Cajun Archives - Wife Of A Hunter

Venison Cheeseburger King Cake

Sophie May — Sat, 25 Feb 2023 17:50:46 +0000

This Venison Cheeseburger King Cake is a little late for the Mardi Gras season, but I know you guys will love it anyway!!

I love king cake! My parents would always order one during Carnival season. Being in New Orleans this year meant I got to go around and try to find my favorite one. I am not sure if I even want to share how many I had this year 😅.

For those of you who don’t know King Cake is a cake like dessert, with cinnamon roll style bread, normally topped with icing and dyed sugar and/or sprinkles. It is sometimes stuffed with cream cheese or a variety of other delicious fillings. It is eaten during the Mardi Gras season from January 6^th (Epiphany) to Fat Tuesday.

One King Cake I had this year did stick out to me though. It was savory and stuffed with boudin 🤤. I knew then it was my time to give a take on this normally sweet staple.

I decided to go for a cheeseburger style of king cake with dyed sesame seeds and ketchup and mustard instead of dyed sugar and icing! It was delicious. I might have overstuffed the cake though 😅. This caused the cheese to ooze out and didn’t allow me to take a pretty picture of the whole thing. BUT, it was delicious!!!

Wait until next Mardi Gras to make it or just give it a shot out of season. Either way you will love this recipe! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions, comments, or requests. Most importantly ENJOY this meal like I did with some friends and some nice full bellies!

Venison Cheeseburger King Cake

Delicious meaty take on a New Orleans staple!

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American, Cajun

Keyword American, Burger, Cajun, Cheeseburger, Creole, King Cake, New Orleans

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 20

Servings

Author Sophie May

Ingredients

Browned Vegetables Ingredients

3 red onions sliced
1 yellow onion sliced
2 large jalapeños sliced
1 pinch salt
EVOO enough to cover pan

Meat Ingredients

1/8 C favorite meat rub I used chupacabra seasoning
1 T favorite steak seasoning I used weber classic grill seasoning
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1.5 lbs ground venison I used 90:10 venison to pork fat

Cake Ingredients

32 oz velveeta cheese walmart has a great value version
2 rolls pizza crust I used great value brand
flour for work station
1 egg for egg wash

"Sprinkles" Ingredients

sesame seeds to desired amount
yellow food coloring mix with seeds until desired color
purple food coloring mix with seeds until desired color
green food coloring mix with seeds until desired color

Topping

ketchup to top
mustard to top

Instructions

Browned Vegetables Instructions

If you haven't already slice your onions and jalapeños.
Heat a pan to medium and pour in EVOO, enough to cover the pan.
Put in your vegetables and brown them. Add a pinch of salt in as well. (Other people use sugar, but I think salt helps bring out flavor).
While the vegetables are browning mix your meat and seasonings together.
Remove your browned vegetables from the pan and set aside.

Meat Instructions

Increase the heat to medium-high and add more oil to the pan, enough to coat. Add your meat and cook.
While cooking the meat, add your Worcestershire sauce and stir in.

Assembly Instructions

Throw a little flour around your work station. Take out your pizza crust and spread it out on the flour.
Build your cake layering the cheese in the center of the crust, followed by the vegetables, and then meat. Pinch the crust around it, like a log, and then flip it onto a oven safe pan, so that the seam side is down on the bottom.
Repeat this process and then combine the two logs together so that you have a longer oval like king cake shape.

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Use your egg to make an egg wash and brush the top of your cake with it.
If you have not already mix your sesame seeds with the food dyes and then sprinkle on top of your cake. They might clump together. Just break them apart as best you can.
Cook for ~15-20 minutes or until golden brown. If the cheese melts out it's not the end of the world it just won't be as pretty.
Top with ketchup, mustard, or whatever else you have.
Cut into pieces and ENJOY!!!

The post Venison Cheeseburger King Cake appeared first on Wife Of A Hunter.

Duck and Sausage Gumbo

Sophie May — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 21:06:21 +0000

This Duck and Sausage Gumbo is to die for.

My mom grew up in Belle Chasse, Louisiana which is a suburb outside of New Orleans. Both of my parents attended Tulane University. My parents are well versed on Cajun food and made sure that I was too. I love all Cajun food. The intense spices and heat that each dish packs is something astounding.

After my first duck hunt, I knew exactly what dish needed to be made. Gumbo.

Gumbo can be made with seafood, sausage, duck, chicken… really whatever you want. I used deer sausage to add extra meat in the gumbo, but honestly the duck would suffice.

When making the roux for this dish, if you are new, make it low and slow. If you are more confident in your abilities, you can ramp the heat up, but be cautious and continuously stir it or you will burn the roux. You are looking for a melted chocolate consistency and color.

This dish is delicious. If you are worried about the okra having that “slimy” texture, it does not have it in this. It is mighty good.

I love gumbo and I especially loved this gumbo. Don’t get stressed out by the long ingredient list or the roux. It is a very simple gumbo and it will be worth it to make. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Duck and Sausage Gumbo

Delicious duck gumbo!! Even for the people that think they don't like duck.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Cajun

Keyword Cajun, Duck, Gumbo, Sausage

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings people

Author Sophie May

Ingredients

12 cooked teal ducks meat from the duck broth
3 C Duck Broth
2 cloves garlic minced
1.75 tsp salt
1.75 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp "Better than Bouillon" roasted beef base
3 bay leaves
1.5 C celery finely chopped
1.5 C onions finely chopped
1.5 C bell peppers finely chopped
1/2 C vegetable oil
10 T flour
1.25 C okra chopped
3.5 T fresh parsley chopped
1 lb sausage (I used venison sausage) chopped into bite sized pieces

Served with:

green onion
rice
parsley

Instructions

In a small bowl combine all seasonings (salt, poultry seasoning, pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder) and beef base.
In a separate bowl, mix together celery, onions, and bell pepper (Holy Trinity).
In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat oil until it shimmers.
Carefully add flour and stir constantly (if you are new to making roux start at a lower temp). Cook roux until dark brown (~20 minutes). Stir constantly or your roux will burn. It should look like melted chocolate when done.
Remove pot from heat and add seasonings, onions, celery, bell peppers. Stir until thick and well combined (~2 minutes).
Return pot to heat and add broth, okra, minced garlic, and bay leaves.
Combine and bring to boil, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Add meat and let simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve over rice. Top with green onions and parsley. Enjoy.

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White Gator Lasagna

Sophie May — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 00:57:58 +0000

This White Gator Lasagna should be a staple in everyone’s home.

Gator tastes like chicken, so when I was trying to think of unique recipes I wanted to make with it, my mind immediately went to white chicken lasagna. I love white chicken lasagna. I even like white veggie lasagna. Being well versed in the white lasagna department, I knew exactly what I wanted to do for this recipe.

Honestly, I love all of my recipes, but this one is top tier. It is amazing. I truly believe I outdid myself here. I would make this every week if I had an unlimited supply of gator. This recipe is truly what dreams are made of. It lives rent free in my brain. BECAUSE WOW. I am not trying to play it up, but this recipe really is that good. My swamp friends in Louisiana should add this to their menus if they have a restaurant.

I hope you give this recipe a try. It is SOOO worth it. You will NOT regret it. Enjoy!

White Gator Lasagna

Delicious gator recipe! Be prepared, you might want to turn a whole gator into this!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Gator, Lasagna, Spinach

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 10

Servings people

Author Sophie May

Equipment

9x13 extra deep casserole dish

Ingredients

1 box Lasagna Noodles*

Gator Filling

2 lbs gator ground
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 T extra virgin olive oil

Spinach-Ricotta Filling

5 T butter
1/4 C all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C half and half
8 oz cream cheese
5 T minced onion
2 T minced garlic
16 oz frozen spinach thawed; drained
1/4 C water
1 C ricotta whole

White Sauce

1 C heavy cream
1 C parmesan cheese grated
1 T butter
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Toppings

4 C mozzarella
1/2 C shredded parmesan

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 °F.
Grease a 9x13 extra deep casserole dish (~3 inches).

Meat

In a pan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil.
Add you meat and seasonings. Mix well.
Cook until done, approximately 8-10 minutes.

Spinach-Ricotta Filling

In a pan over medium-high heat, melt butter.
Add flour and mix well. This should be thick. Cook until slightly browned
Add onion and garlic. Mix.
Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth and completely incorporated.

Sauce

In a pan over medium-high heat, melt butter.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add remaining ingredients and cook until sauce thickens.

Assembly

If you do not have oven ready lasagna noodles (it would say on the box), cook and drain them now.
In the bottom of your greased pan, spoon 1/2 of the sauce on the bottom and sprinkle 1/3 of the meat on top.
Add a layer of noodles. I cut mine in order to fully cover the dish.
Spread 1/2 the spinach ricotta filling and 1/3 of the meat over the lasagna noodles.
Add another layer of noodles.
Spread remaining spinach ricotta filling and meat over the lasagna noodles.
Add remaining noodles or enough to cover the filling.
Spread remaining sauce on top.
Sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan on top.
It is all cooked, so bake to desired cheese crispiness. I baked mine for 30 minutes.

Notes

*These need to be cooked and drained if not using oven ready noodles. Either work.

The post White Gator Lasagna appeared first on Wife Of A Hunter.

Blackened Redfish Po’ Boy

Sophie May — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 17:34:09 +0000

I love Po’ Boys and I love blackened redfish, so I decided I needed to make my own version of a blackened redfish Po’ Boy!

Redfish is delicious! You can prepare it in a multitude of ways. You know what else is delicious? Po’ Boys! If you have never had a Po’ Boy, we are going to fix that. Po’ Boys are a New Orleans and Cajun staple. They can be filled with a variety of meat such as fried shrimp, crawfish, roast beef, fish, and many others. It is a simple sandwich, on a French roll or baguet, normally topped with some lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and some sort of sauce.

I made my own variation of a Po’ Boy with some redfish I blackened out on the grill. If you want to just eat the redfish just blackened you can use this recipe and just omit the sandwich part, it will still be great! I cooked the redfish “on the half shell” meaning the fish filet still had its skin and scales attached. This method allows the “half shell” to protect the fish from the flames, while still allowing the meat to cook evenly. It also makes cleaning the fish easier 😉. Once cooked, the meat should come right off the shell. I “shredded” the fish into pieces to give the sandwich a more even filling, but you do not have to. Also, this method only works on fish with large scales like a redfish, but the recipe works with any white fish!

Blackened Redfish Po'Boy

Delicious blacked redfish Po'boy that will make you think you're in Louisiana for the day!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Cajun

Keyword American, Cajun, Po'Boy, Redfish

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings

Author Sophie May

Equipment

Grill Tray

Ingredients

1.5 lbs Redfish filets “on the half shell” skin and scales on
1 stick butter softened
1.5 T Cajun Seasoning

Sandwich ingredients:

French rolls buttered and toasted if desired
Shredded Lettuce
Tomatoes
Pickles I used Grillo’s
Tartar Sauce

Instructions

Preheat the grill to high.
Soften a stick of butter in the microwave. Don’t melt it. Just enough that it retains it figure but can be mixed. Approximately 15-30 seconds in the microwave. Watch carefully.
Mix the Cajun seasoning with the butter in a small bowl.
Spread the butter mixture over the meat side of the fish.
Place the fish, skin side down on, the grill*. If you have a grill safe tray you can put your fish on that to keep the butter from dripping down and causing flare ups.
Close the grill and cook for around 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked thoroughly (white all the way through).
Remove from heat and set on a plate/tray.
Remove meat from the half shell. The meat should pull right from the skin easily.
You can keep the filets whole or pull them for more equal coverage on your sandwich.
Assemble your sandwiches. Enjoy!

Notes

*This only works for fish with bigger scales like a redfish, that will protect the meat from the flames.

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Crockpot Gator Jambalaya

Sophie May — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 16:11:12 +0000

My mom grew up in Southeastern Louisiana and attended Tulane University where she met my father. I have loved Cajun food since I was in the womb. This crockpot gator jambalaya is so easy and tasty it will have you saying “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” like the locals.

Crockpot Gator Jambalaya

Delicious gator jambalaya that you can just throw in the crockpot.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Cajun

Keyword Cajun, Gator, Jambalaya

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 10

Servings

Author Sophie May

Equipment

Crockpot

Ingredients

2 lbs gator cut into bite size pieces
2.5 C white rice
1 package sausage sliced (I used jalapeño and green onion venison sausage)
1 T vegetable oil or butter to brown sausage
1/2 T Cajun seasoning I used The Cajun Ninja’s
1 onion diced
1 green bell pepper diced
2 stalks of celery diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
3.5 C chicken broth
1 T hot sauce I used Louisiana Hot Sauce*
6 oz tomato paste
1 can rotel 10 oz
2 bay leaves
1 bunch green onions chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Add vegetable oil (or butter) to a pan. Heat over medium-high heat.
Once hot, add sliced sausage and cook until browned and crispy on the edges. Remove from heat and set aside.
In your crockpot, add chicken broth, tomato paste and rotel. Stir until combined.
Add diced onions, diced bell pepper, diced celery, minced garlic, gator and sausage. Stir to combine.
Add Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, and bay leaves. Again, stir to combine.
Cook, with lid on, on high for 3 hours. This should make the gator tender and shreddable if you want smaller bits.
Keeping meat and all ingredients in the pot, add rice and stir to combine.
Cook for an additional hour on high, or until rice is fully cooked. The rice will absorb all excess liquid and create a delicious jambalaya.
When finished stir well and remove bay leaves. Garnish with green onions. Enjoy!

Notes

*More can be added for spice. I add mine after because my family doesn’t like it as spicy as me.

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