Mardi Gras King Cake with Cream Cheese and Apple Filling

Mardi Gras King Cake with Cream Cheese and Apple Filling




Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes, plus rising times

This just about the best recipe for a traditional Mardi Gras King Cake I have ever found! I love that this one has the addition of apples and cream cheese filling because it makes it more interesting. Personally, I'm a little leery of putting the tiny plastic baby inside the cake because of it being a choking hazard: put the baby on top as a decoration and substitute  a whole pecan inside the cake to preserve the tradition. Colored sugars and plastic king cake babies are generally available in the baking supply area of Michael's or AC Moore stores. You can also try the Dollar Tree. For better flavor, rehydrate the raisins in a small saucepan, covered with spiced rum, over low heat just until plump and tender. It is best served when it is slightly warm or room temperature.

Great with Creole Coffee, which is black coffee with a spoonful of  good quality molasses stirred into it (omit the sugar or sweetener). Let the good times roll!

Apple filling

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 large tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, quartered and sliced crosswise into ¼-inch slices
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup raisins
• ½ cup toasted pecan pieces

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the apple slices, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, and cook, stirring frequently, just until the apple starts to soften, 3 to 4 minutes (the slices should still be crisp). Remove from heat and stir in the raisins and toasted pecans. Spread the apple mixture onto a baking sheet to stop the cooking process and allow the apples to cool quickly, then cover and refrigerate until needed.

Cream cheese filling

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• ½ beaten egg (save the other half to make the egg wash for the cake)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese with the vanilla, salt and sugar. Add the beaten egg to the cream cheese mixture and beat until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Cream cheese glaze

• 2 ounces (1/4 of an 8-ounce package) cream cheese
• ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium bowl using a hand mixer, whisk together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and salt until completely combined. With the mixer running, add the sifted powdered sugar, one spoonful at a time, until fully incorporated.
Brioche dough and assembly

• ¾ cup milk, divided
• 1 package (2 ½ teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
• 2 eggs, plus ½ beaten egg (use the remaining half egg leftover from the cream cheese filling), divided
• 10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
• 3 ½ cups (15.75 ounces) bread flour, plus more for dusting
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Apple filling
• Cream cheese filling
• Cream cheese glaze
• Purple, green and yellow colored sugars for decorating
• Plastic baby, if desired

1. In a small pan, heat one-half cup plus 2 tablespoons of milk over medium heat just until warmed. Remove from heat and pour the milk into a small bowl or measuring cup. Stir in the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar, then set aside until the milk is foamy and the yeast is activated, about 10 minutes.
2. Whisk the 2 eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer) until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Stir in the yeast mixture and remaining one-third cup of sugar until fully incorporated.
3. If using a stand mixer, switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer running, add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. With the mixer running, add the flour mixture, one spoonful at a time, until fully incorporated.
5. Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until it is soft and somewhat silky (it’s a rich dough and won’t be entirely smooth), 5 to 7 minutes. Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
6. Meanwhile, make an egg wash: Combine the remaining beaten half egg with the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk.
7. When the dough is doubled, punch it down (it will be very smooth and elastic) and roll it out onto a lightly floured surface into a 10-by-28-inch rectangle. Lightly score the dough lengthwise to divide the dough into 2 equal halves.
8. Spoon the apple filling down the length of one side, leaving a 1 ½-inch border on the top, bottom and sides. Repeat with the cream cheese filling down the other side of the dough, leaving a 1 ½-inch border on the top, bottom and each side. Lightly brush the edges and center of the dough (along the score) with the egg wash to moisten. Gently and carefully pull the dough over the cream cheese filling, sealing the edge of the dough along the score mark. Repeat with the apple filling. Press the sealed edges, making sure they are secure (otherwise the fillings could spill out while the cake bakes).
9. Gently twist the length of the dough to form a braid-like shape. Wrap the dough so it forms an oval wreath and gently press the edges together. Carefully transfer the wreath to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
10. Brush the top of the wreath lightly with egg wash and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until almost doubled in volume, 45 minutes to an hour, or loosely cover and refrigerate the dough overnight, removing it from the refrigerator about 1 hour before baking for the dough to come to room temperature.
11. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush the wreath with any remaining egg wash and place the sheet in the oven.
12. Bake the cake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (the toothpick will remain moist if it hits the cream cheese filling, but there should be no crumbs sticking to it), about 30 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking for even color.
13. Allow the cake to cool slightly before it is frosted (if it’s too hot, the glaze will run off the cake and not adhere). Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cake, then lightly sprinkle on the colored sugars. If using the plastic baby, hide it somewhere in the cake (press the baby in through the bottom of the cake so as not to disturb the top or sides of the cake). Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.

Courtesy: The Los Angeles Times.

http://fox4kc.com/2012/02/21/mardi-gras-king-cake-with-cream-cheese-and-apple-filling/ 

Pancakes, Gumbo and Ashes Revisited

It's rewarding to have faithful readers who comment on my blogs,especially those with questions about cultural or religious  traditions of which they aren't personally familiar. I forget that quite a few of you are from different parts of the country-and some from other parts of the world. In some incidence,decades separate us....it's all good...Cheers for diversity!

Someone wrote asking what was served during a traditional Pancake Supper on Shrove Tuesday. The short answer is besides pancakes, anything you like. Many Churches in the Anglican Communion (like the Protestant Episcopal Church) and Boy Scout Troops sponsor annual Pancake Suppers which include buttermilk pancakes with butter and syrup,sausage, scrambled or fried eggs and fruit cup along with juice,tea or coffee. I have been to home suppers where the pancakes had things like nuts mixed in or were flavored in some way, or the syrups were flavored or jam/jelly was substituted; the eggs were cooked a variety of ways; the sausage was made from any meat you could imagine ( my personal favorite are thick, juicy, pork links seasoned with sage); the fruit was any kind, canned, fresh and often mixed with berries and served with any juice-usually orange or apple. I have been to Shrove Tuesday suppers where the pancakes were crepes with creamed chicken or fruit filling...or waffles. The idea is to include a fat such as butter, a dairy product, flour and sugar: things we enjoy daily, but might be forgoing during the Lenten season. The choice is really yours, and you will be surprised how delicious what we Americans consider as breakfast foods taste when served as the evening meal among friends.

There were also requests for gumbo because some of you aren't familiar with this Southern Gulf stew and are brave souls in the area of culinary exploration. Traditional gumbo is made with okra, which you either love or hate. Okra is an acquired taste if you haven't been raised with it. Actually, it isn't the taste that puts some people off, it's the texture: course with lots of minuscule seeds and exudes a sticky sap-like juice that some folks refer to as, um...slimy. There are a million and one recipes for gumbo and you can put just about anything in any combination into it... and you can even leave the okra out if you want.Adapt the ingredients and seasonings to your liking. I make mine in my trusty Crock Pot which I purchased for $5 at a flea market 20 years ago, and my preferred tastes focuses on the shrimp and Cajun sausage variety. Emeril Laugasse has a stand out version found here:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/emerils-country-file-gumbo-recipe/index.htm. 

A priest imposes blessed ashes on penitents on Ash Wednesday.

 After Mardi Gras and Shrove Tuesday are over, the serious work of self-examination and sacrifice of the Lenten season begin on Ash Wednesday. Usually, Ash Wednesday services are held just after dawn (at the beginning of day) and are somber rites of  prayers, Psalms, and corporate confession ending with the imposition of  blessed ashes upon the forehead of penitents by a priest . The famous words of  the Bibical book of Genesis 3:19, "Remember  O man, that thou art dust and into dust your shall return"(KJV) are intoned as a reminder of human mortality.The smudge mark or more popular cross, are drawn on the forehead of those participating in the service and making public confession as a visible sign of that mortality.

For the curious or those who are just interested in ritual, the ashes are made from the ashes of palms used during the Palm Sunday procession of the previous year, which are burned and mixed with a little crism-oil blessed and used for anointing- and maybe a drop or so of Holy Water, and made into a paste. A word of warning: don't get it on your clothing, it's greasy and stains everything. The ashes are  usually left upon the forehead until the end of the day, or by some, until it wears off on it's own.( As a  kid, my Catholic friends and I used to have a contest to see who's ashes wore off last....what can I say? We were easily entertained in our innocent youth.) Further FYI: Both the act of imposition and the ashes themselves are known in 'high' (in Pagan terms:ceremonial ) churches as a sacramental- material things and actions created by man and revered as sacred- and not a Sacrament, which is a specific rite or ritual. Read the text to a simple Ash Wednesday service used in the Episcopal Church here:http://www.liturgies.net/Lent/AshWednesday.htm

On Ash Wednesday you spent the day fasting and thinking about all the lousy things you did during the year and asked God for forgiveness.You fasted at least until suppertime, then ate a simple, meatless meal, and spent the next 40 days wishing your had whatever it was you gave up for Lent...at least that's the way it was before Pope John the Twenty-third "opened the doors" of the second Vatican counsel and reformed modern Roman Catholicism.After that point in time, the focus was no longer on abstaining, or  giving up something, but to take something on-a new spiritual practice, a special project- to do something you wouldn't normally do.

My birthday ( March 12th) always falls during Lent. On my 17th birthday, the thing I have up was being Roman Catholic and the thing I took on was being fully Pagan.There's something to be said about Lenten traditions...