The Pat Conroy Cookbook Read Online Free PDF Page B

notation: “Recipe Commentary—Mrs. William E. Shinn, Jr., the mother of Margaret Holly.” It is one of the simple pleasures of my life that I read these unknown cookbooks, but there are certain times—like this one—when they offer me a glimpse into the magical, the purely enchanted.
    COCKTAIL PECANS It is a lucky yard that hosts a pecan tree. There are several things better than a pecan pie, but not many. There are several things better than roasted, salted, and buttered pecans, but not by much. In my youth I would irritate my mother by pronouncing this as
pee-can
, which she considered redneck, and she would correct me with
puh-cahn
, which she thought more genteel.      • MAKES 1 POUND
    1 cup sugar
    ¾ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
    ¾ teaspoon cumin
    ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt
    2 large egg whites
    1 pound pecan halves
    1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
    2. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, nutmeg, cumin, black pepper, cayenne, and salt.
    3. In another, larger bowl, whisk the egg whites until barely frothy. Add the nuts to the egg whites and turn to coat. Pour the sugar and spice mixture over the pecans and stir to coat.
    4. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and place in oven until browned, about 1 hour. Stir occasionally to prevent clumping.
    5. Place the baking sheet on a rack to cool. Transfer the room-temperature nuts to an airtight container.
    Warm and crisp the nuts in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 minutes before serving, if desired
.

    SMITHFIELD HAM SPREAD In the South, the Smithfield ham sets the gold standard. For me, I thought the word “Smithfield” was a synonym for excellence. After the funeral of a friend in Atlanta, I heard a guest boast, “There are four hams on the table. All Smithfield. That’s how much people thought about her.”      • MAKES 2½ CUPS
    2 cups diced Smithfield ham
    ½ cup mayonnaise
    1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
    Coarsely ground black pepper
    Thick slices country bread
    1. Place the diced ham in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse until ham is roughly chopped. Add the mayonnaise and process until the ham mixture comes together. Add the sweet relish and black pepper and pulse several times to incorporate. Transfer from processor to a mixing bowl using a rubber spatula and stir the spread (with an under-and-over motion) to make sure the relish is evenly distributed.
    2. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. To serve, bring the spread to room temperature. Spread on thick slices of country bread and cut into small squares.

    BENNE WAFERS
    from
Charleston Receipts
(collected by the Junior League of Charleston, 1950)
      • MAKES SEVERAL DOZEN
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon salt, plus additional
    Dash of cayenne pepper
    ¾ cup shortening or margarine
    Approximately ¼ cup ice water
    1 cup toasted benne (sesame) seeds *
    1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
    2. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening and add enough of the ice water to make a dough the consistency of pie crust, then add the seeds.
    3. On a dry lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until ⅛ inch thick, then cut into small round wafers. Place wafers on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Before removing the pan from the oven, sprinkle the wafers lightly with salt.
    These may be kept in a covered tin or cracker jar. Before serving, run into a slow oven to crisp
.

    CRAB LOUIS
    from
Party
Receipts from the Junior League of Charleston
    • MAKES 2 CUPS
    ½ cup chili sauce
    ½ cup mayonnaise
    1 garlic clove, minced
    ½ teaspoon dry mustard
    1 tablespoon bottled horseradish
    1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    ¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
    ½ teaspoon salt
    2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
    8 ounces flaked crabmeat, picked over and shells discarded
    1. Combine the first eight ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.
    2. Add the eggs and crabmeat and