Housed in a retired naval building on the Charleston Harbor since 2004, Fleet Landing has become iconic for its enviable waterfront views and fresh Lowcountry seafood. The restaurant is the joint labor of love for couple Wessie and Tradd Newton, who have stewarded the location from a dilapidated structure into a local institution. Now, over 20 years later, they’ve published a cookbook with 68 recipes that allow home cooks to bring the restaurant home.
While we were delighted to find their classic pimiento cheese (once served on top of their grilled steak) in the book, as well as the Fleet’s Mignonette sauce for oysters made with rice vinegar, a nod to South Carolina’s history as a rice producing state, there was one recipe we were most excited to try out: Huguenot Torte.
It’s not necessarily a dish you would associate with a seafood restaurant, but it is a Charleston stalwart.
“Though often thought to trace its roots back to Charleston’s French Huguenot settlers of the 17th century, the beloved Huguenot Torte is actually a more modern Southern creation. Introduced to diners by Evelyn Anderson Florence (then Mrs. Cornelius Huguenin) following a trip to Texas, the pecan-rich dessert made its debut at the Huguenot Tavern on Queen Street—just steps from the historic Huguenot Church,” says Fleet Landing’s Executive Chef Andy McLeod.
For the unfamiliar, the dessert is almost a cross between a crustless pecan pie and an apple crisp. You might already know the dessert, just by a different name: Ozark Pudding. In fact, culinary historian John Martin Taylor tracked down Florence many years later in the 1980s and found that she had adapted her dessert from a Ozark Pudding recipe, and called it Huguenot Torte.
“With a pecan-studded sweetness and crisp, chewy texture, it quickly became a local favorite, and like much of Charleston’s charm, it’s not just the recipe, but the layers of history, reinvention and place that make it unforgettable,” says McLeod. “Cheers to Evelyn!”
Courtesy of Fleet Landing Cookbook
Chef’s Note
Neither a torte nor Huguenot in origin, this classic Charleston dessert appeared as early as 1950 in the famed Charleston community cookbook, Charleston Receipts. It’s a sweet cobbler-esque dish that’s a cross between pecan pie and apple crisp.
Several years ago, we made this dish for the launch party of local cookbook authors, Matt and Ted Lee. It was immediately a staff favorite, and our version of their recipe has been on the menu ever since. Whipping the eggs until frothy helps create a lovely crust on the surface of the torte as it bakes. Bake in a pan, as directed, or portion into four 8-ounce baking dishes for individual servings.
