One Smith Lake-area chef shares his passion for cooking and favorite recipes for holiday entertaining.
Chef Troy Hill of Chef Troys Talk of the Town and Chef Troys Country Cuisine shares three of his favorite recipes for entertaining this holiday season. A favorite in the Smith Lake area, he and his wife, Angie welcome all to stop by one of their restaurants. Visit their website or call Chef Troy’s Talk of the Town at 205-489-1700 and Chef Troy’s Country Cuisine at 205-384-5433 for more information.
Chef Troy’s Famous Jambalaya
This dish is absolutely perfect for cold winter months, and is so easy to make.
Ingredients
1 pound andouille sausage, uncooked
¾ pound chicken, uncooked
2 small cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 bay leaf
1 large tsp. chicken base
1 large tsp. paprika
1 large tsp. basil
1 small tsp. oregano
1 large tsp. parsley
1 small tsp. cayenne pepper
1 small tsp. crushed red pepper
¾ gallon water
1 cup rice
3 cups diced green pepper
3 cups diced onion
Steps
- Combine first 12 ingredients (sausage, chicken, spices and water) in a large pot.
- Bring to a boil, allowing chicken to fall apart.
- Once the mixture has reached a boil, remove from heat and add rice, green pepper and onion.
- Cover and allow vegetables and rice to cook from the steam. Serve hot.
Baked Brie with
Caramel Pecan Sauce
Baked Brie
1 block Brie cheese
1 sheet of filo dough, thawed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap one block of Brie cheese in filo dough, covering all sides of the cheese in filo dough. Brush filo dough with melted butter. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
Caramel Pecan Sauce
2 quarts heavy cream
2 boxes of brown sugar
Carrot Cake
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1½ cups cooking oil
3 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla flavoring
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup raisins
3 cups grated carrots
Grate carrots and set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together first six ingredients. Add pecans, raisins and carrots to the batter. Blend all together well. Pour batter into circular cake pans and bake at 350 degrees until done. Makes three layers. Let cool and set aside.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 package cream cheese
1 box powdered sugar
Orange juice
Soften cream cheese. Mix together with powdered sugar. Use orange juice as needed to thin out frosting while mixing.
To assemble cake, place one cake layer on cake plate and frost on top with 1/3 of frosting. Repeat with two additional layers. Garnish with chopped pecans.
Combine heavy cream and brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil. Once coming to a boil, reduce heat to medium heat. Cook slowly, stirring with a whisk. After 45 minutes, the mixture will reduce to a caramel sauce.
Place warm Brie on serving dish and cover in warm caramel pecan Sauce. Top with chopped pecans.
Serve with Granny Smith apple slices and grilled Gambino bread.
