Why I Take the Pecans to Paris

When I was growing up in Connecticut, pecans were not on my radar. Maybe I’d tasted pecan pie, and if I did, I surely loved it; when you’re young it’s difficult not to like anything as sweet as pecan pie. But I have no vivid food memories from my youth of anything regarding that nut. Then, when I was 19, I moved to Texas. My pecan life began.

In Austin, everyone seemed to have a pecan tree (and a fig tree too, another wonderful food I discovered in Texas). Friends would come by with big brown paper bags full of pecans, some with thick shells and others the thin-skinned variety, and you’d set them out in bowls and idly shell them while you visited.

The harder the shell and the more difficult it was to pick out the meat, the sweeter the nut. I learned how to crack nuts against each other, putting one on the heel of my hand and closing the other against it in my fist. I learned the term “blower,” a nutshell without a nut inside.

Not eating all the sweet, chewy nuts as we shelled them was challenging, but it was worth it to put aside enough to make a pecan pie.

I worked through many pecan pie recipes before settling on the one I now use. I never vary it--it’s just so good. It’s a far cry from the traditional Southern pecan pie, mainly because it’s about half as sweet--there’s no Karo syrup. While still very sweet, it isn’t cloying--and that’s the problem with most pecan pies. The sugar and syrup overpower the natural sweetness in the nuts. I use honey for my pie because I think it complements the nuttiness of the pecans so nicely, as long as the honey is a mild one, such as clover or acacia.

The rest is pretty simple: butter, eggs, a little nutmeg, vanilla and rum (Southerners might prefer Bourbon). When it bakes, it puffs up like a souffle, then settles when it leaves the oven. I use a traditional French pastry, sweetened with a little sugar; but if you want to use a more traditional American flaky pastry, you could.

When I moved from Texas to Paris, I took many ingredients along--baking powder and baking soda, Mexican spices and chiles, black beans and Masa Harina and pecans. After every trip back to the United States, I would return to Europe with pecans in my suitcase (and black beans and corn tortillas, but that’s another story).

And every year at Thanksgiving ( le Fanksgeeving , Art Buchwald calls le jour du merci donnant in his famous column run every year in the International Herald Tribune), I would use them up, in pies, which the French adored, in “pucker-up cranberry relish,” in wild rice and pecan salad, in turkey dressing.

I do wonder sometimes why I seem to focus on pecans only at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s a great nut at any time of year. Leaving Paris did have its compensations, and having pecans in my freezer year-round is definitely one of them.

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Martha Rose Shulman is author of “The Best Vegetarian Recipes” (William Morrow, $25).

Plate and placemat in cover relish photo and bowl, linens and spoon in salad photo from Williams-Sonoma.

Wild Rice and Broccoli Salad

Active Work Time: 25 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour * Vegetarian

Sometimes I serve this salad as an appetizer--it would make a great starter for the Thanksgiving meal--or sometimes I eat it for dinner by itself. The red pepper is optional. It adds nice color and crunch, but if you don’t want to chop one more thing the salad will still be colorful enough without it and will have plenty of texture. The salad is good warm or cold.

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3 cups water or chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup wild rice, rinsed

Salt

1 pound broccoli crowns, broken in florets

1/2 cup broken pecans

1/4 cup chopped parsley, or a mixture of parsley and other fresh herbs such as thyme, sage, tarragon, chives

1 small red bell pepper, cored and diced, optional

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or Sherry vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons walnut oil

Freshly ground pepper

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Bring the water or stock to a boil and add the rice and 3/4 teaspoon salt if using water, or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt if using salted stock. When the water comes back to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, 45 minutes. Check the rice by spooning out a few grains and rinsing them with cold water. They should be splitting and should be tender to the bite, with no hardness in the shells. Drain off any remaining liquid.

While the rice is cooking, steam the broccoli until just tender, about 5 minutes. Refresh with cold water.

Combine the wild rice, broccoli, pecans, parsley or herbs and optional red pepper in a salad bowl.

Mix together the lemon juice, vinegar and garlic. Add salt to taste. Stir in the olive and walnut oils and add freshly ground pepper. Combine well and taste. Adjust salt. Toss and serve.

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4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings: 286 calories; 72 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 26 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 3.83 grams fiber.

Cranberry, Orange and Pecan Relish

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 5 minutes plus 1 hour chilling

A friend christened this relish “pucker-up cranberry relish,” and indeed, the crunchy combination of uncooked cranberries, orange and pecans, sweetened with honey, is both tart and sweet. This is an incredibly easy relish if you have a food processor.

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1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries

1 navel orange, organic preferred, cut in eighths, skin included

1/2 cup shelled pecans

1/4 to 1/3 cup mild honey, such as clover or acacia (more if desired)

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Place the cranberries, orange pieces, pecans and honey in a food processor. Pulse until you have a uniform, finely chopped mixture. Taste and add more honey if desired. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

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3 cups. Each 1/4-cup serving: 74 calories; 1 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 0 saturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 1.91 gram fiber.

Maple Pecan Muffins

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 45 minutes

A match made in heaven, you’d think maple trees and pecan trees grew side by side, so compatible are Northern maple syrup and Southern pecans. Serve these sweet muffins with tea or on a brunch buffet. If you’d like, omit the whole-wheat flour and use 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour.

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1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1/2 cup regular or low-fat milk

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

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Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 1 (12-cup) or 2 (6-cup) muffin tins.

Sift together the whole-wheat and all-purpose flours, the baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, yogurt, milk and maple syrup. Quickly combine the dry and wet ingredients, and fold in the pecans. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling them 2/3 full.

Bake the muffins until brown and firm, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the tins for 5 or 10 minutes before removing and cooling on a rack.

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12 muffins. Each muffin: 189 calories; 194 mg sodium; 36 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.90 gram fiber.

Mixed Greens Salad With Beets and Pecans

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour * Vegetarian

I probably make this salad more often than any other in fall and winter. There are a number of wonderful flavors and textures working alongside each other--sweet beets and pungent greens, soft goat cheese and crunchy pecans, all doused with a nutty dressing.

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SALAD

4 beets, such as red, golden, Chioga or a combination

1/2 to 3/4 pound salad greens, preferably a mixture of baby spring greens and arugula

1/3 cup broken pecans

1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/3 cup)

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon, parsley

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Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut away the beet leaves by slicing across the top end of the beet, about 1/2 inch above where the stems and root meet (save the leaves for another purpose). Scrub the beets under warm water with a vegetable brush. Place them in a baking dish, and add about 1/4 inch of water.

Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the beets. Medium beets take about 45 minutes, small ones 30, and really large ones take an hour. Test for doneness by sticking a knife into a beet. It should slide in easily. Remove the beets from the heat and allow to cool. When the beets are cool, slip their skins off by rubbing with your fingers. Cut the beets in half lengthwise, then slice or cut them in small wedges.

Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan or stirring the nuts, until they begin to smell toasty and are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer them immediately to a plate or bowl.

Toss the beets with the salad greens, pecans, goat cheese and fresh herbs.

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DRESSING

1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed, optional

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, to taste

3 tablespoons walnut oil

1/4 cup olive oil

Mix together the balsamic and Sherry vinegars, salt and pepper to taste, garlic and mustard. Whisk in the walnut and olive oils. Taste; if you want the dressing to be a bit more tart, add another teaspoon of vinegar. Toss with the salad and serve.

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4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings: 233 calories; 106 mg sodium; 4 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1.71 grams fiber.

Pecan Pie

Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour plus 2 1/2 hours chilling

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CRUST

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose white flour

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)

1/4 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

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Mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter. Gradually add the water, until the dough comes together (this can be done in a food processor). Gently press the dough into a ball, then flatten it in a disk. Wrap it in plastic and chill 30 minutes.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface and line a 9-inch pie pan or tart pan. Pinch an attractive lip around the edge. Cover the crust with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

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ASSEMBLY

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup mild honey, such as clover, lavender or acacia

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon rum

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Dash salt

2 cups shelled pecans

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving

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Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and honey. Add the eggs, vanilla, rum, nutmeg and salt; mix together well.

Bake the pie crust for 5 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Spread the pecans over the crust in an even layer. Pour in the butter and egg mixture, scraping all of it into the crust.

Bake the pie until the nuts are lightly browned, 30 to 35 minutes. The filling will puff up, then settle. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool on a rack. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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8 servings. Each serving: 565 calories; 138 mg sodium; 146 mg cholesterol; 40 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 48 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 3.58 grams fiber.