March Madness is here! If you’re hosting viewing parties in your 1st Lake home and feel overwhelmed with what to cook for your guests, start here! We’ve rounded up our favorite appetizer and snack recipes from New Orleans’ most celebrated chefs so you can add a little Louisiana to your football-watching party this weekend.
Now that crawfish are back in season, we can’t think of a better way to incorporate them into your game day offerings than in a melty, cheesy, and oh so spicy quesadilla. This recipe from Chef John Folse will certainly score you some big flavor points.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. You may wish to substitute shrimp, crab, or even chicken if crawfish is unavailable in your area. In a large cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add green onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté 3-5 minutes or until mushrooms are wilted. Add crawfish, thyme, cilantro, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Continue to sauté until juices are rendered and liquids have almost completely evaporated approximately 10 minutes. Season to taste using Creole seasoning, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Place the tortilla shells on a large cookie sheet and sprinkle with a small amount of Monterey Jack cheese. Top with a portion of the crawfish stuffing and more of the Monterey Jack cheese. Fold each tortilla in half and bake for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are slightly crisp but not over-browned.
The Queen of Creole Cooking, Leah Chase, shared her world-famous gumbo recipe with The Food Network so you can make your guests feel like they’re dining at Dooky Chase in your 1st Lake living room! The weather will be a little chilly this Sunday, and a big pot of gumbo is a great way to warm up the football crowd.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Heat the oil in a skillet over low heat and add the flour to make a roux, browning until golden about 3 minutes. Add the onions and cook over low heat until the onions wilt about 4 minutes.
Put the shrimp, sausages, stew meat, and ham in a 5-quart pot over medium heat. Pour the onion mixture over the ingredients and add 3 quarts water, the chicken wings, file powder, paprika, and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes or until broth reaches desired thickness.
Add the oysters, parsley, garlic, and thyme. Lower the heat and cook until the shrimp is pink, about 10 minutes more, before serving.
Bacon is always a crowd-pleaser in our book! Chef Emeril Lagasse’s Bacon Wrapped Dates are a tasty and perfectly-portioned appetizer to serve before the game begins. These individually served treats are the perfect blend of salty and sweet, and they’ll complement those commercial breaks nicely.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice the dates lengthwise, on one side only, and remove the pit. Place an almond inside each date. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of goat cheese into the other side of the date and press both sides together to close.
Cut each slice of bacon in half. Wrap each date with a slice of bacon and secure it with a toothpick.
Transfer the dates to the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, take out the toothpick, and turn the dates over. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the bacon is crisp on both sides.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.
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1st Lake Properties | P. O. Box 73709 | Metairie, LA 70033 | info@1stlake.com
