King Cake bars for Mardi Gras

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King Cake bars for Mardi Gras

These bars meet all my King Cake flavor requirements, but are simpler to make and to serve. They make a great dessert for a Mardi Gras party, and would pack up beautifully to carry to a parade-viewing spot. I sprinkle colored sanding sugar in the traditional purple, green and gold color scheme over the top for a sparkly Mardi Gras feel, but you could easily tint the glaze, use sprinkles or the fancier luster dust.

Makes about 15 bars

For the Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons milk

For the Filling:

2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoon milk
Colored sanding sugar or sprinkles (purple, green and gold)

For the Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9- x 13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour and sugar. Drop in the butter cubes and beat on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and looks a bit like wet sand. Add the milk and beat until it starts to stick together. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared baking dish and press it in to form an even layer, making sure there are no holes or gaps.

For the Filling:

Wipe out the mixer bowl and rinse and dry the paddle. Beat the filling ingredients together until completely smooth. Spread the filling evenly over the prepared crust. Bake the bars for 20 – 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is set.

For the Glaze:

While the bars are cooking, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and milk until completely smooth. As soon as you remove the bars from the oven, spread the glaze in an even layer across the top. Immediately decorate with sanding sugar. Leave the bars to cool completely, then slice.

King Cake recipes Mardi Gras

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King Cake Recipe - Bread Machine King Cake Recipe

King Cakes are created in varied shapes and flavors. From braided King Cake to the traditional New Orleans King Cake, they are all something to celebrate.

This is my version of the traditional King Cake. Normally this is a very labor intensive cake to make, so I use the bread machine to do the work for me. Using the dough cycle on your bread machine will half the work needed for this traditional Mardi Gras treat. King Cakes are a lot like cinnamon rolls but they are twisted into a large oval.

Recipe Type: Cake, Yeast Bread
Cuisine: Cajun/Creole, Southern
Yields: 1 King Cake
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 40 min


Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water(110 degrees F.)
1/2 cup warm milk (110 degrees F.)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
5 egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
4 3/4 cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
1 tiny (1-inch) plastic doll
Colored Sugars (see below)
Lemon Frosting (see recipe below)

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in bread pan according to manufacturer's instructions; select dough setting and press start. NOTE: Check the dough (don't be afraid to open the lid). It should form a nice elastic ball. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water (a tablespoon at a time).

When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and put into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a draft free place to rise for approximately 1 hour or until the dough doubles in volume.

Lightly coat a large baking sheet with butter or vegetable spray; set aside.

Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly-oiled surface. Using your fist, punch dough down with a heavy blow. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top, pat and shape dough into a cylinder. Twist dough to form a curled cylinder and loop cylinder onto the buttered baking sheet. Pinch the ends together to form a circle. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let sit for approximately 45 minutes or until the dough doubles in volume.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush top and sides of cake with egg white wash and bake on middle rack of oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. (A good check is to use an instant thermometer to test your bread. The temperature should be between 200 and 210 degrees.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. If desired, at this time, you can hide the plastic doll in the cake.

Makes 1 King Cake.

Colored Sugars:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
Green, purple, and yellow coloring paste

Squeeze a dot of paste in palm of hand. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over the paste and rub together quickly. Place this mixture on wax paper and wash hands to remove color.

Repeat process for other two colors; set aside.

Lemon Frosting:

3/4 cups powdered (confectoners') sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth (depending on size of lemon, add water if mixture is too thick or additional powdered sugar if too thin).

Spoon icing over top of the cake. Immediately sprinkle on colored sugar, alternating between the three colors.

Caribbean Coconut Rice & Pigeon Peas recipe

 
Caribbean Coconut Rice & Pigeon Peas recipe.

Serves: 45

Total time: 1½ hours Prep time: 20 min

120 ozs pigeon peas
45 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
3 3/4 vidalia onions (medium chopped)
1 cup olive oil
15 cups jasmine rice
112 ozs coconut milk

18 3/4 cups water
3/4 cup chicken bouillon
5 tbsps lemon rind (grated)
2 1/2 tbsps parsley (fresh)


1 ** Note: If using canned peas, drain and reserve the liquid.

2 Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over high heat. Add the rice, and continue to sauté until the rice turns opaque and golden brown. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for a few more minutes but DO NOT let the rice over-brown. Stir in the peas. Do not stir again.

3 Combine water and coconut milk. Dissolve bouillon completely into water/milk mixture.

4 Add water/milk/bouillon mixture to the rice and bring to a boil. Once boiling, immediately reduce to a simmer.

5 Cook uncovered until the liquid is slightly below the surface of the rice and holes form in the rice. Cover the pot and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the liquid is completely absorbed and the rice is tender.

6 Allow to sit covered for another 30 minutes.