Stadium Rat

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For jar roux, 16 oz jar to 1 gallon of water

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That's definitely on the thick side, but I like it like that sometimes.

My wife always wants Egg Drop Soup when she's sick. Quick and easy if you have chicken broth on hand.

Answers to all your jambalaya questions

The Jambalaya Calculator has a pastalaya tab.

Generally, use 1 to 1 1/2 quarts per lb of pasta (start with 1.25). You can use the equivalent weight of pasta as the calculator indicates for rice.

A coworker of my wife's sent this to her. Looks pretty good even if a lot of work:

Soft and Moist Mardi Gras King Cake



Author: Maria Do
Prep Time: 3 hours
Resting Time: 12-72 hours
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes

Yield: 1 large king cake, 14-16 slices

This soft, moist, and fluffy king cake recipe is inspired by my hometown bakery in New Orleans East, Dong Phuong Bakery. The brioche, ring-less king cake is a unique take on the traditional and is absolutely delicious! Recipe makes a large king cake, great for groups. See notes for making a smaller size.

Example Overnight Schedule: Mix dough at 6pm the night before, roll out and shape at 9am, bake at 10:30am, finished king cake by 11am.


Dough
3/4 cup warm whole milk (100-110 Fº)
1/4 cup honey
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast (7 g)
4 large eggs, room temp
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (568 g)
2 tsp kosher salt
10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temp, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 1/4 sticks)

Cinnamon Filling
1 cup dark or light brown sugar (110 g)
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
pinch of kosher salt
2 tbsp salted butter, melted
2 tbsp heavy cream

Icing & Sprinkles
6 tbsp unsalted butter (3/4 stick)
4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temp (1/2 block)
2 cups confectioner’s sugar, packed
2 1/2 tsp whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream, for brushing on top after baking
sanding sugar or sprinkles (purple, green, gold)

The Day Before

In a large glass measuring cup or bowl, pour in 3/4 cup milk and microwave or heat to 100ª F – 110ªF (not any hotter or the yeast will die). To the same cup, add 1/4 cup honey and 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast, then whisk to combine. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast may have died, so start over with fresh yeast! When the mixture is foamy, add 4 room temp eggs then whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add 4 1/2 cups flour and 2 tsp kosher salt. Stir on low to combine. With the mixer on low speed, pour the milk/egg mixture into the flour and stir on low until combined. Add 10 tbsp softened butter one piece at a time. When the butter is all in, increase the speed to medium, and beat for 1 minute until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is stringy, very stick and wet. Use a spatula to spoon the sticky dough into a large greased bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest and rise for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, apply the first fold by placing your fingers under one edge of the proofed dough, pulling the dough up, and folding it back over itself. Repeat this motion around the entire perimeter of the dough, turning the bowl as you go, until it’s completely folded over itself, about 6 times. Cover the bowl again and rise for another 30 minutes. Repeat this folding step 3 more times, waiting 30 minutes in between each fold, for a total of 2 hours and 4 folds. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate overnight or up to 72 hours. This resting time allows your dough to develop serious flavor!

Use the downtime in between folds to brown the butter for the icing since it will need to solidify again. Melt 6 tbsp unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter gets a tint of brown, not too dark, about 10 minutes. It will smell nutty and delicious! Pour into a heat-safe bowl, and cover at room temp to solidify overnight on the counter.


The Day Of

Line a 18" x 13" baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, and a pinch of kosher salt. Set aside.
Retrieve cold dough from the fridge. Punch down the cold dough to knock out the air and knead about 10 times just to wake up the yeast. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 14-inch by 18-inch wide rectangle. Use a fork to poke holes every 2 inches or so throughout, then brush 2 tbsp heavy cream and 2 tbsp melted salted butter on top. Sprinkle cinnamon mixture evenly over the top, and press it in lightly with your hands to adhere to the butter and cream.

To roll, start with one of the long edges, and roll into a tight log and stop when you’ve reached the middle of the rectangle. Do the same on the other side to create two logs in a scroll shape.
Soft enriched cinnamon roll rough, getting shaped into a king cake
Carefully transfer the dough onto your lined baking sheet, scroll side down. You can use a bench scraper or small cutting board to help with the transfer. Form the dough into a U-shape. If you’d like it to be a full oval, pinch the two ends together. Carefully stretch the thicker end of the U out so that it’s generally level with the other side. It’s okay if it’s not perfect; we’ll cover the cake in icing!

Use a knife to cut 1.5-inch slits about 1.5 inches apart around the entire perimeter of the cake. Then cut a slit in the thickest part of the cake in the center (see photo). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise one last time in a warm spot until fully proofed, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. While the cake is proofing, mix the icing.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add the solidified browned butter you made the night before and room temp cream cheese. Beat until combined. Add 2 cups confectioner’s sugar and 2 1/2 tsp whole milk. Mix just until combined, we don’t want this to be super whipped. Add more powdered sugar or milk as needed for desired consistency. This icing is more like frosting, so the consistency will resemble a buttercream. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).

Bake the proofed king cake for 32-35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through until light brown on top. When the cake is done and still warm, brush on 1/4 cup of heavy cream all over the cake. This keeps it soft and prevents the crust from hardening too much. (It feels wrong, but do it anyway!) It should absorb fully after 15 mins.

When the cake is cooled completely, spread on the brown butter icing. Decorate with the purple, green, and gold sprinkles. Slice & enjoy!

Murmurs of Ricotta

Miss USA Pageant 1977

Lynn Herring, Miss USA 4th runner-up (Miss Virginia) at 2:50 mark.

She was in my freshman Spanish class at LSU in 1976-77. Her boyfriend was also in the class, Mike Quintella who played running back for LSU.

She was also on General Hospital for a couple of decades.

Bailey's Corn Soup

1 lb peeled shrimp
3 medium potatoes diced
¼ cup cooking oil
1 box of Bailey’s Cajun Creole Mix
2- 16 oz cans whole corn
1 – 16 oz can cream corn
1 – 8 oz can whole tomatoes
½ lb Andouille (cut into ¼" slices)


In a 5qt pot, cook shrimp, ½ pack of Bailey’s dried seasoning, and Andouille in oil on medium heat for 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes, whole corn, cream corn, and 2 cups of hot water and cook for 10 minutes.

Mix 1/3 cup of roux into 4 cups of hot water, and add to mixture.

Add potatoes, and 1 pack of spices, and mix well. Stirring occasionally, cook on medium for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Yield: 8-10 servings.

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Who is that guy? I’ve seen his name before but I have no idea who he is or what he does.

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Car dealer with multiple locations around NOLA.

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Looking for a simple roll recipe. Nothing better than a good, fresh, hot butter roll to go with a traditional meat and three. Hard to find good ones so I’ll try making my own.

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F&DB recipe collection has a good one:

No-Knead Dinner Rolls

2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
4 Tbs butter, melted, plus more for pan and brushing
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for shaping dough

Pour warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add sugar, butter, eggs, and salt; whisk to combine. Add flour; mix until incorporated and a sticky dough forms. Brush top of dough with butter; cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface. With floured hands, roll dough into a thick log. Cut into 18 equal pieces (halve log, cut each half in thirds, then cut each piece into thirds again).

Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with butter. One at a time, flatten each piece of dough, then fold edges toward the center, pressing to secure, until a smooth ball forms. Place dough balls in prepared baking pan, smooth side up (you should have 3 rows of 6). Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes. (Alternatively, refrigerate, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove plastic wrap; brush rolls with butter. Bake until golden and rolls sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 35 to 40 minutes (tent with aluminum foil if browning too quickly). Pull rolls apart, and serve warm

Source: Cajunate

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Why isn't Lake Charles a lot bigger than it should be?

Huh?

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Yeah, I hope they mean bigger than it is. Otherwise it's nonsensical.