Recipes

Cajun Benedict

  • Serves

    serves 6

TODD COLEMAN

Chef Justin Girouard of the French Press restaurant in Lafayette, Louisiana, replaces the Canadian bacon and hollandaise with boudin and gumbo in this bayou-based twist on the classic breakfast dish. This recipe first appeared in the iPad edition of our Jan/Feb 2013 issue along with an article on Lafayette, Louisiana's The French Press.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 12 lb. andouille sausage links, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1/4" thick crosswise
  • 34 cup flour
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp. gumbo filé
  • 1 tsp. cayenne
  • 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 12 tsp. hot sauce, such as Tabasco, plus more for serving
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 8 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped, plus more for garnish
  • 1 lb. raw pork boudin sausage, casings removed, formed into six 3" patties (available from cajungrocer.com)
  • 12 small loaf soft French bread, cut crosswise into six 1 1/2" slices
  • 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
  • 6 slices American cheese
  • 6 poached eggs

Instructions

Step 1

Heat oven to 400°. Heat ¼ cup oil in an 8-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add chicken to pot; cook, turning once, until browned and almost cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add andouille to pot and cook, stirring, until browned, about 4 minutes; transfer to plate with chicken.

Step 2

Add remaining oil to pot, and reduce heat to medium-low; stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, to form a dark brown roux, about 20 minutes. Add garlic, onions, peppers, and celery; cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add filé, cayenne, Worcestershire, and hot sauce, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Chop reserved chicken into ½" pieces, and add to pot along with andouille and stock; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until gumbo is thickened, about 1½ hours. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in scallions; keep warm.

Step 3

Heat a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add boudin patties; cook, flipping once until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes; keep warm. Brush bread slices with butter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Place in oven and cook until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes. Place 1 slice cheese on each bread slice and continue to cook until cheese is melted, about 1 minute more. Divide bread between 6 shallow bowls, top with boudin patties and poached eggs, and ladle gumbo over top. Garnish with scallions and serve with hot sauce on the side, if you like.