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Cajun Food, Louisiana History, and a Little Lagniappe

~ Preservation of traditional River Road cuisine, Louisiana history & architecture, and the communities between Baton Rouge & NOLA

Cajun Food, Louisiana History, and a Little Lagniappe

Tag Archives: New Orleans

Oysters Bienville

15 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by jnewhart in Cajun/Creole Food

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Antoine's restaurant, Burnside, Chef Troy Mendoza, Creole food, Creole recipe, dinner special, Louisiana, New Orleans, oyster lacour, Oysters Bienville, recipe, The Cabin Restaurant

Oyster Bienville App

This dish was originally invented at Antoine’s in New Orleans many, many years ago. Normally, the oysters are served in their shells, but Chef Troy decided to change it up a little and serve them on toast last weekend at The Cabin. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine
  • Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
  • 2 dozen oysters & lacour (oyster juice). (Chop 5-6 of them)
  • 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 box Melba Toast
Method
Sauté the chopped shallots and celery in the butter until slightly translucent. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan.
Add the heavy cream and reduce over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.
Add the Parmesan, Oyster lacour, and bread crumbs. Stir together for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped oysters.
On a baking sheet, place the rest of the oysters on the Melba Toast, 1 oyster to one toast. Top with Bienville mixture, sprinkle with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, and toast until Melba Toast is crispy enough for your liking, about 2 minutes. Serve!

Point Houmas Plantation

24 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by jnewhart in Ascension Parish/River Parishes, Historic Preservation

≈ 37 Comments

Tags

360 Grassroots, Adrien Persac, Alabama, Architecture, brick piers, capped chimneys, Colonel J.L. Manning, Creole architecture, Darrow, Donaldsonville, Eastlake, historic, Historic New Orleans Collection, Historic Preservation, house moving, Ian Crawford, Italianate, Jemison Van De Graaff Mansion, loggia, Louisiana, Map of the Mississippi, Mississippi River, neglect, New Orleans, non profit, Plantation, Plaster, pocket doors, Point Houmas plantation, repointing, Restoration, River Road, Sugarcane, The Cabin Restaurant, Tuscaloosa

Point Houmas frontal 2Recently I had the opportunity to walk through Point Houmas plantation across the river, close to Donaldsonville. Currently abandoned, Point Houmas sits on a point called Point Houmas on the edge of a massive sugarcane field. The whole point has been zoned heavy industrial, threatening the future of the plantation home. The purpose of our visit was to determine if the plantation was able to saved and moved across the river to land owned by my in-laws in Darrow. The moving and restoration of Point Houmas would have been conducted under their non-profit, 360 Grassroots.

Point Houmas is an incredible plantation home. The building is still in great shape, given that it has sat neglected for at least 35-40 years. Much of the original plaster on the ground level ceiling still survives. The 8 foot brick piers that lift the building off the ground are in good shape, although could use a little bit of repointing here and there. The house is so high off the ground that you could easily drive a care under it. The building does have a relatively new roof and does appear watertight, although the chimneys had been capped and cut when the roof was added.

As you can see in the pictures, the house has a very simple Creole-style floor plan, with 2 parlors in the front and 3 rooms in the rear. The front porch wraps around about half the house, while the rear porch was enclosed to create a faux loggia. The ceilings are 16′-17′ high (they make you feel pretty small as you walk through the house), and it appears that the pocket doors separating the parlors are original.

Ian Concept

Rendering by Ian Crawford

The style of Point Houmas is Eastlake, with a touch of late-Italianate due to the appearance of dentil work. This allows me to roughly date the home to the 1870s, early 1880s. The owner of Point Houmas plantation, according to Adrien Persac’s 1858 “Map of the Mississippi”, was a man by the name of Colonel J.L. Manning. I have not been able to find too much history on Col. Manning or Point Houmas, but plan to carve out some time this year to head to the archives at the Historic New Orleans Collection to dig a little deeper. My good friend, Ian Crawford, director of the Jemison-Van de Graaff mansion in Tuscaloosa, was able to put together a rendering of what we think it may have looked like originally.

Point Houmas is an absolute gem on River Road, but unfortunately the cost of moving and restoring the plantation was well beyond our limited budget. As for now, it is still sitting on the point across the river from The Cabin, waiting for a friend to save it from what seems an inevitable date with an industrial plant. As far as I know, the owner is willing to donate to the building to a non-profit as long as the person pays all moving costs. I will update in the future if I hear any news on the plantation. Please spread the word about this historic Louisiana plantation!












Cozy Cajun Cottages for a Summer Road Trip

13 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by jnewhart in Ascension Parish/River Parishes

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Acadian, Acadian-style shotgun, Antebellum, antebellum plantation, Antiques, Ascension Parish Louisiana, authentic Louisiana cuisine, Baton Rouge, Bed and Breakfast, bnb, Cajun, Cajun festivals, historic, Jambalaya Festival, Louisiana, Louisiana festivals, New Orleans, plantation country, Plantations, shotgun houses, Sorrento Louisiana, Spanish Town, Summer, The Cabin Restaurant, The Cajun Village, The Cajun Village Cottages

Cottages Front PorchesIf you haven’t made travel plans for this summer yet, I suggest you take a look at Ascension Parish, Louisiana. We have several great attractions, from historic antebellum plantations to Cajun festivals and authentic Louisiana cuisine.

If you do decide to pay us a visit down here in Plantation Country, I have the perfect place for you to stay. The Cajun Village Cottages, tucked back in the woods next to The Cajun Village, is a cozy and quiet bed and breakfast that is centrally located all the things to do and see in our parish (it’s also right in the middle between New Orleans and Baton Rouge).

The Cajun Village Cottages include eight Acadian-style shotgun houses dating back to around 1900. They were found and saved from near the historic area of downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana known as Spanish Town and moved to their serene surroundings in Sorrento, Louisiana. Restored with original wooden floors and decorated with authentic antiques, each Cajun country cottage has its own distinct furnishings and ambiance.

Choose a cabin and give us a call today to make reservations before we book up for the summer season!

sunny day at the cottages
Duncan Phyfe style couch
parlor #5
Craftsman side dresser
Claw-foot bathtub
bedroom
Craftsman bed 2
bedroom into kitchen
bedroom
parlor 2
parlor #8
front porch rockers
Craftsman bed

Shrimp Fettuccini

11 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by jnewhart in Cajun/Creole Food

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

baguette, Baton Rouge, Cajun, Cajun food, Cajun recipe, chardonnay, Crawfish, Creole, Creole food, French bread, fresh Gulf shrimp, jalapenos, Lent, Lenten Recipe, Louisiana, New Orleans, NOLA, parmesan cheese, recipe, scallions, shrimp fettuccini, The Trinity, Wine

Shrimp FettucciniIt’s still Lent, which means you’re probably looking for a good seafood recipe to serve on Fridays. Here is a classic Louisiana dish from The Cabin Restaurant, served with fresh Gulf Shrimp, that is sure to satisfy your taste buds. Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 sticks Butter
3 ribs Celery chopped
1/4 cup Flour
3 cups Half & half
1/4 cup Minced jalapeno
1 1 lb. pkg. fettuccine
3 med. Onions, chopped
2 Bell peppers, chopped
3 lbs. Shrimp or crawfish tails
4 cloves Garlic mashed
12 oz. Grated cheddar cheese
Grated parmesan cheese
Sauté the onion, celery, and bell pepp er in the butter for
20 minutes

Method

Add the 1/4 cup flour and cook, stirring frequently for 15 minutes

Add the shrimp or crawfish and continue cooking for 15 minutes

Slowly stir in the half and half while cooking, and then stir in the cheese. Stir and cook till the cheese is completely melted.

Add the minced jalapeno and the garlic, season to taste

Cook the fettuccine as directed and stir all together

Pour into two well buttered 9×13 glass dishes. Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Top with freshly chopped scallions and freshly grated parmesan. Serve with a dry white wine and a fresh baguette of french bread.

NOLA BBQ Oysters

07 Friday Mar 2014

Posted by jnewhart in Cajun/Creole Food

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

appetizer, BBQ oysters, Chef Troy Mendoza, Creole, Creole food, Fried Oysters, Lent, Lenten Recipe, Louisiana, Louisiana Hot Sauce, New Orleans, New Orleans BBQ Shrimp, NOLA, Pascal's Manale, recipe, seafood, The Cabin Restaurant, Tony Chachere's

Honey BBQ OystersAnother week, another delicious innovation on a typical Creole style dish from chef Troy Mendoza at The Cabin Restaurant. Our appetizer this week is NOLA BBQ Oysters. For those of you familiar with the New Orleans culinary scene, this recipe is very similar to BBQ Shrimp, made famous by Pascal’s Manale. Chef Troy has altered the recipe a little bit, adding a spicy kick with a hint of sweetness to the sauce while substituting oysters for shrimp. For the next month and a half, seafood dishes like this one will be rather prevalent due to Lent. Give this a try if you’re looking for a new Lenten recipe!

Ingredients

1/2 gallon raw oysters
2 quarts vegetable oil for deep frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Seasonall or Tony Chachere’s

1/8 cup Rosemary
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 lb butter
1/2 cup honey
2 cups Louisiana style hot sauce

Method

1. Heat oil in skillet or deep fryer to 375 degrees F

2. Combine flour, Cajun seasoning, salt and black pepper. Most southern servers fry their seafood in a vegetable oil. First dredge the oysters in whole milk, and then in seasoned corn meal. Drop oysters in oil and fry till the float, about 2 minutes. Most cooks agree that when it floats it’s done.

3. Mix all of the remaining ingredients together in a medium sauce pan. Heat the sauce to a simmer and remove from heat after well blended.

4. Add the oysters and toss until the oysters are coated.

5. Serve over a bed of fresh lettuce with lemon wedges.

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