COOKING AT BAYOU LA SEINE
Louisiana is the birthplace of a regional American cuisine as rich and as complex as its European counterparts. Unique to the New World, this cuisine evolved from two distinct cultures and populations, both of French origin: the Creoles and the Cajuns.
The term "Creole" although ambiguous, generally refers to descendants of the French aristocracy established in the New World French colonies of Louisiana or in the Caribbean. The "Cajuns" (deformation of "Acadian") were refugees from the former French colony of Acadia, now Nova Scotia, who were deported to Louisiana when the English took control of the region.
Today, these two very different cuisines, enriched by African, Spanish, Italian and German cultures, are united in Louisiana Cuisine.
What is our style of cooking? We fell in love with the cuisine, culture, and people of Louisiana while investigating regional American cuisines for our American restaurant near the Seine River in Paris. (We call it "Bayou la Seine", bayou meaning river in the Cajun dialect, derived from the Choctaw Indian's bayuk.)
First Jambalaya, then Gumbo, Courtbouillon and Crabcakes appeared on our ever-changing menus; soon we found ourselves "cajunizing" traditional French dishes such as Cassoulet (we used red beans instead of white, with Cajun spices), Hachis Parmentier (sweet potatoes instead of white) and Boudin Blanc.
Couldn't find the right sausage for Duck and Okra Gumbo in Paris? We made it, then made it again, varying the meats and spices; boiled it in water for one recipe, preserved it in goose fat for another (a technique common to both French and early, refrigerationless Cajuns), rolled it into duck skin and fried it crispy for yet another.
Borrowing from the "new" dictums of using fresh, local ingredients we modified some traditional Louisiana recipes to incorporate fresh French products, and invented other dishes to showcase Louisiana flavours and techniques. What developed from this collaboration between our French and American educations and sensibilities is an authentic Louisiana-based cuisine seasoned with a little French finesse and a soupçon of international flavor.
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20, rue Saint Paul 75004 PARIS Tel: 01 42 77 68 28 or 29