Ice cream floats have always been a weakness. I remember a simpler time and place sitting at the soda fountain at my neighborhood Rexall drug store sipping a root beer float and flipping the pages of the latest Archie comic. Ok, so that was a few long years ago, but the memories linger on. These…
Cajun Pork Jambalaya
A black pot of Cajun Pork Jambalaya is a defining Cajun recipe that speaks the language of Louisiana. But as is the case with many Louisiana dishes, there are two distinctly different styles of jambalaya in Louisiana–Creole and Cajun. Perhaps, it is this Cajun recipe that most defines the two culinary cultures. The point is that…
Fig-Glazed Double-Cut Stuffed Pork Chop with Andouille Rice
A stuffed pork chop with sausage or any number of different spice-infused stuffing mixtures is a Cajun recipe that has grown in popularity. Back in the 1970s and 80s the Veron family opened a market in Lafayette that catered to local tastes with an emphasis on specialty meats. Fresh sausage was a specialty. And what…
Fried Softshell Crab topped with Crawfish Étouffée
Lately, I’ve gotten lots of questions from folks outside of Louisiana who want to know more about the restaurant scene in South Louisiana. Well, I could write volumes on the subject and still not cover it all. The Faces and Places pages of Acadiana Table are a good start, but I have a continually growing…
Roast Beef Po’boy
Growing up in South Louisiana, po’boys were just about as common as hamburgers are today. In small towns back then, we didn’t have a burger chain on every corner. It was mostly mom-and-pop sandwich shops and greasy spoon cafés that put out their home-cooked specialties, especially a down-home Louisiana roast beef po’boy. I grew up…
Blackened Brussels & Kale Salad
Ever since renowned Cajun Chef Paul Prudhomme blackened his first redfish in the 1980s, you would think that all South Louisiana folks burn just about everything they cook. Not so. But just go to any wanna-be Cajun restaurant outside of Louisiana and you’ll see a menu full of these overdone dishes. Enough already. Or well,…
Crawfish Baked Potato
I know many of you will agree that nothing goes better with a thick, juicy steak than a baked potato. I’ve been to the fanciest steakhouses in all the land and when it comes to the perfect side dish, I’ll order a baked potato–loaded, for sure–every time. Oh, I’ve tried the creamed spinach, the frou-frou…
Catfish Courtbouillon
My Cajun recipe for Catfish Courtbouillon uses a pungent seafood stock (I make mine from dried shrimp) and the addition of a couple of spoonfuls of dark roux. Rather than the red gravy Creole version, in this Cajun recipe for courtbouillon I use a light hand on the tomatoes favoring canned diced tomatoes rather than…
Corn and Crab Bisque
Louisiana cooking is famous for pairing farm-to-table vegetables with fresh Gulf seafood. Oyster and spinach is a common duo in many soups and shrimp and artichoke shows up frequently as well. But my all-time favorite is a traditional soup: Corn and Crab Bisque. This cream-based soup has its origins in the Creole culinary culture of…
Pineapple Honeysuckle Vodka Martini
Anyone who enjoys an ice-cold vodka martini has a long list of recipes to draw from. A quality vodka is undoubtedly the key ingredient but from there the variations are endless. I have some friends that stock bottles of Grey Goose in their freezer to achieve just the right pouring temp. I’ve even experimented with…