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BeastOfExmoor posted:Since we got on the topic of "cajun seasoning", I was reminded that I am often looking for a seasoning to things, preferably without much/salt for the reasons specified earlier and not too spicy. I've tried McKormick's Cajun and Bayou Cajun (neither bad, but they both taste fairly generic) as well as the Product Did you read the whole OP?
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Apr 6, 2017 02:18
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Phil Moscowitz posted:poo poo is burnt. The recipe called for a chocolate roux, though. Is that not chocolate-colored? 
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Apr 6, 2017 02:51
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Phil Moscowitz posted:Did you read the whole OP? Not in a while, apparently. I'll give that a try.
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Apr 6, 2017 03:25
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Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:For the record, this is what my roux looked like just before I added the veggies. Note that the smoke in the photo makes the roux appear lighter than it actually is, so picture this color but slightly darker. This lady is talky but if you want to see roux being made watch the video. She blabbers on a bit but when you have to sit there stirring roux forever you got to do something. I tend to drink. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY0_35yc8Ek Also wear a long-sleeve shirt.
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Apr 6, 2017 03:29
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Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:The recipe called for a chocolate roux, though. Is that not chocolate-colored? I actually think the color is okay. I always take my gumbo rouxs that dark. That being said, I have never seen a roux cling to the sides of the pot like that. The weird pattern on the spoon is also really weird. Roux should be an even, very thin coat on the sides and spoon. edit: poo poo, it also looks super bubbly (or clumpy?) in the pot. By the time a roux is that dark, all of the moisture is gone, and very little, if any, bubbling happens. What did you put into/do to that thing? Double edit: You also have a lighter tan colored residue on top that I have never seen on a roux I have made. triple edit: Okay yeah, the pattern on the spoon and sides definitely makes me think you went all the way to polymerizing the oil. What kind of oil did you use? I can't stop going back to gaze into the abyss of that pot. Doom Rooster fucked around with this message at 04:05 on Apr 6, 2017 |
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Apr 6, 2017 03:57
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BeastOfExmoor posted:Not in a while, apparently. I'll give that a try. It's a good starting place, there are some other posts in the thread about seasoning if you click the ? on my profile. Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:The recipe called for a chocolate roux, though. Is that not chocolate-colored? If I were you I would stick to milk chocolate, not dark chocolate. While it's true you can bring a roux to a deep brown, and many cookbooks and videos will show it dark as poo poo the margin for error is very thin at that level of browning. And you can make a perfect gumbo with a lighter roux. Also, if you are going to add vegetables before the stock, the roux is going to continue to cook, so you can put the trinity in when it's the color of milk chocolate and end up with a nicely colored roux. Example:  Add vegetables and 10 minutes later: 
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Apr 6, 2017 15:43
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Phil Moscowitz posted:It's a good starting place, there are some other posts in the thread about seasoning if you click the ? on my profile. Pro-tier inclusion of multiple beer consumption in the process. That's also the right way to do roux.
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Apr 6, 2017 15:57
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That Works posted:Pro-tier inclusion of multiple beer consumption in the process. That's also the right way to do roux. Yeah my husband's Cajun aunt instructed me to stir the roux for four beers.
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Apr 6, 2017 17:41
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Phil Moscowitz posted:If I were you I would stick to milk chocolate, not dark chocolate. While it's true you can bring a roux to a deep brown, and many cookbooks and videos will show it dark as poo poo the margin for error is very thin at that level of browning. And you can make a perfect gumbo with a lighter roux. Also, if you are going to add vegetables before the stock, the roux is going to continue to cook, so you can put the trinity in when it's the color of milk chocolate and end up with a nicely colored roux. Ahhhh, okay. So about the color of hot chocolate. Thanks, that gives me a better idea.
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Apr 6, 2017 18:33
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Another thing to know: roux is the maillard reaction. That works fastest at ~300F, which is not very far up the dial of most stoves. The smoke point of canola oil is 400F. At that temperature, the maillard reaction is being out-run by caramelization and burning. If you are heating the point that you get smoke, it's too hot. Either it's oil 'smoke' (vapor) and your temperature is too high, or it's real smoke smoke and your roux is burnt. Maybe you can start that high and immediately turn down the heat, to drive off the moisture in the flour quickly and get things going faster. But that also depends on your pan, stove, and quantity of flour that's going in as to how much temp it loses. Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:Ahhhh, okay. So about the color of hot chocolate. I like to look for some definite red tones in the brown color, not just plain tan or light brown. Phil's first pic shows that really well. Klyith fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Apr 6, 2017 |
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Apr 6, 2017 19:24
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the_chavi posted:Yeah my husband's Cajun aunt instructed me to stir the roux for four beers. That aunt is a boss, I always did mine for two.
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Apr 7, 2017 01:03
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Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:Ahhhh, okay. So about the color of hot chocolate. I always go for red brick colour before adding the trinity, normally goes to milk choc colour soon after. Also before you mentioned burns. Yeah I got burns on my hands from splashing the first time too. Always wear closed shoes, long pants and long sleeves and a glove on your stirring hand. Try the oven method though, It's been mentioned before by others, and even I tried it a few pages back (150C/300F for 1.5 hrs). No burns, no stirring. It doesn't come out as dark, but some prefer a lighter done roux anyway - it's certainly better than a burnt one. Fo3 fucked around with this message at 14:49 on Apr 8, 2017 |
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Apr 8, 2017 14:40
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Fo3 posted:Try the oven method though, It's been mentioned before by others, and even I tried it a few pages back (150C/300F for 1.5 hrs). No burns, no stirring. It doesn't come out as dark, but some prefer a lighter done roux anyway - it's certainly better than a burnt one. It's Holy Thursday, think I'll try my hand at some gumbo z'herbes later.
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Apr 13, 2017 11:44
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spite house posted:Oven method is drat near foolproof, and you can also finish the roux on the stovetop to get it properly dark. I also start it on the stovetop; cast iron takes a while to get to working temp at 300. (Not sure how credible I am as a southern Californian, but I did learn to cook in the South with some very stern teachers/critics so maybe a little?) One of the better jambalayas I had was made by a friend from Connecticut who'd only been to Louisiana 1-2 times on trips. I was completely surprised. Dude knew how to cook though.
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Apr 13, 2017 12:43
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New kitchen, time to break it in. Made white beans and rice and decided to try out the pressure cooker this time. Ingredients: 1 lb navy beans 1.5 lb kielbasa 1 large yellow onion 1 large green bell pepper 3 stalks celery 5 gloves garlic 3 tbls butter 1 tsp cumin 1 tbls paprika 3 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tbls ground black pepper 3 tsp ground thyme 1 tbls chopped parsley 1/2 bunch chopped green onion 1 tbls fish sauce 1 bay leaf 2 tsp cider vinegar 1 12oz can pilsner beer 3 cups stock (chicken or whatever you have on hand) The night before I put the 1lb of navy beans into a pot and covered with about 3" of water and let sit overnight at room temp while covered. Drained those in the morning and rinsed, added to the pressure cooker and added in the 1 can of pilsner (cheap american beer works fine, I would not recommend a hoppy IPA, I just used some High Life leftover from last nights drinking) and the vinegar. Put those on a burner on low and tossed in the bay leaf and let them start to warm up while I did the rest of the cooking below: Took 2 tbls butter and heated it up just shy of starting to brown and then added in the 1.5lb sliced kielbasa, cooked on high, stirring occasionally until the sausage was browned evenly and the onion deglazed the browned sausage bits left behind. Transferred the sausage to the pressure cooker and left most of the released fat behind. Next tossed in the chopped onion and let cook on high until it wilted / started to brown up. I added in the remaining 1 tbls of butter and then added in the cumin and paprika and let them bloom in the hot oil in the pan, stirred that out and then added in the chopped celery stalks and cooked just until those started to soften. Next I added in the 1 tbls of fish sauce, stirred then added in the chopped bell pepper. Next I added the dry thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper and stirred. Once the bell pepper started to soften I added 5 gloves of chopped garlic.   Once the garlic became fragrant and started to soften I kept stirring (all of this was done under med-high / high heat). I turned the heat down to medium and covered and let this sit for ~4-5 mins. Next I added the 3 cups of stock, stirred it in and turned the heat back on high and covered until this began to boil. This was then transferred to the pressure cooker. I had to add just a little more stock to make sure the beans were covered by at least 1/2" or so of liquid.  This was covered in the cooker and brought up to pressure until sealed under high heat on the stove then brought down to low and I started a timer for 20 minutes. During that time I cooked up 2 cups of jasmine rice (added another bay leaf to that) and let simmer on low for 15 mins covered after coming to a boil. Once 20 mins was up on the pressure cooker I turned off the burner and moved the pressure cooker to a trivet and let cool untouched until pressure released. While this was cooling I chopped up the parsley and green onion. Once the pressure cooker opened up I added these in and stirred a bit until about 1/4 of the beans began to mash apart, I had to use my spoon to mash some against the side of the pot and then stir back in. From there I seasoned with a little more salt and cayenne pepper to taste and then served over the jasmine rice.  Top with a little tobasco or cayenne sauce if you like. Not counting the soaking time overnight the whole thing start to finish took about 1.5 hours.  Easy to make, cheap as poo poo and delicious as all hell. Anyone can do this and I encourage all to try it sometime. Check the other redbeans and rice recipes in here which do not use a pressure cooker and adjust cook times etc accordingly. I routinely make this in a crock pot. The only modifications I'd suggest for that is to not add in the browned or grilled sausage until the last 30-45 mins of cooking as they become less flavorful and lose their texture a good bit. The pressure cooker helped avoid that some and turned this into a much more rapidly made dish. That Works fucked around with this message at 17:15 on May 14, 2017 |
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May 14, 2017 17:10
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That Works posted:New kitchen, time to break it in. Awesome. I don't make beans nearly as much as i should. Whats the new kitchen, did you move?
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May 14, 2017 18:47
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Phil Moscowitz posted:Awesome. I don't make beans nearly as much as i should. Yeah I moved to another rental house. Hopefully one year here then buy a home after that. Snagged an induction burner plate also and have a pot of jambalaya going on it as we type. Will post pics of the final results but using induction is superb so far.
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May 14, 2017 19:01
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Round 2. 
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May 14, 2017 19:40
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That Works posted:Round 2.  We have a bunch of navy beans sitting around, so I'm gonna try this the next time I get some sausages.
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May 14, 2017 20:15
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I'm sure that kielbasa was basically the same as andouille
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May 14, 2017 20:21
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Phil Moscowitz posted:I'm sure that kielbasa was basically the same as andouille Yep. I've lived in the Northeast for several years now. Finding Andouille at all is tough and the ones I do get are typically not that great or worth the inflated cost. Kielbasa works awesome as a replacement. Never not make cajun food if you can sub the andouille with something else.
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May 14, 2017 20:24
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That Works posted:Yep. I've lived in the Northeast for several years now. Finding Andouille at all is tough and the ones I do get are typically not that great or worth the inflated cost. Kielbasa works awesome as a replacement. Never not make cajun food if you can sub the andouille with something else. Yeah, I am in the north east as well. Far more good Polish places than places that carry andouille , so I often just pick up the smokiest keilbasa I can get. There's a good Hungarian butcher near me, and I always forget to try out something there as a sub. also both of those look great!!
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May 14, 2017 22:28
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One of my favorite things going back home is the prix fixe dinner at Tujagues. It always gets served out with a side of boiled brisket that's just great. For a long time I'd been meaning to dig up a recipe only to find out the original was posted already. Gonna try to tackle this in the next week or so. http://www.nola.com/food/index.ssf/2015/11/tujagues_boiled_brisket_of_bee.html
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Jun 10, 2017 17:47
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So my wife and i are going to a potluck this weekend. I wanted to bring jambalaya, but she wanted chicken and corn chowder. Confronted with this impasse, we compromised and are now bringing chicken and corn chowder. Does anyone have a recipe for that that's got a good Cajun/creole spin? She's got a dairy allergy, so I'm looking to probably sub the cream for a roux, okra, and file powder. I'll likely cook the chicken separate so vegetarians can enjoy it. So i guess i just gotta get everything in a row for ingredients. Ideas, recipe suggestions, and reminders for ingredients lists and cooking techniques are appreciated. EDIT: Thinking about it, I guess we'll basically be making a chicken and corn gumbo, right? neogeo0823 fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Jul 6, 2017 |
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Jul 6, 2017 17:25
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neogeo0823 posted:So my wife and i are going to a potluck this weekend. I wanted to bring jambalaya, but she wanted chicken and corn chowder. Confronted with this impasse, we compromised and are now bringing chicken and corn chowder. Does anyone have a recipe for that that's got a good Cajun/creole spin? She's got a dairy allergy, so I'm looking to probably sub the cream for a roux, okra, and file powder. I'll likely cook the chicken separate so vegetarians can enjoy it. So i guess i just gotta get everything in a row for ingredients. Ideas, recipe suggestions, and reminders for ingredients lists and cooking techniques are appreciated. Maybe some variation on Maque Choux? http://www.nolacuisine.com/2007/05/12/maque-choux-recipe/ Could brown the chicken up initially and leave the fat and fond in the pan instead of the butter if you didn't want to accommodate the vegetarians. Otherwise you can probably improvise from there and also leave out the tasso (if I don't have tasso I sub in a little bit of fried ham and a bit of bacon). I've also added in Okra to this and it goes quite well.
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Jul 6, 2017 17:36
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Off of the top of my head I would say get some fresh or frozen corn and ham cut into small bits, saute a decent amount to get some color, season with cayenne and thyme, add an equal amount of more corn, and the trinity, saute until soft. Add stock, hit it with a stick blender. Don't puree it but just smooth out to give it thickness. If you want to do a roux, leave out the trinity in the last step, make your roux, add your trinity, corn mix and more stock based on how it looks. Okra can be added with the trinity if you want to go that route, or file after the stock and corn are added. Season to taste, and your vegetarian option is done. For chicken, I would use blackening spices and grill or pan fry it, chop it up, and have that on the side for people to add as they saw fit. Just an idea, and I am sure others can come up with something as well, or help to make this idea better.
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Jul 6, 2017 17:39
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That Works posted:Maybe some variation on Maque Choux? that looks pretty awesome, yeah. How well does it scale up? The recipe says it makes 2-3 servings, but we're looking at probably 6-8 people, give or take.
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Jul 6, 2017 22:34
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neogeo0823 posted:that looks pretty awesome, yeah. How well does it scale up? The recipe says it makes 2-3 servings, but we're looking at probably 6-8 people, give or take. Scales fine just use a bigger pot and double the recipe or more.
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Jul 6, 2017 22:40
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That Works posted:Scales fine just use a bigger pot and double the recipe or more. Sweet. The two things I love best about a recipe are when it is tasty and cheap. I got a guy bringing a whole roasting hen, and the rest of that recipe should cost me less than $2 per person, at a glance. I'll try to remember to do a trip report, especially because my wife is coming along and her phone can actually take pictures worth a drat.
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Jul 7, 2017 00:29
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Cajun food seems great for leftovers. I need to make something
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Jul 13, 2017 03:38
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Made a seafood gumbo last night. Since we were recently talking about roux and different ways of making it, here is the 25-minute, one-mint-julep method. Here it is added to the oil. 1 cup oil, 1 cup flour. The roux is the color of the enamel inside the pot, very pale cream color. Start on high heat, mid-sized gas burner. Active stirring is required 100% of the time, or it will burn quickly at this temp.  Five minutes in:  Ten minutes in:  Fifteen minutes in, we turn the heat down a little bit:  Twenty minutes in, and it is ready for the onions. I chopped up two onions and put them in the food processor to get them nice and tiny.  Keep in mind the roux will continue to brown with the onions in it. At this point the roux is a big, thick mass and so I use a flat spoon instead of the whisk from here on.  Five more minutes and here is the onion roux. It's a deep brown color and ready for the other vegetables, or you can just add the stock now.  Here it is ready to simmer before adding whatever else. At this point you have a gumbo that is ready for whatever you want to do with it. It will have hints of the stock you used and the vegetables, but other than that, it's a fairly blank canvas. I used a lobster/shellfish stock that I made a while back and froze. I heated it up in another pot, and stirred it in ladle by ladle. When adding stock, a few things to remember. Darker roux will separate more easily. Usually this is okay and will go away over time, but if you burned the roux, your gumbo will be bad. So if you are on a time crunch or cooking for people, just stop the roux when it's a deep golden brown color--don't go for those coffee colored roux you see on youtube videos, it's not worth the risk, especially if you are doing the high-temp 30 minute version. The line between very dark roux and burned roux is extremely thin and easily crossed at those temps.  I used okra, andouille, shrimp, crabmeat, and a couple crabs. I didn't take any final pictures as I've made this same gumbo a few times in this thread already and it looks pretty much the same, but this gives you a good idea how the roux should progress. You can always spread the process our over an hour at a lower temp if you are concerned about burning, but once you get the hang of roux-making 30 minutes is really all you need.
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Jul 17, 2017 16:58
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That owns, thanks for the effort writeup. Also, I have that same pot except in blue not red.
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Jul 17, 2017 17:22
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Can someone post a list of instructions for making gumbo roux in the oven? I think I'm gonna do that method next time since it's supposed to be safer. I may try another batch of gumbo soon because I'm about to move and I have some seafood in my freezer I need to get rid of.
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Jul 18, 2017 06:10
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Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:Can someone post a list of instructions for making gumbo roux in the oven? I think I'm gonna do that method next time since it's supposed to be safer. I may try another batch of gumbo soon because I'm about to move and I have some seafood in my freezer I need to get rid of. Preheat oven to 400. Whisk together 1 part oil and 1 part flour until smooth. Put in cast iron skillet or pan or heavy oven-proof container. Bake for 1.5-2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until it has the right color.
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Jul 18, 2017 12:46
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I have bought ingredients for another gumbo attempt. When I make the roux in the oven, should the pot be covered or uncovered? My pot lid is glass, so I'm not sure if I can do it covered. EDIT: Also how much salt should I add if I'm doing Fuckabees's recipe? Last time I made gumbo I over-salted it and it tasted nasty.
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Jul 20, 2017 03:59
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Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:When I make the roux in the oven, should the pot be covered or uncovered? My pot lid is glass, so I'm not sure if I can do it covered. quote:EDIT: Also how much salt should I add if I'm doing Fuckabees's recipe? Last time I made gumbo I over-salted it and it tasted nasty. for a soup type thing like gumbo there's zero downside to doing salt at the end, when you can taste it.
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Jul 20, 2017 04:31
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Klyith posted:if you're making it with commercial chicken stock I wouldn't add any extra salt until the end. maybe some salt on the chicken if you're seasoning it in advance. I'm using homemade shrimp and crawfish stock. The crawfish is 3 lbs frozen crawfish with cajun seasoning. Do I need to add salt to that?
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Jul 20, 2017 05:24
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I hope that when you say 3 lbs of crawfish you really mean crawfish shells, because it would be a shame to boil all those delicious bugs into mush. Salt at the end, especially if you're not used to eyeballing correct amounts as you go. You can always add more, you can't get rid of too much.
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Jul 20, 2017 05:40
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Please clarify what you mean by "3 lbs frozen crawfish." If whole cooked crawfish, I would tell you I guess go ahead and boil them for stock but you are wasting tail meat. You're better breaking off the rails and saving them for something else and just boiling the heads and claws for stiock. If tails only, don't use that for stock. If tail meat only, i.e. no shells, like this: http://www.nolacajun.com/gaspard-cr...pxoCIPgQAvD_BwE definitely do not use. Not only will it ruin what you make but it will be a total waste.
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Jul 20, 2017 12:22
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Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:I'm using homemade shrimp and crawfish stock. The crawfish is 3 lbs frozen crawfish with cajun seasoning. Do I need to add salt to that? As others have said, just don't add salt until you're finished until you get a feel for it. Typically I add a little salt in when I am wilting vegetables to bring out the water and then salt again after tasting when it's nearly done but this isn't mandatory. Since you've had an issue with it in the past better to not add any salt until you're done then add to taste.
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Jul 20, 2017 12:54
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