Read Part 1: The Back Story.
Well, here it is, my attempt at making Palace Cafe's Shrimp Tchefuncte! As I mentioned in my last post, there were slight inconsistencies among the recipes I was able to find online, so I had to make some educated guesses. Moreover, I also noticed that these online recipes called for a different type of rice than what is actually served at Palace Cafe (among a few other differences), so I made various modifications to try and emulate Palace Cafe's dish as closely as possible. In terms of difficulty, I'd say it ranks higher than most things I make, mostly because the taste of the meuniere sauce can vary depending on how much juice you get out of the lemons, and that can change each time you attempt the sauce. (I've made this twice now and the sauce was perfect one time and a tad too lemony the other time.) I guess it's one of those things where practice will make perfect.
Without further adieu, here is my version of the recipe:
PALACE CAFÉ’S SHRIMP TCHEFUNCTE
Rice - Ingredients:
- 2 cups popcorn rice (a.k.a. American basmati rice)
- Cook in rice cooker or follow instructions on package.
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 3 lemons, peeled and quartered (no need to remove seed)
- 3 tbsp Crystal Hot Sauce
- 7 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- In a large saucepan, combine peppercorns, lemons, hot sauce & Worcestershire sauce over medium heat. Reduce by 2/3. Add whipping cream and reduce by 1/2, stirring constantly. As you stir, press gently on the lemon quarters to release the juices. Slowly add the butter by pinching off 2-3 ounces at a time and squeezing it through your fingers into the saucepan, still stirring constantly. As you add the last of the butter, remove your pan from heat; continue to stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Strain through a fine strainer. Cover and set aside.
- 3 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 1 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Creole seasoning (optional)
- 2 cups green onions (about 2 bunches)
- 4 tbsp butter
- dried parsley flakes for garnish
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss mushrooms with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 30 minutes or until golden and tender.
- Wash (in cold water) and season shrimp with salt & pepper (or use Creole seasoning). Melt butter in a large skillet, then add shrimp and green onions. Cook over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes, stirring constantly until shrimp turn pink. When ready to serve, add mushrooms and meuniere sauce and heat.
- Serving instructions: Pack rice in a cup (a shallow coffee cup works well). Invert the cup over the rim of your plate and lift slowly. Spoon Shrimp Tchefuncte around 3/4 of the rice. Add dried parsley flakes for garnish.
Yum!
Just for comparison's sake, here's a photo of the real thing I found on Flickr:
What do you think? Do they at least look similar?
Afterthoughts: So did this replicate Palace Cafe's version? I'd say it's pretty darn close, and any differences may just be a consequence of my skills (or lack thereof) rather than something to do with the recipe itself. It is delicious, regardless. One of the best dishes I've made. (Thumbs up from R. and my colleague Maria as well.) Still, I'm tempted to call up the restaurant some day and see if they'd be willing to send me the real recipe again. :) And I still hope to visit NOLA and the Palace Cafe some day soon!
Links: (The recipe presented above is heavily borrowed from the two recipes below.)
http://www.louisianaseafood.com/recipes-sh-tchef.html
http://www.gumbopages.com/food/seafood/shr-tchefuncte.html
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My name is Ali and I work for Dickie Brennan's Palace Cafe. So glad that you enjoy our Shrimp Tchefuncte. Looks like you did a great job repicating it. Just in case you were looking the original recipe, here it is. You can also find it on our website where we share many other recipes:
ReplyDeleteRice Pilaf
2 oz Butter
3 C Converted/Louisiana Popcorn Rice
1 med Onion, diced
6 C Chicken Stock
Salt and Pepper
In a 5 quart sauce pan, melt butter and add diced onions and rice. Stir constantly until rice and onions brown. Add chicken stock, then bring to a boil. Stir, reduce heat to low and simmer. Cover and cook
for approximately 20 minutes. Check for firmness, uncover and let stand for 10 minutes. Season with
salt and pepper.
Meunière Sauce
1 tsp Black Peppercorns
8 Tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream
3 Lemons, peeled and quartered
2 lbs Unsalted Butter, room temperature
3 Tbsp Crystal Hot Sauce
¼ tsp Salt and White Pepper
7 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
In a large sauce pan, combine peppercorns, lemons, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce over low heat. Reduce by 2/3. Add whipping cream and reduce by ½, stirring constantly. As you stir, press gently on
the lemon quarters to release the juices. Slowly add the butter by pinching off 2-3 ounces at a time and squeezing it through your fingers into the sauce pan, still stirring constantly (this is called “mounting
the butter”). As you add the last of the butter, remove your pan from heat; continue to stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Strain through a fine strainer or china cap. Cover and set aside.
Sautéed Shrimp
3 C Domestic Mushrooms
3 C Green Onions
60 Shrimp
6 tsp Butter
Salt and Pepper
Wash (in cold water) and season shrimp with salt and pepper (we use our house Creole seasoning in the restaurant). Melt butter in a medium sauté pan, then add shrimp, green onions and mushrooms. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly until shrimp turn pink. When ready to serve, add meunière sauce and heat.
Serving Instructions:
Pack rice in a cup (a shallow coffee cup works well). Invert the cup over the rim of your plate and lift slowly. Spoon Shrimp Tchefuncte around ¾ of the rice.
**Food for Thought**
The Tchefuncte River, located north of New Orleans was named after an Indian tribe that once inhabited the area.
Meunière: French for “miller’s wife”, refers to a style of cooking whereby food (usually fish) is seasoned, lightly dusted with flour and sautéed in butter. The sauce made from these drippings is then combined with lemon juice and parsley.
W-O-W, thank you SO much, Ali! What a pleasant surprise! I truly never expected someone from the restaurant to actually respond and post the recipe. You all continue to amaze me with your hospitality and generosity, and of course the fabulous food! Next time I'm in New Orleans, I'm definitely making Palace Cafe one of my stops!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Two *pounds* of butter in the meuniere sauce? Really?? I guess that's why it was so good. ;)