Laissez les bon temps rouler

Nothing kicks off a Mardi Gras party like a Ramos Gin Fizz a la Valencia, with citrus, sugar, egg white, milk – and gin. (Photo: Katie Montgomery Mears, courtesy of The Junior League of Houston)

Cooking Buzz is produced in partnership with the Junior League of Houston, a women’s charitable and education organization founded in 1925.

I had quite a few culture shocks when I moved to Texas almost 14 years ago. I never expected to see trail riders on horses coming down Memorial Drive during the rodeo, and I didn’t understand the cult of Whataburger.

But having grown up just to the east in South Louisiana, my biggest surprise came when I realized that not everyone in the world takes a week off of school and work to celebrate Mardi Gras. To say that we take the kickoff to Lent seriously in my home state is an understatement.

Since I won’t be able to go home for Mardi Gras this year, I am planning to have a Fat Tuesday celebration here in Houston.  I’ll decorate my house with Mardi Gras beads (the bigger, the better) and put on a playlist of Louis Armstrong and the Rebirth Brass Band. 

My favorite Mardi Gras recipes, which can all be found in Junior League of Houston cookbooks, are inspired by New Orleans cuisine and restaurants. Nothing kicks off an evening of revelry like the Ramos Gin Fizz from the Star of Texas cookbook. The original recipe from the Roosevelt Hotel calls for 12 minutes of shaking to get the show-stopping fizz, but thankfully, this recipe uses a blender to fluff the egg whites.

Nothing says Gulf Coast cuisine like seafood, and nothing says South Louisiana like an overflowing table of appetizers, so we’ll have the Oysters Gourmet and Crabmeat Remick from the Houston Junior League Cookbook and the Crawfish Phyllo Triangles from Stop and Smell the Rosemary to start. After cooking the oysters with Worcestershire and other seasonings, the Oysters Gourmet are baked in oyster shells for a beautiful presentation. Crawfish will be just coming into season this month, so they will be petite and delicately flavored. Make sure to ask for Louisiana crawfish from the seafood department at your grocery store. And the Crabmeat Remick is a sentimental favorite as the recipe was created by my husband’s grandmother, Jane Mosbacher.

When we sit down for dinner, we will enjoy the Wild Game Gumbo from Star of Texas, which reminds me of Herbsaint’s duck gumbo. We’ve reached the end of duck-hunting season, so this is perfect timing. I love this gumbo because it is hearty, but not too heavy. One quick tip when cooking gumbo: don’t try to rush the roux! You have to be patient with it. In my family, we call our roux a Two-Abita-Roux since it takes about as long to cook as it does to drink two Abita amber beers.

I celebrated my 16th birthday, high school graduation and wedding-rehearsal dinner at Galatoire’s, so it holds a special place in my heart. In honor of those memories, I will serve the Eggplant Stuffed with Crabmeat from the Houston Junior League Cookbook, which reminds me of the restaurant’s seafood-stuffed eggplant. Barbecued shrimp are a staple at Mr. B’s Bistro, a New Orleans institution, so we’ll also have the Houston Junior League Cookbook’s Barbecued Shrimp over Garlic Cheese Grits.

There’s little chance that anyone will have room for dessert at this point, but part of eating like a Louisianan is finding that last little bit of space and going for it! Some of my fondest memories are of days spent shopping on Magazine Street with my mom and sister and stopping for lunch at the Bon Ton Café. We’ve never left a restaurant without ordering dessert, and the bread pudding at the Bon Ton is to-die-for. So there is no other way to end our dinner than with Stop and Smell the Rosemary’s Bread and Butter Pudding with Bourbon Sauce. On the way out of the door, I’ll give everyone a Mother’s Creamy New Orleans Pralines from the Houston Junior League Cookbook to enjoy the next day, just like Brennan’s does when their guests leave.

If you want a bit of New Orleans in your house this Mardi Gras season but don’t want to throw a whole dinner party, then a king cake is the answer! Using the recipe for Coolrise Cinnamon Rolls from Stop and Smell the Rosemary, shape the cinnamon-stuffed dough into an oval ring and bake. After icing the king cake, you can sprinkle it with purple, green and gold sugar crystals.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!