Nine Desserts From Around the World to Celebrate Fat Tuesday
Whether you plan to observe the Christian fast or not, celebrating Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday) is a great excuse to snack on desserts. In the past, Lent meant abstaining from tasty foods such as butter, sugar and eggs. As Christianity spread to different parts of the globe, while food spoiled relatively quickly, there was no hope of preserving these ingredients during the 40-day fasting period. Instead of throwing it all away, a massive celebration was organized: everything had to be taken out. After this period of food elimination, many creative and delicious treats were born. Most of them are fried. They are all carbohydrates. Here are nine delicious treats to celebrate the fattiest days of the week.
Packs
A Polish creation now loved around the world, paczy is a fluffy fried dough often filled with fruit preserves, much like the American jelly donut. The packs can even be filled and covered with sliced fruit, since during the fasting period the fruit also spoils along with the other main ingredients. They are made from a thick yeast dough, to which a little alcohol is usually added. They are fried until golden brown, then stuffed or left fantastically simple and fluffy before being dusted with powdered sugar or icing.
Fastnacht
The word ” fastnacht ” refers to both the holiday snack and the time of its enjoyment – just before Lent. The German version of fastnacht are soft, deep-fried yeast donuts that can be eaten with a dollop of black molasses (which sounds like a very rich flavor to me, but I support your choice). I was interested in the Pennsylvania Dutch version of fastnacht. This donut is made from yeasted potato dough with lots of butter and sugar. This recipe switches up mashed potatoes. I also appreciate this recipe for its helpful oil substitution tips and advice on how to definitely not use expired yeast.
Semlor buns
I hate to give you something unfried, but these semlor buns are too good to ignore. The buns, eaten in Sweden in the weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday, are cardamom-flavored and baked. Cut out the middle of the baked and cooled roll and fill it with sweetened almond filling and then a heap of whipped cream. Cover it with the small piece of roll you took out from the center. This recipe uses a tangzhong mixture to keep the roll soft.
Haitian beignets
There are flour-based beignets, popular in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and there are beignets , like those made in Haiti with a banana-based dough. The dough does not need proofing, its shape just needs to be dipped in oil for frying. Check out this recipe for a simple mix and fry method.
King Cake
In several regions of the United States (but none as iconic as New Orleans), the days leading up to Mardi Gras must include this monster of bread. King cake is a sweet, enriched yeast treat topped with icing and yellow, purple and green sprinkles. It’s an explosion of sugar, color and flavor. King cakes can be left unfilled, emphasizing their soft, donut-like texture, or the raw dough can be filled and tossed with jams, nuts, or cinnamon and sugar. The dough is then braided or rolled and shaped into a circle before baking. Tradition requires the baker to insert a small token, usually a plastic baby, into the bread. The one who got the piece along with the baby will bring the king cake next time. My king cake video includes a recipe and how-to tutorial.
Ornazo de hueves Lardero
Getting rid of all the perishables in one dish has never looked more obvious or tempting than at Hornazo. Hornazo de jueves lardero means the ingredients in your pantry are baked together and eaten on Fat Thursday. Commonly prepared and eaten in different regions of Spain, Hornazo can be prepared with sweet or savory bread depending on the area. Prepare the bread of your choice, proof it, and when you’re ready to bake, top with a raw egg, some smoked sausage, and a slice or two of bacon. Bake as usual. By the time the bread is completely baked, the meat and eggs will be ready too. You can watch this how-to video to learn how to do this.
Fritole and dolci di carnavale
In Italy there is no shortage of dishes to celebrate the days leading up to Lent. These include lasagna and ravioli, but no holiday would be complete without some sweet fried carbs. Dolci di carnevale includes such fantasies as zeppole and cicerchiata , and no Venetian carnival is complete without fritole. Fritole are fried pancakes made from yeast dough, topped with a little booze and sprinkled with raisins. Fry until crispy and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
All pancakes
At this point you might think that the name ‘donut day’ makes more sense, but in some countries, including the UK and Ireland, you may hear the day before Lent referred to as Shrove Tuesday or ‘pancake day’. If you think about it, if everyone throws eggs, butter, sugar and flour into a bowl, you end up with pancakes or donuts, depending on what baking powder you have left in your pantry. Shrove Tuesday pancakes are a little thinner than your usual fluffy discs, but a little bulkier than a French crepe. Try this recipe that makes the dough easy to make using a blender.
All the beauties
A traditional Maslenitsa delicacy in Goa, India, alle belles are similar in appearance to pancakes but do not contain eggs. Considering egg prices lately, this pancake might be right up your alley. The filling is amazing. Alle belles crepes are wrapped in a filling of shredded coconut, cashews and jaggery . The filling softens slightly in the warm pancake, giving it a delicate sweetness and harmony of textures. Try this recipe, which makes about 10 pancakes.