Andouille Sausage; Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce; Chicken & Andouille Gumbo; Praline Pecans
Fred Towner
***** Fred's Andouille Sausage *****
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Categories: Cajun Sausage
Calories per serving: Number of Servings: 6
Fat grams per serving: Approx. Cook Time:
Cholesterol per serving: Marks:
INGREDIENTS ------------------------------------------------------------
1 1/2 yds large sausage casing, approximately (about 2-3
inches wide)
4 lb lean fresh pork
2 lb pork fat
3 1/3 Tbsp garlic cloves - finely minced
2 Tbsp salt - NOT iodized
1 Tbsp black pepper - freshly ground
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp mace
1/2 tsp allspice
1 Tbsp thyme - minced
1 Tbsp marjoram - minced
1 Tbsp paprika
1/4 tsp bay leaf - ground
1/4 tsp sage
5 tsp liquid hickory smoke
DIRECTIONS ------------------------------------------------------------
Andouille was a great favorite in nineteenth-century New Orleans. This
thick Cajun sausage is made with lean pork and pork fat and lots of
garlic. Sliced about 1/2 inch thick and grilled, it makes a
delightful appetizer. It is also used in a superb oyster and
andouille gumbo poplular in Laplace, a Cajun town about 30 miles from
New Orleans that calls itself the Andouille Capital of the World.
Soak the casing about an hour in cold water to soften it and to loosen
the salt in which it is packed. Cut into 3 yard lengths, then place
the narrow end of the sausage stuffer in one end of the casing. Place
the wide end of the stuffer up against the sink faucet and run cold
water through the inside of the casing to remove any salt. (Roll up
the casing you do not intend to use; put about 2 inches of coarse salt
in a large jar, place the rolled up casing on it, then fill the rest
of the jar with salt. Close tightly and refrigerate for later use.)
Cut the meat and fat into chunks about 1/2 inch across and pass once
through the coarse blade of the meat grinder. Combine the pork with
the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with a wooden
spoon.
Cut the casings into 26 inch lengths and stuff as follows: Tie a knot
in each piece of casing about 2 inches from one end. Fit the open end
over the tip of the sausage stuffer and slide it to about 1 inch from
the wide end. Push the rest of the casing onto the stuffer until the
top touches the knot. (The casing will look like accordian folds on
the stuffer.) Fit the stuffer onto the meat grinder as directed on
the instructions that come with the machine, or hold the wide end of
the stuffer against or over the opeoning by hand. Fill the hopper
with stuffing.
Turn the machine on if it is electric and feed the stuffing gradually
into the hopper; for a manual machine, push the stuffing through with
a wooden pestle. The sausage casing will fill and inflate gradually.
Stop filling about 1 1/4 inches from the funnel end and slip the
casing off the funnel, smoothing out any bumps carefully with your
fingers and being careful not to push the stuffing out of the casing.
Tie off the open end of the sausage tightly with a piece of string or
make a knot in the casing itself. Repeat until all the stuffing is
used up.
Age at least overnight, then smoke for several hours using pecan,
hickory or ash. (Do NOT use pine). Throw anything sweet, such as
cane sugar or syrup, raw sugar, molassess, sugar cane or brown sugar
on the wood before lighting.
To cook, slice the andouille 1/2 inch thick and grill in a hot skillet
with no water for about 12 minutes on each side, until brown and crisp
at the edges.
Yield:(about 6 pounds of 20 inch sausage, 3 to 3 1/2 inches thick)
NOTE: Lately I've changed the pepper mix a bit to suit my own taste.
I now use 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp white
pepper. I find this gives a much better depth to the flavour.
(F.H.T.)
Source: Cajun Fred
*** Recipe Via Compu-Chef (tm) ***
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***** Fred's Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce *****
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Categories: Cajun Dessert
Calories per serving: Number of Servings: 16
Fat grams per serving: Approx. Cook Time:
Cholesterol per serving: Marks:
INGREDIENTS ------------------------------------------------------------
----- BREAD PUDDING-------------------------------------
1 loaf French bread - stale, crumbled (6-8 cups)
4 cup milk
2 cup sugar
8 Tbsp butter - melted
3 eggs
2 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup Raisins
1 cup coconut - shredded
1 cup pecans - chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
----- WHISKEY SAUCE-------------------------------------
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup bourbon - or rum (to taste)
DIRECTIONS ------------------------------------------------------------
BREAD PUDDING:
Combine all ingredients; mixture should be very moist, but not soupy.
Pour into buttered 9 x 12 or larger baking dish. Place into
non-preheated oven. Bake at 350 F for approximately 1 hour and 15
minutes, until top is golden brown.
Serve warm with sauce.
WHISKY SAUCE:
Cream butter and sugar over medium heat until all butter is absorbed.
Remove from heat and blend in egg yolk. Pour in bourbon gradually to
your own taste, stirring constantly. Sauce will thicken as it cools.
Serve warm over warm bread pudding.
NOTE: For variety of sauces, just substitute your favorite fruit juice
or liquor to complement your bread pudding.
A nice variation is to use Pina Colada mix and rum.
Source: Fred Towner
*** Recipe Via Compu-Chef (tm) ***
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***** Fred's Chicken and Andouille Gumbo *****
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Categories: Cajun Soups
Calories per serving: Number of Servings: 15
Fat grams per serving: Approx. Cook Time:
Cholesterol per serving: Marks:
INGREDIENTS ------------------------------------------------------------
1 cup oil
1 chicken - cut up or boned
1 1/2 lb andouille sausage - or kielbasa
1 cup flour
3 3/4 cup onions - chopped
2 cup celery - chopped
2 cup green pepper - chopped
3 tsp garlic - chopped
8 1/2 cup chicken stock
salt
cayenne pepper
2 cup green onion - chopped
file
cream sherry
cooked rice
DIRECTIONS ------------------------------------------------------------
Season and brown chicken in oil (lard, bacon drippings) over med-hi
heat.
Add sausage (cut in 1/4" rounds) to pot and saute with chicken. Remove
both from pot.
Make roux with equal parts of oil and flour to desired color (I make a
dark chestnut color).
Add onions, celery, green pepper, and later garlic to roux, stir
continuously until vegetables reach desired tenderness.
Return chicken and sausage to pot and cook with vegetables, continuing
to stir frequently.
Gradually stir in liquid and bring to boil.
Reduce to simmer and cook for an hour or more. Season to taste.
Approximately 10 minutes before serving, add green onions.
Gumbo may or may not be served over rice. Adding sherry at the table
is also an option. File may be placed on the table for individuals to
add to their gumbo if they wish. 1/4 to 1/2 tsp per serving is
recommended.
File - a fine green powder that is young dried and ground sassafras
leaves, used in gumbo for flavor and thickening. The word file means
to twist or make threads. If you put the file directly into the gumbo
while it is cooking, that is what you will end up with, a liquid that
is rather stringy as you bring your spoon out of the bowl. Ugh! Do it
right, let each person add their own at the table.
If making roux over very high heat, the oil you use must be free of
food particles to avoid burning. If you scorch your roux, even
slightly, while you are making it, throw it out, and start over again
after you have thoroughly cleaned the pot.
When making an okra gumbo, add 4-6 cups of cut okra to trinity, saute,
and cook together with roux. (remember, the Cajun cooking trinity is
onions, celery and green pepper).
Source: Fred Towner
*** Recipe Via Compu-Chef (tm) ***
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***** Fred's Praline Pecans *****
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Categories: Cajun Candies
Calories per serving: Number of Servings: 50
Fat grams per serving: Approx. Cook Time:
Cholesterol per serving: Marks:
INGREDIENTS ------------------------------------------------------------
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar - packed
1/2 cup milk (I use evaporated milk)
6 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cup pecans - roasted
1 tsp vanilla
DIRECTIONS ------------------------------------------------------------
Combine all ingredients and bring to soft ball stage 234-240F),
stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Stir until mixture thickens, becomes creamy and
cloudy, and pecans stay suspended in mixture.
Spoon out on buttered wax paper, aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Makes 1 to 50 pralines, depending on size. When using wax paper, be
sure to buffer with newspaper underneath, as how wax will transfer
onto whatever is underneath.
NOTE: to roast pecans, bake them on a sheet pan at 275 for 20-25
minutes, until slightly browned and the smell drives you around the
bend.
OPTIONS: praline sauce (add 1/2 cup corn syrup to mixture)
chocolate covered praline candy
flavored pralines (chocolate, coffee, brandy, etc.)
party praline
praline sundae
Source: Fred Towner
*** Recipe Via Compu-Chef (tm) ***