions answered. In the best Louisiana
tradition, I’ve also added a little something extra as lagniappe, including
a selection of my favorite cookbooks.
Bon appétit!
Jennifer
|
From KANE
|
|
|
Fig Cake
2 cups self-rising flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
3 eggs
1 cup cooking oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fig preserves
1 cup pecans or walnuts (optional)
Grease and flour a 9 1/2 x13 inch
baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift dry ingredients, including sugar
and spices. Add eggs, oil and buttermilk and mix thoroughly.
Add vanilla, fig preserves, and mix until figs are chopped
into the batter (some chunks may remain, according to
taste.) Fold in nuts as desired. Bake until a knife
inserted in the center comes out clean.
Note: The traditional fig preserves
of the South are made with Celeste figs, an old-fashioned,
candy-sweet variety which turns a dark brown when preserved.
With the addition of the spices, they give the cake
a distinctive dark mahogany color. Other varieties
of fig preserves may give different results.
Caramel Frosting (Optional)
2 cups sugar
1 scant cup milk
2 tablespoon butter
½ cup pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla
Heavy cream
Place 1 cup sugar in a heavy sauce
pan and caramelize (brown) slowly over low heat. Dissolve
milk and remaining 1 cup sugar thoroughly, and then
bring to a boil. Add caramelized sugar. Cook,
stirring constantly, until a soft ball forms in cold
water. Place butter in separate bowl and pour
hot syrup over it. Stir. Add vanilla and mix well.
Add cream until frosting is of spreading consistency.
Tip: Fig preserves may be
ordered from these suppliers:
Sunny Side
Produce
508 S.W.R.R. Ave.
Hammond LA 70401,
Phone 504-542-5300.
LaDON'S Kadota Whole Figs from:
Gourmet
Spices by LaDON Ind.
PO Box 384
Gonzales LA 70707
I’m not sure if the Sunny-Side figs
are Celestes, since I haven’t
tried them--my mother usually supplies me with fig preserves
made via the fig trees in her back yard. Kadota
Figs are of course a separate variety. The flavor should
be similar regardless. If fig preserves are not available,
strawberry preserves make an acceptable substitute.
The flavor isn’t the same, but the cake is still good.
Fruit Dip
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 (8 oz) can cream of coconut
In a mixer, mix cream cheese and sugar.
Add cream of coconut and mix until smooth. Serve with
fresh fruit. Especially good with
melon, pineapple and strawberries.
Tip: Cream of coconut is usually sold in the supermarket’s
baking section. It can also be found in the drink mixers
section since it is an ingredient in pina coladas.
|
|
From LUKE
|
|
|
Red Beans &
Rice
1 pound red kidney beans
1 pound smoked sausage cut in bite-size pieces
2 cups chopped smoked ham
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s
Creole Brand Seasoning
1 small piece of tasso
(dry-cured and heavily smoked pork shoulder) for extra
smoked flavor (optional)
Wash beans. Place in a large soup
pot and add ham, sausage and tasso.
Cover with water and bring to a slow simmer. Sauté,
bell pepper, onion, and celery in tablespoon of olive
oil until clear. Add to pot. Add seasoning. Cook
slowly until beans are tender and bean soup is thick.
Adjust salt and seasoning to taste. Serve immediately
over hot, cooked rice.
Note: Red beans and rice is the traditional
meal served on Monday, or laundry day, in Cajun households
since it can be put on early and simmered all morning
without requiring much attention.
Tip: If
you don’t have Creole seasoning on hand, or are unable
to find it, a fair substitute can be made by mixing
1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon red pepper, 1 tablespoon
garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, and 1 teaspoon
dried thyme. You may prefer less red pepper if you
aren’t used to hot dishes, or more if you like it HOT.
Use the mixture sparingly in the recipe to begin with,
then adjust to taste.
Rice
4 cups water
2 cups long grain rice
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon butter
In a heavy saucepan that has a tightly
fitting lid, bring water to a rolling boil. Add rice,
salt and butter. Stir quickly with a fork and place
the lid on the pot. Reduce heat at once, and simmer
on low for 30 minutes without removing the lid.
Fluff with a fork. Serve at once.
Note: I should say that I normally
make steamed rice, however, in a vegetable steamer which
has a rice bowl. Follow the manufacturer’s directions.
This turns out perfect every time and the plastic bowl
is easy to clean. Any of the electric rice pots on
the market also make good rice.
Tip: Short grain rice has more starch in it than
long grain rice, so seldom cooks in the preferred way
which is with every grain separate. Most Louisiana cooks much prefer
long grain rice.
Cooked rice can easily be reheated
in the microwave. Place rice in a covered dish or plastic
bag and microwave on high for 30 seconds per 1 cup serving,
or until desired temperature.
|
|
From ROAN
|
|
|
Chicken and Sausage
Gumbo
6 chicken breast halves
2 chicken bullion cubes
1 pound smoked sausage
1 cup plain flour
¾ cup cooking oil seasoned with 2 T. Bacon drippings
2 large onions, chopped
2 bunches shallots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoon fresh parsley (minced)
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 Bay leaves
½ teaspoon thyme
Red pepper to taste
½ teaspoon gumbo filé
Cover chicken with water and simmer
with ½ the onion and minced garlic until tender. Reserve
the liquid. Remove bone, skin, and gristle, and cut
meat into bite size pieces. Set aside. Cube the pound
of sausage. Set aside.
Make a roux by heating the oil and
browning the flour in it over medium heat, stirring
often. The flour mixture should turn the color of well-tanned
leather. When the roux is well browned, immediately
add the remaining onion and garlic and other chopped
vegetables to the hot mixture and sauté over medium
to low heat, stirring constantly, until onions are clear.
(The mixture will be extremely thick, so take care not
to burn it.) When vegetables are done, immediately
add reserved chicken stock liquid and stir well to prevent
lumps. Add chicken meat and sausage. Adjust salt and
pepper to taste. Add spices. Simmer slowly for 1-2
hours. Remove bay leaves. Serve over hot rice. Sprinkle
with additional gumbo filé to taste. Serves
8-10.
Tip: The name “gumbo”
comes from the African word for okra, a vegetable brought
to Louisiana by slaves. Okra can be added to
any gumbo for extra flavor; however Louisiana Cajuns
consider a gumbo with okra as a summer gumbo, while
winter gumbo seldom contained the vegetable because
it was not in season. The purpose of the okra, other
than flavor, is to thicken the gumbo to make a heartier
meal. Gumbo filé, the leaves of the sassafras tree,
was also used by early woods Indians of Louisiana and
Mississippi to season and thicken soups and
stews, and serves the same purpose today.
Blackberry
Cobbler
4 cups blackberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Place
blackberries in a casserole dish and sprinkle with sugar,
reserving 2 tablespoons. Sift dry ingredients. Cut
butter into the flour mixture until coarsely mixed.
Add milk, and stir until just mixed. Turn out onto
a floured surface. Knead dough lightl,
then roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut into strips. Crisscross the strips of dough over
the sugared berries. Add cinnamon to remaining 2 tablespoons
of sugar. Sprinkle over the dough strips. Bake at
425 degrees for 30 minutes.
|
|
From CLAY
|
|
1 head cabbage, chopped
1 pound ground meat
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into bite-size pieces
¼ cup olive oil
1 c. raw rice, rinsed
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon. chili
powder
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes with
juice
1 tablespoon Tony Chachere’s
seasoning (or other spice, salt and pepper blend.)
Additional salt to taste
Sauté the ground
meat in oil. Season meat well
with Tony’s or salt, pepper and your choice of spices.
Add chopped onion, celery, and smoked sausage. Cook
until onions and celery are clear, about 10 minutes.
Add garlic. Combine the meat and all remaining ingredients
and place in a large roasting pan or casserole dish.
Adjust seasoning. Cover and bake at 275 degrees for
1 hour. Remove from oven and stir with a spatula.
Replace cover and bake 1 more hour.
Tip: This
recipe makes a large amount, so is an excellent dish
for church suppers and other covered dish events. It
reheats well in the microwave but does not freeze well.
|
|
From WADE
|
|
|
Pirate’s
Bread Pudding
1 loaf French bread
2 cups milk
2 cups half and half
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup chopped pineapple
1 cup pecans
1 cup raisins
1 jigger (1 ounce) rum
Pour rum over raisins and set aside
to soak. Break bread into bite-size pieces and place
in large bowl. Pour milk and half and half over bread
and set aside for an hour. When well softened, stir
until mixed. Whisk eggs, then
add sugar, salt, spices, and vanilla. Add to bread
and milk and mix well. Fold in raisins, pineapple and
pecans. Melt butter in the bottom of a heavy 9x12 cake
pan, then slowly pour pudding
mixture into the pan. Top may be dotted with more butter
if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes
or until set.
Whiskey Sauce for
Bread Pudding
1 stick butter
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1 jigger (1 ounce) whiskey (usually bourbon)
Whisk egg, add sugar and beat thoroughly.
Melt butter in a saucepan over a low flame. Add egg
and sugar mixture and stir constantly over low heat
until steaming hot, but not boiling. Add whiskey and
stir to a creamy smooth texture. Drizzle over warm
bread pudding.
Tip: Rum may be substituted
for the whiskey.
Laginappe:
Old Fashioned Pralines
3 cups sugar
½ stick butter
1 scant cup milk
2-3 cups pecans
Measure one cup sugar into a heavy
saucepan (black iron or heavy gauge aluminum works best)
and caramelize (stir over low heat until it begins to
brown). At the same time, bring milk and remaining
two cups of sugar to boil in a separate saucepan. Add
milk mixture to the caramelized sugar. (Be careful
when adding the milk to the caramel as it may foam up.)
Cook for two minutes, or approximately 236-238 degrees
on a candy thermometer. Remove from fire and add butter.
Beat by hand until melted. Add pecans and continue
beating until thick and creamy but not set. Spread
sheets of waxed paper over kitchen counter. Drop pralines
mixture by spoonfuls onto the waxed paper. Allow to
cool completely, then store in airtight container.
Makes about 2 dozen palm-size candies.
Tip: For best results, pralines, like many other
candies, should be made on a sunny day with low relative
humidity and high barometric pressure. They won’t set
correctly on a damp and rainy day.
Note: The recipe for pralines was
created by the chef to Marshal Praslins of France
in the late 17th or early 18th
century and named for his employer. The original recipe
used the most common nut available in France,
the hazelnut. When the recipe was brought to Louisiana,
the most common nut of the area was substituted, the
wild pecan. The recipe can also be made with almonds.
The correct pronunciation for this old-time candy, at
least in Louisiana,
follows the French form for Praslins,
so is, phonetically, a praw-leen
(singular) or praw-leens if you can manage to get your hands on more than
one. Pralines have always been a traditional Christmas
treat since pecans are readily available in the fall
and winter.
|
My favorite cookbooks:
Best of the Best from Louisiana 
Best of the Best from Louisiana I I
Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook
Cotton Country Collectio n
From a Louisiana Kitchen
Galatoire’s Cookbook: Recipes and
Family History from the Time Honored New Orleans Restaurant
Talk About Good!; Le Livre de Cuisine de la Lafayette
Talk About Good II
The Commander’s Palace New Orleans Cookbook
The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook
The Southern Cook’s Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Old-Fashioned
Southern Cooking
The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook
|
