Crêpe Barbara

For 8 Servings

2          tablespoons butter
1          pound lump crabmeat, picked over to remove any shell
            and cartilage
2          tablespoons water
16        boiled medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
            salt and pepper
8          crêpes, (recipe will follow)
2          cups hollandaise sauce (recipe will follow)
½         cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt the butter over low heat in a large sauté pan, and then add the crabmeat and 2 tablespoons water.  Season with salt and pepper and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Fold in the shrimp and briefly warm the mixture.

Place the crêpes on ovenproof plates. Fill the center of each with about ¼ cup crabmeat and 2 shrimp. Roll the crêpes and top with ¼ cup hollandaise sauce and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Broil the crêpes until the cheese melts, about 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Crêpes

Yields 16 crêpes

3          large eggs
1          cup milk
½         cup all-purpose flour

Melted butter for brushing

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Strain the batter to remove any lumps.

Preheat a 5-inch crêpe pan or skillet, and brush with it lightly with melted butter. Pour about 2 tablespoons batter evenly over bottom of the pan. Cook the crêpe over medium heat until golden brown, about 30 seconds, and turn the crêpe and brown the other side.

Repeat the procedure with the remaining batter, making about 16 crêpes in all. The crêpes can be sealed in plastic wrap and frozen for several weeks.

Hollandaise Sauce

Yields 2 cups

1          pound butter
4          egg whites
1 ½      teaspoons red wine vinegar
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1          teaspoon salt
1 ½      teaspoons water

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan; skim and discard the milk solids from the top of the butter. Hold the clarified butter over very low heat while preparing the egg yolks.

Place the egg yolks, vinegar, cayenne, and salt in a large stainless steel bowl and whisk briefly. Fill a saucepan or Dutch oven large enough to accommodate the bowl with about 1 inch of water. Heat the water to just below the boiling point. Set the bowl in the pan over the water; do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl. Whisk the egg yolk mixture until slightly thickened, then drizzle the clarified butter into the yolks, whisking constantly. If the bottom of the bowl becomes hotter than warm to the touch, remove the bowl from the pan of water for a few seconds and let cool. When all of the butter is incorporated and the sauce is thick, beat in the water.

Serve the hollandaise immediately or keep in a warm place at room temperature until use.

Hearts of Palm Vinaigrette

4 Servings

1          small head iceberg lettuce
15 ½    ounces (about 8) hearts of palm, chilled
1  1/3     cups chilled vinaigrette dressing (see recipe below)
8          black olives
8          cherry tomatoes

Wash and core the lettuce. Reserve 4 large leaves for presentation; shred the remaining lettuce. Slice the hearts of palm in half lengthwise.

Line 4 chilled plates with large lettuce leaves, then top with shredded lettuce and sliced hearts of palm. Spoon vinaigrette over each salad and garnish with black olives and cherry tomatoes.

Vinaigrette Dressing

Yields 4 cups

1 ½      cups diced green bell pepper
1 ½      cups diced red bell pepper
1 ½      cups scallions, finely chopped
½         cup red wine vinegar
1          cup olive oil
1 ½      cups hard boiled egg whites
            salt and black pepper

In a large stainless steel bowl, combine the green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and scallions. Alternate the vinegar and oil, adding about ¼ cup vinegar at a time, followed by ½ cup salad oil. Blend in enough vinegar and oil to cover the chopped ingredients.

Fold in the egg whites into the bell pepper mixture, then season with salt and pepper to taste. The vinaigrette is delicious cold or hot; chill it in the refrigerator or warm it slightly over low heat before serving.

Brennan’s Blackened Redfish

6 Servings

1          tablespoon cayenne pepper
1          tablespoon black pepper|
1          tablespoon white pepper
½         teaspoon salt (or less to taste)
6          redfish fillets, 6 to 8 ounces each (Drum or trout can be substituted)
1          cup Worcestershire sauce
1          tablespoon vegetable oil
1 ½      cups lemon butter sauce (see recipe below)

In a small bowl, combine the cayenne, black pepper, white pepper, and salt. Set the seasoning mixture aside. Place the redfish in a shallow dish and pour the Worcestershire sauce over the fillets. Marinate the fish for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, turning the fish several times.

Sprinkle the marinated fish on both sides with the seasoning mixture. Coat a large cast iron skillet with the oil and heat until almost smoking. Place the redfish in the hot skillet and sear about 2 minutes per side, until the seasoning mixture has melted into the fish.

Serve the redfish plain or top with the lemon butter sauce.
 

Lemon Butter Sauce

Yields 4 cups

½         cup brown sauce (see recipe below)
¼ - ½   cup lemon juice
2          pounds butter, room temperature

Combine the brown sauce and ¼ cup lemon juice in a large saucepan. Working the pan on and off direct heat, add the butter a bit at a time, whisking the sauce until smooth between additions. Add additional lemon juice according to taste.

When all of the butter is incorporated, transfer the sauce to another pan or bowl, and hold at room temperature until serving.

Brown Sauce

Yields 2 cups

3          tablespoons butter
3          tablespoons all-purpose flour
1          tablespoon tomato paste
1          tablespoon Worcestershire
2          tablespoons prepared steak sauce
2          cups beef stock

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Blend in the flour, then add the remaining ingredients and stir until smooth. Cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Brown sauce appears in a variety of seafood and meat dishes. It can be frozen in ½ or 1 cup portions for use as a base for lemon butter and other sauces.

Shrimp Sardou

8 Servings

4          large eggs
1          cup milk
3          cups all-purpose flour
1 ½      cups seasoned bread crumbs
1 ½      teaspoons black
1 ½      teaspoons white pepper
1 ½      teaspoons cayenne pepper
2          pounds blanched peel and deveined shrimp
            Oil for frying
4          cups creamed spinach (see recipe below)
4          artichoke bottoms, thinly sliced
2          cups hollandaise sauce

In a shallow bowl or pan, lightly beat the eggs with the milk. Blend the flour, bread crumbs, black, white and cayenne peppers in another bowl. Coat the shrimp with the dry mixture, then dip in the egg wash. Re-dredge the shrimp in the dry mixture and deep-fry them for about 2 minutes until crisp, in oil heated to 350 degrees F.

Mound a bed of creamed spinach on four plates. Arrange a sliced artichoke bottom on the spinach, then divide the fried shrimp between the plates. Top the shrimp with about ½ cup hollandaise sauce and serve.

Creamed Spinach

Yield 3 cups

¾         cup (1 ½) sticks butter
10        ounces fresh spinach leaves, washed, stemmed, and
            chopped
1 ½      cups onion, finely chopped
¼         cup all-purpose flour
2          cups scalded milk
1          teaspoon salt
            Pinch of white pepper
            Pinch of nutmeg

Melt ½ cup butter in a large sauté pan; add the spinach and cook over medium heat until wilted. In a large saucepan, melt the remaining butter. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until tender. Using a whisk, blend the flour into the mixture, then gradually pour in the milk. Stir until smooth, then add the spinach. Season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. When the mixture is thick and warmed through, remove it from the heat and serve.

Bananas Foster

Chef Paul Blange created Bananas Foster at Brennan’s in 1951, and made it an international favorite.

4 Servings

¼         cup (1/2) stick butter
1          cup brown sugar
½         teaspoon cinnamon
¼         cup banana liqueur
4          bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
¼         cup white rum
4          scoops vanilla ice cream

Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet. Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan. When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum. When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place 4 pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.

© June 2004. Luxury Experience. www.luxuryexperience.com All rights reserved.