Laissez les bon temps rouler!

    In celebration of Mardi Gras, I decided to host a little dinner party. The menu included items such as Deep Fried Pickles, Chicken Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo and for dessert, Beignets. Everything was so delicious.
   Beignets (ben-YAYs) are a traditional New Orleans breakfast dish, often served as dessert. In New Orleans they're topped with a shovel full of powdered sugar and usually served with a steaming cup of Cafe au Lait. I decided to toss them in some Homemade Vanilla Sugar that my dinner guests had given me as a hostess gift.

New Orleans Style Beignets:

New Orleans style Beignets with Homemade Vanilla Sugar.

Ingredients:
1 envelope active dry yeast
3/4 cup water (110 degrees F)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3 1/2 – 3 3/4 cups flour
1/8 cup shortening
vegetable oil for frying
flavored sugar or powdered sugar for topping

Directions:
1) Combine the yeast, water, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Let this sit until frothy, about 5 minutes.

2) Add the salt, egg, and evaporated milk.
3) Place the bowl of a stand mixer into some hot water to warm it's temperature (if you add the yeast mixture to the metal bowl while it's cold it will not proof). Once you've done this, add the yeast mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix on low speed using a dough hook.
4) Add half of the flour and mix until it starts to come together, then add the shortening.
5) When the shortening is incorporated start adding the remaining flour, a little at a time until most of it is incorporated and it resembles a ball.
6)Turn the dough onto a floured surface to finish kneading by hand. Knead the dough, adding just enough flour as necessary to make a non-sticky, smooth dough.
7) Spray a mixing bowl with kitchen spray and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft free place (I use the microwave), for about 45-60 minutes, until it has doubled in size.

Before

After 

8) Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle that is about 1/2″ thick. Using a pizza cutter or a very sharp knife, cut the dough into 2″ wide rectangles. 
9) Place the beignets on a floured baking sheet to let rise about 40 minutes in a warm place.
When the beignets have risen, heat 2-3 inches of vegetable oil in a large saucepan to 350-360 degrees. 10) Place 2-3 beignets into the hot oil at a time, being careful not to smash or deflate them. When they are golden brown, flip them over until golden brown on the other side (They go pretty quickly so start checking them right after they go into the oil).

11) Remove to paper towel lined plates to drain. Serve hot topped with plenty of powdered sugar.

This recipe yields approximately 24 Beignets.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!!

You may also like:
Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya
Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo

Cajun Cooking at it's Finest: Part III

    This is a recipe I had been dying to try. During this past summer vacation I even made a batch of Homemade Andouille Sausage, just so I would have all the appropriate ingredients. I made it for the first time about two months ago, but I just didn't have the time to post the recipe. It was so good, I have made it about three times since, and now I am completely out of sausage.
   I figured if I wanted to share it with you, it would have to be now.
This Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya is delicious. If you get around to trying it, you will not be disappointed.
    In my quest to find this recipe, I came across a few facts that I found interesting about Jambalaya.

     Jambalaya is a meal that is native to Louisiana, and it takes on two forms. The first is the Creole, or “red jambalaya” version. The second is the Cajun version. The main difference is that Creole jambalaya includes the use of tomato and the Cajun does not.
     It’s unclear as to where the word jambalaya comes from. Some say the word derives from the French word for “ham” (jambon), “in the style of” (à la manière de) and ya (which refers to rice in certain West African languages), resulting in jambon à la ya. Others say the word is rooted in Spanish as a combination of “ham” (jamon) and paella. However the dish’s name came about, what is clear is that the dish is a very personal one and renditions of it are made according to how it’s been made at home for generations.
    During Mardi Gras celebrations, a day also known as Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, many New Orlean's natives gather around their table's to eat this dish. Mardi Gras is a tradition created by French settlers and is intended as a day of indulgence before the fasting period of Lent starts. And can you think of a better meal to have before fasting, than a delicious and messy pot of rice, chicken, and sausage?

Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya:
(Loosely adapted from Emeril Lagasse's Recipe)

A delicious, One Pot Meal!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 cups chopped onions

3 cups of chopped bell peppers (traditionally only green peppers would be used, but I add all sorts)

2 cups of chopped celery

3 teaspoons salt

3 Tbsp's. of Emeril's Creole Seasoning, aka. Bayou Blast (I always end up adding extra. I like spicy food.)

1 lbs. Andouille Sausage (about 6 links) cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast (about 3 large breasts) cut into 1 inch cubes

3 bay leaves

3 cups medium grain white rice (basmati works really well)

6 cups water

1 cup chopped green onions

Directions:

1) Heat the oil in a large cast iron dutch oven/ or a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.
2) Add the onions, peppers and celery along with 2 tsp's of the salt and 1 Tbsp. of the Creole seasoning. Stirring often, brown the vegetables for about 20 minutes, or until they are soft and beginning to caramelize.

3) In a large bowl, add the cubed chicken breast and the remaining Creole seasoning. Stir to combine, and let sit for about 5 minutes to marinade.

5) Add the marinaded chicken to a preheated pan and brown for 8-10 minutes. Set aside.
6) Scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen any browned particles. Add the sausage, chicken and bay leaves. Cook for 5-10 more minutes, stirring often.

7) Add the rice, and stir for 2-3 minutes to coat evenly.

8) Add the water. Stir to combine, and cover.

Before

9) Cook over medium heat for 30-35 minutes, without stirring or removing the lid. After the allotted time, the rice should be tender and the liquid absorbed.
10) Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered for 2-3 minutes.

After

11) Remove the bay leaves, and serve.

12) Garnish with the chopped green onion.

* This recipe makes 16 servings.
    There is usually quite a bit of Jambalaya leftover. I often portion out the leftovers into medium sized freezer bags, and put them in the freezer for later. Once the rice has thawed, just fry it in a pan as though it were fried rice. This way there is no wastage and you are left with a convenient meal for a busy week night.

You may also like:
Chicken, Chorizo and Shrimp Paella
Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo

Cajun Cooking at it's Finest: Part II

    Yay. I finally got around to the Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo that has been eluding me for months. It was quite the process, I'm not gonna lie. It took the better part of the afternoon to make, but now I have a massive batch of it that I get to freeze up.
    Since I opted to use Emeril Lagasses Andouille Sausage Recipe (which turned out wonderfully), I thought it only befitting that I try his Gumbo Recipe as well.
    The original recipe didn't contain shrimp and was a lot less spicy. I happen to enjoy spicy food, so I went ahead and "cranked the heat up a few notches", as Emeril often suggests. The flavors were rich and deep with a definate smoky undertone.
     I supremely enjoyed this dish, and am super excited to begin exploring more Creole/Cajun cuisine. As I'm writing this, my mouth is watering and I am strongly considering raiding my refrigerator and eating the leftovers I have set aside for my lunch tomorrow. Oh boy.

Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo:
(Adapted from Emeril Lagasse)

Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille Sausage Gumbo
with Basmati Rice and Green Onion.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. plus 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 lb. Andouille Sausage, cut crosswise 1/2-inch thick pieces (Emeril recommends using kielbasa if you don't have andouille, but it will not have the same flavor profile)
4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes (about 6 breasts)
1 lb. prawns, raw and shells removed
1 Tbsp. Emeril's Creole Seasoning aka. Bayou Blast (I added an extra 2 Tbsp. to the Gumbo for added spice)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup green pepper, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves
7 cups Chicken Stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup green onion, chopped (as garnish)
2 Tbsp. parsley leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp. filé powder (This is a powder made from ground sassafras leaves, with a mild root beer flavor. It is traditionally used as a winter thickener for gumbo. It was impossible to find, so I ended up leaving it out.)
Cooked Basmati Rice

Directions:
1) In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until well browned, about 8 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Browning my homemade Andouille Sausage

(2) Season the chicken with the Creole Seasoning and add in batches to the fat remaining in the pan.

(3) Cook over medium-high heat until well browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan, let cool, and then refrigerate until ready to use.

Browning the chicken.

(4) Combine the remaining 1/2 cup oil and the flour in the same pot over medium heat to create the roux. (My sausage was precooked. It didn't contain as much fat as I think the recipe assumed it would I ended up needing to add another 1/4 cup of oil for the roux to achieve the right consistency).

If your roux looks likie this, you need
to add more oil.

It should be smooth and sort of thin,
like this.

(5) Cook, stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes. This will create a dark brown roux, similar to the color of chocolate. (It takes a while, but once it begins to brown, it happens quite quickly so be ready with the rest of the ingredients).

(6) Add the onions, celery and green pepper and continue cooking, stirring the vegetables until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. (By adding the vegetables once the roux has reached it's desired chocolate brown color, you will shock the roux and prevent it from further darkening).(7) Add the reserved sausage, chicken, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves. Stir, and cook for 2 more minutes.

(8) Stirring slowly, add the chicken stock in batches (about a cup at a time), and cook stirring until well combined.

(9) Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered stirring occasionally for 1 1/2 hours.

(10) Add the uncooked shrimp, parsley and filé powder.
(11) Ladle a generous portion of the gumbo into the bottom of your dish. Scoop a 1/2 cup of rice onto the gumbo and garnish with the green onion.

And there you have it folks...
Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille Sausage Gumbo...BAM!

You may also like:

Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya

Creole Seasoning

Emeril's Creole Seasoning (aka. Bayou Blast):

(By Emeril Lagasse)

Homemade spice blends are the best...

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

*Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

    *This spice blend is used in recipes such as:

Andouille Sausage
Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo

Cajun Cooking at it's Finest: Part I

    For sometime now, I have been wanting to dabble in Cajun cooking. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Cajun influenced food, it is a style of cooking created by the French immigrants of Louisiana (or Cajun People). Such dishes from this region are jambalaya, red beans and rice, étouffée, and perhaps the most commonly known, gumbo.
   Now, like most regions of the world, the flavor profile of the food that they eat usually comes from local ingredients. Most, but not all recipes from this particular region, contain a specific ingredient that was impossible to find here in Canada (or at least in the multitude of places I searched anyway). This super special ingredient was Andouille Sausage.
    Andouille Sausage is a heavily smoked pork sausage. It is made with either the butt or shank of the pig along with a fair amount of the fat, and flavored mainly with salt, cracked black pepper, garlic, onion, and smoked with either pecan or hickory wood chips. The sausage is super spicy and is sometimes referred to as "hot links".
    I couldn't make my own at home because I currently do not possess the equipment to make sausages, so my desire to make Cajun food was on hold until I could either find, or make some Andouille somewhere else. My wait is finally over. I am currently visiting my parents in Newfoundland, and lucky for me, they happen to have all the necessities for sausage making.
    So I rounded up all (except for two) ingredients. (The super small grocery store that they have here didn't carry a couple of the spices, but I made do without them. I figure when I get home I will find the ingredients there. When the time comes to make a dish with the sausages, I will add the two ingredients then). And then I set out on a mission to make my very own, homemade Andouille Sausage.
    Since I had been obsessed with this idea for a while now, I had already chosen the perfect sausage recipe. I chose to use an "authentic" Andouille Sausage recipe by none other than the King of Cajun Cooking himself, Emeril Lagasse. I am super impressed with the end product. They are so juicy and have so much flavor.


Andouille Sausage Recipe
(I doubled the original recipe. The recipe below will create 28 x 6" links)

After creating my sausage links, they are ready to
be smoked with the delicious flavor of hickory.

Ingredients:
5 lbs. boneless pork butt

1 lb. pound pork fat, cut into pieces

1 recipe Emeril's Creole Seasoning (aka. Bayou Blast)

4 Tbsp. paprika

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

3 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. file powder (This is a powder made from ground sassafras leaves, with a mild root beer flavor. It is traditionally used as a winter thickener for gumbo. It was impossible to find, so I ended up leaving it out.)

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 tsp. ground cumin

Directions:

(1) Dice pork into 1/2 inch cubes.

                                                  

(2) Combine the pork, pork fat, Creole Seasoning, paprika, garlic, black pepper, salt, file, chili powder, red pepper, and cumin and minced garlic in a large bowl and using your hands, mix well.

(3) Pass through a meat grinder fitted with a coarse die. (Alternately, transfer in 2 batches to a food processor and process until finely ground.)

The KichenAid Mixer, once fitted with a
meat grinder attachment becomes top heavy.
If using this attachment you will need to brace
the base of the mixer to keep it from tipping
into the bowl ground meat.

(4) Transfer to a large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

(5) To test the seasoning, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small skillet, and cook about 2 tspfulls of the meat mixture. Adjust seasoning, to taste.

(6) Using a sausage stuffer, stuff the meat into the casings, if you choose to use them. Twist and tie off to make 6 inch sausages. (Emeril suggests if you can't find casings, or just don't wish to use them, shape the meat into patties. However, I do not recommend skipping this step. The end result will turn out dry, and you will loose most of the flavor and juices during the smoking process. The casings will retain all of the juices and redistribute them back into the meat.)

Once you have a 6 inch link, twist the casing
6 or 7 times and start on another link. I made
for links and then tied the ends together. I think
any more than four links would have been to
 heavy to hang in the smoker.

(7) Preheat a home smoker to 250 degrees F. Smoke the sausages for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the smoker and use as desired. (I smoked my sausages at 180 degrees F, for the allotted time and the came out perfectly cooked. I think 250 degrees F may be a little high, but you can be the judge of that.)

Hickory Wood Chips.
Soak your wood chips in water for about
20-25 minutes before adding them to the
smoker. This will create a smouldering
smoke, instead of burning the wood chips.

My parents awesome, and well used smoker.

The wood chips are begining to smoke...

The sausage links are hung, and ready for
smoking.

    These sausages turned out so well. Now to figure out how to get them home to Ontario, lol. Don't worry, I have it all figured out. I can't wait to start cooking with these baby's. I stored them into freezer safe bags (double bagged, so they are extra safe from freezer burn), and placed them into the freezer awaiting use. 

All smoked and delicious.