Good Morning.
First, a word about the famous phrase. It means Let the Good Times Roll, but bon is a singular adjective in French and should be bons. You don't pronounce the s but it's there. In any case, Mardi Gras is upon the people who say it however it's spelled and the drink of choice is a lethal concoction called a Hurricane. It was created at a famous New Orleans - pronounced Nawlins by the natives, New ORlins by visitors, but never New OrLEENS - restaurant, Pat O'Brien's and was first enjoyed during World War II when whiskey was scarce but rum was readily available from the Caribbean. It was and still is served in a glass shaped like a hurricane lamp although one could certainly make a case for associating it with the weather. It packs almost as powerful a punch.
1 oz. carta blanca rum
1 oz. Jamaican dark rum
1 oz. Bacardi 151 proof rum
3 oz. orange juice
3 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice
1/2 oz. Grenadine
Mix together and add an orange slice, a cherry, and a prayer for survival.
Next we have Shrimp Cocktail with Remoulade Sauce, a tartar-type sauce that can be made with a variety of ingredients.
Here we include cornichons and capers.
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cornichons, finely chopped
1/8 cup finely chopped fresh dill
2 tbsp. capers, drained and chopped
The juice of one lemon
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
A dash of Tabasco sauce
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate for several hours before serving with nice big chilled shrimp.
For the entree we suggest Cajun Chicken Pasta.
12 oz. linguine or angel hair pasta
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup butter
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
8 oz. fresh white button mushrooms, wiped clean with salad oil and sliced
2 green onions, white part and light green parts only, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups Half and Half
1 tsp. lemon juice
Dash each of pepper, dried basil and garlic powder
Prepare pasta according to package directions and set aside. Cut the chicken breast into strips and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning and salt. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the chicken strips, and saute for 3 minutes
per side. Remove the meat. Add the peppers, mushrooms, and green onions to the skillet and saute for 10 minutes until
tender. Return the meat to the skillet, stir in the Half and Half, the lemon juice, pepper, basil, and garlic powder and
cook, stirring, over medium heat until nice and warm and bubbly. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Serves 4 people.
This recipe is close to a dish that my son-in-law and I always get at a favorite Italian restaurant, even though it's a Cajun recipe, not an Italian one. I order it with linguine and he prefers angel hair. I've never tried it with shrimp or crab but
I'll bet it'd be fabulous. Dan will stick with chicken.
Serve the pasta with Black Muffins, a New Orleans staple.
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup molasses
2 cups milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup pecans
In a medium bowl, mix the hot water and molasses and stir well. Add the milk and stir again. In a large bowl, sift together the two flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Toast the pecans in a dry skillet for two or three minutes over
medium-low heat, remove, place between two layers of waxed paper, and smash into pieces with a hammer or whatever.
Fold the liquid mixture and chopped nuts into the dry ingredients until everything is combined but do not overmix. The batter will be thick as, well, molasses. Either spray the cups of a 12 cup muffin pan or line them with muffin cups. Fill
about 2/3 full and bake for maybe 50 minutes until the muffins are firm and set. You may get more than a dozen muffins.
Serve them warm with butter at room temp.
And for dessert we have Bananas Foster. It was created at Brennan's in New Orleans and named for a regular customer,
but I first had them at Brennan's in Savannah where I also had a scrumptious libation called a Velvet Hammer but that's a story for another day. Suffice to say I enjoyed the beverage forty-two years ago and still remember it.
2 bananas, peeled and chopped into chunks as you might for a bowl of cereal
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup light rum
Put the lemon juice on a plate and roll the banana slices in it. Melt the butter in a large skillet and stir in the brown sugar. Add the bananas and saute until barely tender. Sprinkle with cinnamon and stir. Remove from the heat, add the rum,
and ignite with a lighter gun. Serve over vanilla ice cream to 4 people.
This is an easy but elegant dessert. Be sure to keep your face and hair away from the lighting ceremony.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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