A time to honor mothers

With Mother’s Day a few days away, I want to take this time to honor the other mother in my life, Peggy’s mom Lorraine Anderson. She lived down the street from us in New Orleans. She was regularly at our dinner table. She helped taste test a lot of the recipes that ended up in my first cookbook.

I’m proud to say that not only are these recipes in that book, but the first two also have appeared in Louisiana Kitchen and Culture magazine. They are dishes that she enjoyed and were cooked quite often for her. The first is Shrimp Pasta Lorraine. The second are my Crab Cakes. The final recipe is a sauce for the Crab Cakes, Blender Hollandaise Sauce. Gather your ingredients, and Let’s head to the kitchen!

Shrimp Pasta Lorraine

My mother-in-law loved this dish so much, I named it after her. It’s a take on Alfredo sauce with added herbs. I’m sure you will like it as much as she did.

2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons Creole seasoning

1/2 pound and 3 tablespoons butter, divided

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

2 cups milk

2 cups heavy cream

2 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

8 ounces of cooked spaghetti, cooked al dente

Sprinkle shrimp with Seafood seasoning and sauté in 3 tablespoons of butter until the shrimp start to turn pink. In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté garlic in 1/2 pound butter for 3 minutes or golden brown. Add the milk and heavy cream. Heat until the edges start to bubble. Slowly add Parmesan cheese and mix until well blended. Add shrimp, basil, oregano, and parsley to sauce. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve over spaghetti.

Crab Cakes

This is a recipe I have shared before. It’s what you would call my first signature dish. My mother-in-law was always willing to test these to make sure they were perfect.

1 pound crabmeat

1 tablespoon butter

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/3 cup green onions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon Old Bay Seafood seasoning

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon fresh basil leaves, chopped

Pick through crabmeat, removing pieces of shells. Set aside. Over medium heat, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Sauté garlic in butter until golden brown. Add green onions and cook until soft. Add parsley and cook one minute. Add crabmeat to pan. Add Old Bay Seasoning and mix thoroughly. Add heavy cream and mix well. Add breadcrumbs and mix well. The mixture should not be liquidly. If so add more breadcrumbs. Add salt, pepper and basil and mix well. Allow mixture to cool. Form cakes in hand, making a 2 1/2 -inch circle. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for at least two hours. Cook in a 350 ℉ oven for 10 minutes. You may also deep fry them by heating a fryer to 360 ℉. Dip crab cake in mixture of milk and beaten egg, then cover with breadcrumbs. Cook them for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Top with Hollandaise sauce.

Blender Hollandaise

I had to include this one. My mother-in-law would always take the sauce leftovers and eat them until it was gone. My wife and I often wonder what she was putting it on or if she was eating it by the spoonful.

2 egg yolks

1 whole egg

2 sticks margarine

1 stick butter

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Melt butter and margarine over medium heat. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and allow to cool. Blend egg yolks, egg, vinegar, cayenne, white pepper, and lemon juice. With blender on, pour melted margarine/butter slowly into other ingredients. Blend to thick.

We miss my mother-in-law greatly. We have lots of fond memories. I’m blessed to have her as my mother-in-law. She gave me the greatest present I ever received, my wife Peggy.