MARDI GRAS KING CAKE - GÂTEAU DU ROI

I first got introduced to New Orleans when I started reading Anne Rice's novels on the Mayfair Witches. I remember how much I loved the context in which the story was told and how much magnificent NOLA was so poetically depicted...

The scent of the place, it's incomparable atmosphere entwined with a long as well as tragic history of slavery and French bourgeoisie, it's fascinating old houses as well as it's musical background and vibrantly exotic exhuberance are all so well described in the writings of Anne Rice. For all those reasons, for me, New Orleans is synonymous with mystery, eery religious practices, good food, romantism as well as cheerfulness. It is a destination that makes me fanticize.

"The doctor had never been inside an antebellum mansion until that spring in New Orleans. And the old house really did have white fluted columns on the front...Greek Revival style they call it -- a long violet-gray town house on a dark shady corner in the Garden District, it's front gate guarded it seemed by two enormous oaks.

The iron lace railings were made in a rose pattern and much festooned with vines; purple wisteria, the yellow Virginia creeper and bougainvillea of a dark, incandescent pink....Always he paused at the largest tree that had lifted the iron fence with its bulbous roots. He could not have gotten his arms around the trunk of it. It reached all the way from the pavement to the house itself, twisted limbs clawing at the shuttered windows beyond the banisters, leaves enmeshed with the flowering vines."

- Excerpt from "The Witching Hour" by Anne Rice (p. 5) -

I also remember that, while reading the Mayfair Witches chronicles, her tales about Mardi Gras transported me entirely . It is no wonder if, when flipping through my Culinaria "The United Staes: a Culinary Discovery" cookbook, my attention was drawn towards that buoyantly colored brioche bread that is only made during the period which follows Three Kings Day or the Epiphany (6th of January) and ends with Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday (around the middle of February).

This treat comes in various styles (simple ring, three-braided ring, four-braided ring, etc...) and with many different fillings (cream cheese, praline, apple, raspberry & cream cheese, chocolate, pecan, etc...). While the common "King Cake" is baked in an oven, the Cajun version is deep-fried just like a doughnut would be. "King Cakes" are always topped with sugar granules in the official Carnival colors of purple (passion of Christ), green (hope) and gold (rewards of leading a Christian life). A small plastic baby is hidden inside and it has become customary in the New Orleans culture that whoever finds the trinket must provide the next "King Cake".

After never really getting round to making a "King Cake", this year, I finally decided to overcome my ungrounded fears and baked that Louisiana-style delicacy with much success. Needless to say that although it took me two days to make, it disappeared in an even shorter lapse of time!

This New Orleans sinfully sweet carnival treat is so marvelous and festive that you can't get your hands off it! There is nothing better than a fresh slice of fragrantly yeasty brioche bread which's ooey gooey heart releases the most delightful flavors of cinnamon, roasted pecans, whiskey and is is covered with a crispy, yet melty layer of icing. Irresistible!

For those who are interested in learning a little more about the history and traditions of Mardi Gras "King Cake", I invite you to check out the following links: King Cake - A Rich Tradition, History Of the King Cake & Mardi Gras King Cakes.

In Switzerland, the Catholic cantons also celebrate the carnival. The following videos and article might give you an insight: Saveur Magazine - Basel Carnival, The Morgenstreich - Basel Carnival, The Lights Go Out - Basel Carnival & The Tschäggättä - In Lötschental, Wallis (see my article on the subject).

This post is also for YeastSpotting.

~ Mardi Gras King Cake ~
Recipe taken from Food Network and slightly adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Makes 1 King Cake.

Ingredients for the "Cake":
1/3 Cup Milk
1 Package active dry yeast
2 1/2 Cups Bread flour, plus more for dusting
2 Large egg yolks
2 Large eggs
3 Tbs Granulated sugar Finely grated zest of
1 organic lemon
1 Tsp Sea salt
1/2 Tsp Freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 Sticks (180g) Unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the bowl
Ingredients for the "Filling":
1/2 Cup Golden raisins
1/4 Cup Bourbon
3/4 Cup Packed light brown sugar
2/3 Cup Toasted pecans, chopped
1 Tsp Pure vanilla extract
1 Tsp Ground cinnamon
2 Tsp Grated orange zest (organic)
1/4 Tsp Sea salt
1 Dry bean or plastic King Cake baby
Ingredients for the "Glaze":
1 Cup Confectioners' sugar
Purple, green and gold sanding sugar, for decorating

Method for the "Cake":
1. Heat the milk in a saucepan until scalding; transfer to a food processor, add the yeast and pulse to combine.
2. Add 1/2 cup flour and the egg yolks; process to combine. Pour the remaining 2 cups flour evenly over the yeast mixture; do not process. Put the lid on; set aside for 90 minutes.
3. Add the 2 whole eggs, granulated sugar, lemon zest, salt and nutmeg to the food processor; process to make a slightly textured dough, about 1 minute.
4. With the machine running, slowly add the butter to make a smooth, sticky dough. once the butter has been incorporate, stop mixing.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place for 3 hours.
6. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead briefly; form into a ball and return to the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Method for the "Filling":
1. Plump the raisins in the bourbon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the brown sugar, pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, orange zest, salt and the bean or plastic baby; mix until combined and set aside.
2. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 20-by-7-inch rectangle, with the long edge facing you. Spoon the filling in an even layer over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the top and bottom. Fold the bottom and then the top edge over the filling to make a tight roll; pinch to seal.
3. Transfer the roll seam-side down to a parchment-lined baking sheet; tuck one end into the other to form a ring
4. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the roll doubles in size, about 2 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cake until firm and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Method for the "Glaze":
1. Mix 6 tablespoons water with the confectioners' sugar; brush 2/3 of the glaze over the cake.
2. Sprinkle with bands of colored sugar; drizzle with more glaze.

Remarks:
Instead of preparing a cake that is made with a single roll, I made three little rolls and braided them before my cake into a crown (see video).

Serving suggestions:
This cake is to be enjoyed without moderation, at any time of the day or night.
It is better to eat your "King Cake" quite rapidly (I guess that'll not be a problem as it might very well not make it to the next day LOL), otherwise it might dry up and loose it's moisture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Gâteau Du Roi ~
Recette prise sur le site Food Network et adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Pour 1 brioche.

Ingrédients pour la "Brioche":
80ml de Lait
1 Paquet (7g) de levure en poudre
350g de Farine à pain et plus pour saupoudrer le plan de travail
2 Gros jaunes d'oeufs
2 Gros oeufs entiers
3 CS de Sucre cristallisé
Le zeste d'un citron bio
1 CC de Sel de mer
1/2 CC de Noix de muscade fraîchement râpée
180g de Beurre non-salé, battu en pommade et plus pour beurrer le bol
Ingrédients pour la "Garniture":
80g de Raisins blonds
60ml de Whisky
180g de Sucre brun (bien tassée)
80g de Noix de pécan torréfiées et hachées grossièrement
1 CC d'Extrait de vanille pure
1 CC de Cannelle en poudre
2 CC de Zeste d'orange bio
1/4 de CC de Sel de mer
1 Fève (en forme de bébé si possible)
Ingrédients pour le "Glaçage":
120g de Sucre en poudre
Des paillettes en sucre de couleur violette, verte et jaune

Méthode pour la "Brioche":
1. Chauffer le lait dans une casserole afin qu'il soit à température du corps (pas plus). Le mettre dans le bol du mixer et ajouter la levure, puis bien mélanger.
2. Ajouter 70g de farine et les jaunes d'oeufs. Mélanger à l'aide de la spatule mélangeuse du mixer. Bien répartir sur le dessus le reste de la farine. Ne pas mélanger. Couvrir et laisser reposer pendant 90 minutes.
3. Ajouter les 2 oeufs entiers, le sucre cristallisé, le zeste de citron, le sel et la muscade. Mixer avec le crochet à pain pendant 1 minute.
4. Tout en continuant de pétrir la pâte, ajouter le beurre afin d'obtenir une pâte collante et lisse. Pétrir juste assez afin que le beurre soit incorporé.
5. Mettre la pâte dans un grand bol beurré et recouvrir avec du film plastique. Laisser lever dans un endroit chaud pendant 3 heures.
6. Sortir la pâte du bol, la pétrir légèrement . Former une boule et la remettre dans le bol. Couvrir avec un film plastique et entreposer au frigo pendant 8 heures ou tout une nuit. Méthod pour la "Garniture":
1. Mettre les raisins et le whisky dans une petite casserole, à feu moyen, afin de les réhydrater. Enlever la casserole du feu et ajouter le sucre brun, les noix, la vanille, la cannelle, le zeste d'orange, le sel et la fève. Bien mélanger et mettre de côté.
2. Sur une surface enfarinée, rouler la pâte afin d'obtenir un rectangle de 50 x 18cm (la pâte doit être face à vous en longueur). Disposer la garniture en laissant un bord de 2cm de chaque côté. Plier le partie inférieur en la rabattant vers le milieu et replier la partie supérieure dessus afin d'obtenir un beau boudin serré. Pincer afin de sceller.
3. Mettre le boudin (avec la commissure dessous) sur une plaque recouverte de papier sulfurisé et superposer les deux bouts afin d'obtenir une couronne.
4. Couvrir avec une feuille de plastique alimentaire et mettre de côté, pendant 2 heures ou jusqu'à ce que la couronne ait doublé de volume.
5. Préchauffer le four à 180° C. Cuire la brioche jusqu'à ce qu'elle sonne creux et soit dorée, environ 40 minutes. Laisser refroidir sur une grille.

Méthode pour le "Glaçage":
1. Mélanger 6 cuillères à soupe d'eau avec le sucre en poudre. Glacer la brioche à l'aide d'un pinceau et garder une petite quantité pour la finition.
2. Saupoudrer avec le sucre coloré (faire des bandes distinctes). Faire couler le reste du glaçage sur le dessus du gâteau.

Remarques:
J'ai formé trois boudins que j'ai tressé avant de former la couronne (voir vidéo).

Idées de présentation:
A manger sans modération, à n'importe quelle heure de la nuit et du jour.
Il est préférable de consommer ce gâteau assez rapidemment (je ne pense pas que ça sera un problème) afin qu'il ne déssèche pas.