Salad and Sandwich

I was originally thinking about doing a soup and salad for this week, but realized it's still hot at least in my part of the world, and soups are, in my opinion best saved for a chilly day. So I decided to do one of my favorite salads that I had done before for some company, a walnut and pear salad with a home made honey dijon dressing. For the sandwich I thought over a few options, and decided on a Louisiana specialty, the Po' Boy. It's usually made with either roast beef or a fried seafood filling, and I decided to go with the shrimp. I'm not a huge fan of shrimp but on this sandwich it worked out really well, I really liked it!

Walnut and Pear Salad

(I have no idea why my computer won't load this photo the right way up, too sick to fight with it right now lol)

• 2 t butter
• 2 T liquid honey
• 1/2 t ground allspice
• 1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 T liquid honey
• 2 t dijon mustard
• 1 t ground ginger
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 6 cups spring mix lettuce
• 2 Large unpeeled pears, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup grated smoked gouda cheese

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a small frying pan. Heat and stir on medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the walnuts and heat and stir until bubbling and golden. Transfer to greased baking sheet and let stand for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cool. Combine the next 7 ingredients (olive oil through pepper) in a container with a tight fitting lid and shake well. To put the salad together, put the lettuce into a large bowl and toss with half of the dressing. Spoon the lettuce mixture onto 6 plates. Arrange pear slices over lettuce in a fan shape and sprinkle with cheese and walnuts. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and enjoy!

Shrimp Po' Boy Sandwich

• 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled, deveined and with tails removed
• 3/4 cup fine cornmeal
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Peanut oil for frying (or really any kind of oil)
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 2-3 tomatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 4 small French sandwich rolls

Remoulade Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup mustard, preferably Creole mustard

• 1 1/4 cups mayo
• 1 teaspoon pickle juice or vinegar
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (Crystal, Tabasco, etc)
• 1 large garlic clove, minced and smashed
• 1 Tbsp sweet paprika
• 1-2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

Mix all of the remoulade ingredients in a bowl before hand and set aside for 30 minutes or so, as the sauce gets better over time. Pour enough peanut oil in a large frying pan to come up about 1/4 inch, and set the pan over medium-high heat until a small amount of flour sizzles immediately when you drop some in. Mix the cornmeal, flour, Cajun seasoning and salt in a large bowl. Working with a few at a time, dredge the shrimp in the egg, then in the cornmeal-flour mixture. Shake off any excess and fry until golden on both sides, about 2 minutes total. Set the fried shrimp aside on paper towels to drain. To assemble the sandwich, slice the sandwich loaves almost all the way through and smear remoulade on both the top and bottom. Lay down a layer of shredded lettuce on the bottom of the sandwich, then arrange the shrimp on top. Lay 3-4 slices of tomato on the shrimp and press the top of the bread down on the bottom, compressing the sandwich a little. Serve at once with hot sauce and a beer. (My favorite suggestion!)