So if you didn't already know, I started a supper club with some friends a few months back. My original idea that I had been pining to do for years was to be a gourmet club, much like my neighbors growing up held. A group of adults getting together and taking turns who hosts each month. The host would be in charge of the gourmet dinner the friends would get together, great company, delicious food & if you weren't the host a night off from cooking and cleaning. Well, you cant always get what you want...and I guess I ended up feeling like no one really wanted the responsibility of putting on the entire affair other then myself. So it has turned into a lovely monthly pot luck gathering where the host gets to decide the theme of the party and guests bring food accordingly. The host simply hosts, picks the theme and makes their own dish. It is a wonderful thing. We have so far held a
Mediterranean night, where I made Fried Kibbeh with Turkey burger & a delicious tahini dipping sauce (this recipe was off the hook, so I will make sure to post the recipe on here real soon!);
Tapas Night, where I made individual calzones & polenta with blue cheese and portobellas;
Iron Chef Coconut Night, where I made Coconut peanut noodles; and finally the party I recently hosted was a
New Awlins' Cajun Throw down. At our Cajun party I provided Mardi Gras beads and flapper feathers for the ladies to get in to the Cajun spirit. I decided to Make Bananas Foster Bread Pudding & Shrimp Jambalaya & Rosemint tea w/ champagne....Oooooh eeeeeeh, there was some delicious eating that night.
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| The E-Vite |
Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
Makes 6 to 8 servings
2 loaves French bread, each 12 inches long
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups light brown sugar
6 egg yolks
1-1/2 large bananas, diced
1/2 cup rum
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Fresh mint for garnish
Slice French bread and dry in a 200-degree oven for 20 minutes. Combine
remaining pudding ingredients in a large bowl and blend well with a hand mixer.
Thinly slice dried French bread and place in an 8- by 8-inch pan. Pour pudding
into pan and mush all bread by hand so that the liquid is absorbed and the
bread becomes very soggy. Be sure to flatten all of the lumps.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cover pan with foil and bake for 2-1/2
hours, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the pudding comes out dry.
Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Set
aside to cool.
Foster Sauce
2-1/4 cups unsalted butter
2-1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup golden rum
1 cup banana liqueur
4 bananas, sliced lengthwise and in half
Melt butter in a saucepot. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix
well. Add the rum and ignite. Allow the flames to subside. Then, stir in the
banana liqueur. Add fresh bananas and simmer over medium heat for about 2
minutes or until the sauce coats the spoon.
To Serve: Cut bread pudding into 3-1/2 inch squares. Top warm bread
pudding with Foster sauce and garnish with mint leaves
Rosemint Tea w/ champagne
In 2006, Sheila Owens, who named Rosemint Tea
after her mother, shared the recipe for the drink she developed more than two
decades ago, one of the signature beverages sold at the Jazz Fest.
It's surprisingly simple. To duplicate Rosemint, steep Celestial
Seasonings Red Zinger tea until it's strong, then add unfiltered Louisiana
honey. Owen's ratio is 1 cup of dried tea per 1 gallon of water, plus 1 cup
honey. The unfiltered honey, which is darker and more flavorful than regular
honey, is the secret ingredient.
Like a Mimosa, pour champagne and top off with rosemint tea.
Shrimp
& Andouille Sausage Jambalaya
1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Andouille Sausage, Diced
1/2 Cup Onion, Diced
1/2 Cup Bell Pepper, Diced
1/2 Cup Celery, Diced
2 Tbsp. Garlic, Minced
1/2 Cup Tomatoes, Diced
1/4 Cup Tomato Sauce
1 1/4 Cup Chicken Stock
3/4 Cup Enriched Long grain Rice
2 Cups peeled deveined shrimp
(Seasoning Mix: 1/2 tsp Cayenne, 3/4 tsp White Pepper, 1 tsp Kosher Salt, 1/2
tsp Dried Thyme, 1/2 tsp Rubbed Sage, 3 Bay Leaves)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the butter, saute the Andouille until slightly browned. Add 1/2 of the
trinity (onion/b.pepper/celery) saute until tender. Add tomato cook about a
minute, then add the tomato sauce, cook 1 minute more. Add the garlic and rice,
cook 1 minute. Add the stock, seasoning mix, bay leaves, other half of the
trinity, and Shrimp. Stir well and bake uncovered for about 30-40 minutes, or
until the rice is cooked, but still has a little bite. Top with chopped
parsley, and sliced green onions. Put on some Zydeco and enjoy!
Yield: 2-3 servings
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| The Southern Sassafras |
