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New Orleans Restaurants

Cochon Restaurant Revisited

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From Cochon Restaurant – New Orleans, LA.

On my last visit to New Orleans I stopped into Cochon Restaurant, which I had visited a few trips prior and absolutely loved, especially since back then, I was invited back into the kitchen to take some pictures! (Here is the original post, followed by one of my favorite pics from that visit):

Cochon Restaurant

From Nola Cuisine

There were a few dishes that I wished I had tried on my previous dining experience, so I made another go at it. On a side note, Chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski also recently opened a second Cochon Restaurant in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Cochon Lafayette

Donald Link’s book Real Cajun is one of my absolute favorites (My Review):

Here are the dishes that I had a second chance at sampling, well worth the wait! All of these are actually featured in his cookbook as well!

Fried Chicken livers with Pepper Jelly:

From Cochon Restaurant – New Orleans, LA.

Perfectly fried chicken livers on toast points, slathered with housemade Pepper Jelly and finished with a salad of mint leaves and sweet onions.

Wood Fired Oyster Roast:

From Cochon Restaurant – New Orleans, LA.

Cooked in the restaurants wood burning oven, these baked oysters, topped with a compound butter made with Vietnamese Chili sauce among other inredients, were easily my favorite of the appetizers. The plump Louisiana Oysters with the spicy, garlicky butter sauce were absolutely addicting. Definitely one of my new favorite Louisiana Oyster dishes, of which I have many.

From Cochon Restaurant – New Orleans, LA.
From Cochon Restaurant – New Orleans, LA.

I couldn’t resist trying Donald Link’s Boudin, as I was on a bit of a Louisiana Charcuterie hunt on this particular trip. Fried Boudin Balls with pickled peppers and housemade Abita Beer Whole Grain Mustard:

From Cochon Restaurant – New Orleans, LA.

Definitely a great tasting Boudin! I think they’re using chicken liver, instead of the traditional pork. There is also some poblano pepper in the mix:

From Cochon Restaurant – New Orleans, LA.

Donald Link has a great web show called Taste of Place. Here is his show about Boudin:

Here is my Boudin recipe:

Boudin Recipe

Lastly dessert, Blueberry Buckle with…get this…Hog Cracklin’ Streusel topping! There has to be some kind of award for most creative way to incorporate pork into a dessert, with delicious results!

From Cochon Restaurant – New Orleans, LA.

Of course, I will end this post with a picture of the restaurants woodpile, which is starting to become my signature on the sister site to this one American Gourmand.

From Cochon Restaurant – New Orleans, LA.

Related Posts:
Cochon Restaurant
Cochon Butcher
Real Cajun – Cookbook Review
Boudin Recipe
Pepper Jelly Recipe

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Recipes

Boudin Recipe

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From Homemade Boudin

I did a bit of a Louisiana Charcuterie tour on my last trip to Louisiana with Boudin, Andouille and Hogshead Cheese being the primary focus. When I’m home in the Detroit area and dreaming of Louisiana, Boudin is one of the things I miss most. So I have to make my own.

From Homemade Boudin

For my latest batch of Boudin, I used the very minimally processed Cajun Grain Brown Jasmine Rice that I spoke about in an earlier article. I love the texture and real rice flavor that it adds to the finished product!

From Cajun Grain Rice – Kinder, Louisiana

I like just enough liver flavor in my Boudin, without it being over powering, be sure to only use fresh pork liver, and lots of green onions and parsley!

From Homemade Boudin

Here is the recipe:

Boudin Recipe

2 1/2 lbs Pork Butt
1/2 lb Fresh Pork liver (not frozen), rinsed
1 Medium Onion, chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
2 Bay Leaves
1 Bundle of Fresh Thyme, tied
Water to cover by 2 inches
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
1 tsp Cayenne, or to taste
6 Cups cooked Cajun Grain Brown Jasmine Rice
1 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced
1 Cup Italian Parsley, finely chopped
Hog Casings (if using)

Cut the pork and liver into 2 inch pieces and place in a Dutch Oven, along with the onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves.

From Homemade Boudin

Cover with cold water by 2 inches. Season the water well with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer, skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Simmer for about 1 hour or until the meat is very tender. Remove the bay leaves, and thyme, then strain the solids from the broth, reserve some of the broth.
Run the cooked meat and vegetables (while they’re still hot) through a meat grinder or food mill, or you could chop this by hand.

From Homemade Boudin

Combine the cooked rice with the ground meat mixture, green onions, and parsley. Mix thoroughly and season to taste with Kosher salt, black pepper, and Cayenne. Add some of the reserved cooking liquid to make sure that the finished product is very moist, bearing in mind that the rice will absorb much of the liquid as it sits.

Spread the mixture on a sheet pan and place in the refrigerator to cool.

When the mixture is cool, stuff into prepared hog casings, or form into patties or balls for pan frying. Boudin also makes a great stuffing. Here is a pick of my Boudin Stuffed Barbecue Pork Chops!

From Homemade Boudin

To heat the stuffed Boudin links either poach them in water between 165-185 degrees F or brush the casings with a little oil and bake in a 400 degree oven until heated through and the skins are crispy. Boudin is also phenomenal smoked!

Makes 4 1/2 to 5 pounds.

Related Posts:

Andouille Sausage Recipe
Tasso Recipe
Chaurice Sausage Recipe

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Recipes

Boudin Sausage Recipe

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From Nola Cuisine

**UPDATE** My latest Boudin Recipe complete with PHOTOS!

The commonly known Louisiana Boudin (BOO-dahn) is Acadian through and through, traditionally made as a way to stretch the meat after a Boucherie, to feed more mouths. There are two varities, Boudin Blanc, commonly just refered to as “Boudin”, and Boudin Rouge, which is becoming very difficult to find. It is made in a similar fashion but with fresh pig’s blood. Believe me, if I ever get my hands on some fresh pig’s blood, you will definately see a Boudin Rouge recipe on this site.
In Cajun country there are as many Boudin recipes as there are cooks, most using basically the same ingredients, in different proportions. You can find Boudin sold just about anyplace along the road that has a roof (probably some without.) Gas stations, shops, you name it, they will most likely have a sign that says “Hot Boudin”.
The old Creole versions were more along the lines of the traditional French, made with meats and fowl and a panada (bread and cream) as a binder (To see a more traditional French version of Boudin Blanc, see my friend Carolyn’s recipe at 18thC French Cuisine). The Acadians use(d) rice, something that was/is plentiful in South Louisiana.
I make mine with lots of green onions and parsley, also Louisiana staples, and the mark of a good Boudin. A lot of recipes will just make basic rice, cooked in water. That just doesn’t make sense to me, so I like to use the Pork cooking liquid to cook my rice, utilize all of that flavor. You could use leftover cooked rice in this recipe, but I prefer to make fresh. You can stuff Boudin into casings as I’ve done here, or shape into Patties or Balls for pan frying. I also like to get some thick Pork Chops and stuff them with Boudin. Boudin is great for breakfast, or for lunch with saltine crackers and a cold beer. The recipe:

Cajun Boudin Sausage Recipe

1 1/2 lbs Pork Steak
1/2 lb Very Fresh Pork liver (not frozen), rinsed
1 Medium Onion, Coarsely chopped
3 Garlic Cloves
2 Bay Leaves
1 Sprig Fresh Thyme
Water to cover by 1 inch
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
2 Cups Uncooked Long grain Rice
1 Bunch Green Onions, thinly sliced
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Italian Parsley
Cayenne to taste

Cut the pork steak and liver into 2 inch pieces and place in a large saucepan, along with the onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover with cold water by 1 1/2 inches. Season well with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer, skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Simmer for about 1 hour or until the meat is very tender. Remove the bay leaves, and thyme, then strain the solids from the broth, reserve the broth.
Grind the meats and cooked onion and garlic while they’re still hot, you could also chop this by hand.

For the Rice:
In a saucepan with a lid, combine the rice with 3 Cups of the reserved broth. Taste the broth for seasoning, if necessary season with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then down to very low heat and cover. Cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

When the rice is cooked, combine it with the ground meat mixture, green onions, and parsley. Mix thoroughly and season to taste with Kosher salt, black pepper, and Cayenne.

Stuff into prepared hog casings (instructions on how to link homemade sausage), or form into patties or balls for pan frying. This also makes a great stuffing.

To heat the stuffed Boudin sausages, either poach them in water between 165-185 degrees F, or brush the casings with a little oil and bake in a 400 degree oven until heated through and the skins are crispy. When I poach them, I take the Boudin out of the casings to eat it because they become rubbery.

Other recipes for Sausages and Seasoning Meats at Nola Cuisine:

Andouille Sausage Recipe
Chaurice Sausage Recipe
Tasso Recipe
Pickled Pork Recipe

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