Private cooking lesson

"The lesson was certainly enjoyable. I never thought that we could make so much flavorful food in so little time. We made four dishes in the amount of time it normally would take for me to make one and the prep work was surprisingly minimal."

Michael T., Hyde Park, Massachusetts

Private cooking lesson

Melissa, a new bride, enjoyed learning to use many of her wedding gifts, while incorporating new cooking techniques and producing a delicious dinner.

Chocolate Pecan Pie Squares

Crust:
3 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1 C butter or margarine, softened
Dash salt

Topping:
1-1/2 C Karo light or dark corn syrup
6 squares (6 oz) semi-sweet or German’s sweet chocolate
1-1/2 C sugar
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
2-1/2 C pecans, chopped

In a large mixing bowl, beat flour and sugar with butter and salt until mixture resemble coarse crumbs. Press firmly into a greased 10-1/2”x15-1/2” cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. While crust is baking, stir corn syrup and chocolate in a double boiler, or over low heat, just until chocolate melts. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Fold in pecans. Pour filling over hot crust, spreading evenly. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until filling is firm around edges and slightly soft in center. Cool in pan on wire rack. When cool, cut into squares.

Yield: 48 squares

Hint: If you want to cut the recipe in half, bake in a 7”x11” pan.