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Mardi Gras King Cake
Well, I’ve never been a Mardi Gras reveler, and until today I had never made a King Cake. But Noelle Carter’s recipe in last Thursday’s LA Times Food Section was a temptation I could not resist. And why should I? After all, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, the great day of indulgence, is upon us.
King Cake season runs from Twelfth Night to Ash Wednesday and comes to us from the Catholic tradition and believe it or not, ancient Rome. The cake represents the Three Wise Men who brought gifts to the infant Jesus; baked in each King Cake is a small charm, most commonly a baby representing the infant Jesus. Less often seen in America is a charm depicting a King wearing a crown. The notion of this trinket has its origins in the ancient Roman Saturnalia banquets where beans were used to elect the King of the Feast. The rite continued, but over time, the voting gave way to the bean (and later a small trinket) being baked into a celebration pastry, and the old gods gave way to the new. Read the remainder of this entry »