ROUSES_Holiday2018Magazine-FINAL.indd

HOMEMADE

Sue Rouse’s Peanut Butter Fudge MAKES ABOUT 3 POUNDS WHAT YOU WILL NEED 3 cups sugar 2/3 cup evaporated milk 2 tablespoons white corn syrup 1 tablespoon butter 1 7-ounce jar marshmallow cream 1 12-ounce jar smooth peanut butter HOW TO PREP Line a 13-by-9-inch pan with foil, letting ends hang over by 3 inches, and butter it off. In a medium saucepan, mix sugar, evaporated milk, corn syrup and butter. Cook over medium heat until mixture reaches the softball stage, 235 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, add marshmallow cream and peanut butter, and stir well to blend. Let cool. Lift from pan with foil and cut into small squares before serving. Discard foil. Store airtight between layers of waxed paper. Mrs. Rouse’s Cocoons MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN WHAT YOU WILL NEED 2 sticks butter 4 tablespoons powdered sugar 2 cups flour 1½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup finely chopped pecans HOW TO PREP Cream butter and powdered sugar together; set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to creamed butter and sugar mixture. Add vanilla and nuts; stir. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place mirliton shells in a roasting pan, cut side up. Spoon vegetable mixture evenly into the shells. Top each with a light coating of bread crumbs. Place pan in oven and bake until the bread crumbs are lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Chill mixture for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Roll dough into crescent shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Place in oven and bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove cocoons from oven and let cool, then roll them in powdered sugar.

Uncle Tim Acosta’s Stuffed Mirlitons SERVES 12 WHAT YOU WILL NEED 6 large fresh mirlitons 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion , chopped 1 stalk celery , chopped 1 bay leaf ½ teaspoon dried thyme ¾ pound 41/50 count wild-caught Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined ¾ pound cooked Louisiana crawfish tails ¾ pound Gulf lump crabmeat, picked over for shells Salt and black pepper Cajun seasoning Italian seasoned bread crumbs HOW TO PREP In a heavy cast-iron pot, bring about 3 inches of salted water to a boil. Drop whole mirlitons in boiling water and cover pot. Reduce heat. Simmer until mirlitons are tender, about one hour. Remove mirlitons from pot and let cool. Cut mirlitons in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Carefully scoop out the flesh, keep- ing the outer shells intact. Roughly chop the flesh. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onions, celery, mirliton flesh, bay leaf and thyme, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook until the shrimp are just pink. Remove from heat. Fold in craw- fish tails and crabmeat. Remove bay leaf and season with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning. Gently mix.

Karen Rouse’s Crabmeat Dip SERVES 12 WHAT YOU WILL NEED 1 pound Gulf lump crabmeat, picked over for shells 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter 4-6 green onion tops and white parts, chopped 1 small white onion , chopped 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons flour 1 pint half-and-half 1/2 pound shredded Swiss cheese 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon cooking sherry Salt and pepper to taste 1/4 teaspoon liquid crab boil In a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, and sauté onions and parsley. Mix in flour, stirring constantly, until well blended. Lower heat. Gradually stir in half-and-half, then cheese, stirring until cheese is melted. Add sugar, sherry, salt, pepper and crab boil. Fold in the crabmeat. Heat through. Crackers , for serving HOW TO PREP

Serve with your choice of crackers.

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