Mardi Gras Recipes: Cajun Style Meals, Snacks, Drinks and More

Mardi Gras is the New Orleans tradition celebrating Fat-Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday to have one final "blow-out" before the beginning of Lent. The infamous costumes and partying in New Orleans aren't the only flamboyant offerings. The renowned culinary delights of Louisiana provide partygoers an experience few will ever forget. You can create your own Mardi gras feast using some of the following recipes.
Hurricane Drink Recipe
2 ounces amber rum
1/4 cup passion fruit juice, or 1 tablespoon passion fruit syrup
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon grenadine
Juice of 1/2 lime
Cherries and orange slice to garnish
Ice cubes

In a cocktail shaker mix the rum, passion fruit juice and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add the grenadine and lemon juice and stir to combine. Add the ice cubes and shake. Strain Hurricane into a cocktail glass. Garnish with orange and cherries. Yield: 1 serving
This recipe is from http://www.cajuncookingrecipes.com.

Creole Shrimp Spread
1/2 lb cooked bay shrimp, shelled

1 tablespoon Creole spices; such as pepper, dehydrated garlic, onion powder, thyme, rosemary, red and white pepper, or Creole seasoning mixture sold in most stores.

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (not the bottled kind)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor until slightly smooth. Place in a serving bowl and serve with toasted bread or crackers. This delectable appetizer can be credited to food-pro Rori Tovato. http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/mardi-gras-carnival,appetizers

Jambalaya
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup chopped bell pepper (green, yellow and red)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (1-lb) pkg. Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage, cut into 1/2-inch medallions
1 cup parboiled rice
2 cups chicken broth
3 tbsp. Tabasco Brand Green Pepper Sauce
1 (14 1/2-oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
Cajun seasoning to taste
Melt butter in heavy saucepan over high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic and smoked sausage and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring often. Stir in rice, chicken broth, green pepper sauce, tomatoes and, if desired, Cajun seasoning to taste; mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes before fluffing with fork. Makes 6 servings.
http://www.laprensa-sandiego.org/archieve/february16/mardigra.htm

Shrimp Creole Recipe
3 slices bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 teaspoon gumbo file powder
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 28-ounce can tomatoes in tomato puree
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon TABASCO brand Pepper Sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 pounds shrimp, cleaned and deveined

Cook bacon in large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until bacon is crisp. Remove and drain. Pour off excess fat, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings. Add onion, garlic, green pepper and gumbo file to bacon drippings and cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and blend in flour; return to heat and cook over low heat 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and puree. Add remaining ingredients except shrimp, and cook over moderate heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and crumbled bacon; cook 5 to 10 minutes longer, until shrimp are tender. Serve over hot cooked rice. Makes 4 servings.

Cajun King Cake Recipe
3 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup nonfat dry milk
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 egg whites
Light Lemon Glaze (recipe follows)
Colored sugar crystals and dragées
Small china or plastic baby doll*
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease and flour a 10-inch fancy tube pan. Sift flour before measuring and combine with sugar, water, oil, dry milk, baking powder, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Whip the egg whites until stiff. Fold whipped egg whites into the batter until evenly blended. Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake 40 to 50 minutes until cake bounces back when gently touched in the center. Turn out of pan onto cake rack; cool thoroughly. Drizzle with Light Lemon Glaze and decorate with purple and green sugar crystals and gold dragées. Makes one 10-inch fancy tube cake, 20 slices.

LIGHT LEMON GLAZE
Mix 1 cup sifted powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind, a dash of salt, and 2 to 3 tablespoons hot water until mixture is smooth and can be drizzled onto the cake. * NOTE: Oven-safe doll may be inserted in batter; otherwise insert doll in cake before inverting cake out of pan. This recipe is courtesy http://www.cajuncookingrecipes.com.
Now that you have the menu, invite your friends and throw your own Fat-Tuesday bash. Drink plenty of Hurricanes, fill up on the Cajun feast, and don't forget the beads.

Mardi Gras is the New Orleans tradition celebrating Fat-Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday to have one final "blow-out" before the beginning of Lent. The infamous costumes and partying in New Orleans aren't the only flamboyant offerings. The renowned culinary delights of Louisiana provide partygoers an experience few will ever forget. You can create your own Mardi gras feast using some of the following recipes.