It’s here, my favorite game of the year.  LSU means one thing, Cajun food!  Throw in a little brew from Cahaba Brewing Company and we have a tailgate!

As most of you know, I repeat one menu year after year and this one is it, though I do plan on adding Étouffée this year.  I expect this one to be our biggest tailgate of the year and have had a number of folks say they are coming to eat and then head back to Birmingham.    So please let me know if you are heading down so I know how much to cook.   I will be cooking between five and seven gallons of gumbo alone.

We have a big day of games on TV and a late kickoff.  So, I am going to do a brunch / lunch meal and then dinner.  I am shooting to have the food off between 4 and 5pm.  That will give folks time to eat and get over for the 7pm kickoff.

We will be starting the morning off with:

•  Cajun Bloody Mary Bar
• Tiger Blood Mimosas
• Shrimp served over  Caramelized Creamy Tasso Spiked Grits

We will also be pairing the Shrimp with Cahaba’s American Blonde Ale.  The spice of the German noble hops will pair well with the heat in the Tasso.

Once we get brunch out of the way, I will be serving up on of my all time favorite dishes… Gumbo.  I have already started doing prep work for this dish.  It will feature a duck and seafood stock and a very dark roux.  For the evening menu we will have:

• Cajun Gumbo Ya-Ya
• Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
• Crawfish  Étouffée

We will be pairing Cahaba’s Liquidambar with this round of food.  I think this beer will work very well with both the Gumbo and Étouffée.  Give it a try at the tailgate and let us know how the pairing works.

I know Mrs. Jarmon will be cooking up some wonderful dishes as well.  My friend Moran is going to throw together some other Creole and Cajun items as well.  There is talk of some boudain and other favorites as well.

RTR,

Shane