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Archive for category Ingredients, tips, and restaurant news

An ode to bacon…

Jul 2

Posted by Tommy in Ingredients, tips, and restaurant news | 11 Comments

Raising Cane's sandwichInspired by the bacon episode of one of my favorite new shows, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, the Wife and I got to talking:  Is there anything in this world that bacon does not make better?  Is there anyone out there that has actually said to themselves, “man, this really should not have bacon on/in it?”  How do you answer someone when they ask what was the best you ever ate containing bacon? Praline bacon

Whether you’re talking about making an already monstrous Cuban that much more porkalicious, topping off the chicken finger on Texas toast with secret sauce sandwich that helps to turn the freshman 15 into the freshman 20 due to its addictiveness, or simply laying on plate crusted with a sugary glaze The Decadent Cubanmaking life just a little bit more enjoyable, bacon is the be-all end-all of culinary goodness.

So seriously, what’s the best thing you ever ate with bacon on it or in it?  And if one of you actually found a dish that bacon actually brought down a notch, go ahead and comment, but I’m plugging my ears after wiping the bacon grease off my fingers.

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Praline recipes: Two versions that will knock your socks off

Apr 21

Posted by Tommy in Cajun recipes, Ingredients, tips, and restaurant news | 6 Comments

praline recipeOn a recent trip to Grand Isle, I had the pleasure of eating Mrs. Helen Richard’s pralines, which are well known through the Thibodaux area and impress anyone that is lucky enough to snag one.  It just so happens that she was also trying another recipe she had been given, so the next day she showed up with batches of both for me to do a head to head tasting (ah, the life of an amateur food critic…).

The first recipe is Mrs. Helen’s standby and it is pretty much my favorite praline out there.  The second is a bit creamier and also is delicious, so if you’re a fan of Aunt Sally’s creamy pralines, try those out too!

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Kleinpeter putting new ice cream flavors on the shelves!

Mar 19

Posted by Tommy in Ingredients, tips, and restaurant news | 3 Comments

Kleinpeter Farms, a Baton Rouge based dairy, expanded into the world of ice cream last year with their vanilla, strawberry and chocolate offerings. Ever since I first had a bite of the strawberry ice cream, I’ve been following the news on this little company and had heard rumblings about some exciting new flavors coming out. I’m happy to say that they are now here!

Kleinpeter is putting the following flavors on the shelves near you:

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In search of the mythical ponce deep in the heart of Acadiana

Mar 17

Posted by Tommy in Acadiana restaurant, Ingredients, tips, and restaurant news | 7 Comments

The Cajun ponceHowever you choose to spell it, ponce (also spelled pounce/paunce and called chaudin)  is one of those items that you don’t hear much about unless you have a few too many beers with someone from Ville Platte or Eunice.  The Cajun version of haggis, ponce is essentially ground pork and usually a binder, stuffed back into the stomach of the animal that you got your meat from.  That’s right, sausage stuffed pig stomach.  For the faint of heart, this is your warning… if you don’t like to see loosely grounds bits of meat and fat recongealed in a natural intestinal casing, stop here.  For the rest of you, read on!

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Best andouille in Louisiana

Feb 27

Posted by Tommy in Ingredients, tips, and restaurant news | 4 Comments

Just a quick post to get your thoughts on killer andouille.  My top 5 are:

  1. Jacob’s in Laplace
  2. Bourgeois Meat Market in Thibodaux
  3. Bergeron’s in Port Allen
  4. Benoit’s Country Meat Block in Addis
  5. Best Stop in Scott

Am I missing somewhere?

Note: Yes, I have added a new category for Sausage.  Yes, I like sausage that much.

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The many uses of Steen’s cane syrup

Feb 27

Posted by Tommy in Acadiana restaurant, Ingredients, tips, and restaurant news | 14 Comments

The many uses of Steens cane syrup

The other day I was in Abbeville (which by the way has some fabulous and fun food joints) and I saw these massive tanks off the main road.  Now I didn’t have time to take a tour or anything, but I did pull over and marvel at the fact this is where the the molten goodness called Steen’s Cane Syrup is made.  It got me thinking of all the wonderful tasty things that you can do with cane syrup besides pouring it on pancakes.  I’ve used it in salad dressings and sweetened up baked beans but my absolute favorite thing to do with cane syrup is to mix it with some good peanut butter until it becomes goopy, spread it on fresh white Evangeline Maid bread and then put a layer of sliced bananas.

I am telling you, this combo would have made Elvis request to be buried in Abbeville!

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Sauce made famous by the guy and his dog that sell chicken fingers

Feb 25

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

If you don’t know who I’m talking about, then

  1. you don’t live in South Louisiana,
  2. you did NOT go to LSU in the past decade,
  3. your cholesterol level is most likely in much better condition than those of use that did attend LSU in the last decade, and
  4. despite you thinking that having low cholesterol is a good thing, you have (at least up until reading this post and making this sauce) missed out on one of the better things in life.

I’m not really a “recipe” kind of guy, in fact, I don’t think I can replicate anything I have ever made with any specific certainty.  However, if may boast for a minute, people generally dig my food.  Some really dig it…. So if you see a recipe on here, it will not be the “1 tsp of salt, dash of marjoram” type of thing.

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