Macque Choux

*4/24/2013*  I'm updating the pictures for this delicious recipe. Corn on the cob is appearing in stores, and so these pictures show that process. I added shrimp, chicken and crab meat to this batch. Awesome.

My blog isn't pretty yet (somebody, help me!), but I wanted to go on ahead and get right into the good stuff. Cooking and recipes!

I know my first entry was all about 'exotic' cooking, ala Indian and so on, but I've had a request from John, boyfriend most wonderful, for a Louisiana recipe called Macque Choux. (Pronounced 'mock shoe', for those of whom have no background in French pronunciation, like moi. Of course, finding it the first time actually proved to be a bit of a challenge, due to the Kentucky accent, which sounds like 'mack shoe').

Before moving to Kentucky, my experience with Cajun and Creole was Aunt Judy's Christmas gumbo. Turns out there is decent sized Louisiana expat population in Kentucky, and as a result, there are a decent number cajun restaurants here. My first experience with this recipe in particular was at a Cajun restaurant in Lexington, KY, called Gumbo Ya Ya's. I've always been one to try new things, especially spicy things, and Gumbo Ya Ya's changed my outlook on Louisiana style food forever. And ever. And ever, if you know what I mean.

Of course, the 'here' in that last paragraph doesn't translate to 'here in Owensboro'. Lexington and Gumbo Ya Ya's are a good three hour drive away from us, making frequent visits a no-go. The nearest Cajun restaurant is in Evansville, about 45 miles north in Indiana, and there is no macque choux on the menu there. Tragedy! My resolution to this problem? Make it myself, of course! No recipe is too difficult for this little cook! Bring it on!

The base of this recipe I pulled from here, http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/09/maque-choux.html, at Kevin Lynch's absolutely awesome and beautiful blog, Closet Cooking. Traditional macque choux comes from southern Louisiana, and is served as a side-dish. It is a creamy combination of corn, tomatoes, onions, celery and bell peppers. (The last three are the so called 'Holy Trinity' of Cajun cooking.) The macque choux at Gumbo Ya Ya's was a bit different, however. They had turned it into a full blown main course, with a texture that was not only rich and creamy, but also cheesy!

When John told me he was practically dieing for macque choux, I knew he didn't mean the traditional, simple appetizer version. It had to be Gumbo Ya Ya style or death! Of course, Ya Ya's doesn't have their recipe conveniently posted for me, so I had to reverse engineer it.

The best way to make this recipe is with fresh, in season corn on the cob, something we usually see plenty of in Kentucky. For some reason, today my local grocery store didn't have it in stock, despite it being the middle of July and sweet corn season. I've found it down here even in the winter before, no idea why it's not here today. Frustrating! (Didn't they know I was going to do my first blog entry today, and needed to impress? Ah, small town living!)

One thing I had never encountered before with macque choux is that to get the correct consistency, you need to create 'corn milk'. To make this, you stand your corn on the cob up-right, and then carefully slice the kernels off, but only half to two-thirds of the way through. You then scrape the back of the knife to remove the remainder of the kernels. Since I don't have corn on the cob, I opted instead for frozen sweet corn, off-cob. I set aside about a 1/3 cup of this frozen corn, allowed it to thaw, and placed it in the blender to liquify. Not quite the same, but pretty dang close!

Yaya's placed crawfish in their version. Crawfish is either a) not to be found in these here parts, or b) frozen, and therefore pretty much the fishiest thing I've ever tasted (bleck). I have substituted shrimp instead, which is a better choice anyway, in my opinion. The cheese at Yaya's was a familiar looking yellow in color, which I guessed to be Velveeta. Nothing makes your taste buds say 'holy cow, delicious' like Velveeta mixed with bacon, so I added crumbled up bacon bits. There are many other types of meat that could potentially be placed in macque choux, such as andoille sausage (for those lucky folks you have it available), proscuitto, or ham. Just remember that, whatever you use, nothing brings out the flavor better in something sweet and cheesy than salty meats.

 

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Macque Choux

by Katie Tillwick July-18-2012

A creamy, cheesy take on a traditional southern Louisiana dish

Ingredients

• 3 ears Sweet Corn on Cob
• 5 slices Bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
• 2 TBS Butter
• 1/2 Onion
• 2 Celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Tomato, deseeded and diced
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 Cup Velveeta
• 1 tsp Thyme
• 2 Green Onions, sliced
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• Shrimp

Instructions

Cut the corn kernels from the cob, but only cut them 2/3 of the way through. Using back of knife, scrape away remaining portion of kernels. Alternatively, take frozen corn, allow to thaw, then separate 1/2 cup, set aside. Cook bacon until well done. Crumble and set aside.Place 2 TBS butter (or bacon grease, if you dare), add the onion, celery and bell pepper and saute until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.Add the corn, tomatoes, cream, bacon bits, thyme, pepper, and cheese, and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.Add corn scrapings, or blended 1/3 cup kernels, to pot.Mix in the green onions and shrimp/meat, season further with cayenne and pepper to taste.Serve over small pasta, such as orzo.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 4 servings