Burton's back from the bayou meal

 

French bread, Steen’s syrup and rat cheese.

I’d say this was my dad’s favorite meal when we would return from Louisiana, but he usually tore into the hot bread before we hit the border to Texas.

         Loaves of French bread were gifts to neighbors who checked our mail and otherwise missed us on the block when we’d visit grandma’s kin in Lafayette.

         Dad would also get a can of dark, fragrant Steen’s 100 % Pure Cane Syrup and a hunk of yellow cheddar, which he called rat cheese. Mom would drive home and he’d nibble. When we parked he was off to deliver the bread and unpack Betsy, the blue Plymouth.

         Naturally, we loved boudain with that meal. It may have been “boudin” when we purchased it in Louisiana, but the spelling changed when we crossed the Sabine. The flavor remained intact.

         My daughter just celebrated a birthday and that was her birthday brunch. I have a photo, but full disclosure here. The can in the photo is a prop. My mom used it as a pencil and art brush holder for decades. It matched her yellow kitchen office theme.

Shoes like Feathers

The Weitman family is new to me, but they’ve been bringing a philosophy of comfort, quality, and fashion since 1984. Wonder what the styles were then, because the current selections online are spot on for comfort with much more style than comes to mind with that word. Weitman folk are bringing good foot feelings and good looks together.

Here’s a phrase they say they hear from customers: "These are the only shoes that I can wear!"

I can relate. Shoes are manufactured in northern Italy and get shipped from New York State.

My Southeast Texas fall farmers’ markets excursions will benefit from Eric Michael Liat Cork Platform Sandals that are… like feathers on my feet. They’re just basically two black straps over a wedge overing a timless look. Easily adjustable, I expect to rock this look for several seasons. Check out the styles atmwww.laplumeshoes.com

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie whose meals come with back stories. Share yours via panews@panews.com

Boudain all day long

                     

Has boudain always been a breakfast food in my mind.

                      My Aunt Mono in Lafayette had a pan of it in little links served on the kitchen table. Of course there was sweet coffee milk for me. I don’t remember other items, besides homemade fig preserves from the giant fig tree out in the yard. I’m sure that fig production area covered an area the size of a New York apartment. I don’t even recall what we put the figs on at that breakfast table.

                      One of my earliest memories of realizing I really liked to eat was as a small child at this table. I took my mom aside and mentioned that the boudain on this visit tasted different than the kind usually served, and I didn’t care for it as much. Mom pointed out that I’d had several servings of this “lesser” boudain anyway.

                      In the ‘80s I noticed boudain being sold more often on a bun, at festivals and other types of events. So boudain became a later-in-the-day treat food.

                      I’m told some people must have their boudain with crackers and I think it’s pretty handy to serve it in a tortilla that just naturally folds around the contours of a link.

                      Then some smart somebody started smoking boudain, producing a crispy skin that I just can’t resist. More festival flair.

                      When my sister comes from Alabama, she arranges to buy boudain in large quantities and get it back home. She bought some and put it in my freezer and reminded everyone to not eat it. Repeatedly!

                      We got a text that she made it home safe, and a message that she had forgotten some of the boudain in my freezer.

                      She told us to enjoy, and my mom said she’d serve it up for our dinner. I understood her to say boudain omelet, meaning boudain folded into the eggs. But she presented boudain and omlet. Just as good.

                      It made a great meal, which we referred to as “breakfast for dinner.”

                      Readers, if you have a passion for how your boudain is best enjoyed, let me know at:

                      darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Bacon-Wrapped boudain is trending. Who's tried it?

       Who tried the bacon-wrapped boudain?

       Nadine Kibodeaux of Nederland read about my “discovery” of  bacon-wrapped boudain in last Wednesday’s Culinary Thrill Seeking, ran to Market Basket, and was dining on it by day’s end.

       A certain officer of the law with a Port Arthur News column messaged me that he had possibly gained weight just by reading about this temptation.

       My family tried it for company and we have plans for the next installment.

       The story is that I just heard about the concept that does seem pretty obvious around here. I love that I kept mentioning it to hard-core cooks I know and everyone’s eyes got big. I “put it out there” and area foodies are responding.

       “I tried the bacon wrapped boudain, Darragh, and will definitely have it again,” said Kebodeaux,” who I met through Texas Artists Museum.  “I used Zummo boudain and I did not pre-cook the bacon. I wrapped a thin sliced piece of bacon in a spiral manner around
the link of boudain and put it under the broiler, turned iftover a couple of times, and removed it when
the bacon was done. It was wonderful. I used a throw-away foil pan because all the fat from the bacon
goes into the pan and keeps it from getting in your oven. You are right, being on the border of Louisiana
where boudain is "king", I can't believe we had not heard of doing this.”

Here’s what we did:

My sister and her friend were headed in from Alabama, so here’s how we tried the bacon-wrapped boudain idea that just came into our lives.

First of all, ordering a shipment of D.J.’s boudain to take home to her son is always a priority. That done, we tended to our own links, cut in half and wrapped around the links, with the skin still on.

Just as predicted, they were popular.

My mother’s critique is that she got thick-cut bacon and she thought that a thinner cut would have crisped up more. I had already pre-cooked the bacon to give it a head start before running the pan under the oven.

These were served as supper with an omelet, biscuits and jasmine tea jelly that my nephew’s fiancé sent over.

Still loving your reactions and stories, readers. Keep ‘em coming.

darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Bacon-wrapped boudain; Taste of Gumbo is on the way

I hate to miss a party. Especially when I hear what I what all I missed. In this case, I’m told there was bacon-wrapped boudain. Once I heard that sentence, the room kind of got blurry. I could not concentrate on anything else but making this treat and wondering why I’d not heard of it or thought of it myself. 

We’re “on the boarder” of Texas and Louisiana, people. I Googled it. I told others about it. I put it on Facebook to see if other “foodies” I know had tried it.

The consensus among them was: That sounds great, why didn’t I think of that?

At this writing, I have not tried what sounds like a gift from Heaven. But I think I have successfully planted the idea in my mother’s head that she ought to make some for all of us.

I suppose one should cook the bacon a bit, then wrap it around an inch or two of boudain, perhaps with a jalapeno sliver, the broil it.

Readers, have you done this? Does it sound good? Let me know what you think.

Rotary Taste of Gumbo, Etc.

The day the Rotarians gather the gumbo lovers in Port Arthur is one of my favorite times of the year. I won’t get to go this time, so everybody, please go and eat gumbo for me. It’s from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 19 at the Robert A. “Bob” Bowers Civic Center.

“Come visit your neighbors, grab a taste or two of gumbo and do a little shopping while supporting the community through the Rotary Club of Port Arthur,” Janie Johnson, Rotarian, said.

 Rotary Club of Port Arthur has been doing this for 29 years and you know their proceeds, from $10 tickets at the door, is going to good causes.

There’s a silent auction, vendor booths and door prizes.

We can thank this group for the Rotary International Avenue of Flags that welcome seafarers to the Port of Port Arthur.

Johnson reminded that Rotarians internationally work to eradicate Polio through vaccines, water, sanitation, health care and better quality of living. Locally Rotarians have  invested in a quality community through support of grants to local charities, college scholarships, early literacy and feeding the hungry.

“Our motto is Service Above Self and as Rotarians we are honored to serve in our community first,” Johnson said.

darraghcastillio@icloud.com