Author: John and Laurie

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Ninth Day of Christmas – 9 oysters stewing

Cajun French: l’huitre (l’ū-eet) – oyster

 

In Louisiana oysters are eaten any way imaginable and then some, come up with another way and we will give it a try. Today for the ninth day of Christmas, we are sautéing oysters and serving them over orzo. Orzo may not be Cajun in the truest since, yet Cajuns take what is available and use it. We had locally made orzo from Pappardelle’s in Colorado and Louisiana oysters from Houma; so we decided to marry the two and dinner is served.

Mais C’est Bon!

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Seventh Day of Christmas – 7 fleur de lis

Cajun French: le pain perdu (lu pain pair-dū) – French toast

 

Fleur de Lis means flower of the lily and is a stylized design of the lily, present in threefold petals. The Acadian flag has three Fleur de Lis on a blue field which represents the French origin of the Acadians.

Traditionally, the Fleur de Lis has been used to represent French royalty and is strongly associated with St. Louis IX, King of France, and Patron of the City of New Orleans. The Fleur de Lis is a state symbol of Louisiana and is associated with many cities having French heritage including New Orleans, Lafayette, and Natchitoches.

Pain Perdu, French Toast or Lost Bread, is a favorite of Cajun children and adults as well. It is called Lost Bread since the bread used is stale and good only for bread pudding, bread crumbs or Pain Perdu. We have been known to purchase a loaf of French Bread and let it get stale so we can make Pain Perdu. Any bread may be used yet French Bread makes the best Pain Perdu.

Mais C’est Bon!

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Sixth Day of Christmas – 6 Cypress Knees

Cajun French: le cypre (lu seep) – cypress

 

The Bald Cypress Tree is the official tree of Louisiana. This majestic tree grows in the swamps and wetlands of Louisiana and loses its needles in the fall, giving the tree a “bald” appearance. The tree will grow in any wet area, yet the cypress in the swamps will form knees that grow up from the roots. The knees are thought to help the tree with long term survival – giving stability and aiding in oxygen.

In the Cypress Tree swamps, fishing is great and is a favorite pastime of many Cajuns. To honor this area on the sixth day of Christmas, we grilled catfish.

Mais C’est Bon!

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Fifth Day of Christmas – 5 poule d’eau

Cajun French: la poule d’eau (la pool doo) – water hen (a coot)

 

A poule d’eau is a wild game bird or small duck, a hen of the water. The bird is also known as the American Coot. These small birds are excellent for use in gumbo. No longer eating animal meat, we consider the poule d’eau in that category; we are giving you a recipe from Bayou Blue, LA. Bayou Blue is located in coastal Louisiana known for great hunting, fishing and cooking.

Mais C’est Bon!

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Fourth Day of Christmas – 4 Pousse-Café

Cajun French: le café (lu ka-fā) – coffee

 

A Pousse-Café ordered out would generally be a layered drink of liqueurs in various colors and weights. It is poured in separate layers based on the weight of the liqueurs, most dense to least dense. Made properly, this drink is a delight to the eyes and palate as well. Laurie’s Dad could make a perfect Pousse-Café and he was very proud of that fact. In French, Pousse-Café means to “push the coffee”.

In Cajun French, a Pousse-Café means liquor added to coffee. Generally the Pousse-Café is served after a meal and liquor of choice is used. The Pousse-Café is said to aid digestion, find out for yourself.

Mais C’est Bon!

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Third Day of Christmas – 3 Stuffed Shrimp

Cajun French: bourrer (boor-ā) – to stuff

 

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me three stuffed shrimp.

Shrimp are a staple in the Cajun diet and we eat them in various ways at least three times a week. Stuffed shrimp is a favorite of ours and our recipe is baked not fried. We do not put any coating on them and use more crab than bread for our stuffing.

Enjoy our Third Day of Christmas recipe.

Mais C’est Bon!

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Second Day of Christmas – 2 voodoo dolls

Cajun French: gris-gris (gree gree) – spell or charm

boudin (boo-dahn) – Cajun sausage

 

Voodoo is a religion practiced mainly in the Caribbean and also has a presence in New Orleans and south Louisiana. Although it is a religion, Voodoo also means a charm, spell, fetish, or curse which holds magical power. The Voodoo Doll represents the spirit of a specific person. One can talk to the doll as if talking to the person and have influences over that person – good or evil. In Cajun Louisiana we call putting spells on someone; putting the gris-gris on them.

Mais C’est Bon!

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First Day of Christmas – A Crawfish in a Fig Tree

Cajun French: l’arbre (l’arb) – tree

 

 

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me – a crawfish in a fig tree.

In reality we had a crawfish casserole with a fig salad. Figs are a popular fruit in south Louisiana except they are not available fresh at Christmas time. So we used dried figs and reconstituted them. The crawfish were frozen tails we had stored in the freezer. We always try to have frozen crawfish tails available for use and always Louisiana Crawfish Tails.

This is also a great recipe for using those Christmas leftovers. Almost any vegetable could be used as well as leftover rice.

Our gift to you for the First Day of Christmas.

Mais C’est Bon!

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