patpitt
07-13-2003, 05:14 PM
Cool Jazz, Hot Food and Outrageous Hats was the theme of our June supper club. On a balmy June evening, our members-in-attendance arrived properly bedecked in their outrageous hats and I, as hostess, played very cool jazz throughout the evening.
I was trying to get a good sampling of authentic Cajun food versus a well-rounded meal. I did not find enough Cajun recipes in Cooking Light to complete the menu so I expanded into Southern Living Magazine’s site (before it became restricted). I thought with our impressive array of members we can handle any “light” alterations. And we did!
We started with a Mint Julep recipe from Geocities that was wonderful. A sugar and fresh mint syrup mixed with crushed ice and bourbon. Very strong and sweet. Perfect for a summer day. Crabby Cajun Dip with tortilla chips from the CL website was the appetizer that held us over until dinner. Canned lump crab meat (next down from premium) was used and seemed to be fine. I suggest rinsing it before using it in the recipe.
Next was a Southern Living Gumbo recipe. Excellent. The recipe called for too much cayenne which the chef wisely cut in half. A light chicken broth was used to make it lighter but the recipe was already pretty light. The bread was yummy - Rosemary-Herb French Bread from CL that was easy to mix in the machine and baked on a cooking stone.
We had a wonderful iceberg lettuce salad with a shrimp dressing created from Creole Cakes with Sweet and Spicy Remoulade Sauce recipe on CL. I was trying to recreate a salad that I had at Arnuad’s in New Orleans (the inspiration for the menu). Vicci went over and above the call of duty with this creation by sending an email to Arnaud’s in Louisiana. And Chef Tommy’s team wrote back giving her a substitute recipe for their secret sauce. They also gave her the tip to undercook the shrimp and then marinate them in the sauce overnight as it will finish cooking them. I never would have thought of writing them. Good Job Vicci!
Next came Crawfish Jambalaya from CL (this chef had a last minute conflict but she sent her contribution anyway – What style!) with an authentic flavor and a Red Beans and Rice recipe from SL (The SL recipe seemed more authentic than the one at CL) with a wonderful smoky flavor. We lightened it up by using a Healthy Choice sausage. The chef said that the recipe dried out at about 1.5 hours so she could not cook it the full 2 hours.
We had a side dish of Marinated Artichokes and Mirlitons. The chef said they were easy to find, she just called around to a couple grocers. Very tasty.
Everyone agreed that the dessert was the highlight of the evening. CL’s Tropical Bananas Foster. Flaming entertainment to cap off the night! I was worried about the non-traditional use of margarine and pineapple called for in the Light recipe but it was very, very good.
I provided a Finger Lakes Dry Riesling for the meal – great for the spicy food – and a Café Brulot with dessert.
It was a fun night. Thanks everyone.
I was trying to get a good sampling of authentic Cajun food versus a well-rounded meal. I did not find enough Cajun recipes in Cooking Light to complete the menu so I expanded into Southern Living Magazine’s site (before it became restricted). I thought with our impressive array of members we can handle any “light” alterations. And we did!
We started with a Mint Julep recipe from Geocities that was wonderful. A sugar and fresh mint syrup mixed with crushed ice and bourbon. Very strong and sweet. Perfect for a summer day. Crabby Cajun Dip with tortilla chips from the CL website was the appetizer that held us over until dinner. Canned lump crab meat (next down from premium) was used and seemed to be fine. I suggest rinsing it before using it in the recipe.
Next was a Southern Living Gumbo recipe. Excellent. The recipe called for too much cayenne which the chef wisely cut in half. A light chicken broth was used to make it lighter but the recipe was already pretty light. The bread was yummy - Rosemary-Herb French Bread from CL that was easy to mix in the machine and baked on a cooking stone.
We had a wonderful iceberg lettuce salad with a shrimp dressing created from Creole Cakes with Sweet and Spicy Remoulade Sauce recipe on CL. I was trying to recreate a salad that I had at Arnuad’s in New Orleans (the inspiration for the menu). Vicci went over and above the call of duty with this creation by sending an email to Arnaud’s in Louisiana. And Chef Tommy’s team wrote back giving her a substitute recipe for their secret sauce. They also gave her the tip to undercook the shrimp and then marinate them in the sauce overnight as it will finish cooking them. I never would have thought of writing them. Good Job Vicci!
Next came Crawfish Jambalaya from CL (this chef had a last minute conflict but she sent her contribution anyway – What style!) with an authentic flavor and a Red Beans and Rice recipe from SL (The SL recipe seemed more authentic than the one at CL) with a wonderful smoky flavor. We lightened it up by using a Healthy Choice sausage. The chef said that the recipe dried out at about 1.5 hours so she could not cook it the full 2 hours.
We had a side dish of Marinated Artichokes and Mirlitons. The chef said they were easy to find, she just called around to a couple grocers. Very tasty.
Everyone agreed that the dessert was the highlight of the evening. CL’s Tropical Bananas Foster. Flaming entertainment to cap off the night! I was worried about the non-traditional use of margarine and pineapple called for in the Light recipe but it was very, very good.
I provided a Finger Lakes Dry Riesling for the meal – great for the spicy food – and a Café Brulot with dessert.
It was a fun night. Thanks everyone.