Sweet on Texas: Lovable Confections by Denise Gee, photographs by Robert Peacock - Chronicle

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sweet Lovable Confections from the Lone Star State

— on —

texas

by Denise Gee

Photographs by Robert M. Peacock

sweet on texas

X X X X

For Holly Dauphin Fields— and the sweet memories of friends and family who left us too soon.

Text copyright © 2012 by Denise Gee. Photographs copyright © 2013

by Robert M. Peacock.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-inPublication Data available.

ISBN 978-1- 4521-0248-1 Manufactured in TK. Designed by Benjamin Shaykin Typeset in Deadwood, Hamilton, and Titling Gothic.

Food and prop styling by Denise Gee 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Chronicle Books LLC 680 Second Street San Francisco, California 94107 www.chroniclebooks.com

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Acknow ledgm ents To Bill LeBlond and Amy Treadwell at Chronicle Books, and my literary agent Angela Miller—for whom this book is made possible. Thanks for believing in me. And to copy editor Ann Rolke, Doug Ogan, Alice Chau, Tera Killip, Peter Perez, and David Hawk, thanks for helping me look good.

To Dale Dietert and Hank Hammett, two of the most creative, charming, and hospitable Texans I’m blessed to know. And to Pamela Elrod, whose stories of her aunt, Texas Elrod Culver (a.k.a. “Sugah”) and their family’s East Texas family farm named “Plentywood,” set me on my way.

Kirk and Joy Kirksey: Hats off for lending us some fab Texas wares for photography.

To my SMU colleagues in News & Communications: Thanks for putting up with my sugar rushes and helping me taste-test the goods.

To all those featured in the book who let me show off what you can do: Bless you.

To my mother, Freddie Lee, and father, Johnny—for letting me be born in this great state.

To my husband, Robert M. Peacock—a sweet soul and talented photographer—and Alfie the wonder dog: Thanks for being at my side.

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Introduction

East Texas Meets the Deep South Banana Pudding Ice Cream Coconut Dream Pie Dolled-Up Sweet Potato Pound Cake Sweet Potato Smash: Gilmer’s Yamboree Dulce de Leche Bread Pudding Frozen Peach Custard Jenay’s Famous Lemon Bars Dust-Up Dress-Up Loaded Pecan Tassies Mama Marion’s Mandelbroidt Margarita Snow Cones Dallas’ Famous Margarita Machine Mint Julep Fruit Cake Neiman Marcus “Sock It to Me” Cakettes Righteous Red Velvet Cake Texas Twister (Chocolate-Orange) Marshmallows Divide and Conquer: Cookie Swaps Chocolate-Peanut Clusters Cran-Pistachio Cookies Fried and True: The Texas State Fair Deep-Fried Coke The Sweetest Tea

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Head for the Hills (of Central Texas) 1886 Chocolate Cake Almond Flan à la Fonda San Miguel Apricot Kolaches Big Red Granita Bud’s Round Top Buttermilk Pie Bumbleberry Cutie Pies Dark Secret Chocolate Brownies The Whole (Foods) Truth German Chocolate Carrot Cake Kerbey Lane’s Gingerbread Pancakes Mighty Fine Peach Cobbler Texas Big Hairs (Lemon-Lime Meringue Tarts) Threadgill’s Pecan Pie Very Berry Trifle in a Jar Yes, Sauerkraut Cake Chocolate I Scream Sandwiches The Beauty of Blue Bell Freeze Frames

sweet on texas

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Table of Contents

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sweet on texas

Where the Wild West Meets the Mild Plains

X X X X X X

Almond Lace Cookies Babe’s Banana Cake with Creamy Nut Frosting X X X Blueberry Fried Pies X X X Cherry Dr Pepper Cupcakes X X X Dr Feelgood: A Sip of Dr Pepper History X X X Deep Chocolate Meringue Pie X X X Web Feat: TexasCooking.com X X X Patricia’s Piecrusts

X X X

Come Get You Some: Top Twenty Texas Treats

X X X

Sources

X X X

Permissions

X X X

Index

X X X

Table of Equivalents

Introduction

sweet on texas

X X X

Buttery Pastry Standard Pie Pastry Dutch Oven Cobbler with Buttermilk-Lime Ice Cream X X X Outdoor Cobbler Cooking X X X Good Ol’ Texas Sheet Cake X X X Sheet vs. Sheath: It’s All Good X X X Grandmother Shaughnessey’s Lemon Sponge Cake X X X Homemade Funnel Cakes with Spiked Whipped Cream X X X Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookies X X X Perini Ranch Strawberry Shortcake X X X Spicy Chocolate-Pepita Cookies X X X Strong Coffee Custard X X X Watermelon Soup Ooh La Lah X X X Sweetened Condensed Milk: Borden’s Can-Do Spirit X X X Tres Leches Cake

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South to the Border

X X X X X X Ancho-Choco Truffles X X X Churros Buenos X X X Orange-Kissed Fig Ice Cream X X X Cora’s Hummingbird Cake X X X Luby’s Chocolate Icebox Pie X X X Lucky Buñuelos with Honeyed Fruit Salsa X X X Mexican Wedding Cookies X X X Minty Melon Pops X X X Pan Dulce Conchas X X X Poteet Strawberry Cake X X X Pumpkin Empanadas X X X Put the Lime in the Coconut Cake X X X Sen. Zaffarini’s Praline Pecans X X X The Strange Family’s Caramel-Apple Cake X X X Wrapped in Family Tradition: Tamaladas X X X Sweet Pineapple Tamales with Cointreau Cream

X X X X X X X X X

“Texas does not, like any other region, simply have indigenous dishes. It proclaims them. It congratulates you, on your arrival, at having escaped from the slop pails of other states.”

—Alistair Cooke, legendary broadcast journalist (1908–2004)

T

exans sport a self-assured lightheartedness that truly goes unrivaled. Our mostly rebellious country music says it all with a wide grin, but so, too, do our lesser-known ambassadors of attitude—our businesses. To wit, a billboard: “Walker Tires: If It’s in Stock, We’ve Got It.” A mattress store slogan: “Come to Us for the Best Lay in Town.” On the door of a diner: “Warning: Unattended children will be given an espresso and a puppy.” On the marquee of a quirky Mexican restaurant: “Show me on the doll where El Arroyo touched you.” You just can’t help but smile.

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: D D TE E N H IZ IO IG R T R HO BU PY T I O U TR C T A IS O D N R FO

Chapter

East Texas Meets the Deep South

Texas is half South and half Southwest, with its eastern “Southern” side drawl reflecting more of a honied y’all than a sassy twang. This is the land just past the Louisiana and Arkansas state lines, from Texarkana down to Dallas and on down through Tyler and Houston, Beaumont and Galveston. This is the land of pine trees and blues music, St. Augustine grass and azaleas, swamps and ‘gators, beauty queens and Mary Kay cosmetics, sweet tea and fried chicken, columned mansions and tin-roofed cottages, Caddo Lake up north, the Gulf down south, skyscrapers and NASA, chintz and damask, billionaires and bikers sitting side-by-side at a diner counter. Here’s a virtual boo-fay of some of this region’s favorite sweet things.

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East sweet Texas on texas Meets

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

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Banana Pudding Ice Cream It’s just “nanner puddin’” when it’s made with banana pudding mix, a

few squirts of frozen dairy topping, and some vanilla wafers thrown in for appearances’ sake. It’s proper banana pudding—and pure grace—when fresh bananas luxuriate in an ice-cold homemade vanilla pudding crowned with a whipped cream or meringue topping. But now this . . . is divine.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1⁄4 cup

packed light brown sugar

4 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch slices 2 cups heavy whipping cream 1 cup whole milk 3⁄4

cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (see Notes) or vanilla extract 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice Yellow food coloring (optional, see Notes) 2 cups coarsely crumbled vanilla wafers Garnish: Whole mini or crumbled vanilla wafers, banana slices

2 egg yolks 2 tablespoons banana liqueur or banana flavoring

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food coloring (if using), and caramelized banana

Coconut Dream Pie

and bananas, and stir evenly until the bananas are

slices. Use a hand blender to puree the mixture until

Makes one 9-inch pie

caramelized and softened, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

smooth. Let it rest for about 30 minutes at room

being a grandmama’s boy set him on the path to livin’ (and workin’) right. His Oma was especially

In

a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat

a large, heavy saucepan, whisk to combine the

cream, milk, granulated sugar, and cornstarch over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until a

Whisk

in the liqueur, vanilla bean paste, lemon juice,

temperature before pouring the banana custard into a large container. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. the banana custard in an ice-cream maker

candy thermometer reaches 150°F (the mixture will be

Freeze

slightly thickened and coat the back of a spoon), about

according to the manufacturer’s instructions. During

8 to 10 minutes. Do not let it boil or the mixture will

the last 5 minutes of churning, add the vanilla wafer

break down. Remove from the heat and set aside.

pieces. Serve immediately, or transfer the banana

In

a medium bowl, whisk the yolks until slightly

thickened. Slowly drizzle in about 1 cup of the warm

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until bubbly, about 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar

In

For Dallas restaurateur and big ol’ teddy bear of a guy Shawn Horne,

adept at conjuring up dense, velvety custards, like the one in this decidedly voluptuous coconut cream pie. “Because the custard was so smooth, I was fed this as early as age six months,” Shawn says. “Then, because I loved it so much, it was my ‘birthday cake’ all through my youth.” The white chocolate brushed onto this piecrust is a hidden surprise and gives it the Dallas-dandified treatment. Not hidden is his use of freshly toasted coconut flakes, which gives this added grandeur.

custard to an airtight container and allow it to harden in the freezer for at least 4 hours. Garnish, if desired.

cream mixture while whisking to incorporate. Pour the

In

2⁄3 cup

sugar, and the salt. Split the bean and scrape the seeds into the pan,

sugar

cream-yolk mixture back into the saucepan of cream

1⁄2 teaspoon

mixture.

1⁄2 vanilla

Notes Vanilla bean paste is an even richer alternative to pure vanilla extract. It can be found at gourmet markets and online. You won’t regret the investment—either for this or any other confection. Try mixing a bit of it into some freshly whipped cream and dollop it onto a slice of pie. For a source, see page XXX. Bananas have a way of turning grayish in a pudding or custard, so it’s fun to add a few drops of yellow food color liquid or gel to give it a richer look. I’m just sayin.’

Sweet Talk Homespun ice cream is ideal—and this one is divine—but the Banana Pudding Ice Cream from Texas’ Blue Bell Creameries should not be missed under any circumstances. For more on the cult following that Blue Bell enjoys (and

a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the milk, 1⁄3 cup of the

2 1⁄2 cups milk salt

bean

discarding the bean. Mix well and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the vanilla milk mixture just begins to boil.

7 egg yolks

In

1⁄2 cup

sugar until well combined. Add the cornstarch, 1⁄4 cup a time, and whisk

cornstarch

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 3⁄4 cups coconut flakes, toasted (see Sweet Talk) 1 ounce white chocolate One 9-inch prebaked Buttery Pastry pie shell (page xxx)

a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining 1⁄3 cup

until the eggs are thick and pale.

Pour

a very small amount of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture,

whisking constantly. Very slowly add the remaining milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking steadily until thoroughly combined. Return the milk-egg mixture to the saucepan. (If for some reason it clumps a little, strain the mixture and return it to the saucepan.)

2 cups heavy whipping cream 1⁄2 cup

powdered sugar

why), see page XXX.

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Makes one 7 1⁄2-inch or six 1-cup cakes

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Neiman Marcus “Sock It to Me” Cakettes

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This recipe is as iconic as Neiman Marcus itself, which

was founded in downtown Dallas in 1907. It’s also as down-to-earth as many of the very well-todo people who shop there, which makes it in my mind a true example of Dallas style. Growing up, I always heard this called “The Neiman Marcus Cake,” which struck me as odd that its various recipes called for a yellow cake mix—definitely not a Neiman Marcus attribute. But then, on a trip to Dallas (years before I moved here), I had a slice of it in the “ladies who lunch” Zodiac Room restaurant and, lo and behold, it was made from scratch—the couture version, if you will. And that’s when it hit me. It’s a perfect cake for NM. It’s super rich, like the folks who shop there. And the sock-it-to-me flavor also reflects the store’s high-impact fashions.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups granulated sugar

1⁄2 cup

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus more if desired

1⁄2 cup

chopped pecans

packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

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Makes about thirty 1 1⁄2-inch marshmallows

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Texas Twister (Chocolate-Orange) Marshmallows Rachael Companik, who lives just north of

Houston with her husband and three young daughters, is a marshmallow devotee to say the least. She makes dozens of creative varieties of them (think chocolate-cherry, caramel–sea salt) to share with friends and family. “I’ve loved marshmallows of all kinds since I was a little girl. Even Peeps and the freeze-dried things from hot chocolate packets,” Rachael says. But a few years ago she discovered the holy grail of marshmallows: homemade ones. As she puts it, “There’s simply nothing else that compares to their tender perfection.” Amen, sister. This recipe is insanely easy to make, and it’s my new go-to recipe when I’m asked to bring a dessert I know will be easy to eat and everyone will think is fun. an 8- inch or 9-inch square baking dish by lining it with a sheet of

2 cups sugar

Prepare

2⁄3 cup

plastic wrap, allowing the edges to hang over; spray with baking oil with

corn syrup

Three 1⁄4-ounce packets unflavored gelatin 1⁄4 teaspoon 1⁄2 cup

salt

semisweet chocolate chips

flour. Set aside another piece of plastic wrap, also sprayed with baking oil with flour.

In

a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup

and 1⁄4 cup water and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.

2 teaspoons orange extract 2 to 3 drops natural orange food coloring (optional) 1⁄2 cup

powdered sugar

1⁄2 cup

cornstarch

Meanwhile,

add 1⁄2 cup cool water to the bowl of a stand mixture and

sprinkle the gelatin and salt over it in order to soften the gelatin; stir to combine. Let it sit for at least 3 minutes.

Allow

the sugar mixture to boil for about 1 minute, then pour it into the

bowl of gelatin. Immediately beat the mixture with the whisk attachment on high for 12 minutes, until it has become thickened, white, and tripled in volume.

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