Share your Mardi Gras Recipes for Fat Tuesday!

[Bill Harrison]

Hey folks! Its Mardi Gras, and I am going to be cooking up some authentic food for the occasion.

Anyone else?

[Deanna]

I'll be making red beans and rice...when I get home from work this evening. Will have a bottle of Tabasco handy 'cause I like it SPICY!

d

[Jill123]

Me too, except I doubt my "traditional" fare will be the same as yours!

In our family, Shrove Tuesday means "Pancake Day"!!

In DH's hometown -- Liberal, Kansas -- there's a Pancake Race every Shrove Tuesday, where local women race each other with a skillet of pancakes. The winning time is compared to the winning time of the same type of race in Olney, England. The woman with the fastest time between both cities is the International Winner of the Pancake Race!

In DH's hometown, they close school and most businesses so the citizens can watch the Pancake Race!

I used to think this was just a bizarre small-town thing, but you can find all about it at www.pancakeday.com (http://www.pancakeday.com). (Okay, so it's still bizarre, but...) :p

Here's some quick facts from the Website:

Lent is a time of abstinence - traditionally of meat, fat, eggs and dairy products -- so Shrove Tuesday was the day to consume all the fat, eggs and dairy products in the kitchen.
The English custom of making pancakes is one way to use up fat, eggs and dairy products. Hence, this is how Shrove Tuesday came to be sometimes called Pancake Day.
In some cultures, it is traditional to eat as much as possible on Shrove Tuesday, up to 12 times a day!


Needless to say, we're having PANCAKES tonight (and lots of 'em!) :D

[sneezles]

Shrimp Gumbo is on our menu for tonight! Made with okra and Andouille sausage and served with dirty rice...good and spicy!

[Bill Harrison]

Ok, here is one I plan on making tonight. Not even close to low fat, or healthy, but hey, whats 1 time a year!


King Cake

Servings: 20 to 22

2 envelopes (1/4oz) active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup warm milk
5 large egg yolks
4 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pound cream chees, at room temperature
4 cups confectioner's sugar
5 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Tinted sugar sprinkles (optional)

Preparation

Combine the yeast and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the melted butter and warm milk. Beat at low speed for 1 minute. With the m9ixer running, add the egg yolks, then beat for 1 minute at medium-low speed. Add the glour, salt, nutmeg, and lemon zest and beat until everything is incorporated. Increase the speed to high and beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, forms a ball, and starts to climb up the dough hook.

Remove the dough from the bowl. Using your hands, form the dough into a smooth ball. Lightly oil a bowl with the vegetable oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it to oil all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1 cup of the confectioner's sugar. Blend by hand or with an electric mixer on low speed. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your fingers, pat it out into a rectangle about 30 inches long and 6 inches wide. Spread the filling lengthwise over the bottom half of the dough, then flip the top half of the dough over the filling. Seal the edges, pinching the dough together. Shape the dough into a cylinder and place it in the prepared baking sheet seam side down. Shape the dough into a ring and pinch the ends together so there isn't a seam. Cover the ring with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and place in a warm, draft-free place. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brush the top of the risen cake with 2 tablespoons of the milk. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven adn let cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the icing. Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of milk, the lemon juice, and the remaining 3 cups of confectioner's sugar in medium-size mixing bowl. Stir to blend well. With a rubber spatula, spread the icing evenly over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with tinted sugar sprinkles if desired.

[april985]

THis is my favorite praline recipe:

PECAN PRALINES

1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup pecans
2 tbsp butter
1tsp vanilla.

Mix sugars and milk in a saucepan, cook over low heat stirring until sugar is thoroughly dissolved. cook until mixture forms a soft ball when dropped in cold water-(234 degrees F) remove from heat and stir in pecans. Add butter and vanilla. Beat until candy just begins to thicken. Drop quickly from a Tbsp onto waxed paper. If candy becomes too stiff to drop into smooth patties, stir in a small amt of hot water a few drops at a time until the right consistency is desired.


I kind of boycotted the parades this year. AFter I had to park and walk to my apt in new orleans after work twice, I got a little paraded out!
:rolleyes:

[Diva 1]

THKS so very much for reminding me it was Shrove Tuesday. I always enjoyed this when I was younger. I was planning on having rice and a chutney for supper. Have now changed menu to making my fav. Swedish Pancakes. This is basically a simple crepe recipe BUT before I roll up I strew some grated lemon peel down middle. On plate I then put icing sugar over them through a strainer. You know what I'm talking about. Usually have 2 and I am full. Can't wait now!

Good Board here.

Diva 1 of Diamond Country in Canada(Yellowknife, NWT)

[andrea]

crawfish, andouille, and tasso jambalaya with a cold Abita on the side!

[badunnin]

My brother was at the bakery at 3:30 this morning buying paczki (pronounced poonch-key) for the family. I had custard. Mmmmmm.

[Deanna]

Andrea....just curious...in Kansas City (me too) where are you finding your crawfish, tasso and andouille?

Need to put this grocer on my list!

d

[Bill Harrison]

Speaking of where to get crawfish, I am in So cal and would like to make some Crawfish ettouffe (sp?). Anyone know if the local grocers here carry crawfish? I have not seen it, but would like to grab some on the way home this evening. Any suggestions? Anaheim area if that helps!

[andrea]

deanna-- i got all of it at the brookside price chopper BUT they only have it for mardi gras AND the fish/butcher there is a total foodie so he requests all the good stuff! have you been to mcgonigle's near 80th and ward parkway? it's a specialty meat store... i'm sure they have that stuff regularly!

by the way... our supper club (from about 3 years ago) is still going... any renewed interest? ;)

[Bill Harrison]

Well, assuming I can put my hands on some crawfish this evening, this will be my dinner!

Crawfish Etouffee:

Ingredients
Makes 4 servings

1 stick butter
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 pound peeled crawfish tails
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped green onions (scallions)

Preparation:

Melt the butter in a large skillet or small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the crawfish and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to medium. Stirring 10 minutes. Add the crawfish and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to medium. Stirring occasionally, cook until the crawfish begin to throw off a little liquid, 8 to 10 minutes.

Dissolve the flour in the water. Add to the crawfish mixture and season with the salt and cayenne. Stir until the mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Add the parsley and green onions, and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and serve over steamed rice.

[Beth]

If you can't find crawfish, use small shrimp.

I was suggesting pancakes for dinner, but I think we're going to clean something out of the freezer instead.

[Beth]

I made a King Cake for our last supper club. The cinnamon sugar/pecan filling was the most popular. That recipe came from Southern Living's website -- I used nonfat plain yogurt for the sour cream and it worked great.

I was posting this as a second to the cinnamon King Cake mention of cherylopal, but the gremlins put mine first -- in case anyone notices that it seems out of sync. Before making my own, the only King Cakes I had were cream cheese and blueberry filling or plain.

[cherylopal]

jambalaya and king cake.

bill your king cake sounds great but the one i make has cinnamon in it and oh my YUUUMMM.

cheryl

[VictoriaL]

Shrimp Jambalaya, rice, and cornbread. Wish I had seen the King Cake recipe earlier today, it sounds delicious!

[Cyn]

Bill, I'm not sure where you are in So Cal but have you tried Santa Monica Seafood?

[Bill Harrison]

I am in Anaheim, so I want to find a place fairly local (I ride my bicycle to work every day, and it takes me roughly an hour to get home, so I hate to drive all over after that, i wont have much time), so hopefully i can find it at Ralphs or albertsons, because i go by both of those on the way.

Anyone found it at either of these?

[cjm]

I was in New Orleans Feb 20 through Feb 23. I took 3 different cooking classes (DH was in meetings). But...my favorite dish cooked in the classes was Shrimp Creole. I made this over the weekend (celebrated early!) the only things missing were the parades...sort of. There was enough left over so...our entree tonight will be Shirmp Creole (no complaints from DH). We'll also be having Corn & Crab Bisque and then Bread Pudding for dessert.

Are King Cakes hard to make? Wish I would have gotten one when I was there.

"HAPPY MARDI GRAS"
cjm:D

[Deanna]

Andrea...

I am familiar with both the Brookside grocery (can you believe I got engaged at MICHAELANGELO'S 24 years ago?) and McGonigle's (excellent beef!), but don't much get out that way, since I live way south (off of 143rd St.) I could certainly make the trip, though, for a special item!

As for the supper club, you know, I really wanted to join, but then it seemed everyone was a couple...and I don't like being the "5th Wheel". So I'm glad it's going well, do you still have your original members? I'll have to look for your supper club reviews, have you been posting them?

Thanks for the heads up! And HAPPY Fat Tuesday!

d

[Deanna]

P.S. for anyone interested...many New Orleans bakeries will ship King Cakes for a small shipping fee. Our office always gets one...whoever gets the piece with the baby in it, buys next year's cake!

[Beth]

Originally posted by cjm
Are King Cakes hard to make? Wish I would have gotten one when I was there. "HAPPY MARDI GRAS"
cjm:D

Have you made bread? The king cake is a sweetened yeast bread (coffee cake) that is rolled out into a long rectangle, may be spread with a filling, then rolled jelly-roll style and turned into a ring. Not any harder than most breads. The cake is traditionally covered with an icing and sprinkled with green, yellow and purple colored sugar. The colored sugar is really the signature of the King Cake. Another tradition is to place a tiny baby figure or a bean in the cake. The person who gets that in his or her piece is responsible for hosting the next party and/or bringing the next King Cake.

[cherylopal]

Originally posted by cjm


Are King Cakes hard to make? Wish I would have gotten one when I was there.

"HAPPY MARDI GRAS"
cjm:D

i agree with beth! not hard at all. i think a little more fun because of the filling and then mine calls for braiding into a ring. my recipe comes from jambalaya- the new orleans jr league cookbook. dh brought it back for me from one of his trips.

deanna- my neighbor is orginally from new orleans and was so excited about her king cake that she was having shipped from there. she sent over a piece- very good. it had the cinnamon sugar filling- no cream cheese. very similar to the jambalaya recipe that i have. the jambalya recipe calls for adding a bit of lemon and orange zest to the dough and i really like that extra bit of flavor.
cheryl

[gperls]

Originally posted by Deanna
Andrea....just curious...in Kansas City (me too) where are you finding your crawfish, tasso and andouille?d

Deanna --

I'm in KC, too, and looked long and hard for these items. Finally found tasso at Dean & Deluca's. Hen House started stocking frozen pound packages of crawfish. Andouille is more commonly found, but I like the turkey andouille at Whole Foods. Hope this helps. KC doesn't seem big on cajun cooking.

[cjm]

Deanna-where does your company order the King Cake from?

cjm

[Beth]

Originally posted by cherylopal
the jambalya recipe calls for adding a bit of lemon and orange zest to the dough and i really like that extra bit of flavor.
cheryl

You know, I've had a cup of coffee this morning and I still had to read this a few times to understand why the jambalya recipe had dough -- I thought someone was drinking one too many hurricanes! ;) :D

Cheryl, would you mind posting your recipe? I like the one I made, but I want to play with some variations.

Here's the one I made with minor variations:

King Cake
A fitting end to any traditional Mardi Gras celebration, this highlyrecommended recipe originally appeared in Southern Living in January 1990.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 (16-ounce) container sour cream (nonfat yoururt can sub)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
2 large eggs
6 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
Colored Frostings
Colored Sugars


INSTRUCTIONS:
Cook first 4 ingredients in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until butter melts. Cool mixture to 100° to 110°.

Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add butter mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until smooth. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Stir together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; set aside. (I added chopped pecans)

Punch dough down; divide in half. Turn 1 portion out onto a lightly floured surface; roll to a 28- x 10-inch rectangle. Spread half each of cinnamon mixture and softened butter on dough. Roll dough, jellyroll fashion, starting at long side. Place dough roll, seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring ends together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining dough, cinnamon mixture, and butter.

Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 20 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until golden. (I found that I had to turn down the temp and continue baking at 325-250 for a total of closer to 40 minutes. I think this is a typo and should have been 45 minutes, but the top was browning quickly -- that may be my oven acting up). Remove to wire rack. Decorate with bands of Colored Frostings and sprinkle with Colored Sugars. (I used plain white glaze/frosting and colored sugar)

Note: Once the cake has cooled, randomly insert a plastic baby doll, if desired, before frosting.

YIELD:
Makes 2 cakes

PREP TIME:
50 min.
Rise: 1 hr., 20 min.; Bake: 15 min.

Colored Frostings

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 to 6 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 drops each of green, yellow, red, and blue liquid food coloring


INSTRUCTIONS:
Stir together powdered sugar and melted butter. Add milk to reach desired consistency for drizzling; stir in vanilla. Divide frosting into 3 batches, tinting 1 green, 1 yellow, and combining red and blue food coloring for purple frosting.

YIELD:
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

PREP TIME:
15 min.


Colored Sugars

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups sugar (regular or coarse)
1 to 2 drops each of green, yellow, red, and blue liquid food coloring


INSTRUCTIONS:
Place 1/2 cup sugar and drop of green food coloring in a jar or zip-top plastic bag; seal. Shake vigorously to evenly mix color with sugar. Repeat procedure with 1/2 cup sugar and yellow food coloring. For purple, combine 1 drop red and 1 drop blue food coloring before adding to remaining 1/2 cup sugar.

YIELD:
Makes 1/2 cup of each colored sugar

© Copyright Southern Progress Corporation, 2000. All rights reserved. Privacy policy

[sararosalie]

Originally posted by cjm
Deanna-where does your company order the King Cake from?

cjm

I'm not Deanna, but I have ordered king cakes for Mardi Gras parties.
I usually get them from Gambinos www.gambinos.com/ (http://www.gambinos.com/) They are addictive.

mmmmmm....cream cheese filled king cake......:D

[cherylopal]

King Cake

Makes 2 cakes

In New Orleans, this cake is served during Carnival season from the Feast of Epiphany (January 6) until Mardi Gras (the day before Ash Wednesday). The person receiving the plastice baby is considered lucky. By custom, that person must also supply the next King Cake. From Jambalya- The New Orleans Junior League Cookbook

Cake
1 stick & 1 Tablespoon butter
2/3 cup evaporated skim milk
1/2 cup sugar,divided
2 packages dry yeast
1/3 cup lukewarm water
4 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons orange zest
6 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Topping
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sugar 1/3 cup yellow, 1/3 cup green, 1/3 cup purple
2 3/4 inchs plastic or 2 beans

Melt 1 stick butter in a saucepan. Stir in milk, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. Cool to lukewarm. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, yeast, and warm water. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes or until frothy. Beat eggs into yeast mixture. Beat in milk mixture and zests. Stir in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, reserving 1 cup. Spread reserved 1 cup flour over a smooth surface. Turn dough onto surface and knead 5 to 10 minutes or until smooth. Grease a large mixing bowl with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Place dough in bowl, turing to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours or until doubled. Punch dough down and divide in half. On a floured surface, roll a dough into a 15x30 inch rectangle. Brush with half of filling's melted butter. Cut into 3 lengthwise strips. Combine sugars and cinnamon. Sprinkle half of mixture on strips, leaving a 1-inch edge free for sealing. Fold each strip toward the center, sealing the seam. You will now have three (30-inch) strips with a sugar filling enclosed in each. Braid the strips together and make a circle by joining the ends. Repeat with other half of dough. Place each ring on a 10x15 inch baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise 60 minutes or until doubled. Top by brushing with egg. Sprinkle with colored sugar, alternating colors. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately so sugar does not harden. While still warm, place a baby in each from underneath. Yield: 2 cakes.

Color sugar for topping by tinting with food coloring. For purple, use equal amounts of blue and red coloring. A food processor aids in mixing and keeps the sugar from getting too moist.

To freeze, wrap cooled cake tightly in plastic. Before serving, remove from plastic and thaw.

[Beth]

Thanks, Cheryl. I'll have to try the braided one next time, but I have to wonder if the dough has a hard time rising up the sides of a bowl greased with a full tablespoon of butter! ;) :D

[cherylopal]

Originally posted by Beth
but I have to wonder if the dough has a hard time rising up the sides of a bowl greased with a full tablespoon of butter! ;) :D
use cooking spray!

[Peggy C.]

Our SC is meeting this weekend and I'm going to make the cake posted by Cheryl. Then I have another party next weekend. Do you think I can freeze 1/2 of the dough for that party? If so at what stage should I freeze it?

[Peggy C.]

I made the cake posted by Cheryl, it turned out pretty nice. It wasn't difficult, but it was a little time consuming. The people at supper club enjoyed it and I thought it was ok. I didn't use all of the filling as it made a ton and I think this was a good decision, I think it would have been very sweet if I had.

Thanks for sharing the recipe Cheryl and I would encourage others to try it. It was kind of coffee cake-ish.

edited to add that I froze one for next weekend I'll let you know how it holds up. (I froze it after I assembled it, but did not let it do the second rise)