Category: Mardi Gras

 A taste of Mardi Gras food is bringing home facts, food, and fun.

One never knows when the need for a conversation starter or trivia answer round the water cooler, dinner table or game board will present itself.

Louisianians love their Mardi Gras food, and one of our absolute most delicious regional dishes came in as the state favorite.

Curious to see what sweet treat sensation is deliciously associated with what state?  Click on the image below and the magic of link love will take you right on over to “The United Sweets of America”, a fun read by Slate associate editor L.V. Anderson.

By the way, the dessert ranked number one in Louisiana is, drum roll please… Bananas Foster.

Slate

Speaking of which regional sweet treat your state is known for, when the calendar points to Mardi Gras season Mardi Gras food is the topic of Carnival culinary conversation.

Legions of Louisiana Loyal are finding themselves with a hankering for a taste of sweet home Louisiana.

Phone calls, text messages and email requests for Mardi Gras food recipes come fast and furious during Mardi Gras season.

Texas Yeehaw son.

Our Missouri snow shoveling nephew.

Floridian flamingos and Don’t Mess with Texas cousins.

East Tennessean hills friends.

Chicago suburbs aunts and uncles.

What they say is true- you can take the boy or the girl out of Louisiana but you can’t take Louisiana out of the boy or the girl.

Seems the proof is in the bread pudding!

Wondering what Mardi Gras food recipes inspire the masses to phone home?

Here’s a look at the Mardi Gras food and recipe requests thus far:

Bananas Foster

This legendary Louisiana dessert is the stuff flamboyant flambé tableside preparation and presentation culinary dreams are made of.

Bananas, melted butter and brown sugar dance the dance of caramelization awaiting generous pours of banana liqueur and dark rum.

Not to be overlooked is the grand finale of flame and circumstance which showcases of the art of tableside exhibition- the lagniappe of New Orleans tradition.

Taking the top slot on our Mardi Gras food desserts menus is the recipe for my version of Bananas Foster.

King Cake

King Cake is a sweet traditional cinnamon filled coffee cake style pastry glazed with topping and sprinkled with sugar in the Royal colors of purple, green, and gold.

King Cake parties rule the Carnival season.

Tradition dictates Mardi Gras revelers love the tradition of eating this Carnival confection during Mardi Gras season.

Time honored customs reign at Carnival season, and the custom of the plastic baby baked into the cake is steeped in culinary Carnival tradition, and if you are the lucky reveler who gets the piece of King Cake with the baby you are named “King for a Day”.

With great King Cake power comes great King Cake responsibility.

Tradition dictates the “King for a Day” is obligated to host the next King Cake party.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo 

Click on the link to view the recipe for Chicken and Sausage Gumbo 

This is the  email I received from the Canadian snowbird that kicked off this post:

Re: Mardi Gras Mambo Gumbo

Mom,

Thanks for the King Cake recipe!

Could you send me your chicken and sausage gumbo and Creole~Cajun Seasoning recipes by chance?

The parades are rolling, Carnival colors of purple, green and gold are everywhere, krewes stand dressed and ready to heed the calls of “Throw me something, Mister!”, and kitchens across the state are turning out bowls of hearty Mardi Gras gumbo by the gumbo pots full.

It’s that time of year again for the Places In The Home seasonings Mardi Gras gumbo good time history lesson and recipe feature.

Louisiana Cajun Mardi Gras Art Print

In rural Cajun parishes of Louisiana, costumed participants saddled up and on horseback make the Fat Tuesday run, the annual Courir de Mardi Gras.

Courir run

Masked riders will hunt, gather and produce ingredients found at local farms to put in the end of run community gumbo.

Courir Run

Gumbo recipes in our area of the world range from chicken and andouille sausage to duck to seafood full of shrimp, crab and oysters.

Bell pepper, onion and celery, otherwise known as  the Cajun holy trinity, gets the seasonings Mardi Gras gumbo ball rolling.

For a period back in the lat 1970’s, my dad got on a kick of making duck and seafood gumbo on Christmas Eve.

Good and tasty times!

He stopped cooking seafood or duck gumbo upon discovering the ultimate taste of Mardi Gras, Prejean’s Seafood Gumbo.

Located in Lafayette, Louisiana, Prejean’s (pronouned pray-shjohn) Restaurant is a family style restaurant serving Cajun and Creole dishes.

There is a difference between Cajun and Creole foods, but not nearly enough to matter to most.

One taste of Prejean’s Seafood Gumbo and you’ll know what the buzz is all about.

Prejean’s Seafood Gumbo

Ingredients: (roux)

¾ cup oil

1 cup flour

Ingredients: (stock)

Kitchen bouquet (optional)

8 oz. unsalted butter

1 ½ cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped bell pepper

½ cup chopped celery

1 gallon water

4 ounces chicken bouillon granules

2 bay leaves

seasonings: 1 tsp. Salt*, black pepper, and red pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 pounds peeled shrimp

1 pound crabmeat

1 pound crawfish

2 cups oysters (optional)

¼ cup green onions

*Salt should not be added until late in the simmering process, after some of the water has evaporated.  Salt is already present in the bouillon broth.

Method:

Heat oil in large, heavy pot.  Add flour slowly, stirring all the while. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until dark brown in color.  (If you are worried about burning the roux, cook to a medium dark color and add Kitchen Bouquet for extra color).

All at once, add the chopped onions, bell pepper, and celery. Continue to cook until vegetables are transparent (about 10-15 minutes).  Add bay leaves and seasonings and cook on low for 45 minutes.

Add 1 gallon of water and the 4 ounces of chicken bouillon to the roux and stir slowly until thoroughly mixed.

One minute prior to servings, add shrimp, crabmeat, crawfish, and oysters to the gumbo.

Serve in a bowl over rice.  Garnish with chopped green onion tops.

Serves 8.

Prejean’s Restaurant

The seasonings and measurements of a Mardi Gras gumbo recipe can be the best kept secret.

Mardi Gras gumbo is traditionally  served with rice.   Gumbo side pairings include saltine crackers, french bread, a boiled egg and/or a hearty scoop of potato salad.

Pass the file and a good time, it’s Mardi Gras gumbo season in Louisiana.