Hi All, Cara/Andrea here. For me, holidays are all about family . . . and food. I like to cook, and so does my older brother and my sister-in-law. In fact his two kids do too, so Christmas dinner is a real family affair. MY SIL (who has a PhD in English and teaches at the University of Massachusetts in addition to her culinary skills) has a wonderfully warm open kitchen that she festoons with lots of flowers and candles. Everyone gets busy around the large work island, chopping veggies, sauteeing garlic, crafting appetizers . . . and guzzling good wine.
They are all vegetarians and try to stay local and organic, so this year, a favorite cookbook source was a volume on New England maple syrup recipes. The maple glazed salmon was a huge hit with everyone, as was the pecan maple tart, which topped off the meal. After scarfing down half of it, I decided I better copy the recipe, which I'll share here. Maybe it will become a Christmas tradition in your house. (My SIL uses a Christmas tree-shaped pan, and tops the finished tart with sprinkles of fresh pomegranate seeds, which adds a lovely festive touch!)
MAPLE PECAN TART
Crust:
1 1/4 c flour
1/3 c sugar
1 stick butter
Filling:
3/4 c maple syrup
2/3 c sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 T butter, melted
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
2 T flour
1 c chopped pecans
1/4 t salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
For crust: combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until it has the texture of crumbs. Press into 9" square pan and bake 15 minutes.
Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. Combine all filling ingredients except pecans and beat well with electric mixer. Stir in pecans and then pour mixture over crust. Return to oven and bake 35-40 minutes.
How about you? Do you have a favorite recipe that you serve every Christmas? Have you discovered a new one lately?