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Started By
Message
The French Press - Please Tell Me How To Make This Gumbo
Posted on 7/15/23 at 10:07 pm
Posted on 7/15/23 at 10:07 pm
My gumbo is delicious and dark but it is a thinner, souplike consistency. I want to learn how to make this dark, rich, thicker variety. Any tips, or even better, any recipes that spell out how to make this creole gumbo?
This is the Cajun Benedict from The French Press in Lafayette. 10/10. I look forward to it every time I am in town for lunch.
The Cajun Poutine was amazing also (see below). I would have never put eggs, potatoes, gumbo, and goat cheese together but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t fire also.
10
Posted on 7/15/23 at 11:10 pm to Jibbajabba
I’ll be waiting as that color is perfect.
Can’t ever quite get mine that way.
Can’t ever quite get mine that way.
Posted on 7/16/23 at 5:55 am to Jibbajabba
Dark roux with the trinity cooked down in it.
Good homeade stock. Roast some bones first for flavor and color.
Produces a dark, silky gumbo that's not too thick.
Good homeade stock. Roast some bones first for flavor and color.
Produces a dark, silky gumbo that's not too thick.
Posted on 7/16/23 at 6:47 am to Jibbajabba
The darker the thinner
Posted on 7/16/23 at 7:53 am to Jibbajabba
Can’t you add gumbo file and okra to thicken it up?
Posted on 7/16/23 at 9:37 am to Jibbajabba
Getting thick gumbo from a very dark roux requires a little adjustment... corn starch. After gumbo is fully cooked take half a cup of the liquid and stir in 1 teaspoon corn starch until there are no lumps. Pour back into pot and simmer as it thickens. Repeat until you like the texture. Don't try a lot of corn starch at once.
Posted on 7/16/23 at 10:05 am to Jibbajabba
quote:
My gumbo is delicious
quote:
thicker variety
The easiest things you can do are more roux, less liquid, or simmer to reduce. Or use some other thickener, like cornstarch, to finish
Posted on 7/16/23 at 10:36 am to Jibbajabba
The short answer is, add more roux, more trinity, make a concentrated stock and reduce.
After eating the Death by Gumbo at R'evolution I was inspired to make a thick gumbo like the one In your OP.
To get a thicker gumbo base I knew I had to overcome two basic sauce making principals, dark roux doesn't possess great thickening potential and dark roux has a strong flavor. Here are the things I did to achieve a thick and balanced gumbo.
I started with a basic recipe that yields 6 quarts of gumbo and evaluated each characteristic of the following elements; roux, trinity, and liquid.
To improve the thickening potential of a dark roux, I started by quadrupling the amount of roux in the recipe. I split it and reserved half in case I needed it later to adjust the thickness.
Next, I doubled the amount of trinity and garlic in the recipe. My thought here was to create a stronger base flavor with more trinity.
I also made 2 gallons of an extra flavorful stock and reduced it to concentrate the flavors. Extra roux means extra roux flavor which can overpower the other elements of the gumbo so a flavorful stock was the logical solution to overcome that.
I started with a basic method and once the roux, trinity, and stock were incorporated, I simmered the base for two hours to reduce the volume, incorporate the roux, and integrate the flavors.
In the final step, I browned some andouille, seared diced chicken thighs dredged in seasoned flour in sausage drippings and then added gumbo base. That simmered for 40 minutes to break down the chicken and render the sausage fat.
The final product was a thick, flavorful dish that had all the Hallmark characteristics of gumbo. And of course, it was even better the next day.
After eating the Death by Gumbo at R'evolution I was inspired to make a thick gumbo like the one In your OP.
To get a thicker gumbo base I knew I had to overcome two basic sauce making principals, dark roux doesn't possess great thickening potential and dark roux has a strong flavor. Here are the things I did to achieve a thick and balanced gumbo.
I started with a basic recipe that yields 6 quarts of gumbo and evaluated each characteristic of the following elements; roux, trinity, and liquid.
To improve the thickening potential of a dark roux, I started by quadrupling the amount of roux in the recipe. I split it and reserved half in case I needed it later to adjust the thickness.
Next, I doubled the amount of trinity and garlic in the recipe. My thought here was to create a stronger base flavor with more trinity.
I also made 2 gallons of an extra flavorful stock and reduced it to concentrate the flavors. Extra roux means extra roux flavor which can overpower the other elements of the gumbo so a flavorful stock was the logical solution to overcome that.
I started with a basic method and once the roux, trinity, and stock were incorporated, I simmered the base for two hours to reduce the volume, incorporate the roux, and integrate the flavors.
In the final step, I browned some andouille, seared diced chicken thighs dredged in seasoned flour in sausage drippings and then added gumbo base. That simmered for 40 minutes to break down the chicken and render the sausage fat.
The final product was a thick, flavorful dish that had all the Hallmark characteristics of gumbo. And of course, it was even better the next day.
Posted on 7/16/23 at 4:32 pm to Tree_Fall
quote:
Getting thick gumbo from a very dark roux requires a little adjustment... corn starch
This has always worked well for me to thicken watery gravies.
It doesn't take away from the flavor or color of the dish, just thickens it.
And yes, go a little at a time to reach the consistency you want is excellent advice.
Posted on 7/16/23 at 6:39 pm to Jibbajabba
Too thick for my taste, but you can make more roux or add less liquid even with a very dark roux.
Posted on 7/16/23 at 6:58 pm to Jibbajabba
Please tell me the topping on this gumbo has nothing to do with bovine testicles.
Posted on 7/16/23 at 9:02 pm to Tree_Fall
quote:Personally, I'd advise against using cornstarch. No self-respecting Coonass, Cajun, or Creole would ever get a slurry anywhere near a gumbo. That's sacrilegious.
corn starch
As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever seen a gumbo recipe that included cornstarch in the list of ingredients.
Of the many traditional and cultural reasons not to use cornstarch as a thickener for gumbo, there are three technical reasons as well.
Reason one, cornstarch gives the final product a glassy, gelatinous texture. Think about Chinese cooking and the texture of the sauces. Do you really want your gumbo to have the same texture as Chinese food? I don't. I want that silky texture that can only be achieved by using roux and only roux.
Reason two, cornstarch is temperamental. If you don't heat your cornstarch to a high enough temperature, your mixture will never thicken. But once your liquid has boiled, you run the risk of destroying the starch molecules and losing the thickening ability if you don't lower the heat.
Reason three. The most important reason. The OP said he wanted to make a thick dark roux gumbo like the one in the image. I guarantee that restaurant is not thickening their gumbo with a slurry. Don't believe me, ask me how I know.
Posted on 7/16/23 at 9:09 pm to BigDropper
quote:
cornstarch gives the final product a glassy, gelatinous texture
A good rich stock made with roasted bones has a similar effect. I like the shine and silkiness it gives a gumbo.
Cornstarch, nope.
Posted on 7/16/23 at 9:17 pm to BigDropper
quote:
I guarantee that restaurant is not thickening their gumbo with a slurry. Don't believe me, ask me how I know
How do you know?
Posted on 7/16/23 at 9:23 pm to Stadium Rat
quote:
Please tell me the topping on this gumbo has nothing to do with bovine testicles.
I'm waiting for someone to tell us what it is.
Posted on 7/16/23 at 9:24 pm to TigerFanatic99
In the image, you can see what appears to be oil (fat) floating on the surface. If a cornstarch slurry was used, it would absorb any excess oil (fat) and you wouldn't see it on the surface.
Posted on 7/16/23 at 9:24 pm to fischd1
quote:
Can’t you add gumbo file and okra to thicken it up?
Mine is thick without either of those, but admittedly it takes a lot of roux to achieve. And I let mine reduce for an absurd amount of time.
This post was edited on 7/16/23 at 9:26 pm
Posted on 7/16/23 at 9:35 pm to Stadium Rat
quote:
This is the Cajun Benedict from The French Press
Poached eggs would be my guess...
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