CHEESE BALL VIEUX CARRE

Vieux Carre Cheese Ball

1 (8-ounce) pkg. Cream cheese
1/4 pound Cheddar cheese, grated
1 pound blue cheese
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp onion juice*
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup chopped parsley
1 small jar chopped pimientos


Have all the cheeses at room temperature. * This modest amount of onion juice is made by grating a small piece of onion, placing the pulp in a clean cloth and squeezing/twisting it to extract the juice.


Cream the cheeses with the Worcestershire sauce and onion juice; easiest to do with an electric mixer but it can be done by hand. Store in the refrigerator overnight. Shape into a ball and roll in the nuts, parsley and pimiento. Place in center of tray on platter and arrange assorted crackers and chips around it.


Storage: Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate. Take out of the refrigerator about half an hour before serving.

RAW MUSHROOM SALAD and VARIATION (WITH SEAFOOD)

I think this may be the best of all salads.

Raw Mushroom Salad.

Wash and drain 1/2 lb. of firm white mushrooms. Then slice them fairly thinly and put them in a bowl with olive oil just to moisten (the mushrooms will soak most of it up almost immediately) a pinch or two of black pepper and the juice of about a whole lemon. Finely dice about half a clove of garlic and toss together. Just before serving shave Parmesan cheese over the salad using a vegetable peeler until it looks good to you. That's it.

Variation

Raw Mushroom and Chilled Seafood Salad

To your mushroom salad simply add cooked and chilled seafood of choice. Shrimp, Scallops, Crawfish etc. Toss together and serve.

PECAN PIE

PECAN PIE

½ cup light corn syrup
½ cup dark corn syrup
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp melted butter
½ Tbsp. Vanilla
1 Tbsp. Bourbon
Grated zest of one orange
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans
1 uncooked 9-inch deep dish pie crust-boughten or homemade
1 ½ cups pecan halves for the top

Combine corn syrups, eggs, butter, Vanilla and Bourbon, orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well. Fold in chopped pecans. Pour mixture into pie crust. Place pecan halves on top of pie, making concentric circles. Bake in oven at 350 for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean.
 

POULET YASSA

Poulet Yassa
This is one of the most venerable and simple of African dishes; simplicity, rich flavor and results that are predictably excellent no matter the experience or skill of the cook.

1/4 cup lemon juice
4 large onions, sliced
salt and pepper
5 Tbsp peanut oil
1 habanero chile
1 frying chicken in pieces (about 3-4 lbs)
½ cup water

The night before, prepare a marinade by mixing lemon juice, onions, salt, pepper and 4 Tbsp. Of the peanut oil in a deep bowl. Prick the habanero with the tines of a fork and add it to the marinade as well. When the marinade has reached the desired degree of hotness, remove the chile and reserve (it can be minced and served separately as a garnish).

Place the chicken pieces in the marinade, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, preheat the broiler. Remove chicken pieces from the marinade, reserving the marinade and the onions. Place the pieces on the broiler rack and grill them briefly, until they are just lightly browned on both sides. Set aside.

Drain the onions from the marinade. Heat the remaining Tablespoon of oil in a deep skillet and fry the onions over medium heat until they are tender and transluscent. Add the remaining marinade and cook until the liquid is heated through. Add the chicken pieces and the water and stir to mix well.

Lower the heat and simmer covered, until the chicken pieces are cooked through-about an hour.

Serve over white rice.

MAKE AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Make Ahead Turkey Gravy

4 (about 3 to 4 lb) turkey wings
2 medium onions, sliced
1 cup(s) water or Marsala wine
8 cup(s) chicken broth
1 chopped carrot
1/2 teaspoon(s) dried thyme
3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon(s) butter
1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 400F. Put wings in a single layer in roasting pan; scatter onions on top. Roast 1 1/4 hours or until wings are browned.

Put wings and onions in 3-qt saucepan. Add water to roasting pan; stir to scrape up any brown bits on bottom. Add to saucepan. Add 6 cups broth (refrigerate remaining 2 cups), the carrot and thyme. Simmer, uncovered, 1 ½ hours.

Remove wings. When cool, pull off skin and meat. Discard skin; save meat for another use. Strain broth into saucepan; skim fat off broth.

Whisk flour into remaining 2 cups broth until mixture is well blended and smooth.

Bring broth in saucepan to a gentle boil. Whisk in flour mixture; boil 5 minutes to thicken gravy. Stir in butter and pepper.

Freeze gravy up to 1 month. Reheat. You can add fat-skimmed drippings from a freshly roasted turkey to enhance, augment and intensify this creation.

BLACK EYE PEA SALAD

Black Eye Pea Salad

5 cups cooked and drained dried black-eyed peas (see Note)
4 slices crisp cooked bacon, crumbled, fat reserved separately
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped red onions (1/2 medium onion)
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell peppers
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapenos
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons Creole Seasoning

3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine the black-eyed peas, bacon, 3 tablespoons reserved bacon fat, and all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight, stirring occasionally.

Allow the salad to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Toss well just before serving.


Makes 6 cups, 8 servings


Note: To make 5 cups cooked black-eyed peas: Soak 2 cups dried black-eyed peas for 4 hours. Drain the peas and place them in a large saucepan. Add water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until just tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl to cool.

SHRIMP de JONGHE

Shrimp de Jonghe

4 cups shrimp, cleaned about 2 lbs.
3/4 cup butter (1 ½ sticks)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
½ tsp. Minced parsley
½ tsp. Minced green onion
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/4 cup sherry
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup (½ stick) butter

Saute shrimp in butter until very lightly browned. Divide shrimp into 6 individual scallop shells or a glass baking dish. (9 x 12). Saute garlic in butter over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove and discard garlic. Stir in parsley, green onion, seasonings and sherry. Pour over shrimp. Combine crumbs and melted butter; spoon over shrimp. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake in 350 oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

6 servings.