Celebrate Fat Tuesday with Every Day with Rachael Ray

Celebrate Fat Tuesday the old-fashioned way – with a classic Bayou feast! For additional recipes pick up the February issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray - on newsstands now!

Classic Hurricane Cocktails
Makes 8 Drinks

½ cup sugar
Ice cubes
2 cups rum
2 cups passion fruit juice
2 cups orange juice
2 cups pineapple juice
½ cup orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
Juice of 4 limes (about ½ cup)
Bitters, such as Angostura
8 fresh pineapple wedges

1) In a small saucepan, heat ½ cup water and sugar over medium heat and stir until dissolved. Let the simple syrup cool.
2) Fill a pitcher with ice cubes. Add the rum, passion fruit juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, orange liqueur, lime juice and simple syrup and stir until chilled. Strain the cocktail into glasses, top each with a dash of bitters and garnish with a pineapple wedge.

Coconut Shrimp Beignets with Pepper Jelly Sauce
Makes 40
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Vegetable oil
1 small jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup apple jelly
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
¾ pound shrimp – peeled, deveined and cit into ½-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
2 cups flour
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
¼ cup finely chopped scallions
1 tablespoon baking powder
One 12-ounce bottle amber beer

1) In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the jalapeno and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the apple jelly, cider vinegar, mustard and hot sauce and cook until the jelly is melted. Put the pepper jelly sauce into a serving dish.
2) In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over high heat. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook until pink, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to paper-towel-lined plate and let cool.
3) Fill a heavy, medium saucepan halfway with oil and heat until the oil registers 360o on a deep-fat thermometer. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss together the flour, coconut, scallions, baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk in the beer ¼ cup water. Stir the shrimp into the batter.
4) Using two soup spoons, scoop some shrimp and batter into one spoon, then, with the other spoon, scrape with batter into the hot oil. Fry 6 beignets at a time, turning once, until puffy and light brown, 1 minute on each side. Transfer the beignets to a paper-towel-lined plate; season with salt. Serve hot with the pepper jelly sauce.

Oyster, Bacon and Swiss Chard Gratin
8 Servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes

3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 bunches Swiss chard, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
18 oysters, chopped
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup bread crumbs

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Add the onion, garlic and butter and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and cook until wilted, 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander and squeeze out any excess liquid. Reserve the skillet.
2) Add the cream and nutmeg to the skillet and boil until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
3) Stir the chard mixture into the cream. Add the oysters and ½ cup parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into a greased 3-quart baking dish.
4) In a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup parmesan and bread crumbs; sprinkle over the gratin. Bake until golden and bubbling around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

For more recipes and party tips visit Rachael Ray Magazine online.