In general I prefer Crystal.
But I do think that both the others are useful but I use Crystal more regularly.
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Iāve never heard of Cajun Sunshine! Gonna keep an eye out for that one!
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Happy Friday! Hereās a NOLA cocktail with a story, and you donāt see the story or the cocktail mentioned much anymore. The drink tastes like a fried pie with lemon filling. Itās called the Mourning Pie.
Hubigās have been making fried pies in New Orleans since 1921, and they were always an important part of the community. They were hit pretty hard by Hurricane Katrina, but rebuilt. Then in 2012, their factory had a 5-alarm fire and burned to the ground. People throughout the city wanted to help, and their was a fundraiser. Chris Hannah, at Arnaudās French 75, created this drink for the fundraising event.
There were other setbacks along the way, including of course a global pandemic, but they reopened in November 2022, 10 years after the fire and their first shipment of pies sold out in an hour.
From the fundraising link:
1 oz. Plymouth Gin
3/4 oz. pineapple juice
1/2 oz. limoncello
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/3 oz. creme de cacao
I swapped out the Plymouth Gin for Seagramās Extra Dry because Iām not a gin person and probably couldnāt appreciate the difference when mixed with all the rest. Itās a tasty cocktail, and like most NOLA drinks it goes down a bit too smooth! 
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Depends on with what, but I would probably pick tobasco for this poll. Mostly I try to use my home made stuff.
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No, no, no, no, no. This.
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Cafe au lait with chicory coffee, and vegan waffles playing a supporting role because Iām not frying beignets or calas in my house! Can you find chicory coffee in grocery stores everywhere, or is it mostly just in the US Gulf Coast and within Vietnamese communities?
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I used to buy it in KC but Iāve never found it here in the PNW.
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Not easy to find in Canada. People bring coffee home from Louisiana.
I buy French Market coffee ( several different varieties) from Amazon at a good price. Itās our standard coffee, I cold brew it Toddy.
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We just buy Roasted Chicory and add it to our Regular Beans when Grinding.
My Fred Meyer has French Market coffee.
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I never shop at Freddieās
I have to remember to stop in.
I looked for Durkeeās per previous conversations and the slot and tag were there but no Durkeeās.
That happens to me a lot, not Durkeeās but other things.
Coush-coush!
If you have yellow (or white) cornmeal, you can make this delicious Cajun hot cereal tomorrow!
The name comes from ācouscousā but itās not made from couscous, and some people think it looks like crumbling cornbread in a glass of buttermilk (or sweet milk) but itās not that, either.
Hereās a good recipe. I cook it with water instead of milk and then add milk to the bowl before eating.
A zydeco song to go with your breakfast:
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Interesting, never heard of anything like this.
I tried the 3 hot sauces side-by-side, and have an opinion! I think it makes sense to have Tabasco and Crystal. I tried them on potatoes and rice, but here they are just out of the bottle:
Tabasco:
- distilled vinegar, red pepper, salt
- 1 tsp. has 35 mg salt
- Non-GMO, kosher, halal
- 2,500 - 5,000 Scoville heat units
With a first ingredient of vinegar, Tabasco is noticeably thinner and more vinegary. I think the vinegar makes it the best choice for fatty dishes like those with sausages or heavy cream sauces, and the watery consistency best for raw oysters and drinks like Bloody Marys.
Also, itās much lower in sodium for folks looking to keep that low.
Crystal:
- aged red cayenne peppers, distilled vinegar, salt
- 1 tsp. has 110 mg salt (website says 135 mg)
- Non-GMO, kosher, halal
Louisiana brand:
- aged peppers, distilled vinegar, salt
- 1 tsp. has 200 mg salt
- Not GMO-free; is kosher and halal
- 1,000 to 2,000 Scoville heat units
Louisiana Brand and Crystal are similar in texture and and heat. Crystal has a slightly better taste in my opinion and has a lot less salt. I think Louisiana Brand is using a blend of peppers, whereas Crystal states they are using cayenne only.
I think they are the best choice for foods that can be coated or dipped like beans, sandwiches, french fries.
Louisiana Brand is no longer based in Louisiana - they sold to a Georgia-based company in 2015. The guy who was suing because Texas Pete hot sauce is made in North Carolina should probably be notified!
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Thanks for the report! The disparity in sodium levels is really something!
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Viet-Cajun - I guess itās everywhere now, and definitely should get a mention here!
Houston and the Gulf Coast have had a very large and established Vietnamese food scene for a long time. Vietnamese came here during the fall of Saigon in the 1970s, as the āboat peopleā in the 1980s, as political prisoners and Amerasians in the 1990s, and from California in the early 2000s for cost of living reasons.
With the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, 250,000 people from NOLA and other Gulf Coast towns temporarily moved to Houston and 40,000 chose us as their new permanent home. We had some Cajun and Creole restaurants and foods but it seriously ramped up almost overnight of course with the influx.
And thus Viet-Cajun was born! Anthony Bourdain did a Houston episode with a segment on this but itās pay-to-view now, but hereās a good one from Eater:
And a second one thatās more about Viet-Cajun dishes at restaurants:
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