Paddlefish Cooking Class Shares Epic New Orleans Recipes
Easy Entertaining Tips and Recipes for a Mardi Gras Inspired Menu
Whether it’s Fat Tuesday or any day, you can celebrate Mardi Gras at home with these New Orleans inspired recipes. They are perfect for Easy Entertaining when hosting a leisurely lunch, brunch or dinner. Chef Steven Richard of Paddlefish kicked it up a notch allowing our taste buds to lead us on a journey to N’awlins!
I was a media guest for the Paddlefish New Orleans Cooking Class and what an entertaining and educational experience it was. Housed aboard a modern steamboat on the shores of Lake Buena Vista in Disney Springs, Paddlefish was the perfect setting on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. If you can’t be in The Big Easy, you might as well be here!
Paddlefish New Orleans Cooking Class featuring Shrimp and Sausage Stuffed Mirlitons, Crawfish and Crab Etouffee, and Bananas Fosters. Recipes for Easy Entertaining at home. Host your own Mardi Gras Party any time of year! Travel Inspiration: New Orleans
New Orleans is famous for its culinary scene. Boasting many award-winning restaurants, there’s no shortage of bucket list experiences in The Big Easy. Dining at Arnaud’s, Brennan’s, Commanders Palace, Antoine’s, Galatoire’s and of course Cafe du Monde, is on every foodie bucket list.
Creole, Cajun and Soul food play a big part in the fusion that is New Orleans cuisine. Seafood is a must (although there’s plenty of chicken and pork too). Chef Richard took the opportunity to play around with those New Orleans flavors for this special event. Cajun food gets the reputation for being spicy. But rather than spicy hot, it’s flavorful. There’s always crystals hot sauce if you want to kick it up another notch or two. The heavy use of many seasonings including garlic, onions and peppers results in dishes that will never be considered bland or boring.
Mardi Gras time in New Orleans signifies revelry and celebration. It’s the spirit of community that drives it amongst locals. It’s not all debauchery and drunken parties as tourists expect. But rather getting together with your “Krewe” and living life to the fullest. All the more reason to host a Mardi Gras themed party with your friends.
Shrimp Creole, Crawfish Etouffee, Jambalaya, Bananas Foster and Beignets are all favorites. Paddlefish chef Steven Richard took some of these favorites and gave them his own little spin. He interjected his Massachusetts roots with the choice of some ingredients (such as using a gorgeous Jumbo Lump Crab in the etouffee), however, the feel and flavor was all there!
Paddlefish New Orleans Cooking Class featuring Shrimp and Sausage Stuffed Mirlitons, Crawfish and Crab Etouffee, and Bananas Fosters. Recipes for Easy Entertaining at home. Host your own Mardi Gras Party any time of year! What is Mirliton?
Have you ever tried mirliton? If you have, you may know it by another name. Mirliton originated in Mexico and spread through Latin America and Europe. Growing up in Dominican Republic, I knew the small green squash as they do in Mexico, as chayote. In New Orleans and Louisiana, chayote is known as mirliton.
Because of its exterior appearance, it is also known as “alligator pear” although it is not in the pear family. It also has a flat seed, like mango and may be known as “mango squash” although it has no relationship to mango.
You can slice, dice and lightly sauteed Mirliton. The flavor and texture is similar to zucchini or summer squash. It’s a mild vegetable, quite bland and so it takes on the flavors of other ingredients. You can easily substitute mirliton for zucchini and vice versa. Talk about a vegetable with an identity crisis!
For this recipe, Chef Richards sliced it in half, removed the pit and stuffed with a flavorful shrimp and sausage stuffing.
Paddlefish New Orleans Cooking Class featuring Shrimp and Sausage Stuffed Mirlitons, Crawfish and Crab Etouffee, and Bananas Fosters. Recipes for Easy Entertaining at home. Host your own Mardi Gras Party any time of year! Next time you see it in the produce section of your grocery store, be adventurous and give it a try. You’ll be amazed, like I was, at how delicious it can be. Especially when paired with the right topping. It will save you from cooking zucchini for the millionth time!
Paddlefish New Orleans Cooking Class featuring Shrimp and Sausage Stuffed Mirlitons, Crawfish and Crab Etouffee, and Bananas Fosters. Recipes for Easy Entertaining at home. Host your own Mardi Gras Party any time of year! Mirliton or Chayote Squash at the grocery store.
