4 Years, Cake, and a Giveaway

Four years ago I had no clue what I was doing with this blog.  That's pretty evident in my chattery writing, really awful photos, and all over the placeness.  I was back in Louisiana, wanting to re-experience what my boot-shaped state was all about.  I jumped in without much of a plan.

I like that I'm from the bottom of the boot where Louisiana wiggles her toes out into the Gulf, exploring what's out there (even if the Gulf slips pieces from her every day).  I like that life here is all about good food, good music, good coffee, and good fun.

Most of the time I'm still not sure I have a clue what I'm doing with this blog.  It's not the biggest.  The best.  The flashiest.  Or filled with the latest and greatest techno stuff.

It is what it is.  And it is filled with things that mean something to me.

And you, my readers, mean a great deal.  Many of you have been here for years--some since the beginning--through all the rambling and bumbling and bungling.  With support and encouragement.  Thank you for that.

Big, huge, giant thank-yous go to my family.  The ones who wait patiently at the table while I rush plates outside to try to get decent lighting.  Those who eat food that may not be as hot as it should because I'm blogging up their dinner.  Those who may want one thing but are served another because I have to "get it done for my blog."  They put up with a lot, those two.  And they never say a word against it.

To celebrate 4 years, I have cake...
which my family ate

and a gift...
since shipping cake to one of you probably wouldn't work very well.

One reader will win a copy of what is probably my favorite Cajun cookbook

Real Cajun: Rustic Home Cooking from Donald Link's Louisiana

• The giveaway will run from now until 10 PM Central US time Sunday, October 14, 2012.  
• The winner will be chosen by random drawing and will be announced Monday evening, October 15.
• The winner will have 48 hours (Wed. Oct. 17) to respond or forfeit, in which case another winner will be chosen.
• To enter, leave a comment on this post.  Be sure I can contact you either through a blog or email.
• I will purchase the book through Amazon and have it shipped directly to the winner.
• This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with any entity but me.

So this cake...
lucious, fudgy cake

Italian Fudge Cake

covered in rich ganache.

And why not add more chocolate on top.  It's me, afterall.

This recipe comes from a former co-worker--I don't know the original source.  I've been meaning to post it here for years.  But it's not something I make often since it's so rich.  It can be a bit temperamental with setting up (although it tastes just as good even if it doesn't set up quite right--I just switch to a spoon).

THANK YOU for 4 years!

Featured at:

Next week I hope to get back to some Cajun/Creole material.  I've been away from it the past few weeks...I miss it.  Our favorite festival Festivals Acadiens et Créoles is coming up this weekend.  I know it will get me back on track.

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Italian Fudge Cake
½ lb. (8 oz) chocolate (I use a mix of semi-sweet and dark)
1 ½ cups sugar
½ lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
5 whole eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a double boiler, put the chocolate, sugar, and unsalted butter over simmering water. Stir with a whisk until all the chocolate and butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.

In a stainless steel bowl, add the eggs and whisk.  Slowly pour the chocolate mixture into the eggs, whisking as you pour.  Incorporate completely.

For an 8 or 9 inch pan, cut a parchment paper to fit in the bottom only, no parchment on the sides. Pour cake batter into pan and gently “drop” on  hard surface (counter top) to remove any air bubbles. Bake in a water bath for 30 minutes. The cake will seem undone and jiggle a bit. If you are unsure cook another 5-7 minutes. Take out of oven and set on cooling rack. When cool refrigerate. Overnight works best. 

Have a cake circle available for the size pan you decide to use. Take a sharp paring knife, the thinner the blade the better, and carefully cut around the inside edge of the cake pan. Put the cake circle on the top of the cake pan and turn over. Run hot water over the bottom of the cake pan. The cake should release.  (Note: I didn't want to go through all of this and used a spring form pan.  Wrapped pan tightly in a double layer of heavy duty foil to prevent water from seeping in.)

Make a ganache (below).  Set cake on a cooling rack placed over a pan or sheet of waxed paper.  Slowly and evenly pour over the cake to cover. Allow the ganache to set before serving. 

Store cake in refrigerator. 

 Ganache
½ pound chocolate, chips or grated
1 cup heavy cream

Place the chips in a mixing bowl. Bring the cream to a boil and immediately pour over chips and whisk until smooth.


Linking this week with:

Donald Link's Cochon Lafayette (review)

After a morning of plans gone wacko, The Husband got the idea to take me to Cochon Lafayette for an early Mother's Day lunch.  Cochon is co-owned by my favorite Louisiana chef, Donald Link.  Link is the recipient of the 2007 James Beard Award for Best Chef South.  His cookbook (my favorite cookbook), Real Cajun: Rustic Home Cooking From Donald Link's Louisiana won the James Beard Best American Cookbook in 2010.  I've reviewed Real Cajun here.

Cochon Lafayette occupies a building that, from the road, appears almost industrial.  However, the backside of the building faces the Vermilion River--offering lazy, relaxing views from both the outdoor patios and inside the restaurant.  This made me think of all those old French Quarter houses with unassuming faces shuttered up tight against the street.  But most of those old buildings hide beautiful, lush courtyards in the back.  Their tall walls seem to strain to contain the fountains and ferns, banana plants, baskets of bougainvillea, and tropical sago palms.  The rear of Cochon happens to be the entrance.  May seem kinda kooky, but that's the way we do it in Louisiana.  Visitors know to knock at the back door.  The front door is rarely used.

With it's open kitchen, sleek modern lighting and stainless steel barstools, you might think that Donald Link has given up the rural Cajun lifestyle he learned from his grandparents.

But the country boy comes out in menu choices like smothered cabbage and turnips, rabbit and dumplings,  and featuring drum over the it's-been-trendy-for-so-long-it's-cliché redfish.  As someone who fishes drum south of New Orleans every fall, that choice is much appreciated.

Small touches like jars of pickled green tomatoes on the window sills

and homemade pepper vinegar on the tables made me feel at home.

The fact that we were seated overlooking the Vermilion River didn't hurt,  no.

Since Donald Link is most known for his porcine magic, we couldn't pass up the Boucherie Plate as an appetizer.  The three of us split this app and there was more than enough to go around.

The Boucherie plate features (top left moving clockwise)
* THE BEST most luxurious most melt-in-your-mouth hogshead cheese I have ever had.  You know how people say "it was so good, I wanted to cry?"  And you say, "yeah, whatever."  Well, don't you dare say that when I tell you it was so good I wanted to cry.
* In the center is a row of toast points.  Not a big deal.  Until you smear what's in that little dish onto them.  That little dish contains delicious slow cooked pork.  And it's sealed in lard.  Yeah.  Read that again.  This is a throwback to before refrigeration.  Meats were stored in crocks and sealed with a layer of lard to keep them fresh.  Another nod back to Link's roots that didn't go unnoticed with me.  And even though I was admittedly iffy about eating the lard, I did it.  And I don't regret it.  One bit.
* The plate also included condiments like pickled banana peppers and (my favorite) Creole Mustard.
* Smoked boudin can be seen at the bottom center.
* A cured pork bottom left.
* And a super-smokey homemade smoked sausage, which was fantastic.

The Boy ordered from the kid's menu, with usuals like mac and cheese.  But it also offered fried alligator and a sausage & pickle plate.  The Boy chose the sausage.  Considering how good the smoked sausage was on the boucherie plate, I thought that was a can't go wrong choice.

I was interested in a sausage and shrimp flatbread, but the flatbread wasn't ready for the day yet.  Our waitress sold me on the slow cooked brisket when she mentioned that it came with horseradish potato salad.    The brisket was unbelievably tender--both smoked and braised.  The sauce was velvety and bowl-lickin' good.  (No, I didn't.  That's what the cornbread was for.)

The Husband ordered the slow cooked pork shoulder, served with stewed cabbage and and turnips.  It was topped with pickled turnips and what Cochon refers to as cracklin, but what is more like a fried pork rind.  I did like the way this unorthodox cracklin looked on top of the pork though...like a little curly pig's tail.

In for a penny in for (several) pounds...we decided to go for dessert too.

The Boy had homemade vanilla ice cream because that's about as fancy as he likes his desserts.

The Husband had strawberry cobbler.

I chose red velvet cake with Creole cream cheese frosting.  One day I'll have to tell you about creole cream cheese--I only recently found out that my great-grandmother used to make and sell it around her neighborhood.  This slice of cake was so huge I laughed out loud when it was set in front of me.  The comical size didn't detract from its beauty (although you can't tell from the awful picture).  The texture was perfect and the frosting creamy, smooth, and tangy.

Lafayette, Louisiana recently won Southern Living's The South's Tastiest Town award.  As you can imagine, Lafayette is packed to the gills with restaurants.  Cochon Lafayette is perfectly housed in The South's Tastiest Town.

Festivals Acadiens et Creoles 2011

Almost a month later but here's my annual review of our favorite festival.

The weather delivered big.  Crowds were big too.

One of the nice things about this festival is that it's spread out across a large park

--Girard Park in Lafayette, LA. 

Attendance can be huge, but you won't feel it.

Every year, The Boy's food pick is alligator. 

This year it was a Grilled Alligator Sausage Po'Boy w/ Grilled Onions and fries. 

The alligator connoisseur approved.

I was happy to see that Cochon, owned by my one of my favorite local chefs,

Donald Link, had a booth at the festival.  The Husband and I both picked Cochon's Shrimp & Grits.

This shrimp & grits was different, almost like a shrimp etouffee or stew over the grits.  The shrimp mixture had okra in it, which was surprising (but good).  The down side was that it's hard to "keep" grits.  The grits must have sat unattended too long--they were clumpy instead of velvety and creamy.

But, look...that's not really why we came.For the second year, The Boy was invited to play
on stage at the Louisiana Folk Roots Tent.

A pretty Cajun waltz

Louisiana Folk Roots also hosts a Jam Tent. Next to the Jam Tent, LFR has an instrument check so you don't have to haul anything around all day.

You can't tell by his face, but The Boy is excited to be playing next to David Greely, original fiddler of the Mamou Playboys.

I tend to like the bluesy, soulful old time Creole tunes the most. 
Joe Hall & The Louisiana Canecutters are a sure bet for that. 
One of my favorite bands.

One of my favorite songs from Joe Hall

This year's Festival Acadiens et Creoles honoree was Bruce Daigrepont, who can be found at Tipitina's every Sunday for a fais do-do.

Festivals wouldn't be complete without seeing Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys--The Boy's favorite.

Steve Riley & Kevin Wimmer
Twin fiddles

Alligator, Steve Riley, and climbing on this gnarly oak tree--
that's all The Boy needs for a great weekend.

For me, the highlight of this year's shindig was the band Mamou.
An 80's band that blends Cajun music with rock.

Having been a teenager in the 80s, I can totally identify with the vest and Slash hat. 
I also, like, totally dug the music.  Dude!

Mamou took one of the most recognized Cajun tunes:
Joile Blon
and turned it inside out, upside down, and sideways.
Someone's gotta shake things up.

But they don't shake things just to shake them. 
They are clever.
At times, the fiddle sounds mimic Jethro Tull's flute.
The traditional Cajun Mardi Gras song becomes an 80s rock ballad.
Zydeco is infused with Ozzy/Crazy Train sounding riffs.

They have their share of critics, mostly people who find it disrespectful to twist Cajun music in such a way.  In THIS interview, from The Advertiser, Mamou founder, Steve LaFleur, says:

"The more I messed with it, the more I had to learn Cajun music to do what I did.  I had to start playing Cajun music to study Cajun music. I had to learn to sing in French, to pick it apart and change it. The more I did that, the more I started realizing what it actually was."

After seeing Mamou, The Boy wants to plug his fiddle into an amp and see what he can do.

Very cool.

Another popular Cajun song, Bayou Teche, turned on its head.

More music and down and dirty good times...
Festvals Acadien et Creoles 2010

Festvals Acadien et Creoles 2009

Rice goes with everything and Garden Variety Wednesday #7 link up

Welcome to
Garden Variety Wednesday # 7. 
Link up your recipes & ideas using fresh produce below.

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Leave it to Southerners to take perfectly healthy vegetables and add bacon.  Or cheese.  Or both.

Leave it to a Cajun to add rice.

The story goes...
Mama says, "I cooked da rice.  Now what yall want to eat?"

It's true that we eat rice with pretty much anything and everything. 

Another story goes...
A real Cajun can look at a rice field and tell you how much gravy it would take to cover that rice.

Speaking of real Cajuns, today's recipe comes from Donald Link, author of one of my favorite cookbooks--not coincidentally titled Real Cajun.

I reviewed this book a while back, but I'm still trying recipes from it and finding lots of treasures.

Link's Zucchini & Rice Gratin is one of my favorites from Real Cajun.  It's deliciously bacony (Don't care what spellchecker says...bacony IS a word.) & hearty--I could make a meal out of it alone. And I have. It's also a really great opportunity to use all that rice we have around here.

Despite problems with squirrels & powdery mildew, I had a pretty good squash & zucchini crop this year.  This Zucchini & Rice Gratin was one of the things I looked most forward to making with them. 

So I'll admit, this has more details/ingredients than I'd usually invest in a side dish unless cooking for a potluck or family gathering.  Often, I make this the main dish with a side salad.

Today, I used both zucchini and yellow squash.  I also used Ritz crackers instead of breadcrumbs.

Anything that starts with rendering bacon then sneaks in a simmer in a heavy cream hot tub has to be good. 
Don't cha think?

Throw in some leftover rice,
and Cajuns'll be heading your way.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
I like how the rice is studded with little jewels of bacon, squash, and zucchini.

We all know that most casseroles don't win beauty contests.

But I think this one wins for taste.

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Zucchini & Rice Gratin

Adapted from Real Cajun by Donald Link

3-4 strips bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ tsp dried oregano
¾-1 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 or 4 medium zucchini, cut into chunks (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 cups cooked rice
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs (I used crushed Ritz crackers)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large, deep skillet over medium-high, cook the bacon until almost crisp. Add the onion, garlic, and seasonings and cook until the onion is tender. Add the zucchini and cook for another 7-8 minutes.
Add the chicken broth and cream, and simmer for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat if the mixture bubbles too rapidly. Remove the skillet from heat and set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.
In a small bowl mix the breadcrumbs (or cracker crumbs) with the cheese and olive oil. Set aside.
When the zucchini mixture has cooled, add the rice and beaten eggs. Pour into a greased 13 x 9 pan. Top with the breadcrumb/cracker crumb mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden.

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GARDEN VARIETY WEDNESDAY # 7

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~ Made a dish with something you nurtured in your garden?
~ Maybe a neighbor stopped by and shared some of his/her harvest?
~ Have baskets of goodies from a pick-your-own farm?
~ Found some treasures at your local farmer's market?

* Please don't forget to link back to Ms. enPlace or grab a Garden Variety Wednesday button and add it to your post.
* Link your post--not your home page.
* Please, one link per person.
* Since growing seasons differ so much even across the US, old/archived posts are welcome, but please edit with a link back or a button.
* Have fun visiting other blogs!


Garden Variety Wednesday schedule:

June 22

July 13 & July 27       

August 10 & August 24

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I'm linking up with the following...head on over!

Food on Friday: Rice & Grains @ Carole's Chatter

Make a Food-"e"-Friend Monday #16 @ The Saturday Evening Pot

Tuesdays at the Table @ All The Small Stuff

Hearth and Soul vol 51 @ A Moderate Life

Delectable Tuesday @ Home Sweet Farm

Made it on Monday #13 @ Lark's Country Heart

Turning the Table Thursday @ Around My Family Table (new)

What's Cooking Thursday @ Feeding Four

Potluck Friday @ EKat's Kitchen

Foodie Friday @ Little Brick Ranch

Fresh Food Friday @ la bella vita

Friday Food @ Mom Trends

Cookbook Sundays @ Mom's Sunday Cafe