re: TD.com Recipes and Recipe Book Thread - 5th Version

DELMONICO’S BRUSSEL’S SPROUTS WITH ALMONDS AND MANCHEGO

1 pound Brussels sprouts, stem end trimmed, halved length-wise
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 strips, about 5 ounces, thick cut bacon, chopped
4 teaspoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, lengthwise
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
¼ cup or more shaved Manchego cheese

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and heat for 10 minutes, until hot.

In a medium mixing bowl toss the Brussels sprouts with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, add the Brussels sprouts, spreading them in an even layer, then roast in the oven for 15 minutes, until slightly browned and tender.

In a medium sauté pan, over medium high heat, render the bacon for 5 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until just fragrant.

Add the Brussels sprouts to the sauté pan along with the chicken stock and sherry vinegar and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the butter and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer, stirring to combine all ingredients.

Transfer the Brussels sprouts to a serving platter or individual dishes and garnish with the toasted almonds and the shaved Manchego cheese.

Yield: 4 servings

Crawfish Bisque(cream version)

1 lb cooked crawfish tails
4 T butter
2 T flour
1 garlic clove, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
2 C whipping cream
2-3 C crawfish, seafood or chicken stock to suit your texture desire
1 t paprika
½ t cayenne
½ t salt
1 t chopped parsley
1 t sugar, if desired


Puree crawfish and set aside.

Melt butter; add flour; stir and cook for about 5 minutes, but do not brown. Add the onion and garlic and cook on medium heat until the onions are tender. Add the pureed crawfish tails, stirring and cooking for about 5 minutes. Slowly add the cream and stock, stirring constantly. Add the paprika, cayenne, salt and parsley. Cook slowly for about 20 minutes on a slow flame.

Makes about 7 cups. Doubles easily.

Best made the day before and reheated gently.

Notes: I reduced the amount of stock. I didn't think it needed that much liquid especially when doubled. It's a matter of personal taste in the texture you want. I used a food processor for the tails and pulsed so they had some texture to them. I used white pepper and less cayenne. I like the mix. No sugar.

Lasagna...a good recipe.
Basically a modification of an Emeril recipe. It's a good one.

Meat Sauce

1 lb ground beef
1 lb mild Italian sausage
2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup zucchini , chopped
2 cups spinach
2 T garlic, minced
2 cans (28 oz) Cento chopped tomatoes
12 oz Cento Tomato paste( maybe it's 8 oz)
1/2 tube anchovy paste
3 cups of beef stock
1/2 cup parmigiana cheese
2 bay leaves
1 t or more of crushed red pepper
1/2 T or more of basil, thyme, and oregano
Salt and pepper to taste


Brown the meats, add the veggies and seasonings, add the tomato products and remaining ingredients...cook an hour to 4 hours and re season to taste.

Cheese mix
1 egg, beaten
2 cups ricotta
8 oz parm o cheese
8 oz mozzarella
8 oz Romano
1/4 cup milk
1T Italian parsley, minced
1T garlic
Salt and pepper
8 more oz of parm o
Dry pasta


Heat the oven to 350. Mix the egg, beaten, with the milk, and cheeses, along with the garlic and parsley. I added a bit of nutmeg, too. Salt and pepper the cheese mix.

Put 2.5 cups of the meat sauce in the pan. Layer a sprinkle of parm o. Top with a layer of dry noodles. Add the cheese mix on top. Repeat at least two more times. Top with the remaining cheese mix.
Bake 45 minutes to an hour...until bubbly. Best lasagna I've had and better if you can let it sit a few hours to overnight.

Asian Brussel Sprouts

2 lbs brussel sprouts, halved
4 tbsp. olive oil
Juice & zest of 2 lemons
Kosher salt
6 basil leaves, torn
1/2 chili pepper, chopped (we use jalapeno)
Cilantro or Mint
1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1.5 tsp crushed dried red pepper
1/2 head garlic

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (or if you want to roast them longer and not run risk of burning them, 350-375 degrees)
Toss sprouts on baking sheet with olive oil and 1 tsp. salt.
Roast for 35-40 minutes. If lower temperature, maybe longer. Outer leaves should be crispy.
While hot place sprouts in bowl and stir in 1/4-1/2 cup sweet chili vinegar (see recipe below). Stir in lemon juice and zest, add salt to taste and garnish with basil leaves, cilantro (or mint) and chili pepper.

Sweet Chili Vinegar:
Mix 1 cup sugar, 1 cup white vinegar, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1 1/2 tsp. crushed dried red pepper, 1/2 head garlic - cook over low heat until sugar dissolves, about 5 min.

Jazz Fest Meaty White Beans

At the very end of the Food Heritage area, closest to the Jazz Tent, is the booth that sells one of my favorite dishes at the New Orleans Jazz Fest: The meaty white beans. I've already raved about them in print, but this year I met the owners, who dish out the beans and the barbecue ribs, barbecue turkey wings, cole slaw and peach cobbler every year.

Bertrand and Renee Bailey met at Louisiana State University, and this is the 14th year they have been vendors at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell. They are able to tell exactly, because their daughter Blaire, now their cashier at the booth, was born the year they got in.

"I've been in food service 30 years," Bertrand said. "I started cooking as a way to put myself through college. I always had a passion for cooking."

They have a catering company in Baton Rouge, Down Home Creole Cookin', and Renee also is a teacher and librarian at Winbourne Elementary in Baton Rouge. She grew up in the capital city, and Bertrand is from Edgard in St. John Parish, where his daddy was a farmer. Both learned to cook from their mothers.

When there was an opening for a barbecue ribs vendor at Jazz Fest, they applied, and brought the meaty white beans as a side.

"They wanted pork and beans, but this is like pork and beans," Bertrand said. Only not as sweet and much meatier.

The beans are flavored with pork sausage, ham hocks, tasso, andouille and diced ham.

Ingredients
1 lb Great Northern beans, Camellia brand
3 quarts water
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 smoked ham hocks*
2 links smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 link andouille, sliced
1/2 lb tasso, cubed
1/4 lb ham, diced
Salt, cayenne, onion powder and other seasoning to taste
Rice for serving

1. Bring beans and water to a boil in a large pot Boil on high heat for one hour

2. Add all meats and lower heat to medium. Cook 1-1/2 hours. Add vegetables and cook 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt, cayenne, onion powder and other seasonings of choice.

3. Serve over rice.

Tips* Bertrand Bailey said his pork sausage is Manda brand, and he gets his andouille, tasso and smoked ham hocks in LaPlace at Bailey's -- no relation.

Nate's Crawfish Cornbread Dressing


2 Cups chopped celery
1 Large onion chopped
Chicken broth or shrimp stock (about 1 quart)
1 bunch green onions chopped
6 Cups cornbread crumble (box or homemade doesn't matter)
about 5 cups of diced french bread
2 lbs peeled crawfish with the fat(if large you can dice them but not too fine)If you want more crawfish add more
1 stick melted butter

Cook celery and onion in broth until tender. Add the green onions. Pour celery and onion mixture into a large mixing bowl. Gradually add the cornbread, french bread and crawfish alternately. Season with salt(careful with the salt), black pepper and a little cayenne pepper. When all is mixed well melted butter and stock or broth to desired moistness.
Can be used as a stuffing for chicken, duck, turkey, thick double cut pork chops or bake in a casserole dish at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes. When baked as a casserole I usually add a few pats of butter on top and let the top get a little browned. Be careful not to over bake and dry out.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding


Need:
1 Large Loaf of Day Old French bread (cut open and leave out in the Air. Bread should be stiff.
1 Pound White Chocolate Chips for sauce & an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips to spread throughout bread
4 Whole Eggs
6 Egg Yolks
4 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

Slice/Tear French Bread into 1/2 inch thick “croutons.” In large mixing bowl, combine Eggs and Egg Yolks and whisk together. In a large saucepan (or double boiler), combine whipping cream, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar and bring to a low-medium simmer. Slowly stir in 1 pound of white chocolate chips. Stir into mixture until chocolate is completely melted and dissolved. Remove pot from heat and stir in egg mixture. Make sure to whisk it quickly into the mixture to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
In a 9” x 13” baking dish, place bread slices in several layers and add remaining 1/4 to 1/2 cup white chocolate chips evenly throughout the bread (amount varies by taste). Pour 1/2 of the cream mixture over the entire dish, allowing it time (about a minute) to soak. Using your fingertips, gently press the mixture into the bread, spreading it well throughout. Add remaining mixture and repeat. Once finished, cover with foil, refrigerate, and allow to soak overnight (about 6-8 hours).

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake covered for 1 hour, remove foil, then bake an additional 45 minutes until golden brown.


Rum Sauce:

Need:
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1-2 Tbsp “Golden” Rum

Cream butter and sugar (mix thoroughly in bowl with a whisk). Add vanilla & egg. Then add rum. Stir over low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes until cooked throughout. Serve warm


Enjoy!

I did this for a dinner party Saturday night. Turned out very well. It's a recipe from Tim Creehan of Cuvee Bistro outside of Destin. It's easy and worth a try. He calls it a soup...I say it's a bisque.

Tomato and Shrimp Soup
Ingredients – Serves 12

2 yellow onions
4 tomatoes
1/3 pound chopped bacon
¼ cup chopped garlic
3 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes (use Cento tomato products)
3 cups tomato sauce or puree
½ cup tomato paste
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo(I used 3 peppers and some of the sauce)
1½ quarts chicken stock
¼ cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 pound steamed (70-90 count) shrimp(I subbed in a few U15 count shrimp per serving)
¼ cup chopped parsley or chive stems(I subbed in some fresh thyme and basil, too)

Method:

1.Sprinkle a smoker with soaked hickory chips and preheat. Cut the onions in half and place them and the whole tomatoes on the smoker rack. Smoke over low heat for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and chop.
2.Saute the bacon in a heavy soup pot. Add the onions, tomatoes and garlic. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the next 6 ingredients; mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3.Process the mixture in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. (I used a big arse stick blender.) Combine the mixture in the soup pot; stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper and heat to serving temperature. Ladle the soup into soup bowls and top with the steamed shrimp and chopped parsley or chive stems.

Oyster Pie


A very tasty dish adapted from Vernon Roger's Cookbook. No, one does not have to wear a diaper and do coke while cooking it, but this could enhance the experience.

Ingredients:

4 T of flour
4 strips of bacon
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup fine diced onion
1 cup diced green onions
@ 1 cup yesterday liquid
@ 1.5 cups oysters, cut in halves or quarters
1 T minced garlic
Dash or two of Worcestershire sauce
2 or more T of butter
Salt, black and red pepper to taste (I use Tony's for salt, with the peppers added TO taste)
1/2 cup minced parsley
2 unbaked pie shells, one of which is deep


Method

Fry the bacon. Remove it and add the flour to the grease and make a nice dark roux. Add the oyster liquid, incorporate, and remove from the heat.

In a separate pot, brown the ground meats, adding first the onions, then green onions, garlic and parsley. Transfer to the roux and add the crumbled bacon and oysters. Season to taste with the salt, peppers and/or Tony's.

The texture should be pretty tight. Stir in a pinch of flour or cornstarch if it's too loose. Pour into the deep shell, cover with the second, vent with a knife or fork and brush with remaining butter, melted.

Place in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, then cut to 350 for an additional 25to 30 minutes until golden on top. Damn good.


Mods: You can double the oysters and cut out some or all of the ground meat. You can add a little celery and bell pepper to the sauté if you wish. It's a great dish.