Welcome back, Greg! We loved your 2013 recipe contest submission , Cilantro Corn Cakes with Sauteed Mushrooms and Cumin Yogurt, and the judges awarded you the First Place prize that year. Your entry this year, Roasted Chanterelle Beignets with Tomato-Corn Tartar Sauce, was very well-received as well, and we appreciate your permission to feature it as our March Recipe of the Month. We're certainly looking forward to hearing from you again next year, Greg! Wonder what he'll cook up by then?
We're pleased to print
another great recipe from Greg Fontenot.
Greg confesses that "to say developing recipes is a hobby is a great understatement. I am obsessed with recipe development and recipe contests. My wife will agree with this statement without hesitation. I tend to talk about food and recipes way too much."
When we asked Greg how he came to develop this mushroom beignet recipe, he wrote: "I developed this recipe from my basic beignet recipe. I make them from crawfish, smoked fish and a variety of sweet versions. I was just runner-up in the Vegetarian Times Recipe contest with a sweet potato beignet."
Greg's been busy developing recipes over the past several years, and noted that the photo he submitted this year was used in the 47th Pillsbury Bake Off in December of 2014. He reports that it was "an incredible event. I didn't win the million dollars, but I did win the Crisco sponsor prize ($5,000) and a really cool golden (plastic) Doughboy statue." How fun! Congratulations on your ambition and creativity in the kitchen, Greg!
We were curious. Does he collect wild mushrooms? No. "I have always wanted to, and being a scientist, I think I could do it, but something about it actually scares me a little. We have so many types of mushrooms in the woods here in SE Texas, I just have no training picking out the ones you can eat. I wish I could, but no, I do not at this time." Truthfully, it doesn't sound to us as if Greg would have the time to develop and pursue the passion of wild mushrooming, what with everything that he's stirring together in the kitchen!
Roasted Chanterelle Beignets with Tomato-Corn Tartar Sauce
TOMATO-CORN TARTAR SAUCE:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tomato, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup frozen corn, thawed (or 1 ear of fresh cooked corn)
1 green onion, including tender green tops, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
- Place the mayonnaise and sour cream in a mixing bowl and fold in the tomatoes, corn, green onion, thyme and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
ROASTED CHANTERELLES:
8 ounces rinsed and trimmed chanterelle mushrooms. Roughly chopped.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon melted butter
- In a 12- by 15-inch baking pan, mix mushrooms with olive oil and melted butter. Bake at 400°, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and beginning to brown on edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool and chop finely.
BEIGNETS:
2 eggs
Roasted chanterelles (see above)
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Vegetable oil for frying
- Place the eggs in a large mixing bowl and whisk until frothy. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, green onion and garlic and stir to combine well. Fold in the salt, flour and baking powder. Add the milk and stir until just incorporated.
- In a large, heavy saucepan, pour the oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 375°F. Drop spoonfuls of batter into hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with Tomato-Corn Tartar Sauce.
Three years ago the camera caught our 2013 recipe contest winner,
Greg, and his son, Kenneth, in a playful moment!
The proud dad reports that Ken is "almost as tall as me now."