Pompano en Papillote

Pompano is one of the crowning glories of the New Orleans fish markets.  It is native to the Gulf  of Mexico waters, Mississippi sound, and the Louisiana Grand Isle shores The word Pompano was derived from a Spanish word Pampano given by the early Spanish fishermen for the greenish tint plant in the waters that helps it to hide. It is  fish with high oil content.
                                                                                                           

Ingredients:                                                                                                  

• 4 fresh or frozen pompano (3/4 pound)
• 4 ounces fresh or frozen shelled shrimp

Parchment paper                                                               

M-M-Good!

• 1 cup water
• 2 lemon slices                                
•  1 bay leaf
•  1/2 tsp salt
•  1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
•  1/4 cup chopped green onion
•  1 Tbs butter or margarine
•  2 Tbs all-purpose flour
•  1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed
•  Dash white pepper
•  1/4 cup milk
•  2 Tbs dry white wine or dry sherry
•  2 Tbs snipped parsley   
  
  Directions

• Thaw fillets and shrimp, if frozen rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Measure thickness of fillets. Set aside. Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper into 9 x 12-inch heart shapes. 
• In a 10-inch skillet bring water, lemon, bay leaf, and salt to boiling; add fillets in a single layer. Return to boiling. Reduce heat, then simmer, covered until fish flakes easily with a fork. (Allow 4 to 6 minutes for each 1/2 inch of thickness.) Remove fish, using a slotted spoon; keep warm. Add shrimp to poaching broth. Return to boiling. Reduce heat, then simmer, covered, for 1 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Remove shrimp using a slotted spoon, reserving broth; keep shrimp warm. Strain broth, reserving 1/2 cup.
• In the same skillet cook mushrooms and onion in hot butter or margarine over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender but not brown, stirring often. Stir in flour, tarragon, and pepper. Add reserved broth and milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Stir in wine or sherry and parsley; heat through.
• To assemble papillotes, place 1 fillet on half of each parchment heart. Arrange one-fourth of the shrimp atop each fillet. Spoon about 1/4 cup sauce over each fillet. Fold the other half of each heart over fillet to form the papillote. Starting at the top of each heart, seal tightly. Place papillotes in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until slightly puffed.
• Quickly transfer papillotes to dinner plate. Open papillotes. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Molasses Cake (Gâteau à la mélasse)

This is a recipe from my Grand MaMa's cook book she was given pe-WWII three years prior to my appearance to my arrival on earth. Made w/molasses one of my more favored syrups.
2 cups Louisiana Molasses
1 cup boiling milk

1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter3 & 1/2 cups flour ( sifted)
4 eggs
1tsp ground gnger
1/4 tsp cloves
1tsp cinnamon, handful golden raisins, slivered almonds (optional)

Melt the butter. Dissolve the soda in the boiling milk add to the molasses. Beat sugar and butter til very light (creamed) add well beaten yolks of the eggs. Add to the molasses,/soda, stir into creamed sugar mixture. Beat until smooth gradually and in flour, beating until very light and smooth. Now add in the ginger, cloves and cinnamon (other optionals if using). Add/fold the beaten (stiff froth) white of the eggs into batter. Bake in shallow cake pan.  You can divide equally between 2 nine " round pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, in a 350 degree oven (or until the cake tests done and springs back when lightly touched, or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean)

Meringue Kisses

Boy, does this ever take me back to learning how to cook on an old 4 burner barely modern stove. The 4 burners were on the left,  the stove and broiler on the right.  Oven on top, broiler at waist level with no gauge!  We had to hang an oven thermometer from the bottom rack.  I made my own gauge by putting hash marks in the appropriate locations.  Besides the chips inside I've also seen them with a single kiss placed on the top as well.  We left out the chocolate period; I was never a choc o-holic.

2 egg whites
3/4 cu sugar
1 Tb vanilla
6 oz chocolate chips (optional)

Beat egg whites slightly, add the sugar a little bit at a time til stiff.  Add the vanilla continue beating to maintain stiffness. If you are adding the chips fold in now. Drop by tablespoon on to a foil covered (or silpat now) cookie sheet.  At this point you would place the single kiss.  Bake at 300 (25-30 minutes) makes 30 or so.

                                                                                               

Doberge Cake it's history & recipe

Since it's just past my birthday I'm gonna share w/y'all  my, forever B'day cake, from Gambina's (as I called it). Gambino's Bakery is an icon of New Orleans, more famous for the doberge cake than Beulah Ledner (the creator).  Many people think that it began there, but found out that wasn't the case! The traditional flavors are chocolate, lemon and caramel. (I had 1/2 lemon & 1/2 chocolate for my B'day) Doberge cake is an staple of living in New Orleans. It is a yummy multi-layered cake with pastry cream inside and a poured glaze on the outside.

If you look up Doberge in a french dictionary and the word is not there. Back in the 1930's there was a New Orleanian lady named Beulah Ledner, who came from a baking family in Germany. She started baking during the Depression a variation on the famed Hungarian-Austrian dobos torta to supplement the family's income. She changed the recipe to thin layers of butter cake with a custard filling, either chocolate or lemon. Since "dobos" wouldn't fly in New Orleans the word was "Frenchified" to fit the city. That's how the name "doberge" was born.

How do you pronounce it? (I say dough-bearj (what I heard most); some say dough-bosh or dough-boj.) After a heart attack Beulah sold the bakery, the name and the recipes to the Joe Gambino family.(I think after WWII) The original recipe is a secret held by the Gamino family(this is the closest I've run across I believe the original icing was glaze & poured not spread?)

Makes 1 (9-inch) Doberge Cake
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours (if your lucky)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Ganache Icing:
 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Traditional multi-layered Chocolate

 12 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate
 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
 Chocolate Pudding Filling:
 5 large egg yolks
 1/2 cup sugar
 3 tablespoons cornstarch
 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 2 cups milk
 1 teaspoon vanilla
 4 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate
 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
 Cake:
 8 ounces (2 sticks) + 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
 3/4 teaspoon salt
 1 teaspoon vanilla
 6 large eggs
 1 3/4 cups sugar
 3/4 cup milk

Preparation:
(note: The ganache and pudding should be made first because they time to set up.)

Ganache icing:
Bring cream to a boil in a medium saucepan. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a heat resistant bowl and llargeet sit for 2 minutes. Whisk mixture until ganache has a nice sheen and is completely smooth.  Then whisk in butter and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface.   Set aside  (6 hours

Chocolate pudding filling: Whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. Bring milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in a little egg mixture. Once bottom of bowl is warm, slowly whisk in remaining hot milk. Pour mixture back into a clean medium saucepan, add the vanilla, and whisk over medium-low heat until it thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Cook while constantly whisking until pudding   is glossy and quite thick, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes longer.  Transfer pudding to a clean bowl.  Add chopped chocolate and butter and gently whisk until chocolate is completely incorporated. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto surface of pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate (at least 4 hours)

For the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch spring form pan. Wrap the bottom in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet.  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Stir vanilla into 8 ounces plus 2 tablespoons melted butter and set aside another heat resistant bowl (large), whisk together eggs and sugar. Place over (not in) a pot of barely simmering water. Whisking constantly, heat the mixture until it is warm to the touch, (3 minutes) Remove from heat and whip on high until cool and tripled in volume, (3 minutes)  Reduce mixer speed to medium low and drizzle in the melted butter-vanilla mixture.

By hand, fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture followed with 1/2 of the milk. Repeat, ending with flour. Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake until a toothpick tests clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. Unclasp the spring form pan sides and carefully removing the ring, and allow the cake to cool completely with the pan bottom still in place. Once cool, remove the pan bottom from the cake and divide it into 4 equal layers.

Wash and dry the spring form pan and use it to assemble the cake. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of the pan with cooking spray. Place two (20-inch-long) pieces plastic wrap in pan so entire bottom and sides are covered, allowing ends of plastic to hang over sides of pan.  Place 1 cake layer in spring form pan and top with 2/3 cup chocolate pudding filling (you will have leftover filling after the cake is assembled), leaving a 1/2-inch border of bare cake around the edge. Repeat with the remaining cake layers and chocolate pudding filling. Cover the top of the cake with the plastic wrap overhang (or another piece if there isn't enough), and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Place four (6-inch-wide) strips of parchment paper hanging off the end of the platter. (This will keep the tray clean while frosting. Remove after you've iced.) Remove the plastic wrap from the top of the cake and invert cake onto the serving platter. Unhinge the sides of the springform pan and remove. Peel off plastic wrap. Give the ganache a stir and ice top and sides of cake with it. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cake can be served cold or at room temperature (even better).

White Chocolate Lemon Ganache
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
12 ounces white chocolate, chopped; NOT candy. Use an excellent quality chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

My choice B'day cake only plain w/ Happy Birthday written across the top

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon lemon extract
2-3 drops yellow gel food coloring (optional)
Lemon Pudding Filling:
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Ganache icing:
Heat the cream in the microwave, or in a pot, till it reaches a gentle boil. Pour hot cream oven chocolate, and gently shake bowl to cover the chocolate with the cream. Add the lemon zest and let the mixture sit for 2 minutes.  Stir the mixture, in one direction, and then gently whisk to combine, & til ganache is completely smooth.  Then whisk in butter and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface.  Add lemon extract, and gel food coloring, if desired.  Set aside for 6 hours.

Make the best lemon cake recipe you find and lemon pudding if you want the lemon cake.  What Gambino did was to cut one of each in 1/2 and combine them for 2 cakes each favor.  Your on your own for the caramel cake.

French Onion Soup

M-m-m good

This was my family's Christmas Eve supper.  We would have it with extra crusty French bread then go to the mid night service. After we came home my brother and I would ask to open our presents.  When we were children we were told Santa hadn't come yet so the family's presents would have to wait to the morning after his arrival. (oh so sad)

4-5 large Onions (thinly sliced)1/4 cup butter
6 cups beef stock (hot)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika (smoky,hot or mild)
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
6 rounds French bread (toasted)
1/2 cup Gruyère cheese ( grated)
1/2cup Parmesan  cheese (grated)
1/2cup dry white wine (optional)

Sauté onions in butter til golden over low fire (20-30 min.) Add stock, seasonings (not Worcestershire)   and wine (if using) bring to boil then add Worcestershire.  Serve over round of French bread at bottom of
bowl.  Place the Gruyère cheese on bread before ladling soup over top sprinkle Parmesan cheese.  (serves6)

                   Here's an homage to modern times microwave instructions:

In a 3 qt. microwaveable dish combine butter and onions microwave covered on high til onions are tender (10 min.) Stir 1/2 way. Add everything but the Worcestershire. Microwave 10 more minutes on high.  Add Worcestershire follow instructions as above.

Vegetables with Brown Rice

Since I'm a veggie freak I loved this one; I use actual brown rice rather than make the recipe Chef Paul has in the book.  If you are a Chef Paul purest, please go get Fork in the road, there are tons more recipes! He has some marvelous desserts.  There's one called Chocolate Yum Stuff, believe you me, it's yummy. My mouth watered when I read it, let a lone when it was made!
                                            On to veggies with brown rice.
Seasoning Mix

2 tsp salt
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp sweet basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry  mustard
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp dillweed
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp savoy
--------------
1 eggplant
3 bay leaves
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup zucchini (diced)
3 cup fresh mushrooms
1 cup yellow squash (diced)
1 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup apple juice
2 cups defatted chicken stock    *
4 cups peeled, diced fresh tomatoes or 2 14 oz. cans
* see  Sweet Pepper Cream Shrimp recipe                                                                                                
Combine seasoning mix in small bowl.  Peel eggplant quarter it then sprinkle all surfaces with the seasoning mix.  Cook eggplant about 2 min. in a 12 inch frying pan (non stick preferable) you've pre-heated on high heat until brown. (2 min. per side) Add apple juice cook for 6 min. turning eggplant periodically til all the eggplant is caramelized, set aside.
Combine the onions, bell peppers, celery with 1 tablespoon seasoning mix cook stirring periodically til crust forms o the bottom. (12 min or so) Add 1 cup stock scraping bottom to get all the bits. Add garlic Cook until all the vegetables are all evenly brown and sweet tasting. (5 min)When the liquid has evaporated and a new crust has formed; add tomatoes loosening the crust from the bottom . Put in remaining veggies, seasoning mix and stock along with the bay leaves. When adding the eggplant to the skillet make certain it is submerged in the sauce. Reduce heat to medium simmer 12 min. or until eggplant is tender. I prefer the eggplant in smaller pieces as it over brown rice.  Remember,  I prefer true brown rice, which I cook according to the package instructions.

Oven "Fried" Catfish

This is a good way to "fry" any type of fish that one might otherwise fry. (doesn't have to just be catfish) My take on Chef Paul's recipe made the seasoning mix per Fork in the Road.

Seasoning mix

1 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sweet basil
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne

Catfish filets
1/2 cup read crumbs (toasted)
2 Tb parsley (fresh finely chopped, minced)
3 Tb finely sliced green onions
1 Tb olive oil
Combine seasoning mix in small bowl. Sprinkle evenly on all surfaces of  the fish 4 tsp only. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs, parsley, green onions with the rest of the seasoning mix, add the oil combining it with your fingers until all the crumbs are moist. "Dredge" the fillets by carefully patting/pressing the crumbs to the fish flesh. Softly shake off any excess crumbs. Place into a non stick baking dish/sheet display side up.  Bake about 6 minutes, turn fish over and bake 6 more minutes.  Turn fillets over one last time  (display side up) cook 'til done. (4 more minutes) Serve straight away.