Cajun, Creole Recipes
11 recipes found
Gumbo
While there are no hard and set rules, it’s generally agreed that roux and the “holy trinity” of celery, onion and green bell pepper are the foundation of gumbo, a pleasantly spicy, thick soup that was declared Louisiana’s official state dish in 2004. From there, gumbo can include a wide range of meat, seafood and vegetables. (Chicken, andouille sausage and shrimp are highlighted in this version.) The roux — a combination of vegetable oil and flour, in this case — takes time and patience, as it needs to be continuously stirred to achieve a deep shade of brown. To break up the work, the roux can be prepared up to a week in advance, and the gumbo can be made the day before eating. (Second-day gumbo has an even deeper flavor.) Filè powder, which is ground sassafras leaves found in the spice aisle or online, is optional, but if using, sprinkle some over each bowl, or stir it into the pot off the heat to thicken and flavor the soup.
King Cake
This Carnival cake is more like a brioche, with a bitingly sweet frosting and sugared pecans for crunch. Browse the baby shower section of a party supply store for the Mardi Gras king cake baby, where plastic babies are often sold by the dozen. A large dried bean works too. Tradition dictates that whoever finds the baby is king or queen of the party (and also has to bring the king cake to the next Carnival celebration).
Rémoulade
This tangy, well-spiced sauce starts with mayonnaise and ends with a horseradish kick. It comes together quickly and is the ideal accompaniment to Jared Austin’s Cajun shrimp boil. It’s also pretty tasty served with steamed or fried fish, crab cakes or fritto misto. A full batch of this recipe makes enough sauce for a 12-person seafood boil, so for everyday home cooking, make half a batch.
Creole Rice
Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage
Most cooks agree that gumbos must have the vegetable trinity of chopped bell pepper, onion and celery, and that they should be highly seasoned. Some gumbos do contain sausage, shrimp and chicken, but there are humbler ones that are made with only salt pork, onions and greens. Finally, there is the filé powder camp. These cooks use copious amounts of the stuff, which is made from finely powdered sassafras leaves. Added at the last minute, it thickens the soup while imparting a flavor that’s earthy and herbal. I confess to using all three — a roux, okra and filé powder — in my own gumbo, which I hope is not sacrilegious. Not having grown up in gumbo territory, I based mine on a number of visits to New Orleans.
Upperline’s Duck and Andouille Gumbo
Chefs dating back to Upperline restaurant’s opening in New Orleans, in 1982, have contributed to the development of its famous duck-andouille gumbo. Miguel Gabriel, a longtime Upperline “soup chef,” has been responsible for the dark-roux brew since 2010. The recipe also works if you substitute chicken stock for duck stock — and buy the roast duck from your local Chinese restaurant.
Duck and Andouille Etouffée
Roux becomes the base for this étouffée, which uses plenty of smoky, chunky Cajun andouille and well-seasoned chopped duck meat. If you have a favorite Chinese barbecue restaurant, you can buy a duck there. Even grocery store rotisserie chicken will work.
Scallop Gumbo
Gumbo is like many regional dishes: there are nearly as many interpretations as there are cooks. Most include the common Louisiana trinity of vegetables: green peppers, celery and onion. Some include meat, often a spicy sausage like andouille, in addition to or in place of shellfish. And while some gumbos rely on okra as a thickener, others use a roux, a combination of flour and fat cooked until brown and tasty. What I like about this gumbo is that it borrows a little from many approaches to create a lighter, more contemporary dish: a one-pot meal that’s ideal for any occasion calling for a crowd-pleaser.
Creolaise Sauce
What if you seasoned hollandaise with a spicy Creole mustard? You’d get this sauce, which Marion Burros brought to The Times in 1983, part of a piece on Cajun cooking. In it, she highlighted Chez Marcelle in Broussard, where Marcelle Bienvenu served this particular sauce alongside stuffed crabs, one of the restaurant’s specialties. But the sauce can stand on its own, as a stand-in for regular hollandaise. Pair it with eggs, or asparagus, for a bit more kick than the original.
Rice Creole
