Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

It's a bit of a surprise to me, as well as to half my Texas and Louisiana food friends, that in the 12 years I have lived here in Austin, I have yet to experience a good old-fashioned Crawfish Boil.  I've heard all about them from friends that have resided in Cajun Country.  I've eaten my fair share crawfish creole, etouffee, and I'm no stranger to the sweet little meat from their tails, but with all that said, I've still never experienced a true boil.  All that changed a few weeks ago when we followed up on an invitation from our neighbor to come over for their annual  Crawfish Boil and birthday party for their sweet little girl Effie. Of course, being the food lover I am, I asked for advise from my experienced "boil" friends before I went so that I would not look completely dumbfounded once I had one of those mudbugs in my hand. I was given a list of advise - everything from don't rub your eyes to eat cucumbers to cool the heat from the boil.  I was told not to wear chapstick as I needed to experience the full effect. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit scared. I'm all for a bit of spicy flavor but having my lips burnt off? Not really my thing.  So with all of that advise to go along with our ice-bucket of Abita and limoncello, we walked to our neighbors to join the festivities.

It was typical fare when we walked in – a long table out back lined with a plastic cloth and several people just standing around a massive pile of crawfish, sausage, corn, garlic, new potatoes, onions and mushrooms poured right down the middle of the table. Off in the corner of the yard was a boiling pot burning away with a fresh batch. There's a big cooler not far from the fire that hosts 30lbs of lively crawfish on ice. The kids were curious with these little mudbugs and the adults are just intent to get straight to the meat. Because this was a friendly community affair I had no trouble being the "newbie". I walked right up to the table and plenty of well-tuned experts were on hand to show me what I needed to do. Throughout the evening I must have returned to that table at least 3 times for extended rounds of snacking – those things are so addicting! I could not seem to get enough.  I had the lovely opportunity to hear stories from others about how they had been doing these boils since they were kids. Some were straight from Louisiana and some from Houston all having grown up with this amazing tradition.

As with many traditions, the Crawfish Boil comes with its own twists and variations. I found out that many boils are strictly crawfish, potatoes, corn, and sausage. Depending on how someone grew up or what region a person was raised dictated the "extras" that get thrown into the boil.  For this day, we had heads of garlic, lemons and mushrooms added in. That was super yummy. I have also heard that some like to throw in artichokes and oranges.  From the stories I had been told, I was expecting my lips to burn off from the cayenne in the boil spice, but I think my neighbor was on to me and wanted me to enjoy it as it was not nearly as spicy as I had expected. I did have one ear of corn that was pretty spicy so I opted to stay away from most of the other sides and just use my time wisely with the meat. Did I suck the heads? You betcha. Was I impressed with it?  Not really,  it seemed kind of overrated.  I did, however, drink a couple Abita's and they seemed to pair perfectly with those little mud bugs.

I mentioned above that part of the experience and fun of a Boil is the community aspect of it. It's hard NOT to meet and talk to the people standing around this table full of "finger food" and I met some pretty cool people. Aubrey and her husband Joe came with their mom and kids. Aubrey was a crawfish pro – she has been doing crawfish boils her whole life. In fact, her first date with Joe was at a boil( at least I think that is what he told me) . She was quick to show me the tricks to snapping off the heads, sucking the meat out, and separating the meat from the tail.  She did it so quick I had to take a video of her.  Her husband Joe was busy teaching science to all the little ones about "how you can tell if the crawfish is a male or female".  Seem strange? Not really as he had all those kids fascinated.  When it came time for me to leave, the kids were still playing with the few remaining live ones and naming them as pets.

After 12 years of living so close to Louisiana, I am happy to report that I finally "let the good times roll" and could kick myself for not doing this sooner... I'm jus' sayin'!

Curious about Boils for next year? Check out the Do512 site. Then mark it on your calendar for next year as the Crawfish season is a short one (April and May).

Where do you get Crawfish if you want to have your own boil?
Fiesta ~ Quality Seafood

James, the chef and pretty awesome neighbor, standing by his boil pot.

For boil instructions, simply search the internet as there are plenty. Or you can use my neighbor James' condensed version.

In a 36 quart pot

Add
1/2 full water
1 1/2 bags Pro Boil spice mixture
12 lemon halves
1 1/2 sweet onion
Bring to boil
Wait 10 minutes

Then Add
6 corn cob halves
6 small red potatoes
1/2 package of mushrooms
7 sausage links (sliced)
Bring back to boil
15 min until cooked

Then Add
2 sticks of butter
Crawfish
Bring to boil
Cook 13 minutes

Dump on table (plastic table cloths or newspapers work best for this mess). As soon as it's cool to the touch, dig in and get 'em while they're hot!

Hot and Steamy

I'm digging in

Prepare to get messy

Mom and Daughter know how it's done.

Mom, can I have one for a pet?

Fresh Batch Steaming Hot! 

My neighbor having some mud bug fun with her husband.

Mahalo Summer

I may have mentioned this in a previous post or two and I just have to say it again - I have the best neighbors! I know, I know... you probably have great neighbors too, however, the energy of our cove (cul-de-sac) has recently been revived with some new families and it's like it has awakened after being in some kind of cryogenic sleep chamber. Now we all seem to be outside with our kids playing, chatting and sipping cocktails more nights than not and our diversified group of personalities and age groups just adds to the fun.

A while back, my friend Lisa in Hollister, California started telling me about how her neighbors started doing progressive dinners. I was intrigued and thought if I ever had the opportunity to do one of these dinners with my neighbors I would. So step into the now with all of these fantastic neighbors and what a perfect opportunity to start our own tradition. We've now had two dinners and they have been nothing but huge successes! We started off with a simple "Progressive Meet Your Neighbors" dinner to test the waters. It was a hit, so we decided to end the summer right and have a luau-based progressive dinner. The progressive dinner itself is pretty basic. We start with three courses at three separate houses - appetizers, entree, and dessert. If you are hosting at your house than others can co-host by bringing food to that course. We had ten families participating in our luau, three of which hosted courses in their homes or backyards, the rest helping with their course of choice. We spend about an hour or so enjoying each course at each house until we move on to the next. It's simple, fun and a great way to get to know your neighbors. Of course, you don't have to have themes, we just happen to have an awesome group that is open to anything. As my new neighbor Ross mentioned last night, "Living on Cyrus Cove is like stepping into the 50's with a modern, updated twist." Thanks Ross, I could not have said it any better.

So if you find your neighborhood in a bit of a cyber-sleep and need to wake it up a bit, may I suggest something a bit progressive? You never know - it might just be the one thing that wakes you and your neighbors up... I'm jus' sayin'!

Here are some tips from my friend Lisa for making your progressive dinner successful.

1. Start with lots of communication, be it through e-mails, e-vite party invitations or phone calls. Don't rely on just chatting with people and keeping track of what you chat about. If it's all in writing then it's easier to go back and look at.
    
2. Appoint one master-planner. Having a master-planner will ensure that all communication (above) is stored and kept current. This planner can do any or all of the following:
   • Keeps track of the families participating (headcount).
   • Arranges groups (to keep families rotating amongst themselves)
   • Works with everyone regarding the theme/menu/timing (so no dishes are duplicated)
   • They create the final agenda and post it before the dinner letting everyone know where to go and when, what the theme is, and whether the theme requires any special needs like props or dressing to fit the theme.
   
    
3. Encourage neighbors that may be a bit shy to co-host rather than host a course at their house.
    
4. If kids are invited, make sure there's a small "busy" table set up so that they are not bored while the parents are mingling. It can be as simple as having bubbles and coloring books outside on a craft table. Just remember to make it as simple as possible so that they do not need a lot of attention, but rather can enjoy both themselves and each other.
    
5. Teens can sometimes not be as gung-ho as the adults or little ones. Make sure you involve them in the creative set-up and course planning, that way they can feel like they are contributing.
    
6. Diet or special needs are where the "communications" person can make sure that specific needs are met. If a person is gluten-free, make sure they bring a dish that is suitable to the course as it will give them a chance to offer something new to the group as well as take care of their own personal needs.
    
7. Relax! The dinner should not be difficult but rather fun and entertaining. If you are uptight it will show. This is about getting to know your neighbors.
    
8. If you think there will be more people then your home can comfortably hold, move it outdoors or even at an easily accessible park for one of the courses.

Here are a few recipes from our Progressive Luau to get you started

The Luden's Mai Tai's

Mai Tai
4.5 fl oz Mr & Mrs T® Mai Tai Mix
1.5 fl oz Light Rum
1.5 fl oz Triple Sec

Instructions: Pour ingredients over 1 cup of chipped ice in a tall cocktail glass. Garnish with pineapple slice and lime as desired

Dianne's "Not Your Hokey Poke"

Poke
2 1/2 lbs. ahi tuna, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 bunches green onions, white and some green, sliced
½ C soy sauce
1/3 C toasted sesame oil
Sesame seeds or wasabi sesame seeds

Toss tuna and onions in a bowl.  Mix soy sauce and oil and pour over tuna. Toss, and add sesame seeds.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Dianne's Macaroni Salad

Macaroni Salad 
1 1/2 lbs small elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
3 bunches green onions, sliced
1 bag shoestring carrots
1 – 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
Mayo to taste
Salt and pepper

Rinse the cooked pasta to cool it. Toss pasta with onions, carrots and still-frozen peas. Add mayo to taste, season with salt and pepper.


 

Tony's Pineapple Brocoli Chicken

Aloha Pork Sliders w/Pineapple Mango Salsa & Spicy Plum BBQ Sauce.

Anita's Delicious Spicy Plum BBQ Sauce was slathered on one side of the bun

Aloha Pork Sliders

Aloha Pork Sliders
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup of minced spicy pickles like Wickles brand
1 medium red onion minced
1 egg
1/4 cup of pickle juice from jar
Salt & pepper to taste
Pineapple Mango Salsa (I made my own by just combining diced mango, pineapple, jalepeno, onion, lime juice, red bell pepper, cilantro and salt & pepper. You can certainly purchase ready-made at your local grocer.)
Hawaiian Bread Rolls
Spicy BBQ sauce  (I used a gift of homemade but you can certainly use your favorite bottled)

Mix the above, until completely combined. With an ice cream scoop make rounded scoops about the size of a kiwi. Place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

To Assemble: Slice each roll in half. On one side, spoon on some BBQ sauce and on the other, put a tablespoon of salsa. Place a slider on the BBQ side and put the salsa side on top. I secured mine with cute hula girl toothpics. You could certainly use a wooden skewer. I also placed a wedge of pineapple on top to garnish. This recipe should yield 24 burgers.

The Langham's Hawaiian Kabobs
Chicken and Pineapple Skewers
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hawaiian-chicken-kabobs/
We followed the recipe closely, with the exception of substituting the sherry with rice vinegar.


The Javan's Absolutely Delicious Banana's Foster


Sweet after dinner cordials served at the Javan's Dessert Course


The Gatshe's Rice Pudding with a Sweet Pineapple Compote


First Course Appetizers


Ross greeting us all at the door with an "Aloha"


Buffet style for the entree course


Eating Outside (Entree)


Kelli whisking up the sauce for the Bananas Foster.