Obviously I didn’t invent the dish, but in an attempt to make a creative and tasty breakfast one Sunday morning, I borrowed a page from the former Sugar Magnolia restaurant (in New Orleans) to make one of their most popular brunch dishes, Cream Cheese-Stuffed French Toast with Strawberry Coulis.  After a couple of calls to my friend Tom and some piecing together of the recipe, I gathered all of the ingredients and recreated the dish perfectly.  I now make it every Christmas morning, as it is one of my wife’s favorites.

If you are looking for a great brunch dish for friends, family or even your kids, this is it.  Serve it as an appetizer before a savory brunch, or save it for dessert.  It is a bit time consuming, but don’t let all of the work scare you, the end result is worth it.

I originally published this recipe on NolaFoodie.com on June 28, 2006.  Yea, the photograph was taken back then and isn’t all that great.  So sue me

Makes three to four pieces of stuffed French toast.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 to 8 slices of bread, dried
• 3 Eggs (beaten)
• Cinnamon
• Brown Sugar
• Butter
• Vegetable Oil

French Toast Stuffing:

• 1 package Philadelphia cream cheese (8 oz.)
• Honey
• Brown Sugar
• Powdered White Sugar
• Cinnamon

METHOD
For stuffing, combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix with a large spoon.  Add each ingredient to taste.

To make the stuffed French toast, spread the stuffing mixture between two slices of dried (or stale) sliced bread, just as if you were making a peanut butter sandwich.  Repeat until all of the mixture is used, for a total of three or four “sandwiches.”  The thicker the bread, the better off you are with the stuffing.  However, I have made it before with regular white sliced bread, but recently used the Sweet Buttermilk bread from Pepperidge Farm.

On a plate with slanted edges, make the French toast egg-wash by combining eggs, cinnamon and brown sugar.

In a non-stick fry pan, heat vegetable oil and butter.  Place the first French toast sandwich face down in the egg-wash for several seconds, then turn over to coat the second side.  Then place it in the heated pan to cook, this may take several minutes per side.  Make sure to keep the heat on medium, as a high heat can burn the butter.  Cook the French toast until it is golden brown.  Remove and let it drain on paper towels.

For plating, slice the French Toast diagonally, then dust with powdered sugar and top with seasonal berries or the seasonal berry coulis.

Fresh Seasonal Berry Coulis

• 1 pint of berries (strawberries, blueberries or raspberries)
• 2 tbsp White Sugar
• Juice of 1 Lemon

METHOD
Heat a small saucepan and add berries, 2 tbsp of white sugar and squeeze in the juice of one lemon; stir all ingredients together.  The berries will cook down and render juices that will combine with the sugar to make a thick sauce.  Add extra lemon juice if necessary.  Continue to cook until your sauce is to its desired consistency, the longer it cooks, fewer whole berries will be present; 10 minutes should be adequate.

INGREDIENTS

• 1     pound     Shrimp (heads still on)
• 1/2     pound    Butter (2 Sticks)
• 1/2    large     White or yellow Onion (small dice)
• 4     cloves     Garlic (peeled and minced)
• 1/4     cup    Worcestershire Sauce
• 1     Bottle     Abita Amber Beer (or any good craft brew amber lager)
• 1    lemon     Juiced
• Garlic powder
• Coarse Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Cayenne Pepper
• CajunLand Crab/Shrimp Boil (Powdered), or Cajun seasoning

METHOD

• Lay shrimp in one layer in a large Pyrex baking dish, sprinkle with kosher salt and grind a LOT of black pepper
• In a large saucepan, melt a bit of butter and sauté onion until translucent, then add garlic for a few minutes, then the two sticks of butter.
• When butter has liquefied, add each seasoning while stirring – garlic powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, crab boil, and Worcestershire sauce.
• Add the olive oil, squeeze in the lemon, stir, and then add about half of a bottle of beer (6-8 oz.).  It may foam up, so watch your heat on the stove.
• Keep stirring; drink the rest of the beer.
• When the foam from the beer subsides, pour the sauce over the shrimp in the baking dish; make sure the shrimp are covered by the sauce (or nearly covered).
• Place in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, stir, then another 5 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and cooked.
• Remove from oven and let rest for at least five to ten minutes.
• Serve in a bowl with lots of sauce and pieces of po-boy bread for dipping.

Shrimp and Grits – Southern Style

Serves 4 (about 8-10 large shrimp per serving)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½  pounds             Shrimp, Florida Pink, 21-25 — peeled and deveined
• ¼      cup                    Yellow Onion – Small Julienne
• ¼      cup                    Red Bell pepper – Julienned, small
• ¼      cup                    Orange Bell Pepper – Julienned, small
• ¼      cup                    Yellow Bell pepper – Julienned, small
• ¼      pound               Smoked Sausage, Uncle John’s Pride — Cubed
• 2        tablespoons   Butter, unsalted
• ½      cup                    White Wine
• 1        cup                    Heavy cream (or more if necessary)
• 1 – 2  glasses            White wine or Beer of choice (to drink while cooking)
• Creole or Cajun Seasoning — To Taste
• 1         recipe             Creamy Grits (recipe follows)

METHOD

• Season shrimp liberally with Cajun/Creole Seasoning (Emeril’s Essence is good and readily available)
• In a large sauté pan (non-stick is fine), sauté the sausage for 3-5 minutes to brown and render grease,
• then remove (leave the grease).
• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in pan and add shrimp to pan and sauté for 5-6 minutes until they are pink and curled up (cooked, but not overdone).  Be careful not to overcook, as the shrimp will be added near the end to re-heat.
• In the same pan – melt 1 tablespoon butter then sweat the onions and peppers for 5-10 or more minutes until nearly soft.
• Add white wine and reduce for 5 minutes.  Then add heavy cream and reduce until desired thickness.

Add shrimp back to pan for 2-3 minutes.
Season to taste using salt, pepper and cayenne (or Creole/Cajun Seasoning).

Creamy Stone Ground Grits

(your best bet is to follow the recipe on the package of grits)

• 6 cups chicken Stock
• 4 cups heavy cream (can use whole milk)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup stone ground white grits
• 1 pound grated white or yellow cheddar

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine the chicken stock, cream, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil. Stir in the grits. Cook for about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. (**The grits will stick to the bottom of the pan, so make sure not to scrape the bottom of the pan. If the grits have absorbed all of the liquid, add some additional chicken stock or milk to thin out the grits.) Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and all of the cheese.

Easy method – use Quaker Quick Grits (not instant) and this process should only take 10-15 minutes.  The cream, chicken stock, butter and salt are the most important factors in making these, especially when they are being topped with a shrimp sauce.

SUPERIOR GRILL CHILI CON QUESO

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsps. butter
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 2 whole diced poblano peppers or 2-3 fresh chopped jalapeno peppers
• 1 cup peeled tomatoes, mashed
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 2 12-oz. cans evaporated milk
• 2 lbs. grated Monterrey Jack cheese

METHOD
Melt butter over medium fire. Saute onions, peppers and tomatoes for approximately 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the flour, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Add the evaporated milk and cook until hot, stirring frequently from the bottom. Once the milk is hot, add the cheese one handful at a time, stirring constantly until melted, and add the next handful. Serve hot with chips. If you like a milder version, use the poblano peppers; for a spicier version, use the jalapeno peppers.

ludes parades, a bloody mary and of course, some Popeye’s Chicken.  To celebrate, I’m beginning my day with coffee and chicory (like I do every morning) out of my purple, green and gold French Market Coffee mug.

Tonight I’ll be cooking a Fat Tuesday dinner for some clients.  While it is not New Orleans, owning a Tampa catering company allows me the opportunity to spread the word about great Creole and Cajun cuisine and also get paid for it!

Here’s our menu for tonight:

To Begin
Crab Cake and Spring Green Salad
Jumbo lump pan sautéed crab cake with Creole remoulade sauce,
served atop a salad of mixed greens
tossed with house-made Creole Mustard Vinaigrette

Main Course  – “Mardi Gras Madness”
“New Orleans Style” Barbecue Shrimp and Grits
with onions and peppers in a spicy sauce (no BBQ sauce in this dish, despite the name), served over creamy cheddar cheese grits

Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Authentic Cajun style jambalaya with blackened chicken and spicy smoked sausage, cooked in a cast iron pot

Sliced Grilled Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken breast, Marinated in citrus and seasonings, grilled then sliced

Grilled Seasonal Vegetables
squash, zucchini, asparagus and red onion, grilled and tossed with olive oil, salt and black pepper

Dessert
Florida Strawberry Shortcake
Fresh Plant City (local) Strawberries, on an open faced buttermilk biscuit, with Homemade whipped cream

A dirty martini is one that contains the brine from olives. The stuff you buy in the bottle is the same liquid that you would find in your jar of olives. Bars tend to use the same type of olives that you can find in the grocery store – large queen olives stuffed with pimentos

Here’s the process for making a great martini (this is how an upscale bar or restaurant would do it)-

1. Fill your shaker tin 3/4 with ice. Make sure to use the commercial ice with jagged edges; square is best. You will need good ice to add the proper amount of water to your drink when you shake or stir.

2. Add a little bit of dry vermouth to the shaker – pour it over the ice, put on your top and give it a few swirls so that it coats the ice evenly. Using your strainer, pour out the vermouth (unless you want more). Some people skip this step and leave out the vermouth altogether, though I insist it is a vital ingredient in a gin martini.

3. Fill your martini glass with ice, then water; the goal is to chill the glass as much as possible.

4. Pour a couple of ounces (about 2 1/2 to 3oz. should do it) of vodka or gin over the ice in the shaker. Your best bet is to use room temperature liquor; if you keep it in the freezer, you won’t get enough melting of the ice. If you want a dirty martini, add a little of the brine (juice) from the olive jar. Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take any out.

5. Shake vigorously! Some purists contend that a martini should be stirred, but I prefer mine ice-cold with little shards of ice floating on the top of the drink. I can’t remember the last time I ever saw a bartender at a bar or restaurant stir a martini; it takes a while.

6. Pour out the ice and water from the martini glass, and strain your drink into the glass.

7. Garnish with either a twist of lemon or two olives. Lately I’ve been on the olive kick, using blue cheese, onion or garlic stuffed olives. You can also get some other varieties, or regular olives soaked in vermouth. Most bars will use large pimento-stuffed queen olives. Make sure you spear them with something, like a toothpick or plastic sword.

8. Taste, and add more olive juice or vermouth if necessary. If you add additional ingredients, make sure to first pour them over ice and chill; you don’t want to add warm ingredients to your ice cold drink.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Cans Tomato Juice (46 oz. each – from Sysco)
• 3 Tbsp Prepared Horseradish
• 3 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 3 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 3 Tbsp Cumin
• 3 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 2 Tsp Course Black Pepper
• 6 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• Fresh Lime Juice

METHOD
Mix all ingredients in a large container.  Keep refrigerated.  Pour each individual drink in a tall glass, filled with ice and 2 oz. of Absolut Peppar vodka.

GARNISH
In the drink

• 2 Spicy pickled green beans
• 1 Lemon wedge
• 1 Lime Wedge
• 2 Large Olives
• 2 Cocktail Onions (optional)
• 1 Celery Stalk (optional)

NOTE

• I personally feel like the onions and celery are a bit over-kill.  There is a fine line between a “party in a glass” and a ridiculous concoction.  Use what you like.

On the rim

• 1 Cucumber Slice
• 1 Large spicy boiled shrimp
• Seasoning mix on the rim (combination of blackened seasoning, kosher salt & black pepper)

NOTES

• The seasoning mix for the rim is easy… mix up a bunch and put it in a plastic container for later.
• The boiled shrimp was added at my suggestion.  Although it was my idea, I “borrowed” it from Cafe Rani (on Magazine St.), they did it long before I copied it at the restaurant.  Though ours was better!  The slice of cucumber was also my suggestion, but of course I borrowed that one from Pat O’Briens.  See a trend?

courtesy of Kevin Lacassin
NolaFoodie.com

A bowl of seafood gumbo and an Abita Amber, taken Christmas Day 2005

Here’s my gumbo recipe in five easy steps.  It is about as authentic as it comes, as I’ve taken ideas from many different people and made it simple.  The only hardware you will need to make this gumbo is a large stockpot with strainer basket, a cast iron pan (or Dutch oven) or heavy skillet  and a medium size pot to cook the rice.  For the novice, cooking gumbo can seem like a daunting task and even many Louisianans that cook this on a regular basis don’t go by a recipe; they’ve just learned to do it, as I have.  This is my best attempt to put together a methodology for an easy gumbo.  Though there are many different varieties, the chicken and sausage are common ingredients and easy to procure.  There isn’t a better dish to serve for Sunday football in the winter!

INGREDIENTS

for the gumbo:

• 2 pounds bone-in CHICKEN THIGHS
• 2 pounds Smoked SAUSAGE or Andouille
• 2 white ONIONS, chopped
• 1 green BELL PEPPER, diced
• 3 ribs CELERY, minced
• 1 bunch GREEN ONION
• 5 qts WATER (approx)
• BLACK PEPPER, SALT, CAYENNE, OREGANO, THYME and GARLIC POWDER, to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• Cooked Rice (3 cups uncooked)

for the roux:

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup white flour

METHOD

PREPARE YOUR TRINITY AND INGREDIENTS
Dice a white onion, three ribs of celery and one green bell pepper.  Slice the sausage at a bias.

MAKE THE STOCK/BROTH AND COOK THE CHICKEN (IN THE STOCKPOT)
Fill a large stock pot with strainer basket ¾ way with cold water.  Add a quartered white onion, some celery and season the water with salt, pepper, cayenne and a couple bay leaves.  Bring water to a boil and add chicken thighs.  Reduce temperature and let simmer for about a half an hour, until chicken is cooked and the water becomes a broth.  Pull out the strainer and pour the broth into a bowl for later.  When cooled, pull chicken from the bones, shred and reserve for later, discarding the bones.  The chicken will be added within the last hour of the cooking.

BROWN THE SAUSAGE AND MAKE A ROUX (in cast iron pot)
Meanwhile, heat a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven and brown your sausage to render the grease; then remove and reserve for later.  Add vegetable oil, then when heated, slowly add flower to make the roux.  Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get the sausage pieces into the roux.

BRING IT ALL TOGETHER
Heat the stockpot and add butter.  When butter is melted, add the trinity (onion, bell pepper and celery) and sweat until soft, probably about 10-12 minutes.  With a large spoon, add your roux and mix it together with the trinity.  Continue to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Using a ladle, add chicken broth a little at a time and continue to stir to mix it with the roux and trinity.  Continue to add broth until you have a desired consistency and color.  The more broth added, the thinner the gumbo.

LET IT COOK!
Your gumbo can cook for as long as you want.  After a couple hours on a low simmer, you can add the sausage and the chicken back into the pot.  At this time, you’ll also want to taste it and add seasonings as necessary and toss in the green onions.

Make your rice and eat!

NOTES

• About a half hour before you are ready to serve your gumbo, begin preparing your rice.

Other Great Gumbo Links

Gumbo (Ya-Ya) eGullet Cookoff Thread – An interesting internet discussion by a bunch of people learning to make gumbo over the internet.  If you are starting from scratch and never had gumbo, you should begin here.

A Topolo Margarita at Frontera Grill, Chicago, IL

Nothing beats a properly made margarita; tequila, orange liqueur and citrus juice, shaken and served in a salt-rimmed glass.  It’s my favorite cocktail.  The sweet and the sour flavors all blend together to create a cocktail that is smooth and tasty.  A well made margarita is a work of art and I’ve been working at it for years.  You may have to tweak this recipe for your tastes, but this one will make a great drink, every time.

INGREDIENTS

1½ ounces 100% agave reposado TEQUILA
½ ounce Cointreau
½ ounce Gran Marnier
1½ ounces of MARGARITA MIX (or citrus infused simple syrup)
½ ounce LEMON JUICE
½ ounche LIME JUICE
ICE
COURSE KOSHER SALT

METHOD

Fill shaker ¾ with ice, then add tequila, Orange Liquer, margarita mix and squeeze in the juice of ½ of a lime and ½ of a lemon. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds to a minute or until shaker is too cold to hold.  Rub the rim of a glass with lemon or lime slice and dip the rim into a saucer of salt until the desired amount is on the glass.  Pour the mixture into the salt-rimmed glass, or strain into a salt rimmed cocktail (martini) glass if you prefer your drink “up,” without ice.

ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

TEQUILA
I prefer to use 100% agave tequila with my margaritas.  My favorites are Herradura Reposado, Cabo Wabo Reposado and Sauza Hornitos.  Sometimes I enjoy a silver tequila, so El Tesoro Platinum is my go-to; a great tequila at a great price, making it one of the better values.  I suggest trying several different tequilas and deciding which one you like the best.  Some other great tequilas include Patron, Milagro and Don Julio.

ORANGE LIQUEUR
There are a few different types of orange liquor, the three most common are triple sec, Cointreau and Grand Marnier.  In many of my margaritas, I use triple sec because of taste and affordability.  Most contend that any 100% agave tequila should be complemented with either Cointreau or Grand Marnier, but feel free to use triple sec.  The alcohol content is lower and it’s a bit sweeter than some of the higher end alternatives.  If you are in the mood, do some experimenting on your own to find the combination you like best.

CITRUS JUICE
Although most purists suggest fresh lime juice as the citrus juice, I admit to using a combination of fresh squeezed lime and lemon juice.  I like the flavor of a half and half balance with the acidity mellowed out with the orange liqueur and sweet margarita mix.

MARGARITA MIX
To help balance the flavors, I add about 1 ½ ounces of sweet margarita mix to offset the acidity in the citrus and the strength of the tequila.  Depending on the mix you use or the flavor you desire, you may have to add more or less.  If you are ambitious, try making a simple syrup infused with lemon or lime flavors.  I always keep a bottle of Jose Cuervo margarita mix on hand for the occasion.  I really dislike their tequila, but the mix is perfect for this purpose.

ICE
I suggest using commercial ice sold in bags.  The jagged shape of the commercial ice is ideal when making a cocktail.  When shaking, small pieces of ice break off and add the right amount of water to the cocktail.  The ice is more important than you thought!

SALT
The best salt is coarse kosher salt.  Buy a box at the grocery store for cheap and keep it on hand.