Ella & Dick Brennan, Commander's Palace

Eggs Sardou

Four servings

2 pounds fresh spinach
2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1 cup béchamel sauce (recipe follows)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 artichoke bottoms, cooked (fresh or canned)
8 eggs, poached
2 cups Hollandaise Sauce (recipe follows)

Wash spinach thoroughly and discard thick heavy stems. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a rapid boil; add spinach and cook until wilted
and barely tender. Plunge spinach into ice water to stop the cooking;
drain, pat dry with paper towels. The spinach should be very dry.
Melt butter in a large sauté pan. Add green onions and sauté, stirring,
for 2 minutes longer. Stir in the béchamel sauce; season with salt and
pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
Place 1/4 of the creamed spinach on each of 4 warmed plates and top
with 2 warm artichoke bottoms. Put 2 poached eggs on the artichoke
bottom and spoon on 1/2 cup Hollandaise Sauce. Serve immediately.
 

Béchamel Sauce (Medium-thick Cream Sauce)

Makes 1 cup

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Louisiana Red Hot Sauce

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in flour and blend thoroughly.
Gradually whisk in milk and continue to whisk over moderate heat until
sauce is smooth and thickened. Add nutmeg, salt and hot sauce. Whisk
again and remove from heat.
Sauce will keep about 7 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a double boiler.
 

Makes 2 1/2 cups

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 egg yolks, at room temperature
Juice of 1 medium lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Chablis or dry vermouth
Salt to taste

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Do not let burn. When
completely melted, remove from heat.
Put egg yolks, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper in
top of a double boiler over simmering water. The bottom of the upper pan
should not touch the simmering water in the lower pan. Whisk yolks until mixture thickens and forms a sheen, approximately 3 minutes, no more
than 5 minutes.
In a slow steady stream, add butter, whisking constantly, until all butter
has been added. Add the wine and whisk well. Sauce should be light and fluffy. Hold sauce at room temperature until serving time.

Shrimp and Fettuccine

4 servings

24 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved for broth
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
1/2 onion, chopped
4 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup peeled, seeded, finely chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons Creole Seafood Seasoning
2 cups cooked fettuccine
1/2 cup dry white wine

Place shrimp shells in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to
a boil; lower heat and simmer 15 minutes. Strain broth and return to saucepan. Boil broth until reduced to 1/4 cup. Set aside.
Melt half the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, parsley, onion, mushrooms, tomato, green onions and seafood seasoning; sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth, cooked fettuccine, shrimp and wine; cook over medium high heat until liquid is almost evaporated. Remove
pan from heat, add remaining butter and stir gently until butter is melted
and sauce creamy. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Molten Soufflé

Six servings

White Chocolate Sauce:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup chopped white chocolate
2 tablespoons light rum

Chocolate Soufflé:
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sifted cake flour
18 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
Powdered sugar and fresh raspberries, for garnish

To prepare the White Chocolate Sauce: Combine cream and sugar in
a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat; stir in white chocolate until smooth, then add rum. Set aside.
To prepare the Chocolate Soufflé and assemble: Heat oven to 400
degrees F. In a food processor, combine eggs and sugar until blended.
Add butter; process 30 seconds. Add flour; process until smooth. Add chocolate; process until just incorporated. Liberally butter 6 individual
soufflé cups; divide batter among cups. Bake 10 to 15 minutes. Cake
should be cooked on the outside but still molten inside.
Spoon a pool of White Chocolate Sauce on each of 6 dessert plates.
Unmold soufflé cakes onto plates and dust with powdered sugar.
Garnish with fresh raspberries.

New Orleans restaurants in the aftermath
of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
 

More Good as Gold recipes:

Jacques Pépin 
Daniel Boulud 
Marcel Desaulniers 
Robert Del Grande 
Dean Fearing 
Wolfgang Puck
 

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