Cajun and Creole Cookin’

New Orleans is alive this month with the “who dat” Superbowl and Mardi Gras. While the focus will be on football and parades, the mind rarely wanders far from food. Let’s take a look at some goodies that will bring a bit of New Orleans spice into your life.

Café Du Monde Goodies

I love coffee with chicory. But it’s one of those things that many people hate. Why would you want to make coffee even more bitter? It’s the perfect compliment to a beignet loaded with two inches of powder sugar. Take a bite of the hot pillow of love and the top of your mouth will develop a layer of sweet sugar as you chew. Now down it with some chicory coffee and you’ve got a masticated marriage in heaven.

Post parade at cafe de monde

You don’t have to travel to Café Du Monde for the coffee and beignet experience. You can easily recreate it at home with the Cafe Du Monde Beignet Mix and coffee. You may find them at your local grocery store. I look for the coffee at Asian grocery stores.

Boil some mudbugs on the porch

You won’t go far in Louisiana without seeing restaurants loaded with shrimp, crabs, and more importantly the crawdaddies. These little buggers are served by the pound and it takes a serious pot and rig to keep the serving line flowing. Luckily you can do this pretty easily with the outdoor grill base. You can find them in Louisiana grocery stores or via Amazon.com.
King Kooker 2864 26-Quart Outdoor Chef's Hot Tub with Battery-Operated Timer

Blacken that skillet

Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana KitchenChef Paul Prudhomme made blackened fish famous.

But don’t try making this with just any kitchen pan. You’ll need to take it outdoors and use a heavy cast iron pan. Lodge Logic creates a wide variety of pre-seasoned cast iron pans that will give your fish the perfect finish. It may also cause your neighbors to call the fire department, so have a batch of Sylvia’s Hush Puppies ready for the hungry firemen.

Lodge Logic 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet

By the way, the molasses muffins in this book are to-die-for!

Cookbooks and bottled goodness

New Orleans is filled with small restaurants filled with history and soul. You’ll often find a shelf with cookbooks, rubs, marmelades, and sauces to take back home. I know my suitcase was twice as heavy when I returned from New Orleans this week.

Here are some local resources

  • K Paul’s Kitchen: Look for cookbooks and spices by Paul Prudhomme.
  • Butcher by Cochon: Contact them for great sausages, sauces, and grapefruit marmelade. They also have some fun t-shirts and hats. I lost my favorite Cochon hat while riding the TGV in France last year.
  • The Joint: this tiny smokehouse in the upper 9th ward has an amazing salad dressing. It’s creamy but has a nice kick. They also sell bottles of their butt rub.
  • Commander’s Palace Restaurant: This historic restaurant featured the early chef skills of Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Legasse.
  • Hubig’s Pies: These turnover pies are a far cry from the mass-produced sugar bombs. Try the sweet potato, coconut, or peach flavors.
  • Antoine’s Famous Cakes and Pastries: Hop over to Gretna for the best King Cakes in New Orleans. Antoine’s features several varieties and specializes in the multi-flavored Queens cakes. I brought two of these 5 pound danishes on the plane back to California. I’m surprised the passengers didn’t attack me for letting the smell fill the plane with such sweet scents.
  • Steens’ Cane Syrups: Replace the corn syrup with pure cane syrup in your next pecan pie. Also try their cane syrup vinegar in your next salad.
  • Dooky Chase Restaurant: Chef Leah Chase is one of the most respected Creole chefs in the country. Her cookbooks are filled with unique recipes. I especially appreciated a series of southern vegetarian recipes. The Dooky Chase Cookbook
  • Tobasco Sauce: Hot sauce is on every table and it’s usually a bottle of Tobasco. Try the lifetime supply one gallon bottle. My favorite hot sauce/powder in the area is “Slap Ya Mama“. It’s so good you’ll wanna smack ya’ mama!
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