Over the next few days we'll be taking a look at a number of dishes that fall into the 'Cajun', 'Creole', and 'Southern' food categories. Though there are distinct differences between each style of cooking, for ease of posting I'm going to lump them into the single category of "Mardi Gras food". I use a basic Creole spice in most of my dishes which I'll be referencing back to over the next couple of days. This is very similar to Emeril's "essence", though each recipe varies slightly. You can adjust the amounts to suit your own personal taste, though the mixture below will produce a nice blend of seasonings and spice that will accent and flavor your food without adding too much heat. If three-alarm is what you are looking for, by all means add more cayenne!
The recipe can be found after the jump.
Recently, someone asked me if there was a difference between the "zest" of a citrus fruit and the "peel." In short, the answer is yes. The peel is the name for the whole skin of the fruit, which is comprised of two layers: the zest and the pith. The zest is the colored, outer surface of the fruit while the pith is the soft, white inner layer. The vast majority of recipes will call for the zest of a fruit only. The pith is actually bitter and gives an unpleasant aftertaste if eaten, but the zest contains the very flavorful oils/essence of the fruit.
Chocolate-stuffed bananas on the grill
Tyler Florence welcomes new daughter
Beware kids' menus!
