Let the Good Times Roll: Mardi Gras 2010

February 15, 2010 6:18 pm

Let the Good Times Roll: Mardi Gras 2010

After a first-ever Super Bowl win for the Saints, thousands have already been hitting Bourbon Street to celebrate the 173rd annual Mardi Gras. Even if you can't make it down the to Big Easy this year to partake in these legendary festivities, there is no reason why you can't celebrate Fat Tuesday chez toi with some authentic Nawlins recipes and drinks.

New Orleans native Chef John Besh dished out recipes from his new cookbook My New Orleans for a few of his Louisiana favorites. Slow Cooked Veal Grillades, a Creole version of a classic pot roast, are made by braising thinly pounded meat in a pungent sauce with a spicy kick. No Mardi Gras party is complete without King Cake, a sweetened yeast bread iced with gold, green and purple sugars, representing power, faith and justice.

And since it wouldn't be Mardi Gras party without some good ol'fashioned imbibing, mix things up with some Southern specialties...but be warned, these drinks pack enough punch to knock a Saints starter off his feet.

The Beaded Lady:
1 oz. SKYY Infusions Passion Fruit
1/2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1/2 oz. Lime Juice
2 oz. Pineapple Juice
Dash of Bitters
Soda water

Combine all ingredients except bitters and soda in a shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled glass and top with soda and a dash of the bitters.

Fat Tuesday Iced Tea:
2 oz. SKYY Infusions Citrus
1 oz. Lemonade
3 oz. Sweet Iced Tea

Combine all ingredients over ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Whether your ideal celebration of debauchery is Bourbon Street, Rio, Sydney or your own backyard; these recipes will have you screaming, "Laissez les bons temps roulez" or for the non-Francophones, "Let the good times roll!"