Pecan Bars

(Cook’s magazine December 2010)

Crust

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup light brown sugar

¼ cup toasted and coarsely chopped pecans

1 tsp salt

¼ cup baking powder

6 Tbsp butter

Pecan Filling

½ cup light brown sugar

½ cup light corn syrup

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 Tbsp bourbon

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

1 egg

2 cups pecan, toasted and coarsely chopped

For the crust

            Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350.  Line a 9 inch square baking pan with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray.

Process the flour, brown sugar. Pecans, salt and baking powder in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about five 1 second pulses.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles sand, about eight 1 second pulses.  Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan and bake until the crust is light brown and springs back when touched about 20 minutes.

For the Filling

            While the crust bakes, whisk the brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, bourbon, vanilla and salt together in a medium bowl.  Whisk in the egg until incorporated.

HOLIDAY BUTTER COOKIES

 by Anita Lewis Isom

24 Tbsp. (3 sticks) salted butter, softened

1 ¾ cups granulated sugar

2 egg yolks

2 tsp. vanilla

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Red, pink, orange, or multicolored decorating sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add yolks and vanilla, beat again to combine, and then beat in flour.

Form dough into 1” balls and arrange on large, ungreased baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2” apart.  Transfer decorating sugar to wide, shallow dishes.  Press 1 ball of dough with the bottom of a decorative patterned glass (I used cookie stamps).  Then dip the glass in sugar and flatten a cookie with it, so the pattern and sugar transfer to the top of the dough.  Repeat with remaining cookies.

Bake until cookies are lightly golden around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes.  Let rest on baking sheets 2 minutes, and then gently transfer to baking racks to cool.

Makes 5 to 6 dozen cookies.

Quiche Lorraine

 (for Bryce and Rachel)

Ingredients

1  nine inch pastry dough

12 slices of bacon, lightly cooked and cut up

1 cup shredded Swiss Cheese (Gruyere or Comte’)

1/3 cup minced onion, lightly sautéed

1 TBSP flour

4 eggs

2 cups whipping cream

¾ tsp salt

¼ sugar

1/8 cayenne pepper

1/8 nutmeg

Directions

Heat oven to 450 degrees

Mix flour with bacon and onion at the last minute of sauté’

Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onions over bottom of the pie shell

Whisk eggs and add remaining ingredients.

Pour over bacon mixture.

Cook in hot oven for 15 minutes.

Turn oven down to 300 degrees and cook for 30 more minutes.

Quiche is done when knife comes out clean.

Let stand for ten minutes before cutting!

Voila’, you have a perfect Quiche!

Anne’s Chocolate Ganache Tart

Ingredients:

Crust

3 tbsp ground nuts (almonds, hazelnuts

6 tbsp sugar

1 ¼ flour

2 tsp lemon zest

6 tbsp unsalted butter

Body

12 oz chocolate-the good stuff

1 ¼ heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Oven to 350

Dough

Process nuts, add in sugar, flour, zest, and salt and pulse till coarse crumbs form with no large butter clumps.  Should hold together when squeezed between fingers.

Transfer dough to nine inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press dough into pan.  Use a cup to form into pan.

 Bake till golden brown and firm to the touch about 20 minutes.  Let it cool for an hour.

Filling

Place chocolate broken into small pieces in a bowl. 

Heat cream to just below boil and then pour over chocolate.  Stir till mixture is smooth and chocolate is all melted..

Mix in Vanilla.

Pour into tart.

Let it set up for about two hours.

Variations are add pears to tart or strawberries or raspberries.  Use oranges and orange extract.  Let your imagination run wild!