Southern Comfort (8 page)

For each spring roll, turn the wrapper so it faces you in a diamond shape. Dip two fingers in the beaten egg and brush it all around the edge of the wrapper. Place 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the wrapper and fold the right and left sides of the wrapper, overlapping, over the
filling. Pull the bottom corner up and over the filling and using your fingers, lay it over the filling into a tight log. Roll up the spring roll tightly, like a cigar. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers and filling.

Fry the spring rolls, a few at a time, until they are crispy and brown, about 1 minute.

Serve right away with
Satsuma Mustard.

With a knife, remove the peel from the satsumas and cut the satsumas into segments (supremes).

Place the segments into a saucepan and cook over medium heat until it is reduced by two-thirds. Let the reduction cool, then add the Dijon and Creole mustards, vinegar, and honey and whisk together until fully incorporated.

This will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Fill a heavy, deep saucepan with at least 6 inches of oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 340°F on a deep-fry thermometer.

To make the sauce, combine the jelly, mustard, and vinegar; whisk until smooth and chill until needed (this can be made 1 day in advance).

To make the batter, in a large bowl, combine the flour, coconut, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and green onions. Whisk the ingredients together thoroughly and make a well in the center.

Slowly pour the beer into the well, whisking from the inside to the outside until the mixture has the consistency of pancake batter. If it’s not, thin it with a touch of water.

Line a plate with paper towels and have ready. Fold the shrimp into the batter. Using 2 tablespoons, carefully scoop one batter-coated shrimp into one spoon, and with the other spoon, push the mixture into the hot oil (be careful not to splash the oil). For best results, fry no more than four beignets at a time. Using a slotted spoon, turn the beignets to cook 1 minute per side, until puffy and light brown all over. With a slotted spoon, remove the beignets from the oil and let drain on the prepared plate.

To serve, season with salt and accompany with the sauce.

To smoke the redfish, in a pot large enough to hold a metal colander, place ½ cup hickory chips in the center of the bottom of the pot. Place the diced fish in the colander and season with salt and pepper. Place the colander in the pot and cover the pot tightly with aluminum foil. Place the pot on the stove over high heat and let cook until a steady smoke begins to spew out of the pot. Once you see the smoke, decrease the heat to low and smoke for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the fish smoke for another 5 minutes. Remove the foil and let the fish cool.

To make the spread, in a blender, combine the mustard, egg yolks, and lemon juice and blend on low speed until just combined. With the blender on low speed, slowly drizzle in the canola oil in a steady stream until a thick mayonnaise is formed. Add the capers, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, olive oil, confit, cornichons and brine, salt, pepper, and the smoked fish. Blend on high speed until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender when necessary.

Serve chilled, accompanied by Buttermilk Crackers. Keeps for up to 1 week refrigerated.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper until they are evenly distributed. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and, using a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour until the butter pieces are the size of lentils. Add the buttermilk. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until all the liquid is incorporated and a dough begins to form.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough back and forth until it is nice and smooth, about 1 minute. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough in all directions until very thin, about
¹
/
16
inch thick. Using a fork, pierce the dough to make holes about ½ inch apart. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 2-inch squares.

Place the crackers on a nonstick baking sheet and bake until they are crisp and lightly browned on the edges, about 15 minutes.