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ByNancyLindahl Valentine's Day is lovely but what has a grip on my cooking imagination is three days later on Feb. 17, Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras. What I didn't realize is that Mardi Gras the day, is actu- ally the end of Mardi Gras, the carnival celebration which began this year on Feb. 6 and peaks this week- end, Feb. 13–15. Also known as Shrove Tuesday, which originated during the Middle Ages, this was a day when things like meats, fats, eggs, milk and fish that were re- stricted during Lent, were eaten to keep from being wasted. Big family Shrove Tuesday feasts took care of all the food that would spoil during the next 40 days. The English tradi- tionally eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, or "Pan- cake Day", as a way to use as much milk, butter and eggs as possible before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The French who followed the same tra- dition of eating fats and fatty foods on Shrove Tues- day coined the term Mardi Gras. A celebration is in or- der! Shrove Tuesday was originally a three-day cel- ebration, so feel free to celebrate starting Sunday with a stack of blueberry pancakes and a platter of Llano Seco bacon! Try this pancake recipe per- fumed with both lemon zest and juice. The small chunks of cream cheese blended into the batter melt into salty creamy pockets, and the combina- tion of lemon, cream, blue- berries and maple syrup is semi-divine. This recipe by ENunn was the winner of Food 52's "Your Best Pan- cakes" contest: LEMONYCREAMCHEESE PANCAKESWITH BLUEBERRIESBYENUNN Serves6 Ingredients: 11/2 cups flour 1Tablespoon sugar 1Tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1pinch salt 2large eggs, separated 1cup buttermilk 6ounces cream cheese, cut up 3teaspoons melted butter 1teaspoon vanilla 2Tablespoons lemon juice zest of one large lemon 11/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries Directions: In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda, salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, but- termilk. Add cream cheese and mix until cream cheese has separated into uniformly small lumps, about the size of large cottage cheese curds. Stir in melted but- ter, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add dry ingredients to wet, then stir to combine. Whisk two egg whites until stiff but not dry; fold gently into batter. Heat a griddle or cast iron pan over medium high heat, until a drop of water sizzles. Lower heat to medium; butter or oil pan. Drop bat- ter into pan by 1/3 cupfuls. Once the batter has spread, drop in the berries. You might want to drizzle some batter to cover them. These need to be cooked a bit lon- ger than you might expect; they won't bubble as quickly or as much as plain pan- cakes. Turn down the heat if necessary, to keep them from overbrowning, and let them puff up to their full extent a er you turn them, which will take 2-3minutes. Serve with honey or maple syrup or jam. Marcelle Bienvenu, who writes the weekly food col- umn, Cooking Creole for the Times Picayune of New Or- leans tells a little about Cre- ole and Cajun food: "New Orleans has long enjoyed a reputation for its fine restaurants, including Antoine's, Galatoire's, and Commander's Palace, where one can dine on such del- icacies as creamy spin- ach-topped oysters Rocke- feller, sherry-spiked turtle soup, and bananas Fos- ter. Elegant French sauces, like béarnaise, hollanda- ise, and marchand de vin, are ladled on poached eggs, seafood, meats, and myriad vegetables, giving dishes a refined and opulent style. Venture west of the city to what is known as Acadiana (the 22 parishes — counties — of southern Louisiana), and you'll find many small towns serving spicy sau- sages (like boudin), rabbit stewed in sauce piquante, and crawfish étouffée. Here the cuisine is pungent, pep- pery, and as robust as the farmers, fishermen, and trappers themselves who settled in the area more than 200 years ago. The difference between the two cuisines of south Louisiana is easily recog- nized, at least by the locals, who will tell you that the Creole food of New Orleans is city-French and Cajun cuisine is country-French. While each has its origins in the French-style, both have been flavored by many other hands that stirred the pot, including American In- dians, African slaves, the Spanish, and West Indians. Along the way, the two cui- sines have mingled, sharing available herbs and spices, such as bay leaves and cay- enne. Both Creoles and Cajuns make gumbo and jambalaya, but there are as many recipes for these dishes as there are bayous crisscrossing the state." Along with Gumbo and Jambalaya, Moon Pies, King Cake, Southern Fried Chicken, Po-Boys, Red Beans and Rice, and baked ham are all tradi- tional Mardi Gras foods in New Orleans and go hand in hand with "adult bever- ages" like Hurricanes, Saz- erac, Ramos Gin Fizzes, and Southern Comfort Cham- pagne Cocktails. If you want to put to- gether a little party, start with this inspiring play-list put together by Elizabeth Hutchison of the South's Garden & Gun Magazine featuring favorite tunes like "My Feet Can't Fail Me Now", "Tootie Ma is A Big Fine Thing", "Zydeco Boo- galo", and Louis Armstong's "The King of the Zulus": es- sential Mardi Gras playlist on Spotify. Laissez les bon temps rouler!" A vat of Hurricanes for a good-sized celebration, Ra- mos Gin Fizzes for brunch, or a pitcher of Sazerac, all are authentic New Orleans cocktails, or you can stock your cooler with local Loui- siana brews like Abita Beer, especially the Bock and Purple Haze varieties, and Dixie Blackened Voodoo. SAZERAC Mix this New Orleans classic hours ahead of time, and serving it is as simple as pouring a pitcher of lemon- ade. Ingredients: 3cups rye whiskey 1/3 cup simple syrup 1Tablespoon absinthe 11/2 teaspoons Angostura bitters 12lemon twists Preparation: Combine 3cups rye whis- key, 1/3 cup simple syrup, 1 tablespoon absinthe, 11/2 teaspoons Angostura bit- ters, and 3/4 cup ice water in a large pitcher; chill until very cold, at least 2hours and up to 1day. Divide among chilled rocks glasses and garnish each with a lemon twist. HURRICANESFOR12: Recipe from Emeril La- Gasse, one-time chef at the Commander's Palace, New Orleans. Ingredients: 12ounces light rum 12ounces dark rum 10ounces grenadine, or pas- sion fruit syrup 10ounces fresh orange juice 10ounces sour mix, or fresh lime juice 3Tablespoons superfine sugar, or more to taste 1large orange, cut into 1/4- inch thick slices Directions: Mix all the ingredients in a tall pitcher or large pot and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour into a punch bowl and add the ice cubes and orange segments. Serve in tall glasses over ice with straws. SWEET BASIL AND THE BEE Ce le br at e Fa t Tu es da y wi th a M ar di G ra s fe as t KRISTOPHER SKINNER-BAY AREA NEWS GROUP Bibby Gignilliat prepares salt-roasted prawns with lemon-oregano pesto at Parties That Cook in San Francisco. By Bibby Gignilliat FortheSanJoseMercuryNews Valentine's Day is one of those polarizing days. Peo- ple either love it or avoid it like the plague — and much of that reaction depends on whether you have a loved one to shower your affec- tions on or you're single. I say to hell with all the ex- pectations; make it a great day regardless. If you are in a relation- ship, go ahead and invite your sweetheart to a home- cooked dinner. But if you are single, why not make this delicious meal and have a date with yourself? Or ask your single friends to bring a friend of their own and make it a fun din- ner cooking party. Recipes Beet Still My Heart Salad Serves 8 Note: This recipe divides easily. 15baby beets, preferably of assorted colors, root trimmed, rinsed and patted dry, or 4large beets 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Vinaigrette: 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 shallot, peeled and sliced thinly 2tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar 2teaspoons grated orange zest 1tablespoon orange juice 2tablespoons lemon juice 2teaspoons tarragon, chopped 1tablespoon fresh dill, chopped 1teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar Salad: 8cups (about 7ounces) mixed baby salad greens, washed and dried 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped 4ounces goat cheese, cut into small pieces 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss beets with 2 tablespoons olive oil; trans- fer to a sheet pan. Cover with foil. Roast beets until so , about 25-45minutes, depending on their size, or until a skewer pierces the beet easily. Pour any beet juices that have accumu- lated into a bowl, then set aside. Cool, then peel away the outer skin and cut the beets in quarters (for larger beets) or halves (for smaller beets). As a fun twist for Valentine's Day, use larger beets. Once cooked, slice them 1/4-to 1/2-inch thick; use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut them into hearts. Toss them in kosher salt, then set aside. 2. Mix the vinaigrette in- gredients. Add the reserved beet roasting juice. Toss beets with 2tablespoons of the vinaigrette. 3. To serve, toss the salad greens with the vinaigrette. Divide the greens among plates. Put a few beets on each salad, sprinkle with hazelnuts and garnish with goat cheese. Serve im- mediately. Butternut Squash Ravioli with Seductive Sage- Marsala Brown Butter Makes 48 Note: This recipe makes enough for a dinner party, but it can be divided easily. Find amaretti cookies at Italian and specialty gro- cery stores. To make a chif- fonade, roll the fresh sage leaves tightly and cut them crosswise into ribbons. Ravioli: 1butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeds and fibers removed 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 4amaretti (almond) cook- ies 1/2 cup fresh ricotta 1egg yolk 2sage leaves, chiffonade 1/8 teaspoon ground nut- meg 2teaspoons kosher salt 96wonton wrappers to make 48ravioli Sauce: 1/2 cup Marsala wine 1cup (2sticks) unsalted butter 1teaspoon kosher salt 4fresh sage leaves Optional garnish: 20sage leaves, leave whole 1cup canola oil, for frying 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, skins removed and coarsely chopped 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place squash, cut sides down, in a lightly oiled ovenproof saute pan. Roast about 1hour or until a knife inserted into the thickest part encounters no resistance. Remove squash; set pan aside for deglazing later. Let squash cool slightly, then scoop 2 1/2 cups of flesh from shell; save remaining squash for another use. 2. In the bowl of a food processor, blend squash, breadcrumbs, amaretti, ricotta, egg yolk, sage, nutmeg and salt until smooth. Transfer to a pip- ing bag fitted with a circle tip. 3. Lay wonton wrappers on your work surface. Use a circle or heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut the wontons into hearts. Pipe a teaspoon of filling in the center of each wrapper. Spray or brush wonton lightly with water. Lay another wonton top and press around the edges to form a firm seal. Transfer to a sheet pan covered with parchment or wax paper. Repeat with remain- ing wrappers to make 48 ravioli. 4. For the sauce, place the same saute pan over medium-high heat. Pour in the Marsala to deglaze the pan, and use a spatula to scrape the crusty bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the butter, salt and sage. Simmer, stirring, until the butter is lightly browned. Remove sage leaves and discard. Set butter sauce aside. 5. If you are making the garnish, heat the canola oil in a small saute pan until the oil starts to ripple. Drop in whole sage leaves and fry until crisp yet still green, about 10to 15 seconds. Remove from oil, then let sage drain on a paper towel. Set aside. If not already toasted, toast the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet in a 375-degree oven until golden and aromatic. 6. Meanwhile, in a large pot of heavily salted boil- ing water, cook the ravioli in batches until tender but firm to the bite, about 5to 10minutes. Start test- ing for doneness when the water returns to a boil and the ravioli float to the top. Repeat with remain- ing ravioli. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ravioli to a warmed platter; toss gently with butter sauce and garnish with fried sage leaves and chopped hazelnuts. 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FOOD » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, February 11, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B3