Category: French

Blue Crab and Shrimp Gumbo Recipes

The Ugly Truth about Shrimp Gumbo Recipes

I’m not even going to lie about these Blue Crab and Shrimp Gumbo Recipes because I really didn’t know what the hell I was doing when I was making it.  I sought out the locals and some of my coworkers to get their take on preparation because I wasn’t raised around it and I had only had Gumbo one time before I moved to South Texas.  What I did know how ever is that I fell in love with it the very first and only time that I had tried it, so I decided when I moved to South East Texas that it was time to learn more about it.  I followed the ideas of a recipe that Emeril Lagasse had a 5 star rating on that even he wasn’t responsible for.  In fact the recipe he provided was originally a Chorizo and Seafood Gumbo that was written by someone else.  Then I not only cut the recipe in half but added a few extra personal taste ingredients that ended up working really well.  So well in fact my wife ate the left overs for almost every meal for the next two days after I made it.  So I definitely lucked out with this one and knocked it out of the park once again.

Shrimp Gumbo Recipes

1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1 cups chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 lbs. smoked sausage, finely chopped,

Creole seasoning
1 quarts shrimp stock,  (chicken stock is what I used)
1 cup clam juice
1/2 dozen frozen gumbo crabs, thawed
2 pounds peeled shrimp
2 pounds Louisiana Crawfish tails
2 tablespoons chopped green onions or scallions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
6 cups cooked long grain white rice
Louisiana File Powder

Directions for Shrimp Gumbo Recipes

In a large, heavy pot or a Dutch oven over medium heat, combine the oil and flour.  Stirring slowly and constantly, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate, 20 to 25 minutes.  Add the chopped onions, bell peppers, chopped celery, and 1/2 pound chopped sausage.  Season with Creole seasoning. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes.  Add the stock and gumbo crabs, stir until the roux mixture and broth are well combined.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 2 hours. Meanwhile, season the remaining seafood with Creole seasoning. Add the seafood and remaining sliced sausage to the gumbo. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before skimming off the fat that has risen to the surface.  Taste for seasonings and adjust. Stir in the green onions and parsley and serve the Shrimp Gumbo in individual soup  or gumbo bowls with the rice and pass the file powder at the table.  This concludes this version of the Blue Crab and Shrimp Gumbo Recipes.

Mussels Recipes for Moules Marinieres

Mussels recipes for Moules Marinieres!

What ever the hell that means right??  Break it down, Mussels recipes for Moules Marinieres…Well I don’t know the proper translation in french but I do know in English it means fantastic!  Butter, garlic, white wine…sounds like a party!  Now if we can just figure out how to cook these damn Mussels we might even have something to snack on in the meantime.

Mussels recipes for Moules Marinieres made easy:

Well believe it or not, this Mussels Recipes for Moules Marinieres is quick and easy like anything else I’ve demonstrated, and quite honestly they even make you feel proud when your done.  Just be sure that you don’t over cook the actual mussel when you steam them.  The last thing you want in the world when you are making this recipe is to end up with a bunch of chewy tateless mussels with only a bad ass salsa to show for it.  But don’t be scared, Jump right in, Mussels rock and you know it.  Just watch the quick flick below and prove to your self you can do it!

In this Mussels Recipes for Moules Marinieres you will use:

1 cube butter
1 tbls chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. Anchovy paste
2 tbls scallions
1 tbls. green bell pepper(optional)
1/2 cup white wine
1 pinch parsley
1 pinch thyme
1/4 tsp. chili flakes

When you make the salsa start everything in this order; butter, then garlic, anchoy paste, scallions, bell pepper, white wine, parsely, thyme, and then chile flakes.  After you’ve steam the Mussels the you give them a good toss in a large enough bowl to distribute the salsa evenly through the shells.  You can then seperate your portions onto plates and serve your Mussels Recipes for Moules Marinieres.

Recipe for French Onion Soup

Making a perfect Recipe for French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup is by far one of my favorite soups, and I’m always disappointed if it’s not on the menu. So I decided to tear into this recipe, perfect it and make it my own! So here you have it; My Recipe for French Onion Soup

Understanding my Recipe for French Onion Soup

There are a few basics that can be substituted that won’t effect the over all taste if you have one or the other. First is the stock. I’ve made this with Swansons premade beef bouillon and I’ve made it from scratch with water and powder. If you’re insane and want to boil down some beef bones for 3 plus hours just to get a genuine beef stock, be my guest, but I’m telling you the latter tastes just as good. The second thing is the onions; just choose your favorite onion, white or yellow it doesn’t matter, which ever you prefer; use both even. I had a Recipe for French Onion Soup in Denver that claimed to have 5 different onions in it before, so get creative. Also make sure you hit the liquor store or grocery and pick out a red wine you can cook with. The rule of thumb when you are cooking with wine is to never use anything you wouldn’t drink. Can you make this Recipe for French Onion Soup with out it? Yes, but if you knew what the finished product tastes like with it vs. without, you would undoubtedly regret it. So let’s get started!

The actual Recipe for French Onion Soup

1 cube of butter salted (or unsalted, but this recipe has no additional salt added)
2 large sliced yellow or white onion (or more if you’d like)
1 stock of chopped scallions
1 1/2 qt. Beef stock or bouillon
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp minced garlic (or 2 fresh garlic cloves)
1 tsp Italian seasoning (thyme, rosemary, marjoram, sage, oregano, basil)
2 tbsp flour
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup red wine (Merlot is good)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Sliced Swiss cheese
Garlic Texas toast (pre-made in any grocery freezer section) or french bread

Okay, this is simple! You need a pot for the soup, and a pan to saute onions. First get the broth going in the soup pan with medium heat; add the garlic, the bay leaves, Italian seasoning and the chopped scallions. Meanwhile saute the onions with a medium high heat starting with the whole cube of butter. Be sure to not let the butter burn; lift the pan off the heat if it’s getting to hot and reduce the stove to medium. You’re onions should be sliced in long lengths, NOT chopped. Add the onions to the butter and saute for 15 to 20 minutes until it starts to caramelize. Adding the sugar will speed up the caramelizing process so add 1 tsp. Once the onions have caramelized add 2 tbls of flour to the onions and stir evenly. Then add the onions to the beef broth as well as the 1/3 cup of red wine. The final touch is adding the pepper and reducing the heat to a simmer. Let the soup stand and marinate for another 10 to 15 minutes, then remove the bay leaves. Meanwhile prep the Texas Garlic Toast (or French bread) in the oven on a sheet or even in a toaster if you only need a few. Serving is now as easy as a ladle full of soup over the top of the the Texas toast and Swiss cheese. If you want to take it a step further, you can throw the bowl of soup with the toast and cheese under the broiler to add that golden brown crispness to the cheese which traditionally is usually done. I’m pretty sure that there isn’t any French Onion Campbells soup recipes, so I hope you enjoy this little gem; my Recipe for French Onion Soup!