This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Susan and Rick Spehar have stepped up to the granite kitchen counter in Marguerite Henderson's Salt Lake City home more times than they can count.
It started years ago, when they redeemed a gift certificate for one of Henderson's evening cooking classes. The Bountiful couple planned to get a few new recipes and maybe a good meal. They never expected to get nourishment beyond food.
The Spehars, like so many other students, quickly became followers of Henderson's knowledgeable, easy-going cooking style, signing up regularly to attend classes, bringing friends into the fold and craving the thought-provoking conversation and camaraderie her eclectic mix of students — from doctors and teachers to judges and politicians — provide.
On a recent December evening, however, the couple and others in the Holiday Appetizer class were feeling melancholy, knowing that their beloved instructor would soon end her teaching career. Henderson's last class is Thursday.
Henderson's success as a culinary teacher boils down to this: "She's inspiring," said Rick Spehar.
"She inspires you to try something out of your comfort zone and really experiment," he said. "I've learned to make things I wouldn't ordinarily cook and different from what I ate growing up."
Henderson estimates she has taught more than 700 people in her home-based cooking school since launching it in 2002. There's no way to count how many more she's inspired through her radio and television appearances.
Salt Lake City's culinary Renaissance woman, Henderson says she's ready to slow down after a career that started more than three decades ago and has involved catering, restaurants, cookbooks and consulting. "I've been in the business for 36 years, nonstop," she said, adding that at 68, the main reason she's slowing down is to travel more and spend time with children and grandchildren.
Henderson won't disappear from Utah's culinary scene completely, as she still plans to teach the occasional private class for groups. She also will continue to do her noontime demonstrations on KSL-Ch. 5 and be a culinary guide for a yearly trip abroad.
But the end of her teaching career marks a milestone. "I'll miss the excitement of teaching and seeing who is coming to class," she said. There's also the "instant gratification" that comes with serving food to people who enjoy your work.
Henderson said she is most proud to be "leaving a legacy" of good recipes that students have incorporated into their everyday lives and for holidays and special occasions. "I'll miss it when people text me and say 'I'm making your pecan pie or cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving,' " she said.
She'll miss the friendships, too.
"Some people have taken five, six classes together," she said. "We've been through marriages, divorces, births, illnesses and deaths. It's become a little family."
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No skimping • Food has always been a main ingredient in Henderson's life. She grew up in New York with a mother who taught her that food was to be revered, with no skimping on ingredients. When she and her husband were stationed in Europe for his military service, she took cooking classes in France and Italy.
After returning to the U.S. and moving to Utah, Henderson was scanning the classifieds when she answered an advertisement seeking a cooking instructor at a local kitchen store. She thought it was the perfect way to combine her degree in elementary education and her passion for food.
The teaching position lasted about three years, but she got so many referrals from students that Henderson started a catering business. Through the years, she has fed some of the country's most rich and famous, from politicians like former President George H.W. Bush and Sen. Robert Dole to celebrities like Martha Stewart and Robert Redford.
Henderson, along with her business partners, operated restaurants, starting with the Chalet Food Market in Park City and later Cucina, a gourmet deli in Salt Lake City's Avenues neighborhood.
In 2001, after six years in business, Cucina was sold and Henderson spent time compiling family recipes for her best-selling cookbook, "Savor the Memories," dedicated to her mother. Three other cookbooks followed: "Small Plates," "Small Parties" and "Small Sweet Indulgences." In between writing cookbooks, Henderson returned to teaching.
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Family gathering • From the intimacy of the winter classes, where a small group gathers in the cozy kitchen inside her Tudor-style home, to the larger summer classes that take place outside on her patio with a flourishing garden nearby, Henderson's classes seem more like a family gathering than a formal educational event.
For the appetizer class, Henderson greeted guests wearing her leopard-print slippers and red-framed glasses. She spent the next 2 ½ hours breezing through seven appetizers, from white bean and basil dip to goat cheese rolled in parsley and pink peppercorns. All featured Henderson's trademark recipe style: simple instructions and everyday ingredients, with results that impress. (She also shared cookie recipes for the holidays for Salt Lake Tribune readers; see below.)
When she demonstrates recipes, she throws out tiny tidbits of information and answers questions without skipping a beat or being condescending.
One of Henderson's favorite parts of class is when students take turns introducing themselves. "There is inevitably a connection," she said; maybe they went to the same high school or work with a close friend.
For those who have taken several classes, it's difficult to pick a favorite Henderson recipe, but the Brussels sprouts with pancetta and the yam soufflé with orange-flavored Grand Marnier liqueur are two stand-outs students mention.
After taking classes for almost 14 years, Amber Morgan of Taylorsville has binders full of Henderson's recipes. Morgan's not sure what she'll do in the future to get cooking inspiration.
"I'll take my recipes and keep cooking and maybe eventually take a cooking class from another school and teacher," she said. "But I definitely won't be able to find a place like Marguerite's, and I'll never be able to find someone to replace her."
kathys@sltrib.com
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Goat cheese rolled in pink peppercorns and parsley
1 (10-ounce) log of goat cheese, chilled
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup crushed pink peppercorns
1 cup finely minced fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
Brush goat cheese with olive oil. Place the pink peppercorns and parsley on a wide plate. Mix well. Roll the goat cheese in the mixture, coating to cover the entire surface. Place on a tray and chill until ready to serve. (This can be made several hours in advance.) Serve with crackers, sliced baguettes, apple or pear slices or dried apricots.
Servings • 10-12
Source: Marguerite Henderson
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Italian lemon cookies
Cookie dough:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 large eggs
½ cup sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons orange juice or lemon juice
Colored candy sprinkles
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, sift flour and baking powder together. In a separate mixing bowl, beat eggs with sugar until light and lemon-colored. Add softened butter and lemon zest. Slowly beat in flour and baking powder. Gradually add milk and vanilla extract to form a soft dough.
Divide dough into six sections. Roll each section into a rope about ½-inch wide. Cut into three-inch pieces and twist each piece to form a loop. Place on a greased baking sheet or parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven and cool.
Combine the powdered sugar and enough orange juice to form a thin icing. Brush top of cookies and sprinkle with colored candies.
Servings • Makes about 4 dozen
Source: "Savor the Memories," by Marguerite Henderson
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Cinnamon Walnut Crescents
Dough:
8 ounces sour cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg yolk
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
½ cup (1 stick) margarine, softened
Filling:
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Topping:
Powdered sugar
In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, flour, egg yolk, butter and margarine. Mix until a soft ball forms. Divide dough into two pieces, wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, walnuts and cinnamon for a filling.
To make cookies, heat oven to 350 degrees.
Take dough out of the refrigerator and cut each piece into thirds so you have 6 pieces. Flour the work surface. Roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Sprinkle each circle with 1/6 of the filling. Cut each circle into 10 wedges and roll from the wide end to the narrow end to form a "crescent."
Place on a baking sheet with pointed end down. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar. These freeze well.
Servings • Makes 60 cookies
Source: "Savor the Memories," cookbook by Marguerite Henderson
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Goat cheese rolled in pink peppercorns and parsley
1 (10-ounce) log of goat cheese, chilled
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup crushed pink peppercorns
1 cup finely minced fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
Brush goat cheese with olive oil. Place the pink peppercorns and parsley on a wide plate. Mix well. Roll the goat cheese in the mixture, coating to cover the entire surface. Place on a tray and chill until ready to serve. (This can be made several hours in advance.) Serve with crackers, sliced baguettes, apple or pear slices or dried apricots.
Servings • 10-12
Source: Marguerite Henderson
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Italian lemon cookies
Cookie dough
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
3 large eggs
½ cup sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons orange juice or lemon juice
Colored candy sprinkles
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, sift flour and baking powder together. In a separate mixing bowl, beat eggs with sugar until light and lemon-colored. Add softened butter and lemon zest. Slowly beat in flour and baking powder. Gradually add milk and vanilla extract to form a soft dough.
Divide dough into six sections. Roll each section into a rope about ½-inch wide. Cut into 3-inch pieces and twist each piece to form a loop. Place on a greased baking sheet or parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven and cool.
Combine the powdered sugar and enough orange juice to form a thin icing. Brush top of cookies and sprinkle with colored candies.
Servings • Makes about 4 dozen
Source: "Savor the Memories," by Marguerite Henderson
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Cinnamon Walnut Crescents
Dough
8 ounces sour cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg yolk
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
½ cup (1 stick) margarine, softened
Filling
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Topping
Powdered sugar
In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, flour, egg yolk, butter and margarine. Mix until a soft ball forms. Divide dough into two pieces, wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, walnuts and cinnamon for a filling.
To make cookies, heat oven to 350 degrees.
Take dough out of the refrigerator and cut each piece into thirds so you have six pieces. Flour the work surface. Roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Sprinkle each circle with 1/6 of the filling. Cut each circle into 10 wedges and roll from the wide end to the narrow end to form a "crescent."
Place on a baking sheet with pointed end down. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar. These freeze well.
Servings • Makes 60 cookies
Source: "Savor the Memories," cookbook by Marguerite Henderson