Shrimp and Grits. Amen.

This is hands down, the best shrimp and grits I have ever made, eaten, or seen. Trust me on this one. And you had better make it before you do that ridiculous diet crap that everyone attempts on January 2. This is not for the faint of heart!

Shrimp and Grits. Amen.

Pour 1 cup of whole milk, 2 cups of half and half, and 3 cups of heavy cream in a 3 quart pot. Yes. You read that right.

Turn the heat to medium and slowly whisk in a cup of stone ground grits. I order mine from Carolina Plantation. The texture is perfect. Their number is 1-877-RICE-4-YOU. Allow it to cook until it is smooth and creamy. Add a few pats of butter and about a cup of grated cheddar cheese. Oh yeah, baby! Cover and keep warm.

Now, in a deep skillet or a dutch oven heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add a chopped medium white onion and a couple cloves of garlic, chopped. Cook for 2 minutes. Add a pound of sliced andouille sausage. Brown and cook until it gives off it's fat. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup of flour and make a blonde roux. Slowly pour in 2 cups of chicken stock. Stir to avoid lumps. Toss in 3 bay leaves. When it begins to simmer add 2 lbs of shelled shrimp with the tail left on. Poach the shrimp for a few minutes or until they become pink. DO NOT OVERCOOK THEM! Add a splash of cayenne pepper, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, kosher salt, and cracked pepper. Go ahead and throw in a few splashes of Tabasco. Stir in about 5 chopped green onions with their tops.

Spoon this over a mound of grits.

Tape your eyeballs sraight forward, because when you take a bite, they just may roll back in your head.

Damn. I think I just outdid myself. ;)

Tid Nits

I am tired, but the smells fom my kitchen are making me organicsacmic.

Or, however you spell it.

Just bake some butternut squash. Trust me. It is awesome.

Or.......it may be the chowder......

Tid bits

Whew! Whatta week this is turning out too be! I am working full time, and cooking my ass off. No time for recipes until after Christmas, but here is what is done so far.......

Veal stock is made. Absolutely fabulous!!! Natchitoches Meat Pies...done. Hazelnuts roasted for the Butternut Squash Mash. Gumbo.....made. All I have to do is add the seafood on Christmas Eve. Baccala.......soaking. Antipasti Tray....stuff bought. Still to do.......make my demiglace for the Horseradish Crusted Venison Tenderloin that will have a blackberry reduction. Roast butternut squash. Make Oyster Chowder. Make Escargot in Puff Pastry Shells. Make Louisiana Shrimp in Remoulade Sauce. Make Bruschetta.

Stay tuned...... :)

Tid Bits

Great appetizer idea!

Make your most awesome mac and cheese recipe. I use 5 cheeses in mine! Then, put the mixture into greased mini muffin cups. Top with buttered bread crumbs mixed with parmesan reggiano. Individual mac and cheese poppers....get it?

Bake.

Take to a party.

Get ready to act like Elvis for the night. " Thank you....thank you very much......"

Then leave the building. Hopefully sober. ;)

Gumbo. Word.

If there is any time of year that is perfect for Gumbo, it is right now. This is the signature dish of the Cajuns. Every cook in Louisiana has his/her own variation and methods. This is mine, and it's damned good.

Seafood Gumbo

Get a big-assed cast iron dutch oven. It can be enameled. Add 1 cup of vegetable oil and 1 cup of FRESH flour. The old crap you have had for a year will not do. Whisk the flour into the oil, and prepare to be there a while. Keep your heat on medium high, and whisk constantly and slowly until the roux is the color of chocolate. This will take about 45 minutes, I'm not shittin' ya. Get a glass of wine, settle in, and have fun. When it starts to turn the color of peanut butter, the process will speed up. If you burn it, chuck it, and start over. This is the flavor of your gumbo, and you don't want to screw it up.

When it is perfect, add 2 cups of chopped onions, 1 cup of diced celery, 1 cup of diced bell pepper, and 1/4 cup of minced garlic. damn. I hate measuring, so I don't. BUT for those that need to, I am guesstamating. Saute 3-5 minutes or until the veggies are wilted.

Add 1/2 lb. of chopped andouille sausage and sautee 5 more minutes.

Stir in 1 lb of claw crabmeat,1/2 cup of shrimp chopped up, and a cup of frozen okra. This is gettin' good......

SLOWLY add about 3 quarts of hot shellfish stock, one ladle at a time, and stir constantly. Look up a recipe for the stock. I make mine out of shrimp shells, bay leaves, lemon, peppercorns and mirapoux. Bring the whole thing to a simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add 2 cups od sliced green onions, and 1/2 cup of chopped parsley. Season with salt, cayenne, some hot sauce, or some Slap Yer Mama or Tony Chachere's seasoning. Just spice it up to your own taste.

Fold in a pound of shelled shrimp, another lb. of crabmeat, and about 2 dozen shucked oysters. If you can get some fresh crab claws, add them!! Return to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings.

Serve over cooked rice with hot garlic bead. Have some filet on the side if folks want it thicker.

Get ready........ Someone WILL slap you this is so damned good. There is no better eatin' than this. Great for Christmas!!!

Bouillabaise...........or Seafood Stew if ya can't say it.

Bouillabaise

Throw some diced celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a large stockpot. Turn the heat up and stir it until it starts to wilt down, and break a sweat. If they start to stick, add some olive oil. Do this for about 10 minutes.

Add some fennel root, diced up, if you like it, and a couple of bay leaves. Stir it up for a minute, and then add about a half gallon of shellfish or fish stock. If you don't have it, use chicken broth, but it won't be as good. Try not to do it half assed. Toss in some thinly sliced new potatoes. After about 5 minutes add some chopped up, seeded tomatoes. If you are lazy, open up a can of the stewed ones. Simmer for about 7 minutes, or while you get yourself a glass of wine.

Add a 1/2 lb of diced fresh fish filets (like flounder, redfish, trout, or snapper). Toss in 1/2 lb of shrimp, or if you "pick" like I do, add a whole lb. After a couple of minutes add some fresh oysters, a few softshell clams, and toss in some mussels. Add some fresh basil and parsley. Cook just until the oysters curl like Elvis' lip, and the shellfish open up. Add some crabmeat, stir, simmer, and adjust your seasonings. Use salt, pepper, cayenne, chervil, whatever you like.

Serve in large bowls topped with chopped green onion, and a loaf of french bread for dipping.

Ooh La La.

Gourmet Shoes with a Blackberry Cabernet Reduction

Ok. Not really shoes, but this recipe is so good that you could do it with a shoe and it would be awesome. I used a venison tenderloin, but beef, veal, lamb, bison, yak,anything at all would be just as delicious.

And I cheated.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a sautee pan. In a small bowl add a lot of chopped up garlic, coarsely cracked pepper, some kosher salt and a few tablespoons of olive oil. Mix it up and then press the paste into a venison tenderloin, some beef, or whatever. Like I said, even a shoe. Place the meat into the sizzling butter and sear on both sides. Remove from the heat and place in an oven proof pan. Place it in the oven for 8-10 minutes. You want your meat rare.

In the meantime add a few minced shallots to your butter in the sautee pan. Throw in a bit more cracked pepper. Now, add some red wine. About 1/2 cup. Bring it to a boil and reduce by 1/2. While it is reducing throw in some blackberries. Mush them up. Yum. Holler over to your husband that the apocolypse is coming, to get ready! Now add a package of DEMI GLACE GOLD. You can find this at an upscale grocery store. If you can't, order it online or call me and I will send you some. Whisk it in until smooth, then add about 1/4 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 cup of port wine. Stir in some parsley if you want. I didn't because I didn't have any. My bad. Pour over the rare venison, (or your shoe) and serve with roasted vegetables, and some fingerling potatoes roasted in rosemary, cracked pepper, sea salt and duck fat. You'll never miss the parsley. Trust me.

I know that lots of my friends and family are hunters, and this will blow your socks off. Unless you are wearing a pair of designer shoes. ;)

Oyster Chowder

This cold weather screams oysters to me. I could eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I am off of work today, (finally!) so I just have to make an oyster supper.

But before I do, I am preparing for company that is coming this week. So, I'm gonna kill 2 oysters with one stone. I am making a traditional Louisiana Seafood Gumbo on Thursday to honor my darling sister in law who is visiting from San Diego. (Bless her heart) She was born in Louisiana and I want to tickle her with food that brings back her Cajun memories, or just makes her wonder why she moved there in the first place. I just hope all of that tofu and tacos hasn't gone to her head. So, while I am making my chowder for tonight, I am going to begin to prepare for my gumbo. Recipe will follow later.....

Back to my Oyster Chowder.

This will make enough for 10 people. I'm gonna give you that recipe, but I'm cuttin' mine in half. Oysters and cream do not freeze well.

Fry up about 3/4 lb. of chopped up bacon in a large dutch oven. Get it almost crispy. Add about a cup of chopped onion,and a cup each of chopped celery and carrots. Throw in some salt, cayenne, and around 6 bay leaves. Cook about 10 minutes until the veggies are tender.

Add 3/4 cup of fresh all purpose flour. Stir it up to blend it with the veggies. Cook until golden. Add about 8 cups of chicken stock and bring to a slight boil. If you go back to the beginning of my blog you'll find the recipe for the best chicken stock in the world. If you have a problem with chicken feet, buy Swanson's. (You big chicken, you!)

Add about 2 cups of diced potatoes and cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes.

Add 1 cup of half and half and 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley. Simmer 5 more minutes.

Now add about 50 shucked oysters with around a cup of liquor. OYSTER liquor. Not Jack Daniels. Splash in some Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Do NOT overcook the oysters!!! The should just frizzle on the edges, and be plump. Remove the bay leaves and serve with a Parmesan Tuile.

Parmesan Tuile

This is so damned easy, even I can do it. Lay out some parchment paper or a SilPat on a cookie sheet. Get around 2 cups of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Heat the oven to 350. For each tuile put 3 tablespoons of cheese on the paper to form a 3" round. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Cool for 1 minute, then using a spatula remove them and place on another piece of parchment to cool. You can put them in an airtight container for up to 24 hours if you want to make them ahead of time.

Add a tuile to your bowl of oyster chowder.

I make some cheddar and bacon biscuits to go with. This is some damned fine eatin', I GAWR-ON-TEE!

Tid bits

Ok.....Hostess gift ideas.

Our store has some lovely honey pots with little honey spirals that have a honey bee on top made out of wood. Add a jar of local honey....Perfect! All for under $9.

Holiday spatulas all tied together with a frilly bow. 3 for under $10.

A bag of shell on mixed nuts with a cute Nutcracker. Under $12.

A bottle of vodka. Priceless.

Tid Bits

I am debating on where to proceed. Appetizers for the holidays? Quick hostess gifts? Decorating ideas? Full blown entrees for Christmas dinner? All of the above?

Side note: Do not decorate your 9ft tall Christmas tree on a ladder wearing your nightgown. It will not get decorated. Dickorated, yes, but decorated NO. TMI, I know. *sigh*

Please comment on what you want to see me post about. And if one of you says "me in my nightgown" I'm gonna close down this blog.

Looking forward to hearing from you!