It's the first weekend of crawfish season, so chefs Sam and Cody Carroll need to work out the kinks on new dishes at their restaurant Hot Tails to create a Crawfish Po'boy and Baked Crawfish Mac and Cheese. At Sac-a-lait, the Crawfish Pot Pie and Crawfish Echappee need to be masterpieces, because an opportunity like this only comes once a year.
Homecoming weekend is a big deal in New Roads, Louisiana, and Hot Tails Restaurant expects to be swamped! Pigs are aplenty and figs are in season, so owners Sam and Cody Carroll aim to please the crowd with new dishes that make the most of these local ingredients. Wild Boar Jambalaya, Cracklin with Fig Pepper Jelly, Sweet Potato Pork Nachos, Pork Boudin Eggs Benedict and Fig-Stuffed French Toast will keep the masses happy they came, whether it's for dinner or Sunday brunch.
Autumn in southern Louisiana has chefs Sam and Cody Carroll reinventing old comfort food classics featuring turkey and pecans. A Pecan Chocolate Cake and Turkey Neck Consomme made with turkey bones and sweet peas should draw crowds to their restaurant, Sac-a-Lait. At their other restaurant, Hot Tails, the locals usually don't eat out on Sunday night, but Sam and Cody hope to lure them in with Turkey Fricassee with Pecan Rice and Crab Boil Buffalo Turkey Wings with Cranberry Pepper Jelly.
In Louisiana, they say if you can't cook redfish, you might as well pack your bags. Chefs Cody and Sam Carroll head out to the Gulf of Mexico for some late night redfish bow hunting and plan to pair their catch with okra prepared in unexpected ways. At their restaurant Hot Tails, Cody and Sam prove they have what it takes to remain King and Queen of Seafood in Louisiana with Cajun-Style Fish and Chips featuring a spicy ginger batter, Fried Okra Chips and Creole Tomato Tartar Sauce. At their other restaurant, Sac-a-Lait, the chefs turn it up a few more notches, serving Blackened Redfish with Green Tomato Court Bouillon and Grilled Okra with Tomato Remoulade.
Friday night fish fries are a thing in southern Louisiana and Sam and Cody Carroll are frying up a special menu for the occasion right next to the pond on their family farm. They start with Thin Cut Catfish with Spillway Sauce, a locally grown Farmer's Caviar bean salad with a twist and a fruity rum mix called Fish Camp Punch to wash it down. The star of the show, however, is Sam's Chicken Thigh and Smoked Sausage Gumbo with Creole Potato Salad served true Cajun-style -- in the same bowl!
Sam and Cody Carroll grill up a hot meal inspired by memories from when they were dating. They're starting with perfectly grilled Cajun Filet Marinated Beef Tenderloin with quick-and-easy Cajun Grilled Shrimp Skewers. There's harvested-from-the-farm Grilled Summer Squash with Chow Chow Chimichurri and a Cajun pie called Tarte a la Bouillie topped with Grilled Apples and Honey for dessert.
Cody and Sam Carroll cater their three year old's playdate with some kid and adult friendly Cajun favorites. Their menu includes purple-colored Natchitoches Beet Pies that are just as fun to look at as they are to eat. Cody then whips up his favorite tangy Pimento Deviled Eggs using eggs harvested from his MawMaw Duke's hen house. Next, daughter Malley helps Sam make her Grandma's Mayhaw Thumbprint cookies with preserves from a local Louisiana berry. Finally, Sam and Cody shake things up with incredibly quick and simple Hometown Honey Pickles.
Cody and Sam Carroll serve up a Quick and Big Easy Brunch on the farm using a few time-saving tips. They whip up Crawfish and Easy Oven Grits with Poached Eggs and Heirloom Rye Biscuits with Ponchatoula Strawberry Preserves -- both with local stone-ground ingredients. Traditional rice dumpling Hot Calas with Cane Syrup are also on the menu and a little city is brought to the country with a New Orleans original coffee cocktail called Cafe Brulot.
Deep in the Louisiana Bayou where cast iron is king, Sam and Cody Carroll are making an entire Sunday night family dinner using one-pot cast-iron recipes. Their menu includes Sam's Shrimp and Corn Soup with Maque Choux Skillet Cornbread featuring sweet corn fresh from a nearby farm. Next, they're melding Cajun cooking with German cuisine in Robert's Cove Potato Salad. Finally, Sam's family recipe for Cast Iron Cobbler with Louisiana Blackberries meets Cody's family's Sassy Sauce to create a sweet new Sunday dinner tradition.
Cody and Sam Carroll have been perfecting the art of tailgating ever since their college days. They're going to the next level on the grill with Sugarcane Smoked Wings with Cane Row BBQ Sauce and Rosemary Ranch before making Kajun Kolaches with Hot Tails Smoked Sausage and Creole Honey Mustard. There's also a Collard Green and Artichoke Dip with Brown Butter Grilled Country Bread and Chickory Chocolate Cookies for dessert.