Let the Good Times Roll with ten delicious Classic Cajun and Creole-themed Mardi Gras Recipes including King Cake, Beignets, Jambalaya, Shrimp Creole and more!
If you are wondering when Mardi Gras is, or what date it begins and ends, technically Mardi (French for Tuesday) Gras (French for Fat) refers to Shrove or Fat Tuesday which is the day before Ash Wednesday.In reality, Mardi Gras refers to the Carnival celebrations that begin on January 6 (the Epiphany) and end on Fat Tuesday. Because it is tied to Ash Wednesday, which date is aligned with Easter, the date changes every year. For 2017, Fat Tuesday is on February 28. The colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold (yellow), supposedly because of a visit to New Orleans in the late 1800s by Russian Grand Duke Romanoff whose family colors were purple, green and gold. Purple is said to represent justice, green to represent faith, and gold to represent power. Because the celebration is tied to religious dates, Mardi Gras is actually celebrated all over the world, but most notably in New Orleans. Biloxi, Mississippi, Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, cities east of New Orleans also actively celebrate Mardi Gras with krewes, numerous parades, and balls.
I’ve teamed up with my sister at the Pudge Factor Blog to bring you these Ten Classic Mardi Gras Recipes and we hope you enjoy them!
1 Easy Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya is the ultimate Mardi Gras food, and a staple found all along the Gulf Coast, but especially in Southern Louisiana. You won’t believe how easy it is to prepare and it’s perfect for a quick weeknight meal with your family. Easy Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya is also a great make-ahead dish to serve company.
2 Brighten your Mardi Gras season with this rich and moist Lemon Bliss Bundt Cake. It feels like springtime and tastes amazing under a layer of lemon glaze. Every piece is a surprise. Laissez les bon temps rouler!
3 Easy Mardi Gras Hot Muffuletta Dip is a tantalizing dip made with tasty green olives, salami, provolone cheese and tangy giardiniera.These yummy ingredients are combined with cream cheese to make a hot and scrumptious dip that is guaranteed to make you swoon and is perfect for any Mardi Gras celebration or party.
4 Shrimp Étouffée is Classic New Orleans at its best. It’s perfect for Mardi Gras with spicy shrimp cooked in a delicious roux based sauce.
5 Hurricane Cocktails were first created at the legendary Pat O’ Brien’s Bar in New Orleans in the 1940’s as a creative way of utilizing large stocks of rum. Legend has it that the Hurricane got its name because the cocktail was first served in the glass piece of a hurricane lamp. And, as they say, the rest is history.
6 Laissez les bon temps rouler with these easy to make Mardi Gras Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting. Inside is a surprise that will delight even your most picky critic!
7 Mardi Gras Snack Mix is simple to make, full of delicious sweet and savory treats and festive with the colors of Mardi Gras which are purple, green and gold.
8 New Orleans Beignets – In New Orleans, beignets are a fried yeasted dough served with confectioners’ sugar on top. They are traditionally prepared right before they’re served to be eaten fresh and hot. They were brought to New Orleans in the 18th century by French colonists and made famous by the Café du Monde.
9. Shrimp Creole is a classic dish of Louisiana Creole origin consisting of cooked shrimp in a mixture of diced tomatoes, the holy trinity of onion, celery and bell pepper, spiced with cayenne-based seasoning, and served over white rice. This Creamy Shrimp Creole recipe adds sour cream and mushrooms which only increases the level of deliciousness of this classic dish and makes it absolutely the best Shrimp Creole I have ever tasted. Think about it, succulent briny shrimp drenched in a creamy spicy tomato sauce with tender mushrooms, peppers, and fresh tomatoes…it just can’t get much better than this!
10 New Orleans Pralines are different from their European ancestor in that the New Orleans variety uses pecans rather than almonds, and includes cream. Pecans were used because they were, and still are plentiful and cream was introduced as a thickener. Thus, the New Orleans pralines have a creamy consistency and are similar to fudge. They are generally made by cooking sugar, butter, cream, and pecans over a medium-high heat until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage. and are generally dropped by spoonfuls onto wax paper and left to cool. No Mardi Gras celebration would be complete without this delicious confection!
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