We had another Progressive Dinner a short time ago and because it was in such close proximity to Mardi Gras, we decided it would be a perfect theme! JT and I had dessert so I experimented with King’s Cake, a brioche style pastry roll with pecans and sugar, decorated with yellow, green and purple sanding sugars, but honestly it tasted like breakfast to me and not dessert (sorry Southerners), so back to the drawing board I went. JT suggested Mississippi Mud Pie and after a little research I agreed. Definitely decadent enough for a Mardi Gras dessert and it can be classed up, restaurant style. I found a delightful warm chocolate tart recipe on Anna Olson’s website and altered it a bit to include some of the warm spices reminiscent of King’s Cake. OK, I am fully aware that mud pie is usually made from ice cream and whipped cream, but hey, I’m taking artistic licence!
This was our 9th progressive dinner, we’ve been having them since 2012! It’s the BEST group of neighbours and everyone gives it their all to make the evening fantastic, which often lasts until the wee hours of the morning…
Here is the menu from this time around, everything was incredibly DELICIOUS!
House #1 Appetizers:
- Spicy Cajun Shrimp
- Fried Andouille Sausage
- Crab Cakes
House #2 Main Course:
- Blackened Chicken Thighs
- Corn Maque Choux
- Rice and Beans
House #3 Dessert:
- Bourbon Street Mud Pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream
- Limoncello
- Late night snack: homemade potato chips with sour cream (Greek yogurt) and onion dip
Bourbon Street Mud Pie
Makes 8 servings of 10 cm or 4 inch mini tarts. Original recipe can be found here.
Ingredients for the pastry:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 80 g icing sugar, sifted
- 3 large egg yolks
- 160 g cake & pastry flour
- 24 g Dutch Process cocoa powder
- 20 g cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp bourbon
Directions for the pastry:
- Cream the icing sugar and butter until smooth, then add the yolks and bourbon all at once and beat until fully encorporated.
- Sift the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt) into the butter mixture and stir by hand until evenly combined. The dough is much looser than most pastries. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment until just less than 2mm (¼” thick). Cut circles of the pastry to line eight 10 cm (4-inch) fluted tart shells with a removable bottom, pressing the dough into the shells and trimming away any excess. If the dough softens, just pop it back into the freezer to harden up for a few minutes. Prick the pastry with a fork. Chill the tart shells for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chilled tart shells onto a baking sheet and bake them for about 15-18minutes, until you see that the pastry has an even, dull finish. Allow to cool while preparing the filling.
Ingredients for the filling:
- 3 large egg separated
- 112 g sugar, divided
- 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 g Dutch Process cocoa powder, sifted
- 86 g bittersweet chocolate, melted (but still warm)
- 30 bourbon
Directions for the filling:
- Whip the remaining 3 egg whites until foamy then slowly add ¼ cup of the sugar and continue whipping on high speed until the whites hold a soft peak. Set aside.
- Whip the 3 egg yolks with the remaining ¼ cup (112 g) of sugar, the vanilla and orange zest until pale and thick. Fold in the egg whites and gently whisk in the cocoa powder, melted chocolate and bourbon. You may refrigerate this overnight (I did for 1 night and 1 full day and it was fine).
- Pour the filling into the cooled tart shells and bake for about 8-12 minutes at 350°F until the tarts just begin to lose their shine around the edges, but the centre is still dark and glossy. Allow the tarts to cool 2 minutes, before carefully removing them from their shells to serve warm or allow to come to room temperature. Serve with whipped cream.
Love this! Love love love the theme too.
I’ve never been in a progressive dinner. It’s on my bucket list. I just have get a bit more chummy with my neighbours. I love how there are several items per house and 3 houses seems doable. Some of our friends love a couple of blocks away so if another friend would move close by, we’d have ourselves a delicious dinner triangle.
LikeLike
The smaller mud pie tartlets look fantastic & outrage sly divine too!
Is bourbon the same as cognac??? A wonderful recipe for me to try out soon,…Of course! xxx
LikeLike
Hi Eva! Wanted to pop in and say hello. You know how much I love your progressive dinners! Such a fun idea. And by the look of the menu all very creative too!! I bet it was a delicious night. I hope all is well. I think of you often. I know your IL friends are moving, but WI is not too far. We can always come up that way too! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
These little mudpies are so gorgeous. You and your lucky neighbors have quite a good thing going. GREG
LikeLike
simply damn delicious!!!
LikeLike
how fun that everyone is equally enthusiastic and participates so fully in these dinners. The menu sounds rather amazing (love the late night snack inclusion – just in case 😉 ). Your mud pie/pies sound like quite the treat ~ I never need convincing when it comes to chocolate and love the orange zest here. What have you got sprinkled over your pecans? (is that an iridescent sugar of sorts?) – neat effect.
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing this mud pie with us, I’ll try to prepare it too 😀
LikeLike
Your progressive dinners sound like so much fun! These mud pies must have been the star at the last one — really, really nice. Like the light in that last photo. Anyway, fun post — thanks.
LikeLike
Wow, those tarts are really something! Sounds like fun! xo
LikeLike
my native new orleans husband would go crazy for this and that blackened chicken is more up my alley!
LikeLike
WHOA! This looks CRAZY RICH!!
LikeLike
This looks really, really fantastic! I love the 1-2 punch of adding cinnamon and orange to the chocolate and the bourbon. Plus pecans on top? King Cake could only dream of being this good. Besides, I think the King Cake is more about luck and the baby than the taste! 😉
LikeLike
Wow your ninth one! What fun you guys have. And I can see what you mean about the king’s cake tasting like a cinnamon bun. I’ve never made one but I’d love to one day 🙂
LikeLike
You aced the dessert course—your tarts look divine. I don’t think I’ve ever heard my family say something is too rich, though I know exactly what you mean. Thanks for sharing your menu with us!
LikeLike
Quite a dinner I must say no wonder it went into the wee hours.I am for the ganache on top, never too much chocolate.
LikeLike
These look amazing, Eva. I keep meaning to get some little tart rings to make such things as these. I’ll just have to make a big one now!
LikeLike
I do love hearing about your progressive dinners. I would love to join in! The blackened chicken sounds really good. Your bourbon pie looks amazing xx
LikeLike
This is my perfect meal. We love all things creole and cajun, although we confuse the two. But nevermind that! It’s almost time for the crawfish truck to be back open for business. I’m thinking etouffee.
LikeLike
I think I could convince myself to eat ONE of those tarts even with the ganache on top, though I agree, it probably doesn’t need it. 🙂 Anna Olson’s recipes are usually pretty good. I used to watch “Sugar” regularly.
I see you served limoncello too … was it your first try of the liqueur or is it an old favourite? I can’t remember what you said and am too lazy to check in previous posts.
LikeLike
Hi Maria, the tarts are quite rich (think a rich brownie-type filling) and the ganache definitely put it over the top. We generally over do it for eating because the food is just so darn good, but if I were to serve it again during a more modest dinner, I might add the ganache back.
Limoncello is definitely an old favourite, it just finishes off a meal perfectly and I adore anything lemony — even though it’s a bit sweet. One of our favourite restaurants always comps us a little glass after every meal we eat there`, it’s so thoughtful and generous of them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m going to make some sort of tarts one of these days … still haven’t decided on sweet or savoury yet though.
As to the limoncello … I wasn’t sure if you were the person who commented about getting that lovely end of meal nip. A restaurant you definitely want to keep going back to.
LikeLike
Those tarts look amazing. I do like a Mississippi mud pie – you’d get no objections from me, only five 5’s!
LikeLike
Thanks Maureen, they were tasty little tarts for sure.
LikeLike
Those mini chocolate pecan tarts look seriously rich and heavenly!
LikeLike
Thank you Angie, they were quite lovely. As I type this I can certainly see substituting spelt flour for the pastry flour for its nutty taste and making it a bit healthier (although, who are we kidding?)
LikeLike