• Hurricane
• Mardi Gras Madness Punch
• Merle's Spinach Balls
• Tricolor Scrolls
• Creole Shrimp Spread
• Elegant Fruit Tray
• Artisan Cheeses with Assorted Crackers
• Baked Brie En Croute
• Party Swirls
• Creole Chicken Skewers
• Crab Triangles
• Thick Sugar Cookies
• Royal Icing
• Traditional New Orleans King Cake
• King Cake - Bread Machine & Non-Dairy

Hurricane
(from http://www.mardigrasday.com)

(single portion)

4 oz Dark Rum
2 oz Lemon Juice
2 oz Red Passion Fruit Mix

Serve in a Hurricane Glass filled with Crushed Ice, garnish with an orange slice and marachino cherry.

Instead of making these from scratch, find Pat O'Briens Hurricane Powdered Mix (if you can't get to New Orleans to buy it there and don't want to purchase it online, go to your nearest Beverages and More), mix it with water per the instructions, then set out your Hurricane mixer along with dark rum and ice, with orange slices and cherries available for garnish.

Mardi Gras Madness Punch
(from http://www.mardigrasday.com)

makes: 8-9 quarts

1 ice ring
1 (40-ounce) bottle grape juice
1 (48-ounce) can unsweetened pineapple juice
1 (2-liter) bottle lemon-lime soft drink
1 fifth vodka (750ml), or more, to taste
2 oranges or lemons
2 limes

Place ice ring in bottom of punch bowl. Add liquids in order given. Float slices of oranges and limes on top. Makes about 65 one-half cup servings.

Adds to the fun in true Carnival colors
of purple, green and gold!

Merle's Spinach Balls
(from http://www.mardigrasday.com)

Makes: 6 to 8 dozen

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)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Cook spinach according to package directions and drain well, squeezing to remove excess moisture. Combine with stuffing mix, chopped onion, eggs, margarine, cheese, Cayenne and garlic salt. Mix well. Shape into 3/4-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes. (These are successfully frozen by placing unbaked on a pan in freezer until hard, then storing in airtight bags. To serve, thaw slightly and bake 20-25 minutes.)

Don't tell anyone this is spinach and they'll never know! Delightfully different.

Tricolor Scrolls
Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 Tbs. commercial pesto
6 thin slices red cabbage or savoy lettuce
6 thin slices orange cheddar (or American) cheese

Preparation:

Spread the pesto over the sheet of puff pastry dough, top
with lettuce then cheese. Start rolling the long side of the
dough and continue until reaching the middle of the pastry sheet.
Roll the opposite end in to meet the first roll. Chill until
scroll holds its shape for cutting.

Cut the roll into half-inch thick slices with a bread knife.
Place the slices on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and bake
at 425 degrees for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Creole Shrimp Spread
(from http://www.mardigrasday.com)

Serves: 24

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

Heat soup, undiluted, and mix in the cream cheese. Stir in softened gelatin and blend well. Fold in remaining ingredients and pour into a lightly-oiled 6-cup mold. Chill until firm and serve with your favorite crackers or baguette slices.

(I halved this recipe for a 3-cup mold, but left the amount of gelatin the same. I also used creole seasoning powder in place of the Tabasco sauce.)

Elegant Fruit Tray

Assorted fruits, preferably in colors themed to your event.

Slice the fruit into finger-food portions. Arrange on a large tray over savoy or leaf lettuce, alternating the fruit colors to your aesthetic tastes. Use small bunches of grapes or berries to garnish.

Artisan Cheeses with
Assorted Crackers

If you are lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe's market, just pick out whatever intersting cheeses tickle your fancy, then go grab a box or two of Trader Joe's Cracker Assortment. I also add a "baby" Brie round with a small spreader.

If you are not so lucky, just acquire the cheeses and crackers of your choice wherever you can, then cut the cheese into small slices and arrange the cheese and crackers in attractive spirals on your serving plates.

Baked Brie En Croute

one small round of brie
one sheet purchased puff pastry
apricot preserves (optional)
dried cranberries (optional)

Roll out the puff pastry sheet, making sure the folded seams will hold together. If adding a flavor layer between your crust and the brie, spread the apricot preserves on the pastry, then sprinkle dried cranberries over the preserves. Place the brie with its rind intact on the pastry, and fold up the edges of the pastry around the brie, pinching to seal the pastry edges. Turn over onto greased foil so the pinched pastry seam is on the bottom. Decorate with extra puff pastry scraps if you wish. Brush with milk or egg wash, then bake at 400F for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Wait at least 20-30 minutes before serving, since the cheese will be piping hot and very runny. Serve with a knife spreader and assorted crackers.

Be creative with your flavor layer! :) Apricot preserves and dried blueberries, spiced loquat jam, anything you like, but sweet with acidity seems to work best with the brie flavor. You can also use miniature individual bries for even smaller bries en croute.

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Party Swirls

Okay, I'll admit these were purchased. :-)

...but since one package is only $10 at Costco vs. how much time it takes to make tortilla rollups by hand, let alone that handmade ones don't always stay in the nice little swirls anyway, I'm fine with buying these!

Creole Chicken Skewers

one bag frozen chicken tenders (approx. 48 tenders in a bag), thawed to flexible
6" wooden skewers, soaked in water overnight
powdered creole seasoning
(salt only if creole seasoning does not already contain salt)

Thaw the chicken tenders enough so you can thread the chicken securely onto the skewers, leaving the point just inside the tip of the chicken so the blunt end of the skewer is the handle. Preheat oven to 350F. Line up the skewered chicken on a cooling rack inside a foil-covered baking sheet or broiler pan. Lightly dust each side of the chicken with creole seasoning. If your creole seasoning does not contain salt, also add salt to taste. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes each side, turning skewers over, or just until the chicken barely loses its sheen. These are underdone so when you heat them for the party they will not be overdone and dry. Freeze underbaked chicken skewers individually then store in plastic bags in freezer until ready to serve. Lay out frozen chicken skewers on cooling racks over a foiled pan again and bake at 350F until done. Makes 48 skewers.

Thick Sugar Cookies

2 cups margarine or butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 cups flour
3/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. milk

Divide dough in half. Chill 1 hour. Roll out half of dough 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Use greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 degress Celsius for 12 minutes. These can be frosted. Makes about 5-6 dozen standard-sized cookie cutter shapes. These were decorated with Royal Icing

Royal Icing

16 oz powdered sugar (icing sugar)
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Beat until peaks firmly hold their shape, and the more you beat it, the firmer it gets.

For a completely smooth surface, take a portion of your icing and dilute it with light corn syrup. This way, when you spread the diluted icing, it will find its own level without leaving marks in the surface. Make sure this base coat is completely dry before adding more decoration.

I also used edible gold dust (purchased at HomeChef or Cakeworks) mixed with water for the gold accents that I painted on with a detail brush. Once the unused gold dust water mixture dries, the leftover dust can be used again.

King Cake
Traditional New Orleans Recipe
(from http://www.mardigrasday.com)

Ingredients

1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
3 1/2 - 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

Directions

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 three minutes then mix thoroughly. Set bowl in a warm place, for ten minutes or until yeast bubbles up and mixture almost doubles up in volume. Combine 3 1/2 cups of flour, remaining sugar, nutmeg and salt, and sift into a large mixing bowl. Stir in lemon zest. Seperate center of mixture to form a hole and pour in yeast mixture and milk. Add egg yolks and using a wooden spoon slowly combine dry ingredients into the yeast/milk mixture. 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. (Instead of individual tablespoons of butter, I used 8 tablespoons of oil all at once and kept kneading. I also started with only 2 1/2 cups of flour in the original mixture.)

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.

Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of a large bowl evenly with one tablespoon softened butter. 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 about 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough doubles in volume. Using a pastry brush, coat a large baking sheet with one tablespoon of butter and set aside. (I avoided the pastry brush and just used my fingers to grease the bowl and baking sheet before I started to knead.)

Remove dough from bowl and place on lightly floured surface. Using your fist, punch dough down with a heavy blow. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top, pat and shake 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. Cover dough with towel and set it in warm, draft-free spot for 45 minutes until the circle of dough doubles in volume. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush top and sides of cake with egg wash and bake on middle rack of oven for 25 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Place cake on wire rack to cool. If desired, at this time, you can "hide" the plastic baby in the cake. (I baked at only 350F for 20 minutes, and it was already golden brown. I also decided the egg wash was redundant due to the icing and sugar decoration.)

Colored Sugars

Green, purple, & yellow paste
12 tablespoons sugar

Squeeze a dot of green paste in palm of hand. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over the paste and rub together quickly. Place this mixture on wax paper and wash hands to remove color. Repeat process for other 2 colors. Place aside.

(I have found a wide variety of colored sugars for sale where cake decorating supplies are sold, so I just use those.)

King Cake Icing

3 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 - 6 tablespoons water

Combine sugar, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons water until smooth. If icing is too stiff, add more water until spreadable. Spread icing over top of cake. Immediately sprinkle the colored sugars in individual rows consisting of about 2 rows of green, purple and yellow.

Cake is served in 2" - 3" pieces.

King Cake a la Britta
(adapted from http://www.mardigrasday.com for home bread machine use and as non-dairy)

I made the traditional King Cake recipe until 2006, when my mom acquired an extra bread machine at a garage sale, and at my new house I actually had enough counter space to borrow the bread machine. :)

Ingredients

For bread machine:
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1/2 cup warm milk (substitute warm water for non-dairy)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup oil
5 egg yolks
3 1/2 flour unsifted (best flour Trader Joe's King Arthur white flour)
2 packages active dry yeast ( = approx 1 rounded dry Tbsp bulk dry yeast)

After kneading:
1 teaspoon cinnamon (before twisting into circle)
1 egg slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk (optional egg wash)

one 1" plastic baby doll (after baking)

Directions

Put ingredients in order into bread machine, with the dry yeast on the very top. Set the bread machine for the dough-only cycle for 1.5 hours or until dough reaches the top of the pan.

Turn dough out onto floured breadboard. If too sticky, knead in up to 1c. flour, a little at a time. Form dough into cylinder and sprinkle cinnamon on top. Twist into a circle on a greased baking sheet, pinching the ends together to complete the circle.

If desired, brush top and sides of cake with egg wash. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes. Hide the plastic baby in the cake while the cake is still warm. After cake is completely cool, ice and decorate the top with the lemon icing and the colored sugar in alternating bands of purple, green and gold. It is easiest to ice a small section, sprinkle with the colored sugar, then ice the next section, otherwise the icing hardens before the sugar can stick.

Colored Sugars

Green, purple, & yellow paste
12 tablespoons sugar

Squeeze a dot of green paste in palm of hand. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over the paste and rub together quickly. Place this mixture on wax paper and wash hands to remove color. Repeat process for other 2 colors. Place aside.

(I have found a wide variety of colored sugars for sale where cake decorating supplies are sold, so I just use those.)

King Cake Icing

3 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 - 6 tablespoons water

Combine sugar, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons water until smooth. If icing is too stiff, add more water until spreadable. Spread icing over top of cake. Immediately sprinkle the colored sugars in individual rows consisting of about 2 rows of green, purple and yellow.

Cake is served in 2" - 3" pieces.