BELOW STAIRS: Recipes for Readers and Writers
Readers and writers do not live by intellectual sustenance alone—sometimes they need the real thing! I was fortunate in having an Italian mother who came from a very large family of talented cooks. My nana was the best of them, and never used a recipe in all the years she turned out fantastic pastas, roasts, Italian pastries, and pizza. My mother, Flora, was a great cook too, often developing her own special dishes or expanding on family recipes.
Here are some of the best recipes from my childhood. I’ll be updating them frequently, so be sure to check back. And, if the mood strikes me, I might even throw in a Regency recipe, or two!
And don’t forget to check my News page to find out the latest news about my Books.
Flora’s holiday classic desserts
Just in time for the holidays, here are two of my mother’s favourite desserts. To this day, her pecan pie is one of the best I’ve ever eaten—and it’s really easy to make!
Russian Tea Balls
Preheat oven to 300F
- 1 cup softened butter
- ¼ cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cups flour (sifted)
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in water. Add flour and blend thoroughly. Stir in nuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Cool before removing from sheet. Roll in frosting, then flaked coconut (optional).
Frosting:
- 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
- ½ cup milk
Pecan Pie
Preheat oven to 375F
- 1 unbaked pie shell (9 inch)
- ½ cup butter
- 4 eggs
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups pecans (1 chopped)
- 1 cup dark corn syrup
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ tablespoon flour
Chill unbaked pie shell for 1 hour. Beat butter until soft, then add brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Beat eggs slightly and stir into sugar mixture. Add corn syrup, vanilla, flour, and salt. Mix well. Line the bottom of the chilled pie shell with the whole pecans. Mix the chopped pecans into the sugar mixture. Pour into shell.
Bake 45 – 50 minutes or until set in center. Cool, and top with whipped cream.
click here for other previous entries
back to main recipe page
|
