January 28, 2008
· Filed under Dessert · Tagged cakes, cream cheese, fruit, Mardi Gras, party, pound cake, praline
Mardi Gras King Cakes make a festive centerpiece for any Mardi Gras celebration. The traditional cake is made from a soft yeast dough that is risen, rolled, and often filled with cream cheese, fruit, or a pecan praline mixture.
Many people have fun celebrating Mardi Gras, even if they don’t go to New Orleans, but I’ve heard friends say that they want a cake that is easier to make.
After mulling the idea for a bit I decided that I would make both a traditional rolled king cake and a simple pound cake and decorate both in the traditional Mardi Gras colors to show that a festive Mardi Gras cake can be easier to make. I knew that I wanted to have pecans in the cake in some way, perhaps like a streusel, so off I went in search of the perfect pound cake with pecans for my Mardi Gras cake. I stopped searching when I found this recipe from Southern Living.
The cream cheese makes the texture moist and rich, and the bourbon adds just a touch of flavor that makes it feel a little more decadent without being obvious.
Actually I was worried about the bourbon since I don’t care for the flavor by itself, but once I had a taste of the batter, I felt we had a winner. Bourbon has a strong taste, but once mixed in with the rest of the ingredients, the strong flavor disappears and leaves behind a perfume that works nicely.
To top it off, I added a simple cream cheese glaze and the Mardi Gras colored sugars
January 28, 2008
· Filed under Dinners · Tagged chicken, dinner, dip, fundue, pesto
Fondue is a tradition in our family that goes back to the year Michael and I started dating. He surprised me at Christmas that first year with a gift of two fondue pots which we christened on New Year’s Eve with cheese and bourguignonne (oil) fondues, so now we celebrate every New Year’s Eve by staying home and making fondue for just the two of us.
This year our celebration was off by a few days because we were out of town, but we still managed to put the boys to bed early and enjoy a quiet evening together. We make fondue at other times of the year, too, but it’s particularly special for us as a way to ring in the New Year. Fondue for two…how romantic is that? We decided that the old pots had seen plenty of action (they were burned out in the bottom), so for Christmas we got two new electric fondue pots, which we think work great. In recent years we’ve moved away from oil fondues and now we make broth fondues, which are very easy and healthy. We marinate some meat, make a couple dipping sauces, add herbs and seasonings to a vegetable or chicken stock, and we’re ready to fondue!
