It’s Fat Tuesday for all you Catholics out there, which means MARDI GRAS is in full swing! Some of my family lives in the Gulf region (Mississippi, to be exact) and they are celebrating at this moment with good food, good drinks and an all-around good time. I’ve never had the privilege of being in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, but when we do make it down that way I’m always obsessed with the food. My uncle makes a mighty-mean Crawfish Étouffée and we usually stop at Café Du Monde for a few beignets. Since the LA Times blogged about 10 Mardi Gras recipes from their test kitchen, I think I might give these guys a try:
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| LA Times |
Crawfish Spinach Pie
Active Work Time: 40 minutes
Total Preparation Time: 2 hours
Note: To clarify butter, microwave 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of butter until melted, skim off the foam from the top, then pour off the butter and discard any milky water on the bottom. You'll be left with about 1/2 cup. You can find frozen cooked crawfish tails at some fish markets.
1/2 cup clarified butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups cold milk
6 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup cooked, drained and chopped spinach
Pastry for 1 (9-inch) single-crust pie
3 eggs
1 pound cooked crawfish tails, shelled
Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the flour and stir, cooking until the mixture is a pale yellow and the raw flour taste is gone, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. When it is thick and beginning to bubble, about 4 to 5 minutes, add the onions, garlic, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, white pepper, black pepper, paprika, salt and spinach. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring all the while. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool the mixture completely.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Roll and shape the pastry to fit a 9-inch pie pan. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and fold them and the crawfish into the spinach mixture. Pour into the pie shell.
Bake the pie until the crust is golden and the center of the pie is set, 60 to 70 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before serving.
Total Preparation Time: 2 hours
Note: To clarify butter, microwave 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of butter until melted, skim off the foam from the top, then pour off the butter and discard any milky water on the bottom. You'll be left with about 1/2 cup. You can find frozen cooked crawfish tails at some fish markets.
1/2 cup clarified butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups cold milk
6 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup cooked, drained and chopped spinach
Pastry for 1 (9-inch) single-crust pie
3 eggs
1 pound cooked crawfish tails, shelled
Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the flour and stir, cooking until the mixture is a pale yellow and the raw flour taste is gone, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. When it is thick and beginning to bubble, about 4 to 5 minutes, add the onions, garlic, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, white pepper, black pepper, paprika, salt and spinach. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring all the while. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool the mixture completely.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Roll and shape the pastry to fit a 9-inch pie pan. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and fold them and the crawfish into the spinach mixture. Pour into the pie shell.
Bake the pie until the crust is golden and the center of the pie is set, 60 to 70 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before serving.
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| LA Times |
Total time: 30 minutes, plus rising time for the dough
Servings: 12 (Makes 3 dozen beignets)
Note: Adapted from a recipe by chef Bryan Gilmore of the Creole Creamery in New Orleans, from "86 Recipes."
1 teaspoon plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups flour, plus extra for work surface, divided
1 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom, nutmeg or cinnamon (untraditional and optional)
1 large egg, at room temperature
Peanut or vegetable oil for deep-frying
At least 2 cups powdered sugar for dusting
1. In a small bowl, combine one-fourth cup warm water and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture. Let sit 5 to 6 minutes; if the yeast is not absorbed, stir lightly until the mixture is creamy.
2. Combine the remaining one-half cup sugar, salt and 3 cups of the flour in a large bowl with a whisk, or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
3. Combine the milk and butter in a small saucepan and heat over low heat just until the butter is melted.
4. If you are using a standing mixer, swap out the whisk attachment for the dough hook. In a slow, steady stream, mix the milk mixture into the sugar-salt-flour mixture. If mixing by hand, stir with a fork or wooden spoon. Add the egg, the yeast mixture and the remaining 1 cup of flour. Mix until a soft dough forms (you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot until the dough doubles, 1 to 2 hours.
5. Heat about 3 inches of oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven until the temperature reaches about 370 degrees.
6. Divide the dough into thirds. Working in batches on a floured work surface, knead each piece briefly. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle less than one-fourth-inch thick. Cut the dough into roughly 3-inch squares and gently drop them, 2 or 3 at a time, into the hot oil. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, until golden brown, then flip them over carefully with a slotted spoon. Cook 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer, until the beignets are puffed and evenly browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beignets to paper towels to drain off excess oil. Dust thickly with powdered sugar and serve hot or warm.
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