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A Cajun Birthday Party: Gulf Oysters, Butterleaf Lettuce Salad with Orange Vinaigrette, Crawfish Etouffe, and Chocolate Berry Cake

September 10, 2013 by susanelester

Flowers from our garden


John ordered Gulf Oysters and Crawfish from New Orleans to create this Cajun Birthday Party for me!


Gulf Oysters

We found these gorgeous Haviland Limoges Oyster Plates at an antique show in Pasadena and thought this was the perfect chance to use them.  Chilled Oysters served with Cocktail Sauce, Horseradish, and Lemon.

Butterleaf Lettuce Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of the salad but it was a lovely counterpoint to the meal.  There was plenty of salad dressing left and I think it would make a lovely marinade for Chicken, or Fish.


In a large lidded jar, mix:
1 1/2 cups Orange Juice
1 Shallot, minced
1 teaspoon fresh Thyme leaves
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1/3 cup Walnut Oil
1 teaspoon Honey
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Butterleaf Lettuce Salad
Line salad plates with Butterleaf Lettuce
Surround lettuce with Mandarin Orange Segments
Sprinkle with Sliced Almonds

Drizzle with Orange Vinaigrette

John likes Paul Prudhomme’s recipe for Crawfish Etouffe.

Chocolate Berry Cake

Our niece, Chelsea, made this lovely chocolate cake with Strawberry Yogurt.  She topped and filled with Cream Cheese Frosting, Strawberries and Blueberries.

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles
These recipes are provided for your personal use. If you publish them, or re-post them, please give me credit. Grazie e Buon Appetito!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: cake, chocolate, crawfish, etouffe, new orleans, Oranges, oysters, salad, vinaigrette

Comments

  1. Laura (Tutti Dolci) says

    September 11, 2013 at 12:36 am

    I love your Cajun-inspired meal!

  2. Cocoa and Lavender says

    September 11, 2013 at 3:34 am

    I took Mark to NOLA for his 60th birthday – we loved it, and the first thing I did was make étoufée when we got home. I use langoustines or shrimp, depending on my mood! Happy birthday again… Hugs, David

  3. Christina Conte says

    September 11, 2013 at 4:29 am

    The birthday celebrations continue! Lucky you, Susan! Although I’m not an oyster person, everything looks lovely, including your incredible flowers from your garden! I just LOVE purple! 🙂

  4. Cher Rockwell says

    September 11, 2013 at 2:23 pm

    Awww – and the birthday fun goes on 🙂

  5. Patty Price says

    September 11, 2013 at 9:49 pm

    Great way to continue the birthday celebration-all your dishes look just amazingly delicious;) Looking forward to meeting you both soon 😉

  6. Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says

    September 17, 2013 at 10:43 am

    What a great celebration Susan, and a wonderful husband! I was thinking of making a spice cake from Paul P. the other day, but his list of ingredients is never ending…!

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