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If you have the time and patience you should try making this sweet, bread-like cake that is popular around Mardi Gras — coming up Feb. 5. Beware that it can easily take a few hours to make because the dough needs time to rise, but it is well worth it! You can read up about the history of King Cakes here.
Traditional New Orleans King Cake
Ingredients
For Cake:
• 1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
• 2 packages active dry yeast (4 ½ teaspoons total)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups flour unsifted
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 stick butter cut into slices and softened, plus 2 tablespoons more softened butter
• 1 egg slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1” plastic baby doll
For Colored Sugar Topping:
• Green, purple, & yellow food coloring (you can use blue and red to make purple)
• 12 tablespoons sugar
For Icing:
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• Juice from half a lemon
• 2 to 4 tablespoons water
Directions
For Cake:
1. Pour the warm water into a small shallow bowl, and sprinkle yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar into it. Allow the yeast and sugar to rest for 3 minutes then mix thoroughly. Set bowl in a warm place for 10 minutes or until yeast bubbles up and mixture almost doubles in volume.
2. Combine 3 1/2 cups of flour, remaining sugar, nutmeg and salt, and sift into a large mixing bowl. Stir in lemon zest.
3. Separate center of mixture to form a hole and pour in yeast mixture and milk. Add egg yolks and slowly combine dry ingredients with a wooden spoon into the yeast/milk mixture.
4. When mixture is smooth, beat in 8 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to beat 2 minutes or until dough can be formed into a medium soft ball.
5. Place ball of dough on a lightly floured surface and knead like bread. During this kneading, add up to 1 cup more of flour (1 tablespoon at a time) sprinkled over the dough. When dough is no longer sticky, knead 10 minutes more until shiny and elastic.
6. Using a pasty brush, coat the inside of a large bowl evenly with one tablespoon soft butter.
7. Place dough ball in the bowl and rotate until the entire surface is buttered. Cover bowl with a moderately thick kitchen towel and place in a draft-free spot for 1 1/2 hours, or until dough doubles in volume. Using a pasty brush, coat a large baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of butter and set aside.
8. Remove dough from bowl and place on lightly floured surface. Using your fist, punch dough down with a heavy blow.
9. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top, pat and shape dough into a cylinder. Twist dough to form a curled cylinder and loop cylinder onto the buttered baking sheet. Pinch the ends together to complete the circle.
10. Cover dough with towel and set it in a draft-free spot for 45 minutes until the circle of dough doubles in volume.
11. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
12. Brush top and sides of cake with egg wash and bake on middle rack of oven for 25-35 minutes until golden brown.
13. Place cake on wire rack to cool. If desired, at this time you can “hide” the plastic baby in the cake.
For Colored Sugar Topping:
1. Place 4 tablespoons of sugar in small bowl or cup.
2. Add 2-3 drops of green food coloring onto sugar and stir until food coloring is mixed in with sugar.
3. Repeat with yellow and purple food coloring. To mix purple food coloring use a 3:1 ratio of blue to red food coloring (3 blue drops for every 1 red drop).
For Icing:
1. Combine sugar, lemon juice and 1 1/2 tablespoons water until smooth. If icing is too stiff, add more water until icing reaches a spreadable consistency.
2. Spread icing over top of cake while it is still warm to the touch.
3. Immediately sprinkle the colored sugars over the icing in individual rows consisting of about two rows of green, purple, and yellow.
Cake is served in 2”-3” pieces
Recipe adapted from MardiGrasDay.com
Jambalaya
Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 (3-3 1/2 pound) fryer, cut up
• 1 pound pork sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 teaspoon Tony’s Creole Seasoning
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 large ribs of celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 Tablespoons chopped green onion tops
• 4 cups cooked rice
• 1 (6-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped (optional)
Directions
1. Heat oil in a large, thick pot on medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces, brown on all sides and cook until tender (20-25 minutes).
2. Add sausage, Tony’s seasoning, and salt. Cover, lower heat, and cook until chicken is well-down, about 30 minutes
3. Remove chicken and sausage and drain all except 1/3 of the drippings from the pot.
4. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic, and sauté until tender.
5. Stir in tomato sauce and salt and return chicken (deboned, if preferred), and sausage to the pot. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes.
6. Add the parsley and green onion tops, cooking an additional 5 minutes, covered.
7. Fold in cooked rice (and optional water chestnuts) and simmer about 10 minutes.
**Makes 8 absolutely delicious servings!
Recipe courtesy of MardiGrasDay.com
Hurricane
Ingredients
• 1 oz. Bacardi 151 Proof Rum
• 1 oz. White rum
• 1 oz. Dark rum
• ½ oz. Grenadine
• 3 oz. Orange juice
• 3 oz. Pineapple juice
• Crushed Ice
Serve in a Hurricane Glass filled with Crushed Ice, garnish with Orange slice and cherry
Recipe courtesy of MardiGrasDay.com
Ramos Gin Fizz
Ingredients
• 2 oz. Gin
• 3 oz. milk
• 1 egg white (optional)
• 2 tbs. lemon juice
• ½ oz. Simple syrup
• Dash orange flower water
• Club soda
Combine all ingredients except the club soda to a chilled mixer and shake well for at least one minute. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice and then top off the glass with a splash of soda (this should create the “fizz”). Serves 1.
Shrimp or Crab Mold
Ingredients
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• 8 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
• 1 (.25-ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin, softened in
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 3 pounds cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped or 1 pound crab meat
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• Tabasco, to taste
Directions:
1. Heat soup, undiluted, and mix in the cream cheese. Stir in softened gelatin and bled well.
2. Fold in remaining ingredients and pour into a lightly-oiled mold.
3. Chill until firm and serve with your favorite crackers.
**Makes 24 servings
Recipe courtesy of MardiGrasDay.com
Merle’s Spinach Balls
Ingredients
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen spinach
• 2 cups herb-flavored stuffing mix
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 6 eggs, well-beaten
• 3/4 cup melted margarine
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 Tablespoon Cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1-2 teaspoons Tony’s Creole Seasoning (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and lightly grease a cookie sheet.
2. Cook spinach according to package directions and drain well, squeezing to remove excess moisture.
3. Combine with stuffing mix, chopped onion, eggs, margarine, cheese, Cayenne and garlic salt. Mix well.
4. Shape into ¾ inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes.
5. You can freeze the balls by placing on a pan in freezer until hard, then storing in airtight bags. To serve, thaw slightly and bake 20-25 minutes.
**Makes 6-8 dozen balls
Recipe courtesy of MardiGrasDay.com
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