The Essential James Beard Cookbook (70 page)

2 cups mashed pumpkin, (canned pure pumpkin purée is ideal)

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups heavy cream

²
⁄
₃
cup sugar

½ cup Cognac

½ cup drained and finely chopped preserved ginger or ¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground mace

¼ teaspoon plain salt

Line two 9-inch pie pans with the pastry and crimp the edges. Line the pastry shells with aluminum foil, and fill with dried beans. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 12 minutes until the pastry edges are slightly browned. Remove the pie shells from the oven, then lift off the foil and beans. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.

Place the pumpkin in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the eggs, cream, sugar, Cognac, chopped ginger, cinnamon, cloves, mace, and salt and whisk well. Pour into the partially baked pie shells. Bake about 40 minutes, until the custard is just set. Let cool on a wire rack for about 1 hour. Serve warm.

PECAN PIE

MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE; 8 SERVINGS

Editor: Many people think that pecan pie is a Southern dessert, but actually, it was devised as a promotional recipe for corn syrup in the 1920s. It eventually became an American classic.

Plain Pie Pastry for one 9-inch pie shell (
here
)

1 cup pecan meats, either halves or broken pieces

2 large eggs

1 cup dark corn syrup

½ to 1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 2 tablespoons dark rum

¼ teaspoon plain salt

2 to 4 tablespoons (¼ to ½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Roll out the pastry into a
¹
⁄
₈
-inch-thick round. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the pastry and crimp the edges. Sprinkle the pecans in the pastry shell. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl, and stir in the syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour over the pecans and dot with the butter. Bake in a preheated 450°F oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325°F, and bake until the filling is almost firm in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the pie on a wire rack.

SHOOFLY PIE

MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE; 8 SERVINGS

Editor: A very old recipe known both in Pennsylvania Dutch and Southern cooking, shoofly pie is almost candy in a pie shell. Serve it with whipped cream.

Plain Pie Pastry for one 9-inch pie shell (
here
)

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup packed light brown sugar

1¼ cups vegetable shortening

1 cup boiling water

1 teaspoon baking soda

²
⁄
₃
cup light corn syrup

¹
⁄
₃
cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)

Line a 9-inch pie pan with the pastry, crimp the edges, and refrigerate. Prepare a crumb topping by mixing the flour and brown sugar in a bowl. Add the shortening and cut it into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry blender to form a coarse, mealy texture.

In a deep bowl, whisk the boiling water and baking soda. Stir in the corn syrup and molasses. Let cool and pour into the pastry shell. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue baking 30 to 35 minutes, or until the filling is just firm when the pan is gently shaken. Do not overbake. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

PEAR TARTE TATIN

MAKES ONE 9-INCH TART; 8 SERVINGS

Editor:
Tarte Tatin
is the famous upside-down tart, usually made with apples. Beard shows that it also works well with pears. He suggests serving the tart with goat cheese.

For the Filling

¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

6 ripe but firm pears, peeled, halved, cored, and cut into quarters or sixths

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Rich Tart Pastry

To make the filling: Melt ¾ cup of sugar in a heavy 9-inch ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat until it turns a delicate brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Arrange the pears on the melted sugar, and mound up in the center. Sprinkle them with the 3 tablespoons of sugar, and dot with the butter. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and vanilla.

Carefully roll out the chilled pastry into a 10-inch round about
¹
⁄
₈
inch thick. Fit the pastry into the skillet, trimming away excess pastry. Make 3 holes in the top with a skewer or sharp knife. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 45 minutes, until the crust is brown and firm to the touch and the pears are bubbling up a bit around the edges. Remove from the oven and let it stand 2 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the skillet, and invert the
tarte
onto a platter somewhat larger than the skillet. This must be done quickly and deftly so the hot pears and their juices don’t burn you. [
Editor: Place the platter over the skillet. Hold the platter and skillet together, and quickly invert them to let the pears and crust fall onto the plate.
] Should the pears shift position, push them back into place with a spatula. Serve warm or tepid.

PEAR AND CHOCOLATE TART

MAKES ONE 9-INCH TART; 8 SERVINGS

Editor: This sophisticated tart is something that Beard might have been served in a French restaurant.

Tart
Rich Tart Pastry

For the Filling

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

One 1-inch piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 to 6 pears, peeled, halved, and cored

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Glaze

1 cup apricot preserves

2 tablespoons Cognac

To make the tart: Following the instructions
here
, roll out the pastry and fit into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Line the shell with aluminum foil and raw rice or dried beans. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven until the edges of the pastry are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and rice and continue baking until fully baked, about 2 minutes more. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, bring the water, sugar, and vanilla to a boil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes to make a syrup. Add the pears and simmer them in the syrup until just cooked through but still firm, about 10 minutes. Do not overcook. Cool in the syrup. Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels. (The syrup may be reserved for poaching other fruits.)

Melt the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over very low heat. Brush the bottom of the tart shell with the chocolate mixture and let it cool. Arrange the poached pear halves in the flan shell.

To make the glaze: Melt the apricot preserves in a pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the Cognac and boil for 2 minutes. Strain into a small bowl. Brush the hot glaze over the pears. Let cool on a wire rack. Remove the sides of the pan and serve.

THE COACH HOUSE QUINCE TART

MAKES ONE 12-INCH TART; 12 SERVINGS

Editor: New York’s The Coach House, not far from Beard’s brownstone in Greenwich Village, and quite possibly his favorite restaurant, celebrated the very best of American cooking. This tart, made with quince—a sadly overlooked autumn fruit—was one of its specialties. See also the
Black Bean Soup
and
Pastitsio for a Party
.)

For the Pastry

2½ cups all-purpose flour

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, at room temperature

3 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon

For the Filling

6 large quince

1 stick cinnamon

2 whole cloves

3 cups water

3 cups sugar

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons chopped almonds, roasted lightly

Whipped cream
, crème fraîche, sour cream, or vanilla ice cream for serving

To make the pastry: Place the flour in a large bowl. Make a well and add the butter, yolks, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Mix with your fingertips until well mixed and you can shape the mixture into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.

To make the filling: Peel and core the quince, saving the seeds. Wrap the quince seeds, cinnamon, and cloves in a piece of rinsed cheesecloth and tie into a sachet with kitchen twine. Cut the quince into strips about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide. Meanwhile, in a heavy skillet, bring the water, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil. Add the quince and the cheesecloth sachet. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 1½ hours, or until the juice is thickened. (The pectin in the seeds acts as a thickener.) Stir the mixture from time to time, being careful that it doesn’t stick or burn. Discard the cheesecloth sachet and let the mixture cool.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry between 2 pieces of wax paper, and fit into a 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Line with aluminum foil and fill with raw rice or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges of the pastry are set. Remove the foil with the rice.

Fill the shell with the quince mixture. Roll out the remaining pastry to
¹
⁄
₈
inch thickness, cut into ¼- to ½-inch strips, and use to make a latticework top. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the quince filling is bubbling. Remove the tart from the oven and sprinkle the almonds on top. Let cool at least 2 to 3 hours, but do not refrigerate. Remove the sides of the tart pan. Serve with whipped cream.

SIMPLE STRAWBERRY TART

MAKES ONE 9-INCH TART; 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Rich Tart Pastry

1 large egg yolk, beaten

One 12-ounce jar red currant jelly

2 tablespoons kirsch

1½ to 2 pints perfect ripe strawberries, of more or less even size, washed and hulled

½ cup heavy cream

Roll out the pastry and fit it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Line the pastry with aluminum foil and raw rice or dried beans. Bake the tart shell blind (see
here
) in a preheated 425°F oven until the edges are browned and crisp, about 18 minutes. Remove the foil and rice. Brush the pastry shell with the egg yolk and return to the oven for 2 minutes to bake and set the egg yolk. Let cool completely.