Garden City Welcoming Club
Winter Mardi Gras Menu 2011
"Laissez les bons temps rouler." or Let the good times roll!
Host: Hurricanes and Main Course
Couple 1: Denton Crabcakes and Savory Beans
Couple 2: Riddle's Blue Cheese Tabasco Mushrooms and Bananas Foster
Couple 3: Cauliflower Gratin and New Orleans Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
Opening Cocktail
Hurricane
2 oz light rum
2 oz dark rum
2 oz passion fruit juice
1 oz orange juice
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1 tbsp simple syrup(The easiest way to make simple syrup does not require a stove and can be made in minutes. Simply combine equal parts (1:1) sugar and water in a bottle and shake it until the sugar is completely dissolved. The result is a syrup that is thinner than rich simple syrup.)
1 tbsp grenadine
Garnish: orange slice and cherry
Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a hurricane glass. Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.
History:
Hurricane was invented during the World War II at Pat O'Brien's bar in New Orleans and was named after the shape of a hurricane lamp. Pat O'Brien's bar is still open today in New Orleans' famous French Quarter.
Appetizers
Riddle's Blue Cheese-Tabasco Stuffed Mushrooms(Yields 3-31/2 dozen)
(courtesy of St. Louis Days & Nights Junior League Cookbook)
3 pounds large mushrooms
1 cup chopped green onions
1 cup butter
8 ounces crumbled blue cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 to 2/4 cup bread crumbs
2 to 3 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
Carefully remove stems from mushrooms. Set aside caps. Finely mince stems, using chef's knife or food processor. Sauté the minced stems and green onions in 6 tablespoons of the butter. Add blue cheese and stir to melt over medium heat. Some lumps may remain. Add salt and pepper, continuing to stir. Add bread crumbs, mixing well, until consistency is appropriate for stuffing. Stir in Tabasco to taste. Cool stuffing. Meanwhile, sauté mushroom caps in remaining butter. Cool and then stuff. This preparation can be done a day ahead. Just before serving, reheat stuffed caps at 425 degrees until heated through.
Denton Farms Crab cakes(Serves 8)
(courtesy of Cajun Cookin' Cookbook)
1 pound crabmeat
6 tablespoon softened butter
2 cups crushed saltines
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 small onion, minced
2 eggs, beaten lightly
Cocktail or tartar sauce
Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Toss carefully with 2 forks. Blend thoroughly, but try to keep crabmeat as chunky as possible. Shape mixture into thick patties. Lightly grease a heavy skillet or frying pan. Fry until golden brown, turning carefully one time. Do not overcook. Serve with cocktail or tartar sauce.
Main Course: (choose from one below)
Shrimp, Chicken, and Andouille Gumbo (serves 8)
(courtesy of epicurious.com)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 large onions, chopped (about 6 cups)
3 red bell peppers, seeded, chopped (about 3 cups)
4 celery stalks, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
1 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes with juice
2 8-ounce bottles clam juice
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 pounds andouille sausage, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 16-ounce packages sliced frozen okra
2 pounds peeled deveined medium shrimp
Minced fresh Italian parsley
Steamed rice
Heat oil in heavy 8-quart pot over medium-high heat until very hot and almost smoking. Add flour and stir constantly until mixture is dark reddish brown, about 5 minutes. Add chopped onions, chopped bell peppers, and chopped celery and cook until onions are soft and brown, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cayenne and stir 2 minutes. Add wine, thyme, and bay leaves; bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes with juice, clam juice, broth, sausage, and chicken; simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Add okra and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Do ahead Gumbo base can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Bring base to simmer before continuing.
Add shrimp to pot and cook shrimp until just opaque in center, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Season gumbo to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with minced parsley and serve with steamed rice alongside.
OR
Shrimp Rémoulade
(adapted from The Best of Fine Cooking, Dinner Parties, Spring 2008)
Remoulade Sauce
1 Tbs white-wine vinegar
1 Tbs prepared yellow mustard
2 Tbs Creole mustard (Country-style Dijon mustard may be substituted.)
2 tsp tomato paste
1 small clove garlic
Dash of Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 large egg
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbs. chopped scallions (white and pale green parts from 2 scallions)
3 Tbs chopped celery
2 Tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt
For the shrimp
1/3 cup kosher salt (in two parts)
1 Tbs cayenne
2 Tbs whole black peppercorns
2 lemons, cut in quarters
1 large clove garlic
4 bay leaves
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 lb large (21-25 per pound) shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on
Make the sauce: In a food processor, combine the vinegar, mustards, tomato paste, garlic, Tabasco, lemon juice, egg, and paprika. Pulse to mix. With the processor running, slowly add the oil in a steady stream. Add the scallions, celery, parsley, and salt to taste; pulse briefly to combine. Overprocessing may cause separation. Chill.
Prepare the shrimp: In a 6 to 8 quart pan, combine 1 gallon water with 1/4 cup salt, the cayenne, peppercorns, lemon, garlic, bay leaves, and onion. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until they're pink and just barely opaque through the center, about 3 minutes. Pull the shrimp from the boil and put them in a large bowl. Cover with ice and then add 2 cups of the boil liquid to the iced shrimp. Soak for 5 minutes. Add the remaining salt. When the shrimp are well chilled, drain. Arrange shrimp on a platter on a bed of leafy lettuce that has been cut into strips with the remoulade sauce on the side.
Grandmother Walters's Biscuits by John Besh
(courtesy of epicurious.com)
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold butter, preferably European style, diced
1 cup whole milk
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl. Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles cornmeal. Add the milk, stirring until the dough just comes together to form a ball.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Gently pat the dough down with your hands and fold it over on itself. Pat the dough down and fold it over once or twice more. Loosely cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for a half hour or so.
Being careful not to overwork the dough, roll it out until it is 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut dough into biscuits using whatever cutter you like. Grandmother used an inverted juice glass, which was really an old preserves jar. For more biscuits, use a smaller glass.
Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until uniformly golden brown, 10–14 minutes.
Savory Green Beans
(courtesy of Cajun Cookin' Cookbook)
2 pounds fresh green beans
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon chopped parsley
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Wash beans, trim ends and remove any strings. Add water to depth of 1 inch into a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Add beans. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until beans are crisp tender. Drain beans. Plunge into ice water, drain and set aside. Melt butter in Dutch oven and add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Add beans and cook until beans are thoroughly heated.
Cauliflower Gratin
(courtesy of foodnetwork.com)
1 (3-pound) head cauliflower, cut into large florets
Kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 cup freshly grated Gruyere, divided
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened. Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup of the Gruyere, and the Parmesan.
Pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 8 by 11 by 2-inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup of Gruyere and sprinkle on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the gratin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Desserts:
New Orleans Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
(courtesy of foodnetwork.com)
12 to 14 cups 1-inch cubes day-old white bread, such as French or Italian
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups heavy cream
4 cups whole milk
6 large eggs
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
1 recipe Whiskey Sauce, recipe follows
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the bread in a large bowl. Grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside.
Combine the heavy cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and raisins in a large bowl. Whisk to mix. Pour the cream mixture over the bread, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.
Transfer the bread mixture to the casserole dish and bake until the center of the bread pudding is set, 50 to 60 minutes.
Garnish the bread pudding with confectioners' sugar and serve warm with warm Whiskey Sauce.
Whiskey Sauce:
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup bourbon or other whiskey
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
In a 1-quart saucepan set over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, and sugar. Place the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of the bourbon in a small mixing bowl and whisk to blend and make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the cream mixture and bring to a boil. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the salt, and stir in the butter and the remaining 1/2 cup of bourbon. Serve warm.
Bananas Foster
(adapted from Brennan's Restaurant)
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter
1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup banana liqueur
4 firm-ripe bananas, peeled, halved lengthwise, then halved crosswise
1/4 cup amber rum, such as Old New Orleans or Goslings
1 pint vanilla ice cream
In a 12-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon and cook until moist, about 1 minute. Add the banana liqueur and cook, stirring continuously, until the grainy texture disappears and the mixture rolls off the spoon in a steady stream, 1 to 2 minutes. Put the banana quarters rounded side down in the pan. Cook until the bananas begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn the bananas onto their flat sides. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the rum. Set the pan over high heat and carefully ignite the rum with a long match or grill lighter. Gently shake the pan until the flame subsides. Remove from the heat.
Place a generous scoop of ice cream in 6 to 8 individual heatproof dessert bowls. Arrange 2 to 3 pieces of sautéed banana around each scoop of ice cream. Spoon on the sauce and serve immediately
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