Mardi Gras-esque recipes?

[thedahliharpa]

Cajun everything? :-)

[Deleted]

Kings cake

[muppetinma]

Beignets and frozen cocktails, served by the yard. Why bother with anything else?

[nannerl]

bettertogether, this is my go-to jambalaya recipe. It makes a ton, so cut everything in half. Also, wait until after you add the stock to stir in the rice (if you add it when the recipe says, it gets coated with the fat from the bacon and won't cook properly)

www.ivillage.com/shrimp-chicken-and-andouille-jambalaya/3-r-110880

For dessert I like Bourbon Pecan Pie. Or you could do a plate of beignets...

www.southernliving.com/food/how-to/new-orleans-beignets-recipe-00417000070890/

For an appetizer, were you looking for a salad or something hot?

[thedahliharpa]

Feb 8, 2014 10:55:02 GMT -5 @jayhawkali said:

Kings cake

Is that the cake with the plastic babies inside?

Also, I'm now thinking about Monte Cristo sandwiches but probably not for dinner.

[Deleted]

I love Cajun food. I don't have any recipes but I think some sort if muffallata for an appetizer and then crawfish étouffée for the entree. Yum!

[nannerl]

Oh man. I wish I knew how to get crawfish in Scotland. I could totally go for some etouffee right now!

[jalapenopeach]

I''m no help but I just wanted to say I think this is such a cute idea!

[unclejesse]

Bananas foster, gumbo, maque choux, etoufee, pralines....


Google John Besh and see what you find too

[Deleted]

I have tons of recipes as work I can share.

[Deleted]

Feb 8, 2014 11:05:13 GMT -5 thedahliharpa said:

Feb 8, 2014 10:55:02 GMT -5 @jayhawkali said:

Kings cake

Is that the cake with the plastic babies inside?

Also, I'm now thinking about Monte Cristo sandwiches but probably not for dinner.

Yes it's the only thing I could think of

[shmoo]

I have a recipe for king cake I will find when /if G takes a nap, and I have 2 John Besh cookbooks if there is something specific you would want from them.

[thedahliharpa]

Feb 8, 2014 12:59:55 GMT -5 @jayhawkali said:

Feb 8, 2014 11:05:13 GMT -5 thedahliharpa said:

Is that the cake with the plastic babies inside?

Also, I'm now thinking about Monte Cristo sandwiches but probably not for dinner.

Yes it's the only thing I could think of

I thought of it too but I don't think I ever knew the name of it.

[Dorothy Zbornak]

Bake a plastic baby in something. That's a thing, right?

[Kore]

Feb 8, 2014 14:19:15 GMT -5 Dorothy Zbornak said:

Bake a plastic baby in something. That's a thing, right?

Haha. Put the baby in there after it's done baking

[Dorothy Zbornak]

Feb 8, 2014 14:23:23 GMT -5 Kore said:

Feb 8, 2014 14:19:15 GMT -5 Dorothy Zbornak said:

Bake a plastic baby in something. That's a thing, right?

Haha. Put the baby in there after it's done baking

Hey, some people enjoy the tangy zip of melted plastic.

[Deleted]

This is the best King Cake you will ever put in your mouth and is one of my best kept secrets.

Apple-Cream Cheese King Cake

Ingredients:
2 tubes of 8ct crescent rolls
1-8 oz block cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup pecans finely chopped (opt)
2/3 cup powdered sugar
Cinnamon/sugar mixed (1/4 cup)
1 large apple finely chopped (Galas, Fujis and Honey Crisps are great in this recipe)
1/2 tsp vanilla
Plastic baby (opt)
Colored sugars (opt)
Glaze: powdered sugar/milk (consist. of honey/syrup)

Preheat oven to 350*. Arrange crescent rolls in pan in a circle w/a 3in opening on center, overlapping triangles w/wide end in center (looks like a sunflower).

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, pecans and vanilla. Add peeled/chopped apple, mix well and spread mixture over dough in a ring at the edge of the dough butted up to the pan then sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mix. Fold pointed ends of dough over filling towards the center and tuck ends under to form a wreath. Bake 25 mind until golden brown. Drizzle with glaze and sprinkle with colored sugars if desired.

ENJOY!!!!


Stuffed peppers are huge here, so here's a stuffed peppers recipe that is DIVINE...

Creole Stuffed Peppers

2 Sticks Margarine (not butter)
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
1 Large Rib Celery, finely chopped
4 Sprigs Parsley, Finely Chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme leaves
1/2 lb Ground Beef
1/2 lb Small Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 Loaf, Stale French Bread (moistened, excess water squeezed out)
3 Eggs
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
1 Large Garlic Clove, minced
2 Large or 3 Small Green Bell Peppers, halved lengthwise, seeds removed and stems carefully trimmed away.

The Topping:
1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs
3 Tbsp Margarine, Melted

Preheat an oven to 350º F.

Melt the margarine in a large skillet. Add the onions, celery, parsley, and thyme. Season with a little salt & pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.
Add the beef and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up the meat, lightly season again.
Add the shrimp and cook until just cooked through. Remove from the heat.
When cool enough to handle work the bread into the mixture with your hands as you would for meatballs, or meatloaf. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary.
Incorporate the eggs and garlic.
Place the stuffing in a lightly greased oven safe dish, bake for 1½ hours.
Remove the stuffing and chill. If any fat settles on the top remove it.

Mix the bread crumbs with 3 Tbsp melted margarine, season with a little salt & pepper.

Par cook the halved bell peppers in boiling water until slightly tender. Stuff with a generous amount of the filling and top with the breadcrumb mixture.
Broil on low for 15-20 minutes, or until the stuffing is heated through and the bread crumbs are slightly browned.

And you can never go wrong with a pot of red beans and rice.

Red Beans and Rice


Ingredients

1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted over
3 tablespoons bacon grease
1/4 cup chopped tasso, or chopped ham
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1/2 pound smoked sausage, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound smoked ham hocks
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
10 cups chicken stock, or water
4 cups cooked white rice
1/4 cup chopped green onions, garnish

Directions

Place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add the tasso and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers to the grease in the pot. Season with the salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the bay leaves, parsley, thyme, sausage, and ham hocks, and cook, stirring, to brown the sausage and ham hocks, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and stock or water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 2 hours. (Should the beans become too thick and dry, add more water, about 1/4 cup at a time.)

Remove from the heat and with the back of a heavy spoon, mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot. Continue to cook until the beans are tender and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves.

Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

[onehitwonder]

BBQ shrimp over mashed potatoes with French bread for dipping. Anything with crabmeat (crab salad, crab w/ravigote, crab over paneed veal or grilled fish for a lighter meal). Try a king cake martini (vanilla vodka, a drop of almond extract, dash of cinnamon, grand marnier and Bailey's).

[nannerl]

bettertogether, I made a batch of the beignets from that recipe I posted earlier over the weekend. They were amazing, and surprisingly really easy (leave enough time to let the dough chill overnight). Highly recommended.

dragonflybelle, that King's Cake looks amazing! I am not generally a big fan, but I think that's because I've never had a really good one... Gonna have to make your's I think!

[Deleted]

Feb 10, 2014 11:18:48 GMT -5 nannerl said:

bettertogether, I made a batch of the beignets from that recipe I posted earlier over the weekend. They were amazing, and surprisingly really easy (leave enough time to let the dough chill overnight). Highly recommended.

dragonflybelle, that King's Cake looks amazing! I am not generally a big fan, but I think that's because I've never had a really good one... Gonna have to make your's I think!

The reason I love this is that King Cakes in general tend to be cinnamon roll-ish to me. This one is definitely not. More stuffing than cake and it's amazing.