King Cake Image from Wikipedia Used Under Creative Commons License

Citizens, we are coming up on that Bacchanalic festival that is Mardi Gras, and where there is Mardi Gras there MUST be King Cake!

Also known as King’s Day, Mardi Gras marks the start of merrymaking that continues until the grand finale on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday.

Similar to coffee cake, this ring-shaped dessert celebrating Mardi Gras is as rich in tradition and history as it is in color and taste. Trademark decorations – sugars in the royal colors of purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power) – honor the three kings who visited the Christ child on Epiphany, the 12th day after Christmas.

A bean or plastic baby figurine is traditionally embedded in the cake – whoever gets it in their slice is king or queen of the evening, and may do as they please or order others as they see fit. However, they are also responsible for throwing the next year’s Mardi Gras party!

Most King Cakes tend toward dryness, but my version of King Cake includes a delicious cream cheese filling tinted a royal shade of purple by my use of blueberry peach butter. I color the icing with the same ingredient. I also replace the cinnamon flavor with cardamom, which I prefer. For a more traditional flavor, go back to cinnamon.

Enjoy your Mardi Gras, my citizens!

Battle on – The Generalissimo

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INGREDIENTS

For the Cake

Ingredients:
1/3 cup milk
1 package active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
2 large egg yolks, plus 2 eggs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing the bowl

For the Filling

Ingredients:
1 package (8oz) cream cheese
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Peach butter – get it here
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped

For the Glaze

Ingredients:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon blueberry peach butter
1 tablespoon milk
green, purple, and yellow sugar
Small plastic baby or large dried bean

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DIRECTIONS

Cake Directions:
1. Heat the milk in a saucepan until scalding; transfer to a food processor, add the yeast and pulse to combine.

2. Add 1/2 cup flour and the egg yolks; process to combine. Pour the remaining 2 cups flour evenly over the yeast mixture; do not process. Put the lid on; set aside for 90 minutes.

3. Add the 2 whole eggs, granulated sugar, lemon zest, salt and nutmeg to the food processor; process to make a slightly textured dough, about 1 minute.

4. With the machine running, slowly add the butter to make a smooth, sticky dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place for 2 hours.

5. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead about 8 minutes; form into a ball and return to the bowl. Cover with a moist tea towel in a warm place to rise for another hour. Meanwhile make the filling.

Filling Directions:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a medium bowl using a hand mixer beat cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth then scrape down the bowl.

2. Add blueberry peach butter, vanilla, cardamom, and salt and beat until incorporated. Then stir in pecans.

To Assemble the cake:
1. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 20-by-7-inch rectangle, with the long edge facing you. Spoon the filling in an even layer over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the top and bottom.

2. Fold the bottom and then the top edge over the filling to make a tight roll; pinch to seal.

3. Transfer the roll seam-side down to a parchment-lined baking sheet; tuck one end into the other to form a ring. Cover loosely with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place until the roll doubles in size, about 2 hours. (I placed a coffee can in the middle of the cake so it would not lose its shape)

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cake until firm and golden brown, about 30 minutes. When cake comes out carefully press the plastic baby into the underside of the cake. Cool on a rack.

Glaze Directions:
1. Whisk together all ingredients and drizzle over cooled cake, then sprinkle green, purple, and yellow sugar over glaze.

Buttermilk Pie Image Used Under Creative Commons License From Wikipedia

One of the great things about this New York City boy marrying into a Southern family is my indoctrination into the hidden gospels of homemade pie making.

In the South, I am firmly convinced that Darwinism has been indelibly proven – 100 years ago, any woman who failed to become a culinary goddess at an early age was doomed to never find a husband. The result is that in the South, all the women today seem to be awesome cooks and even a mediocre homemade pie brings a carpetbagging Yankee to his knees.

The truly exceptional pies like those baked by my in-laws consistently win State Fairs and prove the culinary primacy of Southern desserts to the Northern son-in-law.

It was a few years ago that I was first exposed to what has become my favorite southern dessert – buttermilk pie. I thought it would be decent, but it turned out to be INCREDIBLE. It’s also very easy to make.

Try my tweaked recipe of the classic – I’ve added a bit of cardamom to the traditional nutmeg and it adds a special touch to this great dessert. 🙂

Battle on – The Generalissimo

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INGREDIENTS

½ c buttermilk
1 ¾ c sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp flour
¼ tsp salt
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp freshly ground cardamom
mint leaves and mixed berries for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2 Mix everything together besides nutmeg and pour into an unbaked 9 inch pie shell. Sprinkle the top lightly with nutmeg. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. Cool to allow filling to set.

Add whipped cream to the top and garnish with mint and berries.