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Monday, November 24, 2014

Fresh Green Beans with Tarragon and Toasted Almonds

2lb of fresh green beans
2 tsp fresh tarragon
1/2 cup skin on sliced almonds (toasted)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, sliced thin
Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
Directions
Fill a large pot with water, place over high heat and bring up to boil; add a table spoon of salt and the green beans. Cook for about 5 minutes, the beans should still be crisp. Drain the beans and place them in an ice bath to stop them from cooking. Reserve the beans while you start the onions.
In a large skillet add the butter and olive oil and heat until the butter has melted. Add the onions and stirring frequently until the onions caramelize. Add the cooked cooled green beans and fresh, and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste and add the toasted almond to the top.



Grandmothers Crawfish Dressing

I had a blast as usual doing Good Morning Texas. Everyone is always so warm and friendly, I'm starting to feel like family. Today I was tasked with coming up with different Thanksgiving menu items. Dressing is a staple at any dinner table, but crawfish dressing is something not many are accustomed to. My little Creole Grandmother first introduced me to this Louisianan spin on dressing, now, nothing else will do. I tweaked the recipe a bit by adding a hot ground breakfast sausage meat to the mixture. The added spicy and meat really worked well. Check out the recipe below.




Ingredients:
10 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 large onion, chopped
2 small green bell peppers, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cups crumbled cornbread
2 cups dried and cubed dressing mix
1 package frozen peeled, cooked crawfish tails (thawed and washed)
1 pound spicy breakfast sausage (cooked)
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt to taste
Directions:
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add carrots, celery, onion and bell pepper, and sauté for 10 or until tender. Add in the crawfish and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
In a large bowl mix together all ingredients and 2 cups of the broth. Add the remaining broth as needed to get a moist and mushy texture. Spoon into a lightly greased baking dish.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until firm and golden brown.