The first, and nearly only, "celebrity" cookbook I bought was Emeril Lagasse's New New Orleans Cooking. I lost it in the Cedar Fire in 2003, and promptly re-purchased it once I started getting insurance checks, but was also gifted one by my work associate Allen. So, I had two. Get over it. I really enjoyed it and remember making Pine Nut-crusted Chicken with Roasted Poblano Sauce for a girlfriend who was visiting, and made his Smoke Salmon Hash many, many times.
I had three stints cooking "professionally", trying out my kitchen skills in a real restaurant setting, that of a small microbrew pub owned by a friend which served sandwiches and burgers. He gave me this chance because he would periodically put on a special prix fixe menu, an event which usually resulted in about 20 to 25 tickets. I planned the first one* with a New Orleans theme: Smoked Salmon Hash, Jambalaya and Eggs Pontchartrain, which was basically eggs scrambled with onions and peppers and Creole seasonings (you have to have an egg dish....it was brunch). The Jambalaya was based on Emeril's recipe; so was the hash. We sold 45 tickets, a house record.**
I planned the menu; he approved it. I prepared a shopping list, which he also had to approve. We had a bit of a tussle about the Jambalaya, because I really wanted shrimp in it, but we were already using smoked salmon for the hash, and he tried to keep the price point below $10 (he knew his customers). In the end, we went with chicken and andouille, and I felt guilty about the smoked salmon and bought that ingredient on my own.
I came in beforehand, working a couple of nights before the event, after I'd get off work, in order to prep as much as could be prepped ahead of time. During service, the Jambalaya was to be kept warm, and the hash was mixed ahead of time, but had to be finished in a skillet, to brown and crisp. Between that and cooking a serving of eggs to order, I would have my hands full.
The prepping worked out very well, and I was glad I had seem to plan so well, but it was not without its drama. One of the waitresses there, who was a friend of mine as well, was a spirited, fiery gal, and at some point the night I was there prepping the hash (potatoes cooked to 95%, veggies chopped, everything mixed together with the flaked salmon) had some run in with a regular and came back to the kitchen in a huff. She grabbed my spice jar, with the Creole seasoning, and proceeded to dump about a cup and a half over the fully combined mixture. BAM!
She left and the owner walked back to see me looking very dejected. What can you do?, he asked. I scraped out as much as I could, tasted to see how much of a salt bomb it was (nuclear), and started adding a little sugar at a time, tasting and tasting, until it neutralized the disaster. And did not speak to her for the rest of the evening. On event night, I banned her from touching anything at my station.
At one time, I regularly prepared batches of Emeril's Creole and Southwestern seasonings and kept them in old spice jars. They're very versatile and tasty.
The Colonel loves Jambalaya. He basically adores anything with rice, although he recently confessed his all-time favorite meal is....wait for it...Chili Cheese Dogs. Hmm.
This one has shrimp, andouille and chicken and comes together pretty easily and quickly.
Laissez les bon temps rouler! I mean, Mangia!
I had three stints cooking "professionally", trying out my kitchen skills in a real restaurant setting, that of a small microbrew pub owned by a friend which served sandwiches and burgers. He gave me this chance because he would periodically put on a special prix fixe menu, an event which usually resulted in about 20 to 25 tickets. I planned the first one* with a New Orleans theme: Smoked Salmon Hash, Jambalaya and Eggs Pontchartrain, which was basically eggs scrambled with onions and peppers and Creole seasonings (you have to have an egg dish....it was brunch). The Jambalaya was based on Emeril's recipe; so was the hash. We sold 45 tickets, a house record.**
I planned the menu; he approved it. I prepared a shopping list, which he also had to approve. We had a bit of a tussle about the Jambalaya, because I really wanted shrimp in it, but we were already using smoked salmon for the hash, and he tried to keep the price point below $10 (he knew his customers). In the end, we went with chicken and andouille, and I felt guilty about the smoked salmon and bought that ingredient on my own.
I came in beforehand, working a couple of nights before the event, after I'd get off work, in order to prep as much as could be prepped ahead of time. During service, the Jambalaya was to be kept warm, and the hash was mixed ahead of time, but had to be finished in a skillet, to brown and crisp. Between that and cooking a serving of eggs to order, I would have my hands full.
The prepping worked out very well, and I was glad I had seem to plan so well, but it was not without its drama. One of the waitresses there, who was a friend of mine as well, was a spirited, fiery gal, and at some point the night I was there prepping the hash (potatoes cooked to 95%, veggies chopped, everything mixed together with the flaked salmon) had some run in with a regular and came back to the kitchen in a huff. She grabbed my spice jar, with the Creole seasoning, and proceeded to dump about a cup and a half over the fully combined mixture. BAM!
She left and the owner walked back to see me looking very dejected. What can you do?, he asked. I scraped out as much as I could, tasted to see how much of a salt bomb it was (nuclear), and started adding a little sugar at a time, tasting and tasting, until it neutralized the disaster. And did not speak to her for the rest of the evening. On event night, I banned her from touching anything at my station.
At one time, I regularly prepared batches of Emeril's Creole and Southwestern seasonings and kept them in old spice jars. They're very versatile and tasty.
The Colonel loves Jambalaya. He basically adores anything with rice, although he recently confessed his all-time favorite meal is....wait for it...Chili Cheese Dogs. Hmm.
This one has shrimp, andouille and chicken and comes together pretty easily and quickly.
Laissez les bon temps rouler! I mean, Mangia!
Ingredients
12 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
4 ounces chicken, diced
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe follows
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
3/4 cup rice
3 cups chicken stock
5 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced
Salt and pepper
Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Directions
In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and
work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion,
pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire
and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and
cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about
15 minutes. When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and
sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with
salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.
*The next two were: Cinco De Mayo with an enchilada casserole, Petal's Chile Relleno Casserole and Flag Rice; and Dad and Grad's Night Italian Feast with Pasta Putanesca and I forget what else.
** Number Two was less spectacular, coming in at about 30 tickets. Dad and Grad night was a bomb because everyone was doing Dad and Grad things elsewhere. Place was dead. Did about 25 tickets.
** Number Two was less spectacular, coming in at about 30 tickets. Dad and Grad night was a bomb because everyone was doing Dad and Grad things elsewhere. Place was dead. Did about 25 tickets.
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