It’s
not easy to pry gumbo-making secrets from a cook in New Orleans, but
you should have better luck if you slip them some truth serum, in the
form of several well-made sazeracs.
This particular gumbo, featuring duck, andouille sausage, smoked pork hock, gulf shrimp, and langoustine, was inspired by my recent trip to New Orleans, where I sampled a half-dozen varieties.
This particular gumbo, featuring duck, andouille sausage, smoked pork hock, gulf shrimp, and langoustine, was inspired by my recent trip to New Orleans, where I sampled a half-dozen varieties.
One
rye whiskey-induced tip was to cook the famous Cajun roux in some duck
fat instead of the more common and mundane vegetable oil. The roux is
the soul of the gumbo and one of the challenges of this recipe is giving
the fat and flour enough time to turn into that deep brick red-brown
color.
My
little trick here is to add a couple extra spoons of flour after the
roux is browned. The dark roux gives the gumbo its signature flavor, but
it doesn’t have much thickening power. I just cooked it a couple
minutes, and then stirred in the stock.
Another
tweak is using pickled okra instead of fresh or frozen. This particular
perversion was born out of necessity rather than some brilliant thought
on my part. Of course, if this technique catches on, that story will
change. The pickled okra gave the gumbo a great flavor and added a
little bit of acidity, which is always welcome in something this
substantial.