Help- Is there a traditional Texan dessert?

I'm going to a super bowl party which the food theme is Texan in honor of the host city, Houston. I'm wondering is there a traditional Texan dessert that I can prepare? The other menu items will be texan BBQ and various tex-mex items. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Phillip

[Das Ubergeek]

What, no red velvet cake?

[pralinepatty]

So what part of Texas are you "not from"?

[g rote]

A scoop of white chocolate fascism with some crude oil drizzled on top?

[pralinepatty]

I agree with all the votes for pecan pie, the recipe that calls for white Karo syrup (not dark), butter and lots of eggs, real vanilla, etc., easy to make, fabulous, is best. Lots of pecan trees in Texas especially along the river banks.

But also blackberries grow wild in parts of Texas. My mother used to make a delicious blackberry cobbler in which a little cake batter is put in a 8x12 (or whatever oblong or two round)cake pan, then the berries are added and during baking they sink to the bottom of the pan, and can be served hot or cold with or without real whipped cream or ice cream, but on the other hand there is a fresh peach cobbler, also the crunchy pecan pralines.

[zebcook]

What, no fried pies?

Sweet Potato Pie (and shut my mouth).

[Das Ubergeek]

Blast you for getting that song stuck in my head.

A lot of the TX BBQ places offer cobler and banana pudding. When I was young, we lived in East Texas and I remember having banana pudding quite a few times. I don't know if it was a East Texas thing or my parents from Shreveport thing.

Lots of the mexican restaurant have pralines or some other type candy that is really sweet. I think they are made out of sweet condensed milk. Also, some of them serve flan.

Gotta go with Pecan Pie.

And the best I have ever tasted can be found here:

www.brigtsens.com

Bop around the site a bit to find the recipe...it will be worth it.

It is not "Texas" pecan pie, but the a killer pecan pie that would please any Texan I know, and it comes from right next door in Lousiana. I love it, and I don't even like pecan pie!

FWIW, I grew up in Dallas, with a grandmother who was a Texas native born in the early 1900's (and who made a pretty mean pecan pie herself). I never heard her say the phrase "Texas sheet cake". I'm sure it's real good, but IMNSHO it is not the quintessential Texas dessert that is pecan pie.

Nothing against the other posts, but having lived in Houston for two years I strongly suggest "Tres Leches". Basically, a cake soaked in, as you can guess, three "milks". My wife and I refer to it as Texas Soggy Cake and it is delicious. Our favorite was from Churasscos restaurant. I think a recipe can be found by searching the internet.

Buttermilk pie is traditional, but a little more unexpected. Whenever I go home to Texas, I usually drop by a Luby's and grab a slice of it.

[Kelli2006]

Raj1, I have a recipe for buttermilk pie that I got from Threadgills and people love. It's very creamy, delicious and comforting, especially when served after BBQ or chick' fried steak.

I vote for Texas Sheet Cake. Here's a link that has both info about the cake and a great recipe. By the way, this website contains all sorts of traditional Texas recipes, including more dessert recipes.

Link: http://www.texascooking.com/features/...

What about Texas sheet cake? Really a cross between a brownie and a cake and SO good! A quick google search should yield lots of recipes.

Absolutely! Either peach cobbler or pecan pie. You can make a peach cobbler by pouring frozen peaches into a pyrex baking dish. Add sugar and a little flour. Dot with butter. Lay strips of pastry slightly overlapping crosswise across peaches. Kind of seal to edges of baking dish. Bake at 450 ontil light brown. You can gild the lily with Bluebell ice cream if you wish. YeeeeHah!

I second that pecan pie. My mother's Texan contribution to gatherings when she could get pecans.

It's definitely pecan pie (proun puh-kan, BTW). I like to use cane syrup instead of the usual Karo and I always add a healthy shot of bourbon.

Just in case you're still undecided -- another vote for Texas' most traditional dessert, pecan pie.

AND some heavenly pecan pralines, to go.

Chewy Texas Pralines that is, not those kind you get in New Orleans!

I know they're not that hard to make but last time I was in Austin, I got a big ol' box of Lammes Pralines. Yummy!

Link: http://www.lammes.com/

Of course I fourth or fifth the Pecan Pie... also Corsicana Street fruitcake is from Texas, I believe. Not necessarily "traditional" texan, but made there anyway. Also any tex-mex dessert (like Flan or Tres Leches) has a "texas" dimension.

I'm not sure the chewy are a Texas thing. Lamms is the only place I ever get them. Most of the other ones I see/eat are sold in Mexican Restaurants and are the crunchy kind.

I love the New Orleans type!!!!!!!!Crunchy, but made with some cream.

[Melanie Wong]

On NYE, I had the Lammes pralines again and was reminded of how wonderful they are.

My previous post -
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

Do you add that shot to the pie or to the cook, Greg?

I vote for pecan pie, too. If you are going to use Karo, I definitely recommend you use the dark version (which is virtually the same as cane syrup).