Recipes follow - this was our Cypress Table Setting!

Crepes

Basic Crepe Batter

1 13-ounce can evaporated milk
¾ cup water
4 eggs
¼ cup buttter, melted
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 ½ cups flour

For savory crepes choose from:

2 Tablespoons minced parsley
1 Tablespoon chopped chives
2 Tablespoons tasted sesame seeds
1 Teaspoon fresh dill

Blend first 7 ingredients together in blender for 1 ½ minutes at medium speed. Stir in optional ingredients in any combination desired for crepes with chicken or seafood fillings. Let sit covered in refrigerator at least 2-3 hours or overnight before making crepes. Makes 24 crepes.

Lisbon Lemon Crepes

8 crepes
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine

Sauce:

½ cup butter
½ cup brandy
¼ cup orange flavored liquer
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Prepare crepes. Fold Crepes in half and arrange in a slightly overlapping layer in a buttered shallow flameproof dish. Sprinkle crepes with sugar mixed with lemons zest and dot with butter. Broil Crepes about 5 inches from heat until sugar is melted and bubbling. While crepes are broiling, make sauce. In saucepan melt butter and add brandy, liqueur and lemon juice. Stir until well blended. Serve crepes immediately with Sauce to spoon over them.

Les Crepes au Jambon

16-20 crepes
¾ -1 lb ham, thinly sliced
(Kentucky Field or Prosciuto)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup grated Gruyère or Swiss Cheese
2 Tablespoons butter

Prepare crepes. Fill them with the ham. Place crepes in buttered flameproof serving dish. Pour cream over crepes; sprinkle with cheese and dot with butter. Bake at 325* for 15-20 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Serves 8-10. Pass HOT fruit sauce for spooning over the crepes IF you choose.

Hot Fruit Sauce

⅔ cup butter
1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple and juice
¾ cup brown sugar
4 apples, peeled and diced
½ bag (7 ounce) flaked coconut (OPTIONAL)

Melt butter and add other ingredients. Stir and cook slowly on very low heat for about an hour. IF YOU USE Fruit sauce, go a little easy on the cream in the above recipe - it’s really rich, so you don’t need to combine too much!

Tower of Crepes with Crab Meat Sauce

I didn’t make this…. I’m terribly allergic to crab, so I can’t even cook with it. But the recipe looks soooo good! If someone makes it, let me know how it turned out!

Ingredients;

24 Crepes

Mornay Sauce:

4 Tablespoons butter
5 Tablespoons flour
2 ¾ cups milk, warmed
¾ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
¼ cup whipping cream
¼ cup grated Swiss cheese

Spinach filling:

1 Tablespoon minced green onions
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 (10 ounc) packages frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup Mornay Sauce
Mushroom or Ham filling:
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, finely minced or 1 cup ground cooked ham
1 Tablespoon minced green onions
1 Tablespoon butter
½ Tabespoon cooking oil
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
salt and white pepper to taste
½ cup Mornay Sauce
1 egg, beaten
2 Tablespoons grated Swiss cheese
Butter

Prepare Crepes. MORNAY Sauce: Melt butter. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, over low heat for several minutes. Take off heat and add milk and seasonings. Blend, return to heat and stir until thickened, Slowly stir in cream. OFF the heat, add cheese and stir until melted, SPINACH FILLING: Sauté onions and mushrooms in butter and oil mixture 5 minutes. Beat cream cheese, salt and pepper. Stir in MORNAY sauce, egg and mushroom mixture. Set aside. Butter a baking dish that has a shallow rim like a Pyrex pie pan, Begin with a crepe placed in bottom of dish; spread it with a very thin layer of the firth filling (About 2 Tablespoons). Top with a second crepe; spread the second filling on it in a very thin layer. Repeat this sequence until all the crepes are used, ending with a crepe on top. Pour ¾ cup Mornay Sauce over the top of the tower. Sprinkle Swiss cheese on top and dot with butter. Warm the Tower in a preheated 350* oven for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Cut into pie-shaped wedges and serve immediately. Pass CRAB MEAT SAUCE to spoon over the slices. Upon cutting, the 24 layers in alternating green and white make the tower a spectacular looking luncheon entree or first course for supper. Serves 12 as an entree or 16 as an appetizer.

CRAB MEAT SAUCE

2 cups crab meat
3 Tablespoons dry vermouth
1 ½ cups MORNAY sauce (or amount remaining)
Sprinkle crab meat with vermouth and marinate for several hours in the refrigerator. Combine the crab meat and Mornay Sauce and beat thoroughly. Serve immediately. Makes 3 ½ cups sauce.

Shrimp Victoria

1 Shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup white wine
1 cup cream sauce
½ cup cooked mushrooms sliced in half
16 medium-sized boiled shrimp
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Pinch of Thyme

Saute shallots in butter. Add wine and blend in cream sauce. Add mushrooms and shrimp and blend in sour cream. Add parsley and thyme and serve with parsley rice in individual copper casseroles. Serves 2

Cream Sauce

1 stick butter
½ cup flour
1 ½ cups milk
¾ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne

Melt butter and stir in flour, blending well without browning. Gradually stir in milk and add salt and cayenne, stirring constantly until thickened. Makes 2 cups.

Spoon Bread

4 eggs well beaten
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups sweet milk
8 Tablespoons (Heaping) Corn meal
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons melted butgter
1 teaspoon soda dissolved in a little warm water

Mix beaten eggs, milk, corn meal, slat and butter. Add soda last. Pour into a buttered baking dish. Bake at 350* for 30 - 40 minutes. Serve at once for it is like a soufflé and will fall.

NOTE: This recipe is nearly 200 years old, passed down from one family member to another.

Red Beans and Rice

1 cup water
½ cup uncooked rice
½ teaspoon salt
1 15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons crumbled bacon or bacon bits
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 large heavy duty foil baking bag, lightly sprayed with cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450* place water, rice and salt in 2 qt microwaveable container, covered; microwave on high for 7 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients except foil bag, stir until blended.. Place foil bag in 1” deep baking dish, spoon mixture in bag, double fold to seal and shake to distribute contents equally. Bake for 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes and carefully cut into foil, fold back top to allow steam to escape. If a milder flavor is wanted, cut the chili powder in half. (This one needed a bit more water - we also used a plastic baking bag instead of the foil bag!)

Bayou Dirty Rice

¼ pound sausage, cooked and crumbled
½ medium onion chopped
1 stalk of celery, sliced
1 can 14 ounces, stewed tomatoes
½ green bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup chopped parsley
6 ounces Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice, with seasoning packet. Original Recipe - NOT READY MADE RICE

Brown sausage and onion in large skillet over medium heat, drain. Add celery, rice, rice packet. Cook and stir two minutes

Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid. Pour liquid into measuring cup. Add water to measure 1 ⅓ cups. Pour over rice. Add tomatoes; bring to boil. Cook covered over low heat for 20 minutes. Add bell pepper and parsley, cover and cook 5 minutes or until rice is tender.

Sausage & Chicken Gumbo

1 Tablespoon oil
1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh meat, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1” pieces
1 package (12 ounces) Cajun andouille flavored chicken sausage, sliced ½ “ thick
½ cup chicken broth
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes with roasted garlic
¼ cup chopped green onions
2 Bay leaves
1 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Teaspoon Creole Seasoning
½ teaspoon dried basil leaves
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 lemon wedges

Heat oil and Worcestershire sauce in large saucepan. Add bell pepper, cook and stir over high heat 2-3 minutes. Add chicken, cook and stir about 2 minutes or until browned. Add sausage, cook and stir 2 minutes or until brown. Add broth, scrape up any browned bits from bottom of saucepan, add tomatoes, green onions, bay leaf, basil, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and Creole seasoning, simmer for 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves, garnish each serving with lemon wedge.

Shrimp and Grits

GRITS:

6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups Jim Dandy 5 minute grits
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 ounces cream cheese
1 ½ cup cheese - your choice of Sharp Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Guyere, Smoked Gouda - or mix them up!
8 Tablespoons butter
freshly ground pepper

In large heavy pan, bring broth to a boil, reduce heat, add salt and stir in grits, stirring constantly. When grits start to thicken, add milk, cream, cheese, pepper, butter and stir. Reduce heat and cook for 4-5 minutes. Keep covered and warm until ready to use.

Shrimp, Grits & Andouille Sausage

2 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined
creole seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
1 lb andouille
tablespoon oil
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup red bell pepper
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 ½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Season the shrimp with Creole seasoning and salt

Heat a large skillet. Add oil and sausage and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until brown. Remove the sausage. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes. If raw shrimp is used, make sure they are pink before removing. Add onions, peppers and garlic and cook until tender. Add 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning. Add chicken broth to pan and cook until slightly reduced. Stir cream, shallots and parsley into the broth. Return the sausage and shrimp to the broth. Simmer until slightly reduced. Stir and add salt and pepper. Serve over Grits with French Bread.

Bananas Foster

6 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
4 medium ripened bananas, sliced diagonally
2 tablespoons dark rum or brandy
Vanilla Ice Cream

In 12” skillet, bring butter, brown sugar, and bananas to a boil. Cook 2 minutes, stirring gently. Carefully add rum to center of pan and cook 15 seconds. Serve hot banana mixture over scoops of ice cream and top, if desired, with sweetened whipped cream and sprinkle gently with cinnamon.

Pralines

2 Tablespoons Butter
2 cups packed light Brown Sugar
1 cup half & half
¼ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons bourbon or cognac
1 ½ cups pecan halves

Line 2 baking sheets with or waxed paper. Combine brown sugar, half-and-half, and salt in heavy 2-2 ½ quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to boil, stirring occasionally. When candy thermometer reads 235* to 240*, remove from heat; stir in butter and bourbon. Stir in pecans, beat with a wooden spoon 3-4 minutes until temperature drops to 155* and mixture is thickened and glossy. Quickly drop pecan mixture by level measuring tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets. If mixture becomes too thick, stir in 1-2 teaspoons hot water and reheat over medium heat until mixture reaches 155*. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

White Chocolate Cake

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ pound white chocolate or almond bark, melted
2 ½ cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut

Cream butter and sugar, beat in egg yolks, add vanilla and melted chocolate. Sift together flour and baking powder; add to chocolate mixture alternately with buttermilk. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Stir in pecans and coconut. Bake in 2 greased and floured 9 inch cake pans at 350* for 45 minutes. Cool, remove from pans and ice with White Chocolate icing

White Chocolate Icing

½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons evaporated milk
¼ cup butter
2 cups white chocolate broken into small pieces
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
Slivered almonds, toasted

Combine all ingredients, except almonds, in top of double boiler and stir over hot water until melted. Blend until smooth. Ice cake immediately, garnish with toasted almonds.

Alternate Icing (Cypress Preferred)

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 5.33 ounce can evaporated milk.

Mix ingredients and let stand 1 hour. Stir occasionally. Cook to the soft ball stage (238*). Beat until batter is of spreading consistency.

Mardi Gras Food - 2025