Spice It Up!

The Essence of Cajun/Creole Cuisine

By Ruth Brister

Whether your table for romance is tucked away in the corner of a quiet, candlelit bistro or the breakfast nook in your kitchen, try spicing up your next intimate dining interlude with Cajun/Creole cuisine. "Kick it up a notch or two," as Emeril Lagasse would say.

I originally had this idea about a few years ago when my husband and I decided to travel south and celebrate our anniversary in New Orleans. To shorten a lengthy story, that year's Mardi Gras fell around Valentine's Day, which is also our anniversary. For those of you who've never experienced this 140-year-old-plus annual carnival, it may be a lot of things, but it is not quiet or intimate.

The Cajun/Creole cuisine we went searching for turned out to be street fare of polish sausage, the infamous Lucky Corn Dogs and a roast beef gyro. The restaurant with the atmosphere of amour was a crowded sidewalk smothered by parade revelers and partygoers. While it was not even close to what I had planned, it did inspire me to search for some closer-to-home alternatives. As I searched for recipes equivalent to the high standards set by the Crescent City dining experience, I was intrigued by what I found.

Chef Emeril Lagasse is all the rage. He, together with Chef Paul Prudhomme, has set the standard by which all other South Louisiana cooking is measured. It is arguably the most eclectic of all cuisines in the world. This style combines urban Creole with a more rustic Acadian (Cajun), then adds a melting pot of different countries' culinary influences including France, Africa, Spain, Native American, Caribbean and Asian. Anything blackened, everything fried and smothered in sauce, plus combinations of food that you would never dream of eating at the same time is the essence of Cajun/Creole cuisine. No other fare creates such a potpourri of flavors and aromas as do these pleasures of the table.

Want to see more?

• Cook's Library
• Selecting the Right Wine for You
• King Me! Fantastic Confections a Part of Mardi Gras History
• Talk about it!