Read The Southern Po' Boy Cookbook Online
Authors: Todd-Michael St. Pierre
The Southern Po' Boy Cookbook (8 page)
salt, to taste
1 cup milk
canola oil, for frying
4 large quartered artichoke hearts
1 pound jumbo (16-20 count) shrimp (optional)
Coleslaw
1 cup shredded carrot
1/4 head red cabbage, shredded
1/4 head green cabbage, shredded and chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons agave syrup
Assembly
2 (6-inch) loaves French bread or 2 (5-inch) kaiser rolls, split
1}
To make the coleslaw, toss together the carrot and both cabbages in a large container. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, celery seed, garlic powder, black pepper, and agave syrup. Add to the vegetables, toss well, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
2}
In a clean small bowl, thoroughly mix together the cornmeal, rice flour, sesame seeds, cayenne, and salt. Pour the milk into another small bowl.
3}
Attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of a 6 to 8-quart cast-iron Dutch oven, and add enough oil to measure 2 inches deep. Dunk the artichoke hearts in the milk, shake off the excess, and coat in the flour mixture. Fry in batches. Each side should cook for about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the shrimp, if using.
4}
Pile coleslaw into the bread, and top with the artichokes and shrimp, if using.
Eggs Benedict Po’ Boy
What could be better than this NOLA breakfast to kick your day off right or to refuel and replish yourself after a night of French Quarter–style drinking and debauchery? In fact, the perfect
combeaux
is one of these with a spicy, Cajun-style Bloody Mary for breakfast or brunch. You’ll enjoy it so much that you’ll soon forget you ever had a hangover, just in time to hit the pavement and do it all over again! Thanks to Eric Olsson (
www.redbeansanderic.wordpress.com
).
Serves 2
Hollandaise
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small cubes
Poached eggs
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 or 4 eggs
Assembly
1 (12-inch) loaf French bread, split and toasted
Canadian bacon or bacon strips
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1}
In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp on both sides. Remove and drain on paper towels.
2}
To make the hollandaise sauce, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne, and red wine vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat. Turn the heat to medium, slowly add the butter, and whisk until the butter and the eggs are thoroughly blended. If the sauce separates, add 2 teaspoons of water and continue to whisk until it thickens.
3}
To poach the eggs, bring a sauté pan (wide enough to accommodate all the eggs without crowding) of water (about 2 inches) to a simmer over medium heat until water temperature is 180°F, and add the white vinegar. The water should never boil. Crack an egg into a cup and carefully slide it into the liquid. Repeat quickly with the remaining eggs. Cook the eggs until the whites are firm and the yolks nearly done, about 3 minutes.
4}
Meanwhile, spread a little of the hollandaise sauce on the bottom half of the toasted bread, and top with the bacon. When the eggs are done, remove them with a slotted spoon to drain the liquid, and place them over the bacon. Top with more hollandaise sauce, and sprinkle on the chives. Serve the top half of the loaf with butter, cane syrup, or your favorite jam or jelly.
Fried Lobster Rémoulade Po’ Boy
If you’ve ever seen the stately Southern mansions that grace the tree-lined boulevard known as St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, then you probably understand why I named this luxurious po’ boy after such an elegant thoroughfare. It’s an appropriately uptown kind of sandwich, with juicy lobster tails breaded in Creole seasoning and two kinds of mustard, deep-fried until perfectly golden brown, and then doused in a succulent serving of rémoulade.
Serves 4
Lobster Tails
canola oil, for frying
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup self-rising flour
1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons Creole mustard
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
4 (10-ounce) frozen lobster tails with shell on, thawed, shelled, and halved lengthwise
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Rémoulade Sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1-1/2 tablespoons horseradish
1-1/2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Assembly
4 (6-inch) club rolls, split
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1}
Attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of a 6 to 8-quart cast-iron Dutch oven, and add enough oil to measure 3 inches deep. Over medium heat, heat the oil to 375°F.
2}
In a shallow dish, mix together the cornmeal, flour, Cajun or Creole seasoning, and garlic powder. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, and both mustards.
3}
Season each lobster tail with a light sprinkle of salt and pepper. Dredge the lobster in the egg mixture and then in the cornmeal and flour breading, tapping off the excess. Place into the hot oil, and cook for just about 6 minutes, until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels.
4}
Place all the ingredients for the rémoulade sauce in a food processor, and blend until smooth. The sauce is best when blended the night before and allowed to sit overnight in a covered container in the fridge.
5}
Divide the lobster among the rolls, and top with tomato slices and rémoulade sauce.
Baked Salmon with Wasabi Mayo Po’ Boy
The great thing about the innovative spirit of the po’ boy is that it lends itself to such a vast and versatile spectrum. Regardless of where you reside, you can use local ingredients to give the sandwich a regional personality and create what suits your fancy! The only real criteria is that you make it delicious so it’s worthy of the sacred title of po’ boy!
Serves 4
Baked Salmon
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) melted butter
3 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1 (2-pound) salmon fillet
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Wasabi Mayonnaise
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon prepared wasabi
Assembly
2 (12-inch) loaves French bread, split
4 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1}
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2}
Drizzle the butter and 2 tablespoons sesame oil into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish, tilting the dish to coat the bottom. Place the salmon in the dish, and brush with the remaining oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top. Bake, uncovered, for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
3}
Meanwhile, make the wasabi mayo by combining the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and wasabi in a small bowl. Set aside.
4}
Remove the salmon from the oven, and sprinkle with the green onion and sesame seeds. Place on the bottom half of the bread, cover with wasabi mayo, and close the sandwich. Cut each sandwich into 2 sections to serve.
Black Pepper–Crusted Beef Medallion with Cremini Po’ Boy
A sandwich with such humble beginnings as the po’ boy comes dressed with many stories. Yes, these poor boys have such a rich history! You could also use sirloin steak instead of beef tenderloin for this fancy boy.
Serves 2
Steak
2 (8-ounce) center-cut beef tenderloin steaks
4 tablespoons cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided