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Search Results for: pecan pie

Truly Southern Pecan Pie

November 22, 2011 by Mary Frances

Pecan pie is my all-time favorite dessert! My father was a correspondent banker for a large bank in St. Louis, and his territory was the Southeast area. He traveled all over doing business with smaller banks in the region. And as he became close friends with many of these folks, we used to visit them on family vacations.

I learned to water ski on Lake Norfork in Mountain Home, Arkansas at Powers and Louise Fowler’s weekend lake house. They had a really fast powerboat (Powers liked speed) as well as a pontoon party barge, (Louise loved a party). One time, when I was about 12 years old, for some reason, I was with my parents alone. None of my other 5 brothers were with us and we visited the Fowlers.

So my mom says, “Louise, you make the best pecan pie and it’s Mary’s favorite. I wondered if we could have your recipe.”

Mrs. Fowler said in her lovely Southern drawl, “Well honey, why don’t we just go and make Mary one right now, and of course you can have the recipe!”

Cocktail in hand, she got up, went straight into the kitchen and made me a pecan pie right then and there.

And I have been making them for years. These days I use less sugar and Karo syrup as I like things less sweet. If you like it really sweet, go with the full cup measurements.

MRS. FOWLER’S PECAN PIE
3 eggs beaten (take out early to be at room temperature)
1 scant cup of packed light brown sugar
1 scant cup of Karo light syrup (I know it’s not good for you – just close your eyes, just this once OR you can substitute 7/8’s of a cup of raw agave syrup)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs with a whisk, add in all remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a 9” pie crust, which has not been pricked, but has been baked for 5 – 10 minutes, weighted with beans or rice in parchment paper.

Bake for 40 – 50 minutes. Test with a knife or toothpick in the middle – should come out clean and the center slightly set. Cool completely before cutting and serving. Bake this in the morning before your feast.

Serve with whipped cream sweetened with a touch of powdered sugar and some vanilla. I use 1/2 pint of heavy cream, 1 tbs. powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla and beat until soft peaks form.

For me, this is the perfect ending to a Thanksgiving meal!

What a difference a pie makes…

December 4, 2011 by Mary Frances

So we had our friends Wayne and Margaret over for dinner last night and I decided to make a pecan pie (Mrs. Fowler’s recipe, of course – in an earlier post) for dessert, since I didn’t make one for Thanksgiving.

Margaret is a terrific, accomplished baker – she makes the greatest sticky buns and coconut cakes. But I’m telling you, make a pie from scratch and everyone loves you. First thing they said when they walked in the kitchen – “oh you made a pie!!”

As I was cutting the pie into eighths, after I had served the guys, Margaret puts her hand on mine (I didn’t know if this was going to be sexy or not – just kidding) and says, “Now cut this half in thirds.” I was floored and delighted that tiny Margaret wanted a bigger piece! While eating, she then proceeded to give me her mother’s secret for her pie crust and then asked to take another piece home! I loved it!

I used the recipe from my mother for my crust. Everyone thinks making a pie crust is a super big deal. It isn’t. You need to practice a little, follow instructions closely – this is baking – so it’s different from cooking as it’s much more exacting. But boy, do it, and everyone loves you!

We brought the two pieces home tonight (Steve had another piece before breakfast) and Zach was like, “Oh you made a pie!!!”

Here’s the recipe and hopefully some helpful photos.

BASIC PIE CRUST for Two 9” Single Crusts (cut in half for one bottom crust)
2 cups flour
1 scant tsp. salt
2/3 cup of Crisco or unsalted butter, cut into very small chunks
6 or less Tbs. ice water

Whisk together flour and salt. Cut in Crisco or butter until it forms “peas, “ using a fork or two knives or a pastry thingy. Sprinkle on ice water a tablespoon at a time, tossing lightly with a fork, or even better, with your hands, combining everything well after each addition. Press dough together and form 2 flattened rounds. Wrap each round in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour or two. Roll out quickly and lightly on a floured pastry cloth or floured board and then fold into thirds and place and shape into pie pan, fluting the edges as shown. Refrigerate overnight for a flakier crust, if you have time, or even for a couple of hours.

Line crust with parchment paper and fill with dried peas or beans. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Carefully remove parchment filled with peas. Let cool for 15 minutes before filling. You’re a hero – you just made a crust from scratch!

Now Margaret says to take out 1/4 cup of the flour-salt mixture and mix it with 1/4 cup of ice water to make a slurry and then add that back in gradually to everything. I will try this the next time and see. Margaret has this German heritage and you know they know everything about making great pastries!

Unbaked pie crust

Pie crust with dried peas

Partially baked pie crust on a white table.

Partially baked crust

Finished pecan pie

The all time family favorite

December 24, 2011 by Mary Frances

We LOVE this cookie!!! It is work, but it is worth it! For melt in your mouth pecan heaven, this is the cookie for you. There is not much sugar in the dough, hence the double rolling in powdered sugar. Many cultures have variations of this cookie and they may change the nut to almonds or walnuts, but we love pecans. And the finger shape is a bit more elegant than a fat ball as some folks do.

My mom always made a double batch and it was never enough for all 8 of us. I make a double batch for just the 4 of us, so you can imagine. Mom would enlist my brother Mark and me to help her with the rolling in powdered sugar. Our trick was to purposely break them while rolling – so they were no good and we just had to eat them. That was believable to her, especially in the first rolling while they’re still warm. But she caught on and would just giggle under her breath, unless we started “breaking” too many!

This is the single recipe. I hope it will become your family favorite too!

Baked cookies cooling for 5 minutes

PECAN CRISPS
¾ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup of pecan halves, ground in a food processor
2 cups flour
¼ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter very well. Add sugar gradually and beat well. Add vanilla. Sift the flour and salt together and then stir in the ground pecans and add this mixture gradually to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix thoroughly. The dough may be crumbly but gather it together with your hands and the warmth from your palms and all the butter in the dough will enable it to hold together.

Finished pecan crisps

Gently squeeze it. Shape dough into finger lengths. Place on greased or Siltpat lined baking sheets about 1” apart. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Then while still warm, roll in sifted powdered sugar. Cool cookies on rack and then roll again in the sugar until they have taken all that they can hold.

Pecan, Olive Oil and Benedictine Coffee Cake with Magisso Cake Server

December 22, 2016 by Mary

The Magisso cake server, so pretty in pink, is a sleek, sexy little tool that is included in our winter MARY’s secret ingredients subscription box. Beautifully designed, made of undulating curves of plastic with the edge sharpened on one side, makes cutting and serving your cake a singular beautiful motion. Press down to cut, gently squeeze in to lift, and release your grip to place the cake piece on your plate.

It is a most harmonious motion. No sawing with a knife, no messy pieces, just giving you pure unadulterated pieces of cake with a sexy little curve to the shape of your piece.

So I made this nut cake, trying to recapture a nut cake recipe that my mother used to make. It was her favorite cake. Loaded with finely ground nuts and not too sweet, she loved it. Me, as a kid, not so much. But here I was last Sunday craving it!

Here is the recipe:

PECAN, OLIVE OIL AND BENEDICTINE COFFEE CAKE WITH MAGISSO CAKE SERVER – serves 10

Unsalted butter, for the pan
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup Benedictine
3/4 cup pecan halves, toasted and finely chopped
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Strawberries, slightly sweetened whipped cream, or ice cream (butter pecan or vanilla) for serving with the Magisso Cake Server

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast pecans in a pan in the oven for 7 – 8 minutes. Remove nuts from the pan right away to prevent further toasting and place on a cutting board to cool. Then finely chop.

Generously butter a 9-inch round cake pan and dust with flour, set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Put eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on high speed until light in color, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add granulated sugar; beat until mixture is pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low; mix in oil and liqueur. Lightly fold in flour mixture in 3 batches using a rubber spatula. Fold in toasted pecans. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake cake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 20 – 24 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto rack to cool completely. Turn cake over on a plate and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Cut with Magisso cake server and serve with strawberries and slightly sweetened whipped cream or ice cream (butter pecan or vanilla). Let the ice cream get a little melty on the cake – pure heaven…

This cake even tastes better after a day or two – wrap it well in plastic wrap. Always serve with LOVE and enjoy!!

Still have a gift to get for that difficult person on your list? We have MARY’s secret ingredients gift cards here!! Gift cards are delivered by email and contain instructions to redeem them at checkout. Our gift cards have no additional processing fees. Easy peasy!

Rufus Teague Roasted Pecans

July 17, 2015 by Mary

The R ufus Teague Touch O’ Heat sauce is soooo good, it really works with so many things. It’s what I used on my ribs here, and because of that, we contacted them directly to ask them if they’d like to be in our MARY’s secret ingredients box. I’ve never done that with anyone but I thought a barbecue sauce would be ideal for the summer box and honestly, I’ve never liked a bottled barbecue sauce better than this one! It’s 100% natural, gluten-free with NO high-fructose corn syrup, which is a rarity in barbecue sauces. Additionally, the Touch O’ Heat Flavor (they also have a whiskey flavor which I also LOVE) is not too hot at all. I hate it when things are so darn hot that you just can’t taste anything. How about you? Many of the recipes today are all about that. Maybe the younger people just don’t have any taste buds left? My husband and I are more into flavor than just pure heat.

So this sauce is great on anything – pork, burgers, beef, chicken, even fish (!), so here I am racking my brain for something very different for you to make with this sauce and I think I’ve finally found something! It doesn’t use very much of it so you can still do your ribs and chicken!

It’s a tradition in the south at cocktail time. Roasted pecans! – with Rufus Teague Touch O’ Heat Sauce. Here is my recipe.

RUFUS TEAGUE ROASTED PECANS – serves 3 at cocktail hour

½ cup of pecan halves
1 Tbs. Rufus Teague Touch O’ Heat Sauce
Maldon Sea Salt Flakes to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small baking pan, toss the sauce with the nuts so that the nuts are coated evenly. Place in the oven on the top rack to roast for 9 – 11 minutes. Do not worry if they get a little dark, as you need to get the nuts toasted and the sauce will darken and caramelize, but they are not burnt.
Remove from the pan and let cool on a separate plate. Crumble some Maldon Sea Salt Flakes on top, toss and serve!!
It couldn’t be simpler and these are so very delicious at the end of a long day with a glass of wine or a cocktail.

Our fall box ships on September 25th and it’s going to be great! The supply is limited so best to order now before we run out.

Hurricane Sandy, Halloween and New Features

November 1, 2012 by Mary Frances

Here in NYC, we are all trying our best to weather the most damaging storm. Personally and luckily, both of our homes are fine, no loss of electricity and no loss of trees upstate. But our office has had no power, so we’ve all been working from home or cafes that have electricity. We carry on, but our hearts and prayers go out to those who were closer to shorelines and not so lucky.

Sandy visited on Monday. The howling winds were so loud and scary that evening. It was such a helpless feeling just being in the middle of it. We woke up on Tuesday morning to an eerie quiet in our neighborhood. It was over, but the damage was massive.
And Halloween was last night, in a limited fashion here in NYC, with our major parade being cancelled. Halloween is also our wedding anniversary and I made the most marvelous veal chops for dinner! I’ll share that recipe later.

Meanwhile, with all the holidays coming, I wanted to tell you about our new feature on the right hand side of this blog, listing my favorite Thanksgiving recipes. From the ginger cranberry sauce, to the stuffing and pecan pie, it’s all there, easy to access, for you.

Gnocchi for a Birthday Party!

January 18, 2014 by Mary

We celebrated my husband’s birthday last Sunday. The kids (our boys and their girlfriends) wanted to do an all day cook-a–thon again and my husband was delighted. As we did last year, we all made a different course while some of us created several dishes. Of course the food was great. With so much love and care going in to it, why wouldn’t it be! My boys are getting to be better cooks than me. And they correct me all the time on things. (I think I raised monsters.) But truly, the best part of this day, this party, is being all together, working in the kitchen and the banter that goes on. I LOVE it! My two courses were a pasta course and dessert. I made homemade gnocchi with a simple red sauce and pecan pie with whipped cream, which was Steve’s request.

Here’s a photo gallery of our afternoon and evening of celebration food.

Black olive tapenade with whole wheat Finn-crisp crackers

Chicken liver pate with toast

Baby spinach salad with carrots and ginger miso dressing

The birthday dinner table with the spinach salad

Homemade potato gnocchi with a simple red sauce in an antique china bowl, garnished with chopped chives.

Potato gnocchi with a red sauce

The main course – Beef Wellington made with LOVE with a heart

The main course plate – Beef Wellington, wilted escarole with a warm Balsamic dressing and crispy Yukon Gold potatoes

Pecan pie, whipped cream and an amazing chocolate chip cookie topped with a little salt.

Pecan pie, (made with raw agave syrup instead of corn syrup) whipped cream and an amazing chocolate chip cookie topped with a little sea salt

And I really want to share this gnocchi recipe from Grace Parisi at Food and Wine magazine. This is the second time I have made this and it is so good and oh so very light. They came out like little delicate pillows. Two of the kids raced to the kitchen for seconds, of which there was little. This is really easy to make too. So give it a go and impress everyone. I served this with a simple red sauce with garlic, shallots and a couple of anchovies and garnished the dish with some fresh chopped chives. Basil or parsley would have been better but I already had some chives washed, dried and snipped so in they went. Serve with Parmesan or Romano cheese to grate fresh on top.

POTATO GNOCCHI – adapted from Grace Parisi at Food and Wine magazine – serves 6 as a first course

2 lbs. baking potatoes (about 4)
2 large egg yolks
Salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3 tbs. unsalted butter (optional) or a simple red sauce

Preheat the oven to 400°. Pierce the potatoes in 4 places with a fork. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour, until tender.

Halve the potatoes. Scoop the flesh into a ricer and rice the potatoes into a bowl. Stir in the egg yolks and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the 1/2 cup of flour; stir until a stiff dough forms. Knead the dough gently until smooth but slightly sticky.

Line a baking sheet or platter with wax paper and dust with flour. On a floured surface, cut the dough into 4 pieces, rolling each into a 3/4-inch-thick rope. Cut the ropes into 3/4-inch pieces. Roll each piece against the tines of a fork to make ridges; transfer to the baking sheet or platter.

In a large, deep pot of simmering salted water, cook the gnocchi until they rise to the surface, then simmer for 2 minutes longer. Make a simple red sauce in a skillet and using a slotted spoon, add the gnocchi. Fold to coat all of them in the sauce. Serve immediately garnished with chopped chives and pass Parmesan or Romano to freshly grate on top.

Alternatively, in a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter. Using a slotted spoon, add the gnocchi to the butter. Season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat for 1 minute. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.

MAKE AHEAD: The uncooked gnocchi pieces can be frozen on the prepared baking sheet, then transferred to a re-sealable plastic bag and frozen for up to 1 month. Boil without defrosting.

TIP: Save the baked potato shells. You can top them with a little grated cheese and warm up them to make a great little hors d’oeuvres on another evening or I like to warm a half up in the morning and put an over-easy egg on top for breakfast – delicious!!

One very happy birthday boy!

How’d it work out?

November 25, 2012 by Mary Frances

Thanksgiving roasted turkey. So how was your Thanksgiving? Ours was fantastic! My family said our dinner was the best ever. But then they seem to say that every year I cook, so I guess I keep on improving? But truly, they’re still giving me compliments today so I guess it was really, really good!

I was particularly pleased this year with our appetizers. They were different and just the right touch, pre-feast. I made two recipes from Food and Wine magazine. One was for Texas smoked salmon tartare and grilled pancetta-wrapped mushrooms along with my artichoke dip. You can make the smoked salmon tartare and the artichoke dip the day before. I also had help. Agata made all of the mushrooms while I assembled the tartare on the chips with a cilantro leaf each. It was easy!

Texas smoked salmon tartare on blue corn chips

-Pancetta-wrapped grilled mushrooms

My butternut squash soup was the best ever, I’m told. See this quick pic of the kids licking their bowls – seriously I did not ask them to do this for a photo op! This soup is based on David Waltuck’s recipe of Chanterelle fame, except that I have made my own revisions. One important one is that instead of cooking the squash by simmering it in the chicken broth, I oven roasted it at 425 degrees and then scooped it out of the skin to add to the broth and onions. Much tastier and you skip that difficult-to-peel step that makes your hands all wrinkly. Three kids licking their soup bowls clean

Oven-roasting butternut squash and sugar pumpkins

Oven-roasting squash and pumpkin

Pumpkin puree draining

I also made two pies this year. One pecan and one pumpkin, from a fresh sugar pumpkin I roasted with the squash and then let it drain for several hours through four layers of cheesecloth. You need to do that to get all the water out and get to the true pumpkin flavor. The pie was so light and yummy!! Definitely give that a try.

Pumpkin pie with fresh roasted pumpkin and pecan garnish

– Super light pumpkin pie

The best Southern pecan pie from Mary Frances.

My pecan pie – Mrs. Fowler’s recipe

I hope you enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving, full of good family times, providing you with sweet memories to last the year through.

Three pumpkins at nightime - the end of Thanksgiving.

The end to a lovely day.

Thanksgiving e-book is out!

November 13, 2013 by Mary

Dear Food Loving Friends,

I did it. (the very famous line from Presumed Innocent – great movie!) But no, really, our Thanksgiving e-book is out! I wrote our first e-book on how to make a fantastic Thanksgiving meal. I have collected and put together my favorite 13 recipes, along with a process guide on how to get everything accomplished on the days leading up to the big day. This makes it easy for you. Understand that I have been making Thanksgiving dinners for quite some time now and this is a collection of my very best recipes. It was only last year, that I discovered the perfect side dish of Brussels Sprouts with a Fish Sauce Vinaigrette. Yes, really! I know it sounds weird but this dish works really well in the pairing with the other rich dishes that surround the turkey.

Of course, you don’t have to make every recipe that is there. Pick and choose to suit your taste. But in this book you’ll find the very best way to roast your bird to achieve moist, melt-in-your-mouth white meat that doesn’t even need gravy. But don’t worry, I give you the best giblet gravy to make as well, seasoned with thyme and the crushed roasted vegetables that formed the rack for roasting the bird. My appetizers are great too – light and just right and you won’t need a second oven to prepare them in, because I don’t have one at our country house, which is where we’ll be celebrating. My stuffing has become globally famous and the cranberry sauce is just sweet enough, punctuated with fresh ginger and orange zest. Believe me, I’ve tried dozens of different recipes for all of these dishes and in this book, I only present the ones that made it to stardom.

The process guide combats intimidation and will keep you organized and sane. (So will a glass of wine.) We’ve even included little check boxes for you to appreciate your accomplishments along the way. Of course, the book is beautifully designed by our team here at PM+CO, because that’s what I do in my day job.

Check it out here with a full listing of recipes. Please share your experiences with me. I welcome your input!

With LOVE,

Mary Frances

Holiday cookies

December 15, 2012 by Mary Frances

I am all about living in and enjoying the NOW. And now is the time to make holiday cookies. If you’ve been reading this blog from last year (thank you very much) you will know that there are five cookie recipes that I make every year.

When you do something like this, you’re making memories. Memories during the time you’re making them, to who stopped by for more or hoped some would be left at Eastertime (who are they kidding?), or notes we received after giving some as gifts. This is what life’s all about, isn’t it? Create the great times, which in turn create the memories.

This weekend we have guests, our dear friends Carl and Roger, and I’m hoping to enlist them in rolling cognac balls in sugar and helping with the Hello Dolly Squares. (I know, such a silly name!)

I hope you make some memories this weekend too!

Hello Dolly Squares

chocolate, pecan and cognac balls that are great holiday cookies

Cognac Sugarplums

Christmas dinner 2012

December 29, 2012 by Mary Frances

I wish I could have shared this with you before Christmas, just like they do in the magazines. I hope now this may guide you and be helpful for New Year’s Eve or a New Year’s Day dinner party.

A big holiday like this requires a big presentation. Last year, I made a whole beef tenderloin. This year I did a crown roast of pork. Too big really for our party of eight, but I do have some big eaters, and one of my sons and one guest had four chops each! And then the leftovers were divine. I think I’ve already mentioned that I really enjoy and truly taste the nuances of a huge meal like this the next day, as leftovers. The busyness of working to get it all right, the timing and making sure each guest is happy, preoccupies me during the main meal. However, even I could tell, this was darn good!! Impressive and beautiful to boot!

But truly, the best part about a big celebration like this is that my whole family pitches in and we work together to pull it off. They helped to set up the bar area, chop herbs and clean vegetables and yes, even helped with the clean up in a major way. Our last guests left a little after midnight. Then all four of us worked to clean up and then we stayed up talking until 3 am! For my husband and me, spending time like this with our boys is the most precious of all.

One of our guests at our Passover celebration evened remarked about how well we all worked together as a family, to get the dinner on the table and make our guests feel comfortable. I feel proud that our boys have learned to entertain and that they enjoy sharing their love of good food. Serving and sharing love and food makes everyone happy – what could be better?

Here’s my whole menu:

– Straight up martinis with great olives for many of us at cocktail hour
– Homemade cheddar cheese straws – finally I found a stellar recipe for these from The New York Times – make ahead and they will keep for a while – recipe to come
– Texas smoked salmon tartare on blue corn chips
– Warm artichoke dip with red pepper, celery, fennel strips and crostini crackers
– Bowls of mixed olives, toasted corn nuts and lightly salted cashews

THE DINNER:
– Roasted butternut squash soup with bourbon, served with homemade Polish bread
– Crown roast of pork with fennel, sage, garlic and lemon
– Italian beans – the best – recipe to come!
– Sautéed apples in a little butter with cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of lemon
– Roasted asparagus with olive oil and lemon zest

– Homemade Christmas cookies – all recipes are here on the blog plus special bakery cookies
– Fantastic coffee from our older son

I’m noticing here that it might seem as though I had a lot of lemon going on, but the meal did not taste that way at all. Everything worked together beautifully and was delicious!!
CROWN ROAST OF PORK WITH FENNEL, LEMON AND GARLIC – adapted from Melissa Clark and The New York Times
– serves 12 – 16

2 heaping tsp. fennel seeds
Rosemary leaves from 4 – 5 bushy sprigs
7 – 8 large cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh sage leaves and tender sprigs
Lemon peel strips from 1 lemon – thinly peel the lemon with a vegetable peeler
2 tsp. fennel pollen (optional)
1 heaping tbs. plus 1 pinch coarse kosher salt
1 heaping tsp. cracked black pepper
7 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 crown roast of pork (18 ribs)
4 large onions, peeled and sliced into ¼” slices

In small skillet, toast fennel seeds until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Place toasted fennel seeds, rosemary, garlic, sage, lemon peel, fennel pollen (if using) and all of the salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse processor to chop everything up, then add olive oil slowly, and blend until the mixture becomes a paste, scraping down sides occasionally with a rubber spatula.

Wipe pork very dry with paper towels, then smear the herb paste all over the meat, making sure to coat the middle and the crevices on the sides of the chops.

Wrap in plastic wrap and let marinate for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Bring the meat to room temperature for at least 1.5 hours before roasting.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Put a thin film of olive oil in the bottom of your roasting pan and spread it around with your fingers. Place onion slices down to form a rack for your roast. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top of the onions and salt and pepper them. Place your roast on top and roast for 20 minutes at 450 degrees, then turn heat down to 350 and continue roasting until meat registers 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours longer. Let rest 20 minutes before carving.
Starting at eight o’clock we enjoyed Cognac sugarplums, pecan crisps, Hello Dolly squares, cut-out sugar cookies, date bars and special bakery cookies that a guest brought. With a great cup of joe, this is a very nice way to end a big meal.

Cookie time!

December 15, 2011 by Mary Frances

So my boys definitely think this is “the most wonderful time of the year” because I bake at least 5 different kinds of Christmas cookies. I’ve got it down pat now. It takes me two days. Three kinds in one day and then the two harder batches – the family pecan crisps and the sugar cookies – on the other day.

Most are my Mom’s recipes, this one included with a really stupid name. But the cookies are really, really good. Okay, so the recipe calls for processed things, usually a no-no for me, but at Christmas, I give in. Here goes.

HELLO DOLLY SQUARES (I told you the name was lame)
Makes 40 bars

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (about 1 1/2 packs, grind in food processor)
1 – 14 oz. can of Eagle Brand or Magnolia sweetened condensed milk
1 – 6 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 – 3 1/2 oz. can of flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the stick of butter in a 13” x 9” glass Pyrex pan, and put in the oven. Watch it so that the butter just melts and doesn’t boil. Remove pan with the melted butter from oven and swirl around, up the sides of the pan 1/2 inch, and set on a level surface. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs evenly all over the bottom surface. Pour the Eagle Brand milk evenly all over the crumbs. Top evenly with the coconut, chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Press down gently on the top surface.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool thoroughly before cutting. Store in a wax paper lined tin at room temperature.

Graduation time!

June 9, 2012 by Mary Frances

Dean of the Music department at The City College of New York.

Dean of the Music Department – he looks a little like Mel Brooks!

Our youngest son graduated from college last week and we’re so proud, with summa cum laude and numerous other awards, he’s heading off to Yale in August for a PhD in Eastern European History. At his graduation, of course the various Deans of the different Humanities got up to speak and the Dean of the Music Department was a real character. (check out his cap!) He’s been in that position for forty years! He stated that music was the universal language of love.

Well I say that food is the universal language of LOVE. What better way to let someone know that you love them and to show your love than through cooking, serving and sharing really delicious and healthy food?

So get on with it! Start cooking! Serve the food! Share the LOVE!

Vegetarian pasta with walnuts and spinach on a white plate.

Zach’s vegetarian dish

My favorite Thanksgiving stuffing

November 18, 2011 by Mary Frances

Thanksgiving is my all-time favorite holiday. I love the weather, fires in the fireplace, the family is all together and no pressure with gifts. In full disclosure, it is also around my birthday – Nov. 26th – but these days I could do without remembering that!

I have been making this stuffing for more than 20 years now, tweaking it until I think it’s just right. Every once in a while I have veered off and done a chorizo dressing or something with chestnuts and this one is the one we always go back to and is requested by everyone in my family. I forgot that I shared this with some of my friends years ago, only to discover recently that yes, they are still using it too. The basis of it comes from the very first Silver Palate cookbook. I used that cookbook so much in the 80’s, that my cover fell off. I think my good friend, Deb, cooked every recipe in there. We used to tease each other, we were both making our way through it! Good stuff!

Now some people and the government think you shouldn’t stuff the bird. I say nonsense! If your bird is really fresh, you’ve washed and dried it very well, let the dressing cool completely before stuffing, you will be fine. At the table, remove the dressing into a covered casserole before you carve the bird and start passing it. Then when the feast is over, totally clean out the cavity of all the stuffing and carve all of the meat off of the bird (makes it easier for leftovers the next day) and make stock with the carcass or throw it away. This way, you will have no problems and everything will be tastier.

I hope this will become your go-to favorite stuffing recipe as well!

CORNBREAD SAUSAGE STUFFING WITH APPLES & PECANS
Serves 12-14 people or more than enough stuffing for a 20 lb. bird

1 ½ sticks of sweet butter (12 tbs.)
2 3/4 cups of finely chopped yellow onions (use your food processor for this)
3 tart apples, cored and chunked, not peeled (Jonathan are good)
1 lb. lightly seasoned bulk sausage (I use breakfast sausage with sage)
3 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread (bake a Jiffy cornbread mix for this)
3 heaping cups of crustless, cubed, day old whole-wheat bread
3 heaping cups of crustless, cubed, day-old white bread (I prepare and cut my breads the night before so they can dry out a little.)
2 rounded tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
¾ cup chopped Italian parsley
1 ½ cups shelled pecan halves
1 raw egg
Chicken broth to moisten

Melt half of the butter in a skillet. Add chopped onions and cook over medium – medium/low heat, partially covered, until tender and lightly colored, about 25 minutes. Scrape onions and butter into a very large bowl. The biggest you’ve got!

Melt remaining butter in the same skillet. Add apple chunks and sauté over high heat until lightly colored but not mushy. Transfer the apples and all of the butter to the same mixing bowl with the onions.

Squeeze the sausage out of the casing if necessary. Crumble it into the skillet and sauté over medium heat, continuing to break up the sausage into small pieces, stirring until no pink remains and it’s lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to the mixing bowl and throw away the fat.

Add all remaining ingredients to your large bowl and fold together with a large spatula, gently combining everything. Beat an egg in a separate small bowl and fold that in as well. Moisten with homemade or low sodium chicken broth. Salt and pepper to taste. Cool completely before stuffing the bird.

With leftover stuffing, or if you choose not to stuff your bird, spoon stuffing into a casserole, cover with a lid or aluminum foil, and set in a large, deeper pan. Pour hot water around the casserole to come halfway up the sides. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes at 325 degrees. You will LOVE it!

Made-in-the-Pan Chocolate Cake

October 30, 2013 by Mary Frances

This past weekend, I made two desserts, as I was having two dinner parties. Our friends were coming to dinner on Saturday night in the country and both boys and their girlfriends were coming to dinner on Sunday in the city. Additionally, my husband was going to visit his 94-year-old mother in Baltimore on Monday and needed to take sweets to her. It’s what she craves and I aim to please. So on Saturday I made both desserts.

One was a favorite Christmas cookie in our family that I just cut into larger squares for dessert. Our boys were saying, “Mommm, a little early don’t you think?” And then one of the girlfriends said at the dinner table, “OMG, these are so good, I could eat these until I vomit!” Now how’s that for a compliment? She said she ate two for breakfast the next morning and then wanted the recipe. That was for the Hello Dolly Squares. And then the other dessert I made was this amazing recipe from Mollie Katzen for her Made-in-the-Pan Chocolate Cake. I heard her speak a few weeks ago at a Hudson Union Society event and someone in the audience brought up this recipe, which she then talked about and read aloud.

It is so quick, easy and truly amazing that it works. It is even vegan!!! – which I personally don’t care about, but if you do, then this is for you!

The key is to mix the dry ingredients incredibly well with a whisk. Use a clear glass pan and pick it up to inspect the bottom and sides to make sure you don’t see any globs of white flour or dark cocoa still lingering around. Then when you add the liquids, slowly stir and whisk and scrape and scrape and whisk until all is combined and smooth. No lumps allowed!! Simple, delicious, and no extra bowls to clean. This is a super moist cake that tastes like a lot more work. You can pull this off with ease on any weeknight for surprise guests. Just make sure you always have cocoa around.

MADE-IN-THE-PAN CHOCOLATE CAKE – serves 9

1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup water
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cider vinegar or white vinegar

Preheat oven to 325°F. Have ready an 8-inch-square glass baking pan. Put flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and baking soda into the pan. Mix it together thoroughly with a whisk and spatula making sure all is blended together and no white flour clumps are visible. Lift up the pan and check to make sure all is blended on the bottom and especially in the corners.

Add water, oil, vanilla extract and vinegar. Stir slowly with a whisk in small circles to blend. As it becomes a batter, mash, scrape, and stir with whisk and spatula until smooth, particularly scraping and blending from the corners of the pan.

Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula, and spread it evenly. Clean the edges, then bake for 30 minutes.

Cool completely in the pan, on a rack. Dust with some powdered sugar (there is no need for frosting) and cut into squares.

I served it with LOVE, a dollop of ice cream and a few raspberries for a really pretty and super easy dessert.

A chocolate favorite

December 16, 2011 by Mary Frances

This is a great little chocolate cookie that goes well with rich brewed coffee or a final nightcap of cognac. When my kids were younger, I often had to make another batch of these between Christmas and New Year’s Eve! You can also make these with bourbon instead of the cognac if you like. The original recipe for these came from the Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook. Once again, I have altered it. I hope you love them as much as we do!

Cognac Sugarplums

COGNAC SUGARPLUMS
Makes 4 dozen

6 oz. semisweet chocolate bits
1/2 cup sugar, plus additional for coating
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup good quality cognac (or you could use bourbon)
2 1/2 cups finely ground vanilla wafers (grind in the food processor)
1 cup finely chopped pecans (grind in the food processor)

Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute on high power, stir, then 30 seconds more. Stir until all chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar, corn syrup, and Cognac. Stir in the wafer crumbs and nuts to make a paste-like mixture. Roll into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in additional sugar. Store in an airtight container. These cookies improve with age.

How to deal?

December 12, 2011 by Mary Frances

I’ve been walking around in circles, trying to make sense of my dear friend’s so sudden passing.

It was a brain aneurism. So quick. So final. So shocking. So unbelievable.

So what does one do to try to heal the pain – for me, for her husband and for her children?

I cooked. I did 3 loads of laundry. I baked 3 different kinds of Christmas cookies.

My boys promised to help me put up the Christmas tree on Sunday. The older one arrived with a Santa hat and proceeded to make eggnog from scratch before taking a nap and then decorating the tree a little. His brother did more. Football was also a big component with everyone yelling for Tebow and then the Giants.

But the eggnog was so, so delicious!! You take heavy cream, whole milk, egg yolks, vanilla, fresh nutmeg and cinnamon and beat it all up, add the bourbon, then whip the egg whites separately and fold in.

I’m telling you, it was so light and delicious!! Unlike any goopy store-bought eggnog. This is a completely different animal. I told him I wish my father were still alive. He loved eggnog and to see him doing this! Well, he said, he could see. (He even looks like him!)

I made a 3 course meal for my family on Sunday. Baby artichokes to start with a hot mustard mayo dipping sauce. Then I made a tandoori chicken recipe from a Weber Grill cookbook, with cous cous, a cucumber onion salad and steamed buttered carrots. The whole meal was really delicious but the chicken did not taste like tandoori chicken. It tasted like an interesting, Middle Eastern spiced chicken, but that’s about it. So I’ll just have to rename it to manage expectations, if I should make it again.

Then, for dessert, I made a German chocolate cake that was divine. I used a Duncan Hines boxed cake mix. I followed the directions exactly. I used my mother’s heavy duty bundt pan (my layer cake pans are at the country house so that was out) and really, this cake was spectacular. So light and fluffy – just a beautiful texture. I’m thinking it was this pan that made it so.

However, I had to cut the thing in 2 layers to properly distribute the topping and it was so light, delicate and fresh, that it was a hard thing to do and in the end, it didn’t look so pretty. My mother would not have been proud. But it was yummy! My husband and Zach each had 2 pieces and and the older son took a big chunk home with him this morning.

So here’s the recipe from my Mom for the topping that “makes” it a German chocolate cake!

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE TOPPING
Makes enough for two 8″ layer cakes or one bundt split horizontally

1 cup of evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1/4 lb. unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups of coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
Sprinkling of fine sea salt on top at the very end.
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chip pieces (optional)

German Chocolate Cake

In a saucepan, combine the evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter and vanilla. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer strongly over medium heat for about 12 minutes until mixture thickens. Use a whisk to stir throughout this process.

Remove from heat and add coconut, nuts and a sprinkling of fine sea salt. Beat until cool and thick enough to spread between 2 layer cakes and on the top. Do not ice the sides. After spreading the topping on the first layer, I sprinkled about 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chip pieces on top, before covering with the second layer. Just a little extra surprise touch that everyone loved!

Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts

April 27, 2021 by Mary

These Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts are super simple to make and super delicious, particularly with a cocktail or glass of wine at the end of the day. Not too sweet, not too spicy, they hit the right spot!

And now that FINALLY my kitchen is finished (yay, yay, yay!) and slowly we are all getting vaccinated, we can start getting together again and enjoying that cocktail with friends and family.

I do enjoy nuts at any time of the day. I carry some with me at all times in my purse, so that if I get that low blood sugar feeling, that hangry feeling (that’s hungry and angry) and need something to eat while on the go, I am set.

Recently, I had listened to a synopsis of a book and learned that if you ate only six cashews a day, that would provide your cells with extra cilia (hairs) to be able to ward off infection better. So I have been doing just that. Eating six (well maybe seven or eight, but no more) cashews a day. Count them out ahead of time and then close the container and put it away.

My Nutty Story…

Some years ago, way before Mary’s Secret Ingredients, way back when we lived in Summit, NJ, after much trial and error, I had created three roasted nut recipes and had even designed the packaging for them using a terrific illustration of me on the front, calling them “MARY’s NUTS – as in Mary is nuts and these were her nuts! I had Sweet Walnuts (great for salads), Spicy Almonds, and Sweet and Spicy Pecans.

However, after perfecting the recipes, I never had the time to take them to market. But I still have those recipes and I should dig them up for you!

This Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts recipe makes a lot – 6 cups of nuts – but believe me, you will find them gone within the 3 week time period that they stay fresh. And also, they are lovely to share, a well appreciated gift. Put them in a clear glass Mason jar, adorned with a pretty bow on top and you will be invited back for sure.

So make this perfect and different accompaniment now. Make with LOVE and enjoy!

SPICY MAPLE GLAZED NUTS – makes 6 cups

1/4 c maple syrup
2 Tbs. EVOO
2 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary
3/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp. Dulce pimentón de la Vera (smoked Spanish Paprika)
1 tsp. French Grey salt, finely ground
6 cups unsalted mixed raw nuts (11/2 cups each of pecans, walnuts,
whole blanched almonds, whole cashews)

The Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Stir together everything but the nuts in a large bowl. Add all the nuts and stir well to completely coat each nut with the glaze. Turn out onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading out all the nuts and scraping the bowl, using all the glaze.

Roast in the oven, stirring and flipping the nuts over after 10 minutes. Roast for 9 – 10 minutes more, being careful not to let the pecans burn.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet so they will crisp up.

When completely cooled, store in an airtight container. A tin lined with wax paper works well or a mason jar with a tight fitting lid. Properly stored nuts will keep for 3 weeks.

Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts are not too sweet, not too spicy, in a wax paper lined tin. — These Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts keep well in a wax paper lined tin.

Roasted Squash and Radicchio Salad With Buttermilk Dressing & Sweet Corn Arepas

January 17, 2016 by Mary

You know I love salads for dinner and since it is the season for squash, I wanted to share this recipe with you! It may sound a little bit time consuming, but it’s not. Perfect for a meatless weeknight meal, particularly after all the rich holiday food.

I love delicata squash because the skin is truly delicate enough so that you don’t have to go through the time consuming step of peeling it and you can eat it. It’s probably like potato skins and has more nutrients than the actual squash part. Don’t quote me on that, I’m just guessing.

This recipe is from Melissa Clark at The New York Times. I like a lot of her recipes as we seem to have the same likes. But at first when I read this recipe, I was not too keen on the buttermilk in the dressing as I’m usually just an oil and vinegar kind of gal. But, I went ahead and followed hers exactly (this is rare) and this was delicious!! Not at all creamy like a ranch dressing, which is what I was afraid of, just the right amount of creaminess to work oh so nicely with squash and greens.

Try this, this coming week. I served this with Delicias Andinas sweet corn arepas, toasted of course and gluten-free – so satisfying, different and delicious!!!

ROASTED SQUASH AND RADICCHIO SALAD WITH BUTTERMILK DRESSING – by Melissa Clark – serves 4

2 delicata squashes (10 ounces each), halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch half-moons
1 Tbs. honey
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. smoky chile powder, such as New Mexico or chipotle
6 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup buttermilk
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. finely chopped tarragon
1 large garlic clove, grated
1 head radicchio, cored and shredded (4 cups)
4 cups arugula
⅔ cup chopped toasted pecans (see note)
⅓ cup thinly sliced scallions

Toast pecans first by heating oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until they deepen in color and turn fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Cool before chopping.

Raise heat in oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss squash with honey, 3/4 teaspoon salt, chile powder and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally, until tender and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, lemon juice, tarragon, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and the garlic. Whisk in remaining 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) oil.

In a large bowl, combine radicchio, arugula, squash, pecans and scallions. Toss in buttermilk dressing; taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

So I know I’ve told you about how our two boys cook. They actually do most of the cooking in their partnerships. Both girls are great bakers, fearless with yeast, all breads and desserts. This is such a great thing as a mom of boys because we are always in conversations about food!! They text me their dinner photos all the time. Here’s Zach from Warsaw showing me his farmer’s market roast leg of mutton, perfectly cooked, I might add!! I’ve never had mutton – have you? So cool that he can be so far away, yet we can still be a very big part of their daily lives. This is what happens when you make great home cooked food a central theme.

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MARY’s secret ingredients

MARY’s secret ingredients is a limited edition culinary surprise box containing new, unique, gourmet products and a small kitchen tool. Every season, a limited number of themed boxes will be filled with lovely surprises to inspire your cooking and delivered right to your door.

In each box you’ll find mouth-watering sweet and savory products, as well as Mary’s favorite tips and tricks for creating delicious meals. On this blog, Mary shares recipes to inspire, using ingredients from the boxes.

Buy here.

Secrets for a great THANKSGIVING you will LOVE eCookbook

Secrets for a Great Thanksgiving You Will LOVE – eCookbook for $2.99

Thanksgiving is a beautiful time of year. It’s about good food, loved ones and spending time enjoying both. It’s my favorite holiday in every way! But let’s be honest: cooking a feast is no small feat. I say that a glass of wine helps, but so does my time-perfected Thanksgiving planner — a step by step guide you’ll find inside these pages to help keep you happy and sane in the days leading up to the big meal. You will also find these 13 delicious tried-and-true Thanksgiving recipes:

Pancetta-Wrapped Mushrooms
Smoked Salmon Tartare on Blue Corn Chips
Artichoke Dip
Butternut Squash & Bourbon Soup
Cornbread Sausage Stuffing with Apples and Pecans
Best Roast Turkey Ever with Giblet Gravy
Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup and Ginger
Cranberry Ginger Sauce
Momofuku’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette
Basic Pie Crust
Mrs. Fowler’s Pecan Pie
Whipped Cream
Pumpkin Pie

Get it here.
Get the Kindle version here.

Secrets for HOLIDAY SMALL PLATES Savory & Sweet! eCookbook

Secrets for Holiday Small Plates Savory & Sweet! – eCookbook for $2.99.

The winter holidays are lovely. We celebrate with glitter, lights and all things cheery, and focus on what’s important — getting together with friends and family over good food and drink. If you are hosting, what you serve need not be elaborate, just delicious. This collection of ten small plate recipes, savory and sweet, will help your holiday entertaining to be stress free:

Savory
– Southern Cheese Straws
– Mary’s Bean Dip
– Roasted Whole Almonds with Sea Salt
– Feta with Black Olives
– Parmesan, Dates, Prosciutto and Roasted Almonds

Sweet
– Cognac Sugarplums
– Hello Dolly Squares
– Best Brownies
– Date Bars
– Lemon Bars on Brown Butter Shortbread

Get it here.

Truly Southern Pecan Pie

What a difference a pie makes…

The all time family favorite

Pecan, Olive Oil and Benedictine Coffee Cake with Magisso Cake Server

Rufus Teague Roasted Pecans

Hurricane Sandy, Halloween and New Features

Gnocchi for a Birthday Party!

How’d it work out?

Thanksgiving e-book is out!

Holiday cookies

Christmas dinner 2012

Cookie time!

Graduation time!

My favorite Thanksgiving stuffing

Made-in-the-Pan Chocolate Cake

A chocolate favorite

How to deal?

Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts

My Nutty Story…

SPICY MAPLE GLAZED NUTS – makes 6 cups

The Method

Roasted Squash and Radicchio Salad With Buttermilk Dressing & Sweet Corn Arepas

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MARY’s secret ingredients

Secrets for a great THANKSGIVING you will LOVE eCookbook

Secrets for HOLIDAY SMALL PLATES Savory & Sweet! eCookbook

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