By Howard interview was Monday morning. The interviewer was an alum named Jasmine — not the Xavier Jasmine, a different one, who graduated from Howard five years ago with an environmental policy degree and now works for the EPA in the Gulf Coast regional office. We talked for forty minutes. She asked about the Atchafalaya project and I talked about it at length. She asked about Grandpa Elijah and the traditional ecological knowledge chapter and I talked about that. She asked what I thought environmental science most urgently needed and I said it needed translators — people who could carry the science across the gap to the people who don't read the papers but who live with the consequences. She was quiet for a moment and then said, "Write that down and don't lose it."
Thanksgiving was Thursday and the whole table came: Uncle Darnell and Aunt Vera, Kezia and Marcus, MawMaw of course, and Daddy's cousin Raymond who is seventy and tells the same four stories every Thanksgiving and we listen to them the same way every year, which is the right way to listen to a story that belongs to the occasion. Mama made the turkey. Daddy made gumbo alongside it because this is Louisiana and we don't believe in a table with only one main dish. MawMaw made the oyster dressing and the bread pudding.
I made the sweet potato pie myself this year — MawMaw's recipe, translated into my red notebook — and I brought it to the table and set it down and said nothing about it until after dinner, when MawMaw cut a slice and tasted it and looked at me and said, "Yes." Not "good" or "exactly right" or "you got it" — just yes. I will take that single syllable as the most complete compliment of my year.
MawMaw’s “yes” is still echoing in my chest, and I’ve been back in the kitchen ever since — not because I need to prove anything more, but because that moment reminded me how much I love what a good dessert can hold. These Maple Pecan Tarts are the natural companion to a table like ours: sweet, unhurried, and rooted in something real. If you’re looking to bring that same warmth — the kind that makes a whole room go quiet for just a second — this is the recipe to reach for.
Maple Pecan Tarts
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 12 tarts
Ingredients
- 1 package (14.1 oz) refrigerated pie crusts, or homemade pastry dough for a double crust
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves, lightly toasted
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
- Cut the crusts. On a lightly floured surface, unroll the pie crust dough. Using a 3 1/2-inch round cutter (or a wide-mouth jar lid), cut out 12 circles. Press each circle gently into the muffin cups, easing it up the sides to form a small shell. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
- Make the filling. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth and well combined.
- Fill the shells. Divide the pecan halves evenly among the chilled pastry shells. Pour the maple filling over the pecans, filling each cup to about 3/4 full.
- Bake. Bake for 22—26 minutes, until the filling is set and just slightly puffed at the center. The crusts should be golden and the filling should not jiggle when you tap the pan.
- Cool and finish. Let the tarts cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around each tart and transfer to a wire rack. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 160mg