Liver two ways

Speaking of my Gran Dad and liver. He preferred caves liver. (not as strong a flavor) He liked it done two different ways broiled (Brochettes de foie) or Fried à la Lyonaise. (Forte Sauté à la lyonaise) I will give w/the broiled one.

Brochettes de foie
Wash and slice the live into pieces (about 3 inches long by 1/4 inch thick) Thread liver on a skewer so it won't curl.Season w/salt and pepper, brush lightly w/butter place under broiler. String (alternately) bacon atop the liver. Broil about 5 minutes

Fried à la Lyonaise
1lb of liver
1 Tbs butter
2 large onions (sliced)
1 tsp vinegar

Put the butter into the pan (heavy preferably) sauté the onions til golden brown. Take the liver which you have cut into simiar sized pieces. (1/2 inch instead of1/4 inch thick) seasoned w/salt and pepper. Lay over the onions stir well. Let fry about 3 minutes turn over and let fry about 3 more minutes.. Pour vinegar on top season again cover and let fry3-4 minutes. (liver cooks quickly be careful not to over cook; if one wanted shoe leather why cook just take off your shoe and eat!

Crayfish boil Recipe

We have boils quite a lot as a result of all the Crustacean family that doesn't swim fast enough to get past our nets. (i.e. shrimp, crabs, etc.) Normally it takes place in someone's back yard; most of us aren't fancy, we cut the top off a drum can & that's our pot over a propane burner. Along w/whichever crustacean & boil seasoning (could be Rex or Zatarains), we toss in small new potatoes w/small pieces of corn on the cob. Some people choose to add other vegetables that can be boiled as well.


It's a fun messy affair that's held outside; one wears clothes that one doesn't mind getting soiled. Here's why, @ the end when whichever crustacean is cooked the entire basket is pulled out of the seasoned water, it's draining while crossing the yard before being dumped on a table covered w/ newspapers. You stake your claim because your entire meal is there @ your finger tips. If you're a native or you wish to act like one you pull off the heads, suck out the juices (seasoned water, fat etc.), then peel & eat the tail meat. Everything is tossed (shells, cobs etc.) back on the newspaper covered table. Why? That's because then clean up is a simple job; one just folds/rolls up the paper w/all the leavings, then into several garbage bags & to the curb it goes .

Crayfish Etouffee

My favorite!

This is one of my personal favorites! (You can now get frozen crayfish tails if you don't have access to real animal) W/me the only way I can get enough while "sucking heads & eating tails " is to go "one for the Etouffee, two for for me". Takes a while to get the 2-3 lbs of Crayfish! M-M-M-good!!! (cook enough rice per person to serve Etouffee over)

6 tbls butter (melted)                                                

Tis a challenge to leave that much crayfish  meat uneaten

4 tbls flour
2 cups chopped onion
2 stalks celery (chopped)
1/2 cup bell pepper (green)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chopped onion
6 cloves garlic (minced)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
1/2 cup bell pepper (green)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp
1 cup diced, seeded tomato (w/juice)
1/2 cups shrimp or fish stock (use chicken if ya don' make yer own)

couple dashes hot sauce (Louisiana Red Hot-my preference)



2 lbs Crayfish tails
1/2 lemon (juiced)
1 cup green onions (chopped)
1/4 parsley (chopped)

In a large, heavy sauce pan melt butter add flour stirring constantly until is the color of peanut butter. (about 8-10 mins.) Add onions, celery, bell pepper, bay leaves, thyme; cook until veggies are soft (6-8 mins.) add stock, tomatos, salt, pepper & hot sauce bring to boil. Skim surface if need be reduce to simmer; cook uncovered 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add crayfish tails, lemon juice, green onions, & parsley for about 15-20 additional mins. stirring occasionally. Ladle over rice.

Fried Chicken Recipe

You need an electric skillet, preferably Teflon-coated. An electric skillet because the temperature is consistent throughout the pan and you can control it more easily. Although I was trained on a well seasoned cast iron skillet. You need a bunch of brown paper bags, to put the chicken pieces on after removing them from the skillet. Thick paper bags are ideal because they absorb the grease well.

Soak a whole fryer chicken in salted water overnight in the refrigerator. Don’t go crazy with the salt; a few pinches should do it. (Using buttermilk is better than water in my opinion.) When it comes time to cook, cut the chicken into small pieces and pat them dry. Smaller pieces tend to retain their moisture and don’t get as greasy as bigger pieces. If you’re just cooking breasts, cut the breasts into two or three small pieces. And if you want to be a tad health-conscious, remove the skin from the breasts and thighs. (I promise, you won’t even miss it although I do miss the crunchy skin.)

Coat each piece of chicken in flour and seasoning.Don't use much beyond a little salt, pepper & paprika. I like to add onion power in addition to Cajun spices.When I was a child & cooking w/my momma I loved this part 'cause I'd get me a brown bag w/all the flour, seasoning, etc. & shake that bag to a fare thee well. That way there would be total coverage. Turn the electric skillet to 350 degrees or if you use a heavy evenly heating skillet just add enough Crisco so that there’s about an inch of melted shortening. (A little is all you need.) When the oil is hot but not smoking start adding your pieces to the skillet.

I’ve never really timed the frying, but after, say, 10 minutes, pick up a piece with tongs (to avoid piercing it) and look at the side that’s been face down in the skillet. If the color is a rich golden brown, turn it over. Avoid turning the chicken more than once. If you like more seasoning, gently add a little more during the cooking process, once per side. When both sides are golden brown, remove the piece and place it on a paper bag. Let it cool for a few minutes and move it to another dry spot on the bag.

Should there be leftover chicken, don’t wrap it up and put it in the refrigerator. You’ll only make it greasy and cold. Just store the chicken on a plate overnight, in a cupboard (unless you have a bug problem). This step has often raised eyebrows, but I’ve been doing this for years and never had a problem. Plus, you’d be surprised and delighted by how delicious a piece of room-temperature fried chicken is for breakfast

La Colle (kind of Molasses Pecan candy )

This is called a cake don't exactly know why (tain't no flour in it?) I think it' good yeah! Here's the recipe you can figure it out for yourself.

                                                                          
La Colle (kind of Molasses Pecan candy )

1 pint molasses
2 cups pecan pieces

Boil until it is almost like a thread when drizzled into water. Pour it onto a surface that can w/stand heat about 4"long & 2 " wide; about 1/4 " thick. Let cool voila some of the best candies!

Molasses Candy (taffy)

                                                      

Brings back memories of grocery shleves

This one I remember w/ great fondness! It was a wonderful time when made by my mother & myself as a child. (I called it taffy & had more fun pulling my little mother around while pulling!) According to lore it would have been a pleasurable time "passed" by the early Orleanian belles & beaux in their time. Ingredients as follows:

Start like this

1 quart molasses                                           
1 tbl butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tbls vinegar
1/2 tsp soda
juice of 1 lemon
Slowly & carefully bring sugar to a boil w/lemon juice. Boil, stirring frequently, until it becomes quite thick when dropped into water. Add molasses, vinegar, & butter; boil 'til it hardens when dropped into cold water. Stir in the 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda. If you are using a candy thermometer probably around 272%.  Pour into buttered tin; wait 'til cooled enough to roll into a ball then commence pulling until it turns white. Moisten hands w/butter or ice water while pulling. (remember what I said about pulling my 'Lil Momma around)