One of a Kind
Mobile, AL also suffered from Katrina's wrath but not as much as New Orleans or Biloxi, the other two important and well known Southern Gulf Coast cities. Beginning as a Native American habitat in the 1500's and it's history of having six separate flags fly on it's land, Mobile certainly is a "one of a kind" place.
And when people mention Mardi Gras, one automatically thinks of New Orleans..but don't be fooled....the tradition Mardi Gras actually started in Mobile in 1703 when it was a colony of French soldiers.
After having survived a particularly nasty bout with yellow fever, they decided to celebrate, but since party favors were few and far between in the New World, the men opted to paint their faces red and just act crazy for a few hours. They must have had fun because it became an annual event.
Mardi Gras was transformed into a parade event in 1840 by a group known as the Cowbellion de Rakin Society, the first of many of Mobile's so-called mystic organizations who journeyed to New Orleans in 1857 to help a group there set up a Mardi Gras celebration.
One of the strangest "one of a kind" aspects of Mobile is the "jubilee"
The eastern shore of Mobile Bay periodically experiences an unusual phenomenon called a Jubilee. A jubilee, which usually takes place in the wee hours of warm nights, describes a massive upsurge of sea life from the bottom of the bay. This phenomenon has also been observed in a similar bay in Japan and is believed to be caused by low oxygen levels in the water. This upsurge to the surface usually consists of crabs, shrimp, flounder and other sea delicacies. Needless to say, a jubilee, when first realized, is quickly spread by word of mouth along the coast, providing an impromptu fishing party in the middle of the night. - wikipedia
And, of course, they have a rich and storied history of food and Junior League Cookbooks. The one that I have in my bookshelf, "One of a Kind" which made its debut in April 1981 and has sold over 103,000 issues and received the Southern Living Hall of Fame Award.
Bobbie Austin's New Orleans Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
1 loaf French bread
1 quart milk
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 cup raisins
3 tablespoons margarine, melted
Soak bread in milk. Crush with hands until mixed. Add eggs, sugar, vanilla and raisins. Pour melted margarine in the bottom of a thick pan and pour in the batter. Bake until very firm at 350 degrees for approximately 50 minutes to an hour. Cool.
Whiskey Sauce
1 stick butter
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons milk
2 jiggers whiskey
Cream together butter and sugar. Add milk and flavor this with whiskey. Heat. Serve over bread pudding.
Serves 10
That sounds amazing!
Posted by
Traci |
Sun Sep 11, 08:10:00 PM