Tasso Cream Sauce

By JimMac

Tasso is a smoked seasoning meat used to flavor dishes like Gumbo, Jambalaya, and Red Beans & Rice. Tasso used to be made from the trim after an Acadian Hog Boucherie, thin strips, heavily seasoned, dried, then smoked for hours. These days however, most of the Tasso that is available is a little more fancy, more of a ham than the style of the old days.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons usalted butter
• 1/2 cup tasso, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 dashes hot sauce (I use Crystal)
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup Mexican Crema agria, or creme fraiche

Preparation

Step 1

Add the butter and Tasso to a small saucepan. Saute until lightly browned, incorporate the flour, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

Add the cold half & half, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes.

Season with the salt and add the lemon juice and the sauces. Just before serving whisk in the crema and warm through.

Serve with shrimp stuffed crepes.