The late Jimmy Dubuisson, who worked with my husband for years at Gayfers and Dillard’s, loved to cook and was excellent at it.
He always was trying out new recipes and comparing food thoughts with me. One of his favorites has stayed in my favorites, too: whole bone-in or boneless turkey breast cooked in the slow cooker.
Last week, one Coast supermarket ran a special on bone-in turkey breasts. The day the advertisement appeared, I was at the store snapping up one of those birds. I bought a 7 half-pound turkey breast for under $9, a bargain in anyone’s book.
I like turkey any time of year, not just holidays. Turkey breast is a budget stretcher. The turkey can be served with all the trimmings or simple, healthy side dishes such as broccoli and baked sweet potato. The next day, it’s fantastic for sandwiches. I also like to use leftover turkey in a turkey mornay, which is served in a puff pastry shell.
When I got home with the turkey, my husband questioned if I was cooking it in the slow cooker, which is a favorite of his also. I assured him that I was.
After the turkey breast had defrosted in the fridge, I washed the bird and heavily sprinkled Creole seasoning over every inch of the bird, including the cavity. I also seasoned it with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. For cooking liquid, I poured in 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 cup of white wine. I then place the lid on the slow cooker and set the temperature on high.
The turkey cooked for about 4 hours on high. I turned the temperature to low and cooked it for another couple of hours until the bird’s internal temperature hit 165 degrees. I then turned off the slow cooker and let the bird rest for 30 minutes or so and turned the carving duties over to my husband.
How simple is that for a turkey dinner? Anyone, novice cook or pro, can turn out a flavorful turkey using this method with small effort. The slow cooker
does all the work.
Simpler cornbread salad
Linda Huey sent in a cornbread salad for Peter Meakins, who questioned for a recipe.
“Here’s another cornbread salad recipe that is a lot simpler and very excellent,” Huey said. “I got it from a friend at sorority meeting.”
Meakins will have to let us know which salad worked best for them.
CORNBREAD SALAD
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 tomato (medium size)
1/2 bell pepper
5 stalks green onion
1 package real bacon bits
Mayonnaise, salt and pepper
Cook cornbread, let cool, then crumble. Chop tomato, bell pepper and onion.
Mix cornbread, tomato, bell pepper, onion and bacon bits. Add mayo until moist (as moist as you like).
Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Crabmeat casserole
Biloxian Helen Skupien, whose cooking I have had the privilege of eating, sent in a crabmeat casserole recipe that she thought readers might delight in.
“I have a recipe from a 1986 or 1987 book that was made by the seniors from the Scranton Museum in Pascagoula,” Skupien said. “I have made it, and it is very excellent.”
CRABMEAT CASSEROLE
1 pound crabmeat
2 cups cracker crumbs
3 or 4 green onions, chopped
3 or 4 pieces celery, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
3 eggs, well beaten
1 pint half-and-half
Salt and pepper to taste
1 stick butter
1 cup or more shredded cheddar cheese (amount depends on your taste)
Mix together all the ingredients except the butter and cheese and pour into a greased baking dish; if mixture is too dry, add more milk, about 1 cup. Top with the stick of butter, melted, and pour over top of mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until golden brown. For variation, you may use half shrimp and half crabmeat. Top with cheese when nearly done.
NYC comes to Coast
Coast foodies will have the chance to experience the re-creation of a dining event that received rave reviews in New York City earlier this year.
In March, Mississippi chefs Derek Emerson, from Walker’s Drive-In and Local 463 urban kitchen in the Jackson metro area, and Chris Poplin, from the IP Casino Resort in Biloxi, traveled to New York, where they prepared and served a six-course dinner at the well loved City Grit culinary salon in Manhattan. The sold-out event’s menu featured Mississippi ingredients and flavors, including a particular focus on fresh Mississippi seafood. The courses were complemented by beers from Mississippi brewery Bone idle Magnolia. The chefs agreed to re-make the same event back home in Mississippi.
On Thursday, it is the Coast’s turn to delight in this culinary event at 6:30 p.m. at Magnolia Hall at Florence Gardens in Gulfport.
Guests will delight in a hearty six-course dinner prepared by Emerson and Poplin, interact with and question questions of the chefs throughout the evening, sip specialty cocktails from Mississippi distillery Cathead Vodka and sample new beer selections from new Mississippi brewery Bent Letter. Each guest will receive a special gift courtesy of Mississippi Seafood Marketing and have a chance to win foodie-friendly door prizes.
Just a hint about the dishes to be served: The first course is oysters stuffed with shrimp and Parmesan.
Dinners last about 2½ hours, and dress is party casual. Tickets are $75 per person and include dinner, cocktails and beer, and entertainment. Reserved tickets are required and may be bought at eatyall.com/tickets or by calling 493-6555.
This special culinary experience is made possible through a sponsorship from Mississippi Seafood Marketing and its partnership with Eat Y’all: Southern Grown & Fed. A similar dinner was held Monday night at Walker’s Drive-In Annex in Jackson.
“Partnering with Eat Y’all on these events allows consumers and culinary enthusiasts to taste the right difference of our wild caught Mississippi Gulf Seafood,” said Irvin Jackson, director of the Mississippi Seafood Marketing Program. “It’s the freshest and the healthiest seafood available, raised by Mother Nature and caught by our fisherman. We at Mississippi Seafood Marketing strive to make demand for the natural resource we have right here in the gulf. It supports our local economy, our industry, and ensures consumers are getting the best quality available.”
