I have somewhat mixed feelings about the holiday in general. It's so much about total debauchery. While I like debauchery in general, TOTAL debauchery is really another story. I did spend a few days in New Orleans right after Mardi Gras in 2004. I was on a children's theatre tour, and myself, two others also named Amy, and the sole guy Greg toured the French Quarter one fine Friday night, flashing our boobs, collecting beads, crashing a bachelor party, getting lap dances, and.... oh, hell, well just use your imagination. The following couple of years I worked as a bartender in a Cajun restaurant, and Fat Tuesday was our biggest day of the year. All hands were on deck, many drinks were consumed (staff included), and I didn't finally get home until daylight. Sounds fun in theory, but in practice...I've always been just slightly put off by what is revealed in the harsh light of morning. Enough to keep me from participating in total debauchery more times than not.
Ah, yes, the "good 'ol days" of total debauchery |
Hubs gets in on the fun |
Hurricane recipe:
2 oz light rum
2 oz dark rum
2 oz passion fruit juice
1 oz orange juice
½ oz fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon simple syrup
1 Tablespoon grenadine
Garnish: orange slice and cherry
Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a Hurricane glass filled with ice. Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.
Martha Stewart is my adult muse, so I used one of her recipes to make what was my favorite meal at Oddfellows Rest, the bar where I used to work in Jersey City. BBQ shrimp. I can't tell you how many times I ate BBQ shrimp over the course of the years I worked there, but I'm sure it added to that chubby chin you see above. Here is her Mr. Jim's Louisiana Barbecue Shrimp.
Ingredients:
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons), rinds reserved and sliced
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
11/2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1 pound (about 30) medium to large shrimp, peeled, heads (optional) and tails on
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
Baguette, for serving
STEP 1
Heat a 12-inch skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat. Add butter, and cook until melted and foamy. Add garlic, rosemary, and lemon juice and rinds. Stir in Worcestershire and hot sauces, and bring to a simmer.
STEP 2
Season shrimp with salt and pepper; add to skillet. Cook until pink and firm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with pepper. Serve with baguette.
This dish and the accompanying hurricanes certainly put the Fat back in my Tuesday. Now we're gonna watch "Orange is the New Black" and go to bed. That's how we roll these days.
Go Happy!
Amy
No comments:
Post a Comment