Louisiana recipes

[shireen]

I just found an interesting website featuring recipes from Louisiana. Is anyone familiar with chef John Folse?
http://www.jfolse.com/newfindrecipe.htm

[elleng]

1. I'm not,

but how are you, shireen???

[shireen]

5. Hey Ellen

Fine. Trying to live vicariously through the internet. LOL!
How ya doing?

[elleng]

6. Similar,

and check out Photo group. I'm renting a cottage, bought a camera, so having some fun (when weather permits!)

[LonePirate]

2. My mouth is watering as every single dish sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing!

[uncommonlink]

3. I've just got to try some of these dishes.

I love Louisiana cooking, especially Cajun food.

[Cracklin Charlie]

4. Great site!

Thanks!

[dem in texas]

7. He used to have a cooking show on PBS

It was about ten years ago.

[JayhawkSD]

8. Interesting recipies.

But his treatment of cast iron is completely wrong. He says use liquid shortening, but that is a disaster. It will turn into a sticky ghastly mess. I never let liquid shortening touch my cast iron. Only use solid shortening (Crisco) for treatment.

I sometimes cook with saturated fats, bacon drippings or lard, but never leave them in the skillet. Remove them by rinsing the skillet with hot water only, never use soap, dry carefully and warm over a burner until you can hold your hand over it for no more than four or five seconds. Then wipe down the interior of it with as much solid shortening as absorbs into the cast iron and let it cool.

His 500 degree "blast treatment" of a new pot or skillet is questionable, too. Some people do that, but I use a "heat soak" method. Wash it thoroughly (using soap this one time only) and put it in an oven at 200-220 degrees. Leave it there about two days, taking it out and wiping the interior of it generously with solid shortening about every 4-6 hours. Leave the exterior dry. Give it a good heavy application before you go to bed and leave it eight hours. At the end you'll have about half of the nice black smooth interior that will eventually develop with use.

[northoftheborder]

9. I have crusty build-up on interior of cast iron deep skillet.

How do I get rid of that? It's not on the bottom, but on the sides at the bottom. Am I not cleaning it thoroughly? I do use soap, but it is so old, that the finish is on there permanently I think! I never have to retreat it. Interesting idea about using only solid shortening; do you mean for cooking as well as treatment for the skillet?

[JayhawkSD]

11. Cooking is mostly okay

I cook with saturated fats, bacon fat mostly and sometimes lard. I use olive oil quite a lot and sometimes add a bit of Canola or Sunflower oil to raise its smoke point. But after use I rinse the skillet with very hot water and use a plastic scrubber as needed.

DO NOT EVER USE SOAP.

Before putting the skillet/pot away, coat with solid shortening.

The buildup you have is probably burned/hardened liquid shortening. You can scrape it out, but you'll probably ruin the skillet in the process. You might be able to salvage it be reseasoning the skillet as described in my earlier post.

[sir pball]

18. Get some rock salt and fill the skillet, to the brim

Then put it in a hot hot HOT oven for a few hours. Even set it to a cleaning cycle if you can. Swirl the salt around aggressively for a few minutes, it should be a really gross grey with flecks of black, then dump it out. You won't need to reseason that way.

If you want to reseason it, just soak it in oven cleaner, scrub really well with a wire brush, run through the dishwasher with Heated Dry on, and season it again.

[northoftheborder]

21. Thanks, I'll try that hot salt method. I have tried oven cleaner, but not very good results.

[CherokeeDem]

10. Ah ha....

Now I know why I occasionally had a gummy residue in my iron skillets. I have inherited many iron pieces that were already well-seasoned and purchased several new pieces that I have always seasoned the exact way you mentioned.. it was how my grandmother seasoned hers.

At the moment, I have a glass top stove (came with the house) and cannot use them... I am replacing the stove as soon as I can. Need my iron skillets back.

Thanks for the heads-up about the gummy residue, never put it together.

[sir pball]

19. Totally OT, but when you replace the infrared cooktop are you going induction?

I personally know quite a few skilled home cooks who've literally ripped out the walls in their kitchens to pipe gas in for a stove...but induction burners are the absolute, unquestioned best way to go, even commercially. They mostly only haven't replaced gas in our kitchens because of institutional inertia, and gas works regardless of electricity - but even then, most places have a few portable induction burners for prep or offsite, and some kitchens in buildings with strict open-flame worries (wood frame, shared space with "high value" stores, etc.) have to use them.

They're as responsive as gas, since the only heat generated is literally in the pan itself, and they're MUCH more energy efficient. I have a standalone burner, for 95% of the time I only need one pot I use it instead of the stove.

[CherokeeDem]

20. Thanks for the info...

I prefer gas, and had gas for years... and I have gas heat but the location of the stove would mean I'd have to redo the entire kitchen and I don't want to do that in this house. I know about induction burners and will look into getting one. This glass top cooks at a higher heat even on low... took me a bit to learn how to use it and the oven... way hotter than what ever temp it's set at.

I will check out the induction burner... thanks!

[cbayer]

12. John Folse was the owner/chef of Lafittes Landing in Donaldsonville.

Donaldsville is on the West bank of the Mississippi about halfway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

I think it may be closed now, but it was famous for it's classic Cajun and creole food and people often made it a destination.

I like the "noveau" new orleans food much better than the classics, but for those that love the classics, he is the man.

[dem in texas]

13. I always wash my iron skillets with soap and water.

I want them clean. I don't scour them, but do give them a good hot soap and water wash. When they are new, I will put them on a hot burner after I have washed them and dry them with a tea towel while they are warm. When they are new, I will wipe a little shortening in them after drying, then wipe them again with a paper towel. I have one skillet that I was given to me when I married over 50 years ago and I still use it, mostly for stew. I have seasoned several skillets for my kids just by using them for a while.

Now in my old age, I seldom fry anything, just chicken and chicken fried steak occasionally for the kids and grandkids but I don't use my iron skillet anymore. I have fallen in love with my Cuisinart electric skillet, it is the best for frying a big batch of chicken, even better than cast iron skillets.

[locks]

14. Thanks for the post on Chef Folse

The recipes sound great. Though I have not eaten there, friends have told me John Folse and Rick Tramonto's restaurant R'evolution in the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street in NOLA is outstanding, four-star Tramonto is a famous chef from Chicago who has had restaurants all over the world and decided to move to NOLA in 2012 and with Folse "reinterpret classic Creole and Cajun dishes".
If I save enough money to dine at R'evolution the next time I'm in NOLA I will write a review for DUers!

[sir pball]

17. Been there - may be the best place in NOLA.

Last edited Thu Apr 3, 2014, 12:22 AM - Edit history (1)

It's definitely better than Herbsaint and Peche and just may beat August. Strong words, but it's a strong restaurant.

[bif]

15. Wow! What an amazing site. Bookmarked!

What a treasure-trove of recipes! I'll be making many of them and posting them on my cooking blog!

[sir pball]

16. John Folse might be the most important Creole/Cajun chef alive.

He's a lot lower profile than Paul Prudhomme, John Besh, Donald Link and Emeril, but at the same time he has a far deeper, quieter knowledge of the food. His book set is the absolute ne plus ultra of Louisiana cuisine. Priced accordingly, of course.

Never been to Lafitte's Landing but his latest venture in NOLA with Rick Tramonto, Restaurant R'evolution, is completely amazing. It *may* be better than August.