In honor of Mardi Gras we collaborated on a cajun/creole feast. I swear we just get better and better at this every time! Our menu this time was small but satisfying.
Chicken Andouille Gumbo: This was my dish and I think I hit it right on the nose. I used a recipe from nolacuisine.com and pretty much stayed true to it instead of experimenting. This person definitely knew what they were talking about. The chicken in this recipe baked to a nice brown and then simmered in the stew for nearly 2 hours. When I went to take it off the bone it didn't take much effort. If I made this again I'd try just doing a chicken gumbo and doubling the chicken, getting rid of the andouille altogether. I used quite a bit of Frank's Red Hot in this, as it was the only hot sauce we had on hand, and it added just enough spice to say "creole." I also managed to injure myself (like always) with what nolacuisine calls the Cajun Napalm; Read his "recipe" on
making roux—it's highly entertaining.
Bread Pudding: Andy made the bread pudding that is linked above; I've had a lot of bread pudding and I have to say this is the best I've ever had. It was purely sinful. I threatened to eat the entire rest of the pan.
Drinks: We didn't have any themed drinks for this meal because it was so informal. But I did try making a daiquiri. Since I didn't have anything normal (strawberry, for instance), I made a coconut daiquiri using Malibu. It was interesting, it wasn't terrible. It was very strong! I recommend daiquiris for this meal, or beer works just as well!
Labels: Andouille, Cajun, Chicken, Creole, Entree, Rice
