newjerseynewsroom.com

BY MARGARET MORGAN

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday” in French), the traditional New Orleans celebration and legal holiday, conjures up images of feathery fancy masks, wild partying, jazz through the streets and feasting. Mardi Gras marks the end of Carnival (which begins on January 6, the Twelfth Night of the Epiphany), the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.

Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is a day of feasting on rich, fatty foods before the ritual fasting during the Lenten season. Reportedly, the French Catholics would fry up their supply of butter, sugar, and other rich foods to avoid temptation during Lent.

In “Nawlins,” it’s become party time, big time – dancing through the streets in masks and elaborate costumes to the jiving tunes of live jazz music. Here in New Jersey, authentic New Orleans Cajun and Creole cuisine is served at The Trinity and the Pope in Asbury Park, along with traditional cocktails like the Sazerac and Hurricane.

On Fat Tuesday, Trinity and the Pope in Asbury Park will offer $5 jambalaya bowls and $3 Abita beers. Guests will be welcomed with a Fountain of Decadence, its spouts over-flowing in a waterfall-effect with $5 Hurricane cocktails. They will be offered King Cakes, Mardi Gras beads and face masks to the beat of New Orleans-style music. Live music combined with New Orleans-themed cocktails and menu specials will continue through March 12.

One of the Mardi Gras specials on Trinity and the Pope’s menu is: Sazarec Chicken under Brick (Serves four):

• 4 full chicken breasts (referred to as “Airline Chicken,” ribs removed and wings intact*).
• One brick covered in foil.
• 2 tsp. olive oil.
• 2 thinly sliced shallots.
• ½ cup rye or bourbon.
• ¼ stick of butter cut into cubes.
• 2 cloves of garlic sliced thin.
• 6 sprigs of basil sliced thin.
• 1 thin piece of lemon rind sliced thin.
• ¼ tsp. absinthe or pernod.

Put 1½ tsp. butter in hot skillet. Seer chicken breast skin down until dark in color. Flip chicken and place brick on top. Put in a 350º oven for 20 to 30 minutes until cooked through.

In a separate pan, in ½ tsp. olive oil, sauté shallots and garlic until translucent. Add whiskey and reduce (Caution! Watch your hair, as a flame will rise up). Add lemon, absinthe and basil. Simmer.

Pull chicken from oven and arrange on a plate. Pour sauce into the juice of the chicken in skillet and simmer for a few seconds, stirring constantly. Add cold butter, whisk and drizzle over chicken.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Marilyn Schlossbach.

* “Airline Chicken” descends from traditional European cuts, most notably “French cut.” The airline version leaves the meat on the first joint of the wing. Traditional European cuts are bone only. All versions are skin on.

For other stories covering food news, cooking and recipes, please visit my Shore Region Food Examiner page. For stories on interior design trends, visit me at Shore Region Interior Design Examiner.