LEMON CAKE

Lemon Cake

FOR THE CAKE AND SYRUP:

16 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans

2 1/2 cups cake flour, plus more for pans, sifted

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 tbsp. lemon zest

4 eggs

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

FOR THE FROSTING:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup lemon zest

1 tsp. kosher salt

10 egg yolks

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Make the cake: Heat oven to 350°. Butter and flour two 9″ cake pans, and set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Whisk together milk and vanilla in a bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and zest on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, alternately add dry ingredients in 3 batches and wet ingredients in 2 batches. Increase speed to high and beat until batter is smooth, about 5 seconds. Divide batter between prepared pans, and smooth top with a rubber spatula; drop pans lightly on a counter to expel any large air bubbles. Bake cakes until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cakes cool for 20 minutes in pans; invert onto wire racks, and let cool. Using a serrated knife, halve each cake horizontally to produce four layers; set aside. Bring remaining sugar and juice to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat, and set syrup aside.

Make the frosting: Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, zest, and salt in a 4-qt. saucepan. Add yolks, and whisk until smooth; stir in juice. Stirring often, bring to a boil over medium heat; cook, stirring constantly, until very thick, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool, and transfer to a bowl; chill the lemon curd. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat butter and 1/4 of the curd on medium-high speed until fluffy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add half the remaining curd, beating until smooth, and then add remaining curd and vanilla. Increase speed to high; beat frosting until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

To assemble, place one cake layer on a cake stand, drizzle with 2 tbsp. syrup, and spread with 3/4 cup frosting; top with another cake, drizzle with 2 tbsp. syrup, and spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Place another cake over the frosting, drizzle with 2 tbsp. syrup, and spread with 3/4 cup frosting; top with remaining cake, and drizzle with remaining syrup. Cover top and sides with remaining frosting; chill cake to firm frosting. Serve at room temperature.

BURGERS au POIVRE

Burgers au Poivre

   And White Remoulade Sauce

So simple but so good they are guaranteed to make you a legend,

You can grill these burgers if you like but the pepper won't adhere as well as it does when pan roasted.

   Makes 4 Burgers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Mix and form:

1 1/2 lb. ground chuck

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp.  Kosher salt

Coat with:

Dijon mustard,

then put 1 cup of crushed peppercorns on a plate and press the mustard coated burgers firmly into the crushed peppercorns.

Sear pepper coated burgers in 2 Tbsp.  Olive oil;

Top each burger with

A nice fat slice of Swiss cheese then pop the burgers, in their pan, into the oven and roast about six minutes for medium.

Serve on warmed baguette slices with lettuce, tomato and white Remoulade .

White Remoulade Sauce

Makes about a cup

Combine:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. minced green onion

2Tbsp. White wine vinegar

Salt to taste

COCON de LAIT PoBOYS and PEPPER VINEGAR

Cochon de Lait PoBoy

Do This in the Crockpot!

1 (5-6 lb.) pork butt

6 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 c. Sliced green onion

1/8 tsp. thyme

1/8 tsp. basil

1 Tbsp. salt

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1jalapeño pepper, chopped

Stab pork in about 8 places with a paring knife but don't go all the way through.  Combine other ingredients and stuff them into the holes.  Salt and pepper the roast and either smoke it or roast it in the oven at around 225 degrees (that's low In the crockpot) for around 12 hours.  It should be really tender.

Pull the meat away from the fat and discard the fat.  Slice the meat as thinly as you can rather than chop it.  Put some shredded cabbage or coleslaw on some French bread then top with meat.  You can anoint it with hot sauce, barbeque sauce or a coarse mustard mayonnaise (4 parts mayo to 1 part coarse seeded mustard-add some minced garlic, adicec green onion or two if you like).  Use your imagination and tour taste buds. Have fun.

Pepper Vinegar

... is a snappy condiment for barbecue and barbecue-related foods. What couldn’t you dress up with a bottle of vinegar flavored with hot chiles?

It’s easy to make your own. Use a sterilized narrow-necked bottle; fill with any combination of small chiles (birds eye, tabasco, and cayenne are common) after piercing each pepper pod with a sterilized needle so that the vinegar can get into each pepper pod and NOT  FLOAT.  Heat white or cider vinegar and pour over the peppers. Close tightly and let sit in a cool place for a couple of weeks before using. Just replenish the vinegar in the bottle as you use it up. If you want to increase the heat,   Purée 2 T kosher salt and a small handful of chiles in a blender and put the puree in the bottle with the whole peppers and vinegar.

Vinegar is a preservative, so you needn’t worry about the peppers going bad.

Pepper vinegar is a snappy condiment for barbecue and barbecue-related foods. No "mess" of greens was ready to serve without abottle on the table.  Fried chicken in particular takes on a sassy personality after being doused with Hot Pepper Vinegar.  What couldn’t you dress up with a bottle of vinegar flavored with hot chiles?  The longer it sits, the more 

Personality it takes on.  Needs no refrigeration.

This is the OLD New Orleans way that was common all over the South.  

PASTALAYA

PASTALAYA

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

·         2 tablespoons butter

·         1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

·         1 pound andouille or smoked sausage, cut into ½-inch rounds

·         2 cups Trinity, recipe follows

·         2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

·         1 cup chicken broth

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         2 tablespoons Creole Seasoning, recipe follows

·         1 pound linguine, cooked and kept warm

·         ¼ cup chopped green onion

1. In a large Dutch oven, melt

butter over medium-high heat.

Add chicken and sausage; cook

until lightly browned, about 5

minutes. Remove and set aside.

2. Add Trinity to pot and cook until

softened, stirring occasionally,

6 to 7 minutes.

3. Add chicken and sausage,

tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic,

and Creole Seasoning to pan. Bring

mixture to a boil, then reduce heat

to medium, cover, and simmer until

chicken is cooked through, about

15 minutes.

4. Stir in cooked pasta and green

onion.

TRINITY

MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS

·         1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

·         1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)

·         2 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)

1. In a medium bowl, combine onion,

bell pepper, and celery. Refrigerate in

an airtight container up to 3 days or

freeze up to 3 months.

CREOLE SEASONING

MAKES 1½ CUPS

·         5 tablespoons sweet paprika

·         2 tablespoons salt

·         2 tablespoons onion powder

·         2 tablespoons garlic powder

·         2 tablespoons dried oregano

·         2 tablespoons dried basil

·         1 tablespoon ground white pepper

·         1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves

·         1 tablespoon celery seeds

·         1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

·         1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1. In a medium bowl, combine paprika,

salt, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano,

basil, white pepper, thyme, celery

seeds, cayenne, and black pepper. Store

in an airtight container.

PISTOLETTE ROLLS

PISTOLETTE ROLLS

For the 2 Hour Sponge:

•  1 cup of warm water (100 to 110 degrees)

•  2-1/2 teaspoons of rapid-rise yeast

•  Pinch of granulated sugar

•  1-1/2 cups of bread flour*

For the Dough:

•  1 cup of warm water (100 to 110 degrees)

•  1 tablespoon of honey

•  3 tablespoons of olive oil

•  2-1/2 teaspoons of salt

•  4 cups of bread flour

Instructions

Proof the yeast by combining with the warm water and a pinch of sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes. Put the bread flour in your mixer bowl and stir in the water and yeast mixture. Cover the entire mixer bowl with a thick towel and let sponge bubble up for 2 hours. Okay to stir down if it begins to bubble up out of the bowl.

To the sponge, add the water, honey, olive oil, salt and flour; stir to combine. Using dough hook, knead on low speed for 8 to 10 minutes until you have a good, elastic dough. Remove dough hook, spray top of dough with non-stick spray and cover entire mixer with a large, clear plastic bag and allow to rise 45 to 90 minutes or until about doubled.

Cover a baking pan with quick spritz of non stick spray and place a sheet of parchment paper in the pan. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and pull off 12 equal pieces of dough. Shape into oval rolls and place on parchment paper about an inch or so apart. Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place on top of rolls to keep them from drying out and set in a draft free spot to allow to rise about 20 to 30 minutes until they puff up.

Preheat oven in the meantime to 400 degrees F. If a crusty bottom is desired, place a baking stone in the lowest part of the oven when you preheat. You may also score rolls across the top or snip with scissors for a decorative affect if desired.

Before placing the rolls in the oven, spritz them very lightly with water, place in oven and spritz inside of oven also to create a more crispy crust. For softer and shiny rolls, brush tops with melted butter or oil before baking.

Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes until rolls are brown

GATEAU de SYROP

GATEAU de SYROP

1 stick (4 ounces) butter, slightly softened at room temperature, more for buttering pan

2 cups flour, more for pan

½ cup sugar

2 cups cane syrup, preferably Steen’s, or Golden Syrup,more for serving

2 eggs 
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
optional
½ cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans, for serving

Whipped cream, for serving.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Thickly butter and flour a tube pan, large loaf pan or 13-by-9-inch baking pan. In a mixer, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Mix in syrup and eggs.

2. In a bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add half of this mixture and half the buttermilk to syrup mixture and mix. Repeat, then mix in vanilla, if using.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 45 to 60 minutes, until springy to the touch. Cool in pan on rack. Serve in slices or squares, with a dollop of whipped cream, a sprinkling of chopped nuts and a drizzle of cane syrup on top.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

SWEET and SPICY CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Drumsticks

1/2 cup Sriracha

1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

1/4 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)

1/4 cup red currant or strawberry jelly

12 large chicken drumsticks

Kosher salt

1 cup rice flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

6 servings, 

PREPARATION

Bring Sriracha, rice vinegar, mirin, and jelly to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, adjusting heat if necessary, until mixture is thick and reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm before using.

Place drumsticks in a large bowl and season generously with salt. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450°. Whisk rice flour and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Using a paper towel, pat drumsticks dry. Dredge in rice flour mixture, shaking off excess. Arrange on prepared rack.

Roast drumsticks, turning frequently, until skin is browned and crisp, 50–60 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool, cover, and chill. Rewarm in a 450° oven for 10–15 minutes before continuing.

Combine hot drumsticks and 1/4 cup sauce in a large bowl; toss to coat. Return drumsticks to rack and roast, turning once, until skin is crisp and sauce is beginning to brown, 8–9 minutes. Brush with additional sauce and serve remaining sauce alongside.