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Cooking with Chef John Folse


joiei

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I find the recipes in John Folse' book The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine to be very user friendly and they also turn out GREAT every time. Some of the recipes are the coconut cake recipe and of course the gumbo recipes. Right now, I have a pot of the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo on, I have just added the stock for it to simmer for about an hour before furthur additions. Has anyone else ever cooked from this book? If so, what recipes did you use with great success? I am thinking about cooking up a pot of the Death by Gumbo this next week. I have quails in the freezer and I can get my Poche's andouille from Hebert's here in town. One other thing, instead of using chicken in the pot, I am using pheasant that a friend brought from a hunt.

Maybe we could start a lets cook Louisiana and say once a month do a dish together. just a thought.

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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Let's see...

Crawfish boil -- awesome, but I cut out the 1/2 pound of cayenne :blink: called for in addition to the packaged boil spices. Though this was for a Yankee crowd. I still found it plenty spicy. And the best damn boiled crawfish I ever had.

Crawfish pasta salad -- simple, yummy

Basic slaw -- ditto

Jambalaya -- either I did something wrong or he calls for cooking the meat way too long

I know I've done more than this, but will have to look it up...

Bridget Avila

My Blog

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I find the recipes in John Folse' book The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine to be very user friendly and they also turn out GREAT every time.  Some of the recipes are the coconut cake recipe and of course the gumbo recipes.  Right now, I have a pot of the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo on, I have just added the stock for it to simmer for about an hour before furthur additions.  Has anyone else ever cooked from this book?  If so, what recipes did you use with great success?  I am thinking about cooking up a pot of the Death by Gumbo this next week.  I have quails in the freezer and I can get my Poche's andouille from Hebert's here in town.  One other thing, instead of using chicken in the pot, I am using pheasant that a friend brought from a hunt. 

Maybe we could start a lets cook Louisiana and say once a month do a dish together.  just a thought.

that Death by Gumbo is really a good reciept (yeah, I know, but it's what my grandmother called recipes and I like seeing it on my keyboard occasionally)

You know, Prejean's in Lafayette has pheasant quail and andouille gumbo that is pretty close to what you get out of that recipe, which is to say that it's really, really good, as are almost all of their soups.

I would be up for a cooking project of some sort. Especially with Crawfish season slowly coming round.

Brooks Hamaker, aka "Mayhaw Man"

There's a train everyday, leaving either way...

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I will get in touch with Ed Richard over at Hebert's to see about getting some fresh crawfish up this way. Otherwise, I would have to use the tails.

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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I would love to hear him speak or take a class from him.

Nothing to it. Hell, he's got his own school.

Yea, I know but it would kind of be hard to leave what I am doing now, move to South LA just to take a class at his school. But I wouldn't mind attending a seminar of his, if he ever had one...I enjoy hearing him speak.

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I use the same recipe for Creole that he does, but I add file'.His recipe for gillades is classic. I've also made his creole cream cheesecake..which I used the wrong pan for and it spilled over all through the oven and still managed (after cutting the overflow off) to taste richer yet lighter than any cheesecake I've ever made. Lovely, beautiful texture. Just make sure to use the right size pan. An inch makes a huge difference. I've made the creole cream cheese pound cake too...nice crust but a bit dry. I can't get the creole cream cheese anymore unless I stop in the farmer's market in B.R. and pick some up. I'll play around with those recipes some more when I go through next weekend. I'm also picking up a couple of flats of strawberries in Hammond.

I am going to try his homemade corned beef brisket for St. Paddy's day. I'm going to do his 'old time coconut cake' for dessert as I'm curious how this stacks up against the one I made last week which is here: giant coconut cake And since the coconut on Folse's isn't toasted, I can appease the masses and dye it green! cheap thrills...

please post any results you get from this book that are noteworthy...I really am enjoying it.

afterthought: I made his plum sauce too....very, very good. excellent on pork.

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The corned beef brisket for St Patrick's day sounds like a good place to start. I just wish I could be down there for the parades to pick up some cabbage, carrots and onions from the floats. One thing about a parade in South Louisiana, they really get into the things that get tossed from the floats. I sure miss that, candy on St Paddy's day just isn't the same as the ability to catch dinner.

So I will be making the brisket along with you. And maybe do the coconut cake also.

A good place to start. Anyone else who wants to join in, go for it.

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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The corned beef brisket for St Patrick's day sounds like a good place to start. I just wish I could be down there for the parades to pick up some cabbage, carrots and onions from the floats.  One thing about a parade in South Louisiana, they really get into the things that get tossed from the floats.  I sure miss that, candy on St Paddy's day just isn't the same as the ability to catch dinner. 

So I will  be making the brisket along with you.  And maybe do the coconut cake also. 

A good place to start.  Anyone else who wants to join in, go for it.

OK, so I live in the Lower Garden District between Prytania and Magazine. Guess what I did today?

That's right, sportsfans, I caught cabbages,onions, potatoes and beads at the Irish Channel Parade (I only live a couple of blocks from Parasol's, I could hear reels, jigs, and the oft repeated Danny Boy for most of the afternoon :wacko: ).

Tomorrow, it's corned beef and cabbage and while I am doing that I am going to smoke a butt so that I can have it on Monday night with some slaw made from all of that cabbage. The remainder I will smother and freeze.

Don't you have parades in your town where people drink beer and throw food simultaneously? No? You guys need to get with it!

Brooks Hamaker, aka "Mayhaw Man"

There's a train everyday, leaving either way...

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Don't you have parades in your town where people drink beer and throw food simultaneously? No? You guys need to get with it!

alas, the art of the parade has been completely perfected in New Orleans, they are still into the candy throws most everywhere else I have ever been and happened upon a parade. And I don't know if they really do a st pats parade here, most everyone hangs out at Arnie's at the Blue Dome all day. A historic location along Route 66.

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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yes, we do parade in Chuckville. But we are driven by lawyers who don't let us throw big hard things. Just beads. However there is a Large number of Irish here....who know how to cook. come on over.

edit. Joiei:buy the brisket while you have a good choice.

And try to take pictures of the cake if you dare!

Edited by highchef (log)
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reporting in, unfortunately no pictures because the maids tore it up before I could get any taken. They were complaining that I didn't make any cornbread to go with it. I tried to explain that the Irish didn't have cornbread but they weren't buying it.

The Corned beef was tender and very flavorful. And I did make the horseradish cream to go with it. THis will become a standby, I can do it while doing other things. Didn't need to much attention.

oh, the Coconut Cake, tender and light texture and the frosting was more of a glaze but it sure did work.

What do we do next? any suggestions for something that someone else has been wanting to try?

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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reporting in,  unfortunately no pictures because the maids tore it up before I could get any taken. They were complaining that I didn't make any cornbread to go with it.  I tried to explain that the Irish didn't have cornbread but they weren't buying it.

The Corned  beef was tender and very flavorful.  And I did make the horseradish cream to go with it.  THis will become a standby, I can do it while doing other things.  Didn't need to much attention. 

oh, the Coconut Cake, tender and light texture and the frosting was more of a glaze but it sure did work. 

What do we do next?  any suggestions for something that someone else has been wanting to try?

I am cooking something out of the book tomorrow. I haven't decided what yet, but I will let you know tonight. I suspect that it will involve seafood, but I just don't know yet. I'll look at it when I get home. I am looking forward to a long weekend of cleaning up after the bug tenting this week and then cooking for friends who are in from out of town to cover the disaster for various media outlets. Food on Saturday night, Sunday night, and bugs on Monday.

And just so you foriegners know what I am talking about, bug tent wise, here you go (the house is a twin of the big one next door. These are huge houses, this is quite a project, and though it was a pain in the ass, I promise that NOTHING lives through this. They give you a 5 year termite guarantee when you are done with it, but man is it a life disrupter-

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Brooks Hamaker, aka "Mayhaw Man"

There's a train everyday, leaving either way...

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We're on deck to bring a main dish to the church potlock. Since we're discussing the encyclopedia, any suggestions for how I can share the love with a bunch of Marylanders?

Brooks -- is that what all the buzz about formosan termites is about? Sheesh.

Bridget Avila

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I did not buy the brisket soon enough, which ended up being a good thing because I had to leave Fri. for Miss. which I was not planning to do until sat. am.

The cake frosting directions are missing something. I ended up whipping the frosting even though it does not call for it, and I'd do it like a traditional 7 min. frosting, because that is what it is. It still 'glazed' the cake and made a marshmallow like puddle around the sides. I did not take pictures, because I was too embarassed.

I'd do any of the seafood dishes in the book, they're pretty traditional.

There's some tasty eggplant dishes in there too.

Brooks, you have termites? or did the tree roaches start eating your leftovers?

Cypress....it's a good thing.

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Hey Richard, welcome over the border to Louisiana. And your right, I think the only way to get the book is to order directly from Chef Folse. There is also a cd of the book you can get. RIchard, have you made anything from the book yet? if so, what did you make and were you happy with how it turned out?

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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Tonight I made the sweet potato and spinach soup, and it was pretty damn good. I did play with the recipe a bit, though, as I wanted it to have a higher "stuff" to liquid ratio. I also added a bit of nutmeg -- thought the cream and spinach were just begging for it.

Will definitely make it again, even though my husband walked through the kitchen at one point and declared the scent "pugnacious". To which I replied, "No soup for you!!!!"

Bridget Avila

My Blog

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Hey Richard, welcome over the border to Louisiana.  And your right, I think the only way to get the book is to order directly from Chef Folse.  There is also a cd of the book you can get.  RIchard, have you made anything from the book yet?  if so, what did you make and were you happy with how it turned out?

I don't have the book yet. When it arrives, I'll spend some time with it and pick out something to do. I think you can order it on Amazon, but I preferred to buy it from Chef Folse. The CD appears to be a real plus, and I'll probably order it after getting familiar with the book.

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I don't have the book yet. When it arrives, I'll spend some time with it and pick out something to do. I think you can order it on Amazon, but I preferred to buy it from Chef Folse. The CD appears to be a real plus, and I'll probably order it after getting familiar with the book.

Me too Richard. My copy just arrived this weekend, what a beautiful book. I tried a few of the muffin recipes, they were nice this morning with coffee.

I'm learning as I go and will cook along with you folks once you get going.

-Mike

-Mike & Andrea

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Is there a seafood dish that everyone would like to try? throw out your choices, heck maybe we will work them all out.

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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crawfish is getting to be reasonable now, maybe some eggplant stuffed with crawfish... I don't have the book with me at the computer, but I know he has some in there. and the desserts..There are menu's that provide for occasions, I assume there is one for Easter. I will see if it's doable for us this year. Check it out for yourselves, but it's timely.

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  • 1 month later...

Well, I planned on ordering mine direct, but the book is available for under $40 (plus tax and shipping) from B&N online, where I ended up ordering mine in a B&N store since they did not have a copy in stock. I think it was only $43 total.

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