Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez - Let the Good Times Roll!

(Published on iSurf News on March 3, 2011)

Mardi Gras, French for “Fat Tuesday”, refers to the practice of the last night of eating rich, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which starts on Ash Wednesday. Part of the fun of Mardi Gras include wearing masks and costumes, dancing, parades, tossing beads and attending parties and balls.

Every year at Mardi Gras there are thousands of King Cakes sold in the New Orleans area. You can find many places online where you can order a King Cake and have it shipped to you. Or you can follow this recipe to make your own. Just don't forget to tell everyone about the baby. You don't want anyone to get choked!

KING CAKE

Cake:
●1/2 cup warm water (100-115 F)
●2 tablespoons yeast
●1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 teaspoons
●3 1/2 - 4 cup flour
●1 teaspoon nutmeg
●2 teaspoons salt
●1 teaspoon lemon zest
●1/2 cup warm milk
●5 egg yolks
●1/2 cup butter
●2 teaspoons cinnamon
●1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

Icing:
●3 cups confectioner's sugar
●1/4 cup lemon juice
●3-6 tablespoons water
●additional sugar & food coloring for decoration

►1 tiny 1" baby doll (see notes above)

Sprinkle yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar over warm water in a small, shallow bowl. Allow to rest for 3-5 minutes, then mix thoroughly. Set bowl in a warm, draft-free place until yeast starts to bubble up and mixture almost doubles in volume, about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, mix 3 1/2 C flour, 1/2 cup sugar, nutmeg, lemon zest and salt. In mixing bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer or food processor, combine yeast , milk and egg yolks. Gradually add dry ingredients, and softened butter, adding additional flour, as necessary to achieve a medium-soft ball. Knead dough, again adding flour if necessary, until smooth, shiny and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Place dough in a covered, buttered bowl , in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

In the meantime, butter a large baking sheet and set aside.

When dough has risen, remove and punch down. Sprinkle with cinnamon and form into a cylinder, then twist this cylinder into a circle. Pinch the ends together to complete the circle. Once again, cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 375° F. Brush top and sides of cake with egg wash and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack completely before hiding baby doll inside or icing and decorating.

Icing:
Mix sugar, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of water until mixture is smooth, adding more water as necessary to achieve a smooth, spreadable consistency. Spread icing over cake and immediately sprinkle colored sugar in alternating color rows of yellow, green and purple.



CHICKEN OR HAM JAMBALAYA

●2 tablespoons oil
●1 1/2 cups chopped onion
●1 green bell pepper, chopped
●2 medium cloves garlic, minced
●2 cups cubed cooked ham or chicken
●1 cup long-grain white rice
●l/2 teaspoon thyme
●l/2 teaspoon salt
●3-4 drops hot pepper sauce
●1 16-ounce can tomatoes
●l/2 cup ham broth, water, or chicken broth if using chicken

Heat oil in a large pot. To the hot oil add chopped onions, green pepper, and garlic; cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add ham or chicken and rice; cook and stir until rice is well coated with oil. Add thyme, salt, pepper sauce, tomatoes, and broth. Cover and simmer until rice is tender and liquid absorbed, 20-25 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper sauce if needed.



GARLIC CHEESE GRITS

A big tradition of Mardi Gras is the King Cake. Originally, King Cakes were a simple ring of dough with a small amount of decoration. Today's King Cakes are much more festive. Inside every cake is a tiny baby (generally plastic now, but years ago, this baby might have been made of porcelain or even gold). After the cake is baked, the "baby" is inserted. The top of the ring or oval cake is then covered with delicious sugar toppings in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold. If the baby is in your slice, you have to throw the next party or bring the next cake.

●6 cups water
●2 teaspoons salt
●1 1/2 cups grits
●1/2 cup butter
●3 eggs, well beaten
●16 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
●2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
●cayenne pepper to taste

Bring water and salt to a rolling boil; gradually stir in grits with fork. Cook, stirring constantly, until all water is absorbed. Stir in butter a tablespoon at a time; stir in the beaten eggs, working quickly so eggs will not cook before thoroughly blended into the grits, then stir in the shredded cheese, garlic and a little cayenne pepper. Put into a greased 2 1/2-quart casserole. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 to 20 minutes.


NEXT WEEK—St. Patrick's Day Recipes

Remember......Life is short. Eat Dessert first!!