Happy 2022 - Happy Mardi Gras - and welcome back. This is the first full issue of the CulinaryWoman Newsletter of the year. Everyone gets this edition, but our paid subscribers hear from me throughout the week. Paid subscriptions help keep CulinaryWoman and I appreciate your support.
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Let Them Eat King Cake
Friday was the feast of the Epiphany, better known in New Orleans as the day we can start eating King Cake.
King Cake, for those who don’t know, is a brioche-based, oval shaped pastry with some type of filling. Sweet ones are generally iced with cream cheese frosting, and decorated with sprinkles in purple, green and gold.
It is a cousin of the French cake, galette des rois, or literally, “cake of the kings.” But galette des rois features puff pastry and an almond paste filling, while King Cake be filled with just about any sweet or savory flavors you can think of. I’ve seen everything from red bean to crawfish, Bananas Foster to satsuma, and of course, the classic cinnamon.
Each type of cake contains a charm — a plastic baby, in the case of King Cake, and a bean or ceramic “feve” inside a galette des rois. The person who finds the charm has to give the next King Cake party.
Tradition says King Cake can only be eaten between the Feast of the Epiphany, on Jan. 6, and Fat Tuesday, which falls on Feb. 21 this year.
I’ve been in New Orleans in past years to see King Cake’s growing popularity. This year, it’s really exploding and some of the most sought-over cakes are already sold out.
Happy food memories
In the course of researching a story for The Takeout, I talked to several New Orleans area food figures about why King Cake resonates so much here. The answer that stayed with me came from Jennifer Samuels, the proprietor of King Cake Hub.
“It’s fun. It’s special. Food has so many ties to memories. It’s for most a memory of happy times.”
Jennifer, herself a baker, and her late husband Will started the marketplace several years ago after they grew frustrated rocketing from one end of town to the other in search of king cakes.
Will’s death in 2021 at just 52 sent grief across the food world, but Jennifer vowed to continue the hub, which is now her full time, year-around job. The marketplace in the MidCity neighborhood has cakes from 17 different bakers, cute souvenirs, and even macarons and ice cream.
I admire Jennifer’s determination, which reminds me of my mother’s. Two weeks after she became a widow, she and I went to a church fair that included lunch. My mother had been involved in setting up the festivities, and she arrived and set to work, albeit in a black dress.
When she got a chance to sit down, one of the ladies asked her what she planned to do with my father gone. The implication was clearly that her life would be bleak without a husband to support her.
My mother, who was employed by a local university, replied, “Well, go on, of course. I have my children to consider.” We never spoke of it afterwards, but it made me feel reassured - and proud that she was not giving up.
Honoring our ancestors
My mother was also on my mind reading a poignant article from Kat Kinsman, the much-admired executive features editor of Food and Wine. Kat lost her mother in 2020, not long after the Covid outbreak, when nursing homes implemented restrictions on visitors. She and her family were not allowed to mark her mother’s passing as they hoped.
Her mother’s favorite meal was inexpensive spaghetti with red sauce and Parmesan from a green canister. It was “a Mont Blanc of boxed pasta and jarred Ragu heaped high and edge to edge on a Corningware dinner plate like a holy intention she'd set for herself to scale.”
This summer, Kat made herself a similar dish on the two year anniversary of her mother’s death. “After a walk through a nearby cemetery, my husband and I collected the supplies: a box of unfancy spaghetti, a jar of Ragu, a shaker of something that passed for Parmesan. I filled my bowl and finished it.”
Whether your memories are sweet or savory, I hope you will indulge yourself this year. Happy Mardi Gras!
The Winner Of The Big Texas Cookbook
I’m delighted to announce the winner of the Big Texas Cookbook. It is going to Mary Ellen Lavenberg of Weston, Mass., my father’s home state.
Mary Ellen writes, “I am a recreational reader interested in new and different tastes. These experiences often shape my travels and challenge my thoughts about geography, culture and humanity.
All this is another way to say I am retired and enjoying every day.
And as a last thought, yours is the only blog I have ever subscribed to. It is quick to read and it makes me consider my own experience or lack of experience on your theme.”
That is such a nice compliment! The book is on its way. Thank you, Mary Ellen, for being a paid subscriber. To upgrade and become eligible for our future giveaways, just click here. The next one will be coming soon.
Some News About Satisfaction Guaranteed
It is book award season, and I am delighted that Satisfaction Guaranteed has been named one of Michigan’s Notable Books for 2023, as compiled by the Library of Michigan.
The committee — a dozen Michigan librarians, reviewers, historians and others — considered about 250 titles. Each book, published during the previous calendar year, must be about or set in Michigan, or written by a Michigan author.
“In this road map for manifesting joy and purpose in business, a noted national journalist looks at the inception, growth, future and unique management style of Zingerman's, a beloved $70 million-dollar Michigan-based specialty food store with global reach,” the judges said.
Speaking of libraries, Satisfaction Guaranteed was among the most-requested books in 2022 at the Ann Arbor Public Library. It makes me happy to know that people back home asked for it.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
My first book event of 2023 is this Tuesday. I will be speaking to Contra Costa Jewish Community Center. The Zoom program begins at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT and you’re welcome to join us. Check their website for the link.
Remember that if you or a loved one received a copy of my book as a gift, I’m happy to send a signed bookplate. There’s no charge. Be sure to give me the name for the dedication and an address where the bookplate can be sent.
I’m reachable at culinarywoman at gmail dot com. You can follow me on Facebook at Culinarywoman. Find me on Instagram at MichelineMaynard and my New Orleans adventures are at Micki_in_Nola.
There are all kinds of bugs going around and this is peak allergy season for many of us in warm places. Take care of your health! I’ll see our free subscribers next week and our paid subscribers tomorrow with Red Beans and Advice.