Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana and is the second largest city in Louisiana. Baton Rouge is located along the Mississippi River and has a large port which supports their economic system. Baton Rouge was incorporated in 1917 and became a state capital in 1849. Baton Rouge is heavily into college sports and it boasts the LSU Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars.
A must see in Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas are the plantation homes. Some of the homes that might interest you are Bittersweet Plantation, BREC's Magnolia Mound Plantation, Chretien Point Plantation 1831 (still conducts Civil War reenactments), Crystal Rice Plantation (still a working rice and crawfish plantation), Destrehan Plantation, The Myrtle's Plantation (a home that is said to be one of the U. S.'s most haunted). Also, one of my favorites, Rose Down Plantation which is located in St. Francisville.
I happen to be a huge fan of Zydeco music and Baton Rouge has some of the best. Zydeco is derived from the phrase "les haricots sont pas sales" which means, "the snap beans aren't salty". Zydeco music began when Acadian's arrived in SW Louisiana in 1764. They brought music that originated in France. Fiddles, stomping and clapping supplied melody and rhythm. African American influence in Zydeco also shaped this music. There are lots of bars, nightclubs and festivals in Baton Rouge that offer Zydeco music and I highly suggest if you travel to Baton Rouge you check some out.
We toured the Tabasco Factory and had a fun time. Lots of very interesting recipes, including ice cream are made with my favorite condiment, Tabasco. The Tabasco factory is located on Avery Island which is a nature preserve with indigenous plants and animals. We also went to Layfette and attended a Crayfish festival, which was great fun and there were lots of crawfish dishes and lots of boiled crawfish. If you have never eaten a crawfish here is how it's done. Remove the head, hold the top of the crawfish with one hand and place your other hand above the tail, then twist so that the tail separates from the head. Pinch the very end of the tail with one hand and pull the tail meat out with the other. Next step, enjoy that savory little morsel. Some people like to remove the head and suck the head before discarding. All I can say to that is this gal doesn't do that and it's gross. P. S. Jerry hates crawfish.
We had reservations for an airboat tour and an alligator boat tour, but the river (swamp) wasn't cooperating and both were cancelled. Jerry and I were looking forward to the tours so it was a big disappointment for us. There is always next time!
Another stop was Sweet Wishes, a cupcake shop located on Perkins Rd. They have 35 original flavors which they rotate weekly. From heavy duty chocolate to pina colada, mandarin orange, butterscotch and red velvet which I happen to love.
We also tried Brunet's Cajun Restaurant on S. Flannery Rd. There is an old saying that Cajuns will eat anything that doesn't bite them first! Apparently, this is an un-truth. Cajuns will eat anything weather or not it bites them first. We enjoyed a great bowl of gumbo - I had shrimp and okra and Jerry had chicken and sausage. They also serve really good hushpuppies too.
We went to The Cabin Restaurant which is housed in a former 180-year old former slave cabin. It wasn't as good as I remember, but we still had a fun time. Jerry and I also found a Greek and Lebanese place off S. Sherwood that was fantastic. I don't think we can travel anywhere without our intake of Greek food. We started with hummus and pita bread. I had the Gyros plate and Jerry had Albasha's platter; grape leaves (dolmas), rice, chicken kabob all served with Greek salad and pita bread - delicious.
Before we can even begin to cook there are a couple of things we need to know about Cajun/Creole food. First, you must know how to make a roux and second is the holy trinity; bell pepper, onion and celery which is in practically every dish made. Roux; equal parts of oil or butter heated and flour whisked in - we'll use a 1/2 cup of each. For a blond roux, whisk until the flour taste is gone, just a couple of minutes. For the brown roux, the basic for almost all gumbos, etc., you must have patience and cook for at least 15 to 30 minutes on a low heat. Melt the butter and gradually sprinkle in the flour and immediately begin stirring. Stir the mixture constantly until it reaches the desired color. Remove from the heat and continue stirring until it has cooled down and there is no risk of burning. Note; a dark roux will thicken less than a light roux. If black speaks appear in the roux, it has burned and you'll have to start over. If your roux is made ahead and refrigerated; pour excess oil from the surface before reheating, or let it return to room temperature. Now lets get cooking.
I hope you enjoy the recipes listed below and remember try new foods/recipes you will be happy you did.
Julia's Cajun Style Dirty Rice
3/4 lb. chicken livers, diced
3 1/2 cups hot chicken or beef stock
1 Tbl. bacon drippings
4 Tbl. butter, divided
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef - we use ground turkey
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup scallions, chopped include green part
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco - use to taste, I like a lot
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
Italian parsley, chopped
Heat bacon drippings and 2 Tbl. of butter in Dutch oven. Saute the pork, and beef until cooked. Lower heat and add vegetables and seasonings, including Tabasco and cook until vegetables are tender. Add rice and broth, bring to a boil, stir once, cover and lower heat to simmer. Cook until rice is tender about 20 minutes. Saute the minced chicken livers in remaining butter for about 2 to 3 minutes. Toss with rice and adjust seasonings. Cover and place rice in 225 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, add parsley, and fluff. Have extra Tabasco ready. Serve with hot hushpuppies or crusty garlic bread and a tossed garden salad.
Crawfish Etouffee - good crawfish story. When my parents lived in Baton Rouge I had to go to New Orleans, so I took a back route. On the drive I came to a swampy area with a bridge to cross. Coming out from both sides of the road were thousands of crawfish, the road was literally covered in red. I sat there waiting for those darn things to be gone. Well, it didn't happen and other cars came up behind me honking. I got out and said, but there are thousands of crawfish in the road and they so, just run the over. The crunch, crunch, crunch of running over them was not a pleasant experience.
8 oz. butter, divided
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
2 cups fish stock
2 lbs. crawfish, tails, peeled
1 cup scallions, chopped include green part
3 Tbl. brandy
In a heavy skillet make a dark roux with 4 oz. of butter and flour. See our notes about dark roux listed above. After about 30 minutes of stirring roux on low heat, add chopped vegetables and seasonings; cook until vegetables are softened. Whisk in stock and let simmer about 15 minutes until thickened. Add crawfish, scallions, remaining butter and brandy; bring to a simmer. Simmer about 5 minutes and cover, remove from heat and let rest for about 15 minutes. Serve with some hot fluffy white rice.
Red Beans and Rice - love, this stuff
1 lb. red beans
1/2 lb. spicy sausage
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 celery stocks, chopped
2 Tbl. Italian parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tsp. ground cumin
Scallions, chopped including green part (used as garnish)
Make beans according to instructions on dried bean package. You might want to do this the day before you make red beans and rice. In a saute pan add sausage and cook until done, remove to keep warm. To pan add a little olive oil and add onion, garlic, celery and cook until tender, add back the sausage, the beans, parsley, bay leaf and spices - using lots of Tabasco. Boil gently for about 2 hours until tender. If mixture becomes too thick add a little chicken stock, taste and adjust seasonings. Make your rice using chicken stock for the liquid. Serve the beans over the rice or if you desire, mix it together. Sprinkle with chopped scallions.
Julia's Sausage/Chicken Gumbo
1 whole chicken, cooked and meat pulled
2 Smoked Sausage - we like turkey sausage - cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbl. oil
2 Tbl. flour
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
5 cups chicken stock, warmed
1 large can diced tomatoes, drained (I like Cento brand)
1/2 lb. fresh okra, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 Tbl. Gumbo File
1/2 cup uncooked rice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco
Slap Ya Mama seasoning - (my new favorite discovery if you can't get any that's ok)
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
Italian parsley, chopped (garnish)
Scallions, chopped including green part (garnish)
In a large Dutch oven, over low heat, add oil then whisk in flour and cook until browned. Add onions, celery and green pepper, cook until tender. Slowly add the stock and whisk until it boils. Add tomatoes, okra, rice, seasonings and bay leaf, bring to a boil. Add chicken and smoked sausage. Cover and cook about 25 minutes on low until rice is done. Serve and top with chopped parsley and chopped scallions.
Julia's Favorite Hush Puppies
1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
Tabasco - few dashes
1 Tbl. grated onion
1 scallion, finely chopped including green part
Sift dry ingredients into bowl. Add beaten egg, and milk to dry ingredients. Add onion, scallion and Tabasco. Heat vegetable oil to 375 degrees. Drop batter by spoonfuls into hot oil and dry until browned. Remove to paper towel lined platter. Serve plain or make dipping sauce.
Remoulade Sauce
4 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
4 Tbl. vinegar (white)
4 Tbl. Dijon mustard
4 Tbl. prepared horseradish
salt and black pepper to taste
2 tsp. paprika
Tabasco, few dashes
2 Tbl. ketchup
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely minced celery and green onions
Combine lemon juice, vinegar and seasonings, gradually whisk in oil until well combined. Add celery and onion.
Now for the sweets;
Pecans Bars
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour - sifted
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Cream butter and sugar until blended. Beat in the egg. Combine flour and salt and add slowly to butter mixture, blending well. Add vanilla. Spread dough evenly in a 9 x 12 pan. Bake in 350 oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove to cooling rack.
Filling;
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 cup pecans, chopped and lightly toasted
2 Tbl. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. rum extract
Combine all filling ingredients and spread on cooked pastry. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool and dust with powdered sugar if desired. Cut into squares.
Julia's Simply Divine Bread Pudding
4 cups French bread cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbl. pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Preheat oven to 350. Heat bourbon in saucepan and pour over raisins in bowl, let stand about 1 hour. In a large bowl add bread, milk, and cream. In another bowl; whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Stir into bread mixture and stir in raisins and bourbon. Pour bread mixture into a baking dish, place baking dish in another larger baking pan filled with water that comes up about 1/2-inch and bake until cooked about 40 minutes then check for doneness. Cool. To serve; dish up portion of bread pudding and pour over a little of the delicious bourbon sauce.
One more delight that's famous in Louisiana, most notably New Orleans is Beignets, puffy deep fried goodness liberally dusted with powdered sugar and a cup of Cafe'Au Lait to dunk them in. You can find these most everywhere and I delight in getting that powdered sugar all over me when eating Beignets. A must try if you are in Baton Rouge.
Bourbon Sauce (for the bread pudding)
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbl. cold water
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup bourbon
In a saucepan, add 1 1/2 cups cream and simmer. Whisk together cornstarch and 2 Tbl. cold water and slowly whisk into cream. Bring to a boil and whisk constantly. Reduce to simmer, continue whisking for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup bourbon. Cool completely.
Bon Appetit
"Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects".
Colossians 1:10
No comments:
Post a Comment