The Cajun Foodie

Get you some of that cher!

Thanks to all for the continued interest!

Feb 23

Posted by The Cajun Foodie in The Cajun Foodie | 6 Comments

It never ceases to amaze me how this blog continues to generate comments and interest even though we have been so lackadaisical in posting.

So what’s been going on since our last post? A ton of good eating and too little writing about it. I sincerely hope to get back to documenting my/our food adventures in the near future.

In the meanwhile, follow the good people at www.blackenedout.com, who have turned a food blog into a multimedia juggernaut with their annual www.hogsforthecause.org festival. Despite the fact that they got Pascale Manales BBQ shrimp recipe wrong, we love ‘em!

And for the record, I think decent boudin is finally making its way to New Orleans!

Stubb’s Bar-B-Q Austin

May 16

Posted by ellclare in Everywhere else, Uncategorized | 17 Comments

36691 217x300 Stubbs Bar B Q Austin

Two things come to mind when I think of Sunday brunch: barbeque and Bloody Marys.  If you’re looking for either – Stubb’s is your place.

The waitress tells us to go ahead and serve ourselves outside.  Outside?  Yes.  Outside.  Walking out of the door next to the stage you will find the epitome of Southern barbeque.  There’s no plate big enough to fit what your eyes are telling you that you need.  There’s fresh brisket (cut on the spot), cheese grits, fried catfish, biscuits, sausage, bacon, and more!  There’s also Stubb’s sauce on the side so you can apply as much – or as little – as you want.

photo 1 224x300 Stubbs Bar B Q Austin

If you’re like me, you’re a bit skeptical about ordering a Bloody Mary at a restaurant because you’re not sure how they fix it, and not sure if you’ll like it.  Well at Stubb’s, there’s a Bloody Mary bar.  As in “make your own”!  The waitress serves you vodka over ice, then you enter the Bloody Mary bar, which has its own special room filled with mix, veggies, and every type of seasoning you can imagine!

photo 4 224x300 Stubbs Bar B Q Austin

Stubb’s is known for its Southern barbeque and live music, particularly Sunday’s Gospel Brunch.  I’ve never been to a “Gospel Brunch” before, but I’ll tell you that Stubb’s Bar-B-Q in Austin will not be my last!  What a cool experience!

photo 5 300x224 Stubbs Bar B Q Austin

Stubb’s Bar-B-Q

801 Red River

Austin, TX

(512) 480-8341

“A Higher Class of Coon-Ass”

May 6

Posted by JB in Cajun recipes, Ingredients, tips, and restaurant news, The Cajun Foodie | 24 Comments

Through a recent experience of mine (which I am not allowed to talk about) I learned a few things.  The major one being this: Though south Louisiana food is, without a doubt, some of the best food in the world, it is extremely simple and limited.  I mean all we do, for the most part, is sauté some vegetables, add some type of sauce base, some type of stock, some seasonings, some type of meat, and then throw it over rice.  Delicious, yes, but creative? Not really.  I mean, there are things that a good coon-ass like myself (and I’m sure some of you) would never even dream of.  I mean, smoked duck tacos? Pumpkin lamb stew? Homemade chorizo?  Risotto cakes fried in truffle oil?  Black mole sauce? WTF?  Who even knew you could eat a pumpkin?  What the hell is a mole?  Well, let me tell you, there is a whole world of food out there that I didn’t even know existed.

Well, I guess I had an idea (thank you Food Network) but I am more of a jeans and cowboy boots kind of guy.  White tablecloths and dress codes kind of throw me off.  Surely I can’t really afford to eat at these restaurants anyway, nor could I ever pull off this complicated cuisine in my tiny kitchen in Madisonville, LA.  Well, I was wrong.  It turns out most of these “white tablecloth” type of dishes are very simple.  It may take a bit of a process, but the steps are, most of the time, simple and easy to follow.  And, with the right ingredients, most people with a little cooking ability can pull off fabulous cuisine in any kitchen.  Of course, those fancy, often pretentious, $50-$100 a plate restaurants don’t want you to know that.

Anyway, that’s why I came up with this idea for a series of dishes that I have labeled “A Higher Class of Coon-Ass”.  These dishes are based in true Louisiana coon-ass tradition, but with fine dining flare.  Here is the first:

Jambalaya Risotto

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • 4-5 cups of chicken stock
  • ½ cup amber beer
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 5-6 very ripe tomatoes, diced (or 2 cans if you must)
  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 pork chop
  • ½ lb of good andouille or Cajun smoked sausage
  • 2-3 slices of bacon
  • 1/2  green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2  sweet yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 stalk of celery, chopped
  • 1 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 2-3 sprigs of parsley
  • 2-4 oz of butter
  • French Bread – optional
  • Cane Syrup – optional

Process:

Tomato puree:

  • Render fat from bacon in a sauce pan and strain out meat pieces.
  • Add ½ of the rendered fat back into the sauce pan and sautee 2/3 of the chopped vegetable mixture in bacon fat until soft.
  • Cut meat into 1-1.5 inch cubes and cut sausage into 1-1.5 inch pieces.  Add them to vegetables and brown lightly.
  • Add in diced tomatoes, season and stir.
  • Simmer for 30 minutes, taste and add seasoning if necessary.
  • Simmer for another 30 minutes or until the pork is tender.
  • Remove meat and set aside.  Once cool, cut the meat into small bite size pieces.
  • Put about a cup of the tomato mixture (without the meat) in a standard blender and puree.
  • Set aside.

Risotto:

  • In a separate sauce pan, begin heating up chicken stock and beer over medium heat.  Try to keep it just under a boil.
  • Add remaining bacon fat and butter to a large skillet or sauté pan and melt butter over medium heat.
  • Add remainder of vegetable mix and sauté until very soft being careful not to brown.
  • Add white wine and deglaze pan over medium high heat.
  • Add rice and blast rice for 2-3 minutes or until the edges of the rice are translucent.
  • With a soup ladle, add about 1 cup of the hot chicken stock/beer mixture so that the liquid is just at the level of the rice.
  • Simmer, stirring often if not constantly.
  • As the liquid in the rice reduces, add more stock ½-1 cup at a time, keeping the liquid to just at the level of the rice.  Stir often.
  • Before the last chicken stock/beer addition, add about 2-3 tablespoons of the tomato puree and stir in.
  • Add the remainder of the chicken stock/beer mixture and simmer until rice is cooked but still holds its form.
  • Taste and season.  The texture should be creamy, not mushy.  It should sort of resemble a rice pudding with the rice kernels still intact.
  • Add a few pieces of each the chicken, pork chop and sausage and stir in.

o   Another option is to use the meat pieces as a garnish on top.

  • Garnish with a tablespoon of the non pureed tomatoes and chopped parsley.
  • Serve with a piece of French bread with a swirl of cane syrup.

P.S. – Season 2 of the tv show Masterchef premieres on Fox June 6.  I’m just saying…

JB out…

Mara’s Homemade: NOLA in NYC

Feb 23

Posted by ellclare in Everywhere else | 15 Comments

When you’re from South Louisiana and you live in NYC sometimes you go through withdrawals. Serious withdrawals. For serious Cajun food. Having eaten a number of places in the city that claim to have “Cajun” or “Louisiana” food, Mara’s Homemade was the only place that actually followed through.

The ambiance, the southern hospitality, the menu, and the FLAVOR – Mara’s has it all! Let’s start with the most important: what’s on tap? Abita SOS, Abita Strawberry Harvest, Amber Bock, and AndyGator to name a few! Other beverages include the almighty Hurricane, Mint Julep, Sazarac; I don’t think I need to go any further!

Onto the goods – this is the real deal! Mara’s flies her product in from the Louisiana Gulf: Oyster’s, Crawfish, Alligator, Crabs and Shrimp. Her website boasts, “If you have been to NOLA and had the BBQ Shrimp then you will love Mara’s.” Need a dessert after your gumbo? You know you can’t eat a good Cajun meal without topping it off with an order of beignets!

Mara’s is also serving from a special Mardi Gras menu, and even Jazz Fest favorites as Crawfish Mara, Crawfish Pot Pie, Crawfish Stuffed Bread and Crawfish Cheese Toast!

Mara’s Homemade
 342 East 6th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 598-1110
http://www.marashomemade.com/

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New Orleans Beignets vs. Italian Sfingi

Feb 15

Posted by ellclare in Ingredients, tips, and restaurant news | 9 Comments

Sweet dough fried and covered in sugar.  Hmm…can there really be a wrong way to eat this?  Probably not; however, there are several different ways to eat this.  Two of my favorites are New Orleans Beignets and the Italian doughnut, or “Sfingi“.

beignets2 300x225 New Orleans Beignets vs. Italian SfingiThe beignet, a French pastry, is deep fried and covered in powdered sugar.  Beignets are associated with New Orleans, most commonly Cafe´du Monde.  The beignet is also the official doughnut of the state of Louisiana! (We have an official doughnut?!)

So the Italian version of a beignet is a zeppole, or as my family likes to call them: sfingi.  Sfingi are commonly light, deep fried dough balls covered in powdered sugar.  Their consistency is best when light and puffy.  Sometimes they are even filled with ricotta mixed with small pieces of chocolate, candied fruits and honey, and most often enjoyed on Saint Joseph’s Day, which is March 11 of this year.  In Rome, Naples and Sicily, these little pastries are sold on many streets and are sometimes gifts on this day.sfingi 300x225 New Orleans Beignets vs. Italian Sfingi

Whether you’re French, Italian, or both, you’re sure to enjoy these two sweet treats!

New Orleans Beignets

(Makes about 6 dozen)

1 (1/4 oz) envelope dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees), divided

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup shortening

6 1/2 – 7 cups bread flour

Vegetable oil

Sifted powdered sugar

1) Make yeast mixture: Combine yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, and 1 tsp. granulated sugar in bowl of heavy duty stand mixer; let stand 5 minutes.  Add milk, eggs, salt, and remaining granulated sugar.

2) Form dough: Microwave remaining 1 cup water until hot; stir in shortening until melted.  Add to yeast mixture.  Beat on low speed, gradually adding 4 cups flour, until smooth.  Gradually add remaining 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour, beating until a sticky dough forms.  Transfer to a lightly greased bowl; turn to grease top.  Cover and chill 4-24 hours.

3) Roll & cut. Turn dough out onto a floured surface; roll to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares.

4) Fry until golden.  Pour oil to depth of 2 to 3 inches into a Dutch oven; heat to 360 degrees. Fry dough, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Drain on wire rack.  Dust immediately with powdered sugar.

Seems a bit extensive, but worth every last bite.

Now for a quicker, much more simple recipe handed down from my precious grandmother:

Italian Sfingi

(Makes about 18 small “puffs“)

2 cups plain flour

6 tsp. baking powder

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

2/3 cup water

1) Mix all ingredients until blended.

2) Pour oil to depth of 2 to 3 inches into pan; heat over medium flame.

3) Drop by teaspoons into hot cooking oil.   Remove and place on wire rack once both sides are golden brown.

4) Sprinkle immediately with sugar of your choice: powdered, granulated, cinnamon sugar.  (*My personal favorite: rolled in granulated sugar and dipped in Steen’s Cane Syrup.)

Bon appetit!

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Beer Bread…Oh the Possibilities!

Jan 31

Posted by ellclare in Ingredients, tips, and restaurant news | 10 Comments

bread2 300x224 Beer Bread...Oh the Possibilities!Being from the South, we’ve probably all nibbled on a slice of beer bread at some point in time.  I have certainly indulged in this slice of Heaven before, and after being given this no sweat recipe, I’m wondering why I’ve never attempted to bake it myself!  This recipe is so simple, you must try it and serve with dinner (or for dinner) tonight!

3 cups self-rising flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 stick butter

1 (12 oz) can of beer @ room temperature

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix flour, sugar, and beer together.  Pour into greased bundt pan.  Bake for 45 minutes. Pour melted butter over bread (while still in pan; you may poke holes in bread with a fork to get the butter way down in there).  Bake for 10 more minutes.  Let cool for as long as you can stand it.  DIG IN!

Hot out of the oven, this bread is everything you wish for : warm, buttery, moist on the inside, perfect amount of crunch on the outsides, with a hint of beer to top it all off!

As I’m savoring every last crumb, all I can do is think of the possibilities with this recipe!  Want something sweet? Beer bread.  Want something savory? Beer bread.  Let your taste buds wander…

Breakfast: add raisins to the mix, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar when pouring on butter.  

Cheesy Bread: add cheese when pouring on butter.  

Experiment by adding a different beer each time: stout, wheat, domestic, imported, Abita’s strawberry beer, which might pair nicely with a nice local strawberry jam.  

Side dish.  

Solo dish: when you feel the need to indulge.  

My personal favorite: Gravy-sopper-upper.

The possibilities are endless, my friends.  So, bye-bye dinner rolls, hello Beer Bread (and stretchy pants)!

POLL: Who makes the best king cake in the world?

Jan 22

Posted by Tommy in The Cajun Foodie | 20 Comments

When it comes to king cakes, everyone has a favorite shop that fills the need for that seasonal treat that is made just so we Louisianans have an excuse to eat an obligatory sweet at every gathering during Mardi Gras.

My personal favorite exists only in mind now; as far as I know, “the” Conoco (or any Conoco) in Thibodaux does not make king cakes anymore, but when they were putting them out, they put out some quality goods. I’ve always been partial to the straight sugar topping as opposed to often gloppy white icing topped with sugar. Give me some dyed sucrose crystals and call it a day.

On the inside, I like a denser cake but it has to be moist and it has to have lots and lots of cinnamon and sugar. The Conoco version was a essentially a dough ring that was cut in half horizontally then a smear of almost gooey cinnamon and sugar was applied with the top half the ring then placed down over it.

Don’t get me wrong, I hardly pass up a piece of king cake no matter what it looks like; from the kind that is essentially a multicolored glazed donut (yes Meche’s I love yours too!) to the most nontraditional filled king cakes (get you a Zulu one at Ambrosia in Baton Rouge and you will NOT regret it) it takes all types to feed the need.

So where does your favorite king cake come from? Rules are simple: you get one vote, the poll is only for plain or unfilled king cakes, and if you have a selection that is not in the poll leave it in the comments and we’ll add it.

Of course, this poll could be titled “who makes the best king cake in Louisiana” but isn’t that essentially asking the same question?

Who makes the best king cake in the world?

View Results

loading POLL: Who makes the best king cake in the world? Loading ...

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Central Grocery Muffuletta

Jan 20

Posted by Gino in New Orleans restaurant | 10 Comments

Central Grocery in the French Quarter is the mecca for the Italian sandwich that got its start here and dates back to the early 1900′s: the muffuletta. Central Grocery is an old time Italian market specializing in mostly Italian delicacies but the muffuletta is the definite draw. Spell it and pronounce it how you please, but I can assure you that once you experience one of these great sandwiches, you will not care about anything else but going back for more.

20110121 111917 300x199 Central Grocery Muffuletta

Central Grocery’s muffuletta consists of cappicola ham, genoa salami, mortadella, provolone cheese, Emmentaler cheese, and of course, what makes it is the olive salad. This olive salad is a mixture of olives, carrots, celery, cauliflower, seasonings, and copious amounts of olive oil to bring it all together. Of course, I can’t forget about the special bread/bun/loaf/roll that holds all of these flavor ingredients. It is round in shape, with an airy sturdy interior and fairly crusty exterior that is topped with sesame seeds. The marriage of all these ingredients creates what is quite possibly one of the best sandwiches out there.

I am a sucker for a muffuletta and will try one at any place I see it at, aka I have eaten many muffulettas… some that only lasted one bite and some that where pretty darn good. But to date, I have yet to come across one that compares to the original at Central Grocery. There are not many things better than going down to the Quarter and to Central Grocery for a muffaletta, bag of Zapp’s potato chips and a bottle of Barq’s root beer. Depending on when you go, be prepared to wait in a line which at times can stretch down the sidewalk on Decatur but rest assured that you will not be disappointed once you finally get to bite into your muffuletta.

Here is just a little tip I have learned…….if you are not going to eat your muffuletta immediately(almost impossible), turn the sandwich over so that the logo is facing down. This will cause some of the olive oil and all of the flavors of the olive salad to trickle into the bottom part of the bread. So now when you bite into it, you get the flavor in both the top and bottom of the bread.

There is a sign inside the store that reads……”IMITATED BY MANY….BUT NEVER DUPLICATED.” I must say, well put my friends. So to all of those imitators out there, you can’t make the original better. And that is not a knock on any other version, you may be able to put your own twist on the original but never better it.

If I had to recommend a “must go” place in New Orleans to someone, Central Grocery’s original muffuletta would be that place.

20110121 112013 224x300 Central Grocery Muffuletta

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Cookin’ with the “Yats” from Crescent City Cooks

Jan 16

Posted by ellclare in Cajun recipes, Ingredients, tips, and restaurant news | 8 Comments

As much as I love to eat food and be around food, I have to admit that I’ve never been given the title of World’s Greatest Cook, and jambalaya is something that I’ve just never been able to master.   Stumbling across the website for Crescent City Cooks in the Riverwalk made me think that there could actually be hope for a successful jambalaya being created in my kitchen – so I signed up!

Crescent City Cooks is a wonderful little café and kitchen store in the Riverwalk Marketplace in New Orleans that hosts demonstration cooking classes every single day!  With a class schedule including all dishes that Louisiana is famous for, you’ll be happy with any of these classes you choose to attend, each for only $30:

CCCStorefront 300x225 Cookin with the Yats from Crescent City Cooks

Storefront

Crawfish or Shrimp Etouffee

Jambalaya

Red Beans & Rice

Chicken & Andouille Gumbo

Bread Pudding du jour

Pralines

Bananas Foster

CCCBananasFoster 276x300 Cookin with the Yats from Crescent City Cooks

Bananas Foster

A couple of my favorite parts of these classes is the fact that there are 4 dishes taught in each class, AND you get to eat everything cooked…so arrive hungry!  It’s a really neat experience; I sort of felt like I was in the audience of a Food Network cooking show!

CCCKitchen 300x225 Cookin with the Yats from Crescent City Cooks

CCC Kitchen

This would be a great idea for foodies traveling to New Orleans to get a true sense of what “real Louisiana cooking” is about.  The hosts of the class are a lot of fun.  They are all New Orleans natives, and teach the class all about the basics, “must do’s”, and “never do’s” of our cuisine.  They go into detail on the differences in Creole cuisine and Cajun cuisine, interesting history facts about how these dishes came about, and even explain why lots of people in New Orleans are referred to as “Yats”!  They explain this is who we are as southern culture, and we are proud of it!

Besides getting to eat 4 scrumptious dishes, attending the class also gets you 10% off in the retail store, that is if you can stand to walk around and shop after stuffing your belly!  There is a wide variety of items in the store including spices, utensils, novelty items, and even a really neat “Curious Chef” section for kids that love to cook!  The items are designed for kids to use safely and easily.

CCCKids 225x300 Cookin with the Yats from Crescent City Cooks

Kids Curious Chef

If you’ve never been to this place, I highly recommend checking it out.  Any chef, wanna be chef, or anyone who just plain loves to cook (and eat) will enjoy a visit there!

Crescent City Cooks!

500 Port of New Orleans Place – Suite 116

New Orleans, LA 70130

504.529.1600

http://www.crescentcitycooks.com/

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Sweet Baby Breesus at the French Press in Lafayette

Jan 11

Posted by Tommy in Acadiana restaurant | 11 Comments

French Press 1 300x295 Sweet Baby Breesus at the French Press in LafayetteNot long ago I alluded to the fact that the French Press in Lafayette does a dish with boudin and Steen’s cane syrup.  Rumor was the dish was named Breesus something or other…

Low and behold, the Wife and I went to the French Press the other day for Sunday brunch and there it was on the menu- the Sweet Baby Breesus.  The dish sounded even more delectable than I had thought it would be; three buttermilk biscuit sliders with Bacon, Fried Boudin Balls and Steen’s Cane Syrup.  The recommendations for pairing boudin and cane syrup was made the other day by one of our commenters, and the French Press ups the ante by using boudin balls, adding bacon and snuggling it in little buttermilk biscuits.

The result itself certainly did not disappoint: warm biscuits with the perfect amount of crumble, good boudin to bacon ratio, and a side of crispy-edged Breakfast Potatoes to boot.  What could have made this dish better? Nothing.  And for me that is a rare feat…

Aside on the French Press itself: Quickly becoming one of our go to brunch spots, the French Press presents three very different menus depending on the time of day.  With traditional breakfast/brunch and nice spins on great sandwiches all at reasonable prices during the daytime, at night the restaurant changes the menu often if not nightly sourcing only local and fresh ingredients.  With a chef that has Stella on his resume, the French Press is a fast riser in the LAF food scene and a great addition to downtown.

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