Celebrate Mardi Gras like you’re in New Orleans with these Cajun and Creole specialties including beignets, gumbo, shrimp and grits, jambalaya, candied pecans, flambéed bananas, and more.
Cajun Fried Chicken
Bathed in buttermilk and spiced ever so slightly, this Cajun fried hen is memorably moist, superlatively crisp, and gosh darn perfect through and through.
Cajun Spice Mix
Cayenne. Paprika. Pepper. Chili powder. Remarkable how something so simple can taste so complex.
Sweet Tea Cocktail
Sweet tea. Whiskey. Lemon juice. That's all it takes to make a sassy summertime cocktail you'll want to sip all afternoon long.
Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
"Your family will think you are AMAZING." "A straightforward, real deal Cajun gumbo that everyone loved." "Easy and affordable." "A keeper!" That's what we're hearing about this.
Homemade Hot Sauce
Hot peppers. Salt. Vinegar. And patience. That's all you need to earn bragging rights as the maker of the best hot sauce ever. Well, that with this handy recipe from chef Hugh Acheson.
Seafood Gumbo
Seafood gumbo loaded with shrimp, such as this classic Cajun recipe, screams for a cold beer and a lazy weekend afternoon dedicated to nothing but cooking.
Barbecue Pimento Cheese
Not all pimento cheese recipes are created equal. This one, with a touch of barbecue, definitely has an unfair advantage.
Southern Shrimp and Grits
Our most requested recipe, this ridiculously rich dish takes its heat from andouille, its creamy comfort from grits smothered in cheese.
Moonshine Onion Rings
A hefty shot of booze makes for a batter that's thin, crackly, and clings to the onions such that it's barely there.
Crawfish Boil
Call some friends, set a pot of water to boil, and chill some beer. There's mudbugs to be had.
Pecan Pie Bread Pudding
When you've got leftover bread, sure, you could make bread crumbs. Or you could make this Southern melding of pie and pudding that's obscenely indulgent. Tough decision, eh?
Bayou Fried Shrimp
Say the word "bayou," and we conjure romantic notions of swampy marshlands and, natch, Cajun fried shrimp.
Pan-Fried Bananas with Brandy
Boozy bananas are lavished with a cheater's caramel sauce made with butter, brandy, and brown sugar in this outrageously simple riff on a Southern classic. No flames required.
Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Jambalaya just doesn't get any more authentic than this deeply flavored, deeply revered rendition from Cajun country.
Beignets
Airy and yet dough at the same time, these iconic, anytime-of-day New Orleans pastries come buried beneath mounds of sweet, sweet confectioners' sugar. All we have to say is, don't wear black.
Candied Pecans
"Irresistible." "The perfect combination of sweet, salt, spice, and crunch." "We. Can. NOT. Stop. Eating. Them." "Absolutely perfect." That's what we're hearing about these candied pecans.
Spiced Maple Pecan Pie with Star Anise
Here's a nifty little trick. Reduce maple syrup until sticky, infuse it with spice, and rely on it to impart its ridiculously intense essence to pecan pie.
Lemon-Herbsaint Poppers
Leave it to New Orleans to create a liquor to replace absinthe. These boozy jellied shots are redolent of their namesake citrus and anise-flavored absinthe alternative.
Lemon Doberge Cake
Doberge cake is the birthday cake of New Orleans. The most popular is a Doberge with a lemon-iced cake on one side and a chocolate-iced cake on the other.
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
© 2021 Leite's Culinaria. All rights reserved. All materials used with permission.