-Funding for "Kevin Belton's Cookin' Louisiana" was provided by... -Today on "Cookin' Louisiana," I'm game for making three great dishes from Sportsman's Paradise -- fried quail with peach chutney, then Louisiana catfish with okra and corn, and finally, summery peach cake with vanilla whipped cream and cane drizzle.

[ Duck call ] These dishes -- they just call to me.

[ Duck call ] ♪ ♪ ♪ Ma chérie, you are gonna taste so good by the time I get through with you.

Hi, guys.

Welcome to my "Cookin' Louisiana" kitchen.

Now, thank you for joining me on this tasty tour of the state's best flavors and dishes.

Louisiana is a haven, if you don't know it, for those of you who like the great outdoors.

It has so many excellent fishing and wildlife opportunities that it's earned the state the nickname of Sportsman's Paradise.

Now, Sportsman's Paradise also refers to North Louisiana, which includes Ruston.

And the reason I bring up Ruston is because they're known as the peach capital of the state.

So first up, a peach of a game dish -- fried quail with peach chutney.

That's why I wanted you to meet these quail.

But first, we're gonna give them a little bath.

What I have here is a little buttermilk.

So, into our buttermilk, paprika, a little garlic powder, a little cayenne pepper.

We're gonna do a little Italian seasoning.

See, this is all about the flavor, okay?

Let's get in a little bit of Creole seasoning.

Little bit of salt.

We're gonna stir this together, and we're gonna get our quail in.

Buttermilk -- there's a couple of things.

You know, often, folks soak game in buttermilk because it gets rid of that gamey taste, but it's also a little bit of a tenderizer and adds flavor.

So, we're gonna take our quail.

We're gonna just drop them on in.

Come on.

We have room for another one here.

You can get in.

Yes, let's go.

Hop on in!

Get in there.

Make room for your friends.

Right now, we could put this in a refrigerator and let it sit for an hour, you let it sit for eight hours.

If you want to do it the night before, that's fine, as well, because what happens is by sitting and soaking, it gets a chance for the buttermilk to absorb a little bit into the flavor.

The flavors of the seasonings get to absorb into our quail a little bit.

And then what we want to do is just drain them.

We don't want to rinse them off.

We're just gonna drain them.

So, I have some that I've already done, and I'll show you how they look after they're drained.

Now, you can see the seasoning.

This is what I was talking about.

I didn't rinse them.

You just want to drain them.

So, in our bowl, I'm gonna take a little flour and a little cornstarch.

The reason I use cornstarch is because the cornstarch helps things fry very, very crispy -- very crispy.

So, let's put in a little salt.

And I'm gonna do just a touch of our Creole seasoning.

Just get this mixed in really well.

Now, if you want to do like grandmother, grandmother would put this in a paper bag, and then she would put it in that paper bag and shake it really good to get it coated.

But here... it's the same thing, where we just want to make sure we get them coated on both sides with the flour.

Shake off any excess flour.

And just we can just let it rest right here.

Let's get another one in.

So, just make sure they're covered really, really good.

We want to check our oil to make sure it's hot enough for frying, okay?

I like to fry these roughly about 325 degrees.

We don't want them too hot, because they're gonna take about six, seven minutes to fry.

But take a little pinch of flour.

See?

We want just that little bit of sizzle.

This -- it's just about ready.

Just about ready.

Now, I like to take our quail and just gently... lay it into the oil.

Take this other one.

Now, this is gonna fry for about three to four minutes.

Then we'll turn them.

So while they're frying, let's go ahead and make our wonderful peach chutney to go with this.

So in our pan, a little oil.

And I'm gonna get in some red onion.

[ Sizzling ] A little red onion, a jalapeño pepper.

Now, if you want, you can use a serrano.

But I tell you what, that serrano jalapeño will give a little bit of spice, because here we have a little bit of sweet and spiciness going on with our peaches that are gonna go in this.

And I tell you what, you know, I always wondered why certain things in certain areas can grow so well.

Well, peaches are one of those things that just grow wonderfully up in Ruston.

And I'm gonna just put in just a pinch of our Creole seasoning.

Oh, look at those quail.

Now, you know there's not much to quail.

If you notice, I put them breast side down because that's where most of the meat is and we want to make sure they cook all the way through.

So, here you can see that our onions are starting to get a little soft.

It's becoming a little translucent.

So now we can go in with things like a little bit of bourbon.

And if you don't like bourbon, you can use a little vanilla.

A little lemon juice.

I reduced a little balsamic vinegar to make a balsamic vinegar reduction.

That's why it's nice and thick.

And a little brown sugar.

And now for the star of the show, our peaches.

I'm gonna put a few peaches in now, okay, because we want this to cook.

I like to let this cook down anywhere from 5, 6, 7 minutes, you know, 8, 10, 12 minutes.

And the reason why I put some of the peaches in now and we'll put some in later is because when they cook for a long time, they'll tend to fall apart, and it'll be really soft.

And that's great, but for a chutney, I like it kind of chunky.

That's why we'll put in some of the peaches in just a little bit.

But let's turn our quail.

[ Sizzling ] Oh.

Nice, golden brown.

Oh, doesn't that look pretty?

So, here with the chutney, like I said, this can reduce, this can reduce.

To give this a little body, we're gonna do a little slurry of just water and cornstarch.

What this will do, this will help thicken our chutney.

So as it cooks, this will start to thicken up.

And the more you cook this, the more it thickens.

And of course, as this cooks, I want a little taste just to see how it's coming along, just on the sauce.

That's really good.

Just a little pinch more salt.

Now, let's get a few more peaches in.

Now, I am using frozen peaches, okay?

You know, certain times of the year, you can get them fresh, but if you can't find them fresh, use them frozen, because one of the great things is the way they freeze vegetables and fruits now, they freeze them very quick, so the flavor is still there.

So this is good.

We can turn our fire off.

Let's get our quail out to drain.

We're just gonna drain it here on some paper towels.

Our chutney is getting nice and thick.

So I'll get everything straightened up, and I'll show you how we're gonna plate this.

Look at our crispy quail.

They are so nice and crisped.

We put one there.

We'll put one here.

Oh, y'all can cross each other.

Now, let's get our chutney.

Now, to finish off our chutney, this is a little fresh basil.

And I like to put it in just right before serving to keep it nice and fresh.

Ah, yes.

Now, there's a couple of options.

You know, you can take your chutney and serve it on top of your quail, or you can serve the chutney on the side.

I have a friend who likes to break off the quail and dip it down in the chutney and then eat some with a spoon.

That was our peachy fried quail.

Next, a dish that shows off why catfish is king here in the Sportsman's Paradise.

We're gonna make Louisiana catfish with okra and corn.

Why do you think North Louisiana is called Sportsman's Paradise?

-It is an outdoor adventure mecca -- everything from hiking and ATV trails.

This is a big nesting area for bald eagles, as well is other types of endangered species.

Lots of people go noodling for big catfish here and boat-fishing for gar.

-Have you gone noodling?

-No, I haven't gone noodling, but it is on my bucket list.

-To go noodling?

-Yeah.

[ Laughs ] -Guys, one of the things we get a lot of in Louisiana, catfish.

The other thing we have -- and, you know, you may not see this except for gumbo is okra.

Everybody associates okra with gumbo.

But I tell you what, it's a vegetable that also can be eaten by itself with other things.

So, here, we're gonna have okra with our catfish.

So, in our bowl, some onions.

Now, I always like to use a sweet onion, okay?

You can use a red onion, a yellow one, you know, white onion.

I like a little bit of a sweet onion.

We're gonna do some corn.

Now, you know, certain times of the year, there's certain things you can get.

You can get them fresh, or you can get them frozen.

So if you can't get fresh, always use frozen.

And we'll get in some okra, We're gonna do a little Creole seasoning.

We're gonna get a little salt.

And we're gonna get some olive oil.

Matter of fact, I want to get a little olive oil in our pan.

Alright, that's good.

Now, let's get the pan heated up, and now let's just give this a nice, little toss.

What we're going to do with our vegetables, we're gonna roast them in the oven.

So we just get them tossed with oil.

We get them seasoned.

Let's take a baking pan.

Ah, yes.

Hop on out.

Everybody out.

And now all we're gonna do is just spread this all around.

Just spread this all out on the pan, and the oil has coated our vegetables.

So, now I have the oven preheating at 450 degrees.

This is going to be in an oven for about 20 to 25 minutes.

So let's get this in the oven roasting.

425 degrees, and we want it in there for about 25 minutes.

Periodically, we'll go in and give it a stir.

Now, our skillet is heating up, so let's go ahead and season our catfish.

It's important when we season, remember, we have to season both sides.

So, a little salt, a little Creole seasoning.

Let's turn them over.

Alright, your turn.

Now let's season this other side.

Little salt.

Little Creole seasoning.

And now that our pain is hot, let's just take our fish and lay it right in the pan.

[ Sizzling ] Ah, yes.

And we can get one more in.

Now, this catfish needs to cook roughly for about three to four minutes on each side.

In Louisiana, we can find catfish pretty much anywhere.

There are actually three types of catfish.

We get hardhead catfish, we get blue catfish, and what's called a channel cat.

One of the things I can remember as a kid growing up, my dad and I were driving, and we were going along the road that runs right along the Mississippi River.

He noticed there was a couple of men with a fishing pole looking in the trunk of a car.

So, of course, my dad was a fisherman, he had to stop to take a look.

Inside of this trunk, gang, there was a fish that took up the entire trunk.

It was a catfish.

I looked down as a kid, and the catfish was looking back up at me.

It was at least 80 pounds.

I had never seen a catfish so big.

So you can find some that are underneath a pound to up over 100 pounds.

But catfish -- oh, I tell you what, they are so, so great.

Now, you notice when you put something down, try not to move it.

And here I'm using a nonstick pan, okay?

Of course we can do this in cast iron, stainless steel, alright?

But for this one, I wanted to do a nonstick pan.

And remember, as fish cooks, it cooks from the bottom.

Coming up, it'll start to change colors.

And if you aren't sure whether it's cooked or not, just take a knife and just break it apart on a fork and break into it, see if it flakes.

So, while this is doing that, let's give our vegetables a quick stir.

Ah!

You all are looking so good.

And I tell you what, they're starting to smell already.

Alright, keep going.

Oh, I can't wait for you to get nice and toasty.

Think it's time for our catfish to take a flip.

Oh, you look so good.

Just turn them over.

[ Sizzling ] Notice how they are browned and crisp.

You also notice right in here, it's starting to split a little bit.

That's what I was talking about, it being flaky.

When you hear people talk about a white, flaky fish, catfish is a white, flaky fish.

This is almost done.

We're gonna get those veggies out the oven, and I'll show you how we're gonna get this all together.

Oh!

Oh, yes.

Nice and roasted.

Oh, look.

Now, let's just take some of these vegetables, make a little bed for our fish to sit on.

Come on.

Hop up there.

Get it right there.

You look so good.

Our fish, even though it wasn't fried, it can still get nice and crisped.

So let's take our fish... and just set it right on our bed of vegetables like that.

Here.

Little bit of green onion.

Just a little touch of parsley to give it a little color.

And there we have it.

You know I love my vegetables, so that catfish with roasted okra and corn is gonna be one of my favorite dishes.

Now, we're gonna finish up Sportsman's Paradise salute with a summer dessert starring peaches, peach cake, vanilla, whipped cream, and cane drizzle!

I'm at New Orleans Fish House, and I'm talking with Cliff Hall.

Cliff, what are some of the different species that we have here in Louisiana?

-Chef, we're so blessed to have the estuary system in Louisiana.

Our Gulf waters and our Marsh estuary system allow for tremendous populations of sheepshead and black drum.

And then right off the coast, there's tuna.

We've got tilefish.

We got grouper, snapper.

We're just loaded with fish.

It's time to take care of that sweet tooth in all of us.

So, of course, a little flour.

I have a little baking powder.

We're gonna get in a little salt.

And we're just gonna mix this together.

Alright.

We'll set this on the side.

Now, in our bowl, I have some butter, and I'm gonna put in some sugar.

Now, you know, every once in a while, I decide to do things like grandmother did.

You know, she never used -- well, she did sometimes use a hand mixer, and now they have the big mixers.

But a lot of times grandmother just did things by hand.

So I'm just gonna kind of cream this butter together.

And, you know, you want it out room temperature.

And I tell you what, if you're trying to cut butter in, sometimes instead of taking a spoon, you could use -- have a little utensil.

So, I just want to get that going just a little bit, you can see how it's starting to get nice and smooth.

I don't know if you can tell how creamy it's getting, but it's getting nice and creamy.

So let's go in and put in an egg.

And we're gonna put in a little vanilla.

Now, let's go ahead and get this worked in.

Ah.

You know, I mentioned Ruston, Louisiana.

You know, North Central Louisiana.

It's the perfect climate of growing peaches.

And there are several different orchards and farms in the regions that produce peaches.

The Ruston Peach Festival has celebrated the fuzzy fruit for more than 60 years.

Ah, yeah.

It's a beautiful area, gang.

Ah, look at this.

See how this is coming together?

Now, I'm using buttermilk in this recipe, so let's get in a little buttermilk.

Oh, let's just get it all in right now.

We were gonna go a little bit, but let's just go and get it all in.

And we will start to get our flour worked in.

You know, every once in a while, I like cakes that have that rough texture, you know, as opposed to it's just so smooth and creamy.

It just reminds me of grandmother.

So let's get our flour in.

And remember, we put a little baking powder in here with a little bit of salt.

We're just gonna go ahead and get this worked in.

And notice I'm working the sides of the bowl to make sure that flour gets mixed in there.

Let's get the remainder of the flour in.

And just take your time.

You don't want this splashing all over you.

I remember doing this with grandmother, and this is where you get the kids involved.

This is a nice, thick, thick batter, but that's what we want.

Now I'm gonna do this in a pie plate, and you can see that I've buttered this really, really good.

So let's... take our batter... get it in.

Come on.

Everybody in.

Now, let's just kind of spread this all around.

You can see I've buttered the sides, as well.

Alright.

Now let's get our peaches.

I just like to take our peaches, kind of go around the outside.

You notice I am slightly... pushing them into the cake batter, just a little bit, okay?

This is the type things that where you learn all the things about what your parents did from your grandmother telling you stories about your parents.

I think that's why sometimes dad didn't want me hanging out with grandma too much, because I learned all the things he used to do as a kid.

But hey, what great memories, what great stories that has.

And, you know, if you want, you can pile them on top.

But I just like to go ahead and kind of push them right down on in.

Alright, I'll get another one right here.

Do you all see any more spots we need one?

Oh, right here?

Okay.

We can get one right there.

To top this off, a little sparkling sugar.

Sparkling sugar is nice and coarse, and it will give it a nice, little kind of a crispy crunch right on the top.

Now, the oven is preheating 350 degrees.

It's gonna be in there for 10 minutes.

Then I'm gonna lower the oven to 325.

The rest of the way, it's gonna go at 325, which will take probably -- eh, probably 50 to 60 minutes.

So let's get this in the oven.

Bake sparkly.

350 degrees for 10 minutes, then we're gonna lower that oven 325 for 50 to 60 minutes the rest of the way.

And guess what?

It's gonna come out pretty peachy.

This smells so delicious.

Kind of smells like summer.

Let's take our knife, give it a little cut.

Oh.

Pop right on top there.

Now, I made a little bit of whipped cream... to go right on top, and we're gonna take just a touch of cane syrup and just drizzle a little cane syrup right on over the top.

I tell you, guys, this summery peach cake is so good, you're gonna need to make two so everyone can have seconds.

You know, thank you all for joining me on this culinary road trip.

Now, keep that party rolling.

Bring the big flavors of Louisiana to your home.

So we'll see you next time for more "Cookin' Louisiana."

-The companion cookbook to "Kevin Belton's Cookin' Louisiana" is available for $28, plus shipping and handling.

You can also order an hour-long DVD of favorite dishes from the series for $19.95, plus shipping and handling.

Both the book and favorites DVD are available for $43.95, plus shipping and handling.

To order these items, call 1-866-360-4928, or order online at wyes.org.

[ Clattering rhythmically ] ♪ -This is a breakfast sausage.

♪ Don't be shy.

Come on.

These are nice people.

Say hello.

See?

These are nice people.

Say hello to the people.

♪ If I could place time in a bubble ♪ Let's get our fire on.

Because I didn't open the butane, it's not on.

So excuse me one moment while I go down here.

♪ Now, let's get our fire on.

We've had crawfish in a burger, so why not do something a little light?

You notice I've gotten pretty since y'all last saw me.

No, alright, I'm sorry.

Uh... ♪ -For more information about "Kevin Belton's Cookin' Louisiana," visit wyes.org.

-Funding for "Kevin Belton's "Cookin' Louisiana" was provided by...