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Some of the best food I have ever had was when I visited
New Orleans a couple years ago so when my Mardi
Gras plans for this year fell through I decided, on Fat
Tuesday, to bring New Orleans to me with some of their
staple foods. Oh and you better believe I was listening to the
Princess and the Frog playlist on repeat while I was making
all of it. “And I’m almost there. I’m almost there. People
gonna come here from everywhere. And I’ma almost there…”
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Beignets – Binging with Babish
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The first food I knew I was going to make were of
course, beignets. I had my first ever beignet at Cafe Du
Monde in New Orleans and it was a life changing experience.
However, it was also the last time I ate a beignet, let alone
made them from scratch. So I put the frying skills I developed
from years of helping make rosettes in the Pilsen church
basement to work and created some pillowy and delicious
fried masterpieces that were very close to the beignets
from Cafe Du Monde.
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Recipe
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Ingredients:
½ cup whole milk
1 ½ cups buttermilk, chilled
4 tsp active dry yeast
2 ½ Tbsp granulated sugar
22 ounces bread flour (about 5 cups plus 2 Tbsp), plus more for dusting
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp Kosher salt
Vegetable oil, for greasing and frying
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Honey, for drizzling (optional)
Steps:
In a small saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil over medium heat.
Pour into a heatproof liquid measuring cup and stir in the buttermilk
until tepid. Whisk in the yeast and sugar until dissolved and set aside for 10 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk
together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Replace the whisk attachment
with the dough hook. Add the buttermilk mixture and knead on medium
speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until a sticky dough forms. Transfer to a large
oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Fill a large Dutch oven with vegetable oil to a depth of 3 inches. Heat
over medium-high heat to 370 degrees F.
Scrape the dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Roll it out to
¼ to ½ inch thick and, using a pizza cutter, cut it into 3 x 5 inch
rectangles. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pot, carefully
lower the dough rectangles into the hot oil and fry for 1 to 2 minutes, then
flip and fry for 30 seconds more, or until golden brown and puffed.
Using a spider, transfer the beignets to a wire rack over paper towels to drain.
Transfer the beignets to a plate, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and
serve hot. If desired, drizzle with honey for Princess and the Frog style beignets.
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Spinach Artichoke Dip Bread Skillet – Tasty Ultimate
Shrimp Gumbo – Binging with Babish
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For the main meal I made a variation of the spinach and
artichoke dip bread skillet from Tasty Ultimate and a
chicken and andouille sausage gumbo (a variation on shrimp gumbo
inspired by Forrest Gump). My house smelled criminally
good and the food was soul cleansing. I honestly wish the
gumbo wasn’t so time consuming to make because I truly
think I could eat it for every meal.
Recipe:
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Gumbo Recipe
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Ingredients:
½ cup plus 1 tsp vegetable oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled (shells reserved) and deveined
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 celery stalks, finely diced
1 small white onion, finely diced
1 cup sliced fresh or frozen okra (thawed if frozen)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
8 ounces andouille sausage or smoked kielbasa, sliced
3 bay leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces long-grain white rice, cooked, for serving
½ cup packed fresh parsley, finely chopped
Sliced scallions, for garnish
Steps:
In a medium saucepan, heat the 1 tsp of vegetable oil over
medium-high heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add the
shrimp shells and cook, stirring, until pink, about 2 minutes. Add
4 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to
medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the stock through
a fine-mesh sieve and set aside. Discard the shells.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the remaining ½ cup vegetable oil over
medium heat until shimmering, about 1 minute. Add the flour and
cook, whisking continuously, until a deep-brown roux resembling
dark chocolate forms, 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the temperature).
Reduce the heat if the roux darkens too quickly.
Add the celery, bell pepper, onion, and okra to the roux and cook over
medium heat, stirring continuously, until the vegetables have
softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until
fragrant, about 1 minute. While whisking continuously, slowly stream
in the shrimp stock. Don’t be discouraged if the gumbo separates – with
some brisk whisking it will smooth out over the following hour of cooking.
Whisk in the paprika and cayenne. Add the sausage and bay leaves, reduce
the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until
the flavors are deep and well incorporated. Add the shrimp and simmer
for 10 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Remove and discard
the bay leaves, and season with salt and black pepper.
For each serving, mound rice in a bowl and ladle the gumbo around
the rice. Garnish with parsley and scallions, and serve.
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Have you ever been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans?
What was your favorite part? Any tips for when I go
(cause believe me….I am going one of these days!)? Have you
ever had a beignet (pronounced “Ben-Yay”) before? I was
so surprised by how many people had never heard of these
tasty delights let alone had one! Let me know all this and whatever
else you want to share in the comments! I would love
to hear from you!
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