since jazz fest is just around the corner, let's see how they make all that awesome food that's served up......here's the first: Cajun Seafood Au Gratin By: Chef Alex Patout , Alex Patout's Louisiana Restaurant Creator Comment: This dish should really be prepared fresh. It doesn’t take long to make, and your guests or family will enjoy watching you prepare it. You don’t have to use all three kinds of seafood, either. Try it with just one or two of them, increasing the amounts, or substitute other kinds of seafood that are readily available. Servings/Makes: Serves 6 Ingredients: 1 pint heavy cream 1 tablespoon fresh basil, or 2 teaspoons dried 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried 2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1-1/2 teaspoons ground red pepper 1 teaspoon ground white pepper 1 cup chopped green onions 1 cup chopped parsley 1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/2 pound crawfish tails 1/2 pound lump or white crab meat (we use blue crab) 1-1/2 cups grated cheese (Jack, Swiss, and American work well) 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese Directions: Pour the cream into a large heavy skillet or saucepan and place over medium-high heat. The cream will rise before it begins to boil; just stir it to keep it from overflowing. Once it begins to simmer, add the herbs, salt, peppers, green onions, and parsley, and continue to let simmer until it becomes thick, 7-8 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and let cook 3-4 minutes, then add the crawfish. Mix well and let cook 2-3 minutes. Gently fold in the crab meat (you paid a premium price for it, so don’t destroy those precious lumps). Let cook 2-3 minutes more, then add the 1-1/2 cups cheese and stir gently until it has melted. Preheat the broiler. Pour the hot seafood mixture into a large ovenproof dish or individual ramekins. Sprinkle the top with the Parmesan cheese and glaze under the broiler. Serve immediately.
Jazz Fest Sweet Potato Pone (from a lady named kari) For some, Jazz Fest can be a religious experience. For locals, it is a yearly pilgrimige and for myself, Sweet Potato Pone is the holy grail. I am still working on the crunchy, crumbly "crust" but this recipe for the filling is the closest I have come to the real deal. If you are ever in the neighborhood of New Orleans during late April or early May, stop by Jazz Fest and try out the Pone. It will be in the same vendor tent as the Greenbean Artichoke Casserole. Or you could just try mine! Cook time includes the time to bake the Sweet Potatoes. 2 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes 1/4 cup melted butter 2 eggs 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed 1/2 cup milk 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract 1/4 cup light molasses 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon cloves 1 teaspoon grated orange zest (do not include the white pith, which is bitter) 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 2. Cook the potatoes unpeeled until tender throughout. 3. Let cool, Peel and mash the potatoes, then stir in melted butter. 4. In a bowl, beat the eggs, add sugar. 5. Add milk, vanilla, molasses, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and orange zest. 6. Beat until well blended. 7. Stir into mashed sweet potatoes, then mix until well blended. 8. Place the mixture into a buttered 1-1/2 quart baking dish. 9. Optionally, you may sprinkle the top of the pone with additional brown sugar. 10. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes; uncover, then bake for 10 minutes. 11. Allow the pone to cool completely before serving.
here's a good crawfish pie recipe. since it's by zatarains they push their own product lines for the spices. use whatever you like. Zatarain's Crawfish Pie 1-Pound Crawfish tails 1/2 Cup Melted Butter 1 Cup Diced onions 1 Cup Diced celery 1 Cup Diced Bell Peppers 1/4 Cup minced Garlic 1-Cup Heavy Whipping Cream 1 Package Zatarain's Crab Cake Mix 1 Egg Beaten 1/2 Cup sliced Green Onions 1/2 Cup chopped Parsley 1/4 tsp Zatarain's Creole Seasoning 1/4 tsp Zatarain's Blackened Seasoning 2 9-inch deep Dish Pie Crusts Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F. Roll 1 of the pie crusts out flat and set aside. In an iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic, green onions, and parsley. Sauté 4-5 minutes or until onions are clear. Add crawfish and blend well into mixture, sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Add heavy whipping cream, simmer for 10 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and add Zatarain's Crab Cake Mix, egg, Creole Seasoning, and Blackened Seasoning, blend well. Place mixture in the piecrust and place the rolled out crust on top and trim the edges so that they are even. For ventilation make 4 one-inch slits in the top of the crust. Place the pie on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350ºF and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Remove pie from oven and allow the pie to cool for 10 minutes, serve.
Natchitoches Meat Pies Lasyone's Meat Pie Kitchen - Natchitoches, LA 6 ounces ground beef 6 ounces ground pork 1/4 cup chopped scallions 2 3/4 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes 1/8 teaspoon cayenne 4 cups plus 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening 1 large egg, beaten lightly 1 cup milk Vegetable oil for deep-frying In a large heavy skillet combine beef, pork, scallions, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and spices and cook over moderate heat, stirring and breaking up lumps, until meat is just cooked through (do not overcook). Sift 2 1/2 tablespoons flour over meat mixture and stir well. Remove skillet from heat and cool filling to room temperature. Drain off any fat. Into a bowl sift together remaining 4 cups flour, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and baking powder. With a pastry blender or your fingertips blend in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg and milk and toss until incorporated. Form dough into a ball. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll one third of dough into a 14-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. With a 5 1/2-inch round cutter cut out 4 rounds and stack between sheets of wax paper. (My friend Mrs. Cloutier says she uses the top of an old coffee pot as a cutter.) Roll and cut out 8 more rounds in same manner with remaining dough, stacking rounds between sheets of wax paper. Put a heaping tablespoon of filling slightly off-center on each pastry round. With fingertips dipped in water dampen edge of pastries and fold over to form a half circle, enclosing filling. With a fork dipped in water crimp edges of pastries and prick tops of pies once or twice. In a deep heavy kettle (10 inches in diameter) heat 1 1/2 inches oil to 350 degrees F. on a deep-fat thermometer and fry pies, 3 at a time, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer pies as fried with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Makes 12 pies (cocktail-size meat pies can be made by cutting smaller rounds and using less filling per pie).
Debra's corn and shrimp macque choux 1 pound medium shrimp 1 pound large shrimp 3 dozen fresh ears of corn 1/2 cup butter or oil 1 large onion, chopped 1/4 cup celery, chopped 1 cup green and red bell peppers, chopped 1/2 cup green onions, chopped 1/2 cup parsley, chopped 1 can diced stewed tomatoes 1 cup seafood stock 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 can cream style corn Season to taste with salt, red pepper and black pepper Cut corn off cob into bowl. Pour oil or butter into medium size pot and saut/ all vegetables until tender. Stir, add diced tomatoes to smothered vegetables. Add cut corn, season to taste. Add sugar and seafood stock. Bring to a boil, cover and cook on simmer for 40 minutes. Add cleaned, seasoned shrimp and cook for 30 minutes. Serve over cooked rice. Serves about 6 to 8 people.
really neat crawfish bisque recipe: Pappadeaux Crawfish Bisque Ingredients: 3 lb. Crawfish 2 oz Olive Oil 1 tsp. Paprika 1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper 2 qt. water 1/2 C. each, chopped: onion & green bell pepper 1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste 3 C. Whipping Cream 1/2 C. Chopped Tomato 2 oz Brandy (4 Tbsp.) Preparation: 1. Boil crawfish in a large pot of water. Drain & cool until crawfish can be handled easily, remove tail & save shells. Refrigerate tail meat. 2. Heat oil in large sauce pan or Dutch oven. Add crawfish shells, paprika & cayenne. Sauté 5 minutes. Add water & bring to boil. Reduce heat & simmer 30 minutes. 3. Strain liquid into another pan. Crush shells to remove remaining liquid & add that liquid. Discard shells. 4. Return to heat and add onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, cream & tomato. Simmer 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add brandy and crawfish tail meat. Simmer 10 minutes. Serve hot. Servings: 8
quick way to make a good roast beef po' boy: Roast Beef PoBoy Southern Style INGREDIENTS: 1-1/2 cups sliced onions 1 cup sliced green bell pepper 2 cups beef broth 1 tsp Boulliard's Louisiana SupremeWorcestershire Sauce 1 tsp Bulliard's Louisiana Supreme Hot Sauce 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1 pound cooked, thinly sliced roast beef 4 loaves of french bread (cut into 6 inches each) Savoies Instant Dry Roux (make 2 cups and add 3 extra tbsps of roux to help thicken with extra liquids) DIRECTIONS: Make 2 cups Savoies Instant Dry Roux using cold water, adding three extra tablespoons of instant roux to mixture. Put over low heat. Add onions, and green bell pepper, gradually stir in beef broth cooking slowly until onions and peppers are soft. Add worcestershire sauce, hot sauceand thyme; cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Add roast beef slices and simmer for about 5 minutes more. Serve hot on sliced open french bread loaves. Can be served as sandwich plain or dressed or may be served open faced. These are great served with Zatarain's Stuffing Mixes. Using the extra gravy over stuffing. Yield: 4 servings
Acadian Crawfish Cakes Ingredients: Amount Measure Ingredients -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/2 stick butter 2 cups crawfish tails -- ground (or chopped) 2 cups cooked long-grain rice 1/2 cup bell pepper -- chopped 2 slices bacon -- crisp, crumble 1 tablespoon parsley -- chop fine 1/2 cup shallots -- chop fine 1/4 teaspoon basil 1 dash thyme 1 teaspoon salt 1 dash tabasco 3 eggs; well beaten Preparation: Mix crawfish tails, rice, bell pepper, bacon, parsley, shallots, basil, thyme, salt and Tabasco together well. Pour the eggs over the mixture and blend them into the rice mixture. Let mixture "set" in the fridge for about 30 minutes, covered. Melt butter in skillet or griddle. Then, keeping your hands moist with a few drops of water shape the mixture into small squares, about 3x3x1/2" and plop them on the griddle. They will sizzle nicely and turn light brown in a few minutes. Flip over and fry until brown.
Spicy Catfish Almondine 1/4 c. butter, melted 3 T. lemon juice 6-6 oz. catfish fillets 1 1/2 t. Creole seasoning 1/2 c. sliced almonds parsley, optional Combine butter and lemon juice. Dip each fillet in butter mixture and arrange in a 9x13 inch, baking pan. Sprinkle fish with Creole seasoning and almonds. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Sprinkle with parsley.
Crawfish-Monica inspired- Ingredients 1 quart heavy cream 1 tbs house seasoning* 1 tbs paprika 1 oz shrimp base 4 oz tasso 6 1/2 oz fresh mushrooms 16 oz cooked rotelli pasta 16 oz crawfish tails House seasonings: 4 oz salt 1 oz cayenne pepper 1/2 oz black pepper 1/2 oz white pepper 1 oz granulated garlic 1 oz granulated onion 1 tbs thyme 1 tbs oregano 1 oz paprika Directions Bring cream to a boil. Add seasoning, paprika, and shrimp base. Simmer for one hour. Saute tasso, mushrooms, and crawfish. Add to sauce and simmer for five minutes. Also, you'll want to cook the pasta to directions and serve the sauce over the pasta. Serves 4 to 6 people. Recipe Compliments of: Chef Dale Ambrose another crawfish monica from emeril lagasse: 1 pound fresh fettuccine 3 tablespoons butter Salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup minced onions Essence, recipe follows 1 cup peeled, seeded plum tomatoes 1 pound crawfish tails 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 2 cups heavy cream 2- ounces grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese 1/4 cup chopped green onions, (green part only) Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain. Toss the pasta with 2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan, melt the remaining butter. Add the onions. Season with Essence. Saute for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes. Season with Essence. Saute for 2 minutes. Season the crawfish with Essence. Add the crawfish and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the garlic. Season with Essence. Add the cream and bring the liquid to boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Stir in the cheese. Mix well. Turn the sauce into a large mixing bowl. Add the pasta and green onions. Mix well. Mound the pasta in the center of each plate and serve. crawfish monica, crawfish monica. here is another recipe from the crawfish company: CRAWFISH MONICA This is a very simple and elegant dish, and will impress your guests in a big way. It's also one of the most popular dishes served at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival; the line at the Crawfish Monica booth is one of longest on the Fairgrounds. If you don't have crawfish available in your area, it works well with shrimp, oysters or crabmeat. 1 lb. crawfish tails, boiled and peeled; OR 1 lb. shrimp, peeled; OR 1 lb. lump crabmeat; OR 1 lb. oysters drained and quartered. 1 stick butter (Do not use margarine.) 1 pint half-and-half (Look, relax. Just don't eat this every day.) 3 - 10 cloves garlic, chopped (to your taste) 1-2 Tbl. Creole Seasoning 1 lb. cooked fresh pasta (Rotelli is preferred, use your favorite shape.) Cook pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain, then rinse under cool water. Drain again, thoroughly. Melt the butter in a large pot and sauté onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the seafood and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half, then add several big pinches of Creole seasoning, tasting before the next pinch until you think it's right. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Add the pasta and toss well. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so over very low heat, stirring often. Serve immediately with hot french bread. Serves 4-6.
