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Mardi Gras

February 12, 2002

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The History of Mardi Gras...

The observance of a "Carnival" (aka Mardi Gras) is not new. It originated in the middle of the second century in Rome when the Fast of the 40 days of Lent was preceded by a feast of several days during which time participants delivered themselves up to voluntary madness, put on masks, dressed in costume,and gave themselves up to Bacchus and Venus and considered all pleasure allowable.
From Rome, the celebration spread to other European countries and finally to America. Mardi Gras is still observed in many American cities but certainly not with the glamour and grandeur that was the New Orleans Mardi Gras which had its birth in 1827, when a group of students, recently returned from school in Paris, donned strange costumes and danced their way through the streets. The students got the idea for their Mardi Gras revelry from the celebrations they had experienced in Paris.

New Orleanians caught the enthusiasm of the youths and from 1827 to 1833. It was not until 1837 however, that the first Mardi Gras parade was staged. The first description of a Mardi Gras parade is of a single float in 1839 which was a crude thing, but a great success. It is reported that the float moved through the streets while the crowd roared hilariously. Since then Mardi Gras in New Orleans has been a definite success. It continued to grow, with additional organizations participating each year until the Mardi Gras as we know it today was the result.



Many Mardi Gras party items available through Shindigz, including masks, beads, decorations, etc...

ShindigZ by Stumps

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What you will need for a Mardi Gras party:

Various masks
Tons of beads
Feather Boas
Helium-filled balloons in Gold, Purple, and Green
Dixieland Jazz music

Serve:
Creole gumbo (see recipe below)
King Cake (see below)


Recommendation: Emeril's Cookbook (see Barnes and Noble)

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Creole Gumbo (source: All Recipes)

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, with bones
8 chicken thighs
1 white onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1 pound Creole smoked sausage
2 1/2 cups water
1 pound shrimp
2 tablespoons Cajun-style seasoning


Directions:

1.) Boil chicken breasts and thighs with onion and bell pepper in a large pot of salted water, for about 40 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Drain, debone chicken and set aside.
2.) In a large saucepan stir together flour and butter over low heat to make a roux; add boiled chicken, sausage and water and bring all to a boil. Cover saucepan and simmer over low heat for about 1 1/2 hours.
3.) Add shrimp and simmer for about 1 more hour, then add seasoning to taste and serve.
(serve with bread or crackers)

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History of King Cakes
Epiphany, celebrated in European countries, marks the coming of the wise men who brought gifts to the Christ Child. Epiphany is also called Little Christmas on the Twelfth Night, and is celebrated twelve nights after Christmas. People from all of the world celebrate Epiphany by exchanging gifts and feasting. A very popular custom that is still celebrated is the making of the "King's Cake" which represents the three kings who brought gifts. A plastic baby is baked inside the King Cake, and the tradition is whoever receives the baby in their piece of cake must buy the next King Cake or throw the next party. King Cakes are made of a cinnamon filled dough in the shape of a hollow circle. The cake is topped with a delicious glazed topping and then sprinkled with colored sugar. The three colors of the sugar are Purple (representing Justice), Green (representing Faith) and Gold (representing Power). Today the King Cakes are baked with a wide assortment of fillings inside the cake. King Cake is the preferred dessert and snack in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Hundreds of thousands of King Cakes are eaten in New Orleans during the Carnival season. Many are shipped throughout the U.S. for those displaced New Orleanians longing for a taste of Mardi Gras. In fact, a Mardi Gras party wouldn't be a Mardi Gras party without a King Cake.

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You can order Mardi Gras King Cakes online:

www.CajunGrocer.com
www.KingKingCakes.com
www.mardigraskingcake.net
or--you could attempt to make your own:


Mardi Gras King Cake (source: All Recipes)

Make sure to buy a new small plastic baby so you can get the full effect from this cake! Sprinkle with purple, green and gold sugar, or decorate with whole pecans and candied cherries. Note: Be sure to tell everyone to inspect their piece of cake before they begin eating it. To be extra careful, use a plastic toy baby that is too large to swallow, or hide an orange wedge or 3-4 pecan halves inside the cake (avoid items that may hurt someone's teeth) and then simply place the honorable toy baby outside on the top of the cake for all to see and adore! "

Ingredients:
PASTRY:
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup melted butter

FROSTING:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon water


Directions
1 Scald milk, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2 When yeast mixture is bubbling, add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3 Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. When risen, punch down and divide dough in half.
4 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
5 To Make Filling: Combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup raisins. Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over the cinnamon mixture and mix until crumbly.
6 Roll dough halves out into large rectangles (approximately 10x16 inches or so). Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough and roll up each half tightly like a jelly roll, beginning at the wide side. Bring the ends of each roll together to form 2 oval shaped rings. Place each ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With scissors make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1 inch intervals. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
7 Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Push the doll into the bottom of the cake. Frost while warm with the confectioners' sugar blended with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
Makes 2 cakes

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