Creole Aioli Recipes

CREOLE AIOLI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take a piece of aluminum foil about 12 inches long and fold it in half. Place the garlic in the center, and drizzle with olive oil. Fold the foil around the cloves to form a sealed packet. Roast the packet until the cloves are soft and a deep brown color, about 20 minutes. Mash the cooked cloves to a smooth paste. (If you wish to make extra garlic paste, it can be stored in a jar, covered with oil and refrigerated, for about a week.)
• In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 teaspoon garlic paste with the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Store refrigerated.

CRAB CAKES WITH CREOLE MUSTARD AIOLI AND GRILLED CORN, RED ONION & RED PEPPER SALAD

Steps:

• For the crab cakes: To a large bowl, add the mayonnaise, Creole mustard, Worcestershire sauce, seafood seasoning, egg, lemon zest and juice and chives. Mix thoroughly to combine. Add the saltine cracker crumbs. Add the crabmeat. Gently fold the crab into the mixture, being careful not to break up the meat too much.
• Form the mixture into four equal-sized crab cakes. Preheat a large saute pan over medium-high heat with some canola oil until it shimmers. Gently place the crab cakes into the pan and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, and cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
• For the salad: Preheat a grill pan over high heat. Place the corn and onions onto the grill pan and grill until charred, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip, then cook until charred and the onions are softened, another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the corn kernels from the cobs and dice the grilled onions. Set aside.
• Place the red bell pepper onto an open flame on your stovetop. Cook, flipping occasionally, until completely black and charred, about 5 minutes. (If you don't have a gas stovetop, you can broil the pepper in the oven on high, turning occasionally, until charred.) Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam until the skin pulls away, about 10 minutes. Remove the skin from the bell pepper and rinse under water to ensure all of the black char is removed. Remove the stem, ribs and seeds from the roasted pepper and dice.
• To a large bowl, add the corn kernels, onions, roasted peppers, cilantro, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes and kosher salt to taste. Toss to combine. In a separate bowl, add the arugula, lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and kosher salt to taste. Toss to combine.
• For the aioli: To a bowl, add the mayonnaise, Creole mustard, cornichons, cornichon juice, shallots and kosher salt to taste. Mix to combine.
• To serve, place the arugula onto each plate and nestle some of the corn, red onion and red pepper salad next to it. Top with a crab cake and drizzle some of the aioli around the crab cake. Enjoy!

NATCHITOCHES MEAT PIES WITH SPICY CREOLE AIOLI RECIPE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat, when hot add the ground meats, cook until browned and cooked through. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, and green onions, cook until the vegetables are wilted. Add the garlic, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and seasonings, cook for 2 minutes more. Make a slurry of the stock and flour, add to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for about 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Combine the dry ingredients in the mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, with the speed on low add the lard to the dry ingredients and let the mixer cut it in until the fat is broken up into pea sized pieces. Beat the egg and combine with the milk. Add the wet to the dry with the mixer on low, in a slow steady stream. Mix until the dough just comes together. The key is to not overwork the dough. Cut the dough in half then roll it out to 1/8 inch thickness on a floured counter. Cut into either the more traditional 5 inch circles or as I did about 3 circles, I used an empty French Market Coffee can. To assemble and cook: Place 1 heaping Tablespoon (doubled for the larger size) of the cooled mixture to each circle. With your finger wet the edge with a little water, fold over and crimp with a fork. Set aside on a floured surface until ready to fry. Heat 4 inches of oil in a dutch oven to 360 degrees. Fry the meat pies in small batches until golden brown on each side.

REAL AIOLI

Steps:

• Place garlic slices in a mortar with kosher salt. Mash with the pestle into a fine paste, 4 or 5 minutes. Mix in lemon juice. Add a teaspoon of olive oil; stir and mash until oil is incorporated. Add another teaspoon and mix in thoroughly. Continue incorporating olive oil, teaspoon by teaspoon, mashing and stirring until aioli thickens up. If the aioli gets thicker than you like, add a few drops of water.

CREOLE SCALLOP CAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients. Place scallops in a food processor; cover and pulse until just pureed. Fold into egg mixture., In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley and pepper. Drop 2 tablespoons scallop mixture into crumb mixture. Gently coat and shape into a 1/2-in.-thick patty. Repeat with remaining mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. , Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, apple juice and seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until serving., Heat a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook patties in oil in batches until golden brown, 2-3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with aioli. If desired, top with additional fennel fronds.

BASIC CREOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in celery, onion, green bell pepper, carrot, and garlic; cook and stir until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Stir tomatoes with their juice, water, chicken bouillon cubes, and bay leaves into the vegetable mixture.
• Stir in red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, saffron, oregano, basil, thyme, orange zest, clam juice, and white wine.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the flavors have blended, at least 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
• Allow the sauce to cool completely.
• To store, pour into pint glass canning jars, cover with lids and rings, and place into freezer. Sauce can be frozen up to 3 months before using.