Carnival Cooking

Carnival is coming up, and we’re gearing up for the month long pre-Mardi Gras celebration with Cajun and Creole food. Our guest is Ace Champion, a chef from Louisiana who relocated to Green Bay to see if Wisconsinites had a taste for his specialty cuisine. We certainly do, and we’ll be talking about Cajun and Creole heritage, as well as some of Champion’s favorite Carnival recipes to try at home.

Here are a few of Champion’s recipes:

Jambalaya Sushi Roll

Ingredients

Jambalaya Roll

• 2 Links Andouille sausage
• 4 logs Imitation crab meat
• 1/2 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 stalk Celery
• 1/4 cup Garlic olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Garlic
• 1/2 cup Red onion
• 1 Roma tomato
• To taste Louisiana hot sauce
• 4 sheets Nori (Seaweed)
• 3 cups Sushi rice
• 3 teaspoon Creole Spice
• 2 tablespoon Black sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoon Pickled ginger
• 2 tablespoon Wasabi sauce

Japanese Creole Sauce

• 1/2 cup Real mayo
• 3 tablespoon Louisiana hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon Key lime juice
• 1 teaspoon Garlic juice

Preparation

Jambalaya Roll

Follow the direction for the sushi rice. For best results cook in a rice cooker. When the rice is on you can prep up everything else you need for the rolls.

• Using a small skillet add a little oil and allow to get hot on a medium-high heat. Place each sausage in the hot oil and allow a nice dark sear on each side. This should take about 1 minute on all 4 sides. When you are about 1 minute done add in the garlic. Dash some of the Louisiana hot sauce over the sausages to coat them. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
• Clean the pan out of any burnt pieces and add a little more oil and allow to get hot on a medium-high heat. Add the sliced red bell pepper and the sliced celery. Season with creole seasoning and suttee lightly for about 1 minute. Set aside with the sausages.
• Cover a bamboo mat with plastic wrap tightly. Place a sheet of nori on top centered. With water-moistened hands, spread 1 cup of the cooked rice evenly on top of the seaweed leaving about a quarter inch border at the top and bottom edges. Press firmly. Leaving the plastic wrap in place on the mat, turn the sushi layer over so that the seaweed faces up and the rice faces down.
• Arrange one sausage strip, one crab log, and about 4 strips of peppers, celery, onion and tomato on top of the seaweed so the ingredients form a neat narrow row that aligns with the edge of the nori square closest to you. Roll the bamboo mat forward (making sure the plastic wrap stays with the mat), pressing the ingredients inside the cylinder-shaped sushi. Press the bamboo mat firmly with both hands to shape the sushi, then remove the mat. Repeat the process with remaining ingredients to make three more rolls.
• Cut the sushi rolls into 1 inch rounds with a sharp serrated knife moistened with water and whipped each cut. Serve with wasabi, ginger, and Japanese Creole Sauce.

Japanese Creole Sauce

• In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, Jerk Marinade Sriracha, and lime juice. Taste and add more Sriracha to desired spiciness. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to a month.

Chocolate Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Whiskey Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 12-14 cups day old French bread, cubed 1-inch
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 8 ounces chocolate chips, blended
• 1/4 cup Kahlua Coffee Liquor
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 6 large brown eggs
• 1 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Madagascar vanilla bean paste
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoon Irish whiskey, optional

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Cut or tear the bread into small pieces. Place the bread in a large bowl. Grease 9 by 13-ingh casserole dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside.
• In a large bowl combine the heavy cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa and raisins in a large bowl. Whisk to mix well making sure all ingredients are bonded well.
• Using a small food processor or blender add in all the chocolate and blend to a fine powder. You can also use a double broiler.
• Using a small skillet slightly heat the Kahlua Liquor and the whiskey, plus 2 ¼ cups of cream. Blend until chocolate mixture is nice and smooth. Using a spatula spoon out all the chocolate into the bread pudding cream mixture and mix well.
• Pour the cream mixture over the cut up bread, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes mixing every 5 minutes to make sure all liquid is absorbed.
• Transfer the bread mixture to the casserole dish and bake until the center of the bread pudding is set, about 50 to 70 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand about 20 more minutes. This can be made ahead refrigerated and heated up or served cold.