Butter Cookies • 21 Peanut Butter Pralines • 28 Buttermilk & Brioche Bread Pudding • 29 Oyster Salsify Stew • 29 Spaghetti And Meatballs

THE COOKIE: A. RENE TREVINO’S BUTTER COOKIES

If there’s one thing that people expect from Rene’s Bakery in Broad Ripple, it’s the croissants. Owner A. Rene Trevino hand-rolls more than 1,000 each week, often tying on his apron at 2:30am to get it all done. At his humble 625-square-foot shop, Trevino makes “pastry for the people,” offering everything from fancy tortes to cutout cookies.

Though he loves the challenge (croissants take nine hours, start to finish), Trevino knows how to make things simple, too. His classic butter cookie recipe is ideal for holiday baking traditions at home.

“This dough is pretty straightforward, and it has a great flavor,” he says.

During the holidays, Trevino turns out butter cookies in a variety of shapes like snowflakes, snowmen and angels, decorated with icing and coarse sugar. Perhaps the biggest fan is Trevino’s son, whose request for butter cookies came unusually early this year: for his sixth birthday in late October.

“He’d been asking for Christmas cookies”—of all things—“for a month or so,” Trevino says.

Details: Rene’s Bakery, 6524-B N. Cornell Ave., Indianapolis; 317-251-2253; RenesBakery.com

BUTTER COOKIES

Recipe by A. Rene Trevino Makes about 3 dozen cookies 1 pound unsalted butter, cold and cut into large cubes ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar ⅓ cup egg yolks (about 3 to 4 yolks) 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 4¼ cups all-purpose flour

1. Combine butter, salt and sugar in a standing mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat until smooth.

2. Add yolks and vanilla extract, and mix until the ingredients are well incorporated. 3. Add flour and mix until dough forms. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F.

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters.

6. Bake on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper for 10–15 minutes, until edges are slightly browned. After removing from the oven, let stand for a minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

7. Decorate with icing, coarse sugar, etc.

“This dough is pretty straightforward, and it has a great flavor.”

THE CANDY: CARRIE ABBOTT’S PRALINES

Carrie Abbott bought her first praline on a whim, while standing at the cash register of a general store in New Orleans. The texture of the Southern candy—fudgy, but without cream—immediately reminded her of the no-bake cookies that she loved so much as a kid.

That memory inspired Abbott, an Indianapolis candy maker, to start whipping up pralines for Frittle, her line of nostalgic treats.

“Any time I’ve asked someone about a favorite candy or sweet, it always goes back to childhood,” says Abbott, who is an Indiana Artisan. “It really just reminds people of a simpler time, where maybe your biggest decision of the day was to pick out candy.”

Frittle, the line’s namesake treat, is a bite-size hard candy that is a cross between brittle and fudge (the name is a mash-up of the two). The candy is gluten-free and vegan, and is sold throughout the city.

Pralines are available initially at Yats, the Cajun-Creole restaurant in Broad Ripple. At home, pralines couldn’t be easier to make, Abbott says.

“It takes away the mystique of how hard it is to make candy,” she says. “Its’ a very forgiving recipe and after only two to three batches you’ll almost be an expert.”

Adapted from TheKitchn.com Make 20–50 pralines, depending on preferred size

1½ cups granulated white sugar ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed ½ cup milk (whole or 2%) 6 tablespoons salted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1½ cup whole pecans, toasted* ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter

1. Before starting to cook, prepare the items you’ll need for the pralines to cool: Lay out a piece of parchment, aluminum foil or a silicone baking mat. Also set out an extra spoon. The pralines will cool quickly after they’re finished cooking, so it’s important to have these items ready. 2. Combine all the ingredients except for the peanut butter in a medium saucepan that holds at least 4 quarts. Using a smaller pan could cause the mixture to bubble over.

3. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. When it comes to a boil, start stirring constantly.

Let it boil for about 3 minutes, until the syrup registers 238°–240°F. on a candy thermometer. During the last 2° of cooking, stir in the peanut butter. 4. Remove the pan from heat immediately and continue stirring. The mixture will become creamy, cloudy and thick.

When the mixture starts to get grainy, the pralines are ready. 5. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the parchment, using a second spoon to scrape the candy off the first spoon if necessary. Work quickly, as the pralines will set as they cool. Let the pralines cool and harden for at least 10 minutes. The pralines are best within 24 hours, but they will keep in an airtight container for several days.

* To toast pecans, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F. until golden and toasty, about 5–10 minutes. Keep an eye on the pecans to keep them from over-browning. Cool. Store in an airtight container if using within a few weeks or in the freezer until you need them.