Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Lowcountry Shrimp Boil

Lowcountry Shrimp Boil


I have been dreaming of doing a crab/shrimp/crawfish boil for years. Finally after some research, a very important favor from a foodie friend, and an oportunity, I had the stuff to make the magic happen.

There are two kinds of boil seasoning that come prepackaged. Old Bay and the most famous, Zaterians and in order for this to be authentic, you need one of the two. I was able to get my hands on a package of the Zaterians and did a shrimp boil during a recent camping trip, so I made this over campfire. Here's the process...its super easy and impressive:

Feeds 5-6 people

2 lb Jumbo Shrimp (you can use crab or crawfish, if you can find them, or any combo of the three)
2 lb little White or Red Potatoes
6 links of Andoulli Sausage (I used hot Italian Sausage)
4 Cobs of Corn (halved)
3 Lemons (halved)
1 Large Sweet Onion (Vidalla if you can find it)
1 head of Garlic (top chopped off)
4-5 Bay Leaves
1 package of Zaterians Crab, Shrimp, & Crawfish Boil Mix
1 Bag Ice

Fill a large stock pot with enough water to more than cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil and add the Zaterian's Mix, Bay Leaf, Lemons (squeeze and add), Onion and Garlic. Let the mixture boil for 10-15 minutes so that everything is dissolved and/or permiated through the mix.

Add the other ingredients in stages based on how long they take to cook. First, the potatoes, 10 minutes later, the Sausage, 5 minutes later, the corn.



Once the corn has had 5 minutes, add the shrimp. The shrimp only need 2 minutes if fresh or 4, if frozen. Once that time has elapsed, add as much ice as you can fit in the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes. The reason for this is to stop the cooking process but allowing the spices to penetrate the food.

Strain your food out and serve with butter, lemon and your favorite hot sauce. This is meant to be eaten with your fingers and will get messy...but that's the beauty! (The garlic is awesome just squeezed out of the bulb onto toasts)




Grab a beer, turn on some Zydeco and you're all good...




Monday, April 1, 2013

Maple-Bourbon Glazed Ham


Maple-Bourbon Glazed Ham
 
 

I have made this am twice now and it is absolutely fantastic and super easy. You can swap out the liquids for any other liquids and it will turn out well. Also, adding herbs works well too.

4-5 lb Boneless Ham (Uncoooked)
2 cups Apple Juice
1 ½ cups Bourbon (Jack Daniels or similar)
1 cup pure Maple Syrup
2 tbl Dijon or Whole Grain Mustard
2 oz Water
1 ½ tsp Corn Starch

Place ham in a large pot or Dutch oven with a heavy lid. Mix in apple juice, bourbon, syrup, and mustard and bring to boil over med-high heat. Once the mixture is boiling, bring down to a simmer and cover for 1 ½ hours. Check the ham to make sure the internal temperature is 160 degrees. Once it is to that temp, it is eatable.

Preheat  to 375 degrees. Uncover ham and take the liquid out and reserve it. Transfer about 2-3 cups of the liquid into a skillet and reduce over high heat until it is about ½ of the amount. Turn off the skillet and baste the ham with the liquid. Put the ham in the 375 degree oven for approx.. 30-45 minutes, basting with the reduced liquid every 8-10 minutes.

Take the remaining ham liquid, put it in a pot and bring to a simmer. Mix the corn starch and water in a small bowl until dissolved, making a slurry, and ad to the ham liquid. Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes to thicken. Turn off and cover until ham is ready. This is liquid gold on top of the ham at supper!

Once the 30-45 minutes is up, the ham should be glazed and caramelized. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes before carving and serving.

I suggest you serve this ham with my Potato-Bacon-CheddarTart!