Discover the new and traditional flavors of NOLA

For goose:

Preheat the oven to 300ºF.

Place the goose in a roasting pan and prick the skin on all sides with a fork, being careful not to pierce the flesh. Season the goose well on all sides with the salt and pepper and roast until the goose is cooked through and an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 140ºF, 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.

When cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin and fat. Remove the meat from the bones, coarsely chop, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Reserve the bones for another use.

For gumbo:

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, and celery and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, and Herbes de Provence and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, 13 minutes. Add the reserved goose meat and andouille and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the roux and stir well to incorporate well. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, skimming any foam that rises to the surface, for 30 minutes. Add the mushrooms, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and Creole Seasoning and stir well. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the gumbo is thick and very fragrant, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove from the heat, add the file powder, and stir well to incorporate. Discard the bay leaves.

Ladle the gumbo into large shallow bowls and garnish each serving with the green onions.

Make a quarter-inch deep incision down the back of each shrimp where it has been deveined, and place one tasso strip in each incision. Secure with a toothpick. Combine the all-purpose flour with Seafood Seasoning, and lightly dust each piece of shrimp with the seasoned flour.

Fry the shrimp in the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds on each side. Shrimp should be firm with a nice red-brown color. Remove shrimp and place on a paper towel for a few seconds to drain.

Place shrimp in a bowl with Crystal Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc, toss to coat thoroughly, and remove the toothpicks.

Place a portion of Five-Pepper Jelly on each of 8 appetizer plates, and arrange 3 shrimp on the plate alternating with 3 pieces of pickled okra.

For Five-Pepper Jelly:

Put corn syrup, vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepot, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce by two thirds, until mixture is thickened. It will get even thicker as it cools, but the peppers will thin it again when they are added. This is a gastrique.

Briefly place the peppers in a hot skillet and sauté until tender and their color is brightened, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, add the peppers to the gastrique.

For Crystal Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc:  Place the hot sauce, shallots, garlic and cream in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, simmer until reduced by half, stirring frequently. Slowly whip the softened butter, a bit at a time, into the pot, being careful not to let the sauce break. (The cream acts as a stabilizer.) Strain the sauce warm. Add salt.

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

Rinse the fish under cold running water to remove as much blood and impurities as possible. With a knife, cut three deep slits on each side, down to the bone. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and season on both sides with 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning. Brush vegetable oil on a baking sheet, lay the fish flat on pan and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into fish near the spine slides out easily, without resistance.

Set a roasting pan large enough to hold the fish over two burners. Heat the olive oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Reduce the heat to moderate and add the onions, celery, garlic, peppers, and jalapeno and cook 10 minutes, stirring, until lightly browned and tender.

Add the tomatoes, stock, Worcestershire, Tabasco, remaining tablespoon Creole seasoning, bay leaves, and saffron and stir well. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced slightly, 6 to 7 minutes. Lay the fish flat in the pan and arrange shrimp and oysters around the fish and bake in oven until the shrimp are pink and oysters have curled, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the parsley over fish.

No redfish? Substitute snapper, sheepshead, or speckled trout.