However 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!
Posts Tagged The Cajun Foodie Blog
Billy Rays: Part Two
Mar 14
Alright, if you remember my last post about Billy Ray’s in Opelousas, you might remember that I said the story behind the place was a bit confusing. Well, it gets even more confusing. Billy’s in Krotz Springs, Louisiana looks like your average everyday gas station. However, they are linked to Billy Ray’s in that they supposedly serve the same Billy’s recipe boudin, as well as the same boudin balls. I say supposedly because even the ladies that work here can’t agree on what recipe is used where anymore.
I come from “down the bayou,” where there are as many recipes for seafood gumbo as there are cooks. Everyone has their own version and everyone’s grandma makes it better than yours does. Okra, crabs, oysters, file and other ingredients occasionally find their way into the gumbo pot, but if there was a constant to seafood gumbo, it would be the presence of shrimp.
From the larger butterflied versions to the smallish “gumbo shrimp,” they are the mainstay of this dish. It was not until I moved to Acadiana though, that I first heard of using dried shrimp to give that salty briny flavor that was once only found most time consuming stocks.
Simply put, Surrey’s Cafe & Juice Bar is the place to go in NOLA for a wicked breakfast. The place is nestled along the the tree lined Magazine Street in the Lower Garden District. If you are not familiar with the area, you may have a tough time finding it at first but your patience will be greatly rewarded. While Surrey’s also serves up some tasty lunch items, it is the breakfast that keeps people coming back. Once seated, feel free to order a glass or two of your favorite fresh squeezed fruit juice: OJ, carrot, celery, beet, apple, grapefruit and lemonade. If you are a fan of OJ, I suggest ordering a carafe because one glass of Surrey’s OJ won’t be enough and while the waiter may look at you a little funny because you are ordering a carafe for yourself, it’s worth it.
O.K Foodies, if you’re looking for authentic Cajun cuisine, you won’t find better than at Bayou Delight Restaurant in Houma, LA ( really “off the beaten path” in Houma). It’s located on what locals call Bayou Black Hwy., which is actually La. Hwy. 90. The first time I ventured out to find it I got lost, but boy am I glad that I persisted in my quest for “real” cajun delights. Many restaurants boast authentic Cajun specialties, but you’ll know the first time you feast at Bayou Delight, that you’ve found the bona fide stuff.
Jimmy and the giant poboy
We were in New Orleans on Saturday night and dropped in at Ye Olde College Inn on South Carrollton. We had to wait about 15 minutes for a table and was it worth it!!! This place has been open since 1933 or somewhere in there and I had not eaten here since my college days 30 years ago, but I think that has been a mistake.
Definitely the best poboy I have ever had!!!! We opted for onion rings for the table and the Abita Beer on tap. Great onion rings but the poboys were amazing. One foot long on Leidenheimer French Bread (the best French bread in Louisiana in my opinion) and they were gourmet like the menu claimed. I ordered the Fried Green tomato and Shrimp Remoulade and others at the table had the Fried Oyster with Havarti Cheese and Bacon. The waiter, Jimmy, recommended they come dressed so that’s how we got them. These were HUGE!!! No one could finish and we blamed it on the onion rings.
Joe’s Dreyfus Store Restaurant, or Joe Dreyfus’ in local language, is just one of those places. You know, THOSE places. The places that you love to go through thick and thin, good dishes and bad, for better or for worse. Set in Livonia, about a half-mile off of 190 between Opelousas and Baton Rouge, Joe’s has had some rough patches in the past. The restaurant has gone through changes of ownership, changing hours of operation, and tidal changes of food quality. Joe’s is back though, and the little restaurant that could in the middle of nowhere is once again beckoning: Eat at Joe’s!
When I woke up yesterday in the French Quarter (without having to browse late-night text messages), I immediately remembered seeing the Michael Phelps of mexi-mullets last night at BBC and knew that my day was destined for something good. I wasn’t sure why I’d have a good day, but I knew it would involve TV, A/C, relaxing and good food. After getting back to the real world and making time for my usual Sunday visit to Rouse’s on Clearview (my condolences to their family), I remembered another local classic – Danny & Clyde’s. That’s right – a convenience store.
Cajun kolaches
Mar 8
The kolache wave has arrived! Formerly restricted to the boundaries of Texas (and claimed by Texans to have originated there of course), kolaches are moving east and replacing the donut as the breakfast food of choice. While many people envision the quintessential Cajun breakfast as chicory coffee and beignets with lots of powdered sugar, most Cajuns actually favor savory dishes in the morning. The kolache is just the logical extension of something we have always wished for: a quick an easy way to carry around three of our favorite foods: eggs, cheese, and pork fat.
I am a natural born procrastinator. Recently, I decided I would try to change that because I knew the little lady had a lot on her plate with the wedding planning and all. I wanted to try to do everything I could to get my stuff done on time so that she would have less to worry about and I figured my wedding suit would be a good place to start… if had known that my tasks on the wedding planning list included stops at The Bulldog in Uptown New Orleans, I’d have started a long time ago!
SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL 
