Mardi Gras Surf and Turf Platter

Ingredients

Surf

• button mushrooms (stems and gills removed)
• large wild Gulf of Mexico shrimp, (cooked and ground)
• cooked lump crab meat (6 oz.)
• 4 Tbs mayonnaise
• 2 Tbs chopped green onions
• parsley
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Italian style cheese (finely shredded)
• ground red pepper

Instructions

Mix well the cooked ground shrimp, lump crab meat, mayonnaise, green onions, parsley and lemon juice. Stuff the button mushrooms and top with Italian style cheese. Lightly sprinkle a small amount of red ground pepper. Broil the stuffed mushrooms for approximately 4 to 5 minutes until the cheeses melt (keep a close eye on the broiling process so not to burn the cheeses). Form a circle around the outer rim of the platter with the stuffed mushrooms.

Turf

• 3 - 4 lb. beef roast
• 1 packet of Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix
• 2 tsp fresh cracked black peppercorns
• 1 tsp fresh cracked coriander seeds
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 cup peanut or vegetable oil

Instructions

Pour the can of beef broth into the slow cooker. Heat oil in a heavy skillet and brown the beef roast on all sides for a couple minutes. Mix the black peppercorns, coriander seeds and beefy onion soup mix together to create a rub. Coat all sides of the roast (except the bottom), put the roast in a slow cooker and cook for 2 to 3 hours on low heat (depending how you like the beef roast - medium rare, medium well or well done). Cool and relax the roast for a few minutes before slicing.

Trimmings

• 2 cups cooked long grain rice
• baby cut carrots
• chilled asparagus spears
• liquid from beef roast
• mushroom stems, chopped
• 2 Tbs all-purpose flour

Instructions

Insert the cut baby carrots (steamed or raw) in between each stuffed mushroom along the radius of the platter. Next, form a bed of cooked rice in the center of the platter and spoon on a generous amount of mushroom gravy. Neatly layer the sliced beef on top of the bed of rice. Return the entire platter to a low heat oven for about 15 minutes at 150 degrees F. until ready to serve. Before serving arrange the asparagus spears on either side of the sliced beef.

Note: To make the mushroom gravy add the beef liquid and chopped mushrooms stems in a sauce pan along with 2 Tbs all-purpose flour (dissolved in a half-cup of cold water) and bring to a slow boil, stirring occasionally.

Did you know that different variations of Mardi Gras are celebrated the world over - including Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean nations ( Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Curacao, Dominica,Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts , Nevis, St. Lucia, Saint Vincent, the Grenadines, St. Martin, Suriname, Trinidad, Tobago and the United States Virgin Islands), Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Italy, Netherlands, Panama, Spain, Sweden as well as several states in the United States?

Bon Appetit!

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