Evelyn's Blog - Taste of Gourmet

Seven is the limit....

It's so much fun passing the bread board around at The Crown!  Sometimes one of my guests will say, "But I've already had two pieces!"  Like they had already eaten too much bread already!  My standard answer is, "Now your limit is Seven Pieces and I'll let you know when you get close to seven!"

I've never actually eaten seven pieces of Bayou Beer Bread myself...but a few of very favorite customers have done it - and I've come close!  The bread hot out of the oven is just not to be ignored.  I love to take it around the tables -  with heat and steam rising!  Yum! 

We had several tables of old friends in today who had brought their out of town, out of state and out of the country guests to eat lunch with us!   The one thing I heard was "Here's that bread I told you about."  It's so nice to be "talked about" and we love making NEW old friends!  Almost all of them were also going to visit the B.B. King Museum too!  

Makes a great visit - Visit the King and Eat at The Crown in Indianola! 

Our Catalog has a secret.....

Well - it's not exactly a secret!  Once you GET the Catalog in your hands, the secret is taped to page three!  Catalogs are being mailed right now to customers all over the country!  You may be getting one delivered to you as I write this!

But just in case you don't have one coming, I'm going to tell you now what the secret is! (I just can't keep a secret!)  You CAN even share this news with your friends! 

When you order from Taste of Gourmet during Nov. and December - I'm going to include a Delicious Free Gift in your order - a single Deliciously Dill Dip and a single Garlic Herb Dip!  We'll also include the Free Dips in all of the Gifts that we ship for you this year! 

These two Dips are so popular and perfect for Holiday snacking!  I know you're going to love spreading some Dill Dip on a ham sandwich too!  Or putting a dollop of Garlic Herb Butter on a baked potato!  Yum!

It's our way of letting you know how much we appreciate your business whether you order on-line or by phone!  Sharing our good food with you just makes me happy! 

Our website is wonderful and simple to order from and if you'd like a Catalog, just let me know on the Comments!  I'm sure ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas!  Are you?

It's a "Soupy Day" again in the Delta

The mood is definitely "soupy" on this cold rainy day in the Delta!  (Now I know it's not cold by Maine standards, but for Mississippians, this is cold.)   And cold weather just cries out for Soup!

I'm making Cheddar Cheese Soup tonight using my Positively Smashing Potato Soup Mix!  I'm going to make it by the directions with 6 cups of milk and my soup mix and then stir in a bunch of grated cheddar cheese.  Freshly grated, not the sacked kind that never melts quite right for me!  I'm probably going to hit it with a little Tabasco - just a touch - and sprinkle some green onions on top of the bowls at the table!  

With some Tomato Basil Beer Bread and some butter!  A meal fit for a King!  Especially B.B. King! 

You've "heard" me say this before, but Indianola has just opened the new B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center and it is just fabulous!  You have got to plan a trip to the Mississippi Delta, spend time in the Museum and be sure to eat lunch at The Crown! 

We serve lunch from 11:00 to 3:00 (to accommodate visitors who just can't tear themselves away from the exhibits and the sounds of B.B. talking and singing) but you can always just stop by to shop, drink a cup of coffee or eat some Praline Pie!  We'd love to see you anytime!

Visit the King and Eat at The Crown!  We offer two soups every day!  This week it's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and Broccoli and Swiss Cheese Soup!   Maybe tomorrow, Cheddar Cheese Potato Soup...who knows!

Stories from the kitchen....

This story is from one of our Taste of Gourmet customers...do you ever find yourself in a situation like this?

"Sunday, I get home around 3:30 p.m. to find that the in-laws are over and staying for supper.  Nothing thawed out, hadn't been home most of the weekend, and hadn't been to the grocery store this week.  So I check my TOG stash and find the Black Bean Chili....make that using the chicken option.  Locate a box of the Roasted Onion Garlic Bread mix and a bottle of beer...bake the bread in a circle cake pan and add swiss cheese chunks for a little extra pizzaz.  Now dessert... oh yeah, I've got the Praline Pie box and happen to have a pie crust.  Whip that up and "walah"..a great supper with dessert!

I can't thank you enough for starting my addiction to this stuff.  That soup was wonderful and everyone enjoyed it.  The bread was fabo and everyone was dreaming about making it into stuffing! 

The bread re-heated well too.  I cut it in half and threw it in the oven.  It crisped up and was warm and tasty on Night Two with spaghetti.  The dessert was a HUGE hit.  Had half the pie left for the second night and I didn't get a piece of either half ...had to make sure the guests had theirs first you know!" 

Don't you just love those words?   This precious customer was using our products for her "food emergency!"  And even using the bread and pie as a "bonus" on the second night!  Taste of Gourmet is definitely for cooking every day for the family!  Because everyone I know is so busy that EVERY SINGLE MEAL has become a "food emergency!"

Don't YOU need to stock YOUR PANTRY right now?

Do YOU need a catalog?

On the comments section of www.tasteofgourmet.com, I got this message recently!  I love hearing words like these....

"A friend had a Tasting and I ordered.  I bought several products and they were all good and so easy to use.  I really like the products and want to buy more.  Will you send me a catalog?"

Of course we will send her a catalog!  As well as anyone who is reading this and wants to enjoy good food and get really hungry looking at the pictures of our food!  Just go on the website, to Comments and place your request for a catalog!

Christmas is coming sooner than we think and what a joy to be able to purchase a quality food product that LOOKS and TASTES like a true GIFT!   Food is always a gift of love!  And will ALWAYS "fit" in the tummy!  Get your Taste of Gourmet Catalog now!

What a Wedding......

Carrie Jane Wilson and Justin Murray were married on Saturday, at Carrie's home in Indianola and what a beautiful time it was for all of us who love this precious couple!  Gorgeous bride, handsome groom, perfect setting, touching and holy ceremony in the pecan grove, guests who love them both.....how wonderful to be a part of their wedding!

Carrie is our Goddaughter so I wanted to do the food for their reception and did - with a lot of help from Monica Gardner and sweet Sue Harper from Grenada never left my side all day on Saturday!  Justin's aunt and mom asked for a couple of my recipes, so I thought this was the perfect place to share them!  Enjoy the Tarts and the Pickled Shrimp! 
AND God bless Carrie and Justin in their marriage!

Mushroom Tarts
Filling:
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup. finely chopped green onions
1/2 lb. chopped mushrooms
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. Tabasco (or more to taste)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tsp. flour
1/2 cup sour cream
Heat butter and saute onions and mushroom till liquid is gone. Stir in flour and sour cream, then add lemon juice and seasonings. Adjust to taste. Cook over very low heat until thickend and cool before using filling.

Cut rounds of puff pastry to fit miniature muffin pans and press rounds into the pans.  Spoon filling into the pans, top with a tiny star cut out of the puff pastry and rub tart gently with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with a touch of water) Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until nicely browned.  Tarts will hold frozen for several weeks.  Warm gently before serving.

Pickled Shrimp Regina 
I created this recipe for the wedding reception of my niece, Regina (Gina) Adams almost ten years ago!
5 pounds shrimp boiled with crab boil
Marinade:
1 cup oil
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup prepared Suddenly Salsa (from Taste of Gourmet)
2 Tbsp. creole or dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. Tabasco
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire
3 Tbsp. capers
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh garlic
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp black pepper
Make Marinade and set aside.
Cook peeled shrimp to a bright pink - do not overcook.
Drain shrimp and add hot shrimp to marinade, stirring gently.
Cover and refrigerate shrimp for up to one week, stirring or turning shrimp daily.  YUM!




 

Stuffed or Deviled ... boiled eggs are good!

There are 10 hardboiled eggs on my stove right now!  Sage and I are making deviled eggs again tonight.  She loves making them and we all love eating them!

A dear friend from Indianola, Mary Frances Hull Richards, has lived in Belgium for YEARS and orders our Vidalia Onion Viniagrette by the case - shipped to her home in Belgium!  Now that is dedication to a product and I know that Bruce loves her cooking!  She sent me her recipe for Deviled Eggs using our Vidalia!  I know she'd love to share it with ya'll too.... so here it is!

Belgian Mississippi Deviled Eggs

5 extra large hardboiled eggs
1 Tbsp. Taste of Gourmet Vidalia Onion Dressing
1 Tbsp Maille French Mustard (Mary Frances's preference)
2 1/2 to 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise

Slice eggs in half.  Remove egg yolks from the whites, mash and mix with rest of ingredients. Taste and balance the flavors if needed. 

YUM!  That's how we're doing our eggs tonight!

Clam Chowder is a hit...

We've just returned from eating LOTS of Clam Chowder in Maine and Boston - so wasn't it just natural that I would come home and make my own Clam Chowder to serve at The Crown for Art After Hours?  Well, that's how MY mind works!

I used my Positively Smashing Potato Soup Mix...
Added the six cups of milk the box calls for....
Just stirred and cooked by the directions....
Added a half stick of butter....
Then added a can of clams from the grocery store!
I made it in the morning and refrigerated it until I warmed it to serve that night!  Almost everyone who tasted it bought a box of Potato Soup to make their own - and that is confirmation that it was GOOD!

Now - I know we are Southerners and not Clam Chowder Experts - but everyone in New England also has their own version and preferences - and my guests loved my Potato Clam Chowder!

If you like your Chowder thick - start with 4 cups of milk and add more till you hit the consistencey that YOU like.  If you want more clams, just open another can!  Use some cream if you choose (or 2% milk!)  Just make some great soups from Taste of Gourmet this Fall to enjoy with your family At Home!

Recipe for Catfish Florentine....

We had a great group in The Crown today who especially requested Florentine Catfish for their main dish (the hostess had eaten it before, loved it and wanted to share the Florentine with her guests.)  Of course, we were happy to grant her request! 

In talking after lunch, she said she'd love to have the recipe.  She told me she uses our Catfish Allison recipe that's in the Best of the Best from Mississippi Cookbook.  I showed her where the recipe is in my own Classic Catfish Cookbook and then promised to post the recipe on my blog too!   I love making my guests happy, so here's the recipe! 

Florentine Catfish

6 to 8 U.S.Farm-raised Catfish Fillets
3 cups water
1 lemon sliced
10-ounce package frozen, chopped spinach
4 Tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
4 Tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup grated Swiss Cheese, divided

In a large saucepan, bring water and lemon to a slow simmer.  Add fillets and poach gently for about 8 minutes.  Remove fillets and drain.

Thaw spinach.  Place in a kitchen towel and squeeze moisture from the spinach.  Set aside.

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add onions and garlic, cook briefly to soften.  Add flour and stir constantly while roux cooks. Do not brown.  Slowly add milk, stirring until sauce is smooth and thickened.  Add spinach, seasonings, lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the cheese, mixing well.  Sauce may be prepared to this point and refrigerated until needed, 2 - 3 days.

When ready to serve, place cooked catfish fillets in a lightly buttered 9x13-inch baking dish (or individual au gratin dishes.  Cover with sauce and top with remaining cheese. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minues or until bubbly.  Finish browning under the broiler to lightly toast the cheese.  Serve hot and enjoy every bite.  (You may need some Bayou Beer Bread to sop up all the juices in the dish!)