Every once in a while we go looking for an old Mohawk Valley recipe and end up with a little mystery.
This time it’s chocolate pusties.
We came across a recipe online that’s attributed to Isabelle Guido and a St. Anthony’s cookbook. The recipe has apparently made its way around online over the years, but so far we haven’t been able to track down the original cookbook.
And there’s something in the recipe that immediately caught our attention.
The crust calls for a half-pound of lard.
That’s right. A half-pound.
The recipe makes the familiar little individual pastries, with a chocolate filling and pastry over the top.
We were able to confirm that Isabelle (Rosa) Guido died in 2022 at the age of 96. Her funeral Mass was held at St. Anthony & St. Agnes Church.
What we haven’t been able to confirm is the date of the cookbook or whether the recipe that’s survived online is exactly the way it originally appeared. The online version itself describes the recipe as being adapted from the St. Anthony’s cookbook and attributes it to Isabelle Guido.
That’s where we’re hoping someone out there can help.
Does anyone have the original St. Anthony’s cookbook?
We’d love to see the cover, find out when it was published and, especially, see the page with Isabelle Guido’s pustie recipe. Even a photograph of the cookbook and recipe page would help solve the mystery.
In the meantime, here’s the chocolate pustie recipe that led us down this rabbit hole.
Chocolate Pusties
Makes about 14 large or 24 small pusties
Chocolate Filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 heaping tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
You’ll also need 1 additional egg yolk for brushing the tops.
Combine the filling ingredients in a saucepan, whisking well to keep lumps from forming. Cook until the mixture has thickened, much like a pudding. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.
Crust
- 4 cups sifted flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ pound lard
- 1 tablespoon water
Mix the crust ingredients as you would a pie dough.
Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of individual pustie pans. Roll out the remaining dough and cut rounds to fit over the tops.
Fill each pastry-lined pan with the cooled chocolate filling and cover with a round of dough. Brush the tops with beaten egg yolk.
Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 20 minutes.
Now we’re hoping somebody can fill in the missing piece.
There has to be an old copy of that St. Anthony’s cookbook sitting on a shelf somewhere.
Do you have one? Does this recipe look familiar? Did someone in your family make these? And does anyone remember Isabelle Guido and her pusties?
We’d love to hear from you.
