June 19, 2010 · 11:36 am

Tomato Basil Tart

We made this with the wonderful homegrown tomatoes from PawPaw’s garden.   Be careful when serving.  Once I lifted a slice from the dish and reached over the person sitting at the table, when it slid off the spatula and into their lap.  What a hot surprise!  They ate it anyway.  It’s that good.

By Janet Hoover–Pat’s sister in Baton Rouge, La

1              pie crust — uncooked
1 1/2      cups  mozzarella cheese — grated
5             Roma tomato — thickly sliced
1              cup  basil, fresh — minced
1-2          cloves  garlic — minced
1/2          cup  mayonnaise
1/4          cup  parmesan cheese — grated
pepper

Bake pie crust.  Slice tomatoes and drain on paper towel.  Arrange in the bottom of the pie crust.  Sprinkle with pepper, basil and garlic.  Mix mayonaise and mozzarella.  Spoon on top of tomatoes.  Sprinkle with parmesan.  Bake 400 until golden.

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June 19, 2010 · 11:24 am

Baked Beans

The Savoie family insisted Pat make this every Boudreaux Family Reunion at PPG Park.

By Granny– Dolores Borel

2         large cans  Boston baked beans
1         small can  tomato sauce
3         slices  bacon
1         onion
1         bell pepper
1         clove  garlic
1/2    cup  brown sugar
1         Tablespoon  Worcestershire sauce
1         dash  Tabasco sauce
1         Tablespoon  mustard

Fry bacon, then add onions and bell pepper.  Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased baking dish.  Bake 350 1 hour.

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June 19, 2010 · 11:15 am

Asparagus Quiche

By Elizabeth Savoie Dronet

6             Egg — beaten
1/2         Pound  Fresh Asparagus — cut 1″ thick
1/2         Cup  Swiss Cheese
1             Pie Crust  (9 Inch)
1             Cup  Milk
1/2         Cup  Sour Cream
1             Tablespoon  Instant Minced Onion
1/2         Teaspoon  Salt
1/4         Teaspoon  White Pepper

Preheat oven to 375.  Preheat cookie sheet.

In a medium saucepan cook asparagus in a small amount of water until tender and crisp.  Drain well.

Arrange asparagus and cheese in pie shell.

Beat egg and all remaining ingredients together with a wire whisk.

Pour over cheese and asparagus.

Place on heated cookie sheet and bake 35 to 40 minutes.

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June 18, 2010 · 11:17 pm

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

We made homemade ice cream every summer.  PawPaw, Jerry Borel, milked his own cows.  We skimmed the cream off the top and used it to make the ice cream. The cream was so thick, it hardly would pour.  We didn’t have an electric ice cream maker.  You had to turn the handle by hand.  They would put a towel on top of the machine and one of the children would sit on top to help hold the machine still so the person turning it could have an easier time.  Then when it got too hard to turn, it had to sit a while to harden.  It seemed to take forever.  That was the best ice cream I have ever tasted.

Around the year 1915 my grandmother, Ada Dufresne, lived in the country along the Mississippi River.  They didn’t have electricity, so they couldn’t make ice.  They would collect large chunks of ice from the river when it melted up north.  The ice was stored in an ice house in sawdust until they could use it.  They would make invitations by hand and deliver them to friends by wagon.  Everyone would get together and make ice cream and lemonade.  Grandma would play the piano and they would sing.  I wish you could have known her better.

By Granny–Dolores Borel

6         eggs
2         cups  sugar
1         large box  instant vanilla pudding
1         Tablespoon  vanilla
1/4     teaspoon  salt
1         quart  heavy cream
1         quart  light cream

Mix eggs and sugar until light yellow.  Add remaining ingredients.  Fill container to fill line with whole milk.  You need 3 bags of ice and rock salt.  Mix until freezer stops, then cover with ice and towels and let sit until you serve.

Serving Ideas : Any fruit can be added.  If you add mashed bananas, eat it all.  Bananas turn black if stored.

Dad dishing out dessert

PawPaw enjoying homemade ice cream

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June 18, 2010 · 11:14 pm

Coconut Cake

My grandmother was a great cook.  She was able to make something out of nothing.  She lived during the Depression and worked for pennies a day at a lingerie factory.  As a widow she raised six children on her own. This must have been a cool treat during the hot New Orleans summer.

By Grandma Du Du (Ada Dufresne)- Pat’s grandmother

1                box  white cake mix

8               ounces  Cool Whip
8               ounces  sour cream
12             ounces  frozen coconut
1 1/2       cups  powdered sugar

Bake cake according to instructions on the box in round 8″ cake pans.  Split the layers with a string.
Combine ingredients to make the frosting.  Frost all layers and sides of the cake.  Must be refrigerated.

Frozen coconut tastes better and is less sweet.
Try this also with the sour cream white cake mix.

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June 18, 2010 · 11:00 pm

Cinnamon Chocolate Cake

Granny always had a homemade treat waiting for us when we got off the school bus.  This was one of those desserts.  It took a whole gallon of milk to wash it down. Yum!  I made it for my neighbor Michelle and now it’s one of her favorites because you don’t have to wait for it to cool off before adding the icing.  It’s best served warm.

by Granny–Dolores Borel

Cake Ingredients

2              cups  sugar
2              cups  flour
1                tsp  baking soda
1                tsp  cinnamon
1/2           salt
1               stick  butter
1/2           cup  vegetable shortening — (Cricso)
1 1/2        ounces  unsweetened chocolate
1               cup  water
1/2           cup  buttermilk
2               eggs
1                tsp  vanilla

Icing Ingredients

1               stick  butter
1/3           cup  milk
1               pound  powdered sugar
1               tsp  vanilla
1                cup  pecans
1 1/2        ounces  unsweetened chocolate

Method

Combine first five ingredients and set aside.  Melt and bring to rapid boil butter, crisco, chocolate and water.  Pour over dry ingredients.  Add buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.  Pour into 11 x 16 sheet pan that has been greased and floured.  Bake 400 20 minutes.

Icing:  Melt cubes of chocolate in microwave. Boil butter and milk on the stove and add melted chocolate near the end. Add sugar, vanilla, and pecans.  Pour over warm cake and eat warm.

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June 18, 2010 · 10:36 pm

Sweet-n-Salty Turtles

These are a quick and easy treat to impress your friends. I remember unwrapping the Rolos with Dad and eating them before they even made it to the pretzels.  Mom taught me how to squish the pecan down just right.  We love eating these on vacation in Florida.

by Rebecca Savoie

1 bag of Rolos, unwrapped (good job for kids)
1 bag of mini knot shaped pretzels
1 bag pecan halves

Preheat oven to 250.  Place parchment paper over a cookie sheet.  Place a Rolo on top of each pretzel until you run out of Rolos.  Place in oven for around 5 minutes or until Rolos is softened but not melted.  Remove from oven and place a pecan half in the center of the Rolo. Squish gently as Mom has demonstrated.  Cool either at room temp or in the fridge if you can’t wait to eat them.

If placed in the fridge or freezer, Mom warns that candies may become sweaty when returning to room temperature.

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June 18, 2010 · 10:26 pm

Apple Coffee Cake

IMG_9740

This is easy to make.  I liked to make it when someone showed up for dinner and I needed a quick dessert.  Serve it hot with coffee.

by Pat Savoie

Cake Ingredients

2              cups  Bisquick® baking mix
1/2          cup  sugar
1               egg
1               large  green apple — diced
2/3          cup  milk
2              tsp  cinnamon

Streusel Ingredients

1/3          cup  Bisquick® baking mix
1/3          cup  brown sugar
1/2          tsp  cinnamon
2             Tablespoons  butter
pecans

Method

Mix all cake ingredients and pour into greased and floured round cake pan.
Combine all streusel ingredients except the pecans in a bowl using a fork or pastry cutter.
Sprinkle the pecans on the batter first, then the rest of the strudel.  That way the pecans don’t burn.  Bake 15-20 min. 325.

Serving Ideas : Best hot out the oven.

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

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June 18, 2010 · 10:22 pm

Almond Cream Puffs

Chocolate Eclair "Bites"

My children, especially Emily, love this. They asked for it for their birthdays.  The pastry can be piped into small 1 teaspoon size balls or dropped by the spoon-full for larger puffs.  Elizabeth made chocolate eclair bites for a book club meeting where the main character had been poisoned possibly by something in the chocolate eclair!

by Pat Savoie

Puffs:

1               cup  water
1/2           cup  butter
1/4           tsp  salt
1                cup  flour
4               eggs
(Can add 1 tsp sugar too if desired.)

Filling:

1               small box  vanilla pudding
1 1/4        cups  milk
1               cup  heavy whipping cream or Cool Whip
1               tsp  almond extract

Glaze:

1/2           cup  semisweet chocolate
1               Tablespoon  butter
1 1/2        tsp  milk
1 1/2        tsp  light corn syrup

Puff:  Heat water, butter and salt until mixture boils.  Remove from heat.  Vigorously stir in flour all at once until mixture forms a ball and leaves the sides of the pot.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each with a wooden spoon.  Drop by spoonfuls into greased muffin pan or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake 400 40 minutes or until golden.  Turn off oven and leave in and additional 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and poke a small hole in each to let the moisture escape.  Cool

Filling:  Make pudding.  Beat cream until stiff.  Fold into pudding and add almond extract.  Fill each puff using a  pastry bag and large hole tip.

Glaze:  Melt all ingredients together in microwave.  Drizzle over puffs.  Refrigerate. (You may want to put the chocolate in a ziploc bag and snip off the end to help drizzle the chocolate.)

Serving Ideas : You can make a ring of large puffs.

NOTES : I use Cool Whip instead of whipping cream when I’m not going to serve it immediately.  The whipped cream tends to break down when stored.   I usually need more cream filling,  so I double the recipe.

Other ideas:  You can freeze leftover puffs (without filling).  For a savory puff, try other fillings such as egg salad or chicken salad.

Puffs cooked in muffin tins.

Larger sized puffs

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June 18, 2010 · 10:08 pm

Jello Poke Cake

Rebecca had this cake at her sweet 16 birthday party.  It was great with hamburgers and hot dogs, chips, and watermelon.  We made jello strawberry daiquiris (no alcohol) and drank them from plastic margarita glasses.

by Pat Savoie

Ingredients

1            Package  White Cake Mix
1            Cup  Boiling Water
1            Small  Jello
1/2        Cup  Cold Water
1            Small  Instant Vanilla Pudding and Pie Filling
8           Ounces  Cool Whip
Fruit

Method

Make cake mix according to instructions in a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Cool 15 minutes.

Add jello to boiling water and stir until dissolves.  Add cold water.

Poke holes in the top of the cake with a large fork.

Pour jello over cake and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Make pudding according to directions and frost top of cake.

Spoon Cool Whip over pudding.

Decorate with fruit (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, kiwi, etc.)

You can adapt the recipe to make cupcakes or mini-cupcakes as pictured.

Pat used these mini cupcakes for Paw Paw’s birthday.

Let them Eat Cake!
Elizabeth served these for her book club’s discussion of Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution.

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