What I Learned While Making Gumbo

1) A deep, rich roux waits for no man. Or woman. It refuses to be abandoned, even for a minute.

2) Leave the iPhone in the other room. Concentrate on the slow and steady stirring and quit trying to multitask all the time.

3) Between Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, the radio or TV constantly playing in the background and the neediness of our dogs, I get distracted often and easily. I need to work on this.

4) Use those 25-30 minutes of roux making to brainstorm, clear your head and/or just be.

5) Patience pays off. Especially when it comes to gumbo.



The recipe is Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo from Emeril Lagasse.


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Photo du Jour - Gumbo

A big bowl of Gumbo at the Acme Oyster House.


My gumbo recipe. Pin It

Gumbo Weather

Temperatures to drop down into the 30's again tonight. That's gumbo weather here in New Orleans.

The American Sector is the newest restaurant by award winning, local chef John Besh.
I'm no expert on gumbo, but a big bowl of his delicious, velvety rich shrimp and homemade sausage gumbo is just the thing to warm you up on days like these. Pin It

Tartiflette Weather

When it gets really cold in New Orleans people like to say, "it's Gumbo weather." Here in France, when the temperature dips this low (-3 degrees C this morning and I doubt it will get above freezing today) I like to say," it's Tartiflette weather."



Now, I realize that because I live in the Languedoc I should be saying, "it's Cassoulet weather." (I say that sometimes too)
But who can resist a dish of layered potatoes, onions, bacon and crème fraîche, smothered with bubbly, melted Reblochon cheese?
Not me!

The recipe is super easy and I like to serve it with a big green salad so I don't feel so bad about all the cream and cheese I've just inhaled.

Tartiflette
serves 4

• 2 pounds potatoes
• 8 ounces lardons fumé or cubed, smoked bacon
• 1 onion
• 1 Reblochon cheese, sliced in half crosswise
• 2 tablespoons crème fraiche or heavy cream
• 1/2 cup dry white wine

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Peel potatoes and boil in salted water until cooked through. When finished, drain and cut in thick slices.
3. Sauté the bacon until cooked through, but not crisp, then add the onions and sauté until softened.
4. Cover the bottom of a gratin dish with slices of potatoes, then with a layer of the onions and bacon. Repeat with the potatoes, etc...
5. Add the cream, pour the wine over and cover with the halved Reblochon, rind on top.
6. Put in the oven and cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and cook about 15 minutes more, until the Reblochon is melted and golden.

If you're not in France, Reblochon can be purchased through amazon.com

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Creole Homes, Scrabble and a King Cake

Monday night is Scrabble Night at Mary and Tomio's amazing home in the Bywater neighborhood, home of the world famous Mirliton Festival.

It is an evening of Mary's wonderful food - to die for kumquat glazed ham, baked Japanese, white-flesh sweet potatoes, skillet cornbread, cheese smothered cauliflower and chocolate pecan King Cake for dessert - fabulous conversation and a Scrabble game or two. (which I always lose)


Mary and Tomio's kitchen



a tableau of turtle shells in dining room
turtle soup anyone?

Mary and Tomio's home, as well as our friend, Peter's, are featured in a recently published, informative and beautifully photographed book, Creole Houses: Traditonal Homes of Old Louisiana. Pin It

Gumbo - The Conclusion

Voilà!
The magnificent, steaming bowl of Gumbo. The roux could have been a tad darker, but its rich, toasty aroma was making my stomach growl so I hurried things along!
I know I used the word patience yesterday and how important it is. I thought I had more. Need to work on that....


sautéed chicken and smoked sausage heating up


after 40 minutes of stirring


just after adding the liquid


Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo
serves 4 hungry people

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for sautéeing the chicken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil for the roux
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 chicken legs, divided into thigh and drumstick
  
• 1 pound smoked sausage, such as andouille or kielbasa, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cups water or chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon Rustic Rub
• 1/3 cup minced parsley
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon filé powder

Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a large cast-iron or enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat.
Season the chicken with salt, pepper and the Rustic Rub.
Brown the chicken on all sides and remove from the pot.
Add the smoked sausage, cook until browned and remove from the pot.
Wipe the pot clean to remove any caramelized, black bits.
Return the pot to medium heat, combine the oil and flour, grab a beer or pour yourself a glass of wine, find someone to keep you company in the kitchen or put on some good music and settle in to stir!
Stirring slowly and constantly for 25 minutes to an hour, make a brown roux, the color of milk chocolate. All the recipes I find state that the roux will be done after 25-30 minutes, but this is not true for our stove. So, keep your eye on it and don't rush it. (like I did!)
Add the onions, celery, garlic and bell peppers to the roux and cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until wilted.
Put the chicken, sausage, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves back in the pot, stir it all together for a few minutes, then add the water or stock.
Stir until the roux mixture and liquid are well combined.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.
Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, carefully skimming off any fat that rises to the surface.
Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, green onions, and filé powder.

Remove the bay leaves and serve in deep bowls with steamed rice.


the all important filé powder

So, it should have been a bit darker...but the flavor was super bon! Creamy, velvety, slightly spicy and smoky.
One whiff and a small taste and I was instantly transported back to Liuzza's in New Orleans.


almost finished


My recipe is a mélange of gumbo recipes from Chuck at The Gumbo Pages, Chef Emeril Lagasse and Chef John D. Folse. Pin It

Gumbo Cravings

It was either that recipe for Rabbit Gumbo I looked at last week or the knowledge that I'll be landing in New Orleans a mere two weeks from today that has gotten my gumbo cravings flowing.

Have you ever made a real, honest to god, café au lait colored, rich nutty flavored roux, Gumbo? It is a simple, beautiful thing.
But it takes some patience.

Well, patience I've got. And I'm fortunate to have the time to stand around, performing a seemingly endless job of stirring flour and oil together, until the perfectly colored roux is achieved. It really only takes about an hour on our stove, but that hour moves like molasses. And quel catastrophe if little black specks appear in your roux! That means dumping it in the bin and starting all over again.
That happened to me once and I swear, never again. Patience - there's that word again. Remember, rushing the roux will result in little black specks.

I'm making a classic, Cajun Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo this afternoon. I'll post a full gumbo chronicle, the recipe and photos tomorrow. Maybe I can convince some of you to attempt this memorable, mouthwatering dish that has me under its spell?

Chef John D. Folse has a very informative tutorial on roux. Pin It

Au Revoir New Orleans

This afternoon I say goodbye to friends and this wonderful city to return home to France. Au revoir gumbo, crawfish etoufée, coffee with chicory and po' boys.
Bonjour confit de canard, cassoulet, crêpes and muscat.
I'm so excited to see my husband, dogs and crazy cat! I can't wait to have a glass of decent red wine and smell the wild thyme that grows in the garrigue that surrounds our village. Pin It