Category Archives: Dessert

June 22, 2010 · 7:03 pm

Butter Cookies


It wouldn’t be Christmas at the Savoies without these little cookies.  We always decorate them with at least one red hot candy per cookie.  Christmas wreaths are great because we put two candies to make a bow!  We also like to make green Christmas trees and red bells and poinsettias.

Elizabeth makes heart shaped cookies with the cookie press for Valentines day too.  This is a great recipe for kids.  They love to sprinkle on the sugars and place the red hots just so.

by Granny–Dolores Borel

3           sticks  butter
2           cups  sugar
2           eggs
5            cups  flour
1/2        tsp  baking soda

colored sugars
cinnamon imperials

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and baking soda.  Stir in flour.  Batter will be stiff.  I usually have to mix with my hands.  Use a cookie press to make holiday cookies.  Decorate with sugars and candies. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes or until they just start to brown around the edges.  Cookies should not turn golden.

*Squeeze dough several times in your hand to warm it up just before placing it in the cookie press.
* Use small cookie cutters if you do not have a cookie press.  Brush with an egg white wash and then sprinkle sugars.

Look at all that sugar!

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Filed under Cookies, Dessert, Holidays

June 22, 2010 · 6:44 pm

Bananas Foster

Pat and I love to order this dessert at Brennan’s restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The waiter comes to your table with his cart and cooks, then flambes, this wonderful dish right before you.  Brennan’s gave us a copy of their recipe, so now I am able to create it at home.

By Kent Savoie

4                 Bananas
1/4           Cup  Butter
1                Cup  Brown Sugar
1/4           Cup  Creme De Banane (banana Liqueur)
1/2           Teaspoon  Cinnamon
1/4           Cup  Dark Rum
4                Cups  Vanilla Ice Cream

Melt butter.  Stir in brown sugar, liqueur, and cinnamon.

Bring to a simmer and cook 2 minutes.

Add bananas (cut in half and slice lengthwise).  Cook 4 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Add rum and ignite.

Serve over ice cream.

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June 20, 2010 · 4:24 pm

Orange Cottage Cheese Salad

by Kathy–Pat’s sister in North Carolina

16            Ounces  Cottage Cheese
1              Large  Orange Flavored Jello — dry mix
8            Ounces  Cool Whip
1              Large  Mandarin Orange — drained

Mix dry jello in cottage cheese stirring until no longer grainy

Stir in Cool Whip and mandarin oranges.

Refrigerate

*Strawberry jello can be substituted along with fresh strawberries sliced.

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Filed under Dessert, Salads

June 20, 2010 · 4:20 pm

Layered Orange Jello Salad

Pat likes to bring this for salad luncheons.  It’s a nice surprise among the lettuce.  It also makes a vibrant accompaniment to an Easter buffet. 

by Janet–Pat’s sister in Baton Rouge

Ingredients

2          packages  orange jello
2          cups  hot water
6          ounces  frozen orange juice concentrate
2          cans  mandarin orange — drained
1          can  crushed pineapple — drained

1           package  instant lemon pudding
1           cup  milk
1           cup  whipping cream

Method

Dissolve jello in hot water.  Add juice, oranges and pineapple.  Chill.

Mix pudding, milk and cream.  Pour on top of jello.  Chill.

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Filed under Dessert, Holidays, Salads

June 20, 2010 · 2:13 pm

Cherry Coffee Cake

My mother, Dolores Borel, served this hot with coffee.  My grandmother, Ruby, loved to embroider and applique quilt tops.  During the winter months we would “put up” a quilt in my mother’s living room–that being the largest and least used room in the house.  The quilting frames, handmade by my dad by tacking ticking to long boards, would be brought out to have the quilt top pinned to them then mounted onto four corner stands.  Chairs would be taken from the kitchen table and placed around the quilt.  We started quilting the outside edges, then as we finished sewing for as long as we could reach, the quilt sides would be turned so as to begin again.  When we stopped for a coffee break, everyone would look at each others stitches to compare who had the best.  We would enjoy our warm cake with coffee and tease one another about our sewing.  What happy memories to have of my grandmother.

By Pat Savoie, originally by Dolores Borel

For the cake:

3               cups  flour
1                tsp  baking powder
1                tsp  baking soda
1                cup  sugar
1               stick  butter
2               eggs — beaten
1                cup  sour cream
1                tsp  vanilla
1                can  Comstock Cherry Pie Filling

For the top:

1/4          cup  sugar
1/4          cup  butter

Method:

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla then dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Spread 1/2 batter in greased and floured 9 x 13 pan.  (I floured my hands and pressed it into the bottom.)

Top with cherry pie filling.  Drop remaining batter by small spoonfuls over cherries.  (An alternate way is to flour a smooth surface and turn out remaning dough.  With floured hands press into a 9×13 shape.  Lift and place on top of cherries to the best of your abilities.)  Do not worry if it does not look beautiful at this stage.  Some cherries may show through.  It will all puff up and look nice when it cooks.

Combine cold butter and sugar with a pastry cutter until crumbly.  Sprinkle this streusel over the top of the dough.  Bake 325 for 30-40 minutes until cooked in the center and slightly browned. It’s best served hot.

If you like coffee cake, you may also like our Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins, Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake, Apple Coffee Cake, Rugelach or Jumbo Oatmeal Raisin Coconut Cookies.

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Filed under Cakes, Dessert

June 19, 2010 · 4:20 pm

Striped Delight

Loree always brought something special for holidays.  The peppermints made this ideal for Christmas Eve gathering at her mom’s house, Aunt Celeste.  We always had gumbo and hot eggnog.

recipe by Loree, Pat’s niece

1            package  Oreos
6        tablespoons  butter — melted
8            ounces  cream cheese — softened
1/2          cup  sugar
2        tablespoons  milk
12            ounces  cool whip
3 1/4          cups  milk
2              small  instant chocolate pudding mix
peppermints — crushed

Place the cookies in a Ziploc bag and pound them with a rolling pin.  Pour the crumbs in a 9 x 13 baking dish and toss with butter.  Press down to form a crust.  Chill 10 minutes.

Mix cream cheese, sugar and milk until well blended.  Fold in 1 1/4 cups cool whip.  Spread on chilled crust.

Mix milk and pudding.  Pour over cream cheese mixture.  Top with remaining cool whip and sprinkle with crushed peppermints.

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June 19, 2010 · 4:17 pm

Pineapple Philly Pie

The Borel’s always made this on holidays with the Wittler’s during the 1950s, 60s & 70s.

by Granny–Dolores Borel

1/3       cup  sugar
1           Tablespoon  corn starch
1            cup  pineapple — crushed
8            ounces  cream cheese
1/2        cup  sugar
1/2         tsp  salt
2              eggs
1/2         cup  milk
1/2         tsp  vanilla
1/4         cup  pecans — chopped

Blend sugar, corn starch, and pineapple in saucepan.  Cook stirring constantly until mixture is thick and clear.  Cool.
Cream cream cheese.  Slowly blend in sugar and salt.  Add eggs one at a time.  Blend in milk and vanilla.  Spread pineapple in shell.  Pour in cream cheese mixture.  Sprinkle with pecans.  Bake 400 for 10 minutes,  then reduce heat to 350.  Bake 50 minutes.

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June 19, 2010 · 4:12 pm

Peanut Brittle

“Aunt Carol wasn’t a very good cook, but she could make peanut brittle.  They lived next door to us and her children always wanted to eat over at our house, because my mom’s cooking was great.” -Pat

recipe by Aunt Carol Borel

2               cups  sugar
1               cup  light corn syrup
1               cup  water
1/2          teaspoon  salt
2 1/2      cups  peanuts — raw
1               teaspoon  baking soda

Combine all ingredients except baking soda in a large sauce pan.  Boil until hard boil stage.  Peanuts will begin to make a popping sound.  If you cook it too much, the peanuts will burn.  Remove from heat and add baking soda stirring as it foams up.  Pour over buttered tin foil or parchment paper.  Cool then break apart.

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Filed under Candy, Dessert

June 19, 2010 · 1:20 pm

Orange Pecans

Granny and Paw Paw mark the Christmas season with the ripened fruit of their Satsuma, Louisiana Sweet and Bloody Navel trees.  With all of that fruit, there is plenty to share. Pecans are also in season, which makes the combination of  the two a natural pairing.    These yummy Orange Pecans are a Christmas tradition.  Set out with Candied Orange Peel and Fantasy Fudge.

by Granny–Dolores Borel

Ingredients

3/4     cup  sugar
1          Tablespoon  water
3          Tablespoons  orange juice
1           teaspoon  orange peel — grated
1 1/2  cups  pecans (Elizabeth uses 2 cups.)

Method

Cook all but pecans until soft boil stage.  It doesn’t take long.  The syrup will begin to thicken.  Pour in pecans and stir until it begins to turn white.  Turn out on wax paper and separate.

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Filed under Candy, Dessert, Holidays, Lunch Box

June 19, 2010 · 1:16 pm

Martha Washingtons

Granny always made these at Christmas when Pat was a child.

by Granny–Dolores Borel

2             pounds  powdered sugar
1             cup  sweetened condensed milk
1             stick  butter
1             quart  pecans — chopped
1/2        pound  candied cherries — chopped
1             Tablespoon  vanilla

1            package  Baker’s semisweet chocolate
1/3       cake  paraffin (wax)

In a mixer, cream butter, add sugar , milk and vanilla.  Fold in cherries and pecans.  Mixture will be very stiff.  Form in small balls.

In an electric rice cooker, melt chocolate and paraffin.  Dip balls in chocolate using 2 forks. Let drip, then place on wax paper or parchment paper.

*Sometimes I cut the recipe in half because it makes so much.

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Filed under Candy, Dessert