Thanksgiving – Cajun Style

Hi, I’m Kori Ellis - the new co-blogger here at Robust Cooking. I write a variety of other blogs for b5media, plus I’m the Channel Editor to three channels (Beauty & Style, Sports and Technology). I wanted to thank Gayla McCord for the opportunity to write on this blog and I look forward to my co-blogging experience with Rachel Segal.

I have been cooking since I was a little girl and learned a lot of tips, tricks and recipes in my grandmother’s kitchen at a young age. Here on this blog, I hope to provide a variety of cooking advice and recipes. Some will be healthy. Some will be quick. Most will be great for families. And, I hope they’ll all be delicious. Remember, even if a recipe isn’t exactly “healthy” in traditional terms, you can still eat it by controlling your portion sizes, and eating sweets and high fat foods in moderation. Without futher ado, let’s talk about Thanksgiving!

Here are a few recipes that your family may enjoy this Thanksgiving. From side dishes to dessert, they all have a Cajun twist.  From the Shrimp and Corn Maque Choux to the Mint and Bourbon Crème Anglaise, I hope you enjoy them all!

Shrimp and Corn Maque Choux

Servings: 4-6

Estimated Times
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup green peppers, diced small
• 3/4 cup red peppers, diced small
• 1 1/2 cups onion, diced small
• 10 ears fresh corn on the cob
• 1 lb. raw shrimp, any size, peeled, deveined and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 large plum tomatoes, seeded and diced small
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat a pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the peppers and onions to the pan and cook until tender (do not brown). While the peppers and onions are cooking, using a knife, cut the corn kernels from the cob. Add the kernels to the pan. Then using the back of the knife, scrape any remaining parts of the kernel and the liquid (milk) from the cob and add to the pan. Add the shrimp to the pan. Let the corn and shrimp cook for a few minutes then add the cream and cook until the cream thickens slightly. Add the tomatoes and season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Spicy Bacon Green Beans

Servings: 4-6

Estimated Times
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1/2 lb. bacon, diced
• 2 1/2 lbs. green beans, ends snipped off

Instructions

Mix all of the spices together to make the spice mix. Bring one gallon of water to a boil and add salt. Over medium heat cook the diced bacon until it is almost to the crunchy stage. Add the green beans to the pot of boiling water and cook for approximately 5 minutes. You want the green beans to be just undercooked.

Remove the beans from the water and add them to the bacon and sauté for one minute. Season to taste using the spice mix and serve. (If you don’t use all of the spice mix, you can seal it in an airtight container and store for a few months.)

Apple Cranberry Chutney

Servings: 4-6

Estimated Times
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: Simmer for approximately 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, diced small
• 2 tablespoons oil, canola
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries, finely chopped
• 3 cups apple, peeled, cored and diced, use a firm apple like Granny Smith
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon grain mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 lbs. light brown sugar

Instructions

In a pot, cook the onions in the oil over medium heat until translucent. Then add the rest of the ingredients into a pot and simmer until it has thickened. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sweet Potato Pecan Bread Pudding with Mint and Bourbon Crème Anglaise

Servings: 4-6

Estimated Times
Preparation time: 20 minutes the night before and 40 minutes the day it’s made
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 10 slices sliced white bread cut into 2-inch pieces and left out to dry overnight
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 6 eggs
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 8 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Cut the white bread (crust on) and let it sit out and dry overnight. Peel and cut sweet potatoes and place in pot and cover with water. Simmer the sweet potatoes on the stove until they are tender, then drain and lay them out in a pan and put them in the refrigerator to cool. Once the potatoes are cool, put them in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. You may need to add some water to help puree. Mix together the cream, milk, eggs, both sugars (except for 2 tablespoons of brown sugar), salt, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk together until the sugars dissolve. Add the sweet potato puree to the cream mixture. Lightly grease a 10-cup ovenproof casserole dish. Fold the bread and the pecans into the cream mixture. Then pour everything into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar on the top and bake in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Serve with the mint sauce.

Mint and Bourbon Crème Anglaise

• 6 egg yolks
• 5 oz. sugar
• 2 cups half and half
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 oz. crème de menthe
• 1 oz. bourbon

Instructions

Combine egg yolks and sugar; whip until light and fluffy. In a saucepan, bring the half and half to the scalding point with the vanilla, crème de menthe and bourbon. Once the half and half is hot, add some of it to the whipped yolk and sugar mixture, making sure that you stir constantly. Then add that mixture to the rest of the half and half and cook (stirring constantly) until it coats the back of a spoon. Do not cook hotter than 190 degrees, or it will curdle. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl then place the bowl into an ice bath immediately to cool down. Serve with the bread pudding.

For the turkey, use a Honeysuckle White Cajun Style Turkey, or add a Cajun flair to your regular turkey by spicing it up with Cajun seasoning. These Cajun Thanksgiving recipes were provided by Courtesy of Honeysuckle White. These and other holiday recipes can be found at the Honeysuckle White website.

Photo credit: Honeysuckle White