Parker & Landry Recipes
A collection of recipes that reflect our culture, traditions, and the moments we enjoy sharing together.
Parker & Landry Recipes
A collection of recipes that reflect our culture, traditions, and the moments we enjoy sharing together.
Parker & Landry Recipes
A collection of recipes that reflect our culture, traditions, and the moments we enjoy sharing together.
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One of the staples of Louisiana Cajun cooking is chicken and sausage gumbo. Each Cajun will have a variation to their recipe, and there is almost no wrong way to cook it… other than adding tomatoes. DON’T EVER PUT TOMATOES IN YOUR GUMBO. Tomatoes and gumbo go together like oil and water – it’s an abomination to Cajuns everywhere.
Below, you will find my spin on the recipe to enjoy in your home whenever the fall and winter weather finally hits. Precision has no application in gumbo making. Close enough is often good enough. When I mention “a generous amount” of seasoning below, this is the best I can give for seasoning measurements, as true Cajuns don’t use exact measurements ever.
This recipe takes approximately 5 hours to cook – if you make your own roux, then another hour will need to be added to your cooking time. This is a slow process, but cooking gumbo is just as enjoyable as eating it! Keep in mind that it’s difficult to describe the consistency of a good gumbo. It’s thicker than soup but not as thick as chili or a stew, so keep this in mind as you’re cooking. If you find your gumbo is too thick, you can always add more water while cooking. I recommend this method, as the last thing you want is for your gumbo to be too thin.
ingredients
- A very large pot (I own a 17-quart oval Magnalite pot that I bought specifically for gumbos)
- 2 gallons of water
- 1 large box of unsalted chicken stock
- 2 packs of fresh pork sausage
- 2 packs of Andouille/smoked sausage
- 1 whole fryer chicken, precut
- 1 pack of boneless chicken thighs
- 1 pack of boneless chicken tenderloins
- Trinity – 3 onions, 3 bell peppers, and 3 celery ribs (the holy trinity of Cajun cooking), finely cut
- 1 pack green onion tops, finely cut
- 1 jar of dark roux (I will also explain how to make your own roux below)
- Salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper – “Slap Ya Mama” seasoning is best if you have it
- Long-grain rice
- Beer – enough to enjoy yourself but to also be functional throughout your cooking!
steps
- Open your first beer.
- Brown your sausage and chicken in your pot with oil or bacon grease. When complete, take out your meat and keep it to the side.
- Add 1-2 inches of water to your pot and bring it to a rolling boil.
- Open your second beer.
- Add in your roux and begin dissolving it for 40-50 minutes on medium heat.
- Add in your trinity and half of your green onion tops and cook down for 30 minutes.
- Open your third beer.
- Add your large box of chicken stock and enough water to fill your pot halfway. Also, add a generous amount of seasoning. Lower your heat to medium-low and cook for one hour. While waiting, enjoy another beer or two.
- Add your fresh sausage, smoked sausage, and chicken to the pot and the rest of your green onion tops. Add a generous amount of additional seasoning to taste. *Note That cayenne pepper will thoroughly spice your gumbo, so season to your spice level. Slap Ya Mama seasoning works well to properly season without overly spicing.
- You’ll notice that your pot will be pretty full at this point. Make sure to turn down your heat to low to slowly cook your ingredients without boiling over. Cook this for 1.5 to 2 hours.
- While waiting, enjoy a couple more beers.
- Take out any chicken with the bone and debone your chicken. You can also take out your sausage and deboned chicken and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Once you’ve deboned/cut everything, place it back into the gumbo. Check your seasoning level and add more seasoning if necessary. Cook for another 30-45 minutes. Enjoy another beer.
- While cooking for your final 30-45 minutes, cook your rice.
- Now it’s time to eat. Gumbo is served in a bowl over rice. Some people like a lot of rice, and some like less. Experiment with what you like. You can also cook the perfect side dish to accompany gumbo – potato salad. This can be prepared using a variety of methods that can be found online. Toasted garlic bread also goes great with gumbo.
homemade roux
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups vegetable oil (you can also use butter if you wish)
With no distractions and approximately 45 minutes to an hour at your disposal, begin by adding the flour and oil to your pot at medium-low heat. With a long-handled wooden spoon, begin to stir. Constant stirring and moving the flour around the bottom of the pot is the key to browning the flour evenly to prevent burning. This early stage will go slowly as you begin to see the white flour take on a beige and then a tan color.
Continue stirring slowly and evenly, scraping the bottom and the circular crevices of the pot to move the flour around in the hot oil. At about the half-hour mark, you will begin to see a brown color developing and smell the first hints of toasted flour. This is where the stirring becomes even more crucial.
At this point, you begin to enter the quickly developing phase where the least bit of inattention could result in burnt flecks of flour appearing – a sure sign you’ve ruined the roux. Watch your heat and lower it if the roux is cooking too fast.
Constant stirring to keep the flour from staying in one place too long prevents burning. You will begin to smell an even nuttier aroma as you see the color turn darker mahogany. Most stop here, but you will keep going until you achieve a deeper, darker chocolatey consistency and color.
Forget time at this point since you are now cooking by instinct, sight, and smell. The utmost attention is needed to your stirring, and when you see that Hershey chocolate darkness, you will know you have arrived. Turn off the heat, but continue stirring until it begins to cool down and stops cooking. Spoon the roux into a bowl and let cool.
It is VERY easy to burn a roux if you don’t constantly stir it. It takes practice to learn how to properly cook a roux. This is the exact reason why so many people have turned to premade roux that can be bought in stores.
Corey's ol' fashioned
I thoroughly enjoy a good Old Fashioned that isn’t overly sweet. As a little history lesson, the origin of the original (old-fashioned) “cocktail” was described as a potent concoction of any spirit, bitters, water, and sugar.
That is how the Old Fashioned came to be, as it is simply supposed to be whiskey, bitters, water (ice), sugar, and an orange peel garnish. I find that restaurants tend to forget that an Old Fashioned is supposed to be a whiskey-first cocktail designed to be sipped just like whiskey on the rocks or whiskey neat.
Therefore, if you’ve regularly had Old Fashioneds in a restaurant, this recipe will be stronger than you’re used to. The original Old Fashioned called for rye whiskey, but I prefer to use bourbon in my Old Fashioned. Use whatever you like best. Below is my take on what I consider to be the best cocktail ever invented.
ingredients
- Rocks glass
- Muddler
- Peeling knife
- Bar Spoon
- One large ice cube (regular ice cubes work as well, but they will melt your drink faster
- 2–2.5 ounces of bourbon whiskey (nothing too fancy—I believe good bourbon is best enjoyed on the rocks or neat)
- 2 sugar cubes
- Angostura bitters
- Two slices of orange peel
steps
- Place your sugar cubes into your rocks glass.
- Add 3 dashes of Angostura bitters and muddle down until your sugar and bitters coat the bottom of your glass.
- Place one orange peel into your rocks glass.
- Muddle everything.
- Add 2-2.5 ounces of bourbon. I typically prefer more bourbon in my glass, so I may sometimes put in 3 ounces. Play with this mixture to your liking, but remember, this is supposed to be a whiskey-first drink.
- Add your large ice cube and stir the entire mixture well with your bar spoon.
- Add in your remaining orange peel as a garnish. Some people also add in one maraschino cherry as a garnish. While this is fine with me, I highly recommend to NEVER muddle your cherry in your Old Fashioned, as this will severely sweeten the cocktail.
Enjoy!
Remember, while I’m an originalist and tend to believe that Old Fashioneds should be strong, and whiskey should mostly be served on the rocks or neat… enjoy your libations to your liking but responsibly!
This cheesecake is one of those desserts that always disappears fast—rich, creamy, and just the right balance of sweet and tart. The raspberry swirl cuts through the smooth white chocolate filling, all sitting on a buttery chocolate cookie crust that holds together beautifully. I take a few practical shortcuts here, like using white chocolate chips instead of shaving chocolate and adding a little extra cookie crumb—because great food doesn’t need to be complicated to be good. It’s simple, indulgent, and always a crowd favorite.
ingredients
Crust
1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs, such as crumbled Ore cookies (filing removed)
1/3 cup of butter, melted (I use a 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup water
4 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 eggs (I use 4 eggs)
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped into chunks
Optional Garnish
2 ounces shaved white chocolate
Fresh whipped cream
steps
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
- Create a water bath by placing a large pan filled with about 1/2-inch of water into the oven while it preheats.
- Combine the raspberry preserves with 1/4 cup water in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 1/2 minutes on high in your microwave. Stir until smooth. Strain to remove the raspberry seeds, then let the strained preserves sit to the side to cool.
- Measure 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs into a medium bowl. Mix in 1/3 cup melted margarine. Press the crumb into a 9-inch spring form pan that has been lined on the bottom and side with parchment paper. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press the crumb mixture flat into the bottom of the pan and about 2/3 the way up the side. Wrap a large piece of foil around the bottom of the pan to keep the cheesecake in the water bath. Put the crust in your freezer until the filling is done.
- Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese with the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix for a couple minutes or until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture. Blend the mixture just enough to incorporate the eggs. Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle 4 ounces of white chocolate chunks onto the bottom of the crust. Pour half of the cream cheese filling into the crust. Drizzle the raspberry preserves over the entire surface of the filling. Use a butter knife to swirl the raspberry into the cream cheese. Pour the other half of the filling into the crust.
- Carefully place the cheesecake into the water bath in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes at 475 degrees, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light brown or tan color.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool. When the cheesecake is cool, use the foil from the bottom to cover the cheesecake and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- Before serving, sprinkle the entire top surface of cheesecake with 2 ounces of shaved white chocolate.
2 cups of cookie crumbs vs. 1.5 and I use white chocolate chips: I’m not sitting there shaving chocolate lol. Not as pretty but I’ve never heard complaints