Stuffed Praline Pork Rinds with Pickled Louisiana Plums

“This dish is like a South Louisiana boy’s cheese and crackers,” says Chef Carl Schaubhut at New Orleans’ Cafe Adelaide. “It’s a perfect snack. The goat cheese is both creamy and acidic and is put on top of a crunch pork rind, topped with pickled plum that is both sweet and tart. The praline sauce is the perfect touch of nutty sweetness at the end.”

Chef Schaubhut partnered with Leah’s Pralines, the oldest candy shop still in operation in the French Quarter, to debut this dish at the restaurant during a party celebrating the life and accomplishments of two of New Orleans’ historic culinary ladies: Adelaide Brennan, for whom Cafe Adelaide is named, and Leah Johnson, the founder of Leah’s Pralines.

Goat cheese or other soft cheese like Boursin
Pork rinds
Pickled Plums (recipe below)
Green onions, sliced
Leah’s Praline Sauce

Pickled Plums:

7 lbs. Louisiana green plums, cored and quartered
3 green bell peppers, thinly sliced
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
6 yellow onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup Kosher salt
3 cups apple cider vinegar
5 cups white sugar
3 Tbsp. mustard seeds
2 tsp. celery seeds
5 whole cloves
1 cup of ice

Mix the plums, bell peppers, garlic and onions in a perforated bowl or pan. Sprinkle the salt over the mixture and mix well. Allow to drain for 2 hours. Meanwhile in a pot, add cider vinegar, white sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds and cloves. Bring to a boil. Take the pickling liquid off of the heat. Add 1 cup of ice, and allow it to cool down slightly. Add the vinegar mixture into the plum mixture and seal tightly once the plums and pickling liquid cool completely. Store in the fridge.

To assemble, spread soft cheese of your choice over pork rinds and bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Top with pickled plums and sliced green onion, and drizzle with Leah’s Pralines Praline Sauce.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Chef Carl Schaubhut and Cafe Adelaide.