It’s Mardi Gras! 10 recipes to let the good times roll

It's time for Mardi Gras -- or Fat Tuesday -- a.k.a. an all-day pass to eating, drinking and all-around celebrating before Lent. It's also known as Pancake Day, a nod to the tradition of making use of ingredients such as sugar and eggs before the fasting begins. We've collected some of our favorite L.A. Times Test Kitchen recipes celebrating this raucous holiday. Laissez les bons temps rouler! --Rene Lynch First up: Spinach and crawfish pie. Click here for the recipe.

It’s time for Mardi Gras -- or Fat Tuesday -- a.k.a. an all-day pass to eating, drinking and all-around celebrating before Lent. It’s also known as Pancake Day, a nod to the tradition of making use of ingredients such as sugar and eggs before the fasting begins. We’ve collected some of our favorite L.A. Times Test Kitchen recipes celebrating this raucous holiday. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

--Rene Lynch

First up: Spinach and crawfish pie. Click here for the recipe. (Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times)

March 7, 2014 12:13 AM PT

Rich

Cajun shrimp and corn soup. Click here for the recipe. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Great for turkey leftovers

This gumbo is made of turkey, artichokes and andouille sausage. Click here for the recipe. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Seafood is the star

Creole gumbo with shrimp, crab and andouile sausage. Click here for the recipe. (Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times)

Gumbo combo

It’s made with andouille sausage, duck and okra. Click here for the recipe. (Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times)

A cut above

Spellings vary for this savory sandwich. Some call it a muffuletta. Others, a muffaletta. Does it matter? This is a New Orleans classic. Click here for the recipe. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)

Sweet surrender

French crepes with Nutella, bananas and warm cognac sauce. And because that’s not enough, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, to top it all off. Click here for the recipe. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

One-two punch

Pralines go with everything. Like pumpkin ice cream. Click here for the recipes. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

Small tarts, big flavor

Pralines also finish off this walnut tart with espresso ice cream. Click here for the recipe. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

We saved the best for last

A trip to New Orleans wouldn’t be complete with chicory coffee and beignets dusted with confectionary sugar. Click here for the recipe. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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