Hey there princess!
This dessert and a movie Monday features a Mardi Gras favorite of mine: Kings Cake. Since tomorrow is Mardi Gras, this is the perfect time to put on your party tiara and sparkliest pair of heels! Catch a few beads (I myself only accept ones studded with precious stones), and indulge in an extra bowl of gumbo.
A little on King’s Cake:
The most popular food associated with the Mardi Gras season, more notably in New Orleans, is king cake. The season of the king cake runs from the Twelfth Night (January 6) until Ash Wednesday.
King Cake is one of the many delicious foods eaten on Fat Tuesday each year. King cake, in its most traditional form, is a ring cake made from a bread similar to brioche, which has icing on top dressed up in the three colors of Mardi Gras: purple, green and gold. Inside the cake, you will often find filling. The fillings will vary, but the most popular are cream cheese and praline. As an added bonus, there is a small trinket, usually a small plastic baby, which represents Baby Jesus, baked into the cake. In recent tradition, the idea behind the trinket is that whoever gets the piece with the baby baked into it is supposed to buy the next cake.
A little on Show Boat:
Made in 1951, Show Boat a vibrant musical featuring three of my favorite fifties stars: Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, and Ava Gardener. It tells the story of the daughter of a riverboat captain who falls in love with a charming gambler, but their fairytale romance is threatened when his luck turns sour. The singing, dancing, and musical score are all fantastic, and it is enough to make any princess swoon.
King’s Cake Recipe:
King's Cake with Cream Cheese Cinnamon Filling from Holly Clegg's Trim and Terrific Gulf Coast Favorites
2 (8 ounce) cans reduced-fat crescent rolls
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1.
Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Coat 10-inch round pizza pan with
nonstick cooking spray.
2.
Separate crescent rolls at perforations, into 16 slices. Place
slices around prepared pan with points in center. About halfway down from
points, press seams together.
3.
In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla
until creamy. Spread on dough in center where seams have been pressed
together.
4.
In another small bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon with
fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over cream cheese. Fold dough points
over filling, then fold bottom of triangle over points forming a circular roll
like a king cake.
5.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly, drizzle
with colored Mardi Gras Icing.
Mardi
Gras Icing:
1 cup
confectioners' sugar
1-2
tablespoons skim mild
1/2
teaspoon vanilla extract
Yellow, Purple, Lime green food colorings
