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New Orleans Style Macaroni & Cheese

June 8, 2020 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

New Orleans Style Macaroni & CheeseI call this New Orleans Style Macaroni & Cheese because I’m pretty sure it’s the only place that serves it this way. Never seen it in the rest of the country and definitely not in Italy, even though it’s made by Sicilians and features bucatini noodles (and for those who don’t know they’re the ones with the hole in the middle).

No, it’s purely local and absolutely delicious. And to be precise it’s not exactly from New Orleans proper but from “da parish.” That would be St. Bernard Parish, the parish that’s just south of Orleans and extends right out into the Gulf along with its sister parish, Plaquemines. They are home to various immigrant communities but towards the end of the 19th century attracted thousands of Sicilians who put down roots in the swampy soil and have been thriving ever since. In fact, they’re so established that they immigrate from there to points beyond.

I’ll never forget having dinner with some friends from work in New York where it came up. One of us had a husband who’d emigrated from England at which point another person piped up, “Well my grandparents emigrated from Sicily. A little place called Plaquemini.” I kid you not. Before I could stop myself I spit laughed my drink all over the appetizers and was greeted with blank looks until I explained the coordinates of “Plaquemini.”

But on to the topic at hand. I was introduced to this version (the one & only) at Rocky & Carlos restaurant by my father who used to frequent Angelo’s bar down the road. Angelo’s was decidedly not femme friendly and so when the owners and their wives committed to a full service restaurant they included “Ladies Invited” on the front window, and although I was a very little lady, I was in. The portions were so big we would get one meal plus an extra plate and I’d pick off Daddy’s.

My favorite was the mac n’ cheese and this version is my version, the biggest difference being the crunchy topping but if you’re a R & C purist you can leave that off. As long as you get it browned under the broiler you’re good.

Rocky & Carlo's Restaurant & Bar – Via Nola VieI use cheddar and fontina in equal portions both in the sauce and on top of the finished dish. I make the sauce first and set it aside with the pot lid on while cooking the pasta. It’s an easy bechamel white sauce and when it’s cooked to the right thickness remove it from the heat. If it’s really hot, let it cool a few minutes. The sauce only needs to be hot enough to melt the grated cheese, which you should stir in gradually until just melted and incorporated into the sauce. Do not add the cheese to the sauce while it’s is still sitting over the heat, as that can cause the cheese to overcook, start to separate, and turn your sauce into an oil-slicked, curdled-looking mess. Don’t ask me how I know this – even experienced cooks can forget to cut the heat – and once curdled it’s not salvageable. And if you don’t have fontina you may use all cheddar or cheddar and jack cheese. Play it by ear.

Once you’ve made the sauce, start the noodles to boiling remembering to boil them a minute or two less than package directions as they will continue to cook when they’re put in the oven to brown.

While they’re boiling melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the panko stirring to completely coat.

Now drain the noodles, fold into the sauce, transfer to a serving dish, top with the crumbs and put in a 400 degree oven for ten minutes or until brown on top. You may also serve in individual chafing dishes as I’ve pictured here. This one is shallow and about five inches in width. The recipe will fill four of these if you go that route.

Enjoy and don’t forget to give a silent thanks to the Tommaseo/Gioe family for inventing this and feeding us all since 1965.

 

Louisiana Macaroni & Cheese
 
Print
Author: Carine Clary
Ingredients
  • For the cheese sauce:
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • fresh grated pepper to taste
  • 3 cups milk
  • 3 tablespoons grated shallot (or onion)
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • ½ tsp. nutmeg
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ cup cheddar, grated
  • ½ cup fontina, grated
  • For the noodles:
  • ½ lb. bucatini
  • ½ cup cheddar, grated
  • ½ cup fontina, grated
  • For the topping:
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup Panko
Instructions
  1. For the sauce:
  2. Melt the butter and stir in flour. Add salt & pepper and stir over medium heat till the mixture turns a very light brown. This is also called a "blonde roux."
  3. After a couple of minutes of stirring add in the shallots then slowly add the milk, paprika, nutmeg & bay leaf. Let simmer for 4 or 5 minutes. It should thicken somewhat.
  4. Take off heat & add cheese.
  5. For the noodles:
  6. Cook in salted water according to package directions but a couple minutes less.
  7. For the topping:
  8. Melt butter in saucepan then stir in panko & cook until lightly toasted.
  9. To Assemble:
  10. Add hot noodles to sauce and coat well.
  11. Put cheese on top, cover with panko and cook in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until brown on top.
3.4.3177

 

 

Filed Under: Creole, Pastas & Pasta Sauces, Southern Tagged With: Macaroni and cheese, New Orleans style macaroni and cheese, Pasta

Cajun Meatballs & Spaghetti

April 20, 2020 by Carine Clary 2 Comments

Cajun Meatballs & Tomato GravySometimes you’re hungry for homemade but your busy day got in the way. Not to worry. These meatballs are easy to make but even easier to make ahead, freeze, and warm up on no notice. And while we’re being lazy reach for the pantry and cover that pasta with a jarred sauce. Not just any sauce but something good like Rao’s Marinara or you can go local with Mandina’s Red Gravy that they have at Dorignac’s.

The absolute key to good meatballs or meatloaf is the addition of something called a ‘panade.’ It can be bread crumbs, panko, or shredded stale french bread, but what is does is render the meat moist and fork tender. These meatballs will yield to moderate pressure and you won’t have a dense golf ball flying off your plate when you cut into it. And this particular recipe gives you the option of making the panade out of rice which gives it a bit of a boudin feel. (That said, I prefer the french bread option.)

Cajun Meatballs & SpaghettiOnce the veg is sauteed, softened up and cooled down put everything into the bowl and mix lightly with your hands. Let it all squash through your fingers a time or two and roll into balls or ideally use a scoop. After you’ve done this you are ready to cook the meatballs and you have two options. The best meatballs will always have a bit of a sear on them and you can achieve that in a pan on your stove top or on a cookie sheet in a hot oven. Guess which one I use? Yeah, the easy one. A cookie sheet and a hot oven will render a perfectly good sear on your meat and you can walk away while they cook.

In the written recipe I’ve specified a premixed seasoning since it’s well….easy. But when I made this for the posting I was out and as you can see I crafted my very own mixture (salt, pepper, thyme, paprika and God knows what else) which you can do too.

As for meat ball size I think medium is most versatile so I use a medium cookie scoop for a medium meat ball. If you don’t have one of these grease up your hands and start rolling always remembering not to overwork the meat. And if you’re using a scoop don’t try to smooth the craggy edges of the balls since they’ll brown up nicely and add some crunch.

Cajun Meatballs and SpaghettiFinally, you need to heat up whatever sauce you’re using and let the meatballs simmer in it for a few then plate up and serve. As you can see this is photographed with both spaghetti and linguine so be creative with your noodle choices. Top it with some grated cheese and dish up!

Cajun Meatballs and Spaghetti

Cajun Meatballs & Spaghetti
 
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Author: Carine Clary
Cuisine: Cajun
Ingredients
  • For the meatballs:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ cup diced onion (or shallots)
  • ¼ cup diced celery
  • ¼ cup diced green or red bell pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ lb. ground chuck
  • ½ lb. ground pork
  • 1 cup bread crumbs (or precooked white rice)
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning*
  • For the sauce:
  • 1 15.5 oz. jar of Marinara
  • For the Pasta:
  • 1 lb. cooked to package directions
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Transfer vegetables to large bowl; let cool 5 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine Ground Beef, pork, vegetables, breadcrumbs, egg and seasoning in large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 24 (1-1/2 inch) meatballs. Don't over work the meat. Just lightly mix all together.
  3. Place meatballs on broiler pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake in 400°F oven 16 to 19 minutes until well browned.
  4. Cook the pasta according to package directions & drain.
  5. Warm up the sauce, add the meat balls, then combine with the pasta. Top with Pecorino cheese or Parmesan and serve.
Notes
*Seasoning can be Paul Prudhomme's Meat Magic or Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning. Whatever you really like.

If you plan to freeze these there are two options. Freezing them raw or after cooking. To maximize speed and convenience I cook them all when I make them then thaw & drop in the sauce as it's heating.
3.4.3177

 

Filed Under: Cajun, Entree, Pastas & Pasta Sauces, Pork Tagged With: cajun Meatballs, Meatballs, Spaghetti and Meatballs

Molasses Cookies

April 14, 2020 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

Molasses CookiesMolasses cookies for those who need chewy quarantine comfort. Yes, if you eat a lot of these you will gain weight but it’ll all come off when the gyms reopen sometime in the distant future. So enjoy and be at one with your molasses based love handles!

The great thing about these cookies (besides the fact that almost everyone likes them) is that they’re easy and fast. I simplified the spice list by calling for pumpkin pie spice, similar to “cake spice” (which can be substituted) providing a variety of flavor in one convenient location which you then just top off with ginger and a little optional grated nutmeg.

This is a conventional cookie recipe except for one little tweak. That would be stirring in the white sugar at the end. By not creaming it with the molasses, brown sugar and egg you will end up with some caramelized crunch in the finished product, a bit like my Bourbon Balls.

Another thing to remember is to use Grandma’s Molasses or something like it. Blackstrap will be too bitter and will overwhelm the spices. You could also substitute Steen’s Cane Syrup which has the same consistency.

Once you’ve got everything at room temperature just follow the prompts below. After the cookies come out of the oven, bang the sheet on the counter to form those camera ready cracks, let cool and store in a cookie tin.

 

Molasses Cookies
 
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Author: Carine Clary
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients
  • 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1⁄2 cup molasses*
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour**
  • 1⁄2 tsp baking soda
  • 1⁄4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ tsp fresh ground nutmeg***
  • 1⁄2 cup powdered sugar for rolling
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil; set aside.
  2. Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light in color and smooth. Beat in the egg, then the molasses.
  3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, & spices. Add all at once to the butter mixture, stirring until thoroughly blended, then stir in the granulated sugar just until combined. Adding the white sugar last gives it a bit of extra chewy crunch.
  4. Use a small ice cream scoop or two teaspoons to shape the batter into balls. Roll the balls in the powdered sugar to coat and place them on the cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Gently press down on the cookies with the palm of your hand to flatten.
  5. Bake until the cookies have puffed up and appear set at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Hold the tray about an inch above the counter top and drop it. This will produce the crackle top. Let cool on the trays for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
  6. Let cool completely if you are packing them in a cookie tin. If they have any residual heat the pretty white powdered sugar will melt into the cookie and no longer be visible. It won't affect the taste only the appearance.
  7. These keep for a week if you can keep yourself from eating them all at once...
Notes
*Grandma's brand, not blackstrap. You may also substitute cane or sorghum syrup.
**Cake flour also fine.
***optional but recommended.
3.4.3177

 

Filed Under: Cookies, Desserts Tagged With: molasses cookies, molasses spice cookies, spice cookies

Sharlotka Apple Cake

February 23, 2020 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

Apple SharlotkaCharlotte, or in Russian – Sharlotka, was allegedly invented by a French chef working for the Czar and it’s the distant cousin in to Charlotte Russe which is a fancier dessert where the sponge cake in the form of lady fingers surrounds the fruit and cream in the center. In fact, they seem a little too distant to be kissing cousins but nevertheless if you know any Russians they’ll tell you they love Sharlotka so on to the prep!

This cake is easy and fast and will cook up perfectly if you pay attention to a few tips. First tip is to use hard tart apples. They will soften in the oven but will hold their shape. Granny Smith are good. Cortland, McIntosh, and Delicious not good, although I did once make it with Delicious (they were on sale) and it was fairly OK if somewhat mushy.  Second tip is to use lemon juice (and a little lemon zest if possible) on them and mix well with the two tablespoons of sugar. This will enhance flavor and the sugar will mix with the juice coming from the apples to create a little caramelization on the bottom during the bake.

Sharlotka

Apple SharlotkaOther tip is to beat hard then fold. What that means is that you want to beat the eggs and sugar (along with the flavorings) until pale yellow because without baking powder it’s the egg whites that will lift the cake and cause it to rise. Once that’s done gradually sift the flour by thirds over the wet ingredients and gently fold in until all the flour is combined.

SharlotkaFinally, you’ll want to spoon or pour this mixture over the apples you’ve laid in the bottom of a spring form pan, smooth out the top and let bake for about 55 minutes or until the top is brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Once cooled it’s good plain or with sweetened vanillaed whipped cream. For extra flavor add some lemon or orange zest.

SharlotkaAnd there you have it – all except the cuppa Joe to go with!

 

Sharlotka Apple Cake
 
Print
Author: Carine Clary
Cuisine: Russian
Ingredients
  • Butter or nonstick spray, for greasing pan
  • 3 large tart apples
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (to coat the apples)*
  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons to coat apples
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp. almond extract
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon**
  • ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
  • pinch of salt
  • Powdered sugar, to sift over the top
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and the sides of the pan.
  2. Peel, halve and core your apples, then chop them into medium-sized chunks or you may slice them, whichever you prefer. Toss with the lemon juice and the two tablespoons of sugar and put in the pan.
  3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs with sugar until thick and ribbons form on the surface of the beaten eggs. Beat in vanilla, then sift and fold in flour with a spatula until just combined. The batter will be very thick.
  4. Pour over apples in pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter & press it down so that it covers all exposed apples. The top of the batter should end up level with the top of the apples. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a tester comes out free of batter. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack, then remove springform pan. You may leave the parchment paper on the bottom or ease it sideways out from under and place on a cake stand or plate.
  5. Dust with powdered sugar and whipped cream if desired.
Notes
*The lemon flavor really makes this so don't omit.
**Cardamom is a good substitute for cinnamon (or as an addition)
3.4.3177

 

Filed Under: Cakes, Russian Tagged With: apple cake, apple sponge cake, cake, Sharlotka, Sharlotka Apple Cake

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About Me

Hello, I'm Carine Clary and I'm the FrangloSaxon.

And is that a word? In a word - Yes! It reflects my French connections in the south part of the state and the Anglo Saxon ones on the Arkansas state line. I grew up eating & loving all the foods of Louisiana and the idea is to collect lots of them right here on this website.

What you'll find here is food that reflects everybody's cooking. Creole we know. Cajun we know. But how about Croatian or Vietnamese....or Italian or German....or the underestimated plain Southern food they do so well in the upstate parishes?

They're all part of who we are so pull up your chair and join me for some good eats!

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