King Cake

Usually, I can't really post on a holiday-centric recipe until after said holiday has passed. But this time, the fortunes of fate allowed the Saints to be in the Super Bowl (and win the Super Bowl). So we (and everyone who enjoys cooking football-watching snacks) decided to a Cajun-centric assortment of munchies. Anything to sway the football gods away from Peyton's cement block head. And what did Indianapolis ever give us anyway? I can't make 8 versions of breaded pork.

We really maximized our commitment to New Orleans by having Zapp's potato chips (in various flavors including Crawtator -- my fav), Abita and Dixie beers, andouille po' boys with homemade remoulade, muffulettas, Cajun wings (hey, we're still in Upstate NY), shrimp etouffee, pralines and King Cake. Quite a lot of food, most of which I'm still eating for lunch almost a week later. I may post recipes on some of the rest later, but the killer is shrimp etouffee, which is a secret family recipe from Alabama (or at least John's recipe to which I don't have access). The one good secret-y part is that you have to make your own shrimp broth with the shells. Making your own ingredients is always the secret to making things better (or at least take a lot longer).

So, back to Le Roi. It comes from Emeril but not from the Food Network (his own that site is very different and does the fruit and nut filling rather than cream cheese). I was thrilled with the results chiefly because yeast + any dessert + me = 98% chance of plutonium-grade failure. So you can make a cake that rises twice and has to be shaped and stuffed with a filling and even make the icing and color your own sugar too! Because if I can do it, so can you. And maybe you can top me by actually finding a tiny plastic baby. If you can't, use a pecan half like I did. Of course, then you may run the risk of cutting right through the pecan-- thus making a king and queen of Mardi Gras from one cake. Better than dissecting an icon of the baby Jesus I suppose. If you're not in the loop as to how or why a plastic baby is a necessary ingredient for your Mardi Gras celebrations, I suggest you go here and New Orleansify yourself.

Laissez les bons temps rouler and all o' that.