Also we make "pets de soeurs" which means nun farts in English with the left over pie crust.
In New Orleans, we have several notable desserts, mostly inherited and re-appropriated, like most New Orleanian traditions.
1. Beignet (ben-YAY)
Brought to New Orleans by the French, served with cafe au lait. They are fried pieces of dough sprinkled with powdered sugar. As a kid, it was always fun to see how much powdered sugar we could cover each other in. I was a pro at making a hot mess.
2. King Cake
This cake is only consumed during Carnival season. It tastes like coffee cake, covered in icing and purple, green, and gold sugar. They are frequently stuffed with cream cheese, apples, chocolate or cherry filling.
Hidden inside each braided cake is a plastic baby. Custom dictates that whoever finds it must buy the next king cake (and/or host the next party). This means, of course, that growing up in New Orleans means eating King Cake every single day during Carnival.
1. Beignet (ben-YAY)
Brought to New Orleans by the French, served with cafe au lait. They are fried pieces of dough sprinkled with powdered sugar. As a kid, it was always fun to see how much powdered sugar we could cover each other in. I was a pro at making a hot mess.
2. King Cake
This cake is only consumed during Carnival season. It tastes like coffee cake, covered in icing and purple, green, and gold sugar. They are frequently stuffed with cream cheese, apples, chocolate or cherry filling.
Hidden inside each braided cake is a plastic baby. Custom dictates that whoever finds it must buy the next king cake (and/or host the next party). This means, of course, that growing up in New Orleans means eating King Cake every single day during Carnival.
3. Pecan Pralines (puh-KAHN prah-LINE)
French settlers brought their version of pralines to New Orleans where sugar cane was plentiful. Over the years the almonds were swapped for the local pecans, and we added cream to thicken the candy. They remind me of Christmas time. My father would make huge batches that would cover our kitchen, and we would tin them and take them to the neighbors. They taste like childhood and the sultry air of New Orleans in December.
French settlers brought their version of pralines to New Orleans where sugar cane was plentiful. Over the years the almonds were swapped for the local pecans, and we added cream to thicken the candy. They remind me of Christmas time. My father would make huge batches that would cover our kitchen, and we would tin them and take them to the neighbors. They taste like childhood and the sultry air of New Orleans in December.
