I've had a look on the InterWeb, and got an idea. Albertson's had their $8
Andouille sausages marked down to $2 tonight, so I got a pile. Chicken,
Okra and Celery seem to be big on the basics list.

And that roux, which seems to be like the gravy I make with roasts.

Anyone got any special ideas or hints to making a decent gumbo? I'm planning
an Okra one, rather than a file one (going to take some file powder back to
Australia though, as I've never seen it there).

--
ant
Don't try to email me;
I'm borrowing the spammer du jour's addy

ant wrote:
> I've had a look on the InterWeb, and got an idea. Albertson's had
> their $8 Andouille sausages marked down to $2 tonight, so I got a
> pile. Chicken, Okra and Celery seem to be big on the basics list.
>
> And that roux, which seems to be like the gravy I make with roasts.
>
> Anyone got any special ideas or hints to making a decent gumbo? I'm
> planning an Okra one, rather than a file one (going to take some file
> powder back to Australia though, as I've never seen it there).

The orginial way is lard and all purpose flower in equal parts in a cast
iron pan. I use crisco and all purpose flower myself in equal parts. Set the
heat to medium high an stir contiunously and don't wake away until it is
medium to dark brown for gumbo. Blond is more for soaps and such. Once you
have what you want put it aside.

In a 5 qt or larger stock pot saute with a little olive oil your triology of
onions, green pepper, celery, 3 cloves of garlic minced and a jalapeno
pepper seeded and chopped. This takes about 10 minutes at medium heat. Add 2
cans of diced or stewed tomotos and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Now
stir in chopped sausage (about 1/2") and Okra and let simmer about 15 more
minutes or until tender. Now add chicken thighs and brests cut into bite
size pieces. Now cover with either chicken stock or water, you can also
combine the two. Once simmering add about 2 tbl spoons of the roux to the
stock pot, stiring until completely melted add salt and black pepper to
taste. In my case I add cayanne pepper also at this point. Let it simmer
about an hour with constant checking and stirring. Keep and eye on your
thinkness and add roux as needed. Now make your rice and you should be ready
to go. Gumbo keeps well and roux kept in a tightly sealed mason jar will
keep for months in refrig.

I did this from memory so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

--

Joe Cilinceon

Joe Cilinceon wrote:
> ant wrote:
>> I've had a look on the InterWeb, and got an idea. Albertson's had
>> their $8 Andouille sausages marked down to $2 tonight, so I got a
>> pile. Chicken, Okra and Celery seem to be big on the basics list.
>>
>> And that roux, which seems to be like the gravy I make with roasts.
>>
>> Anyone got any special ideas or hints to making a decent gumbo? I'm
>> planning an Okra one, rather than a file one (going to take some file
>> powder back to Australia though, as I've never seen it there).
>
> The orginial way is lard and all purpose flower in equal parts in a
> cast iron pan. I use crisco and all purpose flower myself in equal
> parts. Set the heat to medium high an stir contiunously and don't
> wake away until it is medium to dark brown for gumbo. Blond is more
> for soaps and such. Once you have what you want put it aside.
>
> In a 5 qt or larger stock pot saute with a little olive oil your
> triology of onions, green pepper, celery, 3 cloves of garlic minced
> and a jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped. This takes about 10 minutes
> at medium heat. Add 2 cans of diced or stewed tomotos and let it
> simmer for about 5 minutes. Now stir in chopped sausage (about 1/2")
> and Okra and let simmer about 15 more minutes or until tender. Now
> add chicken thighs and brests cut into bite size pieces. Now cover
> with either chicken stock or water, you can also combine the two.
> Once simmering add about 2 tbl spoons of the roux to the stock pot,
> stiring until completely melted add salt and black pepper to taste.
> In my case I add cayanne pepper also at this point. Let it simmer
> about an hour with constant checking and stirring. Keep and eye on
> your thinkness and add roux as needed. Now make your rice and you
> should be ready to go. Gumbo keeps well and roux kept in a tightly
> sealed mason jar will keep for months in refrig.
> I did this from memory so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

A correction in the first paragraph which is instructions for make a roux:

The original way to make roux is lard and all purpose flower in equal parts
in a cast iron pan. I use Crisco and all purpose flower myself in equal
parts. Set the heat to medium high an stir continuously and don't walk away
until it is medium to dark brown for gumbo. Blond is more for soaps and
such. Once you have what you want put it aside.



--

Joe Cilinceon

"Joe Cilinceon" > wrote in message
...
> The orginial way is lard and all purpose flower in equal parts in a cast
> iron pan. I use crisco and all purpose flower myself in equal parts.

What kind of flowers? Roses? Orchids?

about an hour with constant checking and stirring. Keep and eye on your
> thinkness and add roux as needed. >

You should definitely keep an eye on your thinkness.


Ms P

ant wrote:

> I've had a look on the InterWeb, and got an idea. Albertson's had
> their $8 Andouille sausages marked down to $2 tonight, so I got a
> pile. Chicken, Okra and Celery seem to be big on the basics list.
>
> And that roux, which seems to be like the gravy I make with roasts.
>
> Anyone got any special ideas or hints to making a decent gumbo? I'm
> planning an Okra one, rather than a file one (going to take some file
> powder back to Australia though, as I've never seen it there).

You might want to review Alton Brown's method. He recommends making the
roux in the oven, less chance of burning.

<http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...36_35896,00.ht
ml>




Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

Thursday's Atlanta Journal Constitution had a nice article about
gumbo. If you have to register to read it, you can go to
www.bugmenot.com for a log-in and password.

http://www.ajc.com/living/content/li...07FDgumbo.html

Tara

Default User wrote:

> You might want to review Alton Brown's method. He recommends making
> the roux in the oven, less chance of burning.
>
> <http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...36_35896,00.ht
> ml>

Roux seems to be pretty similar to making gravy with the pan juices, except
you don't get to the add-water stage. You just keep at it with the wooden
spoon and watch it develop.



--
ant
Don't try to email me;
I'm borrowing the spammer du jour's addy

ant wrote:

> Default User wrote:
>
> > You might want to review Alton Brown's method. He recommends making
> > the roux in the oven, less chance of burning.
> >
> > <http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...D_9936_35896,0
> > 0.ht ml>
>
> Roux seems to be pretty similar to making gravy with the pan juices,
> except you don't get to the add-water stage. You just keep at it
> with the wooden spoon and watch it develop.

Well, I've never done it, but Alton says making a "brick roux" on the
stovetop is tough to do without burning it.



Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

Default User wrote:

> ant wrote:
>
> > Default User wrote:
> >
> > > You might want to review Alton Brown's method. He recommends making
> > > the roux in the oven, less chance of burning.
> > >
> > > <http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...D_9936_35896,0
> > > 0.ht ml>
> >
> > Roux seems to be pretty similar to making gravy with the pan juices,
> > except you don't get to the add-water stage. You just keep at it
> > with the wooden spoon and watch it develop.
>
> Well, I've never done it, but Alton says making a "brick roux" on the
> stovetop is tough to do without burning it.


Making a dark roux is not especially tricky, it simply takes *extreme*
attention, you can't let your mind wander for a *second*. One is bound to
fail on the first few attempts, it's part of the learning curve....

I actually find making a dark roux rather "therapeutic", whilst doing it you
have to clean your mind of all garbage (I've got LOTS, lol)...it's kinda
"zen - like" in that respect.

--
Best
Greg

On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 07:56:00 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
> wrote:

>
>Default User wrote:

>> Well, I've never done it, but Alton says making a "brick roux" on the
>> stovetop is tough to do without burning it.
>
>
>Making a dark roux is not especially tricky, it simply takes *extreme*
>attention, you can't let your mind wander for a *second*. One is bound to
>fail on the first few attempts, it's part of the learning curve....

I heard about this technique of making a roux from eGullet. I haven't
tried it yet, but the next time I make gumbo, this will be the method
I use. Additional comments in the thread this came from on eGullet,
suggested using shorter and shorter time intervals as the color
becomes closer to what you want.

Microwave Roux

Take a 4 cup pyrex measuring cup. Put 2/3 cup of flour and 2/3 cup of
oil/butter/fat. Stir with whisk, Microwave on high for 4 minutes.
Whisk, Microwave for 2 minutes. Whisk, Once more. Then go to one
minute intervals whisking in between till the color roux you want is
achieved. In about 20 minutes you have a great roux without burning.


Christine

Here are my suggestions for gumbo:

- Be sure to have a cold beer or glass of wine very close and
available to your non roux-stirring hand at all times. You may need
an assistant to help you with this task, depending on how fast you can
cook a roux.

- Invest in a heavy cotton chef's coat. I recommend Chef Wear. It's
saved me from many burns.

- Buy a whole chicken, cut it up, and boil (along with the carcass) in
a lot of water in a large stock pot with some scrubbed vegetable tops
(always save carrot tops and celery and onion peelings in a bag in
your freezer for this, if nothing else.) Skim the surface to get the
proteins off of it so it doesn't boil over. When the chicken is
cooked (30 mins or so), pull it out of the pot, but keep the pot
boiling and reducing down... when the chicken pieces have cooled,
debone it and place the bones and the skins back in the chicken stock
pot... reduce it down for another hour, at least, to make a rich stock
- keep adding more water to keep the chicken pieces covered. Shred
the cooled chicken meat by hand into thin shreds. Strain the rich
chicken stock and chill if possible (to skim the chicken fat from the
surface) before using in the gumbo.

- Sausage. Where I am (Alaska) we don't have real cajun sausage to
choose from, so I use Hillshire Farms smoked sausage (1lb). I slice
it in bite size pieces after I peel the casing off, then put it in a
pan to sear it and drain it (searing gives it a lot more flavor.)

- Heavy, flat bottom pot for making the roux. The larger the better,
but stay away from aluminum.

- Equal parts flour and butter or oil to make the roux. If you choose
butter, it will be quite stiff for awhile but will eventually loosen
up - adding a little vegetable oil to thin it is a good idea (choose
an oil with a high smoke point since the temperatures are going to get
high.) When the flour starts to smell like popcorn, that's when you
really have to keep stirring and scraping without stopping. Most of
my gumbos are family-size and I use 3/4 cup flour with 3/4 cup butter/
oil.

- Prepare your trinity before you start your roux. The trinity I use
is 1-1/4 C finely chopped onion, 3/4 C finely chopped bell pepper, 3/4
C finely chopped celery.

- When you achieve the 'complexion' you want for your roux (I like
dark roux for lighter meats like chicken or shrimp, and lighter rouxes
for darker meats like beef), turn the heat down on your roux, keep
stirring, and add your onion. This instantly caramelizes the onion
and produces a completely different flavor to your gumbo than just
adding it to a watery soup. After 30 seconds or so, add your bell
pepper and celery. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, adding a few teaspoons of
thyme and sage, and any other seasonings. This is the best time to
add them since you're still dealing with a hot oil base and not water
- the herbs and spices will open up more at this point and infuse more
into the mix. I usually add 1 teaspoon (or more) of cayenne, 1
teaspoon of black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper. The 3
ground peppers add a nice balance of heat and compliment one another.

- I then add the shredded chicken meat to the roux/vegetable mixture,
along with the seared sausage. Let everything stick to the bottom of
the pot, then stir it without letting it burn. Do this a few times to
let the flavors build.

- Add your chicken stock and a can of diced tomatoes. Rotel is nice
if you'd like to add more diverse heat.

- Simmer covered for 20 to 30 minutes.

- If you add shrimp, add it at the very end of the simmer (3 minutes
maximum) - after that the shrimp will turn rubbery and overcook.

In the end, remember, it's just soup.

james99501 wrote:
> Here are my suggestions for gumbo:
>
> - Be sure to have a cold beer or glass of wine very close and
> available to your non roux-stirring hand at all times. You may need
> an assistant to help you with this task, depending on how fast you can
> cook a roux.
>
> - Invest in a heavy cotton chef's coat. I recommend Chef Wear. It's
> saved me from many burns.
>
> - Buy a whole chicken, cut it up, and boil (along with the carcass) in
> a lot of water in a large stock pot with some scrubbed vegetable tops
> (always save carrot tops and celery and onion peelings in a bag in
> your freezer for this, if nothing else.) Skim the surface to get the
> proteins off of it so it doesn't boil over. When the chicken is
> cooked (30 mins or so), pull it out of the pot, but keep the pot
> boiling and reducing down... when the chicken pieces have cooled,
> debone it and place the bones and the skins back in the chicken stock
> pot... reduce it down for another hour, at least, to make a rich stock
> - keep adding more water to keep the chicken pieces covered. Shred
> the cooled chicken meat by hand into thin shreds. Strain the rich
> chicken stock and chill if possible (to skim the chicken fat from the
> surface) before using in the gumbo.
>
> - Sausage. Where I am (Alaska) we don't have real cajun sausage to
> choose from, so I use Hillshire Farms smoked sausage (1lb). I slice
> it in bite size pieces after I peel the casing off, then put it in a
> pan to sear it and drain it (searing gives it a lot more flavor.)
>
> - Heavy, flat bottom pot for making the roux. The larger the better,
> but stay away from aluminum.
>
> - Equal parts flour and butter or oil to make the roux. If you choose
> butter, it will be quite stiff for awhile but will eventually loosen
> up - adding a little vegetable oil to thin it is a good idea (choose
> an oil with a high smoke point since the temperatures are going to get
> high.) When the flour starts to smell like popcorn, that's when you
> really have to keep stirring and scraping without stopping. Most of
> my gumbos are family-size and I use 3/4 cup flour with 3/4 cup butter/
> oil.
>
> - Prepare your trinity before you start your roux. The trinity I use
> is 1-1/4 C finely chopped onion, 3/4 C finely chopped bell pepper, 3/4
> C finely chopped celery.
>
> - When you achieve the 'complexion' you want for your roux (I like
> dark roux for lighter meats like chicken or shrimp, and lighter rouxes
> for darker meats like beef), turn the heat down on your roux, keep
> stirring, and add your onion. This instantly caramelizes the onion
> and produces a completely different flavor to your gumbo than just
> adding it to a watery soup. After 30 seconds or so, add your bell
> pepper and celery. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, adding a few teaspoons of
> thyme and sage, and any other seasonings. This is the best time to
> add them since you're still dealing with a hot oil base and not water
> - the herbs and spices will open up more at this point and infuse more
> into the mix. I usually add 1 teaspoon (or more) of cayenne, 1
> teaspoon of black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper. The 3
> ground peppers add a nice balance of heat and compliment one another.
>
> - I then add the shredded chicken meat to the roux/vegetable mixture,
> along with the seared sausage. Let everything stick to the bottom of
> the pot, then stir it without letting it burn. Do this a few times to
> let the flavors build.
>
> - Add your chicken stock and a can of diced tomatoes. Rotel is nice
> if you'd like to add more diverse heat.
>
> - Simmer covered for 20 to 30 minutes.
>
> - If you add shrimp, add it at the very end of the simmer (3 minutes
> maximum) - after that the shrimp will turn rubbery and overcook.
>
> In the end, remember, it's just soup.

Yes, James that works for me too. As I said there really are no rules other
than ones own taste.

--

Joe Cilinceon

Default User wrote:

> Well, I've never done it, but Alton says making a "brick roux" on the
> stovetop is tough to do without burning it.
>
> Brian

It was interesting to me to learn that the darker the roux, the less
thickening power it held.

On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 17:57:28 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
> wrote:

>
>Goomba38 wrote:
>
>>
>> It was interesting to me to learn that the darker the roux, the less
>> thickening power it held.
>
>
>Hmmm...interesting observation.

I learned that from this thread on eGullet:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=61289

Christine

Wow. I'm saving all of this! Excellent stuff, thanks so much.

So, cooking the Roux is done at a pretty high temperature? Quite a bit
higher than for a normal gravy, I'm gathering. I guess that's why it's
tricky.

james99501 wrote:
> Here are my suggestions for gumbo:
>
> - Be sure to have a cold beer or glass of wine very close and
> available to your non roux-stirring hand at all times. You may need
> an assistant to help you with this task, depending on how fast you can
> cook a roux.
>
> - Invest in a heavy cotton chef's coat. I recommend Chef Wear. It's
> saved me from many burns.
>
> - Buy a whole chicken, cut it up, and boil (along with the carcass) in
> a lot of water in a large stock pot with some scrubbed vegetable tops
> (always save carrot tops and celery and onion peelings in a bag in
> your freezer for this, if nothing else.) Skim the surface to get the
> proteins off of it so it doesn't boil over. When the chicken is
> cooked (30 mins or so), pull it out of the pot, but keep the pot
> boiling and reducing down... when the chicken pieces have cooled,
> debone it and place the bones and the skins back in the chicken stock
> pot... reduce it down for another hour, at least, to make a rich stock
> - keep adding more water to keep the chicken pieces covered. Shred
> the cooled chicken meat by hand into thin shreds. Strain the rich
> chicken stock and chill if possible (to skim the chicken fat from the
> surface) before using in the gumbo.
>
> - Sausage. Where I am (Alaska) we don't have real cajun sausage to
> choose from, so I use Hillshire Farms smoked sausage (1lb). I slice
> it in bite size pieces after I peel the casing off, then put it in a
> pan to sear it and drain it (searing gives it a lot more flavor.)
>
> - Heavy, flat bottom pot for making the roux. The larger the better,
> but stay away from aluminum.
>
> - Equal parts flour and butter or oil to make the roux. If you choose
> butter, it will be quite stiff for awhile but will eventually loosen
> up - adding a little vegetable oil to thin it is a good idea (choose
> an oil with a high smoke point since the temperatures are going to get
> high.) When the flour starts to smell like popcorn, that's when you
> really have to keep stirring and scraping without stopping. Most of
> my gumbos are family-size and I use 3/4 cup flour with 3/4 cup butter/
> oil.
>
> - Prepare your trinity before you start your roux. The trinity I use
> is 1-1/4 C finely chopped onion, 3/4 C finely chopped bell pepper, 3/4
> C finely chopped celery.
>
> - When you achieve the 'complexion' you want for your roux (I like
> dark roux for lighter meats like chicken or shrimp, and lighter rouxes
> for darker meats like beef), turn the heat down on your roux, keep
> stirring, and add your onion. This instantly caramelizes the onion
> and produces a completely different flavor to your gumbo than just
> adding it to a watery soup. After 30 seconds or so, add your bell
> pepper and celery. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, adding a few teaspoons of
> thyme and sage, and any other seasonings. This is the best time to
> add them since you're still dealing with a hot oil base and not water
> - the herbs and spices will open up more at this point and infuse more
> into the mix. I usually add 1 teaspoon (or more) of cayenne, 1
> teaspoon of black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper. The 3
> ground peppers add a nice balance of heat and compliment one another.
>
> - I then add the shredded chicken meat to the roux/vegetable mixture,
> along with the seared sausage. Let everything stick to the bottom of
> the pot, then stir it without letting it burn. Do this a few times to
> let the flavors build.
>
> - Add your chicken stock and a can of diced tomatoes. Rotel is nice
> if you'd like to add more diverse heat.
>
> - Simmer covered for 20 to 30 minutes.
>
> - If you add shrimp, add it at the very end of the simmer (3 minutes
> maximum) - after that the shrimp will turn rubbery and overcook.
>
> In the end, remember, it's just soup.



--
ant
Don't try to email me;
I'm borrowing the spammer du jour's addy

On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 07:56:00 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
> wrote:

>whilst

whilst?

LOL!
How quaint.

--
See return address to reply by email

On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 04:23:48 -0700, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 07:56:00 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
> wrote:
>
>>
>>Default User wrote:
>
>>> Well, I've never done it, but Alton says making a "brick roux" on the
>>> stovetop is tough to do without burning it.
>>
>>
>>Making a dark roux is not especially tricky, it simply takes *extreme*
>>attention, you can't let your mind wander for a *second*. One is bound to
>>fail on the first few attempts, it's part of the learning curve....
>
>I heard about this technique of making a roux from eGullet. I haven't
>tried it yet, but the next time I make gumbo, this will be the method
>I use. Additional comments in the thread this came from on eGullet,
>suggested using shorter and shorter time intervals as the color
>becomes closer to what you want.
>
What came to my mind was: "What kind of spoon are we supposed to use?"

I have a wooden spoon with a flat tip - one side is curved, but the
other has a corner..... I also have a flat tipped nonstick type with
regular corners, if you can visualize the curve of a spoon with the
tip chopped off.

So what do we use to stir it - a regular spoon or one of those?

--
See return address to reply by email

On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 20:51:14 -0800, sf wrote:

>On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 04:23:48 -0700, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>>I heard about this technique of making a roux from eGullet. I haven't
>>tried it yet, but the next time I make gumbo, this will be the method
>>I use. Additional comments in the thread this came from on eGullet,
>>suggested using shorter and shorter time intervals as the color
>>becomes closer to what you want.
>>
>What came to my mind was: "What kind of spoon are we supposed to use?"
>
>I have a wooden spoon with a flat tip - one side is curved, but the
>other has a corner..... I also have a flat tipped nonstick type with
>regular corners, if you can visualize the curve of a spoon with the
>tip chopped off.
>
>So what do we use to stir it - a regular spoon or one of those?

It says whisk it..so no spoon.. Teacher, stop reading so fast!!!!!!
You WHISK it..with a whisk.....

At least for this technique.

Christine

On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 22:04:13 -0700, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 20:51:14 -0800, sf wrote:
>
>>On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 04:23:48 -0700, Christine Dabney
> wrote:
>
>>>I heard about this technique of making a roux from eGullet. I haven't
>>>tried it yet, but the next time I make gumbo, this will be the method
>>>I use. Additional comments in the thread this came from on eGullet,
>>>suggested using shorter and shorter time intervals as the color
>>>becomes closer to what you want.
>>>
>>What came to my mind was: "What kind of spoon are we supposed to use?"
>>
>>I have a wooden spoon with a flat tip - one side is curved, but the
>>other has a corner..... I also have a flat tipped nonstick type with
>>regular corners, if you can visualize the curve of a spoon with the
>>tip chopped off.
>>
>>So what do we use to stir it - a regular spoon or one of those?
>
>It says whisk it..so no spoon.. Teacher, stop reading so fast!!!!!!
>You WHISK it..with a whisk.....
>
>At least for this technique.
>
Sorry..... dayumn, I didn't visualize a real whisk because I'm so used
to hearing and reading about *spoons* being used to make a roux.


--
See return address to reply by email

On 17 Feb 2007 03:45:36 -0800, "james99501" >
wrote:

>- Sausage. Where I am (Alaska) we don't have real cajun sausage to
>choose from, so I use Hillshire Farms smoked sausage (1lb).

I think that's the standard substitution when people don't have
Andouille sausage at their fingertips (it's not bad). FYI, I just
searched for Andouille and Hickory Farms makes it.... but I use this -
http://www.aidells.com/sausages/descriptions/

--
See return address to reply by email

On Sun, 18 Feb 2007 13:32:37 +1100, "ant"
> wrote:

>Wow. I'm saving all of this! Excellent stuff, thanks so much.
>
>So, cooking the Roux is done at a pretty high temperature? Quite a bit
>higher than for a normal gravy, I'm gathering. I guess that's why it's
>tricky.

Cook Roux at medium heat. Cook it slowly and you will have a better
chance of getting a dark (brick) rue, without burning.
Make it easy, by cooking in the oven. 350 degrees, mix flour and oil,
in a heavy pot, let cook about 90 mins.

In article >,
Pan Ohco > wrote:

> On Sun, 18 Feb 2007 13:32:37 +1100, "ant"
> > wrote:
>
> >Wow. I'm saving all of this! Excellent stuff, thanks so much.
> >
> >So, cooking the Roux is done at a pretty high temperature? Quite a bit
> >higher than for a normal gravy, I'm gathering. I guess that's why it's
> >tricky.
>
> Cook Roux at medium heat. Cook it slowly and you will have a better
> chance of getting a dark (brick) rue, without burning.
> Make it easy, by cooking in the oven. 350 degrees, mix flour and oil,
> in a heavy pot, let cook about 90 mins.

I usually start my roux with high heat (stovetop w. a Dutch oven). I
turn on the burner, drop the flour in the pan dry, dump in the oil (the
cheapest veggie oil that money can buy ... crisco is ok) and whisk the
flour into the oil. When the mix smoothes out I lower the heat and stir
till I get the color I want (nut brown?). Usually takes me 20 to 30
minutes. The exact temperature at this stage isn't critical, but the
higher it is the more vigorously you got to stir. Lower temps allow less
vigor but requires more time.

The only thing I worry about is burning the roux. When I burn it I toss
it and start from scratch. Does not seem to me that the roux suffers if
I turn the heat off for a few minutes while I mosey over to the fridge
for another brew or run off to answer nature's call. A ringing
telephone, on the other hand, will not be answered whilst my roux is
cooking.

Regards from the Ozarks,
Dave W.

sf wrote:
> On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 07:56:00 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
> > wrote:
>
> > whilst
>
> whilst?
>
> LOL!
> How quaint.

How correctly English.

--
ant
Don't try to email me;
I'm borrowing the spammer du jour's addy

sf wrote:
> On 17 Feb 2007 03:45:36 -0800, "james99501" >
> wrote:
>
> > - Sausage. Where I am (Alaska) we don't have real cajun sausage to
> > choose from, so I use Hillshire Farms smoked sausage (1lb).
>
> I think that's the standard substitution when people don't have
> Andouille sausage at their fingertips (it's not bad). FYI, I just
> searched for Andouille and Hickory Farms makes it.... but I use this -
> http://www.aidells.com/sausages/descriptions/

That's the stuff I got for $1.99 package at Albertsons! The freezer is now
full of it, sans one sausage i put in my chilli, to see how it went (very
well). Ready for Gumbo now.

--
ant
Don't try to email me;
I'm borrowing the spammer du jour's addy

Pan Ohco wrote:
> On Sun, 18 Feb 2007 13:32:37 +1100, "ant"
> > wrote:
>
> > Wow. I'm saving all of this! Excellent stuff, thanks so much.
> >
> > So, cooking the Roux is done at a pretty high temperature? Quite a
> > bit higher than for a normal gravy, I'm gathering. I guess that's
> > why it's tricky.
>
> Cook Roux at medium heat. Cook it slowly and you will have a better
> chance of getting a dark (brick) rue, without burning.
> Make it easy, by cooking in the oven. 350 degrees, mix flour and oil,
> in a heavy pot, let cook about 90 mins.

Ah! That sounds like the go. Although doing it slowly, again, sounds like
how I make gravy. But without the stock/water stage.

But the oven thing might be a nice foolproof way. Adn great for large
quantities.


--
ant
Don't try to email me;
I'm borrowing the spammer du jour's addy

On Mon, 19 Feb 2007 11:55:02 +1100, "ant"
> wrote:

>sf wrote:

>> I think that's the standard substitution when people don't have
>> Andouille sausage at their fingertips (it's not bad). FYI, I just
>> searched for Andouille and Hickory Farms makes it.... but I use this -
>> http://www.aidells.com/sausages/descriptions/
>
>That's the stuff I got for $1.99 package at Albertsons! The freezer is now
>full of it, sans one sausage i put in my chilli, to see how it went (very
>well). Ready for Gumbo now.

Well..stay tuned. A Gumbo cookalong is in the works...... If you
want to join in, that is.....

Don't have a date or time yet...But enough folks seem interested in
making gumbo.

Christine

ant wrote:
> Default User wrote:
>
>> You might want to review Alton Brown's method. He recommends making
>> the roux in the oven, less chance of burning.
>>
>> <http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...36_35896,00.ht
>> ml>
>
Give me a break... I don't care what the TV chef says, a good dark roux (and
yes, the roux needs to be *dark* for gumbo) needs constant stirring. How on
earth are you going to do that if it's in the oven? Trust your nose!.
You'll know if it is starting to burn. So you turn down the heat, take it
off the burner and let it settle. Stir it up and add it to the gumbo pot.
Sheesh! The Cajuns who threw gumbo together didn't have a TV chef telling
them what was right or wrong about making roux, just their noses and some
common sense.

And the File powder *is* essential (IMHO), but you don't mix it in with the
gumbo, you sprinkle it on top of the stew at the very end. For those who
don't know, File "Gumbo" powder is ground sassafrass leaves, an important
part of Cajun cuisine. It adds something that should not be left out. And
a little goes a very long way so sprinkle sparingly.

Jill

Goomba38 wrote:
> Default User wrote:
>
>> Well, I've never done it, but Alton says making a "brick roux" on the
>> stovetop is tough to do without burning it.
>>
>> Brian
>
> It was interesting to me to learn that the darker the roux, the less
> thickening power it held.

The roux is not intended to thicken, it's intended to add flavour. It's not
like you're making a bechamel sauce. It's gumbo!

Jill

On Feb 20, 11:14�am, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> ant wrote:
> > Default User wrote:
>
> >> You might want to review Alton Brown's method. He recommends making
> >> the roux in the oven, less chance of burning.
>
> >> <http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...36_35896,00.ht
> >> ml>
>
> Give me a break... I don't care what the TV chef says, a good dark roux (and
> yes, the roux needs to be *dark* for gumbo) needs constant stirring. *How on
> earth are you going to do that if it's in the oven? *

When roux is made in the oven one way is only the flour alone is
browned in the oven. Cooks that prepare gumbo regularly keep a supply
of browned flour on hand, and in different degrees of brown too. This
method is legitimate and gives a big head start... most large cajun
eateries use the oven roux methods... in fact many buy the flour
already browned from the cajun cooking supply emporiums. Anyone who
belives that the big cajun restaurants cook homemaker style, one small
batch at a time, still believes in the tooth fairy.

http://www.realcajunrecipes.com/reci...e-roux/927.rcr

http://www.cajungrocer.com/prepared-...?source=google

Sheldon
Sheldon

jmcquown wrote:
> Goomba38 wrote:
>> Default User wrote:
>>
>>> Well, I've never done it, but Alton says making a "brick roux" on the
>>> stovetop is tough to do without burning it.
>>>
>>> Brian
>> It was interesting to me to learn that the darker the roux, the less
>> thickening power it held.
>
> The roux is not intended to thicken, it's intended to add flavour. It's not
> like you're making a bechamel sauce. It's gumbo!
>
> Jill

Alas, many recipes use a roux to thicken. And the chefs use varying
colors of roux for their desired outcome.

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
>
> The roux is not intended to thicken, it's intended to add flavour.
> It's not
> like you're making a bechamel sauce. It's gumbo!
>

Yes, but many make gumbo that is thick and it is the roux doing the
thickening.

-Mike