Crawfish Stew... 2 Spiced Fig Cake... 2 Fig Filling... 3 Doberge Cake... 3 Lemon Filling... 4 Jumbo Pralines... 5 French Bread... 5 Cajun Crab Stuffed Pepperoncini... 6 Sweet Potato and Apple Salad... 7 Pineapple-Rum Tea Punch... 7 Crawfish Etouffee... 8
Crawfish Stew 12 ounces fresh or frozen peeled Thaw shrimp or crawfish, if frozen. crawfish tails or shrimp ¼ cup all-purpose flour cooking oil ½ cup chopped onion ¼ cup chopped green pepper ¼ cup chopped celery In a heavy 2 quart saucepan stir flour and ¼ cup oil together until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir about 10 minutes more or until a reddish-brown roux forms. It should be the color of a copper penny. Add onion, green pepper and celery. Cook 3-5 minutes or till tender. 2 cups shrimp stock or chicken broth Add stock or broth, salt, peppers and bring ½ teaspoon salt to boiling. Add crawfish or shrimp. Simmer ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper uncovered for 1 to 3 minutes or till crawfish 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper are tender or the shrimp turns pink. 2 tablespoons crawfish fat (optional) Stir in crawfish fat, if desired. Hot cooked rice Serve over hot rice. Makes 4 servings. Spiced Fig Cake 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup butter or margarine 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 4 eggs 1 cup Fig Filling 3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk Powdered sugar Grease and lightly flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan. Set aside. In a bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. In a large mixer bowl beat butter or margarine with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds Add sugar and 2
vanilla. Beat till fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed 1 minute after each. In a small bowl stir together Fig Filling and buttermilk or sour milk. Add dry ingredients and fig mixture alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just till mixture is combined. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake in a 350 oven for 45 to 50 minutes or till cake tests done. Place cake on a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool on rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Makes 12 servings. Fig Filling in a medium saucepan combine 1 cup snipped figs 1 cup water bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in: 1/3 cup light corn syrup. Mix together 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup all-purpose flour dash of salt. Stir into fig mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in one tablespoon lemon juice. Cool. Makes 1 ¾ cups. Doberge Cake 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1/4 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 egg yolks 3/4 cup milk 3 stiff-beaten egg whites Lemon Filling (see recipe, below) 3
Prepare and cool the Lemon Filling. Grease and lightly flour three 8 inch round baking pans. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixer bowl beat butter or margarine and shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating till light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating 1 minute after each. Add dry ingredients and milk alternately to beaten mixture, beating after each addition till blended. Gently fold in egg whites by hand. To make the 6 cake layers, transfer a generous 3/4cup of batter into each prepared pan, spreading evenly over the bottom of pan. Bake in a 375 oven for 10 to 12 minutes or till cakes test done. Cool 5 minutes in pans. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. Wash, grease, and flour pans. Spoon the remaining batter into the 3 pans. Bake and cool as directed above. To assemble, place 1 cake layer on serving plate. Spread a scant 1/2 cup Lemon Filling evenly atop. Repeat with 4 more layers and filling. Top with final layer. Cover and chill thoroughly. Spread Lemon Icing over top and sides of cake. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Before serving, sprinkle top with shredded lemon peel, if desired. Makes 16 servings. Lemon Filling In a saucepan combine 1 1/4 cups sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour dash salt. Stir in 1 1/2 cups coldwater. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into 3 beaten egg yolks. Return mixture to saucepan. Bring mixture to a gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter or margarine and ½ teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel. Gradually stir in 4
1/3 cup lemon juice. Mix well. Cover surface with clear plastic wrap. Cool the mixture to room temperature without stirring. Jumbo Pralines 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 1 cup light cream 3 tablespoons butter 2 cups pecan halves (8 ounces) Butter the sides of a heavy 2-quart saucepan. In the saucepan combine sugar, brown sugar, and cream. Cook over medium-high heat to boiling, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to dissolve sugars. This should take 6 to 8 minutes. Avoid splashing the mixture on sides of the pan. Carefully clip a candy thermometer to pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, till thermometer registers 234, soft-ball stage. Mixture should boil at a moderate, steady rate over entire surface. Reaching soft-ball stage should take 18 to 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add butter but do not stir. Cool, without stirring, to 150 (about 30 minutes).remove thermometer. Immediately stir in pecans. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon till candy is just beginning to thicken but is still glossy. This should take 2 to 3 minutes. Drop about 2 tablespoons candy from a large serving spoon onto baking sheets lined with waxed paper, forming 3 inch pralines. If candy becomes too stiff to drop, stirring a few drops of hot water. Stir in a tightly covered container. Makes 15 large pralines French Bread Classic Four Ingredient Bread Recipe Here's a recipe for French bread, that classic Gallic treat: delicious, versatile, and impressive when made at home. But it's actually very simple to make! Just five ingredients are all you need. Yeast, flour, water, salt, and sugar combine to make your whole house smell like a French bakery. There are just a couple of rules to follow. 5
Use a thermometer to take the temperature of the water. Yeast is a living organism and water that is too hot will kill it; then your bread won't rise. Knead for the amount of time specified in the recipe. And make sure that your oven temperature is accurate. An oven thermometer is a good investment. Enjoy this bread! 2 packages dry yeast 2-1/2 cups warm water 1 tsp. sugar 6 cups all purpose flour 1-1/2 tsp. salt Make sure water temperature is 110 to 115 degrees F. Place water in a large bowl and sprinkle with yeast and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes until yeast dissolves and starts to bubble. Stir in 2 cups flour and salt. Cover and let rise for 1/2 hour. Then gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. (Knead by pressing on the dough, then folding over and pressing with the heel of your hand.) Then clean the large mixing bowl, grease it with solid shortening, and place the dough in the bowl. Turn it in the bowl so the dough is greased (this prevents the top from cracking as it rises). Cover the dough and let rise at room temperature for about 2-1/2 hours, until doubled in bulk. With your fist, punch down the dough. Divide in half and place one half on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a 12x6" rectangle. Starting with the 12" side, roll up tightly. Seal seams and edges by pinching. Repeat with remaining dough. Grease a cookie sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves on prepared sheet. Cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray the loaves with a bit of water, then using a blade, made a few slashes across the top of each loaf. Bake at 425 degrees F for 25-30 minutes until loaves are golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool on wire rack. Cajun Crab Stuffed Pepperoncini 36 pepperoncini 1 pound cream cheese, room temperature 8 ounces crab claw meat, shredded 1 1/2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning 1 tablespoon hot sauce 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves Chopped fresh parsley leaves Cut the stem end off the pepperoncini and carefully scrape out the seeds. Set aside. 6
Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the crab and continue to mix. Add the Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, and thyme and mix until blended. Place the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe into the seeded pepperoncini. Dip the cream cheese end of the pepperoncini in the chopped parsley before serving and transfer directly to a serving tray. Cook's Note: If you don't have a pastry bag, use a large zipping plastic bag with one corner cut off. Sweet Potato and Apple Salad The nifty thing about this refreshing salad is... the sweet potatoes are raw. Yes, it can be done! This salad is similar to one created by Charlie Myers at The Gumbo Pot at the Farmer's Market in Los Angeles. It has to be made in advance and sit overnight, so that the raw sweet potatoes can soften and all the flavors can meld properly. 4 cups peeled and grated sweet potatoes (yams) 2 tart green apples (Granny Smith or Pippin), peeled, cored and chopped 1/2 cup dried red currants 1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted Juice of 1 orange Juice of 1 lime 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 cloves garlic, finely minced Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1/3 cup olive oil Mix the sweet potatoes, apples, currants and pecans in a large bowl. Combine the juices, vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk together, then add the oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Pour over the salad, toss well to combine well, then refrigerate overnight before serving. YIELD: 6-8 servings. Pineapple-Rum Tea Punch 2 cups boiling water 2 tbs loose tea or 6 tea bags 2 tbs honey 2 cups pineapple juice 1/4 cup lemon juice 2-1/2 tsp mint flavoring 2 cups rum 1 qt ginger ale Clove-studded lemon slices Pour boiling water over the tea. Brew 4 minutes. Stir and strain into container holding honey. Stir to dissolve honey. Add fruit juices, mint flavoring and rum. When ready to serve, pour over 7
ice cubes or block of ice in punch bowl. Add ginger ale. Garnish with clove-studded lemon slices. Makes 20 to 24 punch cup servings. Crawfish Etouffee 1 pound fresh or frozen peeled crawfish tails or shrimp 2 large onions, finely chopped 1/2 cups 1 cup finely chopped celery ½ cup finely chopped green pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup cooking oil, butter, or margarine 2 tablespoons crawfish fat, butter, or margarine 4 tsp cornstarch 1 cup water 1/2 cup tomato sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt ¼ - ½ teaspoon ground red pepper ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper Hot cooked rice Thaw crawfish tails or shrimp, if frozen. In a heavy 3-quart saucepan cook onions, celery, green pepper, and garlic, covered, in oil, butter, or margarine about 10 minutes or till tender. Add crawfish fat, butter, or margarine, stirring till melted. Stir in cornstarch. Stir in crawfish or shrimp, water, tomato sauce, salt, red pepper, and black pepper. Bring mixture to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or till crawfish are tender or shrimp turn pink. Serve with hot cooked rice. Makes 4 servings. 8