Celebrate Mardi Gras with a recipe inspired by "Pancake Tuesday" and a drink to honor Brazil's carnival.
MICAH MERTES / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Monday, February 4, 2008 6:00 pm
Millions around the world Tuesday will celebrate Mardi Gras — a jubilee marked by masks, beads and exotic drinks.
Traditionally, this celebrates the last day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. So Mardi Gras is a day of overindulgence in food, drink and life before several weeks of self-restraint.
You might not be in New Orleans. And you might not be Christian. But that doesn’t mean you should squander a chance to be a little hedonistic.
We’ve got two words for you: pancakes and caipirinha.
Mardi Gras (literally: Fat Tuesday) is also known to some as Pancake Tuesday, because pancakes are great to make if you want to use up all the sugar and fat in your kitchen.
If you really want to get the sinful stuff out of the cupboard, we’ve got a good cinnamon pancake recipe for you.
And after all that sugar and fat, you’re going to be ready for a drink.
As an homage to the rowdy Brazilian Carnival taking place today in Rio de Janeiro, why not mix yourself a Brazilian cocktail?
The caipirinha (kai-per-REE-nya) cocktail, wildly popular in its homeland, has popped up in U.S. restaurants and bars as of late.
Caipirinha’s main ingredient is cachaca (kah-SHAH-sah), a sugarcane blend that has been called Brazil’s national liquor. We called a handful of Lincoln liquor stores in Lincoln, and all said they carried cachaca.
Reach Micah Mertes at 473-7395 or mmertes@journalstar.com.
Cinnamon Griddle Cakes
1½ cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons corn syrup
¼ cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, corn syrup, butter and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-low heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using about ¼ cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
While pancakes are cooking, mix the icing: Combine confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and enough milk to make a liquid frosting. Drizzle frosting on hot pancakes before serving.
From allrecipes.com.
Caipirinha
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
8 limes wedges
2½ ounces cachaca
Muddle the sugar into the lime wedges in an old-fashioned glass. Fill the glass with ice cubes. Pour the cachaca into the glass. Stir well. The quality of your cachaca is going to matter in how smooth your cocktail is. And feel free to experiment with the amount sugar if you don’t like your drinks too sweet.
From drinksmixer.com