Branding is more than just your logo or the look and feel of your website or blog. An organizations “brand” is more about the idea and the perceived value formed by its projected audience, and is based on the culture, product, and service. The way an organization identifies itself, or distinguishes itself is typically based on the logo, tag lines, motto, slogan, and the color scheme, but quickly expands into every way you connect with the customers. The brand is typified in the wording, the text, and the fonts, the quality of print and paper used, and the employees who directly interact with customers, the furniture, the office space, and the web site. Customer service goes a long way in defining the company brand and quality is always king. How do you convey all this to your customers?
How do you get your brand to boogie down to the Cajun two-step with your customers? The logo above is my first attempt at defining a brand for me, but it should go further, and something is still missing it seems. The boiling pot of gumbo under the word “Cajun”, and the shrimp forms the “C”, then the chef hat covering the “C” in the word “Chef”, but is that enough? So I want to go out now and ask who am I? I know who I am, but I want to know what you think I am. So, what do you think about me?
Let’s play a game. As you all know, I’ve got the Cajun Chef Ryan food blog going for several years now, but there isn’t exactly a well defined brand attached to it just yet. I know myself, but I want to know what others perceive me as. Whether you’ve known me for decades, or have never met me in real life, can you give three adjectives to describe what you think when you think “Ryan Boudreaux”?
Please be open and honest, and I’ll summarize the results later! I’ve already asked a couple of people on email and Facebook. It will be interesting to see the results.
You guys can stop laughing now.
Play nice, or else I’ll send you to the prep kitchen to peel sacks of onions and potatoes.
Cucumbers have natural high moisture content, and when handled correctly will result in a tastefully crispy side item to any main dish. The trick is to remove the excess wetness without compromising flavor and texture by gently tossing the cucumbers in a mixture of salt, sugar, and white wine vinegar and allowing them to soak for at least thirty minutes and up to several hours. This semi-brine solution helps release the excess moisture and preserves the flavor, and it also removes any bitterness in European cucumber varieties.
Ingredients
6
Large
Cucumbers
2
Tbsp
White wine vinegar
2
Tsp
Sea salt
½
Tsp
Sugar
3
Tbsp
Butter, melted
¼
Cup
Shallots, minced
1
Tbsp
Basil, fresh, chopped
½
Tsp
White pepper
2
Tbsp
Parsley, fresh, chopped (optional)
Procedure Steps:
1.
Peel the cucumbers, and then cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut into lengthwise strips about ½-inch wide. Then cut the strips into 2-inch long pieces.
2.
In a large bowl combine the white wine vinegar, sea salt, and sugar, stir to dissolve. Then toss in the cucumbers and allow them to marinate between 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
3.
Pre-heat oven to 375º F. Melt the butter in a sauté pan and sweat the shallots until soft, and then toss the cucumbers into a 9×13 baking dish and toss with the butter shallot mixture, basil, and white pepper. Place in the middle rack in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and stir well, then roast for another 30 minutes, or until the cucumbers appear cooked, yet still have a hint of a crispy texture.
Braised Cucumbers…another view.
To Serve: For Parslied Cucumbers, toss with the fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Variation: Creamed Cucumbers: Bring 2 cups of heavy cream to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer and continue until it has reduced by half and has thickened to a sauce consistency. Use a wire whisk and stir often to prevent the cream from boiling over, or scalding on the bottom. Season the cream with salt and white pepper to taste, stirring well with the whisk. Fold the warm cream sauce into the braised cucumbers, and then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley.
Dinner is served …another view…
Braised Cucumbers served with Oven Fried Catfish and Herb Roasted Potatoes.
It is not often that I divert from all things culinary and food on the CCR blog. But I ran across this on Google today, and thought it fitting to share with you this video tribute to John Lennon, in celebration of what would have been his 70th birthday.
While the direct subject of this post may not be food or culinary related, there is something about food and music that do seem to go together.
In the many years that I worked on the hot, humid, steamy lines of restaurants, on many occasions the chef or someone would have a boom box or radio tuned into a local rock station, in fact I can remember listening to one of the original Live Aid radio broadcasts from the 1980’s during one Saturday night service in particular.
The background music always provided a tempo from which to slam out hot plates of food for waiting customers. For example, the staccato of the drum, guitar, and bass beats blaring from the radio with The Cars, “Let the Good Times Roll” helped to get several dinner plates out in quick like fashion. I am sure the song did not matter, as long as it helped pass the time in the same rhythmic fashion that any good line cook worth their salt would kick out in a dinner shift.
And the list goes on of how many state fairs serve food and music in harmony, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival held every spring in the Crescent City is just as much about music as it is about food, and the arts.
Happy Birthday John Lennon, and may the peace of the world be with you forever!
These are some of the best roasted potatoes you will ever lay on your dinner plate! With the fresh herbs from the garden, pearl onions, whole crushed garlic cloves, and finished with grape or cherry tomatoes, these roasted new potatoes will be a welcome side dish to any meal.
Ingredients
30
Each
New potatoes
1
Large
Head garlic, cloves peeled and left whole
2
Cups
Pearl onions, peeled
1
Tbsp
Olive oil
2
Tbsp
Fresh rosemary, chopped
1
Tbsp
Fresh thyme, chopped
1
Tbsp
Fresh oregano, chopped
2
Cups
Cherry or grape tomatoes
To taste
Salt and black pepper
Procedure Steps: Preheat oven to 400º F.
1.
Clean the potatoes and cut into bit sized pieces about 1-inch in size and place into a large bowl.
2.
Smash the garlic cloves with the side of a chef knife to release some flavor, then toss them with the potatoes. Then add the pearl onions, olive oil and fresh chopped herbs. Toss well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3.
Transfer the ingredients to a 9X13-inch roasting pan, and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, remove from oven and stir, then return to oven for another 20 minutes, remove and stir again. Test a few potatoes with the tines of a fork, when the potatoes are tender, then add the tomatoes and stir well. Return to the oven and roast another 5 minutes.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Dinner is served …another view…
Herb Roasted Potatoes served with Oven Fried Catfish and braised cucumbers.
