8 boudin recipes

Louisiana alligator with boudin cream sauce: flour-dusted alligator medallions flash-sauteed and plated on cornmeal cakes under a bourbon-flamed boudin sausage cream sauce. Authentic Cajun fine dining.

Minced chicken bound in a thick béchamel with mayo, shaped into balls, triple-coated in flour, egg, and crushed saltines, then deep-fried until shatteringly crisp and golden.

Avocado stuffed with smoked fish is a West African appetizer of flaked smoked whitefish bound in a creamy sieved-yolk dressing, mounded into ripe avocado halves, and crowned with red pepper strips. Striking, elegant, no cooking.

Creamy ham pasta casserole with rotini, broccoli, sharp cheddar and chopped bell pepper bound in a light mayonnaise-milk sauce. A weeknight one-dish dinner that uses up leftover ham.

Sauerkraut balls with corned beef, ham, and tangy kraut bound in a thick roux, breaded and fried golden. The Ohio bar-snack classic with crackly crust and a savory, slightly sour center.

Wild herb tart is a green-packed vegetarian custard pie stuffed with spinach, leek, green onion, and fresh parsley, bound in eggs and cream. A springtime garden-forward cousin of the classic quiche.

Pauline's slaw is a fruit-forward Waldorf-leaning coleslaw: shredded cabbage, chopped apple, golden raisins, and a hint of lemon, all bound in a creamy mayo-and-sour-cream dressing. Five-minute side dish.

Mock lobster Flemish style dresses up humble white fish, poached in a beer broth, bound in a silky cream and egg-yolk sauce, spooned into scallop shells, and broiled under Gruyere. An elegant fish gratin on a budget.