A New Orleans Christmas

Every region of this country has customs and traditions that are unique, especially when it comes to food.  But you would be hard pressed to find any that would be more delicious than a New Orleans Christmas Dinner.A dear chum of Jackie’s contacted her to see if we had any ideas for a New Orleans themed Christmas dinner she was in charge of creating.  That set some wheels in motion.  There is little I enjoy more than planning a party menu and one that is themed around one of my very favorite cities in all the world made it a very happy project indeed.  Below is you will find the menu and recipes to create it.

I have spent a lot of time in New Orleans, both after Hurricane Katrina, working on a rebuilding project, and because two of my three children attended Ole Miss for college and had many friends there from New Orleans.  My daughter, Carrie’s roommate throughout college, was an ENORMOUS help in putting this project together!  In fact I really couldn’t have done it right without Andi.  Thank you Andi for being so generous and helpful 🙂  This past year my brother and sister-in-law and niece and her family all moved from Southern California to the New Orleans area, so I will happily be spending even more time there in the years to come.

While it is a little late to be thinking about making all these wonderful courses for your Christmas dinner tomorrow, there may be one that strikes your fancy and inspires you to give it a try.  Or maybe after Christmas if you are hosting a gathering for the New Year you could try some of these fabulously scrumptious foods.  If there is one word you could use to describe the food and the culture of New Orleans it would have to be ABUNDANCE!  And you know how your Two Chums are all about love, joy and abundance 🙂  Whether you make any of these recipes now or not, tuck them away and try them sometime, you will surely be glad you did!

From both of your chums, have a wonderful Christmas Eve and whatever you are doing tonight remember the love and joy that the Lord so abundantly shared with each of us in the birth of his son.  Merry Christmas dear chums 🙂

 

 

 

A  TraditionalNew Orleans Christmas Dinner

There is a very old tradition in New Orleans at Christmas called Reveillon. As you may know, there is a lot of French influence in the culture and the food of New Orleans and this is always evident, at Christmas especially. On Christmas Eve, church goers, predominately Catholic, would attend mass at midnight and then head home to celebrate with a sumptuous meal known as Reveillon which in French is “awakening”. Families would begin their celebration at around 2 am and eat their way into Christmas morning. While fewer and fewer families still do this it is still common during the holiday season at nicer restaurants for them to offer a Reveillon dinner. Many, many courses are eaten over several hours time.

While there are still Christmas Eve dinners and celebrations, the traditional Christmas dinner is now more commonly eaten on Christmas Day. The one thing that has remained a constant is the very large presence of seafood.  And if there is one word that would describe this celebratory meal it is ABUNDANCE!!!!

Bombay Club Eggnog Noel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 large eggs
1 1/8 cups granulated sugar
1 cup half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus some for garnish
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 cup bourbon
1/8 cup brandy
3 large egg whites

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, beat together the eggs and sugar.  Stir in the half and half. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly,  until the mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon with a thin film  and reaches at least 160 degrees F. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cream, nutmeg, vanilla, bourbon and brandy. Cool, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Just before serving, beat the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold them into the eggnog. Serve cold in punch cups and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Shrimp Remoulade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons Creole whole-grain mustard
3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons chopped parsley leves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process for 30 seconds. Use immediately or store. Will keep for several days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

 

Lump Crab Mornay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup freshly grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 pound fresh jumbo lump crabmeat
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Toast points or crackers

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; add onions, and sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Add cream, and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth and sauce begins to bubble. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese until smooth. Stir in sherry, salt, and pepper. Gently fold in crabmeat and parsley. Keep warm in a chafing dish or slow cooker set on WARM or LOW. Serve with toast points or crackers.

 

Wedge Salad with Spicy Pecans and Blue Cheese

 

Serves 8

1/2 cup Steen’s cane vinegar or cider vinegar
1/4 cup Steen’s cane syrup or pure maple syrup
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. minced shallot
Kosher salt
1-1/2 cups plus 2 tsp. olive oil
4 oz. (1 cup) pecan halves
1 Tbs. Creole Seasoning
3/4 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
2 medium heads Bibb lettuce, outer leaves removed, then quartered through the root
Freshly cracked black pepper
6 oz. (1-3/4 cups) blue cheese, crumbled

Put the vinegar, syrup, mustard, 1 tsp. of the shallot, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a blender; blend until combined. With the motor running, slowly and gradually add 1-1/2 cups of the olive oil. Season to taste with more salt, if necessary.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F.

In a large bowl, toss the pecans with the remaining 2 tsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. shallot, the Creole seasoning, and rosemary. Spread in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring once, until a shade darker and very fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely. Using your fingers, break the pecans into pieces.

Arrange the lettuce wedges cut side up on a large platter. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of the dressing, sprinkle with the blue cheese and pecans, and serve with the remaining dressing on the side.

Seafood Gumbo

 

4 to 5 lbs shrimp (with heads on), peeled, retain the heads & shells
8 yellow onions, 4 chopped, 2 quartered
4 ribs celery, 2 chopped, 2 quartered
 5 green bell peppers, chopped
8 to 9 cloves of garlic, minced
3 lbs tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 lb of okra, sliced (1/2-inch slices)
1 stick of butter
1 cup of olive oil (not extra virgin), or canola oil
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Cayenne pepper, to taste
3 bay leaves
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, freshly cracked, to taste
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 lbs lump crabmeat (or claw meat)
2 dozen raw oysters (with their liquor)
1 bunch of parsley (flat-leaf), chopped
Rice
Crystal Hot Sauce, Tabasco, or Louisiana Hot Sauce, to taste

DIRECTIONS FOR THE STOCK:

Peel and devein the shrimp, removing the heads. Refrigerate shrimp until ready to use. Place heads and shells in a stock pot. Quarter 4 onions lengthwise. Half a head of garlic. Cut 2 ribs of celery into 3 to 4 inch pieces. Chop 2 bell peppers. Add 2 gallons of water to the stock pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours. Strain through fine-meshed sieve. Discard shells and veggies. Return stock to pot and set aside.

FOR THE GUMBO:

Chop the yellow onions and the celery. Seed, trim, and chop the bell pepper. Set aside. Peel and seed the tomatoes, chop and set aside. (Alternatively, you can use the equivalent in canned tomatoes). Trim and slice the okra into 1/2-inch slices. Set aside.

Make your roux. Roux is made with equal parts flour and oil. In this recipe, we use a combination of butter and regular olive oil to make the roux. Heat a deep skillet (stainless steel or cast-iron) on medium-high heat (#7.5). Add olive oil to the skillet. Cut up the butter and add to the skillet. When the butter melts and the butter and oil begins to bubble, start adding the flour slowly, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remember to stir constantly to prevent burning or scorching. The roux will quickly change colors. For the gumbo, you want a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate. This should take about 15 minutes.

Once the roux has reached the right color, quickly add the onions, celery, and bell pepper, continuing to stir (with a wooden spoon) until all is mixed well. Sauté the veggies until they soften, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue to sauté, stirring another minute or two.

Bring reserved stock to a boil. Add the veggie-roux mixture to the stock using a large spoon. Stir in the spoonful of mixture until fully integrated before adding another spoonful. Add the tomatoes, okra, bay leaves and thyme. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about an hour or so (even as much as two hours… You’re looking for the roux and the stock to “become one”). Occasionally skim and discard any excess oil that pools on the surface.

Add the reserved shrimp. Allow to simmer for another 2 minutes. Add the crab meat and the oysters. Simmer for another 2 or 3 minutes, until the edges of the oysters start to curl. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add some of the green onions and the parsley (save some so that each guest can add to their bowl according to taste).

Remove bay leaves and discard. Serve in bowls over rice. Sprinkle bowls with green onions and parsley. Have Crystal Hot Sauce or Tabasco on hand, and gumbo filé, in case anyone wants to thicken up their bowl with a dash or two.

Serve with hot French bread.

Traditional Roast Turkey

 

1 fresh turkey, giblets and neck removed
1 stick of butter softened
salt

Remove the bag of giblets and the neck from the cavity of the turkey.  Dry the skin of the turkey using paper towels.  Place the turkey in a roasting pan breast side up.  Rub the skin all over with softened butter.  Lightly salt the turkey and place in a preheated 350 degree oven.  Roasting time will depend on the size and wright of the turkey.  Allow approximately15 minutes for each pound that the turkey weighs.  Baste the turkey with melted butter and or pan juices about once every hour until the turkey is done and golden brown.  The turkey is fully cooked when you can stick a fork between the leg and thigh and the juices are clear, or when the leg can easily move when you wiggle it.

Allow the turkey to sit for 20 minutes before carving it.

 

Root Beer Glazed Roast Ham

 

1
(4 lb) cured smoked ham
1⁄2
teaspoon dry mustard
3⁄4
cup dark brown sugar
24 
ounces Barq root beer (two cans)
1 1⁄2
 tablespoons tabasco caribbean style steak sauce
6 
cloves
1 
cinnamon stick
1⁄2
 orange, juice and zest of
1⁄2 
lemon, rind of

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the ham in a broiling pan and cut shallow gashes in a criss-cross pattern across the top half.

Combine the brown sugar and the dry mustard and pat it all over the ham.
Put the ham in the oven. Combine all the other ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower to a simmer, and cook until the liquid volume is reduced to about one cup.  Strain.  Spoon some of the glaze over the top of the ham. Spoon more glaze, at 15-minute intervals, until it is all gone. Continue baking until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 160-degrees on a meat thermometer.  Remove from oven and allow to rest for about one hour before carving.

 

Oyster Dressing “Grand-mere”

 

 

2 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 stick unsalted butter
1 celery rib, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 small onion, finely diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 large baguettes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch dice (12 cups)
4 dozen shucked oysters plus 1 cup oyster liquor, oysters halved (2 cups)
2 scallions, minced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 10-by-14-inch shallow baking dish. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and let melt, then add the celery, green pepper, onion and minced garlic and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the paprika, garlic powder and cayenne and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Put the diced baguettes in a large bowl. Spoon the bacon mixture on top. Add the oysters and their liquor along with the scallions and parsley.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the hot sauce and salt. Pour the eggs into the bowl and mix everything together. Scrape the dressing into the prepared baking dish and bake in the upper third of the oven for about 45 minutes, until heated through and crisp on top. Serve hot.

The baked oyster dressing can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat before serving.

Mirliton and Shrimp Dressing

 

 

4 mirlitons, halved and seeded (these are also known as chayote squash)
3 tablespoons olive oil
“8 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Leaves from 1 sprig fresh thyme
Leaves from 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
Leaves from 1 sprig fresh sage, chopped
1 pound medium Louisiana or wild American shrimp, peeled, deveined, and finely chopped
1/2 cup crabmeat, picked over
4 cups diced day-old French bread
2 cups Basic Chicken Stock
1/2 teaspoon Basic Creole Spices
1-2 dashes Tabasco
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Rub the mirlitons with oil. Place them on a baking sheet cut side down and bake until they are fork tender and easily peeled, about 45 minutes. Set the mirlitons aside to let rest until they are cool enough to handle, then peel and cut them into 1-inch pieces.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Increase heat to medium-high, add the fresh herbs and shrimp, and stir frequently, until shrimp are just cooked, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the crabmeat. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the diced mirlitons and the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.

Spoon the dressing into a large buttered baking dish and bake until golden brown, 20-30 minutes.

 

Sweet Potato Fluff Casserole
Serves 6

3 sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
½ cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
½ cup maple syrup
3 eggs
½ cup half and half
1 cup coconut (optional)
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix well the sweet potatoes, butter, sugar, syrup, and  half and half.  Place in a buttered baking dish.  Top with nuts and coconut if using.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

 

Spinach Madeleine

 

2 10 ounce packages frozen chopped spinach
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 5 ounce can evaporated milk
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon fresh minced jalapeno pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon celery salt
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste
3/4 cup Panko-style bread crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter


Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain and reserve cooking liquid.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour, stirring until mixture is smooth and blended. Add onion and cook until soft, but not brown.

In a measuring cup, combine milk with enough reserved spinach liquor to make 1 cup liquid. Add liquid slowly to onion-flour mixture, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add cream cheese, jalapeno pepper, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, garlic salt, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir until cheese is melted. Combine with cooked spinach. Place mixture in a casserole dish.

Combine bread crumbs and melted butter. Scatter over spinach mixture.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until bread crumbs are browned.

Creole Bread Pudding with Bourbon Crème Anglaise
Serves 12

 

 

 

10 large eggs
2-3/4 cups whole milk
2-3/4 cups heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
8 oz. day-old thin-crusted white bread (such as New Orleans-style French or Italian bread), cut
into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
3/4 cup raisins
1-1/4 oz. (2-1/2 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Whisk the eggs in a large measuring cup or bowl with a spout until lightly beaten. Whisk in the milk, cream, 3/4 cup of the sugar, 3/4 tsp. of the cinnamon, the nutmeg, and salt until the sugar dissolves.

Divide the bread and raisins evenly among twelve 6-oz. ramekins. Pour the custard over the top of each ramekin until almost full. Submerge the bread to help soak up the custard. Let sit for 10 minutes, then pour any remaining custard into the ramekins until almost full. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 and up to 12 hours.

Let the puddings sit at room temperature for 1-1/2 hours.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 3/4 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. Evenly dot the tops of the puddings with the butter and sprinkle them with the cinnamon sugar. Set the ramekins in a shallow roasting pan and add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides. Bake until browned on top and a knife inserted in the center comes out barely clean, about 40 minutes. Let the puddings cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature.

Bourbon Crème Anglaise
1 vanilla bean
2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup bourbon

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape its seeds into a 2-quart saucepan, then add the pod and the milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring once or twice with a wooden spoon.

Meanwhile, whisk the sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is pale yellow.

Whisk a little of the hot milk into the yolk mixture to warm it, and then slowly whisk in the rest of the milk. Pour the milk-yolk mixture back into the saucepan, turn the heat down to low, and cook, stirring and scraping into the corners of the pan, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and holds a trail when you run your finger across it (an instant-read thermometer should register from 170°F to 175°F), about 2 minutes. Immediately strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl.

Fill a large bowl with a few inches of ice water, then set the bowl of crème anglaise into the ice bath to quickly chill it. Stir occasionally until cool, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bourbon. Serve right away or refrigerate for up to 1 week in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                        Pecan Pie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                    Buche Noel

 

 

 

 

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