The Queen of Tarts

Chocolate Covered Marshmallows

 
 
When I think of chocolate and marshmallow together I think of s'mores - that decadent summer (or anytime really) treat with chocolate, marshmallow, and graham crackers that is best made over a campfire in the woods right before tucking into the tent for a nice cozy night after a long day of fishing and/or hiking.

Right.

Who I am kidding? I am not the type to camp. I did it when I was a kid, but I find waking up in a tent a bit clauterphobic, and I know for a fact that many of you out there feel exactly the same way. Sometime ago in my early teens (or younger) I realized that I could take a marshmallow, put it on the end of a fork, and warm it up over the flames of our gas stove. Done - life became instantly better. Of course there was a lot of explaining to do when the sugary mess fell into the burner, but that is a different story for a different time.

My sister thought about making marshmallows years ago - YEARS before the whole gourmet marshmallow craze at organic and high end markets commenced. She was way ahead of the curve, and still makes flavors that surpass those found in your favorite high end stores.

We found this recipe from Maida Heatter, who is one of the best bakers of all times. I decided to take it a step further and cover the little delights in dark chocolate. The combination made for a great treat and the dark chocolate evened out the sweetness of the marshmallow. While I made plain marshmallows, you could add a hint of peppermint extract to the batch (or any other combination that sounds good to you...) to mix things up.

So much better than camping!

I N G R E D I E N T S
Vegetable shortening (Crisco recommended) for preparing the pan 
1 cup cold water
3 tablespoons (3 envelopes) unflavored gelatin
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cornstarch (for coating the marshmallows) 

12 oz dark (60%) high quality chocolate for tempering

Chocolate Covered Marshmallows (Marshmallow Recipe from Maida Heatter)
1. Prepare a 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan as follows. Invert the pan. Cut a piece of aluminum foil long enough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Place the foil over the inverted pan and fold down the sides and corners just to shape. Remove the foil and turn the pan right side up. Place the foil in the pan and press it gently into place. With a pastry brush or crumpled wax paper coat the foil thoroughly but lightly with vegetable shortening. Set aside. 

2. Place 1/2 cup cold water in the large bowl of an electric mixer, Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the water and set aside. 

3. Place the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and the other 1/2 cup water in a heavy 1-1/2 quart or 2 quart saucepan over moderately low heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil. Ideally, you should let the syrup boil without stirring until the temperature reaches 240 degrees. I tend to watch for a boil, and decide that it is good to go - however, most people are not as relaxed as I am about their baking/cooking so feel free to follow the instructions properly. All things aside it is important that you do not overcook the sugar syrup. Once the boil occurs, remove from the heat. 

4. Beating constantly at medium speed, slowly pour the syrup into the gelatin mixture - it is hot so do not try to touch it etc. That would be really dumb! After all the syrup has been added, increase the speed to high and beat for 20 minutes until the mixture white and the consistency of marshmallow fluff, adding the vanilla a few minutes before the end of the beating. (During the beating, occasionally scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. The marshmallow will thicken and get sticky and messy- it is marshmallow after all...) This is a good time to taste the mixture - or spread it on some bread with peanut butter etc...

5. Pour marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top of the marshmallow with the spatula or your fingers or whatever you find works best. 

6. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for about 12 hours.

7. Turn the pan upside down and cut the marshmallow into pieces (I like 2 inches by 2 inches) that suit you. Gently dust or roll each piece in cornstarch. This will ensure that the pieces are less sticky.

Set the pieces aside in a large bowl or plate. 

Place about 8 oz of the chocolate (chopped) in a double boiler over medium heat. Be careful to not allow any water in the chocolate - this will affect the tempering process. Use a rubber spatula and slowly stir the chocolate as it melts. You want the chocolate to reach a temperate of about 112F. Once it gets to this temperature, remove it from the heat, and add the remaining chocolate that you have set aside (a few pieces at a time) stirring constantly. This process is a pain, but it will produce the shiny coat on the finished product that will make your guests look at you in awe.

Continue to stir and add in chocolate until the temperature comes down to about 86F. Remove the remaining unmelted chocolate and set it aside. Place the marshmallow on the end of a skewer and dip into the chocolate. Ensure that it is evenly covered and allow the excess to drip off. Place the covered marshmallows on a piece of wax paper. You will need to work quickly so that the temperature of the chocolate does not drop. If it does, warm it up.

 

Once finished, place the marshmallows (on the wax paper) on a plate or cookie sheet, and allow them to cook in the fridge for about 30 minutes, or until you see a nice sheen on the outside.

Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving. These will last for about 3-4 days (or a few longer if kept in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Tale of the Traveling Cake

Today is our anniversary. Our first anniversary, which means we can eat the top of our wedding cake. The cake that I went back and tasted three times becasue I liked it so much. The cake that has sat in our freezer for the past 12 months taking up a considerable amount of space. The cake that I obsessed over prior to June 26, 2010.

I loved my wedding cake - I remember almost every cake from every wedding I have ever been too... I wanted a great cake.

(photo by Alexandria Mauck)

I asked the hotel to save every last bit of cake (aside from the prized top that we would eat on our first anniversary) and deliver the left over cake to the room. They did. We had a lot of cake on our hands.

When I got home after the wedding (a mile away from the hotel) I carefully wrapped the top of the cake. I knew that it needed to keep for a year. I wrapped the box in several layers of Glad Cling Wrap and aluminum foil, and then neatly placed it in the freezer for the next 12 months.

Time passed, and I forgot about the cake, it just sat there waiting for us to open the box and eat it.

We spoke about how we were going to eat the cake on our first anniversary - probably with our friend who married us and our friend who carried our rings. This spring it became clear that would not happen.

We were going to move right around time of our first anniversary. Not across town, not to a different state, but to a different part of the world. To Abu Dhabi. Would we be able to bring the cake? How would I carry it? Should I ship it in advance? I knew that I needed to have the cake on our first anniversary. I was incredibly superstitious this way. I needed this cake. FedEx would not ship it... It became evident that the only way I could bring the cake with us was to pack it in the suitcase. I could not risk a customs officer taking it away from me if I brought it as carry on.

My father told me to just cut the cake and bring a small piece. No - I could not cut it until June 26, 2011. We were going to spend our anniversary with my parents at their home in London. I thought that the cake could probably make it over the Atlantic, and somehow, someway, we were going to eat it.

It was carefully packed into a suitcase (and then probably thrown into the bellows of a plane) and then placed in a refrigerator for a week to thaw. I started to have serious doubts about this cake. How good could it taste after 12 months in a freezer, a plane ride, and then a week thawing in a fridge?

12:05am June 26, 2011 H wished me happy anniversary and asked me if I wanted to try the cake. I did, so we went to it. It was good... REALLY REALLY GOOD. As good as I remember it being. Perhaps because we were eating it just past midnight. Perhaps because it was just the two of us, and we were celebrating a remarkable year. In any event, it was exceptional.

The cake clearly faired much better than the box.

Post our midnight culinary snack...

Happy Anniversary H! I could not have asked for a sweeter year...

Hector's Cake (Chocolate Cake with Vanilla - Rum Buttercream)

 

Several years ago I had a surprise birthday party for my husband, and I needed to have the perfect birthday cake. I found a moist chocolate cake recipe that had a rich creamy chocolate icing - it stood up perfectly to that warm August afternoon. Since that day, this has been my "go-to" recipe when I needed to impress. From time to time I change the recipe and make it more my own depending on my mood or the situation. 

We recently had friends over who got married several month ago. I turned to this cake to celebrate their marriage (it did not hurt that we had a 10 year old bottle of Dom Perignon as well...). I played with the recipe a bit to make it healthier, but let's be real - it is chocolate cake. When I eat chocolate cake I want sweet, dense, richness in ever single bite. So while the amount of white flour is significantly reduced here, and I swapped out whole milk for 1%, you will not miss a thing. This cake is sure to please your toughest critics. I doubled the recipe and made a drop-dead vanilla-rum buttercream filling for the layers. Really, I should have just served the cake for dinner with a few forks. I am still not sure why we even bothered with the main course...

Preheat your over to 350 Degrees. Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans (or 4 if you double the recipe), and set them aside.

• 1 2/3 cups organic cane sugar
• 1-3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 cup Cocoa powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, and then in the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Mix together. Once mixed, slowly add in the water. The mixture will be very thin - don't worry about it. It will all work out! Once everything is pulled together, divide the mixture between the cake pans, and gently tap the bottom of the pans on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake for about 29-33 minutes (until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean and the cake starts to pull away from the edges of the pan). Allow the cake to cool in the pan on racks for roughly 10 minutes, then invert the pans and let the cakes cool completely before frosting and assembling.

Frosting (for the outside) - again, this can be easily doubled...

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2/3 cup Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.
Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Now for the middle of the cake - the layers - I made a vanilla-rum buttercream. I tend to be the worst kind of baker when it comes to things that I am comfortable with, which means that I do not really measure. However this means that there is a lot more room for innovation, invention, and fun as far as I am concerned. Here is what I did, more or less, and play around to make it your own...

Vanilla-Rum (for the layers)

2 cups vegetable shortening (I like the Organic Kind - Spectrum)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup dark rum (don't be cheap, use the good stuff!)
3 tbsp milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Put the shortening in a mixing bowl, and gradually add in the confectionary sugar until it is all incorporated. Add in the rum, milk, and vanilla. The frosting should be thick, but not too thick that you cannot spread it on the cake. If it is too thin, add more sugar. Once it is all mixed, allow to cool in the fridge for about a 30 minutes.

Place the first layer down on your cake stand, and then top it off with some of the vanilla-rum buttercream.

Place the second layer on top. If you have more than 2 layers, continue to fill and stack the cakes until all layers are done - do not put the vanilla-rum buttercream on the top layer.

Frost the cake with a thin- VERY THIN- layer of the chocolate frosting. This is a messy layer often called dirty icing. Let this layer sit and harder (best is to chill the cake in the fridge for an hour or two). Once the icing is hardened, place the final layer of icing on the cake and try to make it look pretty. Who cares if it is a mess anyway, it will still taste good!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I am not from the South - no where close. I am from quite North of the Mason Dixon line, however I chose quite deliberately to go to college South.  Now I could come up with some amazing story about why I chose to go to the South for college, but really it all comes down the culture, and the culture behind the Belles of the South.  One of the things I learned while living in the South is the importance and the tradition of food - good food (that you Margaret!).  For some reason, whenever I think of Red Velvet Cake, I immediately think of the South even though Red Velvet Cake traditionally comes from NYC (I hear gasps from Belles all around!).

So when my husband told me that Red Velvet was his favorite cake (, I had to find a way to make and perfect it. I searched for recipe after recipe, both in cookbooks and online.  I am sure that I could have made a quick phone call to Georgia, Louisiana, or Texas, and received some passed down family recipe, however I finally settled on Bakerella's recipe, and it was due in large part to her photos, which had me scrambling to my mixer in seconds to whip this baby up.  

The cake is light and moist and not intensely sweet - that is the job of the cream cheese frosting.  However, I have taken out some of the sugar so that there is a bit more tartness to the rich toping and I found that there is more of a balance.  I also made a few adjustments to the recipe to give it a slightly more healthy spin.  No one will notice these subtle changes, but you can feel a little less guilty when you reach for that second (or third) cupcake!

 

Red Velvet Cake (adapted from Bakerella)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup oil + 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
red food coloring (add in enough to give a rich red color - more or less depending on your preference)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners or lightly grease the pan.
• Beat eggs in a bowl and add remaining liquid ingredients (except for food coloring) and stir together with whisk/mix until blended. Set aside.
• Place all the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl and stir together really good with wire whisk.
• Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on medium-high for about a minute or until completely combined - now add the food coloring.
• Pour about 1/4 - 1/3 cup into each cupcake space and then drop the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• After about ten minutes, remove the cupcakes from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. 
• Then make the frosting.

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. light cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
8 cups confectioners’ sugar

• Beat cream cheese and butter on high until creamy. Add vanilla.
• Slowly add the sugar to the mixture and scrape down the sides of the bowl in between each addition if needed.  It is probably a good thing to taste test along the way... : )
• Place the frosting in an icing bag and through a frosting tip (1M) on it and get going - to make the cupcakes extra fun, push the tip into the top of the cooled cupcake and squeeze out some of the frosting so that the cupcake with be filled inside with the frosting.  You will notice the cupcake start to expand a bit.  Once you have squeezed a little in (about 2 tsp) frost the top.
• It is important to note that this will make more frosting than you need - but I like to have some on hand for late night snacks... a spoonful or two is really satisfying!

DELICIOUS - and very hard to stay away from!

Moroccan Spiced Almonds

It was only once, but it made an impression of a life time.  I knew that it was a place that I wanted to go, a place of winding streets, bargaining shopkeepers, fresh markets, and history.  A sense that time, no matter how hard it tried, would never seep into all of the corners of the magical city.  Marrakech. A city of beauty and wonder.  It is no surprise then, given my preconceived notions of what I thought the city would be like, that I fell instantly in love - head over heels in love in fact.  The food, the people, the architecture, and did I mention the food?  I had no idea that I would like cumin as much as I do, and it is now a staple in our spice drawer, and sits along side the salt and pepper at most meals. I try to add flavors to cooking that remind me of our Moroccan holiday whenever possible.

Perhaps it was out of necessity, but recently, I was opening all of the cabinets, the refrigerator, and the kitchen drawers looking high and low for something that would satisfy both the savory craving that I was having and the need to crunch something.  What I really wanted was some crackers - something that would crumble upon first bite, and fill my mouth with an explosion of salt and dryness - kind of like an oatcake.  But we had nothing. Nothing that would even come close. But we always have unsalted almonds in bulk waiting to be used in some kind of recipe.  I figured that I could make some roasted almonds - add a little seasoning, and then I would satisfy my craving, and it would be a healthy snack too.  Not too bad!  I tend to make spiced-up almonds during the holidays for our annual holiday party, but given my desperate need to savory and crunch, I thought that I would start a bit early this year.

I typically throw a few handfuls of almonds into a pan, cover them with cooking spray or olive oil, add some seasoning, and something sweet.  In the past, the seasoning has always, and I mean ALWAYS been Tony Chachares .  This is perhaps one of the greatest seasonings ever created in the world - it has heat, salt, and reminds me of being in Louisiana.  However, given that I was all out, I reached into my spice drawer and pulled out Bart Ras El Hanout - a Moroccan spice.  I had never cooked with it before, but my mother insisted that I buy it, and that I would not be disappointed.  So over the saute pan, I sprinkled some of the spice, added some salt, and threw in some sweetness.  I stirred up my concoction, and while the skins of the almonds started to crackle and pop, the cumin, the cardamom, and everything else that made Ras El Hanout what it is started to fill the kitchen and the rest of our loft.  I am not one to wait for things to happen, so I reached into the hot pan (which I do not recommend) and pulled out a few of the newly spiced almonds.  Amazing.  The heat was there, the salt was subtle, and the sweetness pulled it all together.  

These are a great thing to serve with cheese or wine before a dinner party, or to just have around.  I like to eat them warm, but they are really pretty great at any temperature.  I have also tried using agave nectar as a sweetener.  While this works well, it will make for a sticker end result.

 

Moroccan Spiced Almonds

2 C unsalted almonds - with the skins on

1-2 tsp Ras El Hanout (a Moroccan Spice that typically contains black pepper, cumin, cayenne, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, tumeric, coriander, cloves, allspice, and mace... my version also has a small amount of rose petals...the literal translation is "Top of the Shop") The more of this you use, the spicier things will be!

1 tsp salt 
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp olive oil OR cooking spray

Spray the saute pan (or add oil) and heat the pan over medium - high heat.  Add the almonds and as they are heating up, sprinkle on the salt.  As the almonds get hot, you will start to hear the skins pop and crackle.  Add the Ras El Hanout and stir the ingredients together.  Make sure that you watch carefully so that the nuts do not burn.  Lower, or turn off the heat once the almonds deepen in color, and add in the sugar.  Continue to stir.  Allow the almonds to cool a bit in the pan before placing in a dish. They are best eaten warm, but can be eaten at any temperature!

A Primer on Funeral Cake

I got a lot more than a college education when I spent 4 years in Dallas, TX for college.  My freshman roommate, Margaret was from Shreveport, Louisiana, and she was not shy about letting people know it. All things that one might attribute to the South and Southern hospitality, I learned from Margaret (and from being in a sorority at SMU...but even Margaret played a huge part in helping with that).

I had my first fish fry with her (and am embarrassed to say that it did not go over as well as her father might have liked), I learned how to two-step at Mama Marias while holding some kind of alcoholic drink in a big red plastic cup.  I also learned that people do in fact drink and drive in Louisiana.  In fact, it is almost sanctioned - there are drive through margarita shacks.  There is a season for alligator hunting, the words "Sir" and "M'am" are ALWAYS used no matter what, and life really is easier if you somehow got yourself into the "right" sorority.  Luckily for us, Margaret and I managed to get into the right greek houses and have fun with it.  So on one weekend, when we drove from SMU in Dallas to LSU in Baton Rouge, we stopped in Shreveport and her mother handed us a cake to take with us on the road.  As we drove through the state, the deep chocolate smell from the still-warm cake permeated Margaret's red VW Fox.  When I asked what kind of cake it was, Margaret simply responded in her sexy southern drawl:

"Why, it's funeral cake."

"Funeral cake?  What the hell is a funeral cake?"

"Well, when someone dies, you have to bring something - you know like a casserole?  My mother also brings this cake.  So it's funeral cake."

I thought about that for a while.  Funeral cake... it was kind of morbid to name a cake after an event associated with death, but then again, we were in the South, and people are just more hospitable in the South, and if you are going to bring a casserole to a funeral, why not bring a cake as well, right?

To this day, Funeral Cake is one of my favorite cakes.  It is incredibly easy, and let me put it out there right now, there is nothing, and I mean nothing that is healthy about this cake.  You are not going to find the words "organic" in the ingredients.  However, it is an honest-to-goodness fantastic cake, and you do not need the sad occasion of a funeral to make it.  However be warned, once this cake comes out of the oven, it will not last long.  I have changed it ever so slightly and boozed it up. However, giving that I have added copious amounts of bourbon to the original recipe, I think that I would only make my friends in Louisiana proud.

Laissez les bon temps roulez - and thank you Margaret and Mrs. Sale!

 

Funeral Cake (adapted from THE SALES)

Preheat over to 350 F and grease a bundt pan

1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Box Chocolate Instant Jello-Pudding Mix
8 oz sour cream
1/3 cup good quality Bourbon (or rum if it hits you...)
2/3 cup water
3 eggs
2/3 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
12 oz chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly grease the pan.
• Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
• Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester (or thin knife) inserted comes out clean.
• Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan on a cooling rack and then remove the  from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

 

Holiday Cheer

For the past five years Hector and I have held a holiday party.  It started with a simple little idea - why don't we just have a few friends over?  And from then, the parties have become quite an event.  Each year there is a core group of friends who come and are able to compare one party to the next, and then we find new friends who we bring into our close circle.  It is an amazing evening and one that takes weeks of preparation.  It starts with the invitations, the menu, and then I begin to work my magic.  I turn into the Sugar Plum Fairy and see what delights I can create to dazzle our friends.  I think that this year, despite not feeling 100% and the party falling on the 3rd anniversary of my open-heart surgery, was our best yet.

Dozens of frosted sugar cookies set the holiday tone. 

Salted caramel chocolates were one of the high points.

Molasses cookies covered in dark chocolate added some spice.

Sugar Cookies with toblerone layered in the middle added a nice surprise.

Macaroons layered with various fillings including chocolate amaretto ganache, rum coconut buttercream, and salted caramel were the hit of the party.

Yes, I would say that Holiday Party #5 was a great success - so much so that before the last guest left I was already planning our next event.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Cracked Pepper Sweet Potato Chips

Game day in our house involves a table and a bunch of white rectangular pieces that have a series of perfectly carve circles on them... also known as dominoes.  When I was a kid the only thing I knew how to with dominoes was set them up standing about 1/2 inch apart and then knock them down so that one would follow another and they would make a wonderful noise as each piece would hit the next.  I had no idea that it was an actual strategic game that involved strategy.  No idea until Hector explained the game to me and told me story after story of family members and friends playing the game in Cuba.  My interest peaked, and I wanted to learn more, which included learning the rules and strategy and the differences between double six and double eight.  Once I won a game, won a single game, I was hooked.  And when Hector's mother and sister bought him a hand-made domino table a fever started.  I had no idea that such items existed. 

But the thing with dominoes is that it is best played with four people, so we invited another couple over for a Sunday afternoon game.  This meant that food was required, and since I am not one to indulge heavily on Cuban snack-food cuisine since it tends to be fried (although I do like it quite a bit) I opted for something a bit healthier and made some sweet potato chips.  So with our mojitos in one hand and dominoes in the other, these chips made for a great afternoon! They are fantastic as a side dish, snack, or as the perfect game food!

Serve 3-4 people
Preheat Oven to 425F
2 large sweet potatoes (I used yams, you could also use white sweet potatoes if you prefer that flavor)
1/3 C olive oil
Cracked black pepper and salt

Thinly slice the sweet potatoes.  If you have a mandolin, that is the best way to obtain "chip" style slices. 

Brush each slice with the oil on both sides.  Season with cracked pepper and salt. Place the slices on a clean baking, and bake for about 6 minutes.  When the chips begin to brown and curl on the sides, remove from oven turn over, and place back in the oven and bake for about 4 more minutes.  Watch carefully - since they are thin, they could burn.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  They will crisp as they cool.  Depending on your oven, you might need to cook the chips for a few minutes more or less then the time listed above.  Oh, and if you want the full experience, take up the game of dominoes!

Bayou Boilin

I knew kind of what to expect, I had eaten crawfish before.  After all, I spent my college years in Texas and many weekends in Louisiana at M's family's house.  However, I had never seen the full production, which included the large stainless steel tanks that boil hundred of pounds of crawfish...
The contraption had about 100 lbs of crawfish in it, and Mr. Timothy Lawson, owner of Bayou Boilin' Catering "Crawfish Catering Swamp Style" was in charge of the entire operation... He explained several times that due to the Easter Holiday weekend, people in South Louisiana had bought up a great deal of the crawfish so the large ones were all gone.  He went as far as apologizing for the size of the crawish indicating that normally, they would be much larger.  However, when I saw the plate piled high with the crustaceans and corn, potatoes, and mushrooms, I was impressed with the bright red color and the overwhelming smell of spices the filled the Louisiana air and mixed in with the nearby Azaleas... I was quickly given a lesson on how to pull out the meat (there is really a lot of work for a small amount of meat, kind of like Lobster in my opinion).  But the whole experience really is worth it.  After twisting off the heads, and putting a thumbing and finger on the body, you kind of squeeze with one and and pull the meat out with the other.  The taster is not unlike shrimp, but it is really the spice mixture that make each boil unique.  I was told that this was a special spice mix and a secret at that.  Hmmm, now I really wanted to know!

Really, a spring weekend in Louisiana would not have been complete without this experience - a yard filled with dozens of children running around, bottles of wine chilling in ice, a keg sitting in the corner of the patio, and the crawfish.  It really could not have been better.  If you are ever lucky enough to be invited to one of these events - go, run, and be there for the experience.  It is not to be missed!  And if you are lucky, you will have Timothy and Bayou Boilin doing the the work for you!