Crab Cakes with Creole Honey Mustard Sauce

6 slices white bread, crusts removed 2 eggs 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon dry mustardjavascript:void(0); 1 teaspoon Cajun spice mix, or see directions salt, to taste 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 1 pound crab meat, picked clean 4 green onions, minced 4 slices smoked bacon, cooked, crumbled 2 cups dried bread crumbs, for coating bowl vegetable oil, for frying Creole Honey Mustard Sauce: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon green peppercorns, crushed 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper 1 shallot, minced 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard 6 tablespoons mayonnaise 6 tablespoons sour cream 1 tablespoons honey Crabcakes: Tear up the bread slices and grind in a blender or food processor. Add eggs, cream, and lemon juice to form a heavy batter, then remove to a bowl and add all the remaining ingredients except the dried Crab cakes, oil and sauce. Form into small cakes about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Carefully coat them with the dried bCrab cakes Heat a large skillet or saute pan with 1/2 inch of vegetable oil over medium heat and fry some of the cakes until golden brown on both sides. Place in a 200F oven to keep warm. Repeat until all cakes are fried. Makes 24 cakes, serves 12 as an appetizer. Creole Honey Mustard Sauce: In a small non reactive saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil and saute the peppercorns, pepper, and shallots for about 3 minutes or until the shallots are translucent. Add the white wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated. Let cool. Add the remaining ingredients and check the seasoning. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Oyster Brie Soup

1 quart of freshly shucked oysters with liquid
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
2 bunches of green onions, finely chopped
5 stalks of celery, finely chopped
8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of parsley, finely chopped
1 quart of whipping cream
50 ounces of Brie cheese
1 pint of half-and-half
2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
3 to 4 medium-cooked potatoes, diced in 1-inch cubes

In a two-quart pot, poach the oysters in their own liquid. Melt the butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Sauté the green onions, celery, garlic and parsley until translucent. Add the whipping cream.

Peel the bloomy rind off the Brie cheese, cut into small pieces, and add to the skillet. Raise the fire to high to enable the cheese to melt. Once the cheese is melted, lower the fire to a simmer and add the poached oysters with liquid. Add the half-and-half, salt, pepper, and cayenne and cook for 2 to 4 minutes. Add the potatoes, stir, and turn off fire.

Seared Scallops with Spinach, Bacon and Tomatoes

From “Crescent City Cooking” by Susan Spicer

2 strips thick-sliced bacon, preferably applewood-smoked, diced
3/4 pound sea scallops (dry pack, not treated with preservatives), trimmed of tough opaque muscle
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups cleaned fresh spinach
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, or 1 cup whole currant or grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 tablespoons vinegar, such as apple cider, sherry wine, or red wine
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat the oven to 200ºF and place a large serving platter in the oven to warm. Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Pour the rendered fat into a small dish and set aside.

Rinse the scallops and pat dry with paper towels. Season them lightly with salt and pepper on one side.

Return the skillet to the stove, over high heat. When it is smoking, pour in the olive oil, then sear the scallops, seasoned side down, for 2-3 minutes, until crusty and light brown. Using a spatula, turn and sear them on the other side for a minute, then remove the scallops from the pan and cover them with foil to keep warm. Return the skillet to the stove, heat for 1 minute, then add the spinach and garlic and a pinch of salt; stir with tongs or a spatula. When the spinach is wilted, remove it from the pan and pour off the excess liquid. Add the tomatoes and shallots to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and bring to a boil. Whisk in the butter and 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat and taste for seasoning.

To serve, place the spinach in the middle of the warmed platter. Using tongs, arrange the scallops and tomatoes around the spinach and drizzle with the warm sauce. Garnish with the bacon.

Shrimp Egg Foo Yung

1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts
3 to 4 medium fresh mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 pound raw shrimp in their tails
1/4 cup peanut oil, or flavorless vegetable oil
3 eggs

FOO YUNG SAUCE

3/4 cup chicken stock, fresh or canned
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold stock, or cold water

PREPARE AHEAD

Rinse fresh bean sprouts in a pot of cold water and discard any husks that float to the surface. Drain and pat them dry.

Shell the shrimp. With a small sharp knife, make a shallow incision down their backs and lift out the intestinal vein. Wash the shrimp under cold water, pat them dry and cut them into 1/4-inch dice.

Have the bean sprouts, shrimp, mushrooms, eggs and oil, and the stock, soy sauce, salt and cornstarch mixture within easy reach.

TO COOK

In a small saucepan, bring the stock to a boil. Add the soy sauce, salt and cornstarch mixture. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 minutes until the sauce is thick and clear. Keep warm over low heat.

Set a 12-inch wok or 8-inch skillet over high heat for 30 seconds. Pour in 1 tablespoon oil, swirl it about in the pan and heat for another 30 seconds, turning the heat down if the oil begins to smoke. Add the shrimp and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until they are firm and light pink. Transfer them to a plate.

Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them with a fork or whisk until they are well combined. Add the shrimp, bean sprouts and mushrooms.

Set the pan again over high heat for 30 seconds. Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl it about in the pan, reduce the heat to low, then pour in about 1/4 cup of the egg mixture. Let it cook undisturbed for 1 minute, or until lightly browned. Turn the pancake over and cook for another minute. Transfer the pancake to a heatproof platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Following the same procedure, make 5 more pancakes with the remaining egg mixture. Add about 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan for each new pancake and stake them on the platter as you proceed.

Serve the sauce poured over each pancake.

ROAST PORK EGG FOO YUNG

Substitute 1/2 cup of diced roast pork for the cooked shrimp, but otherwise follow this recipe precisely.

Pickled Shrimp and Peppers

2 pounds peeled shrimp
2 medium red onions, sliced into thin rings
1/2 cup cubed green bell pepper
1/2 cup cubed red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2½ cups white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
4 whole cloves garlic
2 tablespoons capers with juice

Place shrimp in boiling, salted water and simmer 3 – 5 minutes until pink but still tender. Drain and rinse the shrimp. Alternate layers of shrimp, onion rings, and pepper in a sealable container. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the shrimp. Close the container and put in the refrigerator for 12 hours or more.

Shrimp Absinthe

Serves 2

10 ea. U-15 Louisiana white shrimp (10/15 count per pound)
1/2 ea. fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
1 tsp shallots chopped
1/2 tsp garlic chopped
1 tsp fennel leaf chopped
1/2 cup Absinthe (I use Lucid)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsps softened butter
2 cups cooked rice
Pinch salt and freshly ground pepper

Dust shrimp with salt and white pepper. Sauté in hot pan with julienne fennel bulb. Add garlic and shallots. Deglaze with Absinthe, add whipping cream and reduce by half, then add chopped fennel leaf, stir in butter and pour over rice.

Fried Trout

2 whole trout or 4 fillets
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 eggs
1 sleeve saltine crackers, finely crushed
Cornmeal (about half the volume of crushed saltine crackers)
Peanut oil, for frying

Fillet fish, if necessary. In one bowl, mix flour, nutritional yeast, and half a teaspoon each of kosher salt, garlic salt, Tony’s, and cayenne. In another bowl, lightly beat eggs. In a third bowl, mix saltine cracker meal, cornmeal, and half a teaspoon each of kosher salt, garlic salt, Tony’s, and cayenne. Heat oil in a pan suitable for deep-frying. Dunk each fillet into flour mixture, then eggs, then cracker mixture. Fry until golden. Drain on newspaper covered with paper towels.