Serves: 2 dozen mincemeat tartlets or one 9-inch pie Prep time: 45 minutes For the filling: For the crust: I like former White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier’s pie dough the best. If you don’t want to make the dough from scratch, you can buy premade piecrust dough in your dairy case.
Serves: 4 Prep time: 35 minutes plus 50 minutes to roast the bird
This recipe comes from the Philippines. It has a rich molasses taste that you will love. You can use brown sugar, or the hardened brown sugar that I used, which came from an Asian grocery store. Serves: 10 Prep time: 40 minutes, allowing for twenty minutes to cook the sugar
This recipe is also one of Lady Bird Johnson’s. When I was making the Divinity, I noticed this recipe on the page beside it and thought it would be fun to try it. It turned out really well. Next time I would add different nut to make it even more interesting: pistachio and pecans would be good with the “brittle” part of the candy. Serves: 8 Prep time: 20 minutes to mix together, one hour for candy to harden
This is adapted from an old First Ladies Cookbook, and I have seen it attributed to Mrs. Johnson in other cookbooks. It is an old recipe – simple ingredients, easy to make – and very special. Serves: 8 Prep time: 30 minutes to assemble, one hour to cool
