{"id":8104,"date":"2018-10-19T09:15:16","date_gmt":"2018-10-19T14:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?p=8104"},"modified":"2018-10-19T08:58:51","modified_gmt":"2018-10-19T13:58:51","slug":"blue-dog-cafe-chef-ryan-trahan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2018\/10\/19\/blue-dog-cafe-chef-ryan-trahan\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Dog Caf\u00e9: Chef Ryan Trahan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chef Spotlight<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

By Karla Wall<\/em><\/p>\n

When Ryan Trahan, new head chef at Blue Dog Caf\u00e9 in Lake Charles, took over the position a couple of months ago, he had a clear philosophy and mission.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He points to the famed \u201cBlue Dog\u201d art pieces by the late artist George Rodrigue adorning the walls of the restaurant\u2019s spacious dining area.<\/p>\n

\u201cGeorge worked so hard telling the story of Cajun culture through his artwork,\u201d Trahan says. \u201cI want to continue to tell that story, on a plate.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d be the one to do it. A Crowley native, Trahan cooked with his grandmother as a boy, and grew up working in the family restaurant in Crowley.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked at a place my family had owned since the 60s, with my grandfather and father,\u201d he says.\u00a0 <\/span>He learned not only how to prepare authentic Cajun dishes, but also what it takes to run a restaurant on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

After receiving his degree from UL-L, Trahan opened a breakfast restaurant with his father-in-law, and later sold his interest in the place to his father-in-law to open Dark Roux in Lafayette.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The restaurant featured locally sourced ingredients, something that was important to Trahan.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had local farmers producing rabbits and quail for us; a farmer from St. Martinville supplied our cheeses. Everything was made or grown within 100 miles of the restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he was as particular about the staff at Dark Roux as he was his ingredients.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to elevate the cooking techniques of the chefs and staff \u2014 to push their limits,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

That kind of commitment can easily take away from family life, though and that was the case with Trahan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was working so many hours a week that it just wasn\u2019t sustainable with a family,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ryan Trahan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

When good friend Jacques Rodrigue, son of the late artist and head of the family\u2019s restaurant empire, asked him to take over the Blue Dog locations in Lake Charles and Lafayette, it was a great deal for both Trahan and the restaurants.<\/p>\n

Trahan\u2019s philosophy is simple:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to bring Cajun cuisine into the modern age, elevate it using sustainable, locally sourced ingredients and expanding on the technology available today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCajun cooking is 100 years old. Lots of ingredients used in early Cajun cuisine don\u2019t exist anymore. It\u2019s evolved. We want to try to show the relevance of Cajun cuisine today and show how it\u2019s evolved, both the food and the culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

The menu changes at Blue Dog reflect that philosophy, with new dishes such as the cracklin-crusted red snapper with pickled crawfish tails, smoked mushrooms, ham and gnocchi.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe dish takes the traditional components of Cajun cuisine, like cracklins, and elevate them to something new.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And it was a red snapper dish that earned Trahan the title of 2018 Louisiana King of Seafood at the annual contest. Trahan beat out 11 other chefs from around the South for the title, preparing a cracklin crusted red snapper with pickled crawfish tails, buttermilk chili Consomm\u00e9, spring vegetables, burnt leek oil and bowfin caviar.<\/p>\n

He also earned a spot on Louisiana Cookin\u2019 Magazine\u2019s 2017 Chefs to Watch list.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another of Trahan\u2019s favorite dishes: broiled oysters with bone marrow butter. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

B<\/strong>one Marrow Herb Butter<\/strong><\/p>\n

3 large marrow bones\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(canoe cut works best)<\/p>\n

1 stick butter<\/p>\n

3 tbsp. fresh parsley (chopped)<\/p>\n

1 tsp. fresh thyme (chopped)<\/p>\n

1 tsp. salt<\/p>\n

Heat oven to 425 degrees and roast marrow bones for 15-20 minutes until completely cooked through.<\/p>\n

Temper butter in the microwave in a small bowl on low setting in 30-second intervals until completely melted.<\/p>\n

Remove marrow from bones and add to butter along with any fat from the roasting pan, fresh herbs and salt.<\/p>\n

Fill a medium bowl with ice and place small bowl inside. Add remaining ingredients to the butter and whisk until butter has re emulsified and solidified<\/p>\n

Store cold until ready to use.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Broiled Oysters<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 dozen fresh oysters (in the shell)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(preferably Gulf caught)<\/p>\n

6 tbsp. marrow herb butter<\/p>\n

\u00bd cup Gruyere cheese (shredded)<\/p>\n

3\/4 cup bread crumbs or cornbread\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

crumbs<\/p>\n

Fresh chopped parsley. (for garnish)<\/p>\n

Pickled red onion (optional)<\/p>\n

2 to 3 wedges lemon (for serving)<\/p>\n

French bread (toasted)<\/p>\n

Add a layer of rock salt to a rimmed baking sheet, or substitute dry, uncooked rice. This will keep the oyster shells from wobbling. And heat the oven to a high broil.<\/p>\n

Scrub the oyster shells with a stiff brush. Carefully shuck the oysters over a bowl (to catch any liquids that might spill out). Run the knife along the bottom of the inside of the shell to loosen the oyster<\/p>\n

In a skillet over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until the crumbs are lightly browned.<\/p>\n

Top each oyster with a heaping teaspoon of the marrow herb butter and then sprinkle each one with Gruyere cheese.<\/p>\n

Broil the oysters in the preheated oven for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese begins to bubble and slightly toast, remove to add the bread crumbs and cook until the topping is golden brown about 1 more minute.<\/p>\n

Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, top with pickled red onion and serve with lemon wedges<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chef Spotlight By Karla Wall When Ryan Trahan, new head chef at Blue Dog Caf\u00e9 in Lake Charles, took over the position a couple of months ago, he had a clear philosophy and mission.   He points to the famed \u201cBlue Dog\u201d art pieces by the late artist George Rodrigue adorning the walls of the [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":8105,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[978,4,51,1822],"yoast_head":"\nBlue Dog Caf\u00e9: Chef Ryan Trahan - BestOfSwla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2018\/10\/19\/blue-dog-cafe-chef-ryan-trahan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blue Dog Caf\u00e9: Chef Ryan Trahan - 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