One of my favorite Mardi Gras traditions is king cake. Big rings of pillowy pastry with a sweet filling and a vividly decorated sugary frosting. My brother went to college and New Orleans, and during my first year at college in Connecticut, he shipped me a king cake and continued to do so while I was in school (and some years after). It was the classic cinnamon filling, which has become my baseline for what a king cake is. So many bakeries in New Orleans and around the country have gotten incredibly creative with their fillings and decorations, that I have definitely expanded my own repertoire – even holding tastings with many different versions. I have read over the years of savory king cakes, particularly ones filled with boudin, so I’ve been mulling versions for a while now. Crawfish seems like the perfect choice for the filling in keeping with the Louisiana spirit. Sure, a savory crawfish king cake may be a little over the top or gimmicky, but Mardi Gras is nothing if not over the top, so I say laissez les bons temps roulez and go for it!
I admit, this is a bit of a project – not difficult but requiring a little patience. I think this makes it perfect for this year, when we may have a bit more time to noodle around in the kitchen. It makes a lovely Mardi Gras dinner or a shareable snack. Purchased puff pastry is the perfect vehicle for this, I used this version from Wewalka which I find at local groceries, but I also like Dufour frozen puff pastry. The trick is to create a continuous sheet of pastry long enough to shape into a nice oval. The creamy filling is chock full or traditional Louisiana flavors, binding together the snappy crawfish tails. I find frozen crawfish tail meat readily at big box groceries, just make sure you buy Louisiana or domestic crawfish, ones from China or Vietnam lack flavor. When conceiving of a savory version of king cake, the most challenging thing to figure out was how to give it that snazzy, over the top frosted and sugar-sprinkled top. I think I’ve conquered it here with a simple swipe of cream cheese and some salt naturally colored with zingy lemon and herbal chives. Sprinkle the top of the cake with enough to add some color and sparkle, but don’t go overboard as you might with sugar, because it is salty. You could use parsley instead of chives if you prefer. You will have more salt than you need, but it keeps in an airtight jar for months and can be used to liven up many dishes. It can also be made well ahead. You can leave off the frosting and salt if you want.
Ingredients
- For the King Cake
2 Tablespoons butter
½ green bell pepper, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 green onions, white and light green parts, diced
16 ounces frozen crawfish tail meat, thawed
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon creole mustard
½ cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
2 Tablespoons Italian parsley leaves
1 Tablespoon creole seasoning
2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed or brought to room temperature
1 egg
- For the Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
Up to 1/4 cup milk
- For the Lemon Salt
1 lemons
4 Tablespoons flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)- For the Chive Salt
2 Tablespoons chipped chives
4 Tablespoons flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
Directions
- For the King Cake
- Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the diced pepper, celery and green onion and sauté until soft and glassy. Add the crawfish with the fat and sauté until the color has turned a darker pink and most of the liquid has evaporated. Cool completely.
- Transfer the crawfish mixture to the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to break up the meat. Add the cream cheese, mayo, mustard and parsley and pulse to combine. Add the creole seasoning then process until smooth. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight to allow the flavors to blend. Remove from the fridge to come to a soft, spreadable consistency before proceeding.
- Clear off some counter space and lay out a long piece of parchment paper and lay the two sheets of puff pastry short end to short end to create one long sheet. Overlap the adjoining ends slightly, then use a rolling pin to roll over the pastry and seal the two ends together.
- Spread the crawfish filling evenly over the pastry, leaving a ½ inch border at one long side and one short side, but covering all other sides. An offset spatula is a good tool for this. Starting at the long side without the border, roll the pastry into a cylinder. Use the parchment paper to help. Roll the whole pastry into one long cylinder, like making cinnamon rolls. Pinch the pastry together along the seam to seal. Carefully bring the two ends of the cylinder together into an oval ring. One end will not have filling in it (because you left the border). Tuck the filled end under the pastry end and pinch together to seal.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and put it close to your workspace. Use the parchment paper you rolled the pasty out on to help you gently lift and flip the oval onto the parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down. Us a sharp knife to cut slits all along the top of the pastry.
- The king cake can be covered and refrigerated up to overnight before baking. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Beat the egg with a splash of water in a small bowl, Brush the top of the king cake all over with pastry brush. Bake the king cake for 25 – 30 minutes until the pastry is brown and the filling is hot through. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes, then frost and decorate.
- For the Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and as much milk as needed to make a spreadable frosting, then spread on the top of the king cake. Sprinkle with the colored salt.
- For the Lemon Salt
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a vegetable peeler to peel two long stirps of yellow skin from the lemon and place in a small food processor or spice grinder with the salt. Process until chopped and well combined and nicely yellow. Spread the salt out in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until very dry, about 1 hour. When cool enough to touch, break up the salt with your fingers. When completely cool, transfer to an airtight jar and store on the counter for several months.
- For the Chive Salt
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Snip the chives into small pieces and place in a small food processor or spice grinder with the salt. Process until chopped and well combined and nicely green. Spread the salt out in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until very dry, about 1 hour. When cool enough to touch, break up the salt with your fingers. When completely cool, transfer to an airtight jar and store on the counter for several months.
You have to try this…I still have the baby and the coin from last year.