BOURBON APPLE PIE

BOURBON APPLE PIE
SERVINGS
8-12

2 1⁄2 lbs apples
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons butter

1⁄2 cup Bourbon
2 (9 inch) pie crusts
1 orange, zest of large orange
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and core the apples. In a large bowl mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and apples. Toss to coat evenly.
In a wok or large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add apple mixture. Cook until apples start to soften and brown slightly, about 7-10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add bourbon (you can use brandy instead). Simmer down to a light syrup, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the orange zest.
Put one pie crust into a 9" deep pie dish. Add filling. Slice the second pie crust into 1/2" strips. Lattice the top using the strips and using a basting brush coat lattice with egg wash (beaten egg plus 1 tablespoon of water). Sprinkle evenly with tablespoon of sugar.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 50 more minutes. Keep a cookie sheet on the oven rack below to catch any spillage from the pie. Serve warm with ice cream and La Lechera Dulce de Leche.

KENTUCKY BUTTERMILK CAKE-GRILLED PEACHES

Kentucky Buttermilk Cake

12 Serves

3 cups flour 

2 cups sugar 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp baking powder 

½ tsp baking soda 1 cup buttermilk 

1 cup butter 

2 tsp. Vanilla 

4 eggs 

Butter Sauce: 

3/4 cup sugar 

1/3 cup butter 

3 Tbsp. Water 

2 tsp. Vanilla 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Have all ingredients at room temperature, as you should, habitually, with all cake ingredients. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. 

Mix together the flour, 2 cups sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Blend in buttermilk, butter, 2 tsp. Vanilla and 4 eggs. Beat for 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Prick holes in the still-warm cake. Slowly pour sauce over cake. Let cake cool before removing from pan. 

To make the Butter Sauce: 

In a saucepan, combine the remaining 3/4 cups sugar, 1/3 cup butter, 2 tsp vanilla and the water. Cook over medium heat until fully melted and combined, but do not boil. 

Any remaining Butter Sauce leftover from soaking the cake you may serve on individual servings of the cake. By the way, should you have forgotten to soak the cake with the sauce while it was in the pan you may pour on after removing it from the pan. Just poke holes and slowly pour over the sauce. Cake is very forgiving. 

Grilled Peaches 

To serve with Kentucky Buttermilk Cake, they are mutually complimentary. 

Choose fruit with a fragrant aroma and flesh that yields a bit when pressed gently. If a peach has cuts or tan spots, or if it's rock-hard or mushy, don't buy it. Color has more to do with variety than ripeness. 

4 peaches 

2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter 

Optional dusting with sugar and a rum or bourbon drizzle 

DIRECTIONS 

Heat grill to medium-low. 

Halve and pit peaches; brush both sides with butter. 

Place peaches on grill; cover grill, and cook until charred and softened, 4 to 5 minutes per side. 

Drizzle peaches with sugar and a bit of rum or bourbon. They should be stored that way and the resulting syrup drizzled over them with the Kentucky Buttermilk Cakes is flat out culinary terrorism. I plop the peaches into boiling water for a minute before halving them, taking out their seeds and finally sloughing off their skins with my fingers. The skins loosen after their little hot bath and they are easy to peel with your fingers or helped by a paring knife. Unpeeled is acceptable, even good, but peeling the little boogers takes them up to great.

SHRIMP STEW

SHRIMP STEW

Homemade seafood stock, a roux, some okra and shrimp, what's there not to love? It's a little gumbo-y, served atop rice, but we're not judging, we'll just be at the table ready to consume two, or six, bowls of it. 

Makes about 20 servings

8 pounds peeled small (51–60 count) Gulf shrimp, heads and shells reserved for stock

1 teaspoon liquid crab boil

1 cup oil

1 cup flour

2 large onions, chopped

8 cloves garlic, chopped

2 pounds fresh okra, sliced

1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons Creole seasoning

2 quarts water

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Louisiana-style hot sauce to taste

hot cooked rice, for serving

Place reserved shrimp heads and shells in a 4 quart saucepan. Add water to cover and liquid crab boil. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Strain, discard solids, and set aside.

Add oil and flour to an 18-quart stockpot set over medium heat. Stir constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low when flour starts to brown, about 10 minutes, and cook until flour reaches a dark brown color, about 20 minutes.

Add onions, increase heat to medium, and sauté until onions are soft, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add okra and cook until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Mixture will be thick.

Add tomatoes, parsley, bay leaves, and Creole seasoning stirring thoroughly. Add reserved stock, water, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add peeled shrimp and cook for an additional 15 minutes until shrimp turn pink and are heated through, Add additional water if stew becomes too thick. Serve with rice.

CRAWFISH PASTA

Crawfish Pasta
Note: If you don’t have crawfish available in your area, this recipe works well with shrimp, oysters, or lump crabmeat. Just replace the crawfish with one pound of your seafood of choice.Makes 4 to 6 servings.

1 pound fresh pasta (rotelle is preferred, but use your favorite shape)
1 stick butter (do not use margarine)
1/2 cup chopped onions
3 to 10 cloves garlic, chopped (to your taste)
1 pound crawfish tails, boiled and peeled
1 pint half-and-half

1 to 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning

Cook pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain, then rinse under cool water. Drain again, thoroughly.
Melt the butter in a large pot and sauté onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the seafood and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half, then add several big pinches of Creole seasoning, tasting before the next pinch until you think it’s right.

Cook for 5 to 10 minutes over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Add the pasta and toss well. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so over very low heat, stirring often. Serve immediately with hot French bread.

DEVILSHLY CANDIED PECANS

Devilishly Candied Pecans

Yields 2 cups of candied pecans.

Ingredients:

1 egg white

1 teaspoon water

2  cups pecan halves

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Whisk together the egg white and water until soft peaks form. Stir in the pecans, coating thoroughly. Combine sugar, salt, and cayenne.

On a lightly greased baking sheet, spread out pecans. Sprinkle with sugar mixture and bake at 225º F for one hour, stirring occasionally. Cool, then store in an airtight container.

FLEISCHMAN'S YEAST KING CAKE

Fleischmann’s Yeast King Cake

A traditional King Cake is circular in shape to represent a crown, and decorated with sugar tinted in the classic Carnival colors---green, gold, and purple, symbolizing faith, power, and justice. 

Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients

4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, in all

1 cup sugar

2 packages Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 stick salted butter plus 1/4 cup melted butter

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Powdered Sugar Glaze (recipe follows)

Colored Sugars (recipe follows)

In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and un-dissolved yeast. Heat milk, water, and stick of butter until very warm, about 120°F to 130°F.

Add to flour, yeast, and sugar mixture and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed with an electric mixer. Add eggs and 1/2 cup of the remaining flour, and salt. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining flour to make a stiff batter.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours. Punch dough down and remove to a lightly floured surface. Divide into 3 equal portions. Roll each to 28x4 inches. Brush with melted butter, then sprinkle evenly with the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon.

Beginning at the long end, roll each up tightly as for a jelly-roll. Pinch seams to form long ropes. Braid, then form into an oval. Pinch ends together to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Bake at 375°F for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. Brush with powdered sugar glaze and sprinkle with the colored sugars.

Powdered Sugar Glaze

Makes 2 cups

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk

Start with 2 tablespoons of milk and combine with the powdered sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add the remaining tablespoon of milk. The mixture should be thick enough to stay in place when placed on the cooled king cake.

Colored Sugars

Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided into 1/2 cup measures

green, yellow, red, and blue food colorings

Divide sugar into three zip-top plastic bags or sealed jars. To one bag/jar add 8 drops of green food coloring. To the second, add 8 drops of yellow food coloring. In a small dish mix 8 drops of blue food coloring and 16 drops of red food coloring, and add it to the third bag. Mix sugars and colors together thoroughly in each bag.

TURKEY BONE GUMBO

Day-After-Thanksgiving Turkey and Sausage Gumbo
Makes 6 to 7 Servings

1 pound andouille or other smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, sliced into 1/4-inch half-moons
vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 quarts turkey stock, preferably homemade
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
meat picked from leftover smoked or roasted turkey carcass(es)
heaping 1/2 cup chopped green onions
heaping 1/2 cup minced parsley
hot cooked Louisiana rice
filé powder

Place the sausage and 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven and brown over high heat. When browned, remove the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour the remaining fat into a measuring cup, then add sufficient vegetable oil to make 1/2 cup. Pour the fat and oil mixture back into the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to low. Reserve the sausage.

Add to the flour and stir constantly over low to medium heat to make a dark roux—preferably a chocolate-colored one, which will take about 40 minutes on low heat or 20 minutes over high heat.

Add the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to the roux and continue stirring until the onions are translucent and have begun to brown.

Heat 3 quarts turkey stock to a boil and slowly add to the roux/vegetable mixture, whisking to incorporate. Add the salt, pepper, Tabasco, thyme, and Creole seasoning. Return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour. Add the turkey and the sausage. Simmer for another hour.

Add the green onions and the parsley and heat through, about 5 minutes. Serve with hot rice and filé powder.