New menu items created for Mardi Gras celebration – Daily News

Published February 8, 2012

GALVESTON — Mardi Gras revels, from floats to costumes to behavior, rarely have been a time for subtlety. Bright colors and bold strokes predominate, even in Mardi Gras menus.

One popular Galveston Mardi Gras event is managing this year to balance its festive approach with a more restrained menu at The Tremont House’s annual Mardi Gras Ball and Parade Viewing Party, scheduled for Feb. 18.

“In recent years, we’ve developed the menu around the evening’s theme,” said Marty Miles, director of food and beverage services for the complex that includes The Tremont House, The Hotel Galvez and Harbor House. “This year, with the theme being The Golden Era of Motown, we decided to go with just good food.”

Miles conferred with The Tremont House’s new executive chef Patrick Havard to develop a sophisticated but fun lineup to sustain partygoers through a long evening of dancing and socializing punctuated by the Knights of Momus Grand Night Parade, which passes in front of the hotel.

The theme for the 2012 ball didn’t lend itself readily to menu planning. While Motown brought America some of its best music, represented at the ball by a performance of The Legacy of the Temptations, presented by Legends in Concert, Detroit’s cuisine never made the Top 10 charts.

“When we researched Detroit’s cuisine, there’s really not a particular style or dish,” Miles said. “The thing they’re best known for is their junk food, so we’re incorporating a little of that into our passed hors d’oeuvres but with our own interpretation.”

Lobster hot dogs and scallop sliders will be among the evening’s opening acts. The lobster hot dogs and another appetizer, Bloody Mary Ceviche, made their debut last fall at the Galveston Restaurant Association’s Epicurean Evening, winning The Galvez the event’s Silver Fork award.

Detroit gives way to New Orleans in subsequent courses of the buffet dinner.

“I like the Southern or New Orleans twist on things,” Havard said. “There’s a little spice in almost everything.”

Havard, who joined The Tremont House in April after 10 years at Houston’s Four Seasons Hotel, will end the dinner with a selection of Louisiana-influenced desserts, including crème brûlée, bananas Foster and The Tremont’s bread pudding with bourbon sauce.

Havard also references the Crescent City in a chicken dish stuffed with cornbread and andouille sausage and goes local with a roasted Texas redfish. Accompaniments include roasted root vegetables and lobster macaroni and cheese.

“It’s a little over the top, but it’s great,” Havard said.

“The Tremont House Mardi Gras Ball is going to be a great way to introduce Patrick’s accomplishments to a larger audience here,” Miles said. “We’re going to have a lot of fun this year.”

That seems likely to be the case for all the attendees, as the event includes three bands, dancing to Motown’s greatest hits and prime viewing of the Knights of Momus Grand Night Parade.

A portion of the proceeds from the ball will benefit Galveston Sustainable Communities Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to neighborhood revitalization. Tickets for the Tremont House Mardi Gras Ball are available for purchase online at galveston.com/mardigrasball.

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Roasted Root Vegetables

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons paprika, preferably sweet Hungarian

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 medium baking potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 medium turnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices

8 ounces peeled and seeded butternut squash, cut into 1-inch chunks

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place oil, garlic, paprika, cumin and salt in a food processor or blender and pulse or blend until smooth.

Place the potato, sweet potato, turnip, rutabaga, carrots and squash in a roasting pan large enough to accommodate the pieces in a single layer. Toss with the spiced oil mixture until well combined.

Roast the vegetables, stirring once or twice, until tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

SERVES: 4-6

SOURCE: Eating Well magazine

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Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

8 medium sized red potatoes

2 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, or 2 teaspoons dried

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Quarter the potatoes, put in a mixing bowl and coat with oil. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Place evenly on baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, turning occasionally.

SERVES: 6-8

SOURCE: Whole Foods Market

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Classic Crème Brûlée

8 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar, plus ¼ cup for brûlée topping

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and the 1/3 cup sugar, whisk together until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Add cream and vanilla, and continue to whisk until well blended, strain into a large bowl, skimming off any foam or bubbles.

Divide mixture among 6 ramekins or custard cups. Place in a water bath, and bake until set around edges, but still loose in the center, about 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, sprinkle about 2 tsp. sugar over each custard. For best results, use a small hand torch to melt the sugar. If you do not have a torch, place ramekins under the broiler until sugar melts. Re-chill custards a few minutes before serving.

SERVES: 6

SOURCE: Williams-Sonoma

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