Bay Breeze Shrimp

Cajun French:  le vent (lu von) – wind

 

We saw a recipe where the shrimp were peeled and deveined with the head and tail remaining.  Sounded interesting so we decided to give it a try.  Laurie is the shrimp peeler so she began.  It is not difficult just time consuming, thankfully we only had a dozen to “peel”.  There are two advantages to shrimp peeled in this manner; plates beautifully and eats easily.

This dish reminds us of lazy days enjoying meals on the dock with gentle cooling breezes.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!!

Continue reading “Bay Breeze Shrimp”

Share

Crawfish Etouffee

Cajun French: l’écrevisse (l’ā-krū-vees) – crawfish

 

An etouffee is a spicy Cajun stew made from a roux and is soooo good!

The word Etouffee comes from the French word etouffer which means to smother.

Having a pound of Louisiana crawfish and not having made etouffee in a while, we decided to make a homemade roux and etouffee.  An etouffee is served over rice and we use a Cajun jasmine rice.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!!
Continue reading “Crawfish Etouffee”

Share

Just Another Day in Paradise Cocktail

Cajun French:  Paradis – Paradise

 

Paradise is anywhere you want it to be.  For us, paradise is anywhere Cajunville is parked.

John says this is a drink he could get hooked on while sitting under the canopy on a lazy afternoon.  This drink was developed quite by accident.  Laurie is a flavored sparkling water drinker and the pineapple coconut is a new flavor.  Since it was new, John decided to try a sip.  His reaction – taste like the makings of a cocktail to me.  So Paradise was made.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!!

Continue reading “Just Another Day in Paradise Cocktail”

Share

Rescuing a Burned Pot

Cajun French: brûler – burn

 

Fresh seasonal peas and beans are one of our weekly purchases from the farmers market.  Having purchased purple hull peas this week, we decided to cook them Saturday afternoon.  We started the cooking process and headed off to do other things; not a good idea.  We were working and totally absorbed in our project and completely forgot about the beans.  All of a sudden Laurie jumped up and ran to the kitchen, smelling the burning pot on the way.  Sure enough – burned pot bottom.  The beans had a rather good smoky flavor – more about this later.

Continue reading “Rescuing a Burned Pot”

Share

First You Make a Roux

Cajun French:  la farine (la far-een) – flour

 

This is almost the anthem of Cajun Cooking.  This also intimidates many people.  A Roux is actually easy to make; it just takes time and attention.  A Roux is something you never leave unattended because once it burns, it’s over, you MUST throw it out.

A Roux is used as the thickening for gravies, gumbos, courtbouillon, etouffees, etc.

Let’s get cooking!

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!!

Continue reading “First You Make a Roux”

Share

Cajun Beer Sweet Potato Biscuits with Poached Eggs

Cajun French: la bière (la bee-air) – beer

 

Beer Biscuits had been on our list of things to make and we decided to make it Cajun – Abita Beer and Sweet Potato Biscuits!

Ok, that settled now how to serve the biscuits – with poached eggs.  Ok, we need more than just eggs.  We decided to jazz it up with fresh lump crabmeat and a lemon dill sauce.

This dish could not only be served for breakfast but also for brunch.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!!

Continue reading “Cajun Beer Sweet Potato Biscuits with Poached Eggs”

Share

Simple Combinations – Crabmeat and Tomato Salad

Cajun French: la crabe (la krab) – crab

 

Lunch time with simple combinations.

There is nothing better than fresh lump crabmeat and fresh tomatoes. Having both in the refrigerator, we decided on a Remoulade salad for lunch. The salad was refreshing on a hot summer day. All ingredients were chilled, crisp and full of flavor.

The salad became another simple combination.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!!

Continue reading “Simple Combinations – Crabmeat and Tomato Salad”

Share

Militello’s Cajun Cocktail Sauce

Cajun French:  le piment fort (lu pee-mon for) – Hot Pepper

 

Militello’s Cajun Cocktail Sauce

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!!

The name Militello screams Italian.  So you would assume a seafood sauce with a brand name of Militello to be more Italian than Cajun.  What we have here is a seafood sauce with all the goodness of Italian but with the bite of Cajun Louisiana.  Having a bite may be understating the spiciness of this product.  This sauce turns out to be the very best mixture of Italian herritage and Cajun influence.  This seafood sauce could simply be the best bottled sauce we have ever tasted.

Being of Cajun decent we realize what we are saying seems almost irreverent.  You must also realize that the Cajun Culture has influenced and been influenced by the diversity of south Louisiana.  We are a gumbo of cultures and each has flavored the other.  And so it is with a Cajun cocktail sauce named Militello.

 

Share
Share