Recipes: See what's cooking in 'Lulu's Kitchen' (2024)

Jimmy Buffett's sister, Lucy Buffett, owns a popular restaurant, LuLu's, in Gulf Shores, Ala. Now she has her own cookbook, "Lulu's Kitchen: A Taste of the Gulf Coast Good Life," which offers 120 recipes for guilt-ridden dishes such as Mama's Favorite Oyster Loaf, Sunday Brunch Crabmeat Omelet with Pepper Jack Grits, Margarita Glazed Cornish Hens, Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding with Vanilla Custard Sauce and drinks including LuLu's Painkiller. Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding? That's not just a guilty pleasure, that's a life sentence.

Here are a couple of favorites:

Key Lime Pie with Grand Marnier Whipped Cream

Makes 1 pie

2 cups finely crushed graham crackers

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

2 tablespoons cold water

2 egg yolks

½ cup Key lime juice, freshly squeezed if available

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Grand Marnier Whipped Cream (recipe follows)

1 lime, thinly sliced for garnish

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar in a small mixing bowl.

3. Press evenly into a 9-inch pie pan with hands or the back of a spoon.

4. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Set aside to cool.

5. In a small mixing bowl, dissolve gelatin in cold water, stir, and set aside.

6. In a heavy saucepan, combine egg yolks and lime juice and stir over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until slightly thick and very hot. Be careful not to bring to a full boil.

7. Add softened gelatin to lime juice mixture. Whisk well for 1 minute or until gelatin is dissolved.

8. To quickly cool mixture, place saucepan in a large bowl filled with ice.

9. When completely cool, gradually whisk in condensed milk, stirring until blended well and mixture becomes thick.

10. Spoon into graham cracker crust and spread evenly.

11. Cover filling with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

12. When ready to serve, top pie with fresh Grand MarnierWhipped Cream and lime slices.

Grand Marnier Whipped Cream

½ pint heavy cream, well chilled

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

liqueur, optional

Instructions:

1. In a stainless-steel mixing bowl, combine cream, sugar and liqueur.

2. Whip with an electric mixer on high until cream holds peaks. Be careful not to over-whip cream or it will separate. Cream is properly whipped when you can drag a finger through it and a trough remains.

Rosemary Andouille Baked Grits

Makes 8 to 10 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ cup finely chopped yellow onions

¾ cup thinly sliced mushrooms

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 pound andouille sausage, chopped into quarter-sized rounds (about 1½ cups)

½ cup hot coffee

3 tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons salt, divided

1 teaspoon white pepper

½ teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon LuLu's Crazy Creola Seasoning

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus a sprinkle for garnish

6 cups water

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups grits

1–2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.

3. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add mushrooms and jalapeños. Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. Lightly spray cooking oil in a cast iron skillet. Sauté sausage over medium-high heat until very browned and pieces of sausage are sticking to the pan. Remove sausage from pan and drain on paper towels.

6. Add coffee to deglaze skillet and continue cooking to reduce liquid by about half.

7. Add tomatoes, sautéed vegetables, and sausage and continue cooking, covered, for 1 to 2 minutes. Uncover and simmer for a few more minutes until almost no liquid remains.

8. Add salt, white pepper, sugar, Creole seasoning, and rosemary. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.

9. In a large saucepan, combine water, cream, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

10. Whisk grits into boiling liquid. Reduce heat to low, whisking often. Cook until grits thicken.

11. Add sausage mixture and mix well.

12. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with cooking oil. Pour grits mixture into dish.

13. Top with cheese and garnish with a sprinkle of rosemary.

14. Bake for 30 minutes.

15. Broil for 3 minutes or until top is browned.

16. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. When you first remove dish from the oven, it'll be as hot as a heat tile on the space shuttle, and unless you really want to injure your guests, it's best to wait a few minutes before serving.