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Piñons and pecans have long been staple crops in New Mexico.
New Mexico chefs have devised various ways to bring the piñon nut’s mellow flavor into main dishes, sides, and desserts. We asked a few for recipes that could elevate a Thanksgiving feast. If New Mexico piñons aren’t available, you can substitute other varieties, which are generally available at grocery stores already shelled.
The pecan harvest kicks off in November, right in sync to make multiple appearances on Thanksgiving tables, where pecans finally get their chance to dazzle—in everything from crunchy dressing to gooey pie.
Here are some of our favorite recipes
New Mexico Recipes Home | Go Nuts in New Mexico | Homemade In Hatch
Recipe courtesy of Sllin Cruz of Geronimo restaurant in Santa Fe.
Serves: 2
Recipe courtesy of Freddie Bitsoie of Mitsitam Café at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Serves: 4
Recipe courtesy of Chef Travis Tegreeney of Y’aak’a Café at Acoma Pueblo.
Serves: 4
Optional: Top with your favorite chile sauce.
Recipe courtesy of David Perry and Matt DiGregory of the Range Café, Albuquerque and Bernalillo.
Serves: 12
This particular pecan pie is a beauty, chock full of many more nuts than the oft-used recipe on the back of the corn syrup bottle. Can you use a store-bought crust? Sure, but if it’s Thanksgiving, or your loved one requests pie instead of cake for a birthday, consider making your own. It’s not nearly as tough as the manufacturers of those prefab crusts would like you to believe. For the most beautiful slices, let the pie sit for a minimum of two hours before slicing. Pecan pie can be made a full day ahead, if you wish.
Recipe courtesy of Cheryl Alters Jamison
Serves 8
Grease a 9- to 10-inch deep-dish pie pan. Prepare pie crust. In a food processor, pulse together flour and salt, then scatter butter over it and quickly pulse several times just to submerge butter in flour. Scoop lard into small spoonfuls and scatter them over flour-butter mixture; pulse again quickly several more times until it disappears into flour too. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of water over mixture and pulse again quickly, just until water disappears.
Dump mixture into a large bowl or onto a pastry board. Lightly rub dough with your fingers. Add more water a tablespoon at a time as you rub. When dough holds together if compacted with your fingers, stop. It’s ready. Pat dough into a disk about 1 inch thick. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
On a floured board or counter, use a rolling pin to roll out dough into a thin round about 2 inches larger than pie pan. Lift crust carefully and arrange it in pie pan, avoiding stretching it. Crimp edge decoratively, then refrigerate crust for at least 15 additional minutes.
Preheat oven to 375° F. Form a drip pan for the oven’s lower shelf, turning up the sides of a large sheet of aluminum foil.
Prepare filling, first combining brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses, butter, and salt in a large, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and leave at a rolling boil for 30 seconds (give it 1 minute if cooking above 5,000 feet altitude), stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat and stir in bourbon and vanilla extract. Let mixture cool to warm room temperature, stirring occasionally.
Whisk eggs with milk, then whisk into cooled syrup mixture. Stir in pecan pieces. Pour filling into pie crust. Top entire surface with a neat layer of pecan halves, in concentric circles if you like.
Bake pie for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350° F. Cook for 30 to 35 additional minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and crust is lightly browned. Let pie sit for at least 2 hours before slicing into wedges and serving.
Adapted from American Home Cooking, © 1999, Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison
(William Morrow/HarperCollins Publishers)
On a New Mexican Thanksgiving table, it’s not the least bit uncommon to find red chile sauce alongside gravy, for ladling over turkey and mashed potatoes. This sauce can substitute for either, combining some of the best of both. I find the pecan crunch a welcome addition to the soft textures common to the holiday’s main dishes. Try the sauce some other time with grilled pork tenderloin.
Recipe courtesy of Cheryl Alters Jamison
Makes about 2 cups
Warm oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until softened and lightly colored, about 5 minutes. Stir in red chile and cook about 1 more minute, until fragrant. Pour in stock and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer mixture until it has reduced by approximately one-third, about 20 minutes. (Sauce can be made ahead to this point, early in the day. Reheat before proceeding.) Whisk butter into sauce until melted. Stir in pecans and add salt as needed. Serve warm.
French toast is a crowd-pleasing breakfast when you’ve got a houseful of holiday guests. The eggnog lends a festive note. You can easily expand this one to serve more diners.
Recipe courtesy of Cheryl Alters Jamison
Serves 4
Preheat oven to 300° F. Butter a baking sheet.
Whisk together in a shallow dish the eggnog, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt.
Dunk bread slices into eggnog mixture and soak them for at least 10 minutes, turning if needed to coat evenly, until saturated but short of falling apart.
Warm one tablespoon of butter and one of oil together on a griddle or in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook French toast in batches briefly until golden brown and lightly crisp, turning once. Place first slices on baking sheet and keep them warm in oven. Continue cooking remaining slices, adding more butter and oil as needed. When all French toast is ready, add 1 more tablespoon of butter to the griddle. When melted, stir in pecans and sauté briefly until fragrant. Serve French toast immediately, with 2 slices angled over each other on each plate. Scatter pecans equally over portions. Serve with maple syrup.
Adapted from A Real American Breakfast, © 2002, Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison (William Morrow/HarperCollins Publishers)
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