Thanks G! I "know" how it's supposed to taste...only 'cause I've been a frequent visitor Jazz Fest and several Mardi Gras (as a youngin') over the years. I didn't "quite" get to the level I was looking for, but not bad for a rookie if I must say so myself. My roux turned out great...just as you describe, but I probably spent over an hour getting it to that point. I had my heat on low (2 ish), and never stopped stirring the whole time. I'd just like to expedite that time a bit. I did the chicken (2 breasts and a pack of drumsticks) in a pot for stock, and browned some Andouille, put onion and celery in (didn't have bell pepper on hand), and then some fresh (and some frozen) okra in. Didn't have any file powder on hand...is that critical? Let it all sit in the fridge overnight, and then brought it back to life before serving, but I'm still missing "something", but don't quite know what. I used some of my own "Cajun spice" blend that I had made up some time back, and also added some "Tony Chachere's Creole" seasoning, along with plenty of Crystal hot sauce. I KNOW you know your stuff (from other threads). I've been to 'Nawlins a bunch over the years, so I know what it's supposed to taste like...I'm just not quite there yet...help a Pelican brother out! I reckon it's like chile...I've never made a "bad" batch, sometimes it's just better and I've never done it the same way twice
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