Tag Archives: Emeril Lagasse

Homemade Hot Sauce

Yes, we actually “canned” it!

I went to graduate school in New Orleans, Louisiana “pre-Katrina”. I love that city. New Orleans inspired my mom and I to cook. To go “all in” and “kick it up a notch”. Emeril’s Creole Christmas Cookbook changed our Christmas dinners forever. Our appetizers went from humdrum shrimp dip and crackers to Corn Cakes with Christmas Caviar Sauce. We learned how to make gumbo and jambalaya and all things étouffée. And the desserts. My goodness, bread pudding is simply amazing and so incredibly easy!

While in New Orleans, I met Emeril Lagasse, just as he was becoming the superstar. Yes, he actually cooked in his restaurant, and the food was amazing. My friends and I would try to get a seat at the tables overlooking the kitchen to watch him cook! Emeril wasn’t the only game in town, however. Paul Prudhomme’s restaurant was really hard to get into and the food was well worth the wait! Local dives that would likely fail health codes elsewhere were serving up traditional New Orleans favorites. And the crawfish. Being from Maryland, crawfish were way easier to pick than crabs!! A very refreshing change of pace. Last, but not least, there are not enough nice things to say about Commander’s Palace. Truly an amazing place.

And here is where I found Crystal Hot Sauce. I never cared for Tabasco (gasp!), but Crystal actually tasted like something other than “hot” and vinegar. My husband is the type that loves hot sauce and crazy spicy foods. Crystal doesn’t do it for him. He also LOVES to make things himself. So, on a day when I was a bit under the weather, my husband and my son made hot sauce. I asked him if he would do a guest blog, but he said he’d take “a few pictures, they won’t be great” and that I could write it. So, here we are. We went to the farmer’s market and gathered a bunch of peppers that were labeled “hot”.

See that little red one at the top? That’s something the farmer called really, really hot. She wouldn’t sell it to my son unless we were there and said it was ok. Yeah, it’s hot.

Now, if you want a red sauce, you need to pretty much use red peppers. Our sauce is a bit “muddy” because of all the green colored peppers. You could use red food coloring to make it the color you want, if you have a lot of green peppers you want to add to the sauce. Also, if you are expecting something crazy hot, we’ve come to the conclusion that people must be adding capsaicin directly for the super hot sauces. We’ve made sauces from habaneros and as the seeds are all strained out, the sauce was good, but not super hot. The “hot” part of the pepper is contained within the seeds and white parts, and those are generally strained out. What you will get is a sauce that’s spicy and complex with several layers of amazing flavor.

Hot sauce first appears in the United States appeared in the early 1800s in New England. In the 1860s, Edmund McIlhenny invented Tabasco sauce on Avery Island in Louisiana as a way to spice up food after Reconstruction period left southern food decidedly bland. By the 1870s, the sauce was widely available and even shipped ot England. To this day, the sauce is still made on Avery Island, over 140 years later.

Hot Sauce
Makes 1 Quart, 1 Pint

3-4 pounds of various hot peppers (stemmed)
1.5 liters of white vinegar (5% acidity)
1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon thyme
4 ounces tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bay leaf

Roughly chop up peppers. Place peppers, vinegar, salt, and spices in a non-reactive sauce pan. Our 4 Quart stainless steel sauce pan was big enough. Simmer for 2 hours in a well ventilated area.

Remove peppers from vinegar and place in a food processor. Strain vinegar and set aside. Process the peppers until smooth, then press through a fine sieve.

Return processed pepper pulp to the sauce pan and add 1/2 of the vinegar mix, tomato paste, sugar and bay leaf. Adjust coloring and salt if desired. Simmer over low heat for an hour. Pour into sterilized jar or bottle and secure with an airtight lid. Let age at least two weeks before using. Maybe stored up to 6 months in the refrigerator.

Creole Seasoning

Peanut Butter Cream Pie

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You’re invited to a cookout. You want to bring something, but what? You could pick something up at the local supermarket. I find those foods sort of sit because people want to try the homemade stuff first. But you are busy, right? No time for homemade. Or, maybe your cooking skills just aren’t up to where you would like them to be.

You want to take something that will be the talk of the picnic. You want to be fawned over. I get it. Who doesn’t? No one wants to be potato salad #3 at a picnic with 5 different types of potato salad.

So, I offer the following dessert: Peanut Butter Cream Pie. Why? Because, frankly, fruit desserts just aren’t my thing, with the exception of apple pie. Peanut Butter Cream Pie combines some of my favorite ingredients: cream, sugar and peanut butter. What’s not to love? It’s not like Chocolate Cream Pie, so don’t be worried about whether the pie will “set” or if you will need to serve it in bowls. If you have a mixer and a freezer, you can totally make this dessert. It’s that easy. I found this dessert years ago in New Orleans at Emeril’s. He put the recipe for it in his cookbooks and now, on his webpage. The pie is crazy easy. Combine peanut butter, cream cheese, confectioner’s (powdered or 10x) sugar and whipped cream. Pour into crumb crust. Freeze. Done. Seriously. If you want to be fancy, melt some chocolate and stripe the top of the pie.

Some caveats. This is a really rich pie, so cut the slices small. You will want to cut a hunk of pie off and eat it. Don’t. You can’t. My 10 year old son who grows 6 inches a year tried and couldn’t. Also, you need to not just like peanut butter, you need to love it.

Now, I mentioned that I was inspired by Emeril to make this recipe, and I was, but this recipe is inspired by Martha Stewart. Why? Well, Emeril called for 4 cups of cream and Martha 2. I had 2. So, the winner was Martha! Her original recipe can be found here: http://www.marthastewart.com/258413/chocolate-peanut-butter-pie

My deviations are the crust and the amount of peanut butter. I looked at a pre-made graham cracker crust, but that had trans fats. So, I was resigned to the fact that I was going to have to make a crust. I thought chocolate wafer crust would be the best, but the thought of taking the middles out of a ton of oreos made me weep. Luckily, on my travels to three different grocery stores (can’t 1 just have everything I need?), I found an oreo cookie crust with no trans fat or other terribly nasty ingredients, so I went with it. As a result, that last minute find made this recipe super easy and fast. I reduced the peanut butter by 1/4 cup just to bring a little more balance to the pie.

Peanut Butter Cream Pie
Serves 6-8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

6 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar (sifted)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
1 oreo pie crust
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, melted, for decorating

Cream together the cream cheese, sugar and salt, until well combined and “fluffy”. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and beat until combined. In a separate mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Loosen the peanut butter mixture by folding in about a third of the whipped cream. Add the rest of the cream to the peanut butter mixture and, using a mixer with a whip attachment, whip until well combined.

Pour peanut butter mixture into oreo pie crust and freeze for about 2 hours. Place melted chocolate in a freezer bag and snip a small opening on a corner of the bag. Drizzle chocolate on the pie and serve.

Broccoli Au Gratin

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When I started this blog, I had no idea there was food that was nearly impossible to photograph looking good. Coq au vin, Creamed Spinach and Ropa Vieja quickly taught me this lesson. The photos aren’t great. They don’t make it on Foodgawker or Tastespotting. They just aren’t pretty. They are fantastic to eat. Amazing, really. But, comparing a picture of Ropa Vieja and, say, a beautiful chocolate chip cookie, I can tell you which one will look better.

I’ve read where other bloggers have promised not to make food that is hard to photograph. I have no such rules. My goal is good food that is easily made. The photos will try to capture my enthusiasm for the subject. I’m no photographer. If you’ve seen my photos at all, you’ve seen that. The best I can say is that I try. Really, really hard.

Broccoli Au Gratin. Broccoli baked in a creamy sauce with cheese. Admit it, it’s not going to look good. It will taste great, however.

My husband and I went on an awesome date night and chose to patronize a famous steakhouse restaurant. We had the creamed spinach and the broccoli au gratin for sides with our steak. Why Broccoli Au Gratin? Well, really, is there a bad “au gratin”? Something cooked in a creamy sauce topped with a cheese topping? Very few things wouldn’t improve under such conditions!!

So, I wanted to try to make the dish when I got home because it was really good! Plus, we eat broccoli three to four times a week. Steamed, with some butter, salt and pepper. Three. Times. A. Week. This would certainly shake that routine up!!

Au Gratin is a French term that translates into the words “to scrape or grate”, likely a reference to the cheese or bread use as a topping for the dish. I believe the New Orleans chefs like Emeril have elevated these creamy dishes with the addition of heat. Cream and cayenne are just made for each other. The heaviness seems to abate a touch when you add unexpected flavors.

This dish is derived in part from Emeril Lagasse’s Broccoli and Cauliflower Au Gratin’s Recipe ( http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/broccoli-and-cauliflower-au-gratin-recipe/index.html)

Broccoli Au Gratin
Serves 6-8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50-60 minutes

1 cup water
2 16 ounce bags of broccoli florets
1 stick (8 tablespoons) of unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt (may need more based on tasting and preference)
4 cups of whole milk (may need more, depending on thickness of sauce)
8 ounces grated cheddar cheese (or a cheddar cheese/monterey jack mixture), divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Boil water in medium sauce pan. Add broccoli. Cook until just thawed. You may need to stir several times. Remove from heat, drain well and set aside. Place in a baking dish (at least 3 quarts).

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add flour to the melted butter and whisk until the raw flour taste is cooked out, about 4 minutes. The mixture will be a blonde roux. Do not let the mixture brown or the creamy mixture will be the “wrong” color. Whisk in paprika, mustard, peppers and salt. Add milk and stir with a wooden spoon. As the mixture heats and the flour and butter mixture is incorporated with the milk, the milk will thicken. The mixture should be fairly thick, but not too tight. You should be able to stir it. If the mixture is just too thick, slowly add milk, stir and heat for a bit and repeat that until you get the mixture to the right consistency. Add three quarters of the cheese and stir until melted.

Poor the milk mixture over the broccoli and fold the cream sauce into the broccoli so that the mixture is completely incorporated throughout the baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese, adding more if necessary. Bake until the top is browned and the sides bubble, about 30 minutes. Let sit for about 15 minutes before serving.

Blonde Roux

Thick, but not too thick….

Kale and Andouille Soup

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Here’s a quick post about a soup recipe that my family loves. Even the kids! We got this from adapting Emeril Lagasse’s recipe: http://www.emerils.com/recipe/3934/Kale-and-Andouille-Soup. I am a huge Emeril fan from way back. I went to law school in New Orleans in the 1990s, and because you can’t have too much graduate school loan debt, I also got my MBA. My graduate school debt will be paid off in 2028. I kid you not. I will have retired before then. But, I’m not bitter. 🙂

Anyway…. At the same time I was in grad school, Emeril was on this little network called the Food Network. You remember that network? The Food Network used to show viewers how to cook food, with chefs like Mario Batali, Emeril Lagasse, Sara Moulton. Of course, that before the network became reality TV food programming. Seriously, can Chopped be on more?

But I digress, Emeril was also chef and proprietor of a couple of restaurants in New Orleans. Whenever my parents came down to visit (which was surprisingly often…), they always wanted to eat at Emeril’s. And why not? The service was amazing and the food was outstanding, plus the chef was famous. Way back then (GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!), the “famous chef” just wasn’t the norm as it is now. One night, my dad and I were eating at Emeril’s and we asked if they had any signed cookbooks we could buy for my mom’s birthday. Emeril himself came to our table with one of his cookbooks! He chatted with us for a bit and then signed the book for my mom. AMAZING. He was very nice and it was just such an incredible moment.

New Orleans is an fantastic city and just a complete culinary extravaganza. My mother and I were really inspired to cook by the city. You just can’t find New Orleans-type food here in Maryland. So if you want gumbo, étouffée, dirty rice, or bread pudding, you need to make it yourself.

Needless to say, we have all of Emeril’s cookbooks. Some recipes are crazy fussy and you won’t see me do them here. Real and Rustic and his holiday cookbook-ette are the most used. But this recipe makes a really quick, easy and superbly good meal. The recipe is especially useful if you have lots of kale on hand to use.

I made a few adjustments, however. As we made the soup as part of our regular menu, we realized that not many of us actually ate the potatoes Emeril includes in his recipe. Also, sometimes we don’t want the spiciness of the andouille and sub out kielbasa for the sausage.

Kale and Andouille Soup
Serves 8

1/4 cup high heat fat (lard, bacon drippings, vegetable oil)
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, sliced thin
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 pounds of smoked sausage (andouille, kielbasa, chorizo, etc.), sliced into rounds
3 quarts of chicken stock
4 cups of kale, rinsed, stemmed and torn into manageable pieces
Salt and Pepper

In a large pot suitable for soup, heat the fat over medium heat. When heated, sauté the onions and celery until translucent, but not browned. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaves and cook until fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add the sausage and cook another minute.

Add the chicken stock. In thirds, add the kale, stirring between additions, and let boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the kale is sufficiently tender. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper as necessary.

	Zane Dyer on Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
	dawn of food on Breakfast Sausage
	Susan on Breakfast Sausage
	Dorothy's New Vintag… on Quiche
	Buttermilk Pie \| daw… on Pie or Pastry Crust

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