Super Bowl Party Ideas, Cajun Cooking Style

As the big game is closing in, you may want to try some New Orleans flair for Sunday. Below are recipes and directions from teh Viking Cooking School for creating a full menu for your Super Bowl Party.

Viking Cooking School
Super Bowl Menu
Crawfish Pies - Makes 16 pies

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
¾ cup finely diced onion
½ cup finely diced celery
1/3 cup finely diced red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning, or to taste
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup water
2 teaspoons Tabasco®, or to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ pound peeled crawfish tails, chopped
2 green onions, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 (17.3-ounce) boxes frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 teaspoon water)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat butter and oil in a large fry pan over medium heat; cook onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic until tender. Increase heat to high; stir in tomato paste and Creole seasoning.
2. Whisk together cornstarch and water; add to pan, whisking constantly. When sauce comes to boil and thickens, whisk in Tabasco, lemon juice, crawfish, green onions and parsley. Taste, and add more seasoning or Tabasco if desired. Remove pan from heat, and set aside to cool.
3. With a 4-inch round cutter, cut out 16 circles of puff pastry; brush perimeter of circles lightly with egg wash. Place 1 to 2 tablespoonfuls of cooled filling in center of each circle. Fold pastry over to cover filling; crimp edges with a fork to seal.
4. Brush tops of pies lightly with egg wash, and bake until golden brown and crispy, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips: If using thawed frozen crawfish tails, drain tails well and pat dry with paper towel before using in recipe. Filling may be made in advance and frozen. Uncooked pies may be made in advance and frozen until needed. Do not thaw before baking; increase cooking time as needed.

Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip with French Bread Croutons - Serves 4

Croutons:
1 baguette, thinly sliced
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Dip:
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, or to taste
2 teaspoons Tabasco®, or to taste
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 green onions, very thinly sliced
5 ounces fresh lump crabmeat, cleaned
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon butter

1. For Croutons: Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush baguette slices on both sides with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake until crisp and golden brown, about 15 minutes.
2. For Dip: In a food processor, pulse artichoke hearts 2 to 3 times to chop; do not puree. Add cream cheese, Parmesan, mayonnaise, Creole seasoning, Tabasco, and lemon juice; pulse 2 to 3 more times to combine. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in green onions. Gently fold in crabmeat; do not break up lumps. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
3. Butter an oven-safe serving dish, and add dip. Bake until brown and bubbling around edges, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot with French Bread Croutons or your favorite crackers.

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo - Serves 6 to 8

1 (4-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, divided
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
3 cups chopped okra, fresh or thawed frozen
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
1 large green bell pepper, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound andouille, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Tabasco®, or to taste
2 quarts chicken broth
Salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Season chicken with 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning. Heat ¾ cup oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels, and tent with foil. Do not discard remaining oil – it is base for roux.
2. Heat remaining oil in a medium sauté pan; sauté okra over medium-high heat until light brown, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
3. Skim off any chicken bits remaining in oil used to brown chicken. This will prevent burning. Reduce heat to medium-low, and stir flour into oil. Cook, stirring slowly and constantly, until roux is dark brown pecan color with a strong nutty aroma, about 20 minutes. If you see black specks, dump it out, clean out pan, and start over with ¾ cup oil and 1 cup flour; roux must remain evenly colored throughout cooking process.
4. Add onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and remaining Creole seasoning to roux. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are soft, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add sausage and Tabasco and cook, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes more.
5. Whisk in chicken broth all at once, and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. (Note: Skim off any foam or oil that rises to top of pot during cooking.)
6. Remove chicken from bones; discard bones and skin. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Add chicken and okra to pot, and simmer 1 hour. Continue skimming as needed. Remove bay leaves, then season with salt, pepper and Tabasco as desired. Serve hot with white rice.

Tips
Gumbo is even better made one day in advance, as flavor intensifies. Cool completely, then
refrigerate overnight. Remove congealed fat before reheating. To freeze gumbo, cool completely then store, tightly covered, in freezer for up to 3 months.

Marinated Mushrooms - Serves 4 to 6

Vinaigrette:
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon Tabasco®, or to taste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon finely minced lemon zest
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Mushrooms:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound whole button mushrooms,
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup diced pimentos, drained

1. For Vinaigrette: Whisk together first 6 ingredients. Slowly drizzle in oil, whisking constantly until creamy and emulsified. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
2. For Mushrooms: Heat oil in medium sauce pan over medium heat; add mushrooms, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are dry and brown around edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. In a bowl, toss mushrooms with vinaigrette, garlic, green onions, parsley and pimentos. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve at room temperature.

Praline Cheesecake Bites - Makes 72 bite-size pieces

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 (packed) cup dark brown sugar
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Custard:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ (packed) cups dark brown sugar
2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
3 large eggs
Toasted pecan halves, for garnish

1. For Crust: Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet (about 17 x 12 x 1-inch) with foil; allow foil to drape over edges on both ends. (This will enable you to lift entire cheesecake out of pan for easier slicing.)
2. Mix together crust ingredients. Press evenly into bottom of lined baking sheet; chill to set.
3. For Custard: In a mixer with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until completely smooth. Add flour, salt and brown sugar; mix to combine. Beat in vanilla and chopped pecans. Add eggs, one at a time, until mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour batter evenly over crust.
4. Bake until center no longer jiggles and top is set, about 25 to 30 minutes; do not brown.
5. Cool on a rack to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
6. To serve, grasp foil at edges, lifting cheesecake out of baking pan; place on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife dipped in very hot water and wiped dry, trim edges, then cut cheesecake into 1-inch bites. Wipe blade clean, dip in hot water, and dry between each cut. Garnish each square with a toasted pecan half.

Tips
Make and bake cheesecake up to 3 days in advance. Store, tightly covered, in refrigerator until ready to serve.