Main Courses

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Beef Brisket
Tujague’s Restaurant
823 Decatur St | New Orleans, La 70116 | (504) 525-8676
tujagues.com

Tujague’s Boiled Beef Brisket

6-7 pounds choice brisket
2 onions, quartered
1½ ribs of celery, quartered
1 head of garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon salt
15 black peppercorns
2 green onions, quartered
1 carrot, quartered
1 bell pepper, quartered

Sauce
1 Cup ketchup
½ Cup horseradish
¼ Cup creole mustard

Note:
The 2 most important steps to produce tender, juicy, tasty brisket are:

1) Buy a quality, well trimmed brisket, never frozen
2) Simmer the meat (not a hard boil)

Place the brisket in a large soup pot, cover with cold water, add all the ingredients and simmer for 3-4 hours until beef is tender. Remove beef and slice. For vegetable soup, skim and strain the stock. Add 3 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 whole tomatoes sliced, and your favorite vegetables. Cook until tender and serve. We have found a little okra adds a distinctive taste to the soup. Cut and cook okra first in the oven or a saucepan to remove the slime before putting into the soup.

Any stock left over after soup is made can be frozen and stored for future soups and sauces.

Makes 1 gallon of soup.

Chieck Bonne Femme
Tujague’s Restaurant
823 Decatur St | New Orleans, La 70116 | (504) 525-8676
tujagues.com

Chicken Bonne Femme

Note: The problem is most people complicate this simple menu. It is as easy as it appears.

In a large skillet, preferably cast iron, fill with Vegetable Oil to just cover the cut up chicken. Rub the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder and fry turning once until golden brown. We find it come out crispier if you fry skin up first. Remove the chicken when done and add the thinly cut potatoes to the hot oil. Cook until crisp.

Rub a generous amount of chopped garlic and parsley (chopped together) over the cooked chicken and potatoes and eat.

Of course it is easier when ordered at Tujague’s

Oysters Desire
Royal Sonesta Hotel – New Orleans
300 Bourbon St | New Orleans, LA 70130 | (504)586-0300
www.sonesta.com/ROYALNEWORLEANS

Oysters Desire

Serves 1-2
6 each Fresh P&J Oysters, shucked on the half shell
4 oz. Unsalted butter
1 T. Garlic, pealed and chopped
½ tsp. Kosher Salt
2 T. Parmesan, grated
1 tsp. Creole seasoning blend
1 T. Parsley, Chopped
½ tsp. Green onions, sliced
½ each Lemon, Sliced and Roasted
½ c. Rock Salt

Allow butter to soften at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat Broiled on high for 20 minutes.

In a mixing bowl combine butter, garlic, salt, Parmesan, parsley and ½ tsp of the seasoning blend. Fill a heat resistant bowl with rock salt and place oysters in the shell on the salt. Spoon 1 T. of the butter mixture onto each oyster. Sprinkle the top of each oyster with the remaining seasoning blend. Place bowl and lemon slices in broiler on the top shelf for 6-8 minutes until nicely browned.

To serve, sprinkle with green onions and place roasted lemons in the center of the bowl.

Oysters Bienville

Oysters Bienville

Serves 8-10

1-Tbs. vegetable oil
2/3 cup finely chopped white mushroom
4 tsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter
1-1/2 tsp. very finely chopped garlic
4 large shallots, finely chopped
1/2 pound cooked shrimp, finely diced
1-tsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. ground white pepper
6 Tbs. grated Romano cheese
4 Tbs. dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
2 dozen plump, salty, oysters, freshly shucked and the flat sides of the shells reserved
About two rock salt (optional)
Lemon wedges wrapped in muslin sleeves, for serving

  1. In a large, heavy saucepan, warm the vegetable oil and sauté the chopped mushroom for 4 minutes, stirring. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, press with another spoon to remove excess liquid and set aside.
  2. In the same pan, melt the butter over low heat and sauté the garlic and the shallots for about three minutes, stirring frequently, until softened.
  3. Add the shrimp and stir to mix, then sprinkle evenly with the flour. Stir together, add the reserved mushroom and increase heat to medium.
  4. Stirring constantly, deglaze the pan with the brandy. Stir in the cream and cook for two to three minutes, until smooth. Stir in Romano, dry breadcrumbs, parsley, salt, a touch of black pepper and the Cayenne to soft, moundable consistency. A small amount of milk may be added if the mixture is too thick.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the mixture to a glass or ceramic bowl. Cool to room temp., then refrigerate for about 1 1/2 hrs, or until thoroughly chilled.
  6. Preheat oven to 400°. Wash the oyster shells well and dry. Drain the oysters and place one each in each of the 24 shells, or use two smaller oysters per shell if necessary.
  7. Place the shells in a large, heavy roasting pan lined with a 1/2-inch layer rock salt, or place six filled oyster shells in each pie of four pie pans line with salt (the salt keeps the upright during cooking and stops the delicious juices from escaping).
  8. Top each oyster with one generous tablespoon of the Bienville mix and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until nicely browned. Carefully place 6 oysters on each hot dinner plate. If baked in pans of rock salt, place each pan on a dinner plate. Garnished with a wrapped lemon wedge and serve immediately.
Jambalaya
email: lisette@cookincajun.com | creoledelicacies.com

Serves 8

½ lb Chaurice (hot sausage) 3 cups chicken stock (hot)
1 lb Andouille (smoked sausage) 2 cups smoked ham (diced)
¼ cup Tasso 4 green onions (sliced)
2 cups onion (chopped) ¼ cup parsley
1 bell pepper (chopped) ½ teaspoon thyme
2 stalks celery (chopped) 3 bay leaves
4 cloves minced garlic salt (to taste)
1 1-lb can tomatoes (with liquid & crushed) pepper (to taste)
2 cups rice tabasco (to taste)

  1. Saute meats in oil if necessary, for several minutes. In same oil add onions, cook thoroughly then add bell pepper and celery. Cook until tender. Add bay leaf and thyme.
  2. Add rice and stir until coated in the oil. Add tomatoes, chicken stock, garlic.
  3. Bring mixture to a boil. Cover and let simmer about 30 minutes or until rice is done.
  4. Before serving, add green onions and parsley. Serve hot with French bread and a green salad.NOTE: If using Uncle Ben’s Rice then use 2 cups rice, 2 cups stock and one 16 oz can tomatoes.Smoked sausage may be substituted for Andouille Sausage.

Shopping List:
Dried Bell Pepper, Red and Green Bay Leaves
Popcorn Rice White Pepper
Thyme Tabasco

Crawfish Etouffee
creoledelicacies.com

1 stick butter lemon zest, optional
½ cup flour ½ cup green onion, chopped
2 cups onion, finely chopped ½ cup parsley finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped 1 tablespoon Cookin Cajun
1 cup red and green bell peppers, finely chopped Seasoning
2 cloves garlic or Garlic juice spray, minced
3 ounces tomato paste 4 cups cooked rice
1 quart seafood stock
1 teaspoon liquid Crab and Shrimp Boil
2 lbs. Crawfish tails

Melt butter over medium heat in a Dutch oven. When butter begins to foam, add flour, stirring constantly. Cook for about 10 minutes to form a light brown, peanut butter-colored roux. Add vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes; then add stock and crab boil.

Add crawfish, and lemon zest if desired, and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Add the green onions, parsley, and Cookin Cajun or other Creole spice blend. Simmer 10 minutes more, remove from heat, and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

Reheat, if necessary, and serve over rice.

Shopping List:
Cookin’ Cajun Dried red and green bell peppers
Garlic juice spray
Knorr Shrimp Bouillion cubes
Concentrated liquid Shrimp and Crab boil
Cookin’ Cajun-Cajun Creole Seasoning
Lemon Zester
Popcorn Rice

Note: If shrimp bouillion is unavailable, fish bouillion maybe used.

Creole Crabcakes

Creole Crabcakes

Serves 4 as entree (Makes a wonderful stuffing for shrimp or mushrooms.)

1 pound lump crabmeat, all bits of shell and cartilage carefully removed
1 tablespoon Creole mustard
1 egg
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 green pepper, seeds removed, finely diced (or use 1/3 red, 1/3 yellow and 1/3 green)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup fine breadcrumbs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1-1/2 cups Creole sauce
1/4 cup lemon butter sauce, room-temp.
fresh basil sprigs for garnish

Preheat oven to 375°

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the Creole mustard, egg, mayonnaise and lemon juice until well blended. Add the onions, peppers and cilantro and mix well. Mix the salt and pepper into the breadcrumbs, then add gently with the crabmeat.
  2. Portion the crabmeat mixture into 16 round cakes about 2 inches high and 2 inches wide. Dredge in breadcrumbs to coat lightly.
  3. Line a sheet pan with parchment and dust lightly with breadcrumbs. (To cook later, at this point, you may put the crabcakes on the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Pierce the wrap several times to prevent the cakes from getting soggy. Refrigerate.)
  4. Heat the clarified butter oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the crabcakes for about 1 minute on each side, until golden brown. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes.
  5. Heat the Creole sauce in a small saucepan then strain.

For each serving, ladle Creole sauce in the center of a hot dinner plate and drizzle lemon butter sauce over it. Place 4 crabcakes around the sauce. Garnish with a sprig of basil and serve.

Red Beans
Red Beans by Saundra

1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted over
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions, if yellow onions are not available use white onions (not Vidalia)
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
Pinch cayenne
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 pound smoked sausage or andouille, split in half lengthwise
1 pound smoked ham hocks
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
4 cups cooked white rice
1/4 cup chopped green onions, garnish

Note: salt, pepper and cayenne may be substituted for Creole seasoning

It’s not necessary to soak the beans overnight, but you can if you want to. If you do, drain the water and cover the beans with a double volume of fresh water in the pot. (This helps reduce the um, flatulence factor). Add the ham hocks and bay leaves and bring the beans to a rolling boil. Make sure the beans are always covered by water, or they will discolor and get hard. Cook over medium heat for about one to 2 hours or until the beans are tender but not falling apart.

Add the Holy Trinity (onions, celery, bell pepper) and garlic, salt, pepper (or Creole Seasoning and thyme and continue cooking for another 2 to 2 1/2.Add more water if necessary. At this point the Red Beans should be creamy. Adjust seasonings as necessary.

Just before serving add parsley and green onions to taste.

Sauté’ the sausage in a little olive oil or bacon drippings. Serve on the side of the Red Beans. Add the Red Beans and serve over rice. So,so, so good, ENJOY!