Boudin King Cake

It’s Mardi Gras season and that time of year when King Cakes are plentiful, and debates happen often regarding who has the best King Cake.

A huge sheet of cinnamon roll dough is rolled and shaped into a circle to form the King Cake.

After baking, the King Cake is topped with loads of white icing and covered with colored sugar granules of purple, green, and gold.

We always look forward to King Cake time and this year is no exception. We have already had one each weekend.

Some people prefer the King Cakes stuffed with fruit flavors and cream cheese. Mike and I love just a plain cinnamon roll King Cake with no fillings.

Boudin is a mixture of pork, seasonings, and rice that is stuffed in a casing just like sausage.

Boudin can also be formed into balls and deep fried; hence Boudin Balls. Yum!

So, instead of the traditional sweet King Cake, we made a savory version with pastry dough, Boudin, cheese, bacon, and a hot pepper jelly topping.

I was incredibly surprised how much I liked it. So was Mike but he wouldn’t admit it to me.

So, I hope you enjoy this recipe. It’s super easy and basically stuffing a pastry dough with your favorite ingredients.

Please note that our version was very spicy so if you want to eliminate some heat; forgo the Pepper Jack Cheese for a milder cheddar or soft cheese.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of cooked chopped bacon
1/2 cup of sliced green onions

1 pound Boudin links (about 4 links); other types of smoked sausage can be used as well.

2 cans of Pillsbury Crescent rolls

12 slices of Pepper Jack cheese

1 egg beaten (for egg wash)

1/2 hot pepper jelly or other spiced jelly of your choice

1 tablespoon of water

Coarse Salt

Preparation:

Pre-cook the bacon, drain, chop, and set-aside.

Chop the green onions.

Slice the cheese

In a small saucepan, heat the jelly on low and mix in the water to create a pourable consistency.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Take the Boudin link and split down the center, but do not cut all the way through.

You can remove the casing if you like.

Place four slices of cheese in the middle.

Repeat for each link.

On a baking sheet pan or pizza stone, roll out the crescent roll dough.

Take a cheese stuffed boudin link and place on a square of dough at the corner.

Roll the link to cover and wrap the excess dough over the ends to cover.

Place on the baking sheet and repeat until all four links are covered and makes a circle.

Press the excess dough on the ends together to connect each link in the circle.

Next, baste the dough ring with the egg wash (the beaten egg).

Be sure to cover all over to produce a crisp golden color during baking.

Note: if you don’t have a baster brush, use a paper towel to dab the egg wash onto the dough.

Sprinkle the ring with salt.

Place the baking sheet in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

Remove from oven.

Take the melted hot pepper jelly and coat top the dough ring. Don’t worry if it’s messy.

Sprinkle the chopped bacon and green onions for topping.

And there you go – a very easy pastry dough ring filled with meat and melted cheese with the added benefit of melted jelly and bacon on top.

Now that’s a meal right there.

Original recipe credit goes to George Graham at:
https://acadianatable.com/2020/01/13/boudin-king-cake/