Mardi Gras, also called Fats Tuesday, is the final evening of consuming wealthy, fatty meals earlier than the Catholic season of Lent begins. Whereas the vacation is understood for its epic parades, consuming, feasting, and unrestrained revelry, certainly one of our favourite methods to rejoice it’s by the consuming of Mardi Gras’s signature dessert: king cake.
In response to Caluda’s King Desserts, the custom is claimed to have been delivered to New Orleans from France in 1870. The braided, cinnamon-filled truffles, that are coated with white icing earlier than being topped with purple, inexperienced, and yellow sprinkles, have been a staple of the vacation ever since.
Whereas king truffles generally is a bit tough to make your self at house, there are thankfully a number of bakeries and eating places in Houston the place you’ll be able to order complete king truffles or king cake–impressed treats. Listed below are a few of our favourite locations to get them.
Dessert Gallery
UPPER KIRBY
If there’s anyone who is aware of learn how to get festive, it’s chef Sara Brook and her candy workers at Dessert Gallery. This 12 months the bakery is providing all kinds of choices for lovers of all issues king cake. For traditionalists with a style for journey, there’s the praline crunch king cake and the cinnamon king cake, each made with flaky Danish dough and topped with royal icing and sprinkles (and praline crumbs for the praline crunch).
The galette de rois is not colourful like the normal king cake.
Etoile Delicacies Et Bar
uptown
Chef Philippe Verpiand is displaying Houstonians how the French rejoice Mardi Gras together with his particular galette des rois. Not like the king cake most are accustomed to, this model is product of layers of puff pastry and full of almond cream. Sorry to the oldsters who benefit from the vibrancy of king cake—the galette des rois doesn’t have a coloured sugar topping. Complete truffles can be found for preorder and priced at $40 ($55 in the event you add a Kramer glowing wine). Every cake can feed about six to eight individuals. Desserts should be ordered with a 24 hour discover by calling 832-668-5808. The restaurant will even offer slices of the galette des rois for individuals who dine in.
French Connoisseur Bakery
River Oaks
If you need an genuine style of king cake, French Connoisseur Bakery is the place to get it. Based by Mary and Patrice Ramain in 1973, the River Oaks bakery has turn into a vacation spot for Houstonians who love French confections. Main as much as Mardi Gras, the bakery has a number of king cake choices: the New Orleans–model king cake ($39.99) that is available in almond, cinnamon, and cream cheese flavors; king cake roll in cinnamon ($5.29); and galette des rois ($54.99), however solely on weekends or by particular order.
Josephine’s
Midtown
Whereas most king truffles need to be ordered from bakeries and might’t be eaten in-house, Midtown Gulf Coast restaurant Josephine’s is providing complete king truffles on its menu this Mardi Gras season—which means you’ll be able to take pleasure in a slice of cake out with mates with out having to fret about the remainder of it languishing in your fridge for too many days. Josephine’s king cake feeds 4 and features a hidden child and a strawberry jam and cream cheese filling.
Get your occasion on with a king cake kolache from Kolache Shoppe.
Kolache Shoppe
Greenway Plaza, Heights, Pearland
Rejoice, Houston kolache followers. Kolache Shoppe will as soon as once more supply its king cake specialty. Made with the bakery’s signature fluffy yeast dough, these kolaches shall be a totally realized Texas-Louisiana culinary crossover occasion. Kolache Shoppe’s king cake kolaches come full of cinnamon cream cheese and pecans and are topped with an almond-vanilla glaze and dustings of coloured sugar. The particular kolaches shall be accessible for $3 Thursday by Saturday on the Greenway location beginning on January 2, and Friday to Sunday on the Heights and Pearland areas beginning January 3. They will even be accessible within the days main as much as Mardi Gras in any respect areas.
Memorial Bakery
Memorial
Situated proper off the Katy Freeway, Memorial Bakery has one thing for each vacation—actually. The neighborhood bakery isn’t slicing any corners for Mardi Gras, both. What we love most about chef Richard Lin’s model of the king cake is that it comes with cream cheese icing as a substitute of the normal royal icing. You can even buy a king cake full of both strawberry or raspberry.
Moeller’s Bakery
West College
Town’s oldest family-owned and operated bakery, based in 1930, makes a number of the greatest desserts within the space. The quaint West U pastry store crafts lovely king truffles completely dusted in gold, purple, and inexperienced. Small king truffles right here begin at $45, and huge ones begin at $64. Fillings, which value a further $5 to $10, embrace raspberry, cream cheese, or each. The store can be providing all kinds of Mardi Gras–impressed cookies and cupcakes this 12 months.
Three Brothers Bakery
Braeswood, Memorial, Tanglewood, Washington Ave
Wealthy historical past and good meals go hand in hand, and that’s precisely what you’ll get at Three Brothers Bakery, whose authentic location opened in 1949. The bakery has a strong menu of king cake choices, from traditional king cake to Mardi Gras cheesecake, petit fours, and cookies. Plain king truffles right here go for $20, whereas cream cheese or fruit-filled ones value $30.
