Strawberry/Pecan Meringue Pie

This is an old, old Pavlova recipe offered up by a forgotten friend, Sharon Davidson, of Stuyvesant Town (NYC) fame.  It has the meringue on the bottom and has been a popular dessert treat in our house for many years.  This recipe was recently requested by a newer friend, Judy.  So here it is (almost verbatim):

In a (copper) bowl beat until stiff three egg whites, gradually adding one cup of sugar and one teaspoon of good vanilla.  Put 24 Ritz crackers, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 cup of pecans into a blender and pulverize.  Fold this mixture into the egg whites.  Pour into 9 inch greased pie pan and spread into a pie-crust form.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F., then cool on a rack.

Core, clean, slice and lightly sugar one pint (or more) of strawberries. Whip 1/2 pint of heavy cream with 2 tablespoons of (demerara) sugar and a splash of framboise (if available, if not, some good rum).  Fold in the strawberries and fill the cooled pie shell.  Place a few saved strawberries on top to decorate.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Afterwards: My wife now tells me you can substitute more pecans for any or all of the Ritz crackers.

Super Shrimp Platter

My son, George, served  a shrimp platter at his daughter's recent Communion party.  They were sublimely perfumed and delicious ... the best I have ever had ... and I've eaten a lot of shrimp in my lifetime.  They were so good that I had to document his recipe.  So here it is:

Take two pounds of uncooked shell-on shrimp (of whatever size your budget will permit ... and, if you can find them, never frozen ... but, if frozen, defrost them first in the refrigerator overnight) and de-shell/de-vein them ... leaving the tail shells on if you wish.

Bring to a boil a copious amount of well-salted water.  Add a few nice bay leaves, a tablespoon of mustard seeds, and a tablespoon of peppercorns.  Then add the cleaned (and briefly rinsed) shrimp.  Bring the water back to a boil and boil briefly (about two minutes) making sure all the shrimp have turned pink.  Drain out all the water and place the shrimp in a large freezer bag with lots of ice (crushed, if possible).  Put this in the refrigerator while you make the cocktail sauce.

To make the cocktail sauce:  In a small bowl place 1/2 cup of Heinz ketchup, a tablespoon of good-quality prepared horseradish, a few squirts of Worcester sauce, the juice of half a lemon, and the zest from this same half lemon (this ingredient is important).

Serve the cold shrimp nestled on lots of cracked ice on a large platter (or platters) with the cocktail sauce centered thereon.  Add a garnish of watercress or finely-chopped iceberg lettuce if you are of a mind.  Enjoy with some ice-cold beer (and invite me).