Moon Pies, Mardi Gras & Mobile

Moon Pies are a very Southern snack food, and Moon Pies in their packaging are thrown from floats during Mardi Gras in Mobile, AL, and other towns along the Missippi Gulf Coast. They might not have the allure or shine of purple (justice) green (faith) and gold (power) beads, but they are a tradition, and people covet them--and they're great to eat! Catching items from floats means good luck, but sometimes, as in this case, it means a tasty treat!

I have a good friend from Mobile, AL, and Moon Pies are definitely a Mardi Gras throw there. The first group to throw these chocolate covered marshmallow treats were the Maids of Mirth in 1956. The Chattanooga MoonPie company supplied the MoonPies after crackerjack boxes were banned because of dangerous sharp corners, and the  MoonPie became a traditional "throw" of Mardi Gras "krewes" in Mobile, Alabama. The westernmost outpost of the Moon Pie as an important Carnival throw is Slidell, Louisiana, which has a parade by "The Krewe of Mona Lisa and MoonPie." The Moon Pie Company actually now offers smaller bite size individually wrapped MoonPies for throwing off floats.

So what is a MoonPie? Although it's often mistaken for a Whoppie Pie, it's not the same thing at all! A  moon pie is a sandwich composed of brittle soft crumbly graham crackers and thick soft spongy marshmallow and then covered with rich dark chocolate.

The Moon Pie Brand began in 1917 with its trademark registered on Jan 1, 1919 in Chattanooga. According to the MoonPie Company, the story goes that Earl Mitchell, Sr, a bakery salesman, visited a company store that catered to coal miners. The Miners wanted something solid and filling because they didn't get time to break for lunch. About how big? he asked. A Miner held out his hands, framing the moon, and said, "About that big!" When Mitchell returned to the bakery, he notices some workers dipping graham cookies into marshmallow & laying them on the window sill to harden. The idea of adding another cookie and a generous coating of chocolate was tried, and samples of this new MoonPie were distributed. It had a great response and became a regular item for the bakery.

During the 1930s, the MoonPie found its place in Southern folklore as part of the 'workingman's lunch". Coal miners and laborers could enjoy the biggest snack on the rack, a MoonPie, and a 10 oz RC Cola, each for a nickle. This inspired the 1950s country music hit "Give me an RC and a MoonPie. Double Decker MoonPies with three cookies and two layers of marshmallow appeared during the 1960s, and they were easier for vending machines.

So if you're in Alabama or Louisiana for Mardi Gras today, try to catch some MoonPies!

Want to make your own Moon Pies? Recipe links.

BrownEyedBaker
TidyMom
Delish
Serious Eats

Mardi Gras: Bugnes, Beignets & Beads & Chocolate Doberge Cake

Today is Mardi Gras! Fat Tuesday! If you haven't already indulged in Pancakes (it's also Shrove Tuesday), you might want to try these Mardi Gras Treats!

Try some Beignets today!

Sugared Chocolate Beignets are perfect for Mardi Gras!
Lara Ferroni has a great recipe for Beignets with Fudgy Chicory Coffee Sauce! 

Chocolate Bugnes

The other day I had Chocolate Bugnes at the Hotel Sofitel. These were wonderful classic French Mardi Gras treats that originated in central-Eastern France (not necessarily chocolate). They're closely relgated to beignets, so they're perfect for Mardi Gras! Here's a recipe from O. Buisson. Haven't made these, so if you do, let me know. I've only tasted the ones at the Hotel Sofitel, and they were fabulous!

Want something else that embraces Coffee & Chicory? This is a fabulous recipe that reflects New Orleans cuisine: Chocolate Cupped Cakes with Coffee & Chicory?

Mardi Gras is full of coins and beads, and you've got to to to HungryHappenings to find out how to make fabulous Chocolate Truffle Beads!

Mardi Gras isn't complete without King Cake, but I don't have any recipes for Chocolate King Cake. Another Louisiana/Alabama favorite cake is Doberge Cake (pronounced alternately as “DOUGH-bash”, “Doh-BAREzh” and as “Dow-BAWHzh”), and here's a recipe adapted from Mardigrasday.com for Chocolate Doberge Cake! Just an FYI: Doberge Cake is a very popular Birthday Cake in the New Orleans area.

Chocolate Doberge Cake

Cake:
2 cups cake flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, separated, whites beaten until stiff
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 1/4 teaspoons Madagascar vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract

Filling
2 1/2 cups evaporated milk
2 (1-ounce) squares semi-sweet chocolate (60-65% cacao)
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 Tablespoons flour
4 egg yolks
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Frosting
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
4 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon Madesgascar vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 nine-inch round cake pans. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, soda, and salt 3 times. Cream the margarine and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and add egg yolks, one at a time. Gradually alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk, then add chocolate and mix well by beating about 3 minutes. Fold in the 3 beaten egg whites, vanilla, and almond extracts. Bake for 45 minutes or until done. After the cake cools, split each layer in half to make 4 thin layers.

To make the filling, put milk and chocolate in a saucepan and heat until chocolate is melted. In a bowl, combine sugar and flour. Make a paste by adding hot milk chocolate by Tablespoons to the sugar and flour, then return to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until thick. Add 4 egg yolks all at once and stir rapidly to completely blend. Cook 2 or 3 minutes more. Remove from heat, and add butter, vanilla, and almond extract. Cool and spread on cake, layering as you go. Do not spread on top layer.

For frosting, combine sugar and milk in a heavy saucepan, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 6 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and blend in chocolate. Add margarine and vanilla and return to medium-low heat, cooking 1 or 2 minutes. Place in refrigerator to cool. Beat well, then spread on top and the sides of the cake.

This is a special dessert of Louisiana that's worth every minute of time and effort.

Cooking with Herb Absinthe  has another recipe for Chocolate Doberge Cake: Check it out here!

Sugared Chocolate Beignets for Mardi Gras

Oh to be in the Big Easy for Mardi Gras! Unfortunately that's not happening for me, so the next best thing is to prepare a Mardi Gras feast. Rice and Beans, jumbalaya? gumbo? Maybe. But definitely something Chocolate!

Coffee with Chicory is so New Orleans, and you'll want to make David Guas & Raquel Pelzel's fabulous recipe for Chocolate Cupped Cakes with Coffee & Chicory.

What goes with Coffee with Chicory? Well, Beignets, of course, and they should definitely be Chocolate! Might not find these chocolate ones at Cafe du Monde, but they could be on your breakfast table. These Sugared Chocolate Beignets are easy to make, and so delicious. Beignets are usually fried in vegetable oil (cottonseed oil at Cafe du Monde), but this recipe calls for baking (healthier and easier).  Recipe is from Sunset's Best Recipes of 2010.

SUGARED CHOCOLATE BEIGNETS
Time: 1 hour, plus freezing time. These doughnuts can be prepared ahead, requiring only a quick baking once your guests arrive.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 sheets (17 oz. total) cold thawed puff pastry dough
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar

Preparation
1. Combine corn syrup and cream in a microwave-safe container. Heat in 30-second intervals until boiling. Put chocolate in a bowl and pour hot cream on top. Stir chocolate until smooth, then chill, stirring often, until firm, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each pastry dough sheet into a 12-in. square. Cut each square into 16 smaller squares and transfer to a baking sheet.

3. In a bowl, lightly whisk egg and 1 tbsp. water to blend, then brush over pastry squares. Spoon about 1 tsp. chocolate into the center of each square. Fold 1 corner of each square over to meet the opposite corner, forming a triangle. Press edges to seal. Use a 2 1/2-in. round cutter to trim corners of triangle and form a shape that resembles a three-quarter moon. Wrap trays with plastic wrap and freeze at least 1 hour and up to 1 week. (To save space, after 30 minutes of freezing, put pastries in resealable plastic bags in freezer.)

4. Preheat oven to 400°. Bake pastries, switching pan positions once, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Put sugar in a bowl and turn beignets in sugar to coat. Serve immediately.

Photo: Annabelle Breakey: Styling: Karen Shinto

Mardi Gras: Chocolate Chunk Pecan Pie

So many holidays in such a short time. Tomorrow is Mardi Gras and what could represent the Big Easy more than this Chocolate Chunk Pecan Pie Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecan halves, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup Organic fair-trade 70% + Chocolate, broken up into chunks
* 1 unbaked deep-dish pastry shell (9 inches)-or make your own.

Directions
In a bowl, whisk eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla; stir in pecans. Spread chocolate chunks evenly in pastry shell. Pour pecan mixture into pastry shell.

Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted 2 in. from center comes out with little bits of filling attached. Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours; refrigerate until serving time. Yield: 8 servings.

How will you celebrate Mardi Gras?