DO ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME

Neighborhood food experts share their most special recipes and secrets for whipping them up right

STORY BY: GARY DOWELL PHOTOS BY: BENJAMIN HAGER & CAN TÜRKYILMAZ

It’s not the br I sk a Ir, the carefully wrapped gifts or the warm hugs from family that make the holidays so special. nope — it’s the food. and behind every treasured recipe is a story, usually one involving family, friends and traditions.

those who understand the value of great recipes — comforting creations made familiar after years of reunions, weddings and weekend trips hold the secret to genuine holiday happiness.

several neighbors who make their living in the culinary arts are sharing the stories behind their favorite recipes this month. their recipes — already passed from generation to generation — could become new holiday traditions for your family this year.

Grandma’s California Walnut CheWs

from Jill Inforzato

(owner of Hula Hotties Café & Bakery)

“When we were growing up, Grandma used to make a bar cookie that had the greatest texture and was filled with nuts and covered in powdered sugar, so they were messy to eat,” Inforzato says of this family treat.

after her grandmother died, Inforzato’s mother began making the cookies until her health began to decline. the recipe was lost for some time following her mother’s death, until Inforzato discovered it tucked away in a drawer and began making them.

“every time I make the chews, people want the recipe. I always give it away gladly,” she says.

inGredients: a 1 tbsp butter a 1 c brown sugar a 2 eggs beaten a 1 tsp vanilla a 1/4 c plus 1 Tbsp flour a 1/8 tsp baking soda a 1/4 tsp salt a 1 c toasted chopped walnuts a sifted powder sugar for finished walnut chews

Find video featuring Jill Inforzato on oakcliff.advocatemag.com

- Butter an 8x8 pan, and turn on the oven to 325 degrees.

- Cream together the brown sugar and the butter. Add the eggs and blend well. Add the vanilla.

- Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture, and blend well.

- Add the chopped nuts.

- Pour into prepared pan, and bake 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Do not overbake.

- Let cool.

- Dust with sifted powder sugar, cut into squares, and serve at room temperature. a

Tidings

Spiced Shrimp

from Margaret Guy (resident of Stevens Park Village)

This shrimp recipe is an easy and quick crowd pleaser, Guy says. “People tend to stand around the shrimp, and it will disappear in record time,” she says.

INGREDIENTS:

2½ lbs cooked shrimp

1 c sliced onions bay leaves

In a bowl, place alternate layers of shrimp, onions and a bay leaf or two.

Over that, pour the following:

1¼ c vegetable oil

¾ c vinegar

1 tsp salt

2½ tsp celery seed

2½ tsp capers dash of Tabasco

- Let marinate a few days in refrigerator, stirring a couple times a day.

- Serve with toothpicks presented on a grapefruit as an appetizer.

from Samantha Rush (owner of Rush Patisserie)

“No one has this recipe”, Rush says, but she decided to share it with Advocate readers.

When she was a girl, Rush looked forward to visiting her grandmother for the dessert, the taste of which made the 10-hour drive from New York to North Carolina worthwhile. Rush considers it “classic comfort food” and understands how the simple and uncomplicated ingredients work after formal training as a pastry chef.

INGREDIENTS:

1¾ c sugar

½ stick melted butter

2 eggs

4 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 Tbsp flour

2 tsp cornstarch

2½ c milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Unlike other chocolate pies, Rush describes this as tasting closer to a “buttery crème brûlée that’s baked as a pie.”

“As a kid, pie was pie, and there were no garnishes,” she says.

Today, she recommends using glazed or candied hazelnuts and pecans to decorate the final product.

Rush also says you can either make a traditional piecrust or purchase a premade piecrust for this recipe.

- Mix sugar, vanilla, flour, cornstarch and cocoa powder together.

- Add eggs one at a time. Cream the ingredients. Slowly add milk, and then at the end, add in cooled melted butter. Ensure that all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and homogeneous.

- Pour batter into prepared pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

MoMay’s apple Cake

from David Uygur (chef/owner, Lucia)