World Recipes

Lemon Cajun Sweet Dough Pies

Makes 12 single-serving pies

Sweet Dough
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs

Lemon Filling
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup milk
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

Sweet Dough: Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In bowl of a standing electric mixer beat butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in milk and vanilla extract (batter will appear curdled). With mixer on low speed beat in flour mixture, a little at a time, until it forms a dough. Halve dough and form each piece into a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 3 hours.

Cut twenty-four 6-inch squares of wax paper. Roll out 1 piece of dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into 12-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Cut out 6 rounds with a 5-inch round cutter, sandwiching each round between 2 squares of wax paper, and stack on a baking sheet. If dough becomes to soft to work with, transfer it to a baking sheet and chill until firm. Roll out and cut remaining piece of dough in same manner, sandwiching rounds between remaining squares of wax paper, and stack on baking sheet. Chill rounds until firm and wrap each stack carefully with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Dough may be made 1 day ahead and chilled.

Filling: In a heavy saucepan whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt and gradually whisk in water and milk until cornstarch is dissolved. In a bowl whisk together yolks. Cook milk mixture over moderate heat, whisking, until it comes to a boil. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup hot milk mixture into yolks and whisk yolk mixture into remaining hot milk mixture. Bring custard to a slow boil, whisking, 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter, lemon juice and zest until butter is melted. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap. Filling may be made 1 day ahead and chilled. DO NOT STIR filling or it will break down.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter 2 baking sheets.

Discard top square of wax paper from 1 dough round and spoon 1 tablespoon filling onto center of round. Using wax paper fold dough over to form a half circle, enclosing filling, and press edges together lightly. Transfer pie to baking sheet, discarding paper, and crimp edge with a fork. Prick pie with fork once. Make 11 more pies with remaining dough rounds and filling.

Bake pies in 2 batches in middle of oven 15 minutes, or until golden brown around edges (dough will crack open slightly), and transfer to racks to cool. Pies may be made 4 hours ahead and chilled, covered. Serve pies chilled or at room temperature (do not let pies stand more than 30 minutes at room temperature).

Louisiana Shrimp Puffs

3 pounds raw shrimp, peeled
1 cup white wine
1 cup butter
1 cup shallots, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
1 pint whipping cream
8 ounces cream cheese
4 large eggs, boiled and finely chopped
1 cup black olives, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Romano, for garnish
Parsley, for garnish
24 small pastry shells

Poach the shrimp in the white wine in a heavy 12-inch aluminum skillet until they turn pink and tender (this should take about 4 minutes over medium-high heat).

Scoop the shrimp from the poaching wine (save the wine). Separate them into 2 portions, and place each portion in a bowl to cool. At this point, leave half the shrimp whole and shred the other half into small slivers using the cutting blade of your food processor.

In the same skillet you used to poach the shrimp, melt the butter and gently saute the green onions, celery and bell pepper until they soften. Then pour in the whipping cream and the poaching wine and stir everything together until well blended. Now over high heat, reduce the cream-wine sauce to one-half of its original volume, STIRRING CONSTANTLY.

Drop the shredded shrimp into the skillet and simmer it gently into the sauce for about a minute or two. Then, little by little, start adding the cream cheese, stirring constantly. When all is well blended, season the mixture with the salt and pepper and remove the skillet from the heat. Toss in chopped eggs and black olives and fold them into the mix thoroughly.

Taste for salt and pepper once more.

Stuff the mixture into the pastry shells, top each one with a whole shrimp, sprinkle with parsley and Romano, and bake at 375 degrees F until bubbly.

New Orleans Bread Bowl

1 tablespoon oil
4 (16/20 count) shrimp
4 (20/30 count) scallops
1 ounce crabmeat (imitation or fresh)
2 tablespoons green bell pepper, minced
2 tablespoons onion
2 tablespoons celery
2 tablespoons tomato
1 teaspoon Cajun spice
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon green onion
1 (10 ounce) bread bowl (carved out center)

Heat skillet, add oil, and saute peppers, onions, celery, and toss. Add all seafood, tomato, chicken stock, and Cajun spice. Dilute cornstarch and water, add chicken stock mixture and simmer.

Serve in bread bowl with chopped scallions.

Natchitoches Meat Pies with Pepper Jelly

Source: The Advocate - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Filling
2 pounds ground sirloin
2 pounds ground pork
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon red pepper
1 cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for frying

Crust
2 cups self-rising flour
1/3 cup Crisco shortening
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk

Cook ground sirloin and pork until it crumbles. Add salt, black pepper, red pepper and green onions. Stir in all-purpose flour. Set aside to cool.

Sift self-rising flour into a large bowl. Cut shortening into flour. Add egg and milk. Form dough into ball.

On a floured board, roll about a third of the dough about 1/4-inch thick. Cut dough in circles about 3 inches in diameter. Place a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture on each circle. Dampen edges. Fold over filling. Crimp edges with a fork and prick with fork on top. Deep fry at 350 degrees F until golden brown. Serve with Pepper Jelly (recipe follows).

You may need to repeat the crust recipe three or four times to use all of the meat mixture.

Freezes well. Place uncooked pies on cookie sheet in freezer until set. Put in reclosable plastic bags and freeze.

Makes about 90 to 100 meat pies.

Pepper Jelly
2 cups finely chopped bell peppers
20 to 25 jalapeno peppers, some
    but not all of the seeds removed
7 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 (6 ounce) box Certo pectin

Chop peppers very fine. Place peppers, sugar and vinegar in a tall pot and bring to a boil. Boil 7 to 8 minutes, then add both pouches of Certo pectin. Boil for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Put into sterilized jars and seal.

Makes 9 to 10 half-pints.

Serve with Natchitoches Meat Pies. Also very good over cream cheese and served with crackers.

Mesquite Grilled Cajun Turkey

1 (3 pound) Butterball boneless
    breast of turkey, thawed
Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon onion flakes
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon anise seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 bay leaf, crushed

Prepare grill using mesquite chips or coals. Brush turkey with oil.

Combine remaining ingredients and sprinkle over turkey. Place turkey on grill. Cover grill and cook according to package directions. Wrap in foil and let stand 10 to 15 minutes. Remove netting from turkey and slice it.

Jumbo New Orleans Shrimp

Posted by Darlene at recipegoldmine.com on March 20, 2002 at 08:31:35

The cook who submitted this full-flavored seafood recipe encourages you to have lots of French bread on hand to sop the extra sauce.

Start to finish: 25 minutes

3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green, red, or yellow sweet pepper
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon snipped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash ground red pepper
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
8 to 12 jumbo shrimp (about 12 ounces), peeled and deveined
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter or margarine
French bread

In a large skillet, cook mushrooms, onion, sweet pepper, shallots, garlic, and parsley in the 2 tablespoons hot butter until tender. Add undrained tomatoes, salt, and ground red pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until desired consistency.

Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, combine egg and milk. Dip shrimp into egg mixture, then into flour to coat. In another skillet, fry shrimp in the 1/4 cup hot butter about 5 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and coating is golden and crisp, turning once. Transfer tomato mixture to a shallow serving dish; arrange shrimp in tomato mixture.

Serve with French bread.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 344 cal., 18 g total fat (10 g sat. fat), 96 mg chol., 614 mg sodium, 32 g carbo., 2 g fiber, and 13 g pro. Dietary exchanges: 2 starch, 1-1/2 very-lean meat, 3 fat

Creole Sauce

1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup minced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
1 (16 ounce) can tomato puree
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon liquid red pepper seasoning

Mix onion, green pepper, celery and garlic in a 2-quart micro-proof casserole. Cover with wax paper. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 2 minutes or until tender, stirring once. Stir in sliced mushrooms, tomato puree, salt, sugar and liquid red pepper seasoning. Microwave at HIGH for 4 minutes or until steaming hot. Stir and serve.

Creole Red Beans and Rice (Louisiana French)

This is a favorite New Orleans lunch.

1 pound dried red kidney beans
1 1/2 pounds ham hock or ham bone with
    generous amount of meat
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

Place beans and ham hock in a large pot. Cover with water. Water should be 1/2 to 3/4 inch above beans. Heat. When beans and water are hot, add bell pepper, onion, celery, garlic, seasonings and jalapeno pepper. Cook slowly for 2 to 3 hours or until gravy is thick and beans are tender. Salt to taste.

Serve over fluffy white rice.

Serves 4.