Body on the Bayou (20 page)
Authors: Ellen Byron
Tags: #FIC022000 Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General
Turkey Dinner in a Braid
Ninette came up with a wonderful way to turn Thanksgiving leftovers into a delicious dish. She likes to serve this entrée with a simple side salad.
Ingredients
2 crescent roll packages (or use the new crescent roll dough packages instead)
2 cups turkey, chopped
1 cup chopped broccoli, peas, or string beans
1 cup diced potatoes (optional)
1 cup stuffing
2 tsp. gravy
½
cup cranberry sauce
½
cup mayonnaise
1 egg white, slightly beaten
2 tbsp. French-fried onions (the kind you use in a green bean casserole)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Mix the turkey, gravy, mayonnaise, and cranberry sauce together in a medium bowl.
Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper, leaving a few inches of space on each side.
Open and unroll the crescent roll doughs one at a time. Arrange the first horizontally across the width of the pan toward the top, then lay the second one below it, and seal them both together either with a rolling pin or clean fingers.
Cut the long sides of the dough into strips about 3
″
deep and 1
½
″
wide. Important: you want to leave around 6
″
in the center for the filling, so adjust the strips accordingly.
Spoon the turkey mixture evenly over the middle section of dough. On top of the turkey, layer the stuffing, potatoes (if you choose to use them), and your green vegetable.
To braid the dough, lift the first two strips across from each other so that they meet in the center. Twist each strip once and then lay them both down on the filling. (You may have to pull or pinch the dough a bit to stretch it.) Continue to do this until you’ve twisted all the strips. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect. Tuck the ends of the braid up to seal it on both
ends. Brush the braid with the egg white, then sprinkle with the French-fried onions.
Bake 20–30 minutes, until a deep golden brown.
You can either serve it on the cookie tray or lift up both sides of the parchment paper to gently move the braid onto a serving dish.
Serves 8–10.
Bananas Foster Coffee Cake a la Ninette
Bananas Foster is an iconic New Orleans dessert created in 1951 by a chef at the legendary Brennan’s Restaurant and named after a friend of restaurant owner Owen Brennan. The original dish is flambéed bananas served over vanilla ice cream. Many cooks have created unique recipes inspired by the original dessert, including Ninette.
Cake Ingredients
3 ripe bananas, sliced
6 tbsp. butter, divided (3 at a time)
2 oz. dark rum
1 oz. banana liqueur (note: if you don’t have this, use 3 oz. rum)
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups Bisquick baking mix
Streusel Ingredients
⅔
cup Bisquick baking mix
⅔
cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼
tsp. salt
3 tbsp. cold butter or margarine
Cake Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with rack at center level of the oven.
In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the dark brown sugar and stir to combine. Add the rum and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often to blend the ingredients and keep them from crystallizing. Add the banana chunks and cook for 2–3 more minutes, gently stirring to coat the bananas with the thickening liquid. Scrape the caramelized banana mixture into a medium heatproof bowl. Use your spatula to break up the bananas into small pieces (but don’t mash them into pulp). Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter until melted, then add the vanilla. Let the mixture cool down until moderately warm, then quickly whisk in the eggs.
Place the 2 cups of Bisquick in another medium-sized bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the Bisquick, then stir together.
Streusel Instructions
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, then cut in the butter. Use a pastry blender to combine ingredients until the streusel is crumbly.
To Put It All Together
Put half the cake batter in the cake pan. Top with half the streusel. Top that with the rest of the cake batter and then cover that with the rest of the streusel.
Bake for 35–45 minutes, until the center is firm.
Serves 6–8.
JJ’s Jambalaya
Brown or red jambalaya? That’s the eternal debate in Louisiana. Brown jambalaya is Cajun in origin while red jambalaya shows the Creole influence of New Orleans. JJ’s Jambalaya is Cajun, of course!
Ingredients
2
½
tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. boneless chicken thighs, in their juice
1 cup Andouille sausage, cut into bite-size pieces
6 oz. cup chopped heavy-cut bacon
2 cups finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper (generally 1 large pepper)
½
cup finely chopped celery
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. ground thyme
¼
to
½
tsp. ground red pepper
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. dried tarragon
¼
tsp. sea salt
⅛
to
¼
tsp. black pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning—or any Cajun seasoning with salt
2 bay leaves
Dash Worcestershire Sauce
2 cups uncooked white rice
¼
cup finely chopped green onions
¼
cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Heat two tablespoons of the oil to medium-high in a large cast iron or Dutch oven pot. Sauté the chicken in the oil until it’s thoroughly golden brown on each side (approximately four minutes per side). Turn off the flame, remove the chicken, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Turn the flame back on to medium. Put the bacon in the pot (add a dash of vegetable oil if you feel it’s needed) and cook the bacon until it curls. Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic, then cook until the vegetables are softened, about five minutes. Stir to make sure everything cooks evenly.
Add sausage and chicken to the pot, then stir to combine with other ingredients. Then add the chicken stock, thyme, red pepper, tarragon, bay leaves, smoked paprika, Tony Chachere’s seasoning (or your choice of Cajun seasoning), Worcestershire sauce, and
rice. Stir to combine, then turn up the heat and bring to a boil, uncovered. Reduce heat to simmer, then cover the pot. Simmer for ten minutes, then uncover and fold the rice over once to make sure it’s not sticking to the pot. Cover the pot and simmer for another ten minutes, or until the liquid is almost absorbed. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, but not too much. You want to make sure the rice cooks through. Add a little more broth if you need to. (By the way, it’s hard to avoid any sticking to the pot. It always happens to me.)
Stir in the parsley and green onions, then cook for another minute or two. Let sit for five minutes, then serve with French bread cut into slices. Have a bottle of hot sauce handy for any guest who prefers their jambalaya spicy.
Serves 6–8.
Or . . .
If you don’t have the time to make jambalaya from scratch, do what I do. Make a packaged jambalaya and add your choice of ingredients. Trust me, it will be
delicious
!
World’s Easiest Jambalaya
Ingredients
A box of jambalaya rice mix, like Zatarain’s Jambalaya Rice, Original
2
½
cups of water
A pound—or more—of whatever you want to throw in, like chicken, shrimp, or sausage
Instructions
Follow the instructions on the box to make the rice. Throw in your meat. Stir it up. That’s it!
Serves 6–8.
Body on the Bayou
“Lagniappe” is a Louisiana term that means “a little something extra.” For me, it’s a way of sharing some personal anecdotes about the wonderful region that inspired my
Cajun Country Mystery
series.
The time I’ve spent in Acadiana has been filled with unique experiences that cemented my affection for the region. One occurred in the mid-1980s during a visit with my friend Jan Gilbert, a noted New Orleans artist. We drove up the east River Road to explore some plantations (one of which was Ashland-Belle Helene, the inspiration for Crozat Plantation B and B). Worn out by the day’s adventures, we decided to take I-10, a much faster route, back to New Orleans. But we got lost trying to find the interstate entrance
and wound up back where we started. We noticed an old gentleman walking along the side of the road and pulled over to ask for directions. He stared at us and then said in a thick Cajun accent, “I’m eighty years old, and I ain’t never been more’n five miles up or down this road in my entire life.”
I still marvel at a life so simple and circumscribed in this day and age. But when you live in such an interesting area, maybe five miles in either direction is all you ever need to go.
Naming characters in a book can be a challenge, but it’s been fun for this series. Some names pay homage to an important person in my life. There is a real Gaynell Bourgeois, although her full name is Gaynell Bourgeois Moore; she’s a very talented and dear friend. “Waguespack”—as in veterinarian Dr. Waguespack—is the maiden name of one of my closest friends from college. (I gave her first name, Charlotte, to Grand-mère.)
But one name was inspired by a legend I found fascinating.
On the outskirts of St. Martinville, Louisiana, there is an allée of trees known as Oak and Pine Alley. This once led to the grand plantation home of Charles Durand. Legend has it that when his daughters were to be married in a double ceremony, he promised them the most fantastical wedding Louisiana had ever seen. He imported a million spiders from China and gold and silver dust from California. On the eve of the wedding, the spiders were released to spin their webs between the oak and pine trees. In the morning of the wedding day—the actual date is murky—servants sprayed the
webs with gold and silver dust, creating a canopy of intricate, glittering patterns and a spectacular exit for the newlyweds.
All that remains of Charles Durand’s grandiose home is the alley of trees. A man motivated by a desire to one-up his neighbors, he was eventually ruined by the Civil War and his own hubris. The Durands in my series—arrogant Rufus and upstanding Bo—will meet a happier fate.
Thank you, Cameron and Kara Clanton, for sharing your wealth of automobile knowledge. And thanks to cousins Joan, Sandy, Paul, Sandra, Kevin, and Lucy for their support. A debt of gratitude is owed to those who helped me research the care and feeding of puppies and kittens: Holly and Donald P. Thompson, DVM; Polly Iyer and Daniel Iyer, DVM; Amy Shojai, CABC; and Sheila Boneham. As always, thanks to awesome agent Doug Grad and the fabulous team at Crooked Lane Books: Mathew Martz, Sarah Poppe, Heather Boak, Nike Power, and publicity phenoms Dana Kaye and Julia Borcherts. GoWrite gals Mindy Schneider, Kate Shein, Kathy McCullough, and Terri Wagener—bless your great notes. Same for you, fantastic Chicks on the Case Lisa Q. Mathews, Marla Cooper, and Kellye Garrett! And a shout-out to Margaret S. Hamilton for your invaluable thoughts. As always, thank you to my Louisiana crew, Kevin McCaffrey, Jan Gilbert, Laurie and Walter Becker, and Gaynell Bourgeois Moore, and my Texas buddies, Pam
and John Shaffer (can’t wait to go to the Barbecue Inn with you someday). Extra special love and thanks to Charlotte Waguespack Allen. Denise and Stacy Smithers, and Karen Fried, you are simply the best. Tom and Karen Moore, so lucky to have you in our lives. Kim Rose, your support is so appreciated, and Von Rae Wood, you are a forever friend—your optimism and enthusiasm always inspire me. A heartfelt thanks to Diane Vallere, Craig Faustus Buck, Jeri Westerson, Holly West, Stephen Buehler, Linda O. Johnston, Rochelle Staab, Nancy Cole Silverman, and all the members of SinCLA and SoCalMWA for welcoming me so warmly and sharing priceless information on the mystery world. More thanks to Catherine Respess and Red Mare Design for your website and design talent and creativity. Buckets of love to Mom, Tony, and David. And as always, infinity love to Jer and Eliza.
And finally, a big thank-you to my local Target stores. I do some of my best thinking aimlessly wandering those jam-packed aisles.