The Krewe Du Roux, an Anchorage based Mardi Gras Krewe devoted to eating good food, hopes you try some of these recipes in your Carnival Celebration and during anytime of the year. Food, like friends, make our celebrations so much better. Bon Apetit!

Beignets (French Market Doughnuts)

1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (105°)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup undiluted evaporated milk
7 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup soft shortening
oil for frying
confectioners' powdered sugar

In large bowl, sprinkle yeast over water; stir to dissolve. Add sugar, salt, eggs and milk. Blend with beater. Add 4 cups of the flour; beat smooth. Add shortening; beat in remaining flour. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Roll out on floured board to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2-inch squares. Deep fry at 360° 2 to 3 minutes until lightly browned on each side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle heavily with powdered sugar. Serve hot with café au lait. Note: This dough can be kept for up to a week in refrigerator and actually improves with age; just punch down when it rises. Dough can also be frozen; simply thaw, cut and roll, or shape doughnuts before freezing.

Tastes like the original!

Yield: 5 dozen

Red Beans and Rice on Monday

1 pound dried red beans, picked over
8 cups of cold water
1/2 pound lean salt pork, bacon or ham, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
2 tablesoons chopped fresh parsley
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons TABASCO brand Pepper Sauce
4 cups hot cooked rice

In a large suacepan, combine the dried beans and the water, cover and soak overnight. Add the pork, bacon, or ham and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic for three minutes or until golden. Add the mixutre to the beans along with the parsley, salt and TABASCO Brand Pepper Sauce. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, or until the beans are tender enough to mash one easily with a fork. Add hot water as needed to keep the beans covered, and stir occasionally. When the beans are finished, they will have soaked up most of the liquid. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Serves 8

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Armadillo Jambalaya

_{Said to be the recipe from The Armadillo in Juneau, Alaska. Not really sure, but it sure is tasty!}

Cut up:
3 cups bite size ham chunks
3 cups bite size hot links
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup chopped celery

In a big pot, melt ½ stick of unsalted butter and sauté the meat. Add the vegetables (In Southern Louisiana, green peppers, onion and celery are known as the Trinity) and saute until crisp, about 10 minutes.

Then add:
2 bay leaves
1 1/12 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 ½ tsp. oregano
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
¾ tsp. thyme leaves

Mix it up, then add:
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chopped whole peeled tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups uncooked rice

Mix it up again and bake in a big covered dish at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 ½ hours.

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Gumbo

Here's a simple one that's good for folks just starting out with gumbo. If you can't find andouille sausage, I like smoked bratwurst and a few Louisiana hot links, but I'm from Wisconsin so go figure. But believe the author when he shames you into using homemade broth. Makes all the difference in the world.

Simple Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

If you like okra and seafood, and have a cold afternoon where you are not going any place, this one will really make you want to move South.

Eula Mae's Cajun Seafood Gumbo

Yah, you rite, cap. Ain't nuthin' better.

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Emeril's King Cake

Well, with all respect to Philippe, Emeril's King Cakes are actually very tasty. Here is his recipe. Remember-King Cake is only to be eaten between Twelfth Night and Mardi Gras. Don't forget a plastic baby, bean or pecan to bake inside! Whoever gets the baby is lucky for the day and brings the cake the next time.

King Cake by Emeril Lagasse

Oysters Rockefeller

These are best served with champagne and a handsome Frenchman.

1 cup chopped shallots
½ cup chopped parsley
1 ½ cups chopped young spinach
½ cup flour
1 cup melted butter
1 cup oyster water
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ cup minced anchovies
4 ounces of absinthe
3 or 4 dozen oysters

Make sauce by putting shallots, parsley and spinach through food chopper. Stir flour into melted butter and cook 5 minutes: do no brown. Blend in oyster water, garlic, salt and cayenne. Stir in chopped greens and anchovies. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Remove cover, stir in absinthe and cook until thickened.

Fill each oyster shell with a raw oyster (or bake oysters in an individual dish). Put sauce in pastry bag and cover each oyster. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes or until edges of oysters being to curl.

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This recipe is added by request of a reader. Remember when Cay, back in Chapter Two, thought that someone had too many hurricanes and spelled the Phunny Phorty Phellows the way he did? Well, hurricanes are the speciality drink of a bar called Pat O'Briens (though they sell their own mix and this isn't it!) It's named for the hurricane glass that it is served in, but you can imagine that it is a favorite drink during storms. If it sounds too strong, just cut the liquor in half and add more orange juice. As they say at Pat OBriens, "Have fun!"

Hurricane Recipe

1.5 oz. light rum
1.5 oz. dark rum
1 oz. orange juice
1 oz. fresh lime juice
¼ c. passion fruit juice, or 1 tablespoon passion fruit syrup
1 tsp. superfine sugar
1 tsp. grenadine
Cherries with stems, and orange slice to garnish
Ice cubes

In a cocktail shaker, mix the rum, passion fruit juice or syrup, other juices and the sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add the grenadine and stir to combine. Add ice and shake. Half-fill a hurricane glass (or other tall vessel) with ice. Strain drink into glass. Add ice to fill. Garnish with orange slice and cherries.


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Muffuletta and Po-Boys

Muffuletta Sandwich

First of all, get your self some really, really good Italian bread. You can serve this hot or cold, but you have to have really good bread. Make the filling ahead of time and let it season in an airtight container at least 8 hours before using.

You can follow the recipe and make a filling for your sandwich. Or you can slice the meats like traditional sandwich meat and serve it with the oil dressing. (We tried it cubed and served as Muffaletta Bruschetta on small slices of fresh bread and it was to die for!) You can also cook up 1 pound of small shell pasta and mix it up with the filling and serve it as a salad. Lotsa choices!)

½ pound salami, cut into cubes
1 pound provolone cheese, cut into cubes
½ pound mortadella cut into cubes
½ pound boiled ham, cut into cubes
about 20 black olives and 20 Green Olives sliced
½ cup minced yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup fresh chopped parsley leaves
½ cup fresh thyme leaves
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large mixing bowl, combine salami, provolone, mortadella, ham, olives, onion, garlic, celery, parsley and thyme (and the pasta if you are making a salad.) In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, Worcestershire, hot sauce, ½ teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Pour over the mixtures. Add the remaining 1 teaspoons of salt. Toss to mix well. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving.

Po-Boy Recipes

Oyster Po-Boy

Mark's Famous Po-Boy

1 1/2 lb sliced roast beef
1/2 Onion -- diced
1/2 Bell pepper -- diced
5 oz Hickory smoked worcestershire
2 T Peanut oil
1 t Seasoning salt
3 T Mayonnaise
8 Slices Swiss cheese -- sliced
2 Soft French bread

Pecan Pralines

Makes about 3 dozen

Pralines (prahw-leens) are sugar candied patties that can come in a variety of flavors. This recipe comes from Chef's Paul Prudhommes's Lousiana Kitchen. The trickiest part about making praline is judging the precise moment when they are done and then spooning them out quickly so they will harden with just the right texture.

*****Note: to judge doneness. Use one or more of the following guides:

1. Candy thermometer will read 240 degrees.
2. When done, the batter will begin forming distinct threads on the sides or bottom of the pan.
3. Near the end of the cooking time, make a test praline every few seconds. The early test pralines will be somewhat runny, very shiny and somewhat translucent. The ideal praline will have progressed past that state-it will not be runny and will be less shiny; when cooled it will be opaque, lusterless, and crumbly instead of chewy.
4. Near the end of the cooking time, drizzle spoonfuls of the mixture across the surface of the mixture, when ready, the mixture will form a neat thread across the surface.

Ingredients:

3/8 pound (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups pecan halves
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Assemble all ingredients and utensils before starting to cook. You will need a large heavy a large heavy bottomed aluminum pot or skillet with deep sides, a long handled metal whisk or spoon, 2 large spoons or an inch cream scoop with a manual release) and a lightly buttered cookie sheet.

Be careful not to get any of the mixture on your skin, as it sticks and can cause serious burns.

Melt the butter in the pot over high heat. As soon as it's melted, add the sugars and cream. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Add the milk and chopped pecans. Cook 4 minutes more, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking and whisking 5 minutes. Add the pecan halves and vanilla and continue whisking and cooking until done, about 15 to 20 minutes longer. If the mixture starts to smoke toward the end of cooking, lower the heat.

Remove pan from heat. Quickly and carefully drop the batter onto the cookie sheet by heaping spoonfuls, using the second spoon to scoop the batter off the first (or use ice cream scoop.) Each praline should form a 2 inch patty about ½ inch thick. Cook and store in an airtight container or wrap each praline in plastic wrap or foil.

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Chicken Etouffee

List of Ingredients
1/3 cup cooking oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped onions (4 medium)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
Tbsp. minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 14-1/2-oz. can chicken broth
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken, cubed
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 bay leaf
Hot cooked rice

To make a roux, in a large skillet, heat the 1/3 cup oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat about 20 minutes or until the mixture is dark reddish brown (chocolate brown), stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook the onions, celery, and sweet pepper in the 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the roux, green onions, parsley, and garlic. Add chicken broth all at once, stirring to combine. Stir in the chicken, seasoned salt, and bay leaf. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, stirring frequently. Discard bay leaf. Serve over rice. Makes 5 or 6 servings.

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Frito Pie

Yep. Frito Pie. Good street food when you are hungry, but don't want to lose your spot watching the parade. A variation on this recipe is in Emeril Lagasse's Every Day's A Party. He gives a chili recipe, too, if you want a fancy one, but your favorite chili will do.

Take your favorite chili recipe. Open up a bag of those small bags of Frito corn chips. Remove half of the chips and spoon a half cup of chili and 1 tablespoon of cheese into each bag. Then put the rest of the chips in the bag and add another ½ cup chili, another tablespoon of the cheese, 1 tablespoon of sour cream and 1 tablespoon of jalapenos to each bag. Take a spoon and eat right out of the bag. Hmmmm. Try it in Alaska when you are out watching the sled dog races.

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