French Quarter Fritter Batter - a weekend recipe

If you visit New Orleans for its Cajun and Creole cuisine, you’ll soon discover the many desserts synonymous with the venerable city. The Big Easy is probably the fritter capital of the world. Known in New Orleans as the beignet, the fritter can combine with almost any fruit to create an exquisite dessert. Think apple, banana, or cherry fritters. Let your imagination go wild. It all starts with the fritter batter, and here is the recipe. Hey, if you can't visit New Orleans soon, read my French Quarter mystery Big Easy and take a trip in your imagination.



French Quarter Fritter Batter

Ingredients 

·         1 cup flour, sifted

·         ½ cup water, cold

·         2 eggs

·         ½ cup sugar

·         1 Tbsp. olive oil

·         2 Tbsp. brandy

·         ¼  tsp. salt

Directions

Separate the eggs. Beat the whites into a thick froth and reserve. Add the yolks to the flour, and then beat until very light. Add the sugar and blend well. Add the brandy and beat lightly, and then add water and oil to make the batter the consistency of a thick starch. Add the egg whites and beat well. The batter is now ready for the desired fruit needed to create your amazing Creole dessert beignet. Enjoy!

###

All of Eric's books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and on his iBook author pages, and his Website.

Vivian Louisiana, Circa 1944 - a pic

Here is a picture of my grandfather Big Jim's filling station located in the small, northwest Louisiana town of Vivian. The pic was taken in 1944. The person on the far left is my Uncle Grady Pittman, the man to his left Lee Edge, and directly to his left my grandfather Big Jim Pittman. I don't know the other two men in the picture. Love the old cars.

###

Born near Black Bayou in the little Louisiana town of Vivian, Eric Wilder grew up listening to his grandmother’s tales of politics, corruption, and ghosts that haunt the night. He now lives in Oklahoma where he continues to pen mysteries and short stories with a southern accent. He is the author of the French Quarter Mystery Series set in New Orleans and the Paranormal Cowboy Series. Please check it out on his Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBook author pages. You might also like to check out his website.

Geese Flying South

After several days of rain, today was unseasonably cool, feeling more like late October than mid-August. On my evening walk, I readied my camera to take a picture of the unusually red sky when I heard the unmistakeable sound of geese coming toward me. I snapped a picture of three geese and barely had time to zoom in and take a picture of the formation that quickly followed. Though they were headed south, it seems a bit early for their yearly migration. Don't know, though. Maybe we're in for a really cold winter. If it is, it'll be the first one we've had in central Oklahoma in a very long time.

Author Eric Wilder is the author of the French Quarter Mystery Series and the Paranormal Cowboy Series. All of his books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and on his iBook author pages, and his Website.

Mama Mulate's Okra with Crawfish and Tomatoes - a weekend recipe

Mama Mulate, voodoo mambo, and Tulane English professor in my murder mystery Big Easy has a garden in the backyard of her house in inner-city New Orleans. Okra is her favorite vegetable and she uses it in many of her dishes. She also grows big, juicy, Creole tomatoes. When she combines Louisiana crawfish with her okra and tomatoes, she creates a unique dish you have to taste to believe. Check it out! While you're at it, check out French Quarter Mystery #1 Big Easy on Amazon, BN, Apple iBook's, Kobo, and Smashwords.

Ingredients 

·         1 lb okra, trimmed and sliced

·         1 ½ lbs crawfish tails

·         3 Tbsp butter

·         1 onion, medium, coarsely chopped

·         4 tomatoes, large, peeled, seeded and chopped

·         ½ c Balsamic vinegar

·         2 Tbsp lemon juice

·         1 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped

·         Salt and pepper

·         Hot cooked rice 

Directions

Combine oil and butter in a large skillet and heat until butter is melted. Add onion and bell pepper, and toss to coat evenly. Stir in okra and cook, medium heat, until onion is translucent.

Add tomatoes, Balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper. Simmer and stir until tomatoes soften. Add crawfish and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Serve with rice.

###

All of Eric's books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and on his iBook author pages, and his Website.