On Friday 16th March 2012, I returned to the environmental consulting position by accepting a full-time position with a state-wide agency; therefore, LLC operations have been suspended indefinitely.

Thank you for allowing me to prepare authentic Louisiana cuisine for your family and friends. I hope you enjoyed the cuisine as much as I enjoyed preparing the meals.

Sincerely,

Joey Landreneau

By your Gainesville Cajun Expert, Joey Landreneau

After preparing many Thanksgiving fried turkeys and an entire dinner for one family traveling to Gainesville, I was able to spend a couple of days at my fish camp in Cedar Island, FL. The objective was to spend at least one day on the pristine flats of Taylor County, kinda unwind, and hopefully catch a few redfish and spotted sea trout for the table. On Saturday after Thanksgiving, my buddy Bill and I were able to slide away from the camp on an absolutely beautiful afternoon in pursuit of our quarry. Only a few minutes from the camp, we spotted an impressive school of bait fish and quietly approached the outer edges of the nervous forage fish to find many predator fish looking for a belated Thanksgiving dinner. We were able to accomplish our objective and then some, as we caught fish for the remainder of the afternoon.

With a little windshield time on the return trip, I was reminiscing about the Cajun Microwave and all the great fish meals prepared with the ole box. Specifically, whole grouper prepared with fresh seasonings, spices, herbs, and vegetables; that one redfish would substitute perfectly for the grouper, ah yeah, redfish courtbouillon in the Cajun Microwave. My understanding of fish courtbouillon is to prepare the whole fish with fresh seasonings and vegetables in its own juice culiminating in a clear au jour. The thought of the natural clear fish “gravy” quickly brought me to think about the spring after high school, the loss of my father and fishing companion, when I spent numerous nights fishing on the bank of the Mississippi River catching fresh water drum fish (affectionately called “gou” or gaspergou); kinda unwinding.

As I would return to town just after daybreak, my Dad’s life long friend, Mr. Willey, would be sipping Community coffee on the front porch, waiting for his fresh “gou”. I would gladly provide him with as many “gou” as he desired. Mr Willey always cooked a courtbouillon and most of the time he would give me a call to come over to enjoy this great fish dish. He served the courtbouillon over steamed rice with potato salad, almost always. Mr. Willey’s courtbouillon was full of rich fish flavor and as clear as water. After he served me a full plate of “gou” courtbouillon, my first thought was he forgot to put “gravy” on the rice; but the gravy was running on the plate; the essence of the original Cajun courtbouillon.

My version of the redfish courtbouillon included fresh mushrooms and Roma tomatoes, a few dashes of Lea & Perrin, so the au jour is not as clear as Mr. Willey would have liked; but he would have approved of the rich natural fish flavor.

I have prepared whole salmon with the backbone removed, the cavity filled with crawfish stuffing; then baked in the Microwave; served with a warm macadamia nut sauce. Mr. Willey would have been proved of me!

Contact us to have your grouper, snapper, salmon, or other favorite fish species prepared in the Cajun Microwave.

By your Gainesville Cajun Expert, Joey Landreneau

On Thanksgiving Day, my son Jake and I were tasked with frying many turkeys for folks wanting to enjoy the flavorful Cajun Fried Turkey for their holiday dinner. I had been paying close attention to the Weather Underground forecast and anticipated a blue bird sky with brisk north-northeast wind. Ah, we were going to have to compensate for the strong wind affecting our frying equipment. When the north winds blow…YOU GOT TO DO WHAT YOU GOT TO DO! The pic explains it all; use the heat shield made for the Cochon de Lait (whole pig roast) as the wind shield for the fried turkey equipment.

With all three pots loaded with turkeys and boiling to their hearts content, Jake phrased the activity as “Fried Turkey Ballet”. Actually, near the end of the
frying time, the smaller birds have a tendency to roll causing the legs to extend out of the peanut oil. It reminded me of the Olympic synchronized
swimming competition when the swimmers suspend vertically in the water column, extend their legs out of the water to complete intricate routines. I’m wondering if the 2012 USA Olympic synchronized swimming team will have a “Fried Turkey Ballet” routine in honor of the Cajun Fried Thanksgiving Turkey.

We enjoyed being outside on a beautiful fall day preparing Thanksgiving turkeys. We hope all of you enjoyed your fried turkey as much as Bobbie….”I have had fried turkey many times but none of them compared with your fried turkey that we had for Thanksgiving dinner. It was very moist and the flavor was throughout the meat”.

Contact us for your upcoming holiday party so everyone can enjoy the one-of-a-kind Landreneau’s Louisiana Cooking Cajun fried turkey.

By your Gainesville Cajun Expert, Joey Landreneau

November is synonymous with great North Florida weather, SEC football battles, and Thanksgiving turkey. Over the years, I was fortunate enough to travel throughout the United States during all months of the calendar, so when I declare North Florida as one of the best areas to spend the Fall season, my opinion is based on real-life comparisons to many beautiful areas of the country, it is just something about the cooler nights and mornings after what seems to be never-ending summer heat that makes me feel like I do not want or need to be in any other part of the county. The larger-than-life SEC football games in November have been the pre-requisite to the college football national championship since the conception of the BCS; no need to elaborate….the SEC gets it done!

Thanksgiving means family gatherings filled with traditions handed down for many generations. The Thanksgiving traditions in my family involved a big pot of Gumbo (chicken and sausage), smoked turkey (my Mom preferred smoked turkey over baked turkey), fresh pork roast with the cracklin skin, sweet potato crunch, pecan pie, oyster cornbread dressing (scratch batch), NO STOVE TOP STUFFING! I did not learn about stove top stuffing until I moved to Kansas City and immediately determined why stuffing is a northern-thing…not in the same league with home-made oyster cornbread dressing. Sorry, if I offend anyone. Where was the Cajun fried turkey? Probably surprising to many, my childhood Thanksgiving dinners did not include fried turkey. My first taste of fried turkey was during the 1984 Christmas holidays. I relocated to Florida in July 1984 unbeknown of the tradition-making Cajun fried turkey. My Mom called me a few months after the move with excitement in her voice signifying the beginning of the Cajun fried turkey craze. I will never forget the conversation….You have to come home to try this fried turkey (implying right NOW)…OK, I’ll be home for Christmas and will get with my buddies to see what all the fuss is about. Well, Christmas Eve, my long-time childhood friend, Steve, fried several turkeys using fresh hog lard rendered from the cracklin making process during the “boucherie” the day before. I know…hog lard…however, the fresh lard gave the turkey a slight bacon flavor, absolutely, the best fried turkey I have ever enjoyed and that Christmas Eve feast was the beginning on a Landreneau family tradition of the Thanksgiving fried turkey.

Landreneau’s Louisiana Cooking is offering to prepare your Thanksgiving Cajun fried turkey in keeping with the 27-year tradition started in Plaucheville, LA. The turkeys are seasoned with a blend of herbs and spices, allowed to marinate 24-hours, and then deep fried in peanut oil. We will prepare several of the Louisiana traditional side dishes; such as, cornbread dressing (oysters optional), sweet potato crunch, Gumbo, Cajun rice dressing, and pecan pie. If fried turkey is not to your liking, we offer Chicken Vermilion (deboned chicken stuffed crawfish, shrimp, rice dressing or black-eyed peas); a great compliment to your family’s traditional turkey and Turducken (deboned turkey stuffed with deboned chicken and deboned duck with cornbread dressing or any of the stuffings previously mentioned.

Contact us to order your Thanksgiving turkey and trimmings today!

By Your Gainesville Cajun Food Expert, Joey Landreneau

Ah yes, the change of season from summer to fall and the memories of cooking freshly harvested wild game in a black pot (cast iron Dutch oven) using a Coleman stove or simmering coals from the camp fire. Those thoughts came about in a rush of nostalia when I received a wedding invitation from the daughter of my life-long childhood friend from Plaucheville, LA. The September 24th wedding day was one day into the autumn season which caused me to reminisce about the countless times we enjoyed “living off the land” not knowing we were honing our culinary skills. The early fall hunting tradition was to get together with your buddies, homestead your base camp area deep within the West Atchafalaya Basin virgin hardwood floodplain to camp-out and hunt small game for consecutive weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. We all had life chores to attend to during the work week but we met at the “camp” every week-end to partake in the natural beauty of the Basin, enjoy each other’s company, and cook some really good dove & smoked sausage jambalaya, wild duck gumbo, fried fish, crawfish etouffee, chicken fricasse, and squirrel sauce piquante to name just a few wonderful meals. Man, I can see and smell all the goings on as I type this piece. The moral of the story is that the fall season is the time to enjoy some of the most notable Louisiana dishes such as jambalaya, gumbo, roux-based stew, and even a fried turkey or two.

This past week-end I had the privilege of preparing chicken & sausage jambalaya, fried catfish with Jezebel sauce, and Landreneau’s sausage bread for a couple of tailgate parties prior to the UF vs. BAMA football game. During the entire time preparing the jambalaya and frying the catfish, I was in that nostalgia zone, back at the “camp” cooking a pot of jambalaya, listening to SEC football on the radio, and enjoying friends’ company……like a UF tailgate party, just not deep within the woods of the Atchafalaya Basin.

Ah yes, the joys of the change of seasons and arguably early fall may be the best of them all!

As the fall season progresses into colder nights and cooler days, there is nothing better than a warm pot of gumbo or jambalaya to comfort a Gator’s soul.

Contact us to order your fall weather Gator soul comforting goodness.

By Your Gainesville Cajun Food Expert, Joey Landreneau

College football is blessed with the some of the greatest traditions of all major sports. Arguably, the college tailgate party is the best of the best in the spirit of the alma mater when it comes to sporting event traditions. Friends and families must meet at “their spot” to partake in the “gotta have these, those, and that assortment of drinks, snacks, Uncle Bob’s burgers, Mama’s guacamole…the list goes infinitum; all in the tradition of getting ”primed” for the anticipated home team victory. The degree of exuberance and preparation seems to coincide with the caliber of the opponent enjoyed prior to and hopefully after the rival games. The Gator tailgate traditions are right up there with the best of them in the SEC with the old oak tree shaded areas that are conveniently located within a short walk to “The Swamp”.

Before the UAB game, I decided to walk around the neighborhood tailgate rich area between “The Swamp” and JJ Finley School. The Gator tailgaters were in full display ranging from a couple enjoying a simple picnic to utility trailers equipped with a flat screen TV, stereo, refrigerated beverage dispensers powered by strategically located generators equipped with noise suppression baffles. The level of cuisine seemed to coincide with the degree of sophistication of the tailgate setup. The more elaborate the setup or the larger the crowd of Gator fans, the greater the degree of food preparation ranging from charcoal grills situated on the vehicle’s tailgate to conventional grills to trailered BBQ cookers….all in the tradition of Florida Gator tailgating. Would not have it any other way!

The brine marinated, dry rub seasoned, pecan wood smoked chickens offered by Landreneau’s Louisiana Cooking, once enjoyed, could easily become one of the “gotta have this” Gator tailgate traditions. We will deliver these gourmet chickens to your “tailgate spot” to eliminate having to deal with all the stuff needed to produce grilled food or having to pick-up fast food. An option, purchase a vacuum packaged smoked chicken in advance and simply place the package in hot water to heat the chicken to a desired temperature, wrap the packaged chicken in aluminum foil, place in an ice chest and head out to the tailgate party. Our goal is to make your football Saturday effortless while enjoying one of the greatest Southern traditions, Florida Gator Tailgating.

Contact us to order your gourmet tailgate delicacies of smoked chicken and Jambalaya.

By Your Gainesville Cajun Food Expert, Joey Landreneau

I was sitting around the other day contemplating ideas for a deboned stuffed chicken using vegetables and rice; an alternative to red meat or seafood stuffing. One absolute was the stuffing had to be in keeping with the Cajun food traditions. The first thought was red beans & rice…nah that did not wet my palate. The Jamaican staple of peas and rice came to mind; then, of course, black-eyed peas and rice with herbs and spices. Maybe, because of my long lapse since the last batch of home-made black-eyed peas and rice; I was kinda hungry for the traditional New Years “good luck” dish in August. Knowing this “lucky stuffing” was to be an integral ingredient in the deboned chicken, I deviated slightly from the Cajun food tradition by using a Costa Rica rice recipe with onions, red bell pepper, tomato paste, lime juice, herbs & spices to bring a little more pizzaz; complementing the purported African and Spanish origin of black-eyed peas. The end result was a successful blending of flavors needed to fill the cavity of the skeleton-less bird.

When describing to friends that the chicken is deboned without cutting the skin, everyone ask “How do you do that?” Without getting into great detail, the legs are removed; then the back-bone is removed by dislodging from the breast bone and thigh joint; the wings are dislodged to allow the breast bone to be removed. The last step is the removal of the thigh bone and the knee and VIOLA! a chicken with only wings! I sew up the craw, amply stuff the chicken, and sew up the rear cavity. There are several different techniques used to create this delicacy; however, I prefer to keep the skin in tact so that the savory juices are retained inside the bird rather than leak out a suture along the back of the bird.

With the 2011 football season upon us, I “garontee” your favorite team will get all the lucky breaks by your indulgence of a “Hoppin’ John” stuffed deboned chicken from Landreneau’s Louisiana Cooking. The trick is the sooner the Good Luck Bird is devoured, the sooner your team reaps the rewards. Another absolute, your taste buds will be the luckiest of them all on the tailgate scene once they party with a Cajun stuffed bird!

Contact us to order your Cajun food delicacy of deboned stuffed chickens with Hoppin’John, crawfish etouffee, shrimp jambalaya, or Cajun dirty rice for your upcoming tailgate parties.

By Your Gainesville Cajun Food Expert, Joey Landreneau

The New Orleans Po-Boy deserves all the accolades scribed in the many pieces written about the legendary sandwich. If you are familiar with the NOLA Po-Boy, you’ve experienced the distinctive light, airy, crunchy texture of the French bread which allows the ingredients to define the taste. This bread is made in the metro area; not other areas of Louisiana, ONLY New Orleans.

Accepting the fact that NOLA French bread is not readily available in Gainesville and extremely difficult to duplicate (almost impossible), our goal was to come up with bread that had similar attributes for our sandwiches. In the past, I discarded the idea of offering a Po-Boy because of the logistics of acquiring NOLA bread, the frozen factor, and the heavy texture of the local French bread. When a hoagie or sub roll is used to make a sandwich, the sandwich is a hoagie or sub, not a NOLA Po-Boy!

After much discussion, trial, and error, the French brioche loaf appears to have met our objective for the basis of the Louisiana loaf offered by Landreneau’s Louisiana Cooking, your cajun food aficionado in Gainesville, Florida.

Recently, our son Jake was celebrating his birthday, so to honor his day, we prepared a brioche loaf and softshell crawfish. The light, buttery taste of the bread, combined with the sweet, crunchiness of the softshell crawfish, was accompanied by traditional Po-Boy condiments (fresh tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise, and pickle) provided “on point goodness”. Most importantly, the brioche loaf enhances the taste of the softshell crawfish allowing all the flavor of this delicacy to explode with every bite.

In the tradition of the legendary “NOLA Po-Boy”, Landreneau’s Louisiana Cooking is offering the Louisiana loaf prepared with French brioche loaf and softshell crawfish, shrimp, oysters, catfish, or fried turkey.

Mission accomplished!

Contact us to order your cajun food cuisine for your next Gainesville event.

Joey Landreneau is the Chef and Owner of Landreneau’s Louisiana Cooking, catering Cajun cuisine in Gainesville, Florida.

Read the full article from Gainesville Magazine, complete with recipes.

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