Soupe aux Pois (pea soup)

1 cup dried peas
¼ lb. salt pork
1 onion, cubed
 salt, pepper, parsley

Soak the peas in cold water about 12 hours. Drain and discard the water. Put the salt pork in a pan and cover with cold water, bring to a boil, pour off the water. In a pot, put the peas, 6 cups of cold water, the salt pork (in slices or cubes), and the onion. Let simmer about 2 hours. Salt the soup to taste only when the peas are almost cooked.

Tourtiere (pork pie)

2 pounds ground medium-lean pork (or 1 lb. ground beef or veel)
2 medium size onions, diced
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 large potato, cooked and mashed
2 prepared pie crusts

Combine meat, onions, and water in a pan. Mix well.  Stir while bringing the mixture to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Spoon off excess grease.  Add mashed potato. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cool. Line pie plate with one crust. Add cooled mixture and cover with second crust as you would a regular pie. Make 3 one-inch openings in top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake at 400º until golden brown. Serve hot. The pie can be refrigerated or frozen for later use.

For variation with spices try adding: ½ tsp. savory, ¼ tsp. powdered celery, 1/8 tsp. ground cloves, ½ clove of garlic, sliced thin, -or-1 tsp. ground cloves, 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon, -or- tsp. ground allspice, ¼ tsp. ground cloves.

Sucre � la Créme (sugar and cream)

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup light whipping cream
1 tbsp. butter
½  tsp. vanilla

Combine ingredients in a cooking pan, stirring well. Cook on LOW approximately 25-30 minutes or until syrup forms a soft ball*. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir until mixture thickens and is smooth. Pour into buttered Pyrex dish; cool and cut into small squares.

*To determine if soft ball stage has been reached, drop a small quantity of the syrup into chilled water to see if it forms a ball which does not disintegrate but flattens out when picked up with your fingers.

Variation: Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes on HIGH. Stir twice while cooking; let stand for 5 minutes. Whip mixture in blender until smooth 3-5 minutes. Pour into buttered Pyrex dish and refrigerate until firm, approximately 1 hour. Cut into small squares.

Source: The Providence Archives, Seattle, Washington