Chicken Fried Steak with White Pepper Gravy - The Boss!

Often I wonder if any of you have the same trouble I do when planning your weekly menu while trying to get your grocery list together.  Honestly, I have slammed into a brick wall.  Nothing looks good, nothing sounds good; I don't know what I want.  Anyone who really knows me will tell you that the worst thing you can do is give me time to think.  And think I did boys and girls!

Wandering aimlessly down the frozen food aisle in the grocery store, looking at frozen TV dinners, which by the way, ain't what they used to be, it hit me.  Besides fried chicken and salisbury steak, what kind of TV dinners were popular in those three-way divided,  foil trays of my childhood?  Chicken Fried Steak came to mind.

Chicken Fried Steak apparently is more of a southern thang, but side-stepped New Orleans.  Since I don't remember my mother ever cooking Chicken Fried Steak, and I know I've never ordered it in a restaurant, I wasn't sure what Chicken Fried Steak was all about; besides you know how I am about white gravies (I am coming around to a degree). After researching different Chicken Fried Steak recipes from the really basic to the over the top (marinating sirloin and making a white wine sauce), I compiled several ingredients and methods and came up with this very budget friendly, rockin' the house recipe.  Oh yeah baby, this will show Chicken Fried Steak who's boss!

Gather this stuff together for the Chicken Fried Steak:

1 to 1-1/4 lbs. lean round steak, either pre-cut or cut into equal portions

1 cup buttermilk

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups AP flour

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1-1/2 tablespoons onion powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne (really, don't be afraid, use this much, trust me

Canola oil

For the White Pepper Gravy:

1/2 pound bacon, cut into short strips

2 well-rounded tablespoons AP flour

1-1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons finely chopped thyme

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 to 3 Fresh thyme sprigs (for show, optional)

Blend the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne and about 1 to 2 teaspoons of  kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon  of freshly ground black pepper in a bowl.  Once blended, divide this between to pie dish or large shallow bowls.

Place the buttermilk in a pie dish or large, shallow bowl, season generously with salt and pepper.

Pour canola oil into a cast iron skillet, right under halfway.  It's really important to use a cast iron skillet for this.  Heat the skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees F.  Do not exceed the medium setting on your stove. This will heat the oil slow and steady and alleviate the big flare up when you place the coated meat into the hot oil.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place the top rack in the middle of the oven.

Pour the 1-1/2 cup of milk and the half cup of heavy cream in a small sauce pan.  Heat over low heat and cover, leaving the lid askew on the pot so the liquid warms, not boils.

Dredge no more than 2 pieces at a time through the first flour mixture and shake off any excess.

Then dip the steaks in the buttermilk mixture and gently shake off or allow excess to drip off.

Finally, dredge the meat through the second flour mixture and place into the heated oil.

Add the steak, 2 pieces at a time and cook until golden brown on both sides.  More than two steaks at a time will lower the oil temperature and cause the coating to peel off in sheets.  Remember to keep the oil temperature steady hot and don't move the meat around for about 3 minutes.

While the steaks are frying, start cutting up the bacon into this strips, about 1-inch long.

Place the cooked steaks momentarily on a paper towel line plate.  Quickly season the steaks with salt and allow to rest for about 5 minutes.  Then, using a spatula or tongs, carefully move the steaks to a rack on a  baking sheet.  Once all of the steaks are cooked, place the baking sheet in the preheated oven to to keep warm while preparing the gravy.

Remove all but about 2 tablespoons of the oil from the skillet, leaving the crunchy pieces from the coating then add the bacon and cook until golden brown.

 Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate.

Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of fat and return the skillet to the burner at medium heat. Whisk the flour into the pan and let cook for approximately 1 minute until the mixture turns just a very slight brown.

Slowly whisk in the warm milk and cream and continue to heat, whisking frequently.  The sauce will thicken very quickly.  If the gravy seems too thick, feel free to whisk in additional milk to achieve the desired consistency.

Stir in the additional 2 tablespoons of heavy cream thyme and season with salt and lots and lots of  freshly ground black pepper.

Serve with ladled gravy and garnish with the reserved bacon and some chopped chives for color.  The chives are completely optional. Add a couple of thyme sprigs for a little panache.

I bet the wagon train has never seen it this good.

French Coconut Pie

Does coconut pie make you swoon?  This is my first attempt at making one of the many varieties of coconut .  Paula Deen totally rocked this recipe!

So easy, so quick and very good, at least the itty-bitty piece I was able to score once my family descended on this pie one cold, snowy January afternoon.

1/2 stick of  butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1 cup milk

1 (9-inch, deep dish) unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, eggs, flour, sugar, coconut, and milk. Pour into pie shell. Bake until firm, about 45 to 60 minutes.

So easy, so amazingly delicious!

 

Salmon Patties with Spicy Caper Remoulade Sauce

How many of you grew up with Cod Fish Cakes and/or Salmon Croquettes as staples in your mom's menu rotation?

My mom grew up with Cod Fish Cakes as did my husband and neither one of them ever wants to see a Cod Fish Cake again.  My mom baked Salmon Croquettes on occasion and I thought they were pretty good.

So ladies and gentlemen, don't boo and hiss; because these ain't yo' moma's fish cakes!  Stick around for an economical and deliciously retro update.  Even my husband the salmon and fish cake hater will scarf these petite patties down in a blink of an eye!

Spicy Caper Remoulade Sauce -

1-1/2 tablespoons Chipolte mayo

1-1/2 tablespoons mayo with olive oil

1-1/2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped

1 teaspoon spicy whole grain mustard

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the above ingredients together, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Salmon Cakes:

Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

1 (14.75-ounce) can boneless pink salmon, drained

3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup cornmeal

Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a large, preferably cast iron skillet over medium heat.

 

Place drained salmon in a large bowl and flake up with a fork.

Add panko, eggs, onions, parsley, cayenne, salt and black pepper to salmon.

Mix well and form into patties about the size of slider patties. Makes about 8 to 10 patties.

Carefully coat or sprinkle both sides of the patties with cornmeal.  The cornmeal gives the patties more crunch and also gives them a beautiful brown color.   Place the patties the heated oil, don't crowd the skillet and fry until golden brown; about 4 minutes per side. You may have to fry the patties in batches.

 Transfer the cooked salmon patties to a paper-towel lined plate.  

Serve immediately with the caper remoulade sauce. 

Grilled Shrimp Terrebonne

Our niece is getting married so while we're in town visiting friends and relatives, we had to go to the French Quarter to get our Central Grocery Muffaletta fix.

On the 4th of July, we visited some very good friends of ours in Terrebonne (Terra-bone) Parish and I wanted to share with all of you a really simple and delicious way to prepare leftover or small shrimp Cajun style.  What made this special was the four of us made an assembly line and talked and drank and talked and drank so it seemed to come together very quickly.  An added bonus was I had no shortage of volunteers for hand models.



Cut 1 pound of bacon in half.  Depending on how many skewers you will need and how much shrimp you have, you may need 2 pounds of bacon.

Wrap a shrimp (two shrimp if the shrimp are really small) in a half slice of bacon.  Our hosts told us they usually butterfly the shrimp and insert a small sliver of jalapeno pepper before wrapping the shrimp in the bacon. 

Slide a skewer through the bacon wrapped shrimp.  While we were assembling, we decided to use two skewers to make it easier to turn the shrimp in the grill.

At this point we were yelling at the coals to HURRY UP so we could get these babies cooking.







These are cooking low and slow over the coals in order for the bacon to cook and crisp up and in order not to over cook the shrimp.



Once the bacon is cooked, thin slices of pepper jack cheese are layered on top of the shrimp skewers.

Once the cheese has melted remove the skewers from the grill.  Remove the shrimp from the skewers and dip in melted butter.

Did you know it's illegal in Terrebonne Parish for a person's underwear to show above the waistline of their pants?  I like that law, please pass a napkin.





Chicken Schnitzel with Mustard Sauce

My husband and children have German descents and I haven't cooked or done a thing to acquaint them  with their German heritage.  Not that they ask or care; but it came to me after I saw this recipe on Food Network. 

Chicken Schnitzel has everything I was looking for besides getting A.J. and the homegirlz feeling a little German. For me, the ease of preparation, the flavor AND the mustard sauce! There's a rumor spreading like wildfire in my house that I was spotted eating just the mustard sauce; but that's all it is, a rumor.

The important factors for my husband and children are it's fried and it's chicken.  Fried Lebensmittel-Regeln!  In English, Fried food rules!  Gotta love the Google translator.


For the mustard sauce:

1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup whole-grain mustard (I used Zatarain's Creole Mustard)

Whisk the yogurt and mustard in a bowl until smooth.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.


For the Schnitzel:

5 slices wheat or white bread, toasted  and then cut into cubes
3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs
4 chicken cutlets or chicken tenderloins (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
Canola or vegetable oil, for frying


Pulse the bread in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a shallow dish and add the marjoram, and salt and pepper to taste. In another shallow dish, season the flour with the paprika and nutmeg. Beat the eggs in a third dish. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Dredge each cutlet in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs, pressing to coat both sides.

Heat 1/8 inch of canola or vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 2 to 3  cutlets and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adjusting the heat as needed. Serve the schnitzel with the mustard sauce.

Don't skimp on the mustard sauce...you heard it here first!

Creole Beef Short Ribs

A couple of years ago I posted a recipe called Round Steak and Fettuccine and ranted on and on and on about the my inability to find short ribs in this part of the work.  After that rant, Gunny, a fellow blogger friend very generously surprised the heck out of me and sent me a humongous pack of beef ribs.  Those ribs were the best beef I have ever tasted!

I had to tell you that to tell you this, I found beef short ribs in the grocery store and you know I scooped them up and couldn't wait to cook them.  I started to make the Giada deLaurentis recipe but A.J. (Mr. Brown Gravy and Rice) kept asking me what I was going to do with the ribs.  ~Sigh~ I couldn't cook them in a red gravy with pasta right in front of him, so I adapted because he can't.  That's the wonderful thing about marriage, I compromised and hit pay dirt!

So go find some beef short ribs and make this right away!

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 strips of Hickory Smoke Bacon
2 1/2 pounds short ribs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups beef broth

Pour about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the bacon until  crisp. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper.

Remove the bacon from the pot and drain in paper towels and set aside.  Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and dredge the ribs in the flour raise the heat to medium high.  

Add the ribs to the pot and brown on all sides. don't crowd the pot, you will have to do this in batches and possibly drizzle a little more oil to the pot between batches.

Once the ribs are browned, place on a platter or baking sheet and reserve.  Add a scant tablespoon of flour to the pot and stir continuously for about 5 to 7 minutes to allow the flour to cook and brown for a roux.  Then add the onions, celery and bell pepper.  Combine the vegetables in the roux, which will be fairly light color and saute for about 7 more minutes, then add the minced garlic and saute for another two minutes.



Slowly add the beef broth the the pot 1/2 cup at a time.  Completely blend in between pours.

At this point I was satisfied with the color, so I added 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire and still wasn't happy with the color.  So I will let you in on a dirty little secret.

Kitchen Bouquet is my dirty little secret.  When I want the color of a gravy a little deeper brown, this little bottle is my answer.  If you're in a hurry to get your roux to the brown color you need, add a couple of drops dawlin', it just that easy.  Creole and Cajun cooks will never, ever admit they use Kitchen Bouquet, but they have at one time or another, just saying...

So I added about 1 teaspoon and jackpot, I got the color I wanted.  Be careful with Kitchen Bouquet, a little goes a long way.

Add in the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper.

Return the ribs to the pot, crumble the bacon and add, then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasonings. 

Garnish with parsley and serve with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Yes, sometimes compromise is good.