BOULETTES

Boulettes 
Makes 6 large meatballs

1 slice of day-old white or French bread
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1 pound ground chuck
1/4 pound ground pork
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons (more or less to taste) hot sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
1 egg, beaten
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and roasted until soft
1/2 cup all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and cayenne
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup water or beef broth

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Tear the bread into small chunks and put them in a small mixing bowl. Add the milk, just enough to dampen the bread. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the chuck and pork. Add the salt, cayenne, black pepper, hot sauce, onions, and the egg. Work in the dampened bread and mix well. 

Form the mixture into six large balls. Insert the garlic into the center of the balls and pinch closed. Dredge the meatballs in the flour and shake off any excess.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown the meatballs, turning them several times, and cook for about 15 minutes. Drain off any excess oil. Add the water or broth, cover the skillet with a lid and transfer to the oven to cook for about 30 minutes. Serve warm.
*
Nannan and I usually ate our boulettes with rice, but I sometimes serve them with buttered noodles. Your choice.

GRADOUX

Smothered Round Steak
Makes 8 servings

2-1/2 pounds round steak, thinly sliced
Salt, black pepper and red pepper to taste
Favorite Cajun/Creole seasoning mix
1/4 cup flour, plus more if needed
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
Cooked grits, biscuits or rice for serving
Chopped parsley and tops of green onions (optional)

Season meat with salt, peppers and seasoning mix and dredge lightly with flour. Heat oil in a heavy pot. Add meat and brown; debris should stick to the bottom of the pot.
Remove meat. Add onions and bell pepper. Saute until slightly wilted. Add minimal amounts of water at a time, stirring and removing the gradoux off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spatula; this is the gravy that will start to form. Add enough water to make the amount of gravy needed.
Sprinkle small amounts of flour in to thicken if desired. Add and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and cook until meat is tender, 45 to 60 minutes. If gravy is too thick, add more water. When finished, gravy should be a medium-brown. Some cooks add parsley and onion tops in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Serve over cooked grits, biscuits or rice.

TASSO and SEASONING BLEND

TASSO, SEASONING BLEND

3 cups seasoning blend, (recipe below), combined with:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup paprika

1 whole pork butt, cut into 1-inch strips

Cut the meat from the bone, slice into 1" thick pieces. Coat each piece with the spices. Refrigerate for two days to cure. Smoke at 200 degrees for 8 hours. Any very small pieces just pat out into a burger shape or put on skewers so they don’t get lost. Smoke at 200 degrees for 8 hours.

Seasoning Blend:

4 parts salt
3 parts cayenne
3 parts ground black pepper
3 parts granulated garlic
1 part ground cumin
1 part paprika

Mix together and store in an airtight container.

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.

GARDEN BUTTERBEANS

Garden Butter Beans

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped yellow onions

1 tablespoon chopped celery

1/4 cup seeded and chopped green bell peppers

1/4 cup seeded and chopped red bell peppers

1/4 cup seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes

1 pound baby limas, fresh or frozen

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon TABASCO® brand Original Red Sauce

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Heat the oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, limas, and garlic, cover, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the water, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Add the salt, sugar, TABASCO® Sauce, and black pepper, and stir to mix. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes,

Take the egg yolk and, with the tips of your fingers, grab the white nodule that is located around it, slip the pocket off, and let the yolk fall into a small bowl. 

Beat the yolk, then add the flour and beat again to blend. Add 1 tablespoon of the liquid from the bean pot and whisk to blend. Slowly add the mixture to the pot and stir. Cook for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

GLAZED HAM

New Year's Glazed Ham

1 picnic ham (about 10 pounds)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 (15-ounce) can pineapple rings, drained and juice reserved

Maraschino cherries

Whole cloves

Rinse the ham under cool tap water, then put in a deep, heavy pot or Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover the ham, bring to a boil, and let boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat for 1 hour. Skim away any foam that rises to the surface. Remove the ham from the pot and let cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and excess fat.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Put ham in a large roasting pan and bake for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine the honey, brown sugar, mustard, and 1/4 cup of the reserved pineapple juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat.

Remove the ham from the oven and brush the glaze mixture over the ham. Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F and bake for another hour.

Remove from the oven and arrange the pineapple slices with a cherry in the center of each (securing with toothpicks) and dot the top of the ham with the cloves. Return the ham to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

Makes about 12 servings

A baked ham goes a long way at gatherings on New Year's Day. The bone from the ham can always be used later to flavor split pea or white bean soup. 

GINGERSNAP CAKES

 Gingersnap "Cakes"

1/4 cup pure, natural, dark molasses (unsulfured)

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoons very cold water

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the molasses, brown sugar, butter, and water in a large mixing bowl. Stir to blend with a spoon; don't use an electric mixer. In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir together well. It will make a very dry, stiff dough.

On a very lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut out figures or cookies with a cookie cutter. Place them about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake until the cookies are just firm to the touch and begin to color around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake.

Makes about 1 dozen, depending on size of cookies.

"During the sugarcane season, Daddy often bartered with his farmer friends for raw sugar, cane syrup, or the dark, thick molasses from the sugar mills. We often made these little cakes. And later, when my daughter, Susan, was little, we made these for after-school treats. They are simple, but the molasses gives these a special taste that brings many good memories of when I was growing up." 

PAIN PERDU

Pain Perdu

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 to 4 tablespoons butter

8 to 12 slices (each ½-inch-thick) day-old French bread or regular sliced bread

Confectioners’ sugar

Louisiana cane syrup

Combine the eggs, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, ginger, and cinnamon in a medium-size mixing bowl, and mix well.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Dip each bread slice into the batter, turning to coat evenly. Add 2 to 3 slices of the bread at a time to the skillet and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Transfer to a warm platter and repeat the process with the remaining bread, adding more butter as needed.

Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm with Louisiana cane syrup.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

ORANGE WINE

Orange Wine

2 cups white rum

Juice and rinds of 10 oranges

1 cup sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

2 whole cloves

5 whole allspice berries

Pinch of ground anise

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg

Combine all the ingredients in a large glass jar. Cover and let sit for 2 days. The jar should be shaken several times during the 2 days.

Strain through a colander or sieve and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 5 cups.

GOOD LUCK BLACK-EYED PEAS

Good Luck Black-Eyed Peas

1 pound fresh or dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked over

1 cup chopped yellow onions

2 whole garlic cloves, peeled

1 quart water, or more as needed

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon TABASCO® brand Original Red Sauce

1/2 pound smoked sausage or smoked ham, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/2 cup chopped green onions (green and white parts)

Hot cooked long-grain white rice

Combine the peas, onions, garlic, water, salt, black pepper, TABASCO® Sauce, and sausage in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the peas are tender and creamy, 45 minutes for fresh peas and about 2 hours for dried.

Stir in the parsley and green onions and cook for about 2 minutes longer. Serve either over hot cooked rice or mix together with it.

Makes 6 servings

"Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is said to bring you good luck in the coming year, so we eat as many as we can," says Eula Mae. "When I can, I use fresh black-eyed peas, but you can also use dried ones. Now, remember, this has to cook long and slow. You want the final result to be creamy and seasoned just right."

MAQUE CHOUX

Maque Choux

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped yellow onions

1/2 cup seeded and chopped green bell pepper

4 cups corn kernels (canned, fresh, or frozen, thawed)

1 medium-size ripe tomato, peeled and chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon TABASCO® brand Original Red Sauce

Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the corn, tomato, salt and TABASCO® Sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the corn is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes about 4 servings

SMOTHERED CABBAGE

Smothered Cabbage

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 pound salt meat, trimmed, cut into 1-inch cubes, boiled in enough water to cover for 30 minutes, and drained

1 head white cabbage (about 2 pounds), cored and coarsely chopped

1 cup chopped yellow onions

1 cup water

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon TABASCO® brand Original Red Sauce

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the salt meat and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the cabbage, onions, and water; stir to mix, cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Add the sugar, salt, black pepper, and TABASCO® Sauce, and stir to mix. Cover and cook, stirring often, for 30 minutes longer. Serve hot.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

According to local tradition, you must eat cabbage on New Year's Day if you want to be wealthy. Sometimes the cabbage is made into coleslaw, but more often than not, the favored dish is smothered cabbage. 

RICE DRESSING

 Rice Dressing

1/4 cup peanut oil

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 pounds ground beef chuck

1 pound ground pork shoulder

1 pound chicken gizzards, cleaned and ground

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon TABASCO® brand Original Red Sauce

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chopped yellow onion

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup chopped celery

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/2 cup chopped green onions (green and white parts)

1/2 pound chicken livers, cleaned and ground

2 cups raw long-grain white rice, cooked according to package instructions

Heat the oil for 2 minutes in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and, stirring constantly and slowly, make a roux the color of chocolate (see Eula Mae’s Roux). Add the ground beef, pork, and chicken gizzards and season with the salt, TABASCO® Sauce, and black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.

Add the yellow onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens, about 1 hour.

Add the parsley, green onions, and ground livers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the pink in the liver disappears, about 10 minutes. Add the cooked rice and stir to blend well; heat through and serve warm.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

PRALINES

Pralines

4 1/3 cups pecan halves

One (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1 cup heavy cream

4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Put the pecans in a shallow baking pan or rimmed cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake until aromatic, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir, and let cool. Set aside.

Combine the evaporated milk, heavy cream, and sugar in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat and stir to mix. Cook, stirring often, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to cook, stirring often, until it comes to a boil. Add the corn syrup and stir constantly (stay with it - and keep stirring to prevent it from boiling over) until it reaches the soft-ball stage, about 240°F on a candy thermometer. (Drop a small spoonful of the boiling sugar syrup in a cup of cold water. Knead the syrup between your index finger and thumb. It should form a soft ball on your finger.) It will take 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the weather.

Add the pecans and stir to mix. Continue to stir over medium heat until the mixture returns to a rolling boil. It will thicken, and as you stir, you will see a film of sugar begin to form on the inside of the pot as it reaches the soft-ball stage again. (Eula Mae has her own rule about when the syrup is ready - when you lift the spoon and two drops meet as they drip off the bowl of the spoon.) Remove from heat.

Add the vanilla and butter and stir to mix. Continue to stir until the mixture becomes thick and creamy, and sugary around the edge of the mixture, about 15 minutes. The mixture will be a taffy color.

Working quickly, spoon the mixture, about a heaping kitchen spoon at a time, onto the waxed paper. Let cool completely before lifting off with a thin-bladed knife. The pralines can be stored between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Makes about 2 dozen.

It's best to make pralines when the weather is cold and dry, as dampness will delay (or prevent) the candy from setting. "Before you begin, put several layers of old newspaper on your countertop. Then top with a single layer of waxed paper

CHICKEN SAUCE PIQUANTE

Chicken Sauce Piquante
　
5 # stewing hen cut up
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. Salt
1/3 cup oil
3 cups water
2 large onions, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp pepper, black or red
2 cans tomato sauce
2 small cans tomato paste
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 large can mushrooms
3 dozen oysters

Dredge chicken in flour and salt mixture. Brown slowly in hot oil in large heavy Dutch oven. Add 3 cups water. Simmer gently for 1 hour. Add onions, bell pepper, pepper, tomato sauce, tomato paste and stewed tomatoes. Continue to simmer until chicken is nearly tender. Add the oysters, mushrooms, and cook for about 15 minutes more. Serve in Soup bowls. Serves 6 to 8
　
　

PORK CHOPS with BROWNED RICE

Pork chops with Browned Rice

4 to 6 large pork chops
2 Tbsp fat
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups canned tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 1/4 cups water
½ cup chopped green peppers
1 cup chopped onion
1 package frozen okra, thawed and washed

Brown the pork chops in the fat. Remove from the fat. Wash rice, and brown in fat stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, water, green pepper, onion, okra and seasonings. Stir well. Lay browned chops over top. Cover . Bring to a steam, then reduce heat to simmer and cook 40 to 45 minutes. Serves 4.

TART LA BOUILLE

Tart la Bouille
For 2 

• Sweet Dough Pie Shells:
• 1/2 cup(s) sugar
• 1/4 cup(s) butter
• 1  egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla
• 3 cup(s) flour
• 2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/2 cup(s) milk
• 
  
• Filling:
• 1 1/4 cup(s) sugar
• 6 tablespoon(s) flour
• 4  eggs, beaten
• 5 cup(s) milk
• 4 teaspoon(s) vanilla
• 1  recipe Sweet Dough Pie Shells

Tarte à la Bouille (Cream Custard Pie) 

1. Sweet Dough Pie Shells:
   Cream the sugar and butter together. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing well. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt and milk.

Roll out the dough and place it into 2 pie plates, reserving a small amount of dough. Cut the reserved dough into strips to place

SYRUP CUPCAKES

SYRUP CUPCAKES

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups Steen's syrup

1 1/4 cups oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup boiling water with 2 teaspoons soda

2 3/4 cups flour

Mix first 6 ingredients in large mixing bowl then add 1 cup boiling water with 2 teaspoons soda added to it.  Stir well, then gradually add 2 3/4 cups flour.  

Bake in 9x13 inch pan at 350° for 40-45 minutes.

Bake in 2 round pans--at 350° for 30-35 minutes.

Bake as cupcakes--at 325° for 20-25 minutes.

Cupcakes are delicious in lunch boxes and are really better after second day.  Everyone loves these.

Cane syrup, sometimes called "golden syrup," is often used in Caribbean and British cooking. If you don't have any cane syrup at home, you may wonder what you can use in place of it.

Corn Syrup

Light or dark corn syrup can be used as a substitute for cane sugar in many recipes. While it isn't as sweet and doesn't have the same flavor as cane syrup, corn syrup is also more readily available in most supermarkets.

Homemade Sugar Syrup

The authors of OChef.com suggest substituting a homemade syrup made up of 1 and 1/4 cups of sugar combined with 1/3 cup of water. Boil the mixture until it thickens.

Molasses

The Cook's Thesaurus suggests combining two parts light corn syrup to one part molasses to replace cane sugar in a recipe.

Honey

Another substitution for cane syrup suggested by the Cook's Thesaurus is equal parts honey and corn syrup.

Maple Syrup

Maple syrup can also be substituted for cane syrup, but it is thinner than cane syrup and may affect the consistency of the final product.

RICE DRESSING

RICE DRESSING

interchangeable with dirty rice

5 chopped medium onions

1 chopped bell pepper

1 chopped hot pepper

1 chopped mild pepper

2 stalks chopped celery

3 pounds ground beef

1 pound ground pork

1 pound finely chopped chicken livers

1 pound finely chopped chicken giblets

1 cup water

4 dozen oysters

1 quart green onion tops

3 cups cooked rice

Salt to taste

(chicken livers and giblets can be omitted)

Add onions, peppers, and celery to two kichen spoons of roux.  When wilted add pork and ground beef.  Let cook on very low heat two hours.  Add liver and giblets.  Cook thirty minutes.  Add water (1 cup) to keep it moist and not runny.  When you are ready to serve oysters and green onion tops.  Let cook until oysters are done (about 5 minutes).  Add rice to mixture.

The above mixture (without oysters) can be frozen for months.

16 servings

HOG'S HEAD CHEESE

HOG'S HEAD CHEESE

Stock:
4 lb. pork roast
3 c. onions, diced
3 c. celery, diced
2 c. bell pepper, diced fine
1/2 c. garlic, diced fine
2 whole bay leaves
1 tsp. dry thyme
1/4 c. whole peppercorns 

1/2 c. green onions, diced fine
1/2 c. parsley, diced fine
1/2 c. red bell pepper, diced fine
1/2 c. carrots, diced
salt and cracked black pepper
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin, dissolved in 1/2 c. water

In a 4-gallon stockpot, place all ingredients up to and including the whole peppercorns. Add enough water to cover contents by 3-inches and bring to a rolling boil. Using a ladle, skim all foam and other impurities that rise to the surface during the first 30 minutes of boiling. Continue to cook until meat is tender and pulling away, approximately 2 1/2 hours. Remove all meat from the stockpot and lay on a flat baking pan to cool. Strain and reserve 10 cups of the cooking stock and discard vegetables. Return stock to a low boil. Add all remaining ingredients, except gelatin, salt and pepper. Boil for 3 minutes and remove from heat. Season to taste using salt and pepper. Add dissolved gelatin and set aside.


Once meat has cooled, remove all bones and chop in a food processor. Place equal amounts of the meat in 4 trays and ladle in hot seasoned stock. The mixture should be meaty with just enough stock to gel and hold meat together. Cover with clear wrap and refrigerate to set, overnight. Head cheese is best eaten as an appetizer with crackers.