Recipe: Boudin King Cake with Savory Cream Cheese Icing

NEW ORLEANS — For 60 years, Channel 4 has been privileged to celebrate and share many of those recipes with viewers across south Louisiana and Mississippi. Throughout the cookbook series, The Southern Food and Beverage Museum, which keeps the region’s delicious culinary history and heritage alive, provides historical context to the foods we cook and eat today. Each cookbook partner has also contributed their own recipes for you to enjoy and share.

Click here to download the In the Kitchen: Holiday Recipe's Cookbook.

Recipe: Boudin King Cake with Savory Cream Cheese Icing

Boudin

Ingredients:

• 3 cups short-grain rice, cooked and cooled
• 2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 pound pork liver, cleaned and cut into large chunks
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped onion
• ½ cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper
• ½ cup coarsely chopped celery
• 2 garlic cloves, whole
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 2 Tablespoons Creole seasoning, divided
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, divided
• 1 ¼ teaspoons black pepper, divided
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, divided
• 1 cup chopped green onion, divided

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, add rice, and fluff with a fork.
2. In a large Dutch oven, combine pork, liver, 2 quarts water, onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, ¼ teaspoon cayenne, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, until pork and liver are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from heat, and drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of broth.
3. In a meat grinder fitted with a ¼-inch dye, grind pork and liver with ¼ cup parsley and ¼ cup green onion. (The pork and liver can also be coarsely chopped, in batches, in the bowl of a food processor.)
4. In a large bowl, combine pork mixture and rice, remaining salt, Creole seasoning, cayenne, black pepper, parsley, and green onion. Mix well. Add reserved broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, combining until mixture is moist but holds together when squeezed.
5. Freeze up to 3 months.

Mardi Gras Slaw

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Steens cane vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp. celery seed
• 1 Tbsp. Creole mustard
• 1/2 head red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
• 1/2 head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
• 2 yellow bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 6 green onions, sliced thin
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, celery seed, and Creole mustard until the sugar has dissolved. 
2. In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, pepper, green onions, red onion, and parsley. 
3. Pour the vinaigrette over the cabbage mixture and toss to combine. 
4. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and salt if needed. 
5. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 4 hours.

King Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 envelopes active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 butter, melted
• 1 cup warm milk
• 5 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 tsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine yeast and sugar. Add butter and milk and mix for 1 minute on low speed. Add yolks and continue to mix for 1 minute. Change to the dough hook.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour with salt, nutmeg, allspice and lemon zest. Slowly add flour to the egg mixture. Increase speed gradually until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, abut 3 minutes.
3. Remove dough from mixer and form a smooth ball. Place in a lightly oiled non-reactive bowl and cover with a towel. Set in a warm and dry place until dough doubles in size, about 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with unwaxed parchment paper.
5. Work dough on a floured surface into a 30x6-inch strand. Fill the inside   of dough with boudin filling (careful not to overfill). Fold dough over and seal edges to form a long tube. Transfer to the baking sheet and shape into a large ring. Pinch the ends to form an invisible seam. 
6. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot to rise to double its size, about 1 hour. Bake until golden brown, abut 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. 

Frost Cooled Cake

Ingredients:

• Savory Cream Cheese Frosting
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 8-oz. block cream cheese
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. Creole mustard, optional

Directions:

1. Make this just before serving.
2. Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form.
3. Work the cream cheese packet to make sure it’s soft and place it into the bowl.
4. Beat on high until the frosting becomes stiff.
5. Fold in the salt and mustard.

More Recipes From Chef Kevin Belton:

• Scalloped Potato Roll
• Cheesy Sausage Mushrooms

► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.