Softshell crab with meuniere sauce; corn with basil and feta; avocado, peach, basil and goat curd salad

I spotted the softshell lady as soon as I entered the market, and since I can't ever seem to make it early enough to get softshell before she sells out, I made a bee line for her stand, "all out," she says! I then spot the shrimp lady across the market, she has a beautiful box of blue crabs, claws flailing all about. So I steer the stroller in her direction only to be cut off by a man, that orders in front of me. I watch as she takes her tongs and starts filling his bag, then another bag until the only thing left are four dead crabs in the bottom of the box. "Any more?" I ask. I guess hoping, that there is some other elusive box of beautiful blue crabs stowed away somewhere in her truck. "All out!" she proclaims. I finish my shopping and as I'm about to leave the softshell lady waves me over, she still has softshell she was saving for someone who didn't pick them up, whomever you are, thanks for being a flake, I did your softshell justice! My husband says they were better than The Mayflower, and he's definitely not one for flattery!
The lungs on my softhell had been removed as I think most of them are when you buy them, if not, remove the lungs and then take a sharp paring knife and remove the head, cutting it out in a vee. I lightly dredged mine in seasoned flour (flour, Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic, salt and pepper). I added three tablespoons of clarified butter to a skillet on medium, and cooked the crabs three minutes on one side and two minutes on the other side. Remove crabs from the pan, add zest and juice of one lemon. I then add butter to the lemon, a tablespoon at a time, tasting as I go until the butter and lemon are balanced (it will make sense when you're tasting it). I then added 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, I know meuniere purist would disagree, but I wanted mine to taste like The Mayflower.

I had a hard time coming up with a side from whatever was in my refrigerator, which did not include lettuce. What I ended up with were two great summer sides that went suprisingly well with the softshell.



For corn and feta, boil corn, remove kernels with a sharp knife, being sure to milk the cobs, by running the dull side of the blade of your knife down the cob. Add butter (about 2 tablespoons)and garlic, to a pan, saute garlic for a few minutes, add corn and saute for a few more minutes. Remove corn and toss with fresh basil and feta.



For the avocado and peach salad, dice the peach and avocado, add to a bowl with goat cheddar curds, fresh basil, mint or cilantro (I wish I had used cilantro, and maybe mint, too), and salt and pepper. I tossed the salad very gently (stir as little as possible or you will end up with guacamole) with a dressing of 1/2 tablespoon of rice vinegar and 1/2 tablespoon of honey.

So easy to prepare and so quick, the only thing missing were some hot Mayflower Rolls to sop up the rest of the very tasty meuniere.

Note: The Mayflower is a historic seafood establishment in Jackson, MS that has an equally historic meuniere and comeback dressing. Look for a future blog on a dining experience at The Mayflower.



Sadie insisted that I cheese her plate (take a picture), and announced that this meal was her favrit!

My first guest contributor and an easy, fabulously fresh summer corn with tarragon recipe

One of the directions I would like to go with this blog is to encourage you to shop your local markets, and I would love for you to share your experiences with with other readers.
My first guest contributor is Stephen Holder. Stephen grew up in Jackson, MS and graduated from Millsaps College. His desire to see the rest of the world led him to New York City. After several years in corporate America he decided to pursue his passion,cooking. Stephen packed his bags and moved to San Francisco where he attended the CCA. He then spent time working in the kitchen at Williams-Sonoma and catering various other venues. He has since retired from the culinary world and back in Jackson, but he keeps a voracious garden as well as being a Mrs. Berry regular. (more about Mrs. Berry in a future blog). Stephen sent me a wonderful recipe for a tarragon corn that he has been making with his silver queen corn.

Tarragon Corn

Ingredients
* 4 Tbsp butter
* 1/2 cup chopped shallots (can substitute onions)
* 3 cups corn (from about 4 ears of corn)*
* 1 Tbsp of an anise liqueur such as Ouzo, Pernod, Pastis or Sambuca** (optional)
* 1/2 teaspoon of salt if using unsalted butter, more to taste
* 1 Tbsp packed, minced fresh tarragon
* Dash of white pepper (or black pepper if white is unavailable)

* If using fresh corn, to remove corn from the cob, first remove the husks and strings. Stand the corn up with the tip down in a large shallow pan like a baking dish. Using a sharp chef's knife, use long downward strokes to remove the corn kernels from the cob. You might find it easier to use a bundt pan to hold the ear of corn and catch the kernels. Or you can use a corn stripper.
** Regarding the anise liqueur the recipe calls for, I think it's a nice touch, but not necessary. You'll get enough of the flavor with the tarragon if you are avoiding alcohol or don't have an anise liqueur on hand.

Method
1. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the corn, salt, and anise liqueur if using (if not using, add 1 Tbsp water). Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the corn is tender.

3. Remove from heat, stir in the tarragon. Add pepper and more salt to taste.

Serves 3-4.

The Next Food Network Star, apparently... I am not.

I wanted to share with my blog followers, if I even have any of those. My foray into the reality TV world.
I have only watched minutes of a few episodes of The Next Food Network Star, but I have heard numerous times, if I was to do a reality show/competition, this was the one for me. I then got an email, from the only blog that I follow, that the Next Food Network Star was in New Orleans and holding an open casting call. So I felt as if maybe the stars were lining up and I should pursue this. Don't know why, I've never done anything like this, but I went..and they didn't call me back. But, I may not be done with this pursuit, I feel have a message to share, and I feel that my message can extend the lives of our children. So...I'm going to keep blogging and trying to change the way people eat and we'll see, maybe one day...I will be your Next Food Network Star!

Stuffed Briarhill Farms Cornish Hens and Maple Leaf Patisserie Bread

Joe and Jackie Dobie of Briarhill Farms sell poultry at the Uptown Crescent City Farmers Market on Tuesday mornings from 9a.m.-1p.m. I have previously prepared their quail and chicken. Tonight, I tackled their cornish hens. This was the first time that I have prepared cornish hens, so please, let me know if there is a better way, or your favorite preparation.

I brined the birds in a brine solution of a gallon of water, a cup of salt, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup white sugar, thyme, and a bay leaf (use whatever dry spices you have on hand) for three hours. I think the brine time was perfect, the hens were perfectly salty and juicy, but I think a four hour brine might have made them too salty. Remove the hens from the brine and allow them to dry and rest for thirty minutes. I then rubbed them with salt, pepper and thyme, be sure to rub the inside of the cavity.

Meanwhile, I prepared a stuffing for the birds. First, I cut Maple Leaf Patisserie whole wheat bread into small pieces and put it in a 200 degree oven until they dry out. Cut two pieces of bacon into lardons, and cook until crispy. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add to the oil 3cloves of garlic, finely chopped, and a fresh ancho and pasilla chili, diced, deveined and seeded. I cooked the vegetables in a skillet until soft and then deglazed the pan with 1/3 cup of chicken broth. I probably could have mixed white wine and chicken broth and gotten a better result. I then added the bread pieces that I made earlier with that beautiful loaf of bread from Maple Street Patisserie. Coat bread cubes well in saucepan and let it sit until cool long enough to handle it. Stuff the dressing inside of the hens, truss the bird, and bake it at 375 for 1 hour basting with butter and chicken broth frequently.

I served my hens with a salad made from hydroponic lettuce from Feliciana Greenhouses with my house dressing, greek feta from Ryals Goat Dairy and avocado.

Foodsources
cornish hens
Briarhill Farms, Mt. Hermon, LA
Joe and Jackie Dobie
phone: 985-877-5946
georgedobie@bellsouth.net

whole wheat bread
Maple Street Patisserie
7638 Maple Street
New Orleans, LA
phone: 504.247.7912

greek feta
Ryals Goat Dairy, Tylertown, MS
Bill and Niki Ryals
phone: 601-876-6328
ryalsb@telepak.net

hydroponic lettuce
Jimmy Hadden
Feliciana Greenhouses
phone: 225-635-0417
feltom@bellsouth.net

Goat Osso Bucco and Red Quinoa

I bought goat shanks from Bill Ryals of Ryals Goat Dairy in Lumberton, MS and prepared a memorable osso bucco. It is actually a very easy dinner to make. Pat the shanks dry, truss them, salt and pepper, and then lightly dredge in flour. Put just enough bacon grease in the dutch oven to brown shanks on all sides. Remove shanks add 3/4 onion, 3 stalks of celery and four carrots roughly chopped into pan, salt and sweat veggies, add 1/2 cup port, cook until reduced by half. Add shanks to the pan and a cup of chicken stock or enough to cover 3/4 of the shank. I made a stock with the leftover chicken carcass from earlier this week. Bring dutch oven to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for at least and hour and a half or until meat is falling off the bone. Remove shanks and reduce sauce by half. I poured the sauce and veggies in a shallow bowl and added shanks. Serve with your favorite artisan bread with a nice crust for soaking up this velvety sauce.
I also prepared a red quinoa and it is my new go to side. Wash the quinoa in cold water in a fine mesh strainer or a coffee filter. Add olive oil to a saucepan on medium low, dice two cloves of garlic and add to pan, cook garlic a few minutes. Add quinoa to pan and stir constantly for two minutes add double the liquid, so if you use 2 cups of quinoa (enough to feed 4 and have a cold quinoa salad for lunch the next day) use 4 cups of liquid. I used chicken stock instead of water, because I had made a good one. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 15 minutes. I added a tablespoon of butter after it cooked and fluffed the quinoa with a fork. Use your imagination with the quinoa, if I had more fun ingredients on hand I would have used them, but the pantry was looking slim. Although, I probably should have been a little more creative with my dried spices. I didn't add salt to this recipe because I used a sufficiently salty chicken broth, fluffed with salted butter and topped with a black lava finishing salt. If you use water, salt as you would rice. I use one teaspoon of salt per cup of rice. Enjoy!


On a side note, quinoa is something that we all should add to our diets. Here is an excerpt from the website The World's Healthiest Foods (whfoods.com)
"A recently rediscovered ancient 'grain' native to South America, quinoa was once called 'the gold of the Incas,' who recognized its value in increasing the stamina of their warriors. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. Not only is quinoa's amino acid profile well balanced, making it a good choice for vegans concerned about adequate protein intake, but quinoa is especially well-endowed with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair. In addition to protein, quinoa features a host of other health-building nutrients. Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, this 'grain' may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis."
And here is the link to the article if you would like to read further.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice

Thai Chicken Salad and these delightfully crispy vanilla almond granola cookies!

I used the leftover chicken from last night's dinner to make a Thai Chicken Salad. My measurements are to taste, adjust to your liking. I used about 2 heaping tablespoons of Ryals Farms chevre, 1 tablespoon of mayonaise, a good squirt of Sriracha, a good squeeze of a 1/2 lime, 1/4 teaspoon of lime zest, 1 tablespoon of fresh basil, 1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro, and a teaspoon or two of good quality fish sauce. A tiny bit of honey might have been good too. When making chicken or tuna salad I make a wet mixture and then add it gradually into the meat. I served the chicken salad on buttered and griddle toasted Forte Grove Kalamata olive bread with avocado a slice of tomato and an herb spring lettuce mix. I can't wait to try this with tuna. I think it will be a good way to spicce up an otherwise pretty boring lunch. If you don't like the goat cheese, substitute cream cheese, a cream cheese mayonaise base mixture makes a pretty decedent chicken or tuna salad. I omit the cheese altogether make this same base mixture with mayonaise only and a lot more sriracha and it makes a fabulous asian chicken wing. Chop extra cilantro and sprinkle over the wings right before you serve them!

For desert, I discovered a new simple cookie recipe that was great.
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk ( I used Ryals Goat Dairy milk)
1 teaspoon of almond extract (I used almond because the granola I had was vanilla almond)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 stick butter
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups of your favorite granola

Take butter, egg and milk out and allow butter to soften and egg and milk to come to room temp. Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add egg, milk, akmond and vanilla, beat until smooth, add flour, mix until well combined, stir in granola, some dried cranberries would probably be good too. The cookie dough will be more like a batter. Grease a cookie sheet well and then drop by the tablespoon with plenty of space in between. They do expand significantly when cooking, and you want to make sure they don't come together, because you will loose that incredible, sweet, buttery, crunchy crust like edge around all sides. Bake for 10-12 minutes, you are not looking for a lot of carry over cooking, you want them to look done. Store them in an airtight container, they will go well with Chris' iced coffee in the morning.

FoodSources:

free range chicken
Briarhill Farms, Mt. Hermon, LA
Joe and Jackie Dobie
phone: 985-877-5946
georgedobie@bellsouth.net

feta cheese and goats milk
Ryals Goat Dairy, Tylertown, MS
Bill and Niki Ryals
phone: 601-876-6328
ryalsb@telepak.net

Kalamata Olive Bread
Forte Grove , Plaquemine, LA
Contact: Kathleen and Bill Cooper
phone: 225.687.3026
kfcooper@cox.net

Briarhill Farms chicken with giblet gravy, feta and avocado salad with hydroponic lettuce and Forte Grove Kalamata Olive Bread

I used a whole Briarhill Farms chicken that I brined, in a solution of a gallon of water, cup of salt, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar and whatever spices you prefer, for 3 1/2 hours. Removed the bird from the brine and put on a wire rack to dry, once chicken was dry, I made a rub of brown sugar, dry mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper. I then rough cut about 4 cloves of garlic and put them into the cavity of the bird. I baked the chicken at 350 for about an hour or until the thigh meat registers 165.

Remove the giblets before brining to make the giblet gravy. I made a proper giblet gravy years ago and have completely forgotten most of what I did. With one child under foot and another sitting in a bumbo in the kitchen table staring at me to be picked up, I didn't have time to research it. So I made up this recipe as I went along. I put about a tablespoon of bacon grease into a small stockpot on medium, browned the giblets until they released from the pan and were a deep caramel color, removed giblets and added two cloves of finely chopped garlic, cook garlic a few minutes. Deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup of port add about 1/4 cup of pomegranate juice, 1 cup of chicken broth, salt and pepper, bring to a boil then allow to simmer until almost all liquid is cooked out, then add another 1/2 cup of chicken broth. I do this three of four times or for about 3 hours, you can leave it simmering on the stove and stir only occasionally.

I served the chicken with a bean that I am embarrassed to admit I don't know the name of, can anybody tell me what it is? Brown lima beans? I rendered a piece of bacon, cut into lardons in a saucepan, added beans, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Brought it to a boil then reduced to a simmer for about 30 minutes.

For my salad I used hydroponic lettuce, the perfect solution to our weather being too hot for good local lettuce. I made my house dressing of whole grain mustard, honey, rice wine vinegar, black pepper and olive oil. I topped the salad with avocados and Ryals dairy feta cheese.

food sources:
hydroponic lettuce
Jimmy Hadden
Feliciana Greenhouses
phone: 225-635-0417
feltom@bellsouth.net

free range chicken
Briarhill Farms, Mt. Hermon, LA
Joe and Jackie Dobie
phone: 985-877-5946
georgedobie@bellsouth.net

feta cheese and goats milk
Ryals Goat Dairy, Tylertown, MS
Bill and Niki Ryals
phone: 601-876-6328
ryalsb@telepak.net

Kalamata Olive Bread
Forte Grove , Plaquemine, LA
Contact: Kathleen and Bill Cooper
phone: 225.687.3026
kfcooper@cox.net