Full Spectrum Cajun, Jamaican & Tex-Mex Cuisines Flavor Matrix Recipe Designer Tables

Dr.Peppar

Dr.Peppar

UPDATES: I have over 20 tables completed now (including Jamaican Set I, Cajun-Creole Set I, Cajun-Creole Set II, Tex-Mex Set I, Spanish/Latin Set I, Spanish/Latin Set II). I've edited the thread cleaning up the annoying banners on the images and changing the random images into proper sets. I'm now plugging away at classic American / Pub dishes, and next up are Thai Curries / etc. You can follow the main stream at my site for progress if interested in my new page category "Beyond Cooking: Flavor Design":
http://massspectrumbotanicals.com/beyond-cooking-flavor-design/
 
Here's my little inventions. I first made the Jerk Sauce version about 5 years ago for my own use. Since I started selling spices in my site last year it occurred to me I ought to finish it for others. Originally I wanted to know what core elements all cooks used, what the full spectrum range of all ingredients used, and easy reference for making large batches. I never filled out the min column in my old hand written draft. I'll be continuously making these from now on for everything I can find between spice blends, sauces, soups and so on. They'll always be free to copy downloads, but I'll be making laminated versions of them to sell, so people printing + laminating + SELLING these tools is prohibited.
 
HowToUse.jpg

 
Jamaican I:​
 
Mass-Spectrum-Botanicals-Full-Spectrum-Jamaican-Jerk-Sauce-Recipe-Builder.png

 
 
I have these ready in laminated form:
http://massspectrumbotanicals.com/shop/laminated-jamaican-jerk-sauce-recipe-designer-tool/
Jamaican-Jerk-Sauce-Recipe-Builder.jpg

 
 
Cajun-Creole I:​
 
This one focuses on the 3 core powders.
http://massspectrumbotanicals.com/shop/laminated-cajun-country-powders-recipe-designer-tool/
 
Mass-Spectrum-Botanicals-Full-Spectrum-Blackened-Cajun-Creole-Powders-Recipe-Designer-Tables-Laminated.jpg

 
http://massspectrumbotanicals.com/shop/laminated-cajun-country-powders-recipe-designer-tool/
 
Full-Spectrum-Blackened-Powder-Table-Recipe-Designer-Table.jpg

Full-Spectrum-Cajun-Powder-Recipe-Designer-Table.jpg

Full-Spectrum-Creole-Powder-Table-Recipe-Designer-Table.jpg
 
so, each recipe # on each card would be a tried and approved recipe?  If I want a fajita recipe for shrimp with black pepper I'd use # 14 and for shrimp without black pepper #5?  Or just look at the Min/Max and pick an ingredient amount somewhere in the middle? 
 
I guess I'm not "getting" how it would be used. 
 
It took a bit but I figured out what the last column is.  I'd think that fact would be confusing if people were looking at these as a recipe card.  Probably more of interest to you as the developer.   
 
Dr.Peppar said:
And what exactly does that even mean? If I'm not Cajun and made the table then none of it is?
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Not at all. I was talking about the ingredients used. True Cajun seasoning only has salt, cayenne powder, garlic powder, paprika and black pepper. Some may also use onion powder and MSG. Most of the other ingredients listed are from derivatives of Creole seasonings. 
It is a good concept though. 
 
It was extremely confusing to me as well. And he is right ^ . Two different things that are often confused.
And he would know cause he's from Lafayette.
 
The idea is that you have all of those example paths you can try, or you can utilize the tabulation columns to make simple or all out full spectrum across the ingredients (my style). Once I started digitizing it for everyone else it occurred to me the that a column showing the most used ingredients so that then if people wanted to go the solid average route they could just do the 9 or 12 etc most used by all chefs / cooks.  I suppose the how-to-use graphic should be the opening image...
 
I think what makes it confusing is that it's very busy. I see what you are trying to accomplish but it may turn people off if they don't understand right away.
 
MeatHead1313 said:
Not at all. I was talking about the ingredients used. True Cajun seasoning only has salt, cayenne powder, garlic powder, paprika and black pepper. Some may also use onion powder and MSG. Most of the other ingredients listed are from derivatives of Creole seasonings. 
It is a good concept though. 
Click to expand...
 
Interesting....
 
Never had that explained before. So where then does Blackened fit into this equation? Since there was an average of 9 ingredients across every recipe I dug up for 'cajun powder', a sticky situation.
 
Blackened is simply a style of cooking. It is used in cajun cooking a lot so it does fit in there in a way.. But cajun and creole are more than just a way to prepare food. It's a culture. It's a people. Geaux Saints! 
 
And they are different. Different parts of LA. Cajun is kinda like mid south La. Creole more around New Orleans. Hard to describe exactly
 
Dr.Peppar said:
 
Interesting....
 
Never had that explained before. So where then does Blackened fit into this equation? Since there was an average of 9 ingredients across every recipe I dug up for 'cajun powder', a sticky situation.
 
In any event I now have the 3 tables merged into one table in laminated form:
Mass-Spectrum-Botanicals-Full-Spectrum-Blackened-Cajun-Creole-Powders-Recipe-Designer-Tables-Laminated.jpg

http://massspectrumbotanicals.com/shop/laminated-cajun-country-powders-recipe-designer-tool/
 
BUT apparently it ought be be called Creole Country Powders instead??
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I can see where the confusion for Cajun seasoning comes from. A lot of the recipes online are more like Creole rather than true Cajun. Seems outside of Cajun country companies sell recipes similar to yours marketed as Cajun so maybe that's where the confusion comes from? Next time I'm at work I'll get a list of the ingredients from the seasoning the company I work for makes if you like. 
I'm unsure on blackened. I've only lived here for 4 1/2 years and have only tried cooking blackened once. I do remember it had more herbs in it, can't remember exactly what though. Funnily enough the Cajun seasoning sold in Australia is more like blackened seasoning than Cajun. 
 
Another thing in my opinion, is that you always have allspice berries, thyme and scotch bonnets in a real jerk recipe. Those three are essential. I'm not Jamaican but I have been down there a time or two and talked to people. lol
 
And escallion. Escallion is like scallion but native to Jamaica. You can substitute but they are different.
 
Cajun/Creole, not versed in it like you guys but I do know some don't consider blackening to be true Cajun, more of a chef-created dish, so a Cajun "specialty" if you will...since Paul Prudhomme created it in 1980 in his restaurant, and it took off. But its roots are not Cajun. He just didn't have a grill in his restaurant. 
 
Yep escallion definitely. Even just green onions can work. Find the youngest shoots that are still pretty white and that have a bitter kick.
 
Exactly, the white, that's the key. I told someone once to use the white of the scallions and not the green leafy ends, and he said was told to use all. But the green leafy is not the right texture for jerk. You need more of an onion dice kinda bite.

The Hot Pepper said:
And escallion. Escallion is like scallion but native to Jamaica. You can substitute but they are different.
 
Cajun/Creole, not versed in it like you guys but I do know some don't consider blackening to be true Cajun, more of a chef-created dish, so a Cajun "specialty" if you will...since Paul Prudhomme created it in 1980 in his restaurant, and it took off. But its roots are not Cajun. He just didn't have a grill in his restaurant. 
Click to expand...
 
Oops sorry, and as related to this topic, I was trying to say, don't worry about blackening seasoning, as related to Cajun spices. They probably try to mimic what Prudhomme first used and are designed for charring.
 
I've got a big bottle of American Spice Cajun here that says: MSG, Salt, Paprika and "Spices".
The I have Zataran's Blackened: Salt, Paprika, Cayenne, Black pepper, White pepper, Chilie Powder, MSG, Onion, Garlic, "Spices".
 
20 years ago in Michigan at ago 15 I worked at a fancy "Seasfood Grille" that the house soup was (AWESOME) Gumbo, and Blackened was a House spice (and Ioved it immensely). After that though I went eons without ever having it again. I bought this Zataran's a few years back but the few times I used it it never seemed like what we wee using (at least the ways I was). Then the other day I made that chart and whipped up a batch following the high side averages mostly and tore threw 2lbs. of Tilapia and it was almost exactly like I remember it (flavor and goodness) although I have it hotter than most ever would. Using common spice cabinet ingredients it came out really fine, and good, but on the fish REALLY red.
 
So then I thought up my own all out dark blend using only really dark powders of various peppers from the stash including Trinidad Scorpion Chocolate, which I call something like 'TS Chocolate Blackened Fire'. The burgers came out truly black, and scorching.
 
Photo:
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Now doing side by side taste tests I can say the Zataran's isn't too bad after the first dip, but its still extremely salty. I prefer to little to no salt in my things. The red chart-made almost exactly like I remember. This BLACKened I made turns the tongue numb first dip, but its awesome. I'm gonna test a few tweaks then thats going up in the site. Then I do an atomic parking lot version of it with TSC pods with the seeds in them, perhaps. The Cajun powder there I've been real happy with and have done endless variations of Cajun/Jamaican Fusion dishes with constant good results. You can see examples of that stuff, and the true fusion from the ground up Jamaican & Cajun inspired 'Jerk ("Unholy Trinity") at my instructables page:
http://www.instructables.com/member/MassSpectrumBotanicalsDOTcom/
By making these tables its been like immediate added expertise in flavor engineering each time.

The Hot Pepper said:
Exactly, the white, that's the key. I told someone once to use the white of the scallions and not the green leafy ends, and he said was told to use all. But the green leafy is not the right texture for jerk. You need more of an onion dice kinda bite.
Click to expand...
 
I do what I call the "Deep Spectrum Methodology", where each form of each potential item offer a variance of flavor profiles. So for fresh onions several different including scallions & chives; then onion powder;etc. For chili instead of use one type of fresh pepper I use them all (which can be several dozen at times). Then I'll chop and soak bits from the bags of dried pods (usually about 15), then I'll go thru the various forms of powdered peppers. Then there's garlic and its variants. I call the concept itself "flavor harmonics", where normally we expect the individual ingredient to play out as the harmonics like the image below, I intend for 'each ingredient' to be a complex set of harmonics all their own across as many applicable 'resultant harmonics' as possible.
FP4Q8XQHJ5ZQUQN.LARGE.jpg

 
With Jerk everything goes in the blender (although I don't throw the entire fresh pepper sink at it I keep it Caribbean), and it always seems to work out regardless of what goes in. I like to top the marinated meat nowadays with Cajun Powder, in variation, and am now anxious to top it with these Blackened Powders, but for now I'll have to settle with doing that to Unholy Trinity Chicken (which is way better luckily).
 
I like your organizational idea. Well done.
Didn't take me long to figure it out even without reading the  instructions :D.
 
The Cajun/Creole distinction/authenticity is both beyond and doesn't mean that much to me either, They look to be pretty good recipes whatever you call them.
 
Graphically , the  watermark I find visually somewhat distracting, and I'd used a different font for the left column -just picky little things I'd change. ;)
 
I was using a spreadsheet in a similar fashion to develop and cost-out granola recipes and it helps with scaling.. 
 
I've toyed with the idea (and a few hundred others) of doing blends such as these for our local farmer's market, but I don't think my locale is hot/spice-friendly enough to make it worthwhile.:( I could be wrong.
I have a friend that enjoys doing it in the Richmond VA area with some success. 
 
Good Luck with the project and thanks for sharing your work.
 
Spanish/Latin I:​
 
First I had to tackle 'all' 7 Sofritos, which are a primary cooking base for most Latin dishes. The ingredients look very similar to salsa's, but sofritos are generally cooked, yet Sofritos are also used as a topping like salsa (but also the entire dish can be cooked in Sofrito).
 
http://massspectrumbotanicals.com/shop/laminated-internatonal-sofrito-recipe-designer-tool/
 
International-Sofrito-Recipe-Designer-Table-A.jpg

International-Sofrito-Recipe-Designer-Table.jpg

 
http://massspectrumbotanicals.com/shop/laminated-internatonal-sofrito-recipe-designer-tool/
 
Dominican-Saz%C3%B3n-Sofrito.jpg

Spanish-Sofrito.png

Puerto-Rican-Sofrito.png

Ecuadorian-Mojo-De-Ajo-Sofrito.png

Cuban-Sofrito.png

Columbian-Hogao-Guiso-Sofrito.png

Caribbean-Sofrito.png

 
http://massspectrumbotanicals.com/shop/laminated-internatonal-sofrito-recipe-designer-tool/
 
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