Welcome to Our Cooking Corner

Discover tried and true recipes alongside unique creations from a former Le Cordon Bleu chef, designed to inspire your culinary journey and fuel those cravings.

Cajun Cassoulet

This recipe appeared in Freke Wyrd Voodoo. I switched a few ingredients to give a classic French dish a distinct Louisiana flair. The original is a rich, hearty stew of beans and meats with other veggies according to taste. This version can be more like the original, or a little more Cajun, depending on your own preferences.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried red beans for cajun, cannellini or (white beans can be subbed)

• 2 tablespoons Kosher Salt

• 4 cups homemade or store-bought chicken stock

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1-2 lbs Andouille sausage cut into medallions or oblongs 1/4in thick

• 4-8 slices of bacon cut small.

• 2-4 Duck breasts -OR- 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, 4 fresh duck legs, or 4 prepared duck confit legs

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 large onion , finely diced

• 1 carrot unpeeled and rustic cut in 2-3 inch sections.

• 2 ribs celery cut into 2-3inch sections

• 1 whole head garlic

• 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley (can use rosemary or thyme)

• ¼ cup cajun rub I’m a big fan of Tony Cachere or Zatarain brand

• 2 bay leaves

• 6 whole cloves

Directions

Step One-Cover beans in a large container with 2-3 quarts of water and add 1 Tbsp of salt. Stir to combine, then let stand at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse beans; set aside.

Step Two -Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). In a large Dutch oven, add bacon and cook on stovetop over high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, transfer to a large bowl, leaving rendered fat in Dutch oven, and set aside.

Step Three-Season chicken or duck with cajun seasoning (or more traditionally just use pepper) and place skin side down in Dutch oven (add butter if there is not enough fat to cover bottom of Dutch oven. Cook until well-browned, 6 to 8 minutes DO NOT turn or move the chicken as we are trying to brown the skin. Transfer to a plate and let cool to room temperature.

Step Four-Cook the Andouille in a saute or other shallow pan, can use butter but it isn’t necessary.

Step Five-Add onion to Dutch oven and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, until onion is sweated, or translucent. Add drained beans, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley, bay leaves, and cloves. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce to low, cover Dutch oven, and cook until beans are slightly softened but retain a bite, about 20 minutes.

Step Six-Cover cooled poultry and refrigerate. Using tongs, remove carrots, celery, parsley, bay leaves, and cloves from pot and discard. Addbacon and sausages to pot and stir to incorporate. Beans should be almost completely submerged. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, adding remaining stock halfway through by pouring it carefully down side of pot as necessary to keep beans mostly covered, until a thin crust forms on top, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Step Seven-Break crust with a spoon and shake pot gently to redistribute. Nestle chicken or duck into the mix, skin side up. Return to oven and continue cooking,(at this stage it is optional to add a layer of panko or bread crumbs) stopping to break and shake crust every 30 minutes, until crust is deep brown and thick, an additional 1 hour 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Holiday Buffalo Chicken Dip

This one isn't in any of the books. But it's something I make for friends and family for some holidays. My version is moderately spicy, but it is easy to modify for a milder palate. It's particularly good for football night or New Year's Eve.

Ingredients

• 2c of shredded chicken, I prefer rotisserie chicken hand-shredded.(southwest is good)

• 1 8oz package cream cheese or neufchatel (room temp makes it easier to work)

• ½ cup buffalo sauce. Franks Red Hot or Sweet Baby Ray work well. You can go hotter or milder

• ½ cup ranch dressing

• ½-2cups of cheese. Cheese strengths vary so your portions will vary too. Using something like blue cheese=1/2cup, less flavorful mozzarella=about 2cup, sharp cheddar about 1cup. Feel free to use pepperjack for even more punch.
  

In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients. You can use a hand mixer for the cream cheese, ranch and hot sauce. I’d mix the chicken and other cheese in by hand with a spatula.

Preheat oven to 350F.

For ease of cleanup you can line a shallow casserole dish with wax paper, or spray it. Pour the entire mix into the casserole dish and heat for about 20 minutes. Stir and garnish with scallions or green onion rings. You can sprinkle your cheese on top too. (Before garnishing, another option is to place the casserole back in the oven under a broiler at high heat for a few minutes. This will give a golden brown crustiness on top but it requires almost constant attention to avoid burning.)

Serve warm with chips, crackers, or celery and carrots. It can also be microwaved back to temp if it needs to wait before service.