Table Hoppin

Webster House cookbook for sale to benefit Worcester food bank

BARBARA M. HOULE

Just in time for gift-giving this holiday season is the newly published “Webster House Res-

taurant Cookbook, Recipes,

People, History,” written by former employees of the restaurant, located for more than 30 years in the city’s Webster Square neighborhood.

Cookbooks, $20 each, will be sold from noon to 3 p.m. Nov. 8 at a “drive-through event” in the Barrows Hardware parking lot, 15 Webster St., Worcester, the site of the former iconic Webster House Restaurant. “For COVID-19 safety, customers are asked to remain in their cars, entering on Webster Street and exiting on Cambridge Street,” said Deborah Alcorn, cookbook committee spokeswoman.

One hundred percent of book sales will go to the Worcester County Food Bank in Shrewsbury. Cash or a check made out to the Worcester County Food Bank will be accepted. No credit card sales.

Alcorn and committee refer to the cookbook as a “labor of love,” but it’s so much more.

Christos T. Liazos and his wife, Helena, together owned and operated the Webster House Restaurant, highly regarded in the area for its food and hospitality, wine dinners and special events. And, holiday pies by the hundreds!

In food articles about the couple, Chris often is referred to as the “chef/ restaurateur” and Helena, “baker extraordinaire.” They were married 53 years before Helena’s death in 2017. Chris passed away in 2019 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

The Webster House Restaurant Cookbook really is a time capsule, looking back on the success, history and life behind the scenes of the business. Nearly 200 recipes in the book include everything from the restaurant’s popular lamb shanks to all-time favorite desserts. A painting of the restaurant by Helena’s brother, Chet Dymek, is depicted on the cookbook cover designed by Gloria St. Denis. Recipes for Apple Cranberry Crumb Pie and Southern-style Pecan Pie featured in today’s column are courtesy of the cookbook committee. Chris planned for the cookbook long before he was diagnosed with cancer, according to Alcorn, who said regular committee meetings and days of testing recipes took place at his home. “Chris first told us about the cookbook at a staff reunion,” she said. “A few weeks before he died he called us in and said he wanted all the book’s proceeds to go to the Worcester County Food Bank. This was all done before COVID-19. We know that his donation will go to help people in the community affected by the cornavirus.”

A Worcester County Food Bank representative is expected to attend the cookbook sale at Barrows Hardware.

Alcorn said the Liazos’ sons, Andrew Liazos of Westboro and Theodore “Ted” Liazos of Washington, D.C., have been instrumental in the production and sales of the book.

Cookbook committee members include executive chef Joan St. Denis Clarico, Cindy Garvin, Ann Robert and Ray Young, all former Webster House Restaurant employees, and Gloria St. Denis and Rod Lee.

Alcorn shared a few tidbits about the restaurant: Boston Cream Pie topped sales for pre-ordered holiday pies, and the staff worked day and night alongside the owners to prepare for the holidays. Helena Liazos created the restaurant’s signature Baklava Cheesecake, a popular menu and holiday item.

Chris and Helena were doting grandparents who enjoyed family time, especially during Christmas when they made gingerbread houses with their grandchildren, Chris, Rachel and Stephen Liazos. True cookie gourmets, the couple made every kind of cookie you could imagine for the holidays. Chris personally delivered their cookie trays to family and friends.

Who knew that Chris Liazos had a passion for fig squares?

Alcorn said twice a day Chris would head to the restaurant’s dessert case for a fig square. “Even Helena hadn’t realized how much sugar he was eating,” joked Alcorn. “Chris would wrap the fig square in bakery paper, walking away with a big smile

Rod Lee, Cynthia Garvin, Deb Alcorn, Joan St. Denis Clarico, Gloria St. Denis, and Ann Robert inside Barrows Hardware.

on his face. He would tell staff that the squares reminded him of home in Longos (Albania).”

Many of us hold fond memories of Chris and Helena Liazos. The cookbook is sure to stir up even more!

Pie recipes from the Webster House Restaurant Cookbook:

APPLE CRANBERRY CRUMB PIE

5 cups (5 to 6 medium) Cortland or any other firm apple, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick 1 cup frozen sliced cranberries ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1 pinch salt ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg ⅔ cup white granulated sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 9-inch fluted deep-dish pie shell, unbaked

Crumb Topping:

¾ cup sugar ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¾ cup flour 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) cold butter

RICK CINCLAIR

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In large bowl, combine apples and cranberries. Add cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, sugar and flour. Toss together and place mixture into pie shell. Sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake for 20 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees; bake additional 30 to 40 minutes until apples are soft. Test with fork for softness. Makes one 9-inch pie.

PECAN PIE (Southern Style)

1¼ cups white granulated sugar ⅛ teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter, melted 4 large eggs 1½ cups light corn syrup (Karo brand recommended) ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 5 ounces pecan halves 1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together sugar and salt in large mixing bowl. Add melted butter. Mix with paddle or hand mixer on medium for approximately 3 minutes. Sugar will look crumbly. Add eggs. Beat until light and fluffy. Blend in corn syrup and vanilla. Place pecans on bottom of unbaked pie shell. Note: Pecans will rise to top in baking.

Bake for 1 hour. Insert thin sharp point of knife near center of pie. Knife should come out clean although the pie may look shaky when moved. Remove to rack to cool. Keep at room temperature.

Note: ¼ ounce of bourbon may be added to mixture before baking. The pie has a long shelf life and delicious served with a dollop of ice cream.

Thanksgiving at Sonoma

Thanksgiving Dinner at Sonoma

Restaurant at the Beechwood

Hotel in Worcester will include reserved seating at noon, 2 and 4 p.m.

The three-course prix fixe menu will include seasonal farm-to-table selections such as Sonoma’s Sweet Pumpkin & Apple Bisque, fresh Autumn Salad and other traditional favorites. The holiday menu also will offer guests a choice of roasted turkey or roasted 12-ounce prime rib, Faroe Island salmon or butternut squash ravioli. Pumpkin Crème Brulee with Fresh Berries, Decadent Heirloom Apple Pie with Vanilla Gelato lead off signature desserts. To reserve for Thanksgiving, call BetteAnn Wallen, (508) 4531113, or send email to bawallen@ beechwoodhotel.com. Visit https:// www.sonomaatthebeechwood.com for complete menu. The restaurant follows “stringent COVID-19 safety protocols.” Thanksgiving to go at Chuck’s It’s Thanksgiving Dinner to go at Chuck’s Steak House in Auburn. The restaurant offers dinner for four to six people, packaged, precooked and ready for pick-up on Nov. 25, the day before the holiday. Call (508) 832-2553 to order. On the menu: Roasted turkey breast, mashed potatoes, homemade stuffing and gravy. Cost is $75 plus tax. “Reheat for a perfect no fuss, no mess dinner,” is word from the Chuck’s owners. If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282; send email to NOVEMBER 5 11, 2020 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM bhoulefood@gmail.com. 17