Pecan Pie Bars

These will float your boat!   Can be made ahead. Serves more than a pie.  Soooo toothsome.  What are you waiting for?

Pecan Pie Bars, Gourmet, March 1999

 

Shortbread Base

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup packed light brown sugar

½ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Cut cutter into ½ inch pieces. In a good processor, process all ingredients until mixture begins to form small lumps.  Sprinkle mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan, and with a metal spatula press mixture evenly onto bottom. Bake shortbread in middle of oven until golden, about 20 minutes. While shortbread is baking, prepare topping.

Pecan Topping

8 ounces pecans (about two cups)

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup honey

2 tablespoons heavy cream

hot shortbread base

In a food processor coarsely chop pecans. In a heavy saucepan melt butter and stir in brown sugar, honey, and cream. Simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, 1 minute and stir in pecans. Pour pecan mixture over hot shortbread base and spread evenly. Bake  in middle of oven until bubbling, about 20 minutes. (WATCH CAREFULLY)

Cool completely in pan  and cut into 24 bars  Bar cookies keep covered,  5 days at room temperature.  

They won't last five days.  Indulge yourself.  January is for dieting. 

Grapeshot

Banana Clafouti Revisited

Here is the photo from yesterday's blog which for some reason didn't want to load. Clafouti is a wonderful cheap easy dessert, and almost impossible to eat in a restaurant because it is a peasant dessert and well, how many French peasant restaurants are there in your town?  The ingredients are milk, eggs, flour, sugar (not too much) vanilla and fruit.  Almost any kind of fruit will do.  Right now, pears would be good.  The "original" used cherries which we love.  Plums work.  Berries work.  You can add a tablespoon of booze, e.g. banana liquor for banana clafouti (sometimes spelled clafoutis) but it's not necessary.
The best thing is, you can decide to make it at  5:00 p.m. and it's out of the oven and on the table by 6:00 p.m.  How about them bananas?

Wonder of wonders, the ancient recipe is still on the web from 1992 Gourmet.  A good recipe in immortal.
Banana Clafouti

The damn rain has continued, and I was outside this morning in my jammies pulling up old plants and washing flower pots and emptying dirt.  Washing off the grill tools. More to do this p.m.  Where is the sun?  Yoo hoo?  

Wondering,

Grapeshot

The Dinner Party

I've been cooking up a storm for the last two days, and this is what our dinner guests will be eating. The tart looks fab. I sampled the brisket, which was meltingly tender. Can't wait to try the mushrooms. They look scrumptious.

Dinner Menu for July 26, 2008

Stuffed Mushrooms with ham
Roasted Red Peppers with Feta and Pita Chips

Barbequed Brisket of Beef
Rolls
Corn on the cob
House salad with home-grown tomatoes and herbs


Berry and Farmer Cheese Tart

Bellinis
Wine
Beer
Coffee

Eine Kleine Dessert

This is something I made yesterday for my writing group: Mixed-nut shortbread from Gourmet's "every day quick kitchen."

It was fast and economical and ever so tasty:

Mixed Nut Shortbread

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup plus 1 T. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
3/4 cup salted and roasted mixed cocktail nuts, coarsely chopped

Put rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees farenheit.
Stir together butter and 1/3 cup sugar in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until combined well. (note: good arm exercise).
Stir in vanilla, then add flour and mix with your hands until a dough forms. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased baking sheet and spread evenly with your fingers to form an 8-inch square.

Sprinkle with nuts evenly over dough, pressing down to help them adhere. Press in a business-like way or they will fall off.

Sprinkle remaining 1 T. sugar over nuts and bake until shortbread is ddep golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool baking sheet on a rack for 10 minutes.

Cut into 18 bars, about 3-by-1 1/2 inch bars.

Note: If you have unsalted nuts, sprinkle them with a little salt in addition to the sugar. I did this and it worked fine.

The shortbread took a while to firm up, but in a few hours, it was wonderfully crisp and the flavor is excellent. Mixed nuts are frequently on sale in your drug store as well as the supermarket.

Enjoy!!!