Hi World, I’m back with more Louisiana festivals. Today I am going to continue in Central Louisiana (also known as Crossroads).
The first one of the day is the Pecan Festival in Colfax. Since I’m a lover of pecans (we carry all types in our shop, it’s hard for me to keep from eating lots of them) so I have to trick myself into believing they’re not there at all.
Back to the topic at hand…the Pecan Festival. It is held the first full weekend in November. This year the dates will be November 7 – 9 in downtown Colfax. The attendance is anywhere between 60,000 to 75,000. It grew out of the parish’s centennial celebration in 1969. They say that the reason they celebrate the pecan is: many local farmers grow the crop and pecans were native to the area. They were staples of the Native Americans’ diet. When the settlers came, they included the pecans in with their other crops. In the early years the festival was called “Frontier Days”. Some celebrities of the day were part of the festivities. Festivities include arts & crafts booths, a costume contest, a cooking contest, carnival rides, musical entertainment, fireworks (on Saturday night), and, of course, delicious food. AND, visiting The Country Store is a must! This is another great event for the whole family.
Other festivals in the Central Louisiana area include (but not limited to) are: The Corn Festival in Bunkie, The Sweet Potato Festival/ Bluegrass Festival, The Peach Festival (sounds yummy, doesn’t it?) and more.
Until next time, have a great day, have fun at the festivals and God bless.
Fran
Please enjoy this delicious recipe for a yummy southern pecan pie!
Ingredients
1 sheet refrigerated piecrust (half a 15-ounce package)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 cups toasted pecan halves
Freshly whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Unroll the piecrust and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Fold the overhang under and crimp the edge with a fork or your fingers. Bake the crust until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on a rack. (Leave the oven on.)
Whisk the corn syrup, brown sugar, salt, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl, then whisk into the corn syrup mixture.
Finely chop 1/2 cup pecans and spread evenly over the piecrust. Roughly chop another
1/2 cup pecans and mix into the corn syrup mixture, then pour the filling into the crust. Arrange the remaining 1 cup pecans on top in a decorative pattern.
Bake the pie until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.
Recipe from: www.foodnetwork.com
