World’s Biggest Train Wreck Sandwich

We set the record yesterday–making our biggest train wreck ever, a 6 foot long sub of Best of Philly sandwich heaven.

We started with a gigantic loaf of hoagie bread…

Then we sauteed steak meat with caramelized onions, salami and andouille sausage and topped it all with American cheese.  While that was cooking up to a delicious blend of spicy goodness, we slathered a healthy dose of our Creole Mayo on the bread. 

And finally, we filled the bread with the steak mixture, closed it up and sliced it up for all to enjoy. And no, there was not a piece left.

Missed it? Come on into Beck’s for a regular sized version of this Best of Philly winning sandwich!

Creole Turkey Reuben Recipe

Sent in by a customer:  Creole Turkey Reuben is a delicious way to use Beck’s Creole Mayo.  Yummmm.

Spread two slices of rye (or wheat) bread with Creole Mayo.  Lay them in a lightly oiled skillet, and top with a few slices turkey, swiss cheese, and a scoop of sauerkraut.  Grill until the bread is toasted, the cheese is melted and the fillings are heated through.  Put the sandwich together, and never look at lunch the same way again.

We can barely keep this stuff on the shelves.  Our customers are crazy for our Creole Mayo, and with good reason.  It provides a healthy dose of New Orleans Jazz to every dish it plays with.

Pralines for Pecan Day!

Tomorrow is Pecan Day!  In honor of this momentous occasion, we are churning out batches of  Pralines.

In reading up on pecans for this post, we learned some interesting facts:

• Pecan trees are the only nut tree native to North America.
• George Washington planted pecan trees at Mt. Vernon.
• Pecan comes from an Algonquin word that means “any nut requiring a stone to crack”.
• Pecans are chock-full of anti-oxidants, are thought to be good for the neurological system, and can lower cholesterol.

We sure hope you’ll stop in and try some of our pecan pralines, but if you can’t make it to Reading Terminal Market this weekend, we’ll share our recipe with you:

Louisiana Pecan Pralines

Makes 2 dozen

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup evaporated milk

2 TBSP butter

1 TBSP light corn syrup

pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups pecan halves

In saucepan, mix sugars, milk, butter, syrup and salt with wooden spoon.  Cook to softball stage (235 degrees).  Remove from heat and add vanilla and nuts.  Beat til mixture thickens, 1 minute.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto buttered waxed paper; allow to cool and solidify.

Beck’s Garden District Salad

 

At La Cucina’s “Girls Night Out” Cajun Cooking Class, Chef Bill Beck shared his tricks of the trade

The Garden District in New Orleans is world famous as an example of Southern architecture.

The District earned its name because of the mansions built in this spot for the wealthy plantation owners: their supersized houses initially featured glorious oversized gardens.

As the City grew during the late 1800s, a number of the owners of these spectacular mansions sold off parcels of their land and smaller Victorian houses were built on the site of these former gardens.

Today, the Garden District is a unique melting pot of architectural styles, characterized by “a mélange of high styles gleaned from not just the Spanish and French, but also from the Italians, the British, and the “Greek Revival.” (for further info, see About.com’s insightful overview on the District’s lineage.)

The food emanating from New Orleans reflects the varied influences that shape and define this unique city – which is what makes the New Orleans cuisine so attractive.

In tribute to this heritage, Chef Bill Beck of Beck’s Cajun Cafe rolled out his Garden District Salad at a recent cooking class held at La Cucina in Reading Terminal Market.  The classes, designated as a “Girls’ Night Out,” focused on Cajun cooking with Chef Bill demonstrating a series of New Orleans small plates, including this Garden District Salad.

The salad is colorful and evocative of sunshine-laden days spent in New Orleans….

Ingredients

(This salad serves 4 people.  Scale up quantities dependent on the size of your dinner party!)

1x jar of marinated artichokes

4 stems of hearts of palm, cut into 1/2 inch rounds

1 red pepper roasted and skin removed, then cut into strips.

Spring mix salad greens

For the vinaigrette dressing

(The recipe below produces approximately 14 oz of dressing.  As the recipe includes raw egg we would not recommend storing the dressing for any length of time.  Use immediately.  If you would like to omit the egg then the dressing will keep for longer, perhaps 2-3 days, in the fridge.

2 tsps of Dijon mustardbsps olive oil

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 egg white

6oz of virgin olive oil

4oz of vegetable oil

2 tbsps of finely minced cloves

2-3 tbsps of water

1 1/2 tbsps of honey

Juice of a lemon

1 1/2 oz Apple Cider

1 1/2 oz Champagne Cider

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mix first three ingredients together in a bowl.

2. Slowly add the two types of oil to this mix. Add approx 2oz at a time (Note the virgin olive oil provides a strong flavor.  To balance this out and ensure that the salad is not overwhelmed, Chef Bill prefers to use vegetable oil in tandem with the virgin oil.)

3. Add chives, water – to thin the dressing slightly – and the honey.

4. Add the juice of the lemon and then add the two vinegars a little at a time — to stretch out the dressing.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Toss Spring mix salad in dressing, then add in other prepared salad ingredients (artichokes, pepper, hearts of palm.)

The resulting salad has great texture and crunch.  Enjoy!

Summer Sazerac Cooler

Sazeracs are a traditional New Orleans cocktail, and this version is oh-so-refreshing as the temperatures outside rise.

These Summer Sazerac Coolers were a huge hit at Chef Bill’s Cajun Cooking Class Girls Night Out last week in La Cucina at the Market. 

The class sold out early, so if you missed your chance to attend, you can make your own Sazerac.  Chef Bill was kind enough to share his recipe….

                          Summer Sazerac Cooler

6 ea Sugar Cubes

¾. Tsp Peychaud’s Bitters

½ Tsp Angostura Bitters

2 ea Lemon Peel, no pith 1.5 inches long

2 ea Orange Peel, no pith 1.5 inches long

1.5 oz Vieux Carre Absinthe

3 oz Bulleit Rye Whiskey

3 oz Club Soda

5oz Lemon/Lime Sparkling Water

2 oz Coke

2 cups Ice Cubes

Method:

1.) Muddle in a large pitcher, the sugar cubes and both bitters till well combined and somewhat melted.

2.) Add citrus peel and muddle slightly to bruise, so as to let out the oils.

3.) Add ice to pitcher followed by the liquor and stir well to dissolve the sugar and combine the rest of the flavors.

4.) Add the flavored sparkling water followed by the coke and club soda stir gently to combine. Enjoy

Beck’s Crawfish Boil, Don’t Miss It!

Run, don’t walk, to Beck’s Cajun Cafe this weekend for their Crawfish Boil!

The Radiators, one of New Orleans favorite bands, say it best: “Suck the head, Squeeze the tip.”  They’re talking about eating crawfish, of course.

Never tried fresh crawfish?  You don’t know what you’re missing!  Head to Beck’s Cajun Cafe  this weekend for a traditional Crawfish boil!  Chef Bill will be combining the season’s freshest crawfish shipped directly from the Gulf, with corn, potatoes, a healthy dousing of Yuengling beer, and a signature blend of his spice rubs to create a giant pot of Cajun heaven.

See you there!

Flower Show Specials at Beck’s Cajun Cafe

This week’s specials honor  the Philadelphia Flower Show, and will be on the menu through March 11.  Don’t miss Chef Beck’s nod to the big event!

Chicken Salad and Oyster Poboy–this old Country Club classic gets an updated Cajun twist with the addition of Beck’s Creole Mayo.  We served this as a bite sized appetizer at the Valentine to the Market Gala and it was such a hit we decided to keep it on the menu through the Flower show.

Garden Poboy–This vegetarian poboy honors gardens everywhere.  We use a traditional poboy roll, and fill it with portobello mushrooms, roasted peppers, grilled onions and cheese.

Fried Oysters and Chicken Salad at the Reading Terminal Gala

We hope to see everyone at the Valentine to the Market Gala tonight!  This is a great party featuring live music, lots of entertainment, plentiful bars, and best of all, food catered by the Reading Terminal Market Merchants.  In case you’re a last minute type, you can  purchase tickets here or even at the door.

We’re all set to go with our Valentine appetizer–a Cajun twist on a Philly Classic:   fried oysters with chicken salad.  It is a valentine party, after all, and you know what they say about oysters…

In case you won’t be there tonight to sample these beauties,  here’s how we make them:

Coat Oysters in  flour seasoned with salt and pepper, then dip in egg and roll in panko.

Fry them in heated oil (peanut, canola, vegetable are fine, avoid olive oil).   Turn oysters til crispy on both sides and fully cooked through.

Drain briefly on paper towels.

Top with a scoop of your favorite chicken salad, a dab of Creole Mayo, and a snip of chive.

Enjoy.

Show Your Love for Reading Terminal Market

The Valentine to the Market Gala fundraiser is just under a month away.  This spectacular out of hours party on Saturday, February 25th, at the Reading Terminal Market features live music, entertainment and food provided by some of the best known names in the Market including Bassetts, DiNics, and Beck’s, of course.

This year, the party is expected to be even more memorable because it coincides with the Market’s 120th birthday.  Come toast the Market’s good health with a pint of the anniversary stout specially created by Philadelphia Brewing Co. to mark the occasion.

To make your evening extra special, consider buying a ticket to the Patrons’ Party, which includes access to the cook-off by celebrity chefs, including our very own Bill Beck of Beck’s Cajun Cafe! 

Each chef works with a celebrity sous-chef under the spotlight  to drum up a dish from ingredients provided by the Market.  To keep it interesting, the chefs have to integrate   added ‘mystery” ingredients announced  the night of the Gala —  it gets pretty tense!  Last year’s mystery ingredients were red hot candies, heart shaped marshmallows and coco-puffs.

Philly Chit Chat did a great feature on last year’s party here.

To buy tickets for this one of a kind Gala and show your love for Reading Terminal Market, go to:

wwwPartyTicketsOnline.com/valentine.

See you there! BB

This Week’s Specials…starting January 23

Don’t miss these new items:

Hot Roast Turkey Po Boy with Pickled Jalapeno Relish

Butterscotch Rum Pecan Pie