YWA cooks: Lemon Crescent Pull-Aparts (Patreon)

Here are two things I know to be true: the holidays are upon us, and if I see a Pillsbury Bake-Off cookbook for sale, I'm going to buy it. I found this beauty--the 1978 edition--last month, and while visiting friends last week, I tried out a recipe from it. And it is... possibly the perfect recipe? It's definitely my perfect recipe, and it's my holiday gift to you. 

Here's the recipe written out for the copy-pasters of the world, with all its glorious product placement intact:

Patricia Kinstrey's Lemon Crescent Pull-Aparts

1/2 cup [60 mL] honey

1 tablespoon [15 mL] margarine or butter, melted

1 teaspoon [5 mL] McCormick or Schilling Lemon Extract

2 (8-oz.) cans Pillsbury Refrigerated Quick Crescent Dinner Rolls

1 teaspoon [5 mL] grated lemon peel or McCormick or Schilling Lemon Bits

16 pecan halves or 1/4 cup [40 grams] chopped nuts, if desired

Heat oven to 375 degrees F [190 C]. In 8- or 9-inch round or square pan, combine the first three ingredients; spread over bottom of pan.

Separate crescent dough into four large rectangles. Sprinkle each with 1/4 teaspoon lemon peel. Starting at shortest side, roll up; seal. Cut each roll into four slices. Press pecan half into cut side of each pinwheel or sprinkle chopped nuts over honey mixture in pan. Arrange rolls nut side down over honey mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool in pan 2 minutes; turn onto serving plate. Serve warm or cool. 8 to 10 servings.

Note: this recipe calls for nuts, if desired; I never desire nuts in a crescent roll situation, which to me is perfect for its very softness. (See also: cream corn.) Obviously use whatever brands you prefer. I go heavy on the lemon zest and use about a tablespoon total for the rolls, if not more. I've used various other citrus zests too. And these rolls have always been ready for me at 35 minutes on the dot.

Here's how they look, flanked by some period-appropriate publications: 

There is, in my opinion, an awful lot to love about this recipe. It comes together in about twenty minutes of active prep time (probably ten if you're more efficient than I am); it solves the eternal problem of crescent rolls, which is that they cool down in about twelve seconds. It can be a dessert or a side or a breakfast. I've served it five times now to a few different groups of people and it always disappears in minutes. It involves a moment of dramatic unveiling, where you flip it onto a plate like you're unveiling a Jell-O mold. It's humble on top and looks--to my untrained eyeballs--like a croquembouche on the bottom. It represents the work and time and creativity of a woman in a kitchen somewhere, expressing herself through food, and it uses convenience food to make something easy and gorgeous. It's infinitely customizable and also perfect just as it is. It's my gift to you if you need to make a dessert that implies effort, but you have basically no effort left to give. 

Patricia Kinstrey passed away just three years ago, and when I found her obituary, I learned this:

She was an excellent cook and baker. One of her fondest achievements was being one of 100 finalists in the National Pillsbury Bake-off for an original recipe in 1978. She received an all-expense paid trip to New Orleans, Louisiana to perform the cook-off on national TV. She was featured in the Life section of the Daily Freeman with a full page interview on Jan. 10, 1978. She enjoyed many family times with her brothers, sister and their families at her father's pool in High Falls. She loved long walks with her husband at Mohonk. She spent weekends boating on the Hudson river in their cabin cruiser. She watched Mackenna's Gold a zillion times. She was a restless, determined soul with a thirst for knowledge and a great sense of humor. She was an avid reader and even enjoyed reading the dictionary. She was a writer and sold an article for a small royalty. She was working on a novel before MS robbed her of her cognitive ability. She held a patent for an eye glass holder. She gave much to many charities.

Thank you, Patricia. 

If you try this recipe I would love to hear how it goes, about any changes you make to it, and what you think--and what else you're cooking, and/or eating, in these last days of 2022.

Expect a delicious bonus episode in this space in a few days. Until then, have a happy and a joyful and a bright one.

Love,

Sarah