Carine Clary, Author at The FrangloSaxon Cooks

Carrot Souffle

November 1, 2016 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

When you’re from Louisiana Carrot Soufflé means one thing. Picadilly Cafeteria’s carrot soufflé. Sweet and creamy it’s a dessert-like vegetable side. But it still has redeeming nutritional qualities so I’m posting this version for its many fans. It’s relatively simple and fast and can be made hours ahead of time. Yes, it will fall a bit. No, it will not affect the flavor so you can make it first thing on Thanksgiving and set it aside while you work on other dishes. Just put it in a slow oven for a few before serving and it will be fine.

What’s different? Start with butter

So what are the differences between this recipe and the newspaper versions they print every year? Well, for starters I use butter not margarine, and I add less sugar. Butter is healthier and tastes better so that’s a no-brainer. Less sugar is also a no-brainer since carrots are naturally sweet and don’t need all that much sweetening (except for the couple of teaspoons of Steen’s Cane Syrup which makes it more complex). And the orange zest and orange flower water brighten the flavor. If you don’t have orange flower water you can use juice from the orange.

Add orange rind and juice

However, if you have a home bar and make Ramos Gin Fizzes you should have orange flower water. Check it out before buying. If you’re a Baptist check your secret stash in the garage, the one behind the tackle box, and if you can’t find it ask your teen-aged son. He’ll know.

But back to the prep. You’ll notice that this makes a slightly smaller amount than the typical recipe. There are two reasons for this. It is so sweet that smaller servings are more appropriate and the smaller amount goes into a smaller souffle pan which cooks up and warms up somewhat faster.

Smooth or chunky – your choice

One final word. If you make this in a food processor you can control the level to which it’s puréed. If you like pumpkin pie smooth you can do that, but if you prefer chunkier you can just pulse a few times. Doing it by hand or with a mixer will always result in a coarser consistency. Both taste great so it’s your choice.

Here’s the non-pimped-up version of the soufflé as it will look in real life without its perky little mint Fascinator up top.

Carrot Souffle

Author: Carine Clary

Cuisine: Carrot Souffle

Ingredients

1.5 lbs. carrots, chopped
⅔ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cane or sorghum syrup
Zest of one medium orange
1 tsp. orange flower water (or juice)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
1 tablespoon flour
2 large eggs separated
6 tablespoons butter, melted
powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Steam or boil carrots until very soft. Let them drain & cool enough until they stop steaming.
Put in food processor with all other ingredients except egg whites and process until smooth.
Beat egg whites until very light & frothy but not stiff, two to three minutes.
Fold into the carrot mixture and pour into a 1.5 quart ungreased baking dish and cook until brown on top about one hour.
Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce

October 25, 2016 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

As Thanksgiving approaches I’m posting some side dish recipes like this one for Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce. Most sides can benefit from a few minor changes. Given a couple of tricks this will be cauliflower’s best version of itself.

The Secret to nonwatery cauliflower

Too often have I seen cauliflower prepared where it’s floating on a sea of water and covered with slices of Kraft Singles or Velveeta sauce. Amazingly this can actually taste sort of OK. However, with minimal attention to detail it can taste absolutely delicious, so keep reading for the details…

Which are twofold. You must under cook the cauliflower a little and when it’s done let it drain for at least 15 minutes. The steam needs to evaporate and the water should be mostly gone so that it doesn’t end up in the bottom of the dish diluting the cheese sauce. The other detail is putting less cheese in the sauce and more on top.

To start bring some salted water to a boil, put the largest pieces in and boil for a couple of minutes before adding the small ones. This way they’ll all be cooked to the same consistency. That consistency should be such that a fork goes in easily but still meets a little resistance. It will continue to soften as it cools and will cook a little more while under the broiler.

After boiling remove the cauliflower, drain well and assemble in a chafing dish as shown below. You can boil the whole head and just pour the sauce over it as we did when I was growing up. However, laying it out flat has several advantages. It’s easier to serve, it has a higher sauce to veg ratio, and best of all you get that wonderful broiler browned cheese on top.

What kind of cheese and how to deploy it

And as for cheese, it doesn’t have to be fancy. A sharp Cracker Barrel or Tillamook cheddar will taste great. When you look at the recipe you’ll see that I put a little less in the sauce and a little more on top because browned is better.

And if you are making this to take to someone else’s house for dinner wrap it up as it appears above and brown it after arriving.

Now it’s done, and as you can see, small adjustments elevate a boring side dish to first runner up in the Thanksgiving beauty contest.

Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce

Author: Carine Clary

Cuisine: Southern

Ingredients

1 medium head cauliflower
For the sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. mustard powder
grating of fresh nutmeg
1 crushed clove of garlic
pinch of cayenne
1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup cream
½ cup grated cheese
½ cup grated cheese for the topping

Instructions

For the Cauliflower:
Cut up and boil or steam. Cook the larger pieces for a couple of minutes before adding the smaller ones so all will be cooked the same. This should be about 7 to 10 minutes but watch carefully. They should be just slightly under cooked. A fork should be able to pierce them but there should be some resistance.
Drain for 15 minutes in colander. This is key. You want all the steam to evaporate & all the water to drain off.
For the sauce:
Melt the butter in a sauce pan.
Whisk in the flour, salt, mustard, cayenne and garlic & cook for a minute over medium heat.
Slowly add the chicken broth & cream & cook until thickened.
Add the cheese & remove garlic.
Assembly:
Place the large pieces of cauliflower in a shallow baking dish and fill in the holes with the smaller pieces.
Spoon the sauce over it & top with cheese, some paprika and some fresh ground black pepper.
Run under the broiler until browned.

Notes

You may use 1¼ cups of milk for the sauce.

Barbecue Shrimp

September 26, 2016 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

Barbecue Shrimp is New Orleans’ best contribution to messy, but deliciously worth it, bar food. It’s the dish where large contented shrimp swim their last lap in a lake of butter and seasonings before being consumed by equally contented diners.

The History

The birth story of Barbecue Shrimp starts with a man who allegedly went into Pascal’s Manale requesting a shrimp dish he’d eaten in Chicago. Fortunately, he didn’t get it. What he did get was a version of the following recipe which was even better.

It’s basically shrimp, butter, and garlic but in addition to the butter and garlic, the dish almost always has Worcestershire sauce. My problem is that I’m not a big fan of Worcestershire sauce and as I’ve made Barbecue Shrimp over time I’ve continually decreased the amount. It seemed as if the less I added the more I liked it until finally in a much delayed ‘duh’ moment it occurred to me to find out what’s actually in Worcestershire Sauce.

Turns out that the main ingredient is fermented anchovies which I love but it also has vinegar, tamarind and some other flavorings which I don’t love. That’s when it hit me. Fish sauce is nothing but anchovies and salt. So I subbed out the Worcestershire for a tablespoon of Red Boat Fish Sauce and I loved it. However, if you’re addicted to the Worcestershire sauce you can amend the recipe below by adding a couple of tablespoons of it to the dish.

The rest is just a matter of a little chopping, melting, sauteing and you’re ready to go.

The Prep

You start by melting the butter, olive oil, and seasonings and cooking them over medium heat for a very short time, no more than two to three minutes because you don’t want the garlic to brown. Then you take the pan off the heat and set it aside so that the flavors can absorb into the oils. You’ll see in the picture that the rosemary is on the stem (torn off a bush near the Walmart parking lot – thanks guys!). The rosemary can be chopped but I like to do it this way since you get the flavor without little sticky spikes in the sauce. Just lift the stems out before serving. You’ll also see a piece of bacon in there. It was leftover and alone in the fridge so I threw it in for a little extra flavor in the sauce.

Once the sauce has been heated and rested put it back on the burner over medium heat. Arrange the shrimp evenly in the pan and cook for a couple of minutes on each side till done. This can be made without head-on shrimp but the head fat does add flavor so get it if you are able to.

Slice the lemon and run under the broiler. This contributes to both good looks and good taste. Broiling the lemon slices renders the inside almost syrupy. Squeeze that out on the French bread, dip it in the sauce and you’ll see how good a simple dish can be.

Last but not least make sure your diners have bibs or giant dish towel sized napkins (like the one below) to soak up the splatter. Now get your face directly over the plate and start slurping.

Barbecue Shrimp

Author: Carine Clary

Cuisine: Creole

Ingredients

12 jumbo shrimp head-on & unpeeled (1 lb.)
1 stick butter
⅓ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1½ tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic, very finely minced
1 tablespoon. paprika
Several stems of rosemary (or 2 tablespoons rosemary, minced)
½ teaspoon cayenne (or red pepper flakes)
1 crushed bay leaf (or ¼ tsp. ground)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
lemon slices, charred

Instructions

Melt the butter and olive oil in a saucepan.
Add the fish sauce, ground pepper, paprika, garlic, rosemary, and lemon juice.
Mix well, cook over medium heat for several minutes then take off the burner and let it sit for about twenty minutes to let the garlic soften and the flavors develop.
Cut quarter-inch thick slices of lemon, lay on a cookie sheet & run under a broiler until caramelized. Set aside.
Turn the heat on under the sauce then add the shrimp & cook until done about 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove and serve in bowls with toasted french bread & lemon slices.

Notes

If you prefer you may substitute thyme for the rosemary. Since thyme leaves are soft they can be left in the sauce.

Smothered Pork Chops & Hominy

August 19, 2016 by Carine Clary 2 Comments

What’s more filling & tasty than hog & hominy, aka Smothered Pork Chops? Tastes good the day you make it. Tastes good the next day. Tastes good when you multiply by five and take it to a church supper or funeral. Tastes so good Dean Martin sings to it! Seems that even rat packers like their hominy grits. And if you don’t like hominy it’s great with noodles, rice, or spaetzle. This is the dish the fam usually requests when I go home to visit.

The Prep

To get started you make the spice rub outlined below. Rich with paprika, rosemary, mustard & nutmeg the rub should coat the chops well for at least an hour or overnight. After rubbing it in cover with plastic and put in the fridge. If you don’t want the customized rub go with a premixed version. I’ve used both Paul Prudhomme’s Meat Magic and Penzey’s Bavarian Seasoning with great results. Whatever you decide on get those chops coated, wrapped or covered in plastic, and stowed in the fridge while you’re doing the rest of the prep.

For the actual chops you may choose thin, medium or fat, just try to get them on the bone as that will add to the flavor of the gravy. Since you’ll be braising in the oven on a low temperature the meat will cook to fork tenderness so go with your preference or what’s available. The amount of liquid called for in this recipe will be enough for four thick chops or a couple of extra thin ones.

Once you’ve seasoned the chops chop the bacon and fry until brown removing when done. Throw the pork into the pan, quick brown it then remove. At this point you may want to add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once you’ve done that stir in all the chopped veg and cook for a few then add the tomato paste and flour. Cook for a minute to incorporate then slowly add the chicken broth.

After you have achieved a nice smooth gravy lower the chops into the pot, drop the sage and parsley on top, cover and put into a 250 degree oven for at least an hour or until the chops are fork tender. About ten minutes before you finish cooking drop the reserved slivered bell pepper strips onto the top. This will allow them to cook but still retain their shape.

Once done to your liking remove the chops to a plate. Now’s time to check the gravy. First you remove the limp sage and parsley and see what you have. It may be perfect in which case you may anoint and eat. However, if it’s too thick just add a little water.

With any luck your bacony oniony hominy will then be ready to eat and so will you!

Smothered Pork Chops & Hominy

Author: Carine Clary

Ingredients

For the Pork Chops:
4 pork chops (1 lb.), bone in
4 strips bacon
1½ cups onion, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
½ cup red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup sliced red bell pepper, for later
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ cup flour, scant
1 can chicken broth
1 sprig of sage
2 sprigs parsley
For the spice rub:
1 tablespoon toasted garlic granules
1 tsp. powdered thyme
½ tsp. rosemary
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. dried mustard
⅛ tsp. powdered bay leaf
⅛ tsp. nutmeg
For the hominy:
1 can of white hominy
2 strips bacon
½ cup green onions, chopped

Instructions

For the chops:
Rub chops with spice mixture, wrap in plastic and put in fridge for about an hour. Keep any left over spice rub and add it to the pot with the vegetables.
Fry bacon until brown, remove to a plate and crumble.
Add a little vegetable oil to the pan if necessary then quick brown the chops & remove to a plate.
Add all the chopped vegetables, cook for about 3 or 4 minutes, then add tomato paste & mix thoroughly.
Add the flour & mix well, then gradually start adding the broth to make a smooth gravy.
Stir in the bacon bits and place the chops into the gravy.
Cover and cook for 1 hour in a 250 degree oven.
For the Hominy:
Chop the bacon and fry.
Add the hominy & mix thoroughly then add the onions & cook for several minutes.