Emeril’s Creole Seasoning

Appetizers:

× Cheese Straws (ref. 1)

× Exotic Mushroom & Andouille Sausage Tarts (ref. 3)

× Cilantro Shrimp (ref. 2)

Second Course:

× Corn Bisque (ref.1)

Main Course:

× Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Sweet Corn & Jalapeno salsa (ref. 1)

× Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Fig Habanero Barbecue Sauce (ref. 1)

× TreeBeard’s Dirty Rice (ref.4)

× Honey Gazed Tarragon Carrots

Dessert:

× Pumpkin Walnut Bread Pudding W/ Kentucky Bourbon Sauce (ref. 2)

References:

Emeril’s Creole Seasoning

Makes about 2/3 cup

2 ½ tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

1 tablespoon dried leaf thyme

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

Exotic Mushroom Tarts

In New Orleans, they like to have appetizers while we enjoy a cocktail or two, before we get down to the main part of the meal. The filling for these tarts can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. The mixture should be brought to room temperature, and then stirred before you fill the tarts.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup thinly sliced yellow onions

1/8 teaspoon plus ½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon plus ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ pound assorted exotic mushrooms, such as shiitakes, oysters, and chanterelles, wiped clean, stems trimmed, and sliced (about 3 cups)

4 ounces andouille sausage, finely chopped into ¼ inch pieces

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

¼ pound goat cheese, crumbled

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 sheet (15 x 10) frozen puff pastry (found in the frozen food section), defrosted

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium-size skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and andouille sausage, season with 1/8 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and season with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the mushrooms into a medium-size mixing bowl. Add the goat cheese and ½ cup of the Parmigiano and stir to blend.

With a 2 ½ inch cookie cutter, cut 28-32 rounds out of the puff pastry. Place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet, prick each round randomly with the tines of a fork, and brush with the beaten egg. Spread a tablespoon of the mushroom mixture on each round, leaving a 1/8-inch border. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle the rounds with the remaining 1 tablespoon Parmigiano and the parsley, and let cool for several minutes before serving.

HOGS Tips:

Preparation: Prepare up to point of baking

Bring: Tarts on cookie sheets ready to bake. Platter to serve tarts on.

At dinner: Bake and serve.

Cilantro Shrimp

So simple. So delicious. So make them once and you’ll make them again and again.

24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (1 ½ pounds)

1 tablespoon Emeril’s Southwest Seasoning

¾ cup Cilantro Oil

¼ cup chopped green onions

¼ cup chopped red bell peppers

Sprinkle the shrimp with the southwest Seasoning and use your hands to coat thoroughly. Heat a large heavy dry skillet over high heat. When the skillet is very hot, add the shrimp and sear them for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat. To serve, spoon 2 tablespoons of the cilantro oil onto each of the 4 plates. Arrange 6 shrimp on top and drizzle with another tablespoon of the oil. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon of the green onions and 1 tablespoon of the red bell peppers

HOGS Tip:

Preparation: Peel and devein shrimp, prepare spice rub, prepare cilantro oil.

Bring: Shrimp, rub, oil, skillet, platter to serve shrimp on.

At dinner: Season and cook shrimp, present on platter.

Cilantro Oil

½ cup (packed) cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon minced shallots

1 teaspoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon salt

3 turns freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup olive oil

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree about 1 minute. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight jar or bottle for up to 1 week.

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano

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

4 ears fresh corn

1/2 med. onion (about 1/2-3/4 c) in small dice

1/2 c celery in small dice

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 qt. chicken stock

6 T butter

1/2 c. flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 c heavy cream

1/2 T chopped fresh thyme

1/8 t hot sauce

1/2 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Remove the husks from the corn, and, with a paring knife, cut off the kernels over a large bowl. With the back of the knife, scrape the cob to remove any remaining bits of corn into the bowl. Set the corn kernels aside.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat, but do not brown it. Add the onion, celery, and garlic, stir with a wooden spoon, and cook until the onion is translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Do not brown. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook about 2 minutes, or until all the flour is well incorporated. It will have a nutty smell and a pale color.

Whisk the chicken stock into the pot, 1-quart at a time, until well incorporated. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the corn kernels and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cream and fresh thyme, stirring constantly. Season with hot sauce and adjust the seasoning. Serve with the green onions sprinkled on top.

Note: Best prepared a day in advance.

HOGS Tip:

Preparation: Prepare entire dish.

Bring: Bisque in pan ready to to reheat

At dinner: Reheat (we will provide soup bowls)

Cheese Straws

10 ounces (2 ½ cups) grated sharp Cheddar cheese

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, cut into ½ inch dice

2 medium egg yolks, well beaten

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the cheese and the flour in a large bowl, mix well with your hands, and combine as if you were forming a ball. Add the butter, and work with your hands to incorporate it for about 30 seconds. Add the egg yolks and mix with your hands for about 30 seconds. Add the cayenne, salt and pepper, and knead the dough for 3 minutes, until it forms a shiny ball.

If you have a strong, heavy-duty pastry bag with a large star tip, or a cookie press, fill it with a quarter of the dough. Squeeze out the dough into strips about ¼ inch thick and 1 ½ inches long onto an un-greased cookie sheet. (You’ll need a little muscle if you use a pastry bag) Leave a little room for the straws to expand, so you’ll probably need two pans. If you don’t have a pastry bag or cookie press, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut the dough as described with a knife or a pizza cutter. Repeat with remaining dough.

Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the straws are a golden orange and are cooked all the way through. Let cool on the pans. Remove and serve, or store as you would cookies, in an airtight container at room temperature.

Note: the cheese you use may be salty, so taste it and adjust the additional seasoning accordingly.

This dish highlights the contrasting styles between North and South. In New Orleans, we often like our veggies cooked down with other ingredients. In the North, we often encounter blanched, crisp vegetables with a touch of butter, salt and pepper. Carrots can add that perfect touch of color to a plate, and they’re available year round. The tarragon and the honey add a new dimension to the carrots that lends personality to the plate.

3 pounds medium carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias ¼ inch thick

8 tablespoons butter (1 stick) diced

¼ cup honey

½ cup water

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the carrots in a large casserole that has a lid. Add half the butter, half the honey, and the water, salt, and pepper. Stir and bake, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the carrots begin to tenderize and turn bright orange. Remove the cover and stir. Bake 20 to 40 minutes more, until the carrots are done and most of the water has evaporated. Remove the casserole from the oven place it on top of the stove.

The carrots should be tender and be sitting in a creamy syrupy glaze. Adjust the consistency of the liquid, if necessary, by removing the carrots and cooking a bit more to thicken or by adding a little water to thin. Return the carrots to the pan, add the remaining butter and honey over medium heat, then add the lemon juice and tarragon. Stir, adjust seasoning, and serve hot.

HOGS Tip:

Preparation: Prepare entire dish day of dinner

Bring: Carrots in pan ready to reheat

At dinner: Reheat carrots on top of stove

Treebeards’ Dirty Rice

Dirty rice has a wonderful flavor from the great combination of spices. Many of our customers eat dirty rice with their favorite Treebeards’ entrée instead of white rice.

Vegetable oil for frying

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

6 ounces chicken livers

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¾ pound ground pork sausage

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

¾ cup chopped bell pepper

1 cup chicken broth

7 cups cooked rice

1/3 red bell pepper

½ cup chopped parsley

½ cup chopped green onions

In a deep skillet or saucepan, heat oil to 360 degrees. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix together flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper. Dredge chicken livers in flour mixture. Fry chicken livers in hot oil for 4 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Cool. In food processor with knife blade attachment, pulse livers until ground. Set aside.

Mix together ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, cumin and garlic powder. Set aside.

In 4 – quart saucepan over medium heat, brown sausage. Do not remove drippings. Add onions, celery and green bell pepper. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to boil. Add chopped livers and stir. Add cooked rice and remaining vegetables. Stir to break up any large lumps. Cook 5 minutes or until rice is hot.

Jumbo Lump Crab cakes with Sweet Corn and Jalapeno

I know what you’re thinking: Another crab cake. Well, all crab cakes are not alike. When this dish goes on the Commander’s menu, more than half our patrons will order it. They probably feel as my mother does: “True jumbo lump crabmeat is the caviar of Louisiana.” We want to highlight the crabmeat, not mask it with heavy binders or frying, so this has no bread crumbs and only a small amount of binder. And the cakes are not fried, making them incredibly light. As for the accompaniment, crab and corn are classic Creole combination.

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for bits of shell and cartilage (other crabmeat can be substituted)

1 small red onion, in small dice

½ large red bell pepper, in small dice

2/3 cup mayonnaise with Tabasco and freshly ground black pepper added to taste

1/3 cup Creole mustard or other coarse mustard

2 teaspoons capers, drained and coarsely chopped

½ medium hard-cooked egg, diced small

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

2 tablespoons butter

Corn Accompaniment:

2 tablespoons butter

3 cups freshly shucked corn kernels, about 6 ears

2 jalapeno peppers, seeds and membranes removed, in a 1/8 inch dice

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

For serving:

1 green onion, finely sliced

Fresh thyme sprigs

Place the crabmeat in a bowl, breaking it up as little as possible. In a separate bowl, combine the onion, bell pepper, mayonnaise, mustard, capers, egg, horseradish, salt, pepper, and seafood seasoning. Mix well, add the crabmeat, and fold together, again taking care not to break up the crabmeat.

Shape the crab cakes. If you wish, you can roughly shape them by hand before placing the mixture in metal rings or round cookie cutters, each about 1½ inches in diameter. Or you can place the rings on a flat surface, put 2 ½ to 3 ounces of the mixture in each ring, and press lightly on each cake.

Preheat a nonstick pan or a seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter, but don’t let it smoke. Using your finger and a small spatula, guide about four of the rings into the skillet. Cook the crab cakes for 1 ½ minutes, or until golden brown. Turn them over, using the spatula, and cook again for 1 ½ minutes or until golden brown. Using the spatula, move the cakes to a sheet pan, and remove the rings. Repeat until the entire mixture is

used. About halfway through, discard the butter and use a second tablespoonful.

To make the corn accompaniment: Place a sauté pan over medium heat, and add ½ tablespoon of butter. Be careful not to let the butter burn. Place the corn and jalapeno in the pan, and stir constantly, seasoning with salt and pepper. When the corn is hot (1 ½ to 2 minutes), stir in the remaining 1½ tablespoons of butter and add the minced thyme. Cook until all the butter has melted. Season to taste.

Serve one crab cake for an appetizer portion, two for an entrée. Spoon some of the corn mixture over the top of each cake, sprinkle with the green onions, and garnish, if desired, with thyme sprigs.

Remember: The crabmeat is already cooked, so the crab cakes don’t need much cooking. We just put a sear or crust on both sides and heat it through just enough to warm. You know that they are ready when you start to see a sear around the ring and they start to bubble a little. And be careful; it’s easy to burn your fingers when you’re flipping the cakes.

4 pork tenderloins, 12 ounces each after trimming

½ cup honey

¼ mustard seed, cracked

¼ cup kosher salt

¼ cup freshly cracked black pepper

¼ cup vegetable oil

Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Brush the pork generously with honey. Mix the mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, and spread evenly over the loins. Put half the oil in the pan, heat for about 30 seconds, taking care not to let the oil smoke, and place two loins in the pan. Sear the pork until an even brown crust appears, about 4 minutes. Turn and repeat. Continue until all sides are brown and the loin is medium-rare to medium. Remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe out the pan, add the remaining oil, and repeat with the other two loins.

After the meat has cooled, about 3 minutes, cut slices on the bias to a thickness of about a third of an inch. Serve with Fig Habañero Barbecue Sauce.

1tablespoon butter

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 dried habañero pepper, finely chopped 1cup cane vinegar or cider vinegar

½ cup light or dark molasses (substitute honey or brown sugar if you wish)

4 cups tightly packed fresh figs, stemmed (about 2 ½ pounds)

2 bottles (12 ounces each) dark beer

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt the butter over high heat in a large saucepan, add the onion and habañero pepper, and cook for about 6 minutes or until onion is caramelized. Add the vinegar and molasses, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add the figs while stirring. Return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the beer, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer 15 minutes.

Puree the mixture using a blender or food processor. Adjust the consistency by adding a little water or boiling to reduce the mixture. The final consistency should be like ketchup. Adjust the flavor to your liking by adding salt, pepper, habañero peppers, vinegar or molasses. Store, refrigerated, for several weeks.

Note: Be careful about adding more habañero, especially in the beginning. As the sauce cooks and after is has been pureed, it will get hotter, especially if you let it sit for a while.

HOGS Tip:

Preparation: Prepare fig sauce up to 2 weeks in advance.

Bring: Pork, spice mixture, honey, sauce in pan ready to reheat, and iron skillet.

At dinner: Dry pork with paper towel, coat with honey and mustard seed mixture, brown in skillet, finish cooking in oven.

Pumpkin Walnut Bread Pudding with Kentucky Bourbon Sauce

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, in all

1 cup half-and-half

1 ½ cups heavy cream

5 large eggs

½ teaspoon grated orange zest

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 tablespoons light brown sugar, in all

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

2 cups cooked and mashed pumpkin (use canned)

½ cup chopped walnuts

8 slices white bread, with crusts, torn into 2-inch pieces

2 cups Kentucky Bourbon Sauce

Fresh Mint sprigs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-cup ovenproof casserole or mold with 2 teaspoons of the butter.

In a large bowl whisk together the half-and-half, cream, eggs, and orange zest. Add all of the granulated sugar, 4 tablespoons of the brown sugar, the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and Grand Marnier, and whisk vigorously until thoroughly blended. Add the pumpkin and whisk until incorporated. Fold in the bread and walnuts and mix thoroughly.

Pour the mixture into the casserole, dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Place the casserole in a water bath (a larger baking dish with about and inch of hot water). Bake until golden brown and puffy, for about 1 hour 15 minutes.

About 15 minutes before the pudding is finished baking, prepare the Kentucky Bourbon Sauce.

Serve warm or at room temperature. To serve, spoon the pudding into bowls or wineglasses, add 2 tablespoons of the Kentucky Bourbon Sauce, and top with a mint sprig.

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 cup half-and-half

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons bourbon

Heat the cream, half-and-half, vanilla, and sugar in a saucepan over high heat, whisking, for about 3 minutes. Dissolve the cornstarch in the bourbon.

When bubbles form around the edges of the cream, whisk in the bourbon mixture. As the cream boils up, remove the pot from the heat and continue whisking vigorously until thoroughly blended and slightly thickened. Place over low heat and simmer for 1 minute. (This is not a thick cream sauce; it’s meant to be fairly thin.) Serve immediately or store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 24 hours. Reheat in a double boiler.

The Ball is thrown by:

× Cheese Straws (ref. 1)

Exotic Mushroom Tarts

Cilantro Oil

Emeril’s Southwest Seasoning

Corn Bisque

Cheese Straws

Fig Habañero Barbecue Sauce

Kentucky Bourbon Sauce