COCONUT SHRIMP

COCONUT BEER SHRIMP

1 lb. unpeeled med. fresh shrimp
3/4 c. pancake mix
3/4 c. beer
1 tbsp. coconut milk
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 c. coconut flakes
Light vegetable oiL

Peel and devein shrimp; rinse well. Combine pancake mix, beer and coconut milk and mix well. Dredge shrimp in flour, shake off excess. Dip into batter then dredge coated shrimp in coconut. Heat oil in saucepan (2" to 3" deep) to 350 degrees. Fry 5 to 6 shrimp at a time approximately 35 to 45 seconds on each side and golden brown. Drain on paper towel and serve.

Serve with Sweet Chili Sauce.

Meat Pies

Natchitoches Meat Pies

For the Filling:
2 Tbsp Butter

½ lb Ground Beef
½ lb Ground Pork
½ Cup Spanish Onion, finely diced
½ Cup Red Bell Pepper, finely diced
¼ Cup Celery, finely diced
½ Cup Green Onions
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Crystal Hot Sauce
Kosher salt, black pepper, and Cayenne to taste.
½ Cup Beef Stock
1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour

Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat, when hot add the ground meats, cook until browned and cooked through. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, and green onions, cook until the vegetables are wilted. Add the garlic, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and seasonings, cook for 2 minutes more. Make a slurry of the stock and flour, add to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for about 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

For the dough:
4 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 tsp Iodized Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
½ Cup Lard
1 Egg
1 Cup Milk

Combine the dry ingredients in the mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, with the speed on low add the lard to the dry ingredients and let the mixer cut it in until the fat is broken up into pea sized pieces. Beat the egg and combine with the milk. Add the wet to the dry with the mixer on low, in a slow steady stream. Mix until the dough just comes together. The key is to not overwork the dough.

Cut the dough in half then roll it out to ⅛ inch thickness on a floured counter. Cut into either the more traditional 5 inch circles or as I did about 3 circles, I used an empty French Market Coffee can. 

To assemble and cook:

Place 1 heaping Tablespoon (doubled for the larger size) of the cooled mixture to each circle. With your finger wet the edge with a little water, fold over and crimp with a fork. Set aside on a floured surface until ready to fry.

Heat 4 inches of oil in a dutch oven to 360 degrees. Fry the meat pies in small batches until golden.

Sauce: Mix together equal parts of sour cream and mayonnaise, throw in mustard to taste, fresh garlic and cayenne.

CATFISH CEVICHE

Catfish Ceviche
Words Fail Me...

Serve with corn chips. I especially like the cup-shaped ones for this.

1 lb U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish fillets, cut in to 1/4-inch pieces (the smaller the better-hard to do but worth the effort)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
½ cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup seeded and diced ripe tomato
½ cup finely diced red onion
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon oregano leaves
1 jalapeno, seeded, deveined, and minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced

In a large reseal able food-storage bag, combine the fish with the lemon and lime zests and juices. Allow to marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 18 hours, turning every once and a while to mix.

Thirty minutes before serving, drain the fish and discard the liquid. Put the fish in a large mixing bowl and add the olive oil, tomato, red onion, garlic, cilantro, oregano, jalapeno, salt, sugar, and avocado. Mix gently, cover, and chill until ready to serve.


Serves 6

PEANUT BUTTER PIE

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped
topping, thawed
2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker
crusts

1. Beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
2. Spoon into two 9 inch graham cracker pie shells; cover, and freeze until firm. Serve frozen with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup as a sauce.

ROAST BEEF PO'BOY with DEBRIS GRAVY

I’ve found that I like a mixture of Beef Stock, Chicken Stock, and water for my braising liquid. The reason I don’t use straight Beef Stock is that I make an extremely rich one, and I reduce my gravy instead of using a thickening agent. When all is said and done, the gravy was just too much of a good thing, too intense. This way comes out just right. Extremely Beefy and delicious!
Here is the recipe:

Roast Beef Po’ Boy with Debris Gravy 

For the Roast:
1 Beef Chuck Roast (this one was 2 ½ pounds)
2 Garlic Cloves thinly sliced
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
Cayenne
3 Tbsp Lard or Vegetable Oil
1 Small Onion, Diced
1 Small Carrot, Diced
1 Cup Beef Stock
1 Cup Chicken Stock
Water if necessary
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Hot Sauce
2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
1 Fresh Bay Leaf
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Cut small slits into the roast, about every 3 inches, try not to pierce all the way to the bottom. Stuff the sliced garlic into the slits.
Season the Roast very liberally on all sides with the Salt & Black Pepper, season with Cayenne to your taste, I don’t use much.

Heat the fat in a heavy bottomed Dutch Oven over high heat, when the oil starts to smoke, wait a few more seconds, then carefully add the Roast cut side down. Brown very well on all sides, without burning it. Remove to a plate.

Drain off all but 1 Tbsp of the fat in the pan, add the onions and carrots, cook until the onions just start to brown, place the roast back in the pan, then add the stocks. Finish, if necessary, with enough water to bring the cooking liquid 3/4 of the way up the roast. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then back down to a simmer. Simmer covered for 3-4 hours or until the meat falls apart by staring at it.

For the Debris Gravy:
Carve the meat into very thin slices, it will be hard to do and will fall apart, that is good. All of the bits and pieces, that fall off are your Debris (pronounced DAY-bree.) Add all of the bits and chunks to you cooking liquid after skimming off the fat from the surface, keep the carved meat with a little liquid on a warm plate, covered tightly with plastic wrap. Bring the gravy to a full boil and reduce until it coats the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Po’ Boy:
New Orleans Style French Bread (Po’ Boys are generally about 9-10 inches long per sandwich. As you can see I made mine a bit smaller, shame on me.) Cut the bread 3/4 of the way through leaving a hinge (as seen in the background of the pic.) I find the hinge makes for slightly, easier eating.
Shredded Lettuce (or Cabbage a la Mothers)
Mayonnaise
Roast Beef (see above)
Debris Gravy

Slather the bread with a very generous portion of Mayonnaise on the inside of the upper and lower halves. Place about a cup of Shredded Lettuce on the bottom half. Cover the lettuce with a generous portion of the “sliced” Beef. Drown the beef with Debris Gravy.