Gulf Coast - Pecan Pie

Pecan Pie
Preheat oven to 350°F.


Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla using a spoon. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into pie crust.


Bake on center rack of oven for 60 to 70 minutes (see tips for doneness, below). Cool for 2 hours on wire rack before serving.


**To use prepared frozen pie crust: Place cookie sheet in oven and preheat oven as directed. Pour filling into frozen crust and bake on preheated cookie sheet.


Pie is done when center reaches 200°F. Tap center surface of pie lightly - it should spring back when done. For easy clean up, spray pie pan with cooking spray before placing pie crust in pan. If pie crust is overbrowning, cover edges with foil.

Gulf Coast: Wine

White: Pacifico Sur Chardonnay 2009, Curico Valley Estate Grown, Chile (un-oaked)

Red: Saint-Amour Red Wine, Recolte 2007

Both purchased at A&M Wine Shop

Gulf Coast: Shrimp Boil with Mussels and Lemon

By Laura

• Water
• 2 lemons, halved, plus more for serving
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
• 1/2 bunch thyme, tied together(I only had dried thyme and I just sprinkled that in, worked just fine)
  
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 2 serrano chiles, split in 1/2 lengthwise
• 1 head garlic, halved(i used a couple heads of garlic)
  
• 1 pound 5 ounces red new potatoes, medium to large, cut in 1/2 (i would suggest cutting these into 1/4s)
• 3 ears sweet corn, halved
• 3 pieces smoked sausage, such as andouille or kielbasa, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 pound 5 ounces)(spicy chicken sausage worked really well and was just a bit healthier!)
  
• 12 littleneck clams, scrubbed (about 1 pound 4 ounces)(i used mussels instead)
  
• 2 pounds jumbo shrimp with heads and tails
• Kosher salt

Directions

Fill a huge stockpot, preferably fitted with a basket insert, with about 4 quarts of water (add some chicken or vegetable stock for more flavor). Keep in mind that when you add the solid ingredients the water level will rise, so don't fill the pot up more than halfway. Squeeze the lemons into the water, tossing in the halves too. Add the bay leaves, salt, seasoning, thyme, onions, chiles and garlic; bring the broth to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 10 minutes. You want a very aromatic broth with plenty of salt and spices. Taste it; don't be afraid to make it strong so some of the flavor can penetrate and get absorbed by the potatoes and other ingredients. Adjust seasoning with salt.

Add the potatoes to the pot to give them a head start; simmer for 20 minutes. Now add the corn and sausage; cook another 5 minutes, making sure everything stays covered with the liquid. Add the clams and boil for 8 to 10 minutes until they open. Then toss in the shrimp and shut off the heat. Cover the pot and let the shrimp steep in the flavor for 15 minutes. Drain and spread the shrimp, sausage, clams, corn, potatoes, and onions out on a newspaper-covered table. Serve with lemons and plenty of napkins.

This is a Tyler Florence's recipe

Next theme: In honor of the Gulf of Mexico

The next DCBitchinKitchen will be at Laura's house and will be in honor of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. I thought this a fitting theme given that every day I go to work, I'm pushing for policy to make our environment that much cleaner and safer and we have all been witness to what will likely be the biggest environmental disaster of our time. Also, I'm such a stranger to southern food, let alone food from Louisiana. I think this link gives good background about what shaped the style of cooking in Louisiana and will be helpful when picking out recipes. Maybe we should invite Paula Deen?

Alright, see ya'll on August 10th!

Farmer's Market: Cold Dill Beet Salad

Recipe
5 whole raw beets
Fresh dill
Olive oil
salt
Creamy stinky cheese


Clean beets, removes leaves (these can be sauteed like spinach) bring to a boil then simmer until semi-soft with the poke of a fork. Rub off skin while beets are warm. Dice. Add dill, olive oil, salt, and creamy, stinky cheese.
From Laura Lightbody's brain

Farmer's Market: Sopressata Crostini from Laura

Recipe

Recipe
Whole wheat baguette sliced 1/2 inch thick
Fennel and Citrus Sopressata from Red Apron Butcher (can be found @ Dupont and Chinatown farmers market)
Soft stinky cheese (trying to track the specific cheese down cause it was soo good)
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 300
Cut the baguette into slices. Lay flat on a cooking sheet. Sprinkle each with a small amount of olive oil and salt.
Roll the sopressata around a half teaspoon of cheese and place on the baguette.
Place in the oven for about 10 minutes or until crostini is crisp and cheese is melted

Farmer's Market: Blueberry Lime Basil Bellini from Laura

Sorry guys, I don't have the recipe. Plus I think this drink was terrible. It was too acidic. I got it from the back of a basil package. I will get better about writing recipes down, I usually just cook off the top of my head!