Without a doubt I suspected loquats would marry well with Grill Man’s Snapper on the Half Shell. Great time to experiment since it will only be the two of us. Each day after work, Mennu and I do a walk about the yard on our way to pick loquats.

The natural setting is healthy for both of us. Thankfully Mother Nature allows the loquats to ripen at different times which is very helpful. Produce waits for no one. It’s ready when it’s ready.

Sweet and savory cooking ideas for loquats

This stready stream of loquats all at once creates a dilemma of sorts. How many loquats may you pick and eat in a week? In the beginning you are joyful for the fruit and whip up a daily smoothie. Then you move to an easy dessert like my Sun Kiss Loquat Cobbler. Next, I adapted my version of ice cream which I based on my Eggnog and Persimmon Icy Cream. Creating a dessert is easy when working with fresh fruit.

Yet, loquats keep coming so my creative activities moved to the savory. I must say that this fruit is versatile and becomes a lovely addition to any recipe. The longer that I am quarantined Livin’ La Vida Loca the more my kitchen lab is in full swing. What would I create next?

Sun Kiss Loquat Sauce on Red Snapper

Happily, last Summer Grill Man secured red snapper for our freezer. On more than one occasion with friends he ventured out for a short trip. I joined the crew of the Strike Back with Captain Cali and spent a lovely day on the water.

Clearly besides fun in the sun the mission included locating 2 red snapper per person. With Grill Man’s fishing “honey hole” red snapper is available when “in season”. His snapper were beautiful and delivered lovely meals. To date our best meal occurred when he cooked the snapper throats.

Since our snapper throats had previously disappeared, it was time to cook a 4-5 pound slab of red snapper on the half shell. What is snapper on the half shell? When the fish is cleaned the scales and skin is left on one side. This scale side is then placed and cooked directly on the grill. This is a great way to preserve the fish while grilling and ensures moist fish.

Thankfully, he agreed to become a part of the Dining With Mimi kitchen lab. Plan consisted of the following:

Red Snapper on the Half Shell bathed in Mimi’s Sun Kiss Loquat Sauce

Green Egg Grill (regular grill could be used)

4-5# Slab Red Snapper in Half Shell
1/2 Cup Sun Kiss Loquat Sauce
Garlic Salt
Coarse Black Pepper
Olive oil
Aluminum Foil

Preheat Green Egg grill to about 300-350 degrees.

Place red snapper slab skin and scale side down on the tray. Drizzle 4 tablespoons olive oil on top of fish. Using a spoon spread olive oil around evenly on fish side only. Sprinkle well with garlic salt and cracked black pepper . Add 1/2 cup Sun Kiss Loquat Sauce to fish. Use spoon to lightly spread around evenly. Place fish directly on to the grill with skin and scale side down. Place a single sheet of foil on top of the fish without sealing in any manner. Foil is laying on top of fish as a sheet of paper would.

With the snapper slab this size it’s important not to over cook. Alternate cooking fish with lid closed for 5 minutes first. Then cook with lid up for 5 minutes. Repeat until the fish is ready. This will allow the grill to function so that its cooking but not overcooking. Also, you will be able to see what is happening. Fish will overcook quickly if you’re not watching closely enough. Our 4-5# slab of red snapper cooked in this manner for about 30 minutes.

Grill a slab of red snapper and baste it with my new Sun Kiss Loquat Sauce. I am pretty sure that this sauce would pair well with other types of fish or protein such as chicken or pork. At this point, I have not tried it but I am sure that the flavor profiles will blend well.

Let me know if you try this and the results, I would love to hear from you.

Shout out to Alexa for John Prine. April 7th he moved on to other pastures but he certainly left his mark on the world and music. Take a listen to his song titled, Fish and Whistle. It is available on you-tube if you don’t have that bossy Alexa.

The post Sun Kiss Loquat Sauce appeared first on Dining With Mimi.

Of course, living near the Gulf Coast  with easy access to fresh seafood will spoil you for more than one reason. Being able to buy fresh shrimp, crawfish and  fresh catch fish is a luxury I adore. If  your landlocked and not as fortunate, most seafood markets will ship fresh or frozen seafood overnight. Trust me it is totally worth it.

Surprisingly, I have never cooked shrimp and grits. Yet I thought that it would be easy based on my love and familiarity  with the ingredients. What could go wrong with shrimp, butter, seasonings, shrimp stock, garlic and grits? Plus my grits were specially sourced from my Rural Alabama Trip To Inspire.

How to cook Spicy Gulf Shrimp Gravy, Andouille Sausage and Grits

As a rule, growing up Southern you  learn about grits early.  Since I am always trying to cut carbs I rarely cook grits. It is important for me to save carbohydrate allowance for my obsession, potato chips, Doritos, chili cheese fritos, ZAPS etc.   Thankfully, the grits package  will provide instructions. You will only need to read and follow directions.

All in all gravy requires more skill but you will manage it well. Spicy Gulf Shrimp Gravy, Andouille Sausage and Grits Recipe is easy to cook. At the same time, the hardest part of this recipe is peeling shrimp and making  stock. Great idea to recruit your man for peeling shrimp while you chop vegetables. Bribe him with a glass of wine or two if  you must. Trust me it is totally worth it.

Finally, shout out to Skate Mountain Records for Jimmy Lumpkin and The Revival  My Name is Love. I have only recently discovered this band but I love the soulful sound. Visit web site for tour dates and tunes. Trust me it is totally worth it.

The post Spicy Gulf Shrimp Gravy, Andouille Sausage and Grits Recipe appeared first on Dining With Mimi.

My friend Sunshine and I made a date for her to serve as guest chef. Since we both hail from Louisiana, we love cooking and entertaining. Sunshine is a great cook and I love cooking with her. Our cooking sessions include stories and laughter.  In our conversations about family memories and meals, Sunshine mentioned one of her Grandmother’s favorites, Cabbage Dressing.

Is it stuffing or dressing?

Dressing as in cornbread or stuffing not salad dressing, clearly dressing is a very southern term. Have you heard of cabbage dressing? In my review of food,  I located a million cabbage dressings for coleslaw. After my research, I was ready for Sunshine to introduce me to her Grandmother’s cabbage dressing.

Sunshine’s Grandmother Iris B. Lemoine served Cabbage Dressing on her large southern antique table. You could always count on Iris’s table to include delicious food including calas. The Lemoine family home started in Cottonport Louisiana on the bayou. A southern home filled with love, antiques and a porch to host story-telling.

Iris’s family were German and migrated from Nova Scotia and settled in Louisiana. Iris married a Frenchmen, Theofield Lemoine and raised  the family in Cottonport. Sunshine speaks lovingly of Iris and Theofield captured in  memories which center around an idyllic childhood. Memories which include listening to grandparents speak in French so little ears would be protected.

Life in a small town

In Cottonport, life centered around the Catholic Church, small town events and life of the bayou. Iris shared her love and happiness with all that came into contact with her. Passing lessons of love on to her family including  manners and etiquette.

During December, Lemoine’s would host a Christmas on the Bayou. An Open House for friends, family and neighbors. Of course, tables of food, huge pot of gumbo and treats to tempt the palate. Surely, if I close my eyes, I can see the huge mimosa trees covered in moss bordering the bayou, shading the Open House.

Lush green grass filled with chairs and blankets for guests to relax and share a meal. In the background, nature, laughter and Christmas music infiltrating the southern day on the bayou.  Uniquely, if only I had a ‘back in time” button, I would press it to meet Iris B Lemoine and her Frenchmen Theofield. For certain, I would love our time together.

Family and friends called Iris “The Pink Lady”. Sunshine describes her Grandmother as a Grand Lady. Iris loved entertaining, cooking,  her family and everything pink.” Clearly Iris could share secrets of being a great host and Southern belle. I am dying to know how she introduced boots to her classmates at LSU .

After all, Iris B Lemoine’s Cabbage Dressing is an old southern rice dressing recipe. Certainly, not a recipe that I have been familiar with but I love it. Sunshine and I spent an afternoon in the kitchen  cooking during which I learned how to make Cabbage Dressing. Sunshine shared memories with me while we cooked cabbage dressing and reminisced about families.

In conclusion, whether you call it Iris’s cabbage dressing, cabbage stuffing or old southern rice dressing  this recipe will yield rave reviews from your guests. Serve as a new side dish on your holiday table and start your own tradition with family.

Alexa Shout out to Billie Holiday’s “I’ll be Seeing You”.

The post Old Southern Rice Dressing Recipe appeared first on Dining With Mimi.

Of course, I love peaches in almost any way that you may serve.  Somehow, the full flavor of Summer soaks into the peach and drizzles out when bitten into or sliced. Peaches also make the best tasting jelly or jam. Fresh peaches have an amazing flavor that does not come through when eating canned peaches.

Rustic peach tart recipe is a delicious dish to make ahead and serve later. A dollop of fresh homemade whipped cream served on succulent juicy peaches sitting on a bed of crunch and crust.  Serve this recipe to grab a bite of summer while you may.

Use homemade crust or store bought  for the Rustic Peach Tart?

I elected to use a homemade crust with this dish. The rustic tart screamed out for the addition of homemade crust. There certainly is an old-fashioned element to making your own. The stand-mixer  makes easy work of preparing the dough. I love my granite on the counter and it makes an easy work surface to roll out dough.

Grill Man’s Aunt Theria provided the Standard Pie Crust from her little Recipe Box Treasures notebook. I  adapted the recipe to include the stand mixer and my method for preparing the dough. The stand mixer makes for easy work of a pie crust.

Although, I may use the store-bought version when shortage of time calls for it. Please use which ever version allows you to make this Rustic Peach Tart recipe either homemade or store-bought. I recommend making the tart, allowing to cool, refrigerate least 4-6 hours and serving as desired. This dish tastes good hot out of the oven but it is sumptuous served cold.

Alexa, shout out to all the  songs for Georgia Peaches,  Lauren Alaina’s  and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s.

The post Rustic Peach Tart appeared first on Dining With Mimi.