For Michael Harold and Quinn Peeper, “Carnival” season begins on January 6, immediately after the Christmas decorations come down. For almost a century and a half, New Orleans revelers have held myriad fêtes to celebrate Carnival on Twelfth Night, the final day of Christmas also known as The Feast of Epiphany or King’s Day. It is traditionally celebrated with King Cake, a circular shaped pastry, much like a brioche, with colorful icing on top, usually in Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, and gold. And as Fat Tuesday approaches, New Orleans is in its full glory with parades, formal balls, feasts, and parties.
Today, Michael and Quinn cordially invite The Glam Pad to share in their festivities! As two of New Orleans’ most beloved hosts, concert pianists, and authors of Classical Shindig, this dynamic duo is known for their spectacular Mardi Gras celebrations. After kicking off the season with Twelfth Night Supper, Michael and Quinn also host a King Cake Tea, Yardi Gras, and Lundi Gras, culminating with a formal dress-up dinner on Mardi Gras (which translates from French to “Fat Tuesday”). Any celebration leading up to Mardi Gras is “Carnival,” explains Michael. “If you say, ‘What are you going to dress as for Mardi Gras?’ it means the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.”
Welcome Michael and Quinn!
“First of all, we always talk about when Quinn moved to New Orleans that the color combination which represents Mardi Gras (Purple, green and gold) look horrible together,” says Michael. “The city is filled with the color; signs, shirts, cakes, flags, cups, you name. So Quinn was determined to figure out a tasteful way to combine those colors and I think he did a good job with it.”
Twelfth Night Supper
“Certain carnival balls take place on given nights of the season, and that has been going on since the mid 19th century. Twelfth Night is the official start of the season. It takes place every year on January 6th,” Michael says. “A very posh and private ball takes place that night but if you’re not going to the ball, there are ways people celebrate. They start that day by buying a traditional king cake which are sold between 12th night and Mardi Gras. It’s a brioche style cake (much like a cinnamon roll) and sometimes with filling and other times plain. Each person has his or her own favorites.”
He continues, “All bakeries in town sell king cakes and they’re all decorated with the colors purple, green and gold. A plastic baby is hidden in one piece and whoever gets the baby has to buy the next king cake. We had this tradition all through grammar school. I recall that one friend found the baby three weeks in a row and his mother refused to let him eat another bite of king cake and sent him to school with a piece from home.”
A traditional New Orleans King Cake sprinkled with purple, green, and gold sugared powder is served on a silver platter along with purple, green, and gold macarons from local bakery Sucre. The macaroons are served on Vieux Paris footed desert plateau with green filet plates. Yellow roses, tulips, and green viburnum are arranged in an Old Paris corbeille alongside purple French monogrammed napkins.
Lundi Gras
“On Monday night, the Proteus Ball takes place with a sea theme. Thus, we entitled our dinner ‘Delicacies of the Seas.’ Our Monday night dinner was a big seafood event,” said Michael.
Sea-themed colors of aquamarine and green are used to complement Creel and Gow nautilus, anemone, starfish candles, shell salt cellars, and place card holders. Gold coral cutlery is from Au Bon Marie, Paris. Wedgwood transferware decorated with marine life is from the estate of Mario Buatta.
Yardi Gras
During Covid, the mayor canceled all celebrations including the city-wide street party on Mardi Gras, all fancy Mardi Gras balls, and all of the street parades. The craftsmen who depend on the holiday for their business were devastated. Thus, many of the designers of floats started creating images to go on houses. And, the term “Yardi Gras” was invented. “Basically if we could not catch beads from floats at least we could design our houses to look like floats,” said Michael. “The tradition caught on and now throughout the city you see houses festooned with Carnival decorations. It’s a lot of fun. That explains the outside decoration.”
“Quinn was king one year of his Carnival krewe,” Michael continues, “and during Covid we were allowed gatherings under 15 people, so he got together with the captain of his organization along with the captain’s daughter to celebrate the day of the parade.”
The table is decorated in purple, green and gold with Mardi Gras beads, purple hydrangeas, and French monogramed linens dyed purple. There are traditional oyster plates, silver goblets and gold trimmed china. The cutlery is a gold coral pattern from Au Bain Marie on Rue de L’université in Paris. Also on the table is a former king’s crown filled with the flowers and some mini-carnival floats. The table runner is an authentic Japanese obi belt that belonged to Quinn’s family. When he was growing up in the Arkansas delta, it was a big deal to have an authentic obi for the table.
For desert, lemon soufflé cake is served (recipe in Classical Shindig). It is yellow served on green plates and topped with blueberries to give it a purple, green, and gold touch.
MARDI GRAS
A formal Mardi Gras dinner is served including Oysters Bourguignonne, Crabmeat Maison and Filet de Boeuf Gras, a Carnival tradition. Recipes can be found in Classical Shindig.
Laissez les bons temps rouler! Thank you Michael and Quinn for sharing your Mardi Gras traditions with us today! Such spectacular and exquisite festivities, I’m inspired to throw my own Mardi Gras party next year, Texas style. 🙂
To learn more about Michael Harold and Quinn Peeper, please visit www.classicalshindig.com and follow @classicalshindig on Instagram for more information! Their fabulous book, Classical Shindig: Amateur Artistry from the Simple to the Sublime with foreword by Henrietta Spencer-Churchill is not to be missed! You can also click here for a peek at how they decorate their beautiful 19th-century French Quarter home for Christmas.
