Food Processor

This recipe takes very little time to make but amazes everyone. The natural oil from the peanuts, or any other nut you are using, comes out when you grind it, and the sugar barely holds this crumbly, nutty sweetness together.

Almonds were used in most of the convents, and these prunes filled with an almond candy similar to marzipan capture the love the nuns had for this ingredient. You can always buy almond flour, but I find that the flavor of the nut really comes through when you make it at home, and the honey adds a delightful sweetness. You can fill dried figs, dried apricots, or dates instead.

These cookies are unusual because you must make caramelized almonds, grind them, and then add them to the dough. But it’s worth it because it gives them a lovely and unexpected crunch.

It is believed that in the eighteenth century, egg whites were used as a sort of glue to bind sheets of golden and white gold. There were many leftover yolks that were then used to create various sweets and to thicken others, such as rompope. This eggnoglike beverage is wonderful served cold year-round. I like to put it in the tres leches mixture (page 142), use it to top ice cream, and make a gelatin with it (page 138). It is still sold in many convents around Mexico. Estela Romo de Vivar makes one of the tastiest almond versions I’ve had.

This is a wonderful beverage made from toasted ground corn sweetened with sugar or piloncillo. You can find it prepared, already ground and ready to be mixed with water or milk. Additional flavors vary depending on the region and include anise, oatmeal, allspice, chocolate, and cinnamon, the most common. It is a very tasty, refreshing, and energizing drink, especially when served cold.

The word atole comes from atl, “water,” and tlaoli, “ground corn.” These beverages have been consumed since pre-Hispanic times and the variations are countless. Made with water, milk, or a combination of the two, and commonly thickened with masa, the beverage is also made with ground toasted corn, fermented corn, rice, oatmeal, fresh corn, or mature corn cooked in ashes. It is sweetened with sugar and/or piloncillo and often mixed with fruit. This drink is enjoyed with sweet tamales early in the morning or at night. This atole is very popular in Michoacán, and I want to thank Ernesto Hernandez Doblas for the recipe.

Theobroma cacao, the botanical name meaning “food from the gods,” captures the magnificent essence of the cacao bean. It’s the perfect way to start the journey through the sweets of Mexico because it is also considered one of the most important contributions from the land to the world. Cacao was consumed by the Olmecas as early as 1500 B.C.E. Mayan priests used it for religious rituals, mixing it with chiles, vanilla, and honey. The Mexica indians consumed it hot or cold and mixed it with ground corn, vanilla (the orchid and the bean), magnolia flowers, achiote, allspice, or honey, and used the bean as currency. It was (and continues to be) energetically beaten with a molinillo, poured from up high so it is foamy, and often taken in ceramic cups or jícaras (gourd bowls). In Mesoamerica, the fruit of the cacao symbolized the human heart, and the ground toasted bean symbolized the blood. Moctezuma Xocoyotzin offered the first chocolate beverage to Hernán Cortés. Cortés sent cacao to Europe as a tribute to Spain, explaining the different uses and the importance it had in Tenochtitlan; it quickly became the preferred beverage of the king. In Mexico, chocolate remains an ingredient used primarily in beverages. Its importance has lasted many centuries, and there are many different kinds of chocolate mixtures. Many places preserve the tradition of slowly toasting the beans on a comal, peeling them (an atole is sometimes made from the shells), and grinding them by hand over a warm molinillo; others go to a community mill. Either way, most mix it with sugar and cinnamon (the cinnamon is also toasted and ground, in most cases). Then tablets or balls are formed from this granular mixture and left to dry in the shade. The ones with almonds, vanilla, and/or spices are usually reserved for special occasions. I wanted to make my own in a modern kitchen using a food processor because much of the hot chocolate that is exported doesn’t have almonds and uses artificial flavoring (luckily, though, a couple of really good brands are becoming more available); I was very happy with the results. You can make the hot chocolate with water or milk and use a whisk if you don’t have a molinillo, but make sure it is really frothy and hot when you drink it.

Now, here’s an old faithful; every Thanksgiving spread requires a great apple pie. Not a whole lot to say about it—it’s tasty, of course—but the crumb topping takes this pie up a notch. It’s as though you added a leopard-skin belt to your little black dress. The brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice don’t hurt, either

GINA Salad helps lighten the fare, and these green beans with cheese tortellini are a nice change from the traditional tossed salad. I am a big salad-eater, and there are a lot of women like me out there. Honey, we’re trying to stay as “fabulous” as we can, eating all those greens. We just have to mix it up a bit so we don’t get bored!

Rich pink dressing and lovely greens give this salad a splash of color. Remember: what the eye sees translates to greater taste and greater overall pleasure.

GINA There’s something about the smell and taste of fresh lemon that livens a dish right up. I remember my great-great-grandmother always rolled lemons on the counter before slicing them, to get the full flavor and extract all the juices, so I do it, too. I’m having a moment just thinking about watching her. Lemon squares are easy to prepare, and give you an Old South flavor that takes you right back in time. And the confectioners’ sugar at the end doesn’t hurt one bit.

GINA You can’t celebrate the Fourth without watermelon. In Memphis, you’ll see trucks on the side of the road selling the ripest, juiciest, and sweetest watermelons in the country. And if you watch our show, y’all already know I loves me some watermelon. I can eat it every day in the summertime: it is so refreshing—but, more important, it’s a natural sweet, and you know we women are always trying to watch our figures. (I have watched mine walk right out the door and look back at me and say, “Bye, girl!” as it left.) I mention this so you know I do try to keep a lookout for those things that are just plain good for me. . . . So you take my favorite fruit and add in some fresh limeade (summertime in a glass), vodka, and mint simple syrup (OMG), and, baby, you can cross your legs and let ’em swing, because that’s a wrap!

GINA Roasting the shallot gives it a deep, sweet flavor, and the lemon zest lightens the whole thing up. This butter would also be an excellent topping for fish or chicken.

There is nothing like a rib eye: it is the most flavorful steak you can buy. The thin streams of fat running through this cut of steak create outstanding flavor. You’ll only need to season this with salt and pepper, because we’re going to make a shallot-and-herb butter to slap on top of this baby once it’s off the grill. As with any good steak, let this one rest for a few minutes before digging in. It will be moist and tender.

This is it: the famous sweet and spicy slaw from the restaurant that people come and buy by the bucketful. Make extra; trust us, you’ll need it!

Memphis in May kicks off the barbecue season, but it also kicks off the summer season, so blueberry pie fits right in. We like to take this pie down to the river for the Sunset Symphony and slice it up for our neighbors among the picnic blankets.

The little zing of this crunchy mustard slaw is just the right thing to round off the kick of cayenne in the catfish and the bite of cheddar in the hush puppies.

PAT Gina introduced me to drunken goat cheese, and if you haven’t had it, you haven’t had cheese. (You can find it at Whole Foods and other fine food stores.) Drunken goat is semifirm and cured in red wine, so it has a maroon-colored skin. Flavorful and smooth, it goes great on a ripe-tomato sandwich. If you don’t have softened butter at the ready, a good shortcut is to spread plain mayonnaise on the outsides of the sandwiches instead. They’ll fry up just as crisp and golden as they will with butter.