Bourbon Pecan Hand Pies
On May 1, 2015 by sixtyacrebakerThe season is starting. The season where you would rather be standing at the first turn cheering your horse, than sitting inside, fork in hand. This weekend is a race and event, anticipated like Christmas and filled with tradition. Every Southerner I know has a menu they serve every year, and their favorite milliner on speed dial. In breaking with tradition, this year, I am servingg hand held derby-like pies. In your left hand a buttery crust, filled with bittersweet chocolate, pecans and bourbon custard, in your right hand a winning ticket. Add a ice cold mint julip for your very own trifecta.
Bourbon Pecan Hand Pies
makes about 10-4″ hand pies
1 recipe pie crust
filling
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
generous pinch kosher salt
3 Tbs bourbon
3 large egg yolks
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 cup pecans-toasted
about 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
Use your favorite pie crust recipe, or purchase already prepared.
Place honey, brown sugar, kosher salt, bourbon and egg yolks in a saucepan. Whisk until well incorporated. Place over low heat and stir continually with a rubber spatula until mixture thickens. Coat the spatula with the mixture and run your finger down the middle of it. If doesn’t run back together, then it is ready. Run through a strainer into a clean bowl. Add butter and stir until incorporated. Stir in pecans. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Roll out your pie crust to about 1/4″ thick. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out an even number of circles. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Place 1/2 of your rounds on the parchment, approximately 1/2″ apart.Place a tablespoon of chocolate chips in the center of the circle. Top with a generous spoonful of filling. Place a second round of crust on top. Brush with egg yolk and bake in 400F oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Pecan Pralines
On December 15, 2014 by sixtyacrebakerPRAWWWWWWlines. Say it with me, and then get in the kitchen and make some. You won’t be disappointed. I Guarantee It.
This recipe came from my love of the sweet confection. I have been obsessed with the treat since my first visit to New Orleans way back when Emeril had a last name. I printed this recipe and a story to go with it on my previous blog, but they are so good, I thought they warranted their own page on Sixty Acre Baker. They make a perfect holiday (or any time of year, really) gift.
Pecan Pralines
1 quart heavy cream
3 cups granulated sugar
generous pinch of kosher salt
1 1/2 lbs toasted pecans
1 Tbs+ 1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbs unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla
In a heavy bottomed pan, stir together the cream, sugar and salt. Place on low to med-low heat and pop in a candy thermometer. Cook until thermometer reaches 234 degrees F. The wait between 220 and 234 is lengthy..don’t be tempted to up the heat to make it happen faster. You can pretty much leave it alone until it reaches 220, at 220, stay in the kitchen checking on it frequently. When it hits 230, watch it and start stirring, it will start to change colors at this point and you want to make sure the bottom doesn’t burn. There will be brown bits, but just mix them in. Stir, stir, stir. When it hits 234, take the pot off the heat, remove the thermometer and add the lemon juice, vanilla, butter and pecans. Stir to incorporate, then pop the thermometer back in and bring the temp back to 234. It will go a bit faster this time, keep an eye on it and stir continually to prevent burning on the bottom. When it hits 234, spoon it out in dollops (i use a soup spoon),onto parchment lined cookie sheets, or aluminum foil that has been sprayed or greased lightly.There are a lot of pecans in this, so make sure you get a nice mix of the caramelly goodness. One batch will make about 50 moderately sized pralines. They will look like caramel until you cool them. As they cool and sit, they will begin to get a bit cloudy. That is a good thing. You are not looking for chewy here.
Let cool for a few hours. They will keep for quite a while if you keep them in an airtight container in a dry place. Please, do not put in the fridge.
Pistachio-Strawberry Ice Cream
On March 12, 2014 by sixtyacrebakerA warm winter makes way for an early harvest of strawberries. Meandering down a country road this weekend past, i happened across a roadside stand loaded with berries and heaps of pistachios,locally grown. To keep up with our highly productive flock, I find myself dreaming up custards.
frozen custards
Frozen custards made from backyard eggs, fresh milk, and farmstand goodies.
pistachio-strawberry swirl ice cream
1 cup unsalted (roasted and shelled) pistachios
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
7 large eggs yolks
pinch salt (sea or kosher)
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup strawberry preserves
1/2 cup chopped pistachios (optional)
whisk the egg yolks, salt, and 3/4 cup sugar. place milk and the pistachios in a blender and puree until the nuts are completely liquid and smooth. add 3/4 cup sugar and place over low heat. warm to a simmer. remove from heat and whisk into the eggs and sugar mixture. tip back into the saucepan and cook over very low heat, stirring continually with a rubber spatula. do not allow to boil, and cook until it just begins to thicken to nappe. remove from heat and pour through a sieve into a clean bowl. stir in vanilla and heavy cream. refrigerate fromr 6 hours to overnight. freeze according to ice cream manufacturer instructions.
once the custard is frozen, transfer it to a freezer-safe container. swirl in the strawberry preserves and the chopped pistachios (if using)
*if you choose to make your strawberry preserves, simply place 2 cups of roughly chopped strawberries in a saucepan. taste for sweetness. squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon. add sugar according to sweetness. add up to 1 1/2 cups of sugar (less if sweet strawberries, more if not sweet). cook at a simmer until strawberries break down and soften and they sit in a thick glaze.
refrigerate until needed
Simple Nut Tart
On November 10, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerDinner parties stump me sometimes. Being that I am trained in pastry, there is a certain expectation that dessert will be served. Andit will be from scratch. Normally not a problem, but i don’t always want to finish
with a substantial & heavy dessert. Sometimes a simple nut tart served with strong coffee and paired with a bowl of clementines, is just the trick.
Simple Nut Tart
1 pastry crust, pressed into an 8″ square tart tin–baked blind
1 cups walnut–toasted
1 1/2 cups pecans–toasted
1 cup almonds–toasted
1/2 cup pine nuts–toasted
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup water
1 oz whiskey
preheat oven to 350. place all nuts in a large bowl and mix until well combined. put brown sugar, granulated sugar, honey salt and water in a heavy saucepan. stir well, place on medium heat and bring to a simmer. allow to boil for about 3 minutes. carefully add the whiskey and bring back to a boil. boil for 2 more minutes. the sugar should get a bit syrupy, but should not smoke or turn excessively dark. keep a constant eye on the sugar. remove the sugar from heat and tip in the nuts. stir well, giving each nut a coat of syrup. immediately tip into the baked crust, gently and spreading to cover the entire crust. pop into the oven for 5-7 minutes. remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.
variations
-add orange juice in place of some water in caramel; a pinch of orange zest & a sprinkle of cinnamon to the nuts
-the addition of fresh rosemary when stirring the nuts into the caramel (light hand) make for a beautiful winter tart
–drizzle with bittersweet chocolate or drench in dark ganache
-substitute vanilla for whiskey
Chocolate Dipped & Walnut Stuffed Figs
On December 29, 2011 by sixtyacrebakerWe really didn’t eat a lot of desserts when I was a kid. After dinner a pot of coffee was brewed and bowls of fresh fruit and nuts were heaved to the table. One particular treat, at holiday time, was freshly cracked walnuts stuffed into dried figs. This year I gave the treat a little update, by dipping the figs in bittersweet chocolate. A sweet with benefits.
Walnut Stuffed Figs
12 dried figs
12 large walnut halves-toasted
bittersweet chocolate-melted and tempered
Using a sharp knife, make a split in the fig without cutting all the way through
Stuff a walnut into the fig and close it completely. Dip in chocolate and allow the chocolate to harden at room temperature. You can store these at room temperature or the refrigerator.
Pistachio Blancmange
On May 4, 2011 by sixtyacrebakerTen years ago, more or less, I was a successful executive living the dream. You know the one: where every aspect of your life is a tax write-off because
you.have.no.life.
Evenings were spent dreaming about my dreams
swaying on the back of a pachyderm,
floating in rivers
briny air and olives of the Mediterranean
French sweets, and Moroccan spices
A day of rest.
That was another lifetime. One which inspires gratitude because; you can’t know sweet until you know salty.
This gorgeous blancmange handles them both with grace.
Pistachio Blancmange
1 ½ cup pistachios, toasted and skins removed
1 ¾ cup whole milk
1/8 tsp almond extract
generous pinch kosher salt
1 ¾ tsp unflavored gelatin
2 Tbs cold water
½ cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream—whipped to soft peaks
Place pistachios and milk in a blender and blend for a full 2 minutes. Line a sieve with a damp kitchen towel or cheesecloth and pour pistachio milk into it. Squeeze out milk and discard solids. Stir in almond extract and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand for 1 minute. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat milk and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add gelatin and stir until it is dissolved, do not overheat. Remove from heat and cool until just thickened. Fold in whipped cream. spoon into serving dishes. Let chill a minimum of 6 hours, or overnight.
Lemon-Pecan Mascarpone Pound Cake
On March 5, 2011 by sixtyacrebakerMarch 4th is national pound cake day. Don’t roll your eyes. It is legit. I read it on the internet. Before my great aunt passed, I borrowed her box of tattered and stained recipe cards and copied each one into a book of my own. My aunt rose baked a great pound cake. Several actually. All different. All delicious. For national pound cake day, I borrowed a recipe from her, with a few substitutions.
Lemon Pecan Mascarpone Pound Cake
1 1/2 cup unsalted butter–room temp
4 oz mascarpone cheese–room temp
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs–room temp
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup + 1 Tbs lemon juice
2 1/4 cups flour–sifted
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup toasted pecans
Cream butter and mascarpone until very light. Gradually add sugar and beat thoroughly, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides in between additions. Beat for an additional 2-3 minutes after you add the last egg. Beat in vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt, until fully incorporated. The batter may look curdled, which is okay. Blend in the sifted dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) and mix until silky. Fold in pecans. Bake in a greased pan (10 cup capacity) at 325 for about 60 minutes. If you separate the batter into smaller pans, bake for considerably less time.
Once cool frost with icing made from powdered sugar mixed with lemon juice. Add enough lemon juice to make a drippy icing with good lemon flavor.