The beat of Zydeco could be heard all over Lake Pontchartrain. We couldn’t get off our boat fast enough to get into the spirit of the Mandeville Seafood Fest, and the kind of grand party that only the folks around these parts know how to throw.

The music played on, hour after hour, one group after another, as the fair goers, from tots to grandpas and everyone in between two-stepped, swung, and boogied.

But first things first. We followed the aromas wafting from the booths where the most important event – food preparation – was taking place, the food court. Folks were ecstatically indulging in all the stuff that makes any fair a delight. There was crawfish pie, crawfish etouffee, filet gumbo, jambalaya, fried eggplant, fried green tomatoes, alligator on a stick, shrimp kabobs, alligator burgers, cold shrimp pasta, bloomin’ onions and potato ribbons; and for dessert we had to choose from bread pudding, funnel cakes, pralines, all kinds of cookies and fried cakes and fudge… the variety was incredible. We couldn’t make up our minds how to satisfy our appetites; after all, one can eat only so much, although I would have liked to try everything. My husband, not a great culinary adventurer, opted to stick to a bowl of jambalaya and a catfish po’boy, two old favorites. I jiggled back and forth between an alligator burger and my own old all-time favorite, shrimp po’boy. The shrimp won!

No, I didn’t pick up any recipes at the festival, but the sight of all those goodies motivated me to dig through my file so I can cook fair-type food when I’m in the mood.

I was especially intrigued by the potato ribbons. I had never eaten them; in fact, I had never even heard of them. They were like homemade potato chips but in strips. Of course, I had to duplicate something that delicious. Here is a successful method I came up with for you to try.

Potato Ribbons

Use firm, waxy potatoes such as red skins; the larger they are, the easier it is to turn them into ribbons. Scrub the potatoes but do not peel. Slice them vertically into slices, 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick. That will be the width of your ribbons.

With a potato parer, shave each slice into ribbons. Using oil with a high smoking temperature such as peanut oil, deep fry the ribbons, a small handful at a time, over high heat until browned and crisp. Remove immediately and drain on crumpled paper towels. Sprinkle with Tony Chachere’s seasoning. Delicious hot or cold.

NOTE: you can use sweet potatoes, but peel first. Dust with cinnamon sugar.

Crawfish Pie

Pastry for 4 individual two crust pies

1 medium onion, minced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 clove garlic, diced

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1/3 cup tomato sauce

1/3 cup water

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup water

Fat from crawfish tails

Salt, pepper and red pepper to taste

1/8 teaspoon EACH nutmeg and thyme

1 1/2 cups crawfish tails

3 tablespoons butter

1 green onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Cook onion, celery, and garlic in oil until tender but not browned. Remove about half of this mixture. To remaining mixture add tomato sauce, 1/3 cup water and crawfish fat. Bring to boiling over medium heat.

Mix together cornstarch and 1/2 cup water; add to mixture in pan; heat slowly, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Add seasonings. Set aside.

Place unused cooked onion mixture in another saucepan. Add crawfish tails and butter; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add green onion and parsley. Combine the two mixtures.

Pour into four pastry-lined individual pie plates. Wet edges of pastry. Cover with top crust; crimp edges. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Makes 4 individual pies.

Jambalaya

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 tablespoon flour

4 ounces seasoning ham cubes

1/2 green pepper, finely chopped

1 bay leaf

1 spring EACH fresh thyme and parsley, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound shrimp, peeled

1 can chopped tomatoes, save liquid

1 1/4 cup tomato juice and liquid from canned tomatoes

1 cup raw rice

Heat oil. Stir in flour, ham, green pepper, seasonings and onions. Simmer for five minutes. Add remaining ingredients except rice. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Beer-Fried Shrimp

3 pounds shrimp

1 cup beer

1 cup half and half

2 beaten eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups flour

Mix together the beer, half and half, eggs and seasonings. Slowly beat in the flour. Cover and let stand for one hour. Dip shrimp into batter and deep fry in hot oil until browned.

Makes 6 servings.

Crab Patties

1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 pound crab meat

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon Creole mustard

1 beaten egg

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon EACH salt and black pepper

1 teaspoon EACH Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce

Bread crumbs for frying

Cooking oil for frying

Toss together the crab meat and bread crumbs. Set aside. Mix together the sour cream, mustard, egg, parsley, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce and add to crab mixture. Shape into 6 patties. Heat oil in large skillet. Roll patties in additional bread crumbs. Fry 3 to 5 minutes on each side until crisp and brown. Makes 6 servings.

Easy Pralines

1 package (3 1/2 ounce) regular vanilla pudding mix

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups pecan halves

Combine pudding, sugars, milk and butter in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat and cook over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in pecans. Beat with a spoon until thickened. Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper to cool.

Funnel Cakes

Use a funnel with an opening of 3/8 to 1/2 inch

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

Cooking oil for deep frying

Confectioners’ sugar

Combine eggs, milk and vanilla. Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add to egg mixture. Beat until smooth. Test consistency by passing a little batter through the funnel. If batter flows too quickly, add a bit more flour. If it flows too slowly, add a little more milk.

Make the cakes: holding your finger over the end of the funnel, pour in about 1/4 cup batter. Hold over hot oil and remove finger to release batter into oil. As the batter flows from the funnel, move it around to make a spiral.

Remove with a slotted spoon to crumpled paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.