Commander's Palace is an American restaurant treasure. For many years, patrons of the beloved New Orleans institution have been urging the Brennan family, its proprietors, to publish the restaurant's recipes. Commander's Kitchen, written by co-owner Ella Brennan's daughter, Ti Adelaide Martin, and Chef Jamie Shannon, realizes that wish, presenting more than 150 accessible recipes for the restaurant's acclaimed Creole dishes.
Why not make our own?" That innocent question often marks the beginning of a new adventure for Commander's. Worcestershire was one of those staples that we always took for granted. Now a wooden keg with a spigot sits proudly in the kitchen and is tapped all day long. This sauce is integral to countless dishes and sauces, from our barbecued shrimp to Bloody Marys.
Makes: 3 cups
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 ounces fresh horseradish, peeled and chopped
2 medium onions, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground fresh black pepper
2 cups water
4 cups white vinegar
1 cup dark molasses
2 cups dark corn syrup
1 ounce anchovy fillets (8 to 12), chopped
12 whole cloves
1 tablespoon salt
1 lemon, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon tamarind (optional)
Place the oil, horseradish, onions, jalapenos, and garlic in a large pot, and saute over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the black pepper, water, vinegar, molasses, corn syrup, anchovy, cloves, salt, lemon, and tamarind. Mix thoroughly, and bring to a boil. Simmer over low to medium heat for 1 hour, or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
Strain through a fine sieve into a medium saucepan. Reduce by half over low to medium heat. The sauce should have a slightly syrupy consistency. As it cools, it will thicken. Use in any recipe, in this book or elsewhere, that calls for Worcestershire. When covered, it can be refrigerated up to two months.
Chef Jamie’s Tips:
If you want to improve any recipe calling for Worcestershire, use this instead of the bottled version.
