Kimberly Nichols | Contributor

Tuesday (March 8) is Mardi Gras, and the forecast here in Ann Arbor calls for clouds and temperatures in the low 30s, which does not exactly lend itself to thoughts of festivals and outlandishness.

But, with a bit of imagination, you can treat yourself to your own Mardi Gras at home and inject some well-needed color and vivacity to an otherwise dreary Michigan Tuesday.

When you think Mardi Gras, you think New Orleans. I was introduced to the city just a couple of years ago when some friends moved there. After one visit, I was hooked. Besides being charmed by the locals, the architecture and the historic streetcars, I was completely hypnotized by the food scene there.

So to prepare for Mardi Gras here at home, just visit a local grocery store and stock up on some proper New Orleans ingredients: crawfish, green peppers, shrimp, andouille sausage. And for the pantry: grits, red beans, rice, file powder (ground sassafras leaves).

For recipes for gumbo and jambalaya, two New Orleans mainstays, look no further than Chef Emeril Lagasse. A grits girl myself, I will be making this:

Smothered Andouille Sausage and Shrimp over Creamy Stone Ground Grits

Does it sound intimidating? Believe me, it is not. Treat yourself, and just remember a few important steps.

One of the most important techniques for making a New Orleans-type “stew,” whether it be a gumbo or this smothered sausage and shrimp recipe, is to make a roux. A roux is a mixture of equal parts flour and fat (usually butter) that is used as a thickening agent.
For this recipe, the first step is to melt the butter, add the flour, and then cook it over medium to medium-low heat until it turns the color of peanut butter.

Kimberly Nichols | Contributor

Kimberly Nichols | Contributor

The rest of the work is shopping for a few ingredients and chopping some vegetables. As for the grits, can’t find stone ground? Don’t want the trouble?

Don’t worry. Just keep some instant grits in the pantry. All you need to do is boil some water, stir in the grits (with a pinch of salt), cover and simmer and in five minutes. Stir in a pat of butter, season to taste, and you have grits!

New Orleans and Mardi Gras also signify sweet and decadent desserts. Michigan’s version of the beignet, or fried dough, is, of course, the paczki. Another equally famous treat for Mardi Gras is the King cake.

A King cake, New Orleans style, is traditionally made of a circle of twisted dough similar to that used for brioche. The cake is iced with a sugar glaze, usually colored in purple and green food coloring (the colors of Mardi Gras).

Baked inside the cake is a small trinket (sometimes a plastic baby to represent baby Jesus). Whoever gets the slice of cake with the trinket inside is said to have gained certain privileges, perhaps luck or good health or even the obligation to provide next year’s King cake.

Here in town, you can definitely find your share of traditional King cakes, but why not treat yourself to the special version of King cake that is currently baking at Zingerman’s Bakehouse?

The Zingerman’s King cake harks back to the original version from Northern France, layer upon layer of flaky puff pastry, filled with homemade frangipane, an almond pastry cream or paste. Instead of a trinket inside, one whole almond is baked inside the pastry. (Special thanks to Melissa Lesz and Jake Blachowicz for introducing me to this luxurious pastry.)

Photo by Jake Blachowicz

Look! I got the almond!

Kimberly Nichols | Contributor

Kimberly Nichols contributes articles on book/film adaptations and food topics. She can be reached at: kmn007@gmail.com, on twitter at Knic or via her blog at kimsculinarydiary.blogspot.com/.