Shrimp and Crawfish Etouffee

I like my etouffee heavy on the shrimp and with a slice of corn bread. If you're not into spice, omit the cayenne pepper and hot sauce or you can add it to each individual bowl.  Serve over steamed rice.  This version makes about 6 servings.

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 sweet white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
•   3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 green onions, diced
• 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
• 2 tablespoons seafood seasoning (I use Tony Chatcheries or Old Bay)
• ground black pepper
• 1 cup fish stock (I use lobster broth if I can find it)
• 1 pound crawfish tails
•   2 pounds medium shrimp - peeled and deveined

Directions

1. Make a roux by heating the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Turn the fire down to low.  Gradually stir in flour, and stir constantly until the mixture turns 'peanut butter' brown or darker, at least 15 or 20 minutes.  It is very important to stir this constantly. If by chance the roux burns, discard and start over.
2. Once the roux is browned, add the onions and saute about 5 minutes to soften.  Add garlic, green onion celery and bell peppers to the skillet, and saute 5-10 minutes until just soft. Stir in the  tomatoes and fish stock, and season with the seafood seasoning. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Season the sauce with hot pepper sauce and cayenne pepper (if using), and add the crawfish and shrimp. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

I refuse to eat soup out of a can, which is why this recipe is a staple in my house.  It's quick and easy, yet always manages to impress a crowd.  It works well as an entree with the added crab meat, and as a side dish without.  Although it uses heavy cream, it's surprisingly low in calories--if I remember correctly, it's only 3 points per 1 cup serving.

• 4 red peppers (for less spicy I use 2 red peppers and 2 yellow or orange)
• 1 TBS butter or olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 24 fluid ounces chicken broth (for vegetarian option I use either veggie broth or lobster broth)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound lump crab meat or crawfish tails
• black pepper and Kosher salt 

1. Rub peppers with olive oil (I dribble some on then rub it with a paper towel), then place in an oven at 450 for about 30 minutes or until they are puffy and crisp
2. Saute onion and garlic until tender in butter or olive oil in a large sauce pan
3. Add chicken broth and peppers to the onion garlic mixture.   I put the entire pepper in except for the stem, you can also chop it as you normally would and discard seeds. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer it simmers the better the flavor
4. Remove from heat, let mixture cool, then puree with a hand blender until smooth. 
5. Return to medium-low heat, stir in cream, black pepper and crab or crawfish. Allow to heat through about 5-10 minutes.

I've served it with a dollop of sour cream, drizzled with sherry, or with a slice of goat cheese.  All are good but the soup is also great all on its own.

Easy Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Recipes like this one I altered from a Martha Stewart cook book make meatless days effortless and easy (and tasty).  When I make these, people often don't miss the beef at all. I serve with sweet potato fries.  I think the key to a good veggie burger of any kind is marinade.

Ingredients
1/2 c. Balsamic vinegar salad dressing (or make your own 1/4c. balsamic, 1/4c. olive oil)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs Italian seasoning
1 red bell pepper, sliced, ribs and stems removed
4 portobello caps, stems removed
4 ounces goat cheese, cut in equal parts (you can also use provolone or brie if not a fan of goat cheese)
4 toasted hamburger buns
lettuce
mayo

Instructions

1. Marinate the mushrooms and bell pepper in the balsamic dressing, garlic and Italian seasoning for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the refrigerator. I usually add all to a zip lock bag and toss to coat. You can also place the ingredients in a shallow dish.  
2. Remove from marinade.  Lightly coat a skillet or grill pan with olive oil, heat to just before the smoke point (drops of water will sizzle when added).  Arrange the mushrooms and red peppers and cover, cooking approximately 4 minutes per side until tender. I like to leave the skin on the red peppers, but you can wait for them to cool and lightly rub to remove skin if you prefer.
3. Toast buns and coat with desired amount of mayo.  Sometimes I'll make an herb and lemon mayo.  It compliments the flavors well.
4. To assemble burgers place mushroom cap-side up on a bun, then add cheese.  Place red peppers then lettuce on top.  Sometimes I  use 2 mushrooms per burger if I'm extra hungry.  I sandwich the cheese between the caps, then place red pepper and lettuce on top.

Kitchen Sink Pasta

I had a lot of ingredients left in the fridge, so I decided to combine it all into a pasta dish. I think I ended up with tasty new recipe. 

Ingredients
1 pound Italian sausage
olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 cup red wine
1/4 c. flour
4 tbs butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup heavy cream (or more)
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan cheese (or more to taste)
1 pound fettuccine pasta, cooked according to instructions (reserve some of the water)
salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, marjoram

Instructions

1. Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a fork into bite sized pieces as you cook. Strain off fat and reserve.
2. Return the skillet to the fire, and saute onions and red peppers in olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms and garlic, saute another 5 minutes until the mushrooms release some of their juice. 
3. Add canned tomatoes and red wine to the sauce vegetables. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and marjoram to taste (be careful with the marjoram, probably about 1/4 teaspoon.  If you put too much just add pasta water to the sauce to thin it out, and reduce).  Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer. 
4. While pasta is simmering, melt butter in a small skillet.  Sprinkle with flour and garlic powder, and stir with a fork, cooking until light brown/golden (you don't want a peanut butter color like a roux).  Add cream to the mixture and combine. 
5. Add the flour mixture to the sauce, and combine.  Add grated Parmesan, salt and pepper taste.  If the sauce is too thick, thin out with pasta water.
6. Add cooked pasta to the sauce and toss. 

Tres Leches

This is one of my favorite restaurant desserts and I've finally came up with a recipe that comes pretty close. It's a lot of effort but well worth it.

Step 1: The Cake
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 and grease and flour a 9x13 pan
2. Whip butter in a mixer until fluffy; slowly add sugar and blend until combined. 
3. Add eggs one at at time and blend until fully combined after each addition.  Add vanilla.
4. Slowly fold in flour and mix until blended.
5. Spread batter into prepared pan.  It will be sticky. Bake 20-30 minutes, checking for doneness at 20.  Remove from the oven and pierce all over with a fork.  Allow the cake to cool completely. 

Step 2: The Glaze
2 cups half and half
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
Frangelica or Khalua for flavor

1. Stir together milks and flavoring in a pitcher. Pour over cooled cake.
2. Cover the cake tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours to allow the cake to absorb the milk.

Step 3: Whipped Topping
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
vanilla

1. Whip together vanilla, heavy cream and powdered sugar until thick. Spread over cake. I like to do this just before serving. 
2. Store cake tightly covered in the refrigerator. 

I serve this cake sprinkled with cinnamon or topped with fresh berries.

Mushroom Risotto

This is one of my favorite side dishes.  I've served it with everything from salmon to veal.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon truffle oil (optional)
1 chopped onion
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
6 ounces sliced fresh  mushrooms (I like to use baby bellas, but I've mixed bella and white before, or gone for a wild mushroom mix)
1 (12 ounce) package Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 quart hot chicken stock
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 ounce of Gorgonzola cheese, or to taste
ground black pepper to taste
truffle oil for drizzling

1. Melt butter along with truffle oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, shallot, and garlic; cook and stir two minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add the mushrooms, and continue cooking until the mushroom softens and begins to release its liquid.
2. Add Arborio rice; cook and stir for a few minutes until the rice is well coated with the onion mixture and looks glossy. Stir in half the white and cook until nearly evaporated.
3. Reduce heat to medium, and add the other half of the white wine.  Cook and stir until the wine is absorbed, about 2 minutes.   The risotto should be simmering gently while you stir in the wine. Add 1/3 of the chicken stock, and stir for approximately 5 minutes until absorbed. Add half of the remaining stock, and stir for 5 minutes more. Finally add the remaining stock, and continue cooking until the risotto is creamy and the rice is tender, about 5 minutes more. The rice should not be completely soft, but still have a little firmness when you bite into it. You can add a little water if needed to cook the rice to this state. You should also test the rice before adding the last addition; sometimes I only add half of the remaining stock.
4. Remove the risotto from the heat, and stir in the heavy cream and Gorgonzola cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve. If desired, drizzle each serving with a drop of truffle oil for additional flavor.

Who needs sauce out of a jar?

I love pasta dishes with tomato sauce as a base, so I usually make a huge batch of tomato sauce to keep on hand for easy preparation.  This recipe can be easily doubled or divided in half to suit your needs (it makes about 16 cups of sauce).  I save juice containers for easy storage.  Often, I freeze half and leave the other half in the refrigerator. I use it in lasagna, spaghetti, stuffed pasta shells and other dishes. It's also great for dipping.

Ingredients
olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
12 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons dried morjoram
4 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes (use Italian or other pre-seasoned varieties for extra flavor)
16 ounces crushed tomatoes with puree
2 cups red wine (I like this sauce with a Chianti)
 a handful of fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot.  Add onion, garlic and spices.  Cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, approximately 10 minutes. 
2. Add tomatoes and red wine.  Simmer uncovered until sauce thickens, about 1.5 hours.  Stir every 15 minutes or so, breaking up the tomatoes.  
3. Add salt, pepper and other seasonings to taste.  Add fresh basil.  If you'd like a smoother sauce, puree after cooling in a blender or with an immersion blender.
4. Can be refrigerated after cooling up to 2 days, or frozen.

Bacon: The Key to Making any Vegetable Taste Better

Growing up there was a long list of vegetables I didn't care for, then I started making them for myself and learned a secret that works for just about anything--bacon.  This method is the base of many of my vegetable sides.  It also works with turkey bacon, but you may need more olive oil.

Ingredients
3 slices of bacon, cubed
splash of olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
clove of garlic, minced
1 cup of broth (I alternate between chicken, beef, vegetable, or seafood depending on what the main course is)
3 cups fresh or frozen vegetables (should be about 2-3 times the quantity of water.  I usually just stuff the pot until I can't fit anymore.  They cook down). 
Salt, pepper and other spices to taste

Directions

1. Add bacon and a splash of olive oil to a medium sized pot over medium to medium-low heat.  Slowly cook bacon until you render fat and the bacon is firm but not completely browned. 
2. Raise the heat to medium and sweat onions and garlic in the oil and fat mixture until the onions are translucent and the garlic is aromatic, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pot. 
3. Add broth and the vegetables, then bring to a boil.  Once they begin to boil, add a little salt, then cover and cook.*
4. After they reach the desired texture, season with salt and pepper to your taste. 

*How long the vegetables cook depends on the vegetable and what texture you like them.  For green beans, I cook about 10 minutes, but for collard or mustard greens I reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for at least an hour.  I don't use this method to cook spinach or cabbage.

A Good Use of Lemon Curd: Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I found lemon curd in the pantry.  I can't remember why I bought it, but I'm sure it was for some long forgotten cupcake creation.  So I decided to get creative with it and tweak an old stand-by.  As a result, I now have a cake that I end up making about once a month throughout the spring and summer.

I have a pound cake recipe that I've used for years that I've made a variety of ways, but I have found that the lemon variation is now the favorite and most popular.  I top this cake with a lemon glaze (recipe follows cake).  Fresh raspberries and blueberries on the side are a great compliment to the lemon flavor....  I might consider a berry glaze sometime in the future.  If you want to make it without the lemon, omit the curd and lemon extract and double the vanilla.

I would not recommend attempting this recipe without a sturdy standing mixer--if the ingredients aren't mixed properly the cake doesn't rise and I've found mixing this quantity of ingredients without any liquid components is very difficult with a hand mixer.  Also, dumping all the flour in at once will create a kitchen disaster with a hand mixer, but the consistency really isn't quite right if you add the flour in batches.

Ingredients (all should be room temperature)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups white sugar
6 eggs
3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or more if you like it)
1 teaspoon lemon extract (you can substitute fresh lemon juice, but I think the extract is sufficient due to the strong lemon flavor of the curd)
1  jar of lemon curd (Don't use more than 12 oz).

Directions  

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan.  
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth.  I put my mixer on medium-high speed (7 out of 12).
3. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.  
4. Add eggs two at a time, beating well with each addition. 
5. Add the vanilla and lemon extract.  
6. Add the flour all at once and mix in until just combined.  I turn the mixer all the way down to 1 or 2, or I use the fold setting.
7. In a medium sized bowl, wisk the jar of lemon curd until it is smooth and easy to spread. Depending on the brand of curd, sometimes I add a little milk or cream and a tablespoon of powdered sugar.  You don't want it to taste or look like jelly--it should blend well with the cake and enhance the flavors providing for a periodic ooze of lemony goodness.
8. Pour half the batter into a 10 inch tube pan.  Spoon lemon curd over the batter, then cover with remaining batter.  Swirl the batter with a knife or spoon to swirl the lemon curd.  
9. Bake at 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) for  at least 1 hour and 30 minutes. Check for doneness at 1 hour. A toothpick inserted into center of cake should come out clean, minus the lemon curd filling.  Sometimes the cake takes as long as 2 hours.  I usually place a rimmed cookie sheet under the cake just in case it cooks out.  It's only cooked over on me once when I used a smaller bundt pan.
10. Let the cake sit for about 30 minutes before turning out. 

Note: you may be tempted to turn your oven up and cook this cake a little faster.  Resist that urge. It has a cakey-cheesecake texture and a thick golden brown crust that can only be achieved with a slow oven.  Also, if your oven is too hot this cake will cook over your pan.  Some pound cake makers swear by skipping the pre-heating stage.  I've tried this method with this cake and saw absolutely no difference outside of adding extra time to the baking process. 


Quick and Easy Lemon Glaze
Wisk about 1/2-1 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice (1 large or 2 small lemons), and 2 tbs. melted butter into about 4 cups of powdered sugar until smooth and pourable.  Or more of everything if you want more glaze. I like a thicker glaze, so I tend towards only 1/2 cup of juice.  You can add some limoncello to this glaze as well for an extra dose of awesome. 

This cake takes forever to cool completely and makes your house smell amazing--2 things that don't really go well together.  Sometimes I put glaze on when I turn the cake out at 30 minutes just to get to sample it, then again about an hour later.  This always results in glaze running all over the place that has to be spooned over the cake.  If I'm doing it right, I put the glaze on after about an hour when the cake is still warm but not hot to the touch (i.e. if you were to cut it, it wouldn't steam and burn your mouth.  Don't ask...).

Tomato Tart

On a recent trip to HEB I just could not pass up the local organic heirloom tomatoes.  I didn't have a plan for what to do with them, and just chopping them up and putting them in a salad seemed far too boring (and a waste of a costly ingredient). My basil plants are growing out of control this year, I have a Costco sized bag of shredded mozzarella, and leftover frozen pie crusts from the holidays in the freezer, so a tomato tart sounded like a natural fit.   We went vegetarian with this one, eating it with a mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette.  I scoured the web for a go-by and found this recipe from Martha Stewart:

• 1 head garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1/2 Pate Brisee (Pie Dough)
• 2 ounces Italian fontina cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/2 pounds firm but ripe tomatoes (4 medium), cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

I thought it was a good start.  I made the following adjustments/additions:

• 2 heads garlic
• Unknown quantities of olive oil 
• Unknown quantities of mozzarella cheese
• Approximately 2 pounds of heirloom tomatoes of assorted colors(mainly because that's what I had), sliced with a mandoline
• Herbs d'provence in addition to salt and pepper.  
• A handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped.

 I loved Martha's technique, but felt I needed more flavor.  Also, I love cheese, so I just put in as much as a recipe can stand.  Here's how I prepared the tart (hybrid of my methods and Martha's):

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the tops off the heads of garlic, place on a piece of aluminum foil.  Drizzle with olive oil. It doesn't take much, maybe a tablespoon.  Wrap to enclose garlic in foil, and place on a small baking sheet. Bake until soft and golden brown and the tip of a knife easily pierces the flesh, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside. When garlic is cool enough to handle, use your hands to squeeze the cloves out of their skins and into a small bowl; mash with a fork, and set aside. Discard the papery skins.  Cutting the tops off makes this job a lot easier.  Adjust the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
2. While the garlic is cooking, On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/8-inch-thick circle, about 12 inches in diameter. With a dry pastry brush, brush off the excess flour; roll the dough around the rolling pin, and lift it over a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Sprinkle the dough with the herbs d'Provence. Line the pan with the dough, pressing it into the corners. Trim the dough so that it is flush with the edges; transfer to the refrigerator to chill, about 30 minutes.
3. Spread roasted garlic evenly on the chilled crust. Sprinkle with enough cheese to coat the bottom of the tart...or more.   Arrange the tomatoes on top of the cheese, in an overlapping circular pattern. Season with salt, pepper and herbs. Sprinkle with cheese, and drizzle with remaining oil. Transfer to oven. Bake until crust is golden and tomatoes are soft but still retain their shape, 45 to 55 minutes.   You should be able to cut them with a fork.  Approximately 10 minutes before removing, sprinkle the tart with chopped fresh basil leaves. 
4. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.  It tastes a lot like pizza with extra tomatoes (and cheese).  Traditional pizza extras (crushed red pepper, Parmesan, garlic dipping sauce) go well with this dish.

Perfecting the Pork Chop

Lately I've been disappointed with pork chops.  I spent a lot of time researching and reviewing recipes before coming up with this method.  I developed a three step process: a brine, followed by a high heat saute, and a few minutes soak in a decadent gravy.  The results were so good, I ate an entire pork chop sampling the product while cooking.  My favorite sides with these chops are are green beans, spinach, steamed rice and/or whipped sweet potatoes. For this recipe, I used about 2 pounds of 1 1/4" pork chops.

Step 1, the brine:
I modified this recipe from the Food Network.  Many think brining is a wasted step but I think it makes all the difference in the world. 

Ingredients:
1 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. salt (table salt, not Kosher)
1/2 c. sugar
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
pink and black peppercorns
2 tbs. mustard powder
water


Directions
1. Combine vinegar, salt, sugar, garlic, peppercorns and mustard powder in a ziplock bag.  Stir the mixture together until the sugar and salt dissolve.  Alternatively, you can boil the mixture and let it cool completely.
2.  Add pork chops to the bag, then add water to cover the pork chops.  Seal the bag and shake to coat evenly. 
3. Refrigerate for 2 hours.  To prevent a mess, I put the ziplock bag in a bowl in the refrigerator.
4.  After 2 hours, rinse the pork chops and pat dry with a paper towel.  If you don't rinse they will be way too salty.


Step 2, the saute: 
I understand that pork is "the other white meat," but in my opinion it just doesn't make sense to pretend that pork is boneless skinless chicken breast.  Thus, when I make pork I pour on the decadence. If you're watching your figure there are several ways you can tone this down...but what's the fun in that?


Ingredients
1 stick of butter
olive oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Kosher salt
white pepper
onion powder
1/2 c. flour
Creole seasoning (I use Tony Chacheries)

Directions

1. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt, pepper, and onion powder.  I usually put salt and pepper on one side, then salt and onion powder on the other. 
2. Wisk together flour and creole seasoning in a medium sized bowl.  I add enough seasoning to make it speckled.  Lightly dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture.
3. In a large skillet (12" or greater), pour about 3 tbs. of olive oil and add the stick of butter (I just pour oil to coat the bottom of the skillet).  Heat until butter melts over a medium-high heat, then add in garlic clove.  When garlic is aromatic, remove, and continue to heat the oil and butter mixture just before the smoke point. The chops should sizzle when added.
4. Add 4-5 of the pork chops to the skillet.  Be sure they are not crowded.  Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, flipping only once.  Resist the urge to fidget with the chops.  I set a timer for 3 minutes, and start flipping after it goes off.  
5. Remove the chops to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Sometimes I put them in a low oven (250 degrees), and sometimes I don't.  I don't think it really makes much of a difference.
6. If you have more chops to cook,  be sure to let the oil mixture heat up again.  You may need to add some more oil;  just make sure the chops don't stick when cooking--you need the flour dredge on the chops to help soak up some of the gravy later.

Step 3, the gravy:
This is the step where things go way out of control.   The possible substitutions are endless--you can omit the truffle oil completely, use cream cheese or goat cheese instead of blue, and substitute the heavy cream for half and half or just plain milk.  If you're using milk you'll probably need to add a thickener, like a little corn starch dissolved in water, to get the right consistency.

Ingredients
Oil/drippings from skillet
1/2 sweet onion
1/4 c. sliced mushrooms
splash of white truffle oil (optional)
1. c  heavy whipping cream
2 oz. blue or gorgonzola cheese
Additional water or milk
Kosher salt
red pepper

Directions

1. Saute onions and mushrooms over medium heat in the skillet with the oil and drippings until the onions are translucent, making sure to scrape up the brown bits leftover from cooking the chops. 
2. Add the heavy cream, and drizzle with a little white truffle oil.  Add in cheese. Stir until thickened, about 5 minutes.  If you need more gravy or it gets too thick, add additional water, milk or cream. 
3. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.  I prefer red pepper if I want more at this step. 
4. Return the pork chops to the skillet with the gravy, and spoon over. I usually reduce the fire to low to keep the chops warm.

This recipe goes really well with simple sides, like rice or potatoes and wilted greens or steamed vegetables.