The best of two cultures

A Vietnamese woman and an American share friendship and chocolate cookies.

from the December 12, 2007 edition

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But it wasn't just equipment. Vanilla, chocolate chips, white flour, and sugar were not to be found in Van's kitchen cupboard.

I thought we could go together to the baking aisle at the supermarket. But our plans changed when three teenagers arrived at the shop asking for "just a fill – and French manicures."

I'm always surprised by the hours Van and her family keep in the shop. "Oh, no," she said when I commented. "This easy; the fields in Vietnam hard and no money."

As I left, I wondered about the juxtaposition of chocolate chip cookies and the fields of Vietnam.

I remembered the cookie-baking class I organized for friends last year. Everyone arrived with a bowl, spoon, and chocolate chips.

Eight women around our kitchen table provided the most important ingredient: laughter. We took batches of cookies from the oven – they were all a little different, matching our individuality. Next time, I thought, I'd invite Van.

The following morning, in preparation for the baking contest, I searched through my recipes. The old magazine and newspaper clippings were as sweet as the cookies themselves.

Buried in between Mrs. Step's lemon bread and Mom's oatmeal cookies, I found the chocolate pecan cookie recipe I'd created for Passover, in which cups of ground pecans become a kind of sweet flour.

I sorted through our cluttered utensil drawer, finding extra teaspoons and measuring cups. As I baked, I put aside a baking "care package" for Van – cups, spoons, brown sugar, baking soda, and chocolate chips.

I wanted to create a winning entry and also figure out a way to teach Van how to pull plump cookies from her own oven. I emptied out gift chocolates from a decorative red box on our counter. Lining it with pink tissue paper, I gingerly placed my baked cookies inside. When I arrived to drop off my entry, I was greeted by chocolate masterpieces: Harry Potter characters, chocolate violins, and a cake version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

I smiled tentatively as I handed over my small red box of cookies. It was a little like leaving one of my children at day care. I left quickly, reassuring myself that it was all for a good cause, and blue ribbons weren't important.

I stopped in at the nail shop on my way home, excited to share my baking care package. I'd slipped an index card inside, detailing my recipe with a small secret – always mix the dough with your hands.

Van hugged me, surrounded by women sitting peacefully, fingers outstretched, touching a culture I have come to love.

Flourless Chocolate Pecan Cookies

1 stick butter, softened

1 egg

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3-1/2 cups finely ground pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups (8 to 10 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter and egg until blended. Mix in brown sugar and then vanilla. Fold in ground pecans and chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until cookies flatten slightly and edges are barely brown,

Makes approximately 15 chewy cookies, depending on size.

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