Chicken Royal

Ingredients

• 4 whole chickens
• Kitchen twine or skewers
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil or butter for cooking
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup sliced morels (optional)
• 1 cup sliced truffles (optional)
• 1 cup cooked cockscombs (optional)
• 8 store-bought petty-patties (small pastry shells)
• 4 cooked sweetbreads (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Prepare the chickens by removing any giblets and rinsing them under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
3. Season the chickens inside and out with salt and pepper.
4. If using, stuff the chickens with your favorite stuffing mixture or skip this step.
5. Tie the legs of each chicken together with kitchen twine or secure them with skewers to keep the filling in place.
6. Heat some olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
7. Brown the chickens on all sides in the skillet until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
8. Transfer the browned chickens to a roasting pan.
9. Pour the chicken broth into the roasting pan around the chickens.
10. Cover the roasting pan with foil and place it in the preheated oven.
11. Roast the chickens for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C) and the juices run clear.
12. While the chickens are roasting, prepare the mushroom ragout. In a separate skillet, sauté the mushrooms (and morels, truffles, and cockscombs if using) until tender.
13. Once the chickens are done, remove them from the oven and let them rest for a few minutes before serving.
14. To serve, place each chicken on a serving platter and spoon the mushroom ragout over the top.
15. Garnish with petty-patties and cooked sweetbreads if desired.
16. Serve hot and enjoy your easy stuffed chicken with mushroom ragout!

Source — Creole Cookery Book
Prepared by Sandip Thapa
Louisiana Anthology
April 4, 2024

Pancakes

Ingredients

• eggs
• flour
• milk
• salt

Directions

1. Beat the eggs well in a basin.
2. To every egg, add one dessertspoonful of flour, one teacupful of milk, and salt to taste.
3. Mix these ingredients to a fine batter, then let it stand for four hours in a cool place.
4. Heat a frying pan until very hot.
5. Put in a piece of butter the size of a walnut.
6. Pour in half a teacupful of the batter, and fry until golden brown.
7. Roll and serve the pancakes while hot with sugar and lemon.

Source — Creole Cookery Book
Prepared by Sandip Thapa
Louisiana Anthology
April 4, 2024

Sweet Rice Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 cup Basmati rice (works other rice too)
• 6 cups whole milk
• 1 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 4-5 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• A pinch of saffron threads (optional)
• Ghee (clarified butter) for frying the nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Wash the Basmati rice with water until it's clean. Drain it.
2. In a big pot, heat the milk until it boils.
3. Add the washed rice to the boiling milk. Reduce the heat and let it cook for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. If you like, you can fry the chopped nuts in ghee until they turn golden brown.
5. Once the rice is cooked and the mixture gets thicker, add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.
6. Add the chopped nuts, raisins, crushed cardamom pods, and saffron threads (if using). Let it cook for another 5-10 minutes.
7. Take the pot off the heat and let the kheer cool down a bit.
8. Serve the kheer warm or cold. You can sprinkle more nuts and saffron threads on top if you like.

Family Recipe
Prepared by Sandip Thapa
Louisiana Anthology
April 4, 2024

Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoonfuls of flour
• 2 tablespoonfuls of hominy
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoonful of butter
• 1 teaspoonful of lard
• 1/2 pint of milk
• A pinch of salt

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, hominy, and a pinch of salt.
2. Add the egg to the mixture and blend well.
3. Melt the butter and lard, then stir them into the mixture.
4. Gradually pour in the milk, beating the mixture lightly to create a smooth batter.
5. Heat your waffle iron according to its instructions.
6. Pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron and cook until the waffles are golden brown and crisp.
7. Serve the waffles hot with your choice of toppings.

Source — Cooking in Old Créole Days
Prepared by Sarun Shrestha
Louisiana Anthology
April 3, 2024.

Pain Perdu

Ingredients

• 1 pint of fresh milk
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Flavoring of choice (e.g., vanilla extract, cinnamon)
• 6 slices of bread
• Butter for frying

Directions

1. Sweeten the milk with sugar in a large bowl.
2. Stir the beaten eggs into the sweetened milk, then add your choice of flavoring.
3. Cut six slices from a loaf of bread and soak each slice in the milk and egg custard for a few minutes, ensuring each piece is well coated.
4. Heat butter in a frying pan until hot.
5. Fry each piece of soaked bread in the hot butter, turning once, until golden brown on both sides.
6. Pile the fried bread slices on a plate and serve hot.

Source — La Cuisine Creole.
Prepared by Sarun Shrestha
Louisiana Anthology
April 3, 2024.

Butter Chicken

Ingredients

• 500g chicken breast, cut into pieces
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt to taste
• Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Directions

1. Marinate the chicken pieces in yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, and ginger garlic paste for at least 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat, then add the chopped onions and sauté until they turn golden brown.
3. Add the marinated chicken to the pan and cook until the chicken is partially cooked.
4. Add crushed tomatoes and chili powder, then simmer the mixture until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
5. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer for another 5-10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Season with salt to taste.
6. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro before serving.
Prepared by Sarun Shrestha
Louisiana Anthology
April 3, 2024.

White Soup of Jerusalem

Ingredients

• Stock of veal
• Three pounds of boiled artichokes
• Salt
• A soupçon of cayenne pepper
• Good, thick cream

Directions

1. Pulp the boiled artichokes through a sieve.
2. Season the veal stock with salt and cayenne pepper.
3. Add the pulped artichokes to the seasoned stock.
4. Before serving, stir in some good, thick cream to the mixture. Ensure it is well integrated without allowing the soup to boil.
5. Take care to maintain the soup's warmth without letting the cream chill it.

Source — The Unrivalled Cook-Book
Prepared by Sarun Shrestha
Louisiana Anthology
April 3, 2024.