Mardi Gras 2018!

Parades.  Parties.  Balls. Costumes. Masks. Beads. Doubloons. King Cakes.  

Mardi Gras is a festive time in Louisiana.  And what a better time to gather some good friends together for a dinner celebrating some of our distinctive flavors! 

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

A Mardi Gras Dinner Party Menu

Muffaletta Bruschetta

Mardi Gras Salad with Red Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

Crawfish Étouffée

Corn Maque Choux

Amaretto Bread Pudding

Muffaletta Bruschetta

I posted this recipe a while back, but it remains a hit and is full of the flavors of the quintessential southern Louisiana sandwich, the muffaletta (sometimes spelled muffuletta).

Source:  original recipe

Yield:  20+ pieces

Ingredients:

1 c. purchased olive salad (I use Boscoli)

½ c. salami, diced (I used Genoa)

½ c. smoked Gouda or provolone, diced

1 baguette

olive oil

1 clove garlic, sliced lengthwise in half

Since the salad is rather oily, I put it in a wire-mesh strainer, spray it with hot water, let it drain, and blot additional moisture with paper towels.  Combine the olive salad with the salami and cheese.  Set aside. (The topping mixture can be prepared ahead.  Refrigerate if preparing more than an hour before serving.) 

Preheat oven to 350°.  Slice the baguette, slightly on the diagonal, into ½-inch slices.  Place bread slices on a large cookie sheet.  Brush each slice with a small amount of the olive oil.  Bake in the oven until the tops are beginning to crisp but the bread still gives to the touch.  Remove from oven and let cool until you can touch the bread.   While the bread is warm, rub each slice with the cut side of the garlic.  Start a new garlic clove halve if the first one starts to disintegrate.  (The bread can be prepared a few hours before assembly and left at room temperature.)

To assemble, top each slice of bread with a heaping tablespoon of the olive salad mixture.  Return the bruschetta to the oven and heat for about five minutes or until the cheese begins to melt.  Serve immediately. 

Mardi Gras Salad

The stars of this salad are red and golden baby beets.  Arranging the beets on a bed of greens results in a vivid display of Mardi Gras colors.  The salad dressing features a popular southern Louisiana condiment--pepper jelly.

Source:  original recipe

Yield:  6 servings, with leftover dressing

Salad Ingredients:

4 red baby beets, trimmed & washed
4 golden baby beets, trimmed & washed
olive olive
10 oz. pre-washed salad greens (preferably a spring mix with some purple lettuces

½ -¾ c. chopped green onions, green part only

½ Spicer Pecans (see recipe index under "Appetizers")

4 oz. feta cheese crumbles

Process:

To roast beets, preheat oven to 400°.  Place red beets on a square of heavy-duty aluminum foil.  Drizzle with olive oil and "massage" the oil over the beets.  Fold the ends of the foil to form a package.  Place the package on a baking sheet.  Repeat with the golden beets.  Bake for 30-45 minutes, checking for tenderness with a sharp knife.  Cool beets.  Rub beets with paper towels to remove skin.  Halve beets and slice in 1/4-inch slices.  (This can be done a day ahead, but store red and golden beets separately.

To assemble salad, place salad greens (enough for 6 servings) in a large bowl and lightly dress with salad dressing (recipe follows).  Divide the greens among 6 salad plates.  Arrange sliced beets on top of salads.  Sprinkle salads with green onions, pecans and feta cheese. 

Red Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

Source:  original recipe

Yield: about 1 cup

Ingredients:

½ c. red pepper jelly (such as Tabasco brand)

¼ c. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. Creole mustard

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ c. canola oil

Process:

Melt the pepper jelly in a bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan.  Combine the melted jelly with the next 6 ingredients with a whisk.  Slowly whisk in the canola oil in a steady stream.

Crawfish Étouffée

Mardi Gras is early this year, so crawfish season hasn't quite begun.  But frozen crawfish tails (I only buy Louisiana crawfish) are readily available, and crawfish étouffée is a wonderful way to get your "fix" before the boiled ones are available.  

"Étouffée" is French for "smothered" and around here usually refers to a seafood "stew" served over rice.  This dish is smothered in goodness!  In the past, I have made this dish with a blonde roux, but I felt it just didn't have the depth of flavor I wanted.  So this recipe begins with a darker roux and is a melding of two recipes with a few of my own touches here and there.  

Source:  My Recipes.com and John Folse's recipe

Yield:  8 servings

Ingredients:

1 T. paprika
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ c. vegetable oil
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 medium-sized onion, chopped (approx. 1 c.)
½ c. chopped celery
½ green pepper, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeds & ribs removed, diced
½  c. diced tomatoes
2 T. diced garlic
½  c. tomato sauce
2 pounds frozen peeled crawfish tails, thawed and rinsed
2 quarts (or less) crawfish stock of unsalted chicken broth
1 oz. dry sherry
1 c. chopped green onions (green part only)
½  c. chopped parsley
2 tsp. hot sauce
S & P to taste

Process:

Stir together the first five ingredients in a small bowl.

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add flour and stir well to combine.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until roux is the color of caramel sauce, about 20 minutes.

Add onions and saute until they are translucent and slightly caramelized.  Add the celery and peppers.  Cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic, spice mixture and tomato sauce.  Cook 2 minutes.  Add the crawfish tails.

Slowly add the stock or broth, a little at a time, until sauce consistency is achieved.  (I usually don’t use all of it.)  Continue adding more stock as necessary to retain consistency.  Boiling to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sherry, green onions and parsley, and hot sauce and cook an additional five minutes. Season to taste using salt and pepper.  Serve over white rice with extra hot sauce.

Corn Maque Choux

This dish is said to have Creole and Native American roots.  Some recipes add andouille sausage, but I like this all-vegetable version.  The cream adds a lovely richness.

Source:  Bon Appetit, October 2008

Yield:  4 servings (I doubled this)

Ingredients:

2 T. (1/4 stick) butter
1 c. finely chopped onion (I used less)
1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper
2 c. fresh corn kernels (cut from 3 medium ears of corn)
3/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/2 tsp. (or more) hot pepper sauce
1 green onion, green part finely chopped
1/2 finely chopped jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed
2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 T. chopped fresh basil
Coarse kosher salt

Process:

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add bell pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add corn; sauté 2 minutes.  Add cream, thyme, and 1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce.  Simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.  Mix in green onion, parsley, and basil.  Season to taste with coarse salt, pepper, and more hot pepper sauce, if desired.  

Amaretto Bread Pudding

I have made this bread pudding so many times, some people mistakenly think it's an original recipe.  I wish it was because it's the best bread pudding I've ever had.  I could eat the sauce just by itself.  Although once I made 4 pans for an engagement party, for this dinner party I made 2/3 of the recipe, and those measurements are in parentheses.  

Source:  Kay Ewing’s Cooking School Cookbook  (process modified)

Yield:  12 servings (6 servings in 11 X 7)

Ingredients:

12 pieces of sliced bread (1 loaf of Albertson’s French bread) (2/3 loaf)

4 c. milk (2 2/3 c.)

¼ c. butter (2 2/3 T.)

3 eggs (2)

1 ½ c. sugar (1 c.)

2 tsp. almond extract (1 1/3 tsp.)

½ c. sliced almonds (optional)

Sauce:

½ c. butter

1 c. powdered sugar

1 egg

¼ c. Amaretto

Preheat oven to 350°.  Tear up bread into a 13 X 9 pan-inch (could spray with Pam).  Heat milk and butter until butter melts.  (I do this in a large Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave).  Beat eggs in a large bowl; add sugar and almond extract.  Stir in milk-butter mixture.  Pour over bread and press bread until thoroughly saturated with the milk mixture.  (Sprinkle with almonds if using.)  Bake about 40 minutes until set.

To make sauce, melt butter and powdered sugar in a small saucepan over low heat.  Remove from heat and quickly whisk in 1 egg.  Stir in Amaretto and beat (I whisk) until smooth.

To serve, cut bread pudding into squares and top with sauce.  Serve warm, even if made ahead.  (Can be reheated in microwave.)

Eating in Africa

Words cannot describe the amazing experience of our recent two-week photographic safari in Kenya and Tanzania.  In fact, even though my husband and I each took hundreds of photos, they don’t really do it justice either.

However, I’d like to give you a “taste” of our adventures by focusing on a few of the more memorable meals enjoyed by the animals and the humans.  (Warning:  This is a rather long post.  Get a snack.  Pace yourself.)

The Herbivores

In the grazer category, we admired the graceful bounding of herds of gazelles, elands, antelopes, topis and other deer-like animals.  The herds of Cape buffalo, with the profile of their horns resembling a 1960s “flip” hair-do, were captivating as well.   

Cape buffalo

Impressive in terms of sheer numbers were the thousands of zebras and wildebeests we saw.  Sometime in July, these animals will begin gathering for their “great migration” from the seasonally grazed-out plains of the Serengeti  in Tanzania north to the lush grass of the Maasai Mara in Kenya.  

Our guide estimated that approximately 3 million wildebeests and 1 million zebras will embark on this treacherous journey (along with other herbivores) and many will fall victim to lions, leopards, cheetahs, and especially crocodiles when the herds must cross the croc-infested Mara River.

Zebras on the move

A grazing wildebeest

Here are a few of our favorites in the browser category, those who dine mainly on the vegetation above the grass line, such as bushes, trees, fruits, etc.  Included in this “guest list” is my husband’s favorite animal, the wart hog.

A giraffe reaches for a tasty leaf with his tongue

An olive baboon

A warthog.  So ugly, he's cute.

The Carnivores

Although the dining habits of the meat eaters are  a little more "raw" (literally), observing these animals partaking of their natural prey was breathtaking. (Trigger warning:  There are blood and guts in the following pictures.)  

Cheetahs dining on a gazelle
(Yes, that's blood on his face.)

A cheetah munching on a wart hog

A lion enjoying every last bit of a zebra

A vulture on clean-up duty

The Omnivores: Humans

Most of our meals were served buffet-style in the dining rooms of our hotels, in the lodges of our tent camps, or, once, in an actual tent itself.  

(Lest “tent camps” causes you to have visions of us huddling in a pup tent, the tents we stayed in, while made of canvas, were very large house-like structures--some bigger than any hotel rooms we’ve stayed in--with mosquito-net draped four-poster beds and other furniture and wall-enclosed bathrooms with “real” plumbing.) 

Breakfasts always featured lots of tropical fruits and juices, made-to-order omelets, and an array of side dishes.  The British influence was apparent with the inclusion of grilled tomatoes and baked beans which are often standard fare in a traditional English breakfast.

Lunches and dinners included a wide-variety of salads, entrées and desserts.  The entrées often reflected the Indian-influence on African cuisine, and curries, paneer dishes, and Indian breads. were in the regular rotation. 

I’ll admit to being slightly disappointed that either African food wasn’t more prominently featured, or, if it was, it was rather bland.  

While the Nile perch was delicious, rather flavorless and fatty roasted lamb, chicken and beef were more common, so I mostly ate vegetable dishes.  The “pasta bars,” which featured either Asian or Italian ingredients, just didn’t appeal to me. 

Following, however, are three of our more memorable meals.

Champagne Breakfast on the Maasai Mara Plains

One of the options on our tour was a hot-air balloon ride over the Maasai Mara plains. Having never been in a hot-air balloon, I found the experience exhilarating despite the 5:00 a.m. wake-up call.  

When we landed in an open field, we were treated to a champagne breakfast which included a full bar, a substantial buffet with made-to-order omelets and crepes, and a beautiful table set with linen and china.

There was even an African "port-a-potty" set up at a distance which consisted of a square box with a hole cut out in the center enclosed in a small tent.  

Carnivore

At the end of the trip, we returned to Nairobi and had lunch at the legendary Carnivore restaurant.  This is an open-air landmark that specializes in grilled meats somewhat in the Brazillian churrasco style. 

In a seemingly endless progression, waiters served us from skewers of leg of lamb, beef tenderloin, pork and beef ribs,turkey, chicken livers, pork sausages, lamb sausages, and chicken wings.  

In the “exotic” category, we passed on the ox testicles but did try the ostrich meatballs and crocodile (which, yes, tasted like chicken).  The waiters only stopped bringing the meat when we laid down the small flag on our table in surrender. 

Amaica Café

Oddly enough, we had our most African meal in the Nairobi airport as we waited for our flight back home.  Amaica Café  is one of three Amaica restaurants in Nairobi which specialize in traditional African cuisine.

For an appetizer, we had tsiswa which are flying termites roasted in a dry pan with salt.  We had heard from our tour guide that these are a delicacy and very high in protein.  

They had the consistency and somewhat the taste of finely chopped or “shredded” walnuts.  Indeed tasty and protein-rich, they might have been have been a meal on their own.  The tsiswa were served with three sauces: a spicy red chili and tomato sauce, a green chili and garlic sauce, and a sweet tamarind sauce. 

For our main course, my husband and I shared obwoba which was sort of a creamy ragù of wild traditional mushrooms.  One of our side dishes was omushenye, sweet potatoes and cow peas boiled and mashed, which had the consistency of polenta and a slightly sweet taste. 

The other side was lisutasa, black night shade leaves, which had the taste and consistency of collard greens. The proprietor was so pleased with our obvious enthusiasm about our meal that she stopped by our table and even explained how termites are harvested.  

Even though it was eaten in that unrelenting glaring light that airports have, this meal really capped off an amazing trip. 

The "Perfect Food" for Valentine's Day

For as long as I’ve known him, my husband has preached the “gospel” of pineapple.   In his words, “Pineapple is the perfect food.”  He claims pineapple goes with everything.  I can’t count the number of dinner-table conversations that went something like this:

Me:  “But pineapple wouldn’t go good on tacos.” 

Him:  “Sure it would!   How about a pineapple, onion, jalapeno salsa?”

                                   Or:

Me:  “But pineapple wouldn’t go good on liver.”

Him:  “Oh yeah!   Sautéd in the pan with the onions.  Yum!”

So while this all-pineapple meal was in part intended as a gift of love to my husband on Valentine's Day, part of it was to say, "You want pineapple?  I'll give you pineapple!"

The "Perfect Food" Menu

Father's Day Cocktail

Cream Cheese, Pepper Jelly & Pineapple Heart

Cucumber, Tomato & Pineapple Salad with Asian Dressing

Panko-Crusted Pork Cutlets with Pineapple & Ginger Salsa

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Pineapple

Pineapple Foster

Father's Day Cocktail

I'm sure someone thought of this before me, but I didn't consult a recipe when I made this for a Father's Day at our river camp.

Source:  original

Yield: one cocktail

Ingredients:

Ice

Coconut rum, such as "Malibu"

8 oz. pineapple juice

Club soda

Process:

Fill a tall glass half-way with ice cubes.  Pour in the coconut rum and pineapple juice.  Top off with club soda and stir.  Garnish with fresh pineapple.

Cream Cheese, Pepper Jelly & Pineapple Heart

Source:  original

Yield:  2-4 servings

Ingredients:

4 oz. cream cheese (approximately)

1-2 T. red pepper jelly (I used "Tabasco" brand)

2 T. minced pineapple (canned crushed, drained could be substituted)

1-2 T. minced chives

crackers for serving

Process:

Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a small plate. Place a large heart-shaped cookie cutter on the plastic wrap. Fill the cookie cutter with the cream cheese, smoothing the surface. (You can make the cream cheese heart as thin or thick as you want. Mine was about 1/2 inch.)  Chill cream cheese heart until solid. Unmold on serving plate. Spread the pepper jelly on the heart, then distribute the pineapple on top, leaving some of the pepper jelly visible. Garnish with chives. Bring to room temperature before serving as a cracker spread.

Cucumber, Tomato & Pineapple Salad
with Asian Dressing

I wanted to mix up this menu in terms of "ethnicity."  This salad has a wonderful Thai flavor.

Source:  Gourmet, June 2006

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 large garlic clove

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 (2-inch-long) fresh serrano or chilé, minced, including seeds*

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Asian fish sauce

1/2 seedless, or English cucumber, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise

1/2 pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, cored, then sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick (2 cups)*

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro*

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint

2 medium tomatoes (1 lb. total), cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges*

Process:

Mince garlic, then mash to a paste with salt using side of a large heavy knife.  Whisk together lime juice and sugar in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved, then whisk in oil, garlic paste, chilé, and fish sauce (to taste). Add remaining ingredients, tossing to coat, and add salt to taste.

* Notes:  I used the jalapeño without the seeds as I didn't want to blow our heads off.  I used a little more pineapple and cut it more in 1/2-inch chunks.  I used 2 Roma tomatoes sliced in 1/2-inch slices, and then I sliced the slices in half.

Panko-Crusted Pork Cutlets with

Pineapple & Ginger Salsa

This recipe has a great Caribbean vibe to it.

Source:  Bon Appetit, June 2007

Yield:  4

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups ½-inch cubes peeled fresh pineapple

2 T.  sugar

2 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger

¾  c. (or more) water*

½ red bell pepper, diced*

2 tsp. white wine vinegar

4 boneless pork loin chops, trimmed

2 large eggs

1 ¼ c. panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

salt & pepper*

1 ½ tsp. ground cumin

1/3  c. (about) all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons canola oil

Process:

Stir pineapple cubes, sugar, minced ginger, and 3/4 cup water in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until mixture comes to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer until pineapple is soft, stirring often and adding more water by ¼ cupfuls if dry, about 30 minutes. Stir in white wine vinegar.  Season pineapple salsa to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pound pork between sheets of waxed paper to ½-inch thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk eggs in medium bowl to blend. Mix panko and ground cumin in another medium bowl. Place flour on plate. Dredge pork in flour; dip into beaten eggs, then turn in panko mixture to coat, pressing to adhere.  Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add pork and cook until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Serve pork with pineapple salsa.

Notes:  I found that a lot of water remained in the pan after I had cooked the pineapple, so I drained it off.  I added the red pepper for a little more texture, color and taste. I used a commercial jerk seasoning that contains salt, pepper & spices to season the pork.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Pineapple

Source:  Everyday Food, Dec. 2011

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 shallot, minced*

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Coarse salt

Process:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together sweet potatoes, pineapple, oil, and cayenne pepper.  Season with salt.  Roast until sweet potatoes and pineapple are tender and golden, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

*Note:  I added the shallot to counter the sweetness of the potatoes and pineapple.

Pineapple Foster

This is a riff on the classic New Orleans dessert Bananas Foster which was first created in 1951 at Brennan's Restaurant.

Source:  Bon Appetit

Yield:  2 servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons dark rum

Pinch of ground nutmeg

1 3/4-inch-thick slice fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into chunks (I cut it smaller)

Vanilla ice cream

Process:

Melt butter and sugar in heavy medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add rum and nutmeg and stir until very thick and syrupy, about 2 minutes. Add pineapple and stir just to heat through. Spoon pineapple and sauce over ice cream.

Note:  I doubled the sauce recipe because it sounded so good!