Gumbo and Boudin

Diana and Irma must be
debating the color of their roux.
Crawfish at the Hook and Boil
Today we returned to campus to again make our own lunch.  Chef Sanders Thomas skillfully guided the group – step by step - through the preparation of a Caesar salad, seafood gumbo and Creole bread pudding.     We started out by making a roux (of course) – only this time we used canola oil and flour as opposed to butter.  When the roux was good and dark we let it cool, so that we could later pour off some of the excess oil and then add the remainder to the boiling water of our gumbo.  At last we were able to utilize the “holy trinity” of Cajun cooking – green bell peppers, celery and onions in the gumbo stock.   In the end we smothered our rice (that we actually baked in the oven) with the gumbo.  We used half of a loaf of French bread to make the croutons for the salad and the other half to make the base for our bread pudding.  There was a fun mishap when the rum for the pudding dressing found its way into the gumbo – but our gumbo survived the ordeal.  Stuffed again, we boarded the bus and headed to Billeaud’s Grocery where they showed us how they make boudin – which is a local sausage made with rice.   A fun video is posted nearby. 
I think this group could take on any task!




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