Experiencing Mardi Gras in Louisiana not an option this year? No worries, St. Louis has plenty of good times and food to keep the good times rolling.

The St. Louis Soulard Mardi Gras officially kicked off on January 6, Twelfth Night, the traditional start of the Carnival season and will conclude this year on February 21, downtown with the Lumiere Place Fat Tuesday Parade. But don’t hang on to those Mardi Gras beads waiting for Fat Tuesday. There’s plenty of partying and events to enjoy. And of course, what’s going to make those events special will be the Cajun and Creole food.

Taste of Soulard, sponsored by Southern Comfort is February 11 and 12 from 11am – 5pm each day. This is a chow down opportunity to sample the signature of over 30 restaurants. A few dishes on the menu are 1860’s Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya, Big Daddy’s Cajun Crab Stuffed Mushrooms and Soulard’s Coffee Garden’s Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake. On Saturday, a complimentary trolley will run between establishments.

To get a taste of these delights you have to have a ticket. Taste booklets hold seven tickets and are priced at $25. You can purchase as many taste booklets as you like – good news for the hungry.

The Crystal Cajun Cook-off (held this year on February 4 at St Louis’ City Hall Rotunda) is a culinary showdown for both professional and amateur chefs. Contestants present original dishes that are judged for top honors and the right to be proclaimed best Cajun/Creole dish. Attendees can view the chef’s work their culinary magic while sampling Cajun delicacies. The cook-off is a ticketed event. The $30 ticket includes four sample dishes and unlimited soft drinks and for those of legal age, to imbibe samples of Bud Light and the official Mardi drink, the Hurricane.

“You have to have a hurricane or its not Mardi Gras,” says Bill Kunz, owner of Hwy 61 Roadhouse, who reported pouring over 30 gallons of hurricanes during last year’s Mardi Gras. “You got to have something with crawfish or andouille and a Kings’ Cake, too. A little Zydeco music also gets the party going and keeps things hot.”

Kunz, who has made Webster Groves Mardi Gras central in St Louis County, knows how to throw down a Mardi Gras party with the creation of “Pardi” Gras. Pardi Gras has become the annual Mardi Gras party at the Hwy 61 Roadhouse since it opened in 2006. Besides the expected beads and drinks, the Roadhouse hosts a variety of activities from packages that include transportation to the big downtown parades to Cajun inspired buffet breakfasts to a local favorite - late night libations with an order of Louisiana Barbecue Shrimp served with a side of Zydeco sound.

To help celebrate the Mardi Gras season, Kunz has shared his recipe for Louisiana Barbecue Shrimp. I’ve added two of my favorites from my past cooking classes at St Louis Community Collage, Kings Cake and a Gumbo. Make one or all three; then serve and watch the good times roll.

Louisiana BBQ Shrimp

(Courtesy Hwy 61 Roadhouse)

Seasoning mix

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 1/2 sticks butter, unsalted

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced

1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup shrimp stock*

1/4 cup Beer, light lager, room temperature

1 pound shrimp (select size: 21-25 count tail on shrimp)

1 cup cooked rice

1/2 loaf French bread

In a small bowl, mix all spices together to make seasoning mix. Put butter in sauté skillet over medium heat. Once butter has melted add garlic and sauté until garlic has softened. Add Worcestershire sauce, shrimp stock, beer and seasoning mix. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to stick to the spoon. Add shrimp, stirring to make sure all shrimp are completely coated with butter. Cook for approximately 5 minutes until shrimp become transparent. Scoop rice in serving bowl, pour over shrimp mixture. Serve with plenty of bread to sop up the butter and napkins to wipe the fingers. Serves 2 or one hungry Cajun.

Editor’s note: If you can’t find shrimp stock substitute clam juice or chicken stock.

NOLA style King’s Cake

2 envelopes (each 1/4 ounce) dry yeast

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup warm milk (125 degrees) plus 5 tablespoons milk at room temperature

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

5 large egg yolks, at room temperature

4 to 5 cups bleached all-purpose flour, as needed

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature

4 cups confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 plastic king cake baby or a dried bean

Purple, green and gold tinted sugar sprinkles

Combine the yeast and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the butter and the 1/2 cup warm milk and mix together. With the mixer running, add the eggs. Add the flour, salt, nutmeg and zest, and beat at medium-low until well mixed. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl, forms a ball and climbs up the dough hook.

Remove the dough from the mixing bowl. Place the dough in the new bowl that’s been brushed with the oil. Turn dough over, then cover with plastic wrap and set aside until it doubles in size, about 2 hours.

For the filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar. Blend by hand or with an electric mixer on low. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Using your fingers, pat it out into a rectangle about 30 inches long and 6 inches wide. Spread the filling lengthwise on the bottom half of the dough, then flip the top half over the filling. Seal, pinching the dough together. Using your hands, shape the dough into a cylinder and place on the prepared pan seam side down. Shape the dough into a ring and pinch the ends together so there isn't a seam. Insert the king cake baby or bean half into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough.

Cover the ring and let the dough rise until it doubles in size, about 45 minutes. Brush the top of the cake with 2 tablespoons of the milk. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

For the icing, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons milk, the lemon juice and the remaining 3 cups confectioners' sugar. Stir to blend well; spread the icing evenly over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals, alternating colors around the cake. Makes one cake. Makes one large cake – serving 12-14 large slices.

Andouille Gumbo

6 Tablespoons flour

1 /12 cup vegetable oil

3 large onions, chopped

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 small can tomato paste

1 green pepper, chopped

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

1/2 cup chopped parsley

hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste

6 cups water

1 pound okra, fresh or frozen

2 pounds chopped or sliced andouille*

1/2 teaspoons file powder

cooked rice

In a large stockpot make the roux by combining the flour and oil, cook over a medium heat until rich, dark and smooth. This takes about 30 minutes. Add garlic and onions, sauté until soft. Stir in tomato paste, green pepper, bay, thyme, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. This sauce should be rich and thick. Slowly stir in the water a little at a time to keep the sauce thick. Add okra, sausage, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Stir in file powder. Adjust taste with extra hot sauce, pepper and salt. Serve in bowls spooned over cooked rice. Serves 6 – 8.

Editor’s note: * Andouille can be substituted with or combined with shrimp, crawfish or chicken.