Persimmon Pudding for the Holidays

With fall in the air and November around the corner, my thoughts turn to Thanksgiving and the special meals my Grandmother prepared over the years. We literally did go 'over the river and through the woods' for our Thanksgiving feasts.

I remember it being colder back then. Many times when the house ran over with family, the kids slept on pallets on the floor. My sister and I would go to sleep on a soft pile of blankets, with a thick quilt over us to keep us warm. By the time we woke in the morning we could hardly turn over from the weight of the new quilts that had been spread over us during the night.

Daddy usually hunted early in the day leaving long before we were up, but returning with his dog, Bo, in plenty of time for turkey. The children always ran out to greet the hunters when they returned. Coming back into the house there was a rush of warmth from the kitchen—and delicious aromas of roasting turkey, rising yeast rolls and the unmistakable sweet smell of fresh persimmon puddings cooling on the counter.

We ate our persimmon pudding cold, so Mama Nell put it into the refrigerator for a cool down while we ate. Then we cut little slivers and topped them with whipped cream. The puddings disappeared so quickly, even though there were other desserts, cakes and pies, to be eaten.

If you are fortunate enough to know the location of a good persimmon tree, make persimmon puddings this Thanksgiving and see how quickly they disappear! 

MAMA NELL’S PERSIMMON PUDDING

2 cups persimmon pulp**

1 stick butter, melted and cooled

One-half cup corn oil

2 cups sugar, one white, one dark brown, packed

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups self-rising flour

1-cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoonful vanilla

1 teaspoonful cinnamon

Dash of cloves and nutmeg

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 cup shredded coconut (optional)

**Persimmons will ‘turn your mouth wrong side out’ if you try to eat them before they’re ripe. Mama Nell always told us to wait until after the first frost to gather them. Just be sure they are nice and orange and getting soft. It takes a big mixing bowl of persimmons to make 2 cups of pulp. Rinse the persimmons gently and remove any debris. Let them dry. Then either use a pulper to separate the skin and seeds from the pulp, or force through a sieve or strainer. You can freeze the pulp and then thaw completely when ready to make puddings.**

Preheat oven to 350°.

Add the melted, cooled butter and corn oil to both cups of sugar and stir until mixed. Add eggs and mix well. Alternate adding flour and milk until all combined. Stir in vanilla, persimmon pulp and cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Fold in pecans and/or coconut if so desired. Divide batter between three loaf pans greased generously with corn oil. Bake at for about 30 minutes. You want the pudding to be set, but not overcooked. Cool in pan. Turn out onto foil paper. Wrap and store in refrigerator. Serve cold. May top with a little sweetened whipped cream.

A Cookie Favorite

If you like peanut butter cookies and Fritos....

I've been saving the Momofuko Milk Bar Cookie recipe for a couple of years.  I saw it demonstrated on TV (can't remember which cooking show) and there was so much hype about it, I really wanted to try it.  So far, I haven't.  It requires the baking of a cookie-like cake to crumble into the cookie batter, and that seems like quite a stretch for me and a cookie.  The part of the recipe that is so intriguing to me is the crumbling of your favorite snack foods into the cookie--ie, cereal, peanuts, pretzels, cheezits, chocolate bars, potato chips--whatever your pleasure.  I'm still going to try it one day.


Meanwhile, I saw a very simple recipe for a peanut butter cookie that incorporated the same idea.  The recipe was in Real Simple, and used pretzels and chocolate chips.  The cookies were so good, and so easy.  Maybe too easy, because when they were gone I thought I should try it again, this time using Heath Bars, crumbled, and Fritos.  

For the cookie to be your FAV, I think you have to use YOUR addictive treats--one salty and one sweet, or even more if you're really willing to walk on the wild side.  Final declaration:  don't make these things if you're not prepared to gain a few pounds.  Maybe that's if you're over sixty.  I couldn't stop eating them.  However, I gave some to my children, and when I was at their house last week I saw the package still on the counter with the cookies only half eaten.  Maybe it didn't include their favorite snacks, or maybe I just have the will power of a slug.

Toffee-Pretzel Peanut Butter Cookies

(adapted from Real Simple Daily Email Recipes)
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup broken salted pretzels
1 cup chopped chocolate toffee bars (about 4 bars)

Heat oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, sugars, eggs, baking soda, and salt until smooth. Fold in the pretzels and chopped toffee bar.

Shape the dough into balls (about 1 heaping tablespoon each) and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Using the tines of a fork, flatten each ball, creating a crisscross pattern.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until puffed and golden, 10 to 12 minutes (the cookies will deflate as they cool). Let cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Carrot Cake for Easter

A trip to Kroger last week sent me into an Easter frenzy. It all started when I went to the store to buy just a few things for dinner, and couldn't find anything. In one week, they had moved everything in the store to a different place. A shopping trip that should have taken twenty minutes took nearly an hour of in-store browsing.

One look into my basket at check-out showed why grocery stores periodically switch everything around and have us running like mice in a maze trying to find the items on our list. I came home with the cutest flower shaped cupcake wrappers (and no intention of making cupcakes), little plastic eggcups and saucers, a set of appetizer sized plates, and soft baking silicon moulds that make Easter egg and bunny shaped muffins.

Let the Easter baking begin!

I've also been obsessing about carrot cake. The thought process went something like this: spring, new growth, plants and animals regenerating, bunnies, carrots, carrot cake. Maybe not a direct line, but that was my inspiration. Plus, it's Doug's favorite cake. I have a theory--most men love carrot cake, but I think it's really the cream cheese icing they love. I caught Doug finishing off the icing left on the beaters and in the mixing bowl. Not one to often indulge in sweets, I'm pretty sure it's the icing and not the cake that tempts him.

First I made a three layer cake using an old recipe, but it didn't seem moist enough. Back to the drawing board. I added a couple of things that would surely add more moisture and changed a few quantities.

Next up, twelve carrot cake cupcakes, two bunnies, twelve Easter eggs and a single layer cake all from one recipe, and all nice and moist. I've had lots of multi-shaped carrot cake items to share with friends.

Now, here's the funny thing: my panel of judges was split. The guys liked the first cake, and the girls liked the second recipe. I still think it's all that cream cheese icing served up with the three layers of cake!

Recipe #1 (used for the three layer cake)

adapted from:

Hummingbird Bakery Carrot Cake

300g soft light brown sugar
(1 ½ cup)

3 eggs


300ml sunflower oil
(1 ¼ cup)

300g plain flour
 (3 cups)

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
(baking soda)

1 tsp baking powder


1 tsp ground cinnamon


½ tsp ground ginger


½ tsp salt


¼ tsp vanilla extract

300g carrots, grated (about six medium carrots) 3 ½ to 4 cups

grated
Zest of half an orange


50g shelled walnuts, chopped, plus extra to decorate (a little less than ½ cup)

50g pecans, chopped, plus extra to decorate (a little less than ½ cup)

For the icing

600g icing sugar (4 ½ cups)

100g butter, at room temperature (1 stick

250g cream cheese, cold (9 ounces)

pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 170C (340°F). Prepare 3 x 20cm (8 inch) cake tins with loose bottoms by greasing then lining the bottoms with greaseproof paper.

Put the sugar, eggs and oil in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment and beat until all the ingredients are well mixed (don’t worry if it looks slightly split). Slowly add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, orange zest and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well mixed.

Stir in the grated carrots and walnuts by hand. Pour into the prepared cake tins and smooth over. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes (mine took 30 minutes, which seems to be the feedback from other cooks, too), or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched. Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, beat the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment again until well mixed. Add the cream cheese, then beat again until well mixed. Turn the speed to high and continue to beat until light and fluffy but stop when you reach this point; if you over beat it the mixture will turn runny.

When the cakes are cold, spread about one-quarter of the cream cheese icing over it with a palette knife (I used less). Place a second cake on top and spread another quarter of the icing over it (again, I used less). Top with the last cake and spread the remaining icing over the top and sides. Decorate with walnuts around the edges and chopped pecans on top.

Recipe #2 (used for the cupcakes, eggs and bunnies)

Spring Carrot Cake

(This recipe is an adaptation from the Food Network Collaborating Chefs' recipe.)

Notes: if you have nut allergies in your family, substitute one cup golden raisins.

Taste your carrots. You want sweet, fresh carrots.

I used sunflower oil, but any vegetable oil will be fine.

Ingredients:

three-fourths cup vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)

one and one-half cups sugar

one-half cup packed light brown sugar

2 tsp. Vanilla

one-half cup orange marmalade

4 eggs, room temperature

3-4 cups grated carrots, 6-8 regular sized carrots

3 cups all purpose flour

one and one-half teaspoons baking powder

one-half teaspoon baking soda

one-half teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

one-half teaspoon powdered ginger

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 cup salted sunflower seeds, optional

Preheat oven to 350°.

Prepare three nine inch cake pans by greasing and then adding parchment paper to the bottoms.

Mix the oil, both sugars, vanilla and marmalade until well combined. Add one egg at a time, mixing well after each addition. Now add the grated carrots, stirring until combined.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger together into a separate bowl.

Alternate adding the flour and buttermilk to the oil-sugar-egg mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Don't over-mix.

Fold in nuts.

Pour equal amounts into the prepared cake pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until cake springs back in the middle and tester comes out clean. Allow cakes to completely cool in pans.

If making cupcakes, or using the silicone egg and bunny molds, I only decreased the cooking time one minute to 24 minutes. Just watch beginning at about 20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Icing

2 x 8 oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 lb. box confectioners' sugar, plus about a cup more

Beat together cream cheese, butter, vanilla and lemon juice. Add confectioners' sugar a little at a time until well incorporated, light and fluffy and right spreading consistency.

Spread icing between layers, then use remainder to ice sides and top of cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

THE MOST WONDERFUL, MAGICAL TIME OF YEAR!!

This is the most magical, joyful time of year for me. We've packed a lot of stress and high expectations into the month of December. But all things considered, there's no way to exceed the ultimate gift of Christmas.

It's the time of year when all over the world, believers, and many nonbelievers feel the tug to be with their families and loved ones and celebrate their ties to each other. Love is love, no matter what you call it, how you give and receive it, or how you celebrate it.

For a long time love involved a Rum Cake. It was my Daddy's favorite. No matter what I cooked, or how long I worked in the kitchen, my food didn't always suit Daddy. He was nice about it, and appreciative, and even supportive and complimentary, but there were times when the jar of peanut butter sitting on the table was his favorite thing. He said it wasn't what was on the table, but who was around it that really mattered. Except for the Rum Cake—the same rum cake you all have made over and over again—nothing new or different—no added twist. He loved my Rum Cake, and I tried to always have one on hand. It made me so happy to see him really enjoy something I prepared just for him.

The last Rum Cake I made he hardly touched. He was already on a journey that would separate him from worldly things. We saw it happening day by day, little by little, but that love I felt when I was close to my Daddy never went away. Even when the spirit left his tired body, his love was still there.

So, I'm making another Rum Cake for Christmas, in gratitude for his Love, and in memory of all the wonderful, happy times we shared, and the deep conversations, and the life lessons, and even the hard times. I am so grateful for that Love that continues to be part of my life.

Celebrate the season and enjoy each moment with those around your table!

Merry Christmas!

Rum Cake

1 cup chopped pecans

1 package butter golden cake mix

1 package vanilla instant pudding mix

One-half cup light rum

One-fourth cup water

One-half cup Mazola Corn Oil

4 large eggs, beaten

Hot Rum Glaze*

Preheat oven to 325º.

Grease and flour a bundt pan. Crumble pecans in bottom of pan.

Mix cake mix, pudding mix, light rum, water and corn oil until blended. Add eggs and beat for two minutes on medium speed.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes.

Remove from oven, and while cake is still hot pour Hot Rum Glaze over cake. Leave in pan for 30 minutes.

*Hot Rum Glaze

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter

One-half cup light rum

Boil all ingredients while stirring for three minutes. Pour over hot cake.

Wrap the cooled cake in saran wrap, and then foil to store. This cake tastes better a day or two after baking. The cake seems to take on a more intense rum flavor.

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

(The sweet potato part of this pie is adapted from a recipe in Well, Shut My Mouth! By Stephanie L. Tyson and is absolutely one of the BEST pies I have ever tasted.)

(makes 2 deep dish pies)

Pecan Layer

2 deep dish pie crusts (Marie Callender's are great if you don't want to make your own)

One and one-half cups pecan pieces

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

one-half cup brown sugar

one-third cup melted and cooled butter

Preheat oven to 350°.

Divide pecan pieces evenly over the bottom of the two pie crusts.

Beat eggs, corn syrup, vanilla and brown sugar until thoroughly combined. Add melted butter slowly while continuing to beat. Divide this mixture between the two pies. Bake for about ten minutes while preparing the sweet potato layer.

Sweet Potato Layer

2 medium sized sweet potatoes, baked and mashed (I cook them wrapped in saran wrap in microwave for about ten minutes)

one-half cup sugar

1 T flour

3 eggs, beaten

1 can sweetened condensed milk

one-half tsp. Cinnamon

one-half tsp. Nutmeg

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. Lemon extract (optional)

one-fourth cup butter, melted

Mix the sweet potatoes, sugar and flour. Add eggs and combine. Then add sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, lemon extract and butter, mixing to thoroughly combine.

Remove pies from oven and pour this mixture gently over the pecan mixture. Fill the pies to the top and return to oven for 45 minutes, or until set. May have to cover crust edges with foil while baking. Some pecans and filling will rise into sweet potato layer.

Cool for one hour before serving with whipped cream.

Pumpkin Cake

I saw this cake being demonstrated by pastry chef Katherine Thompson on the Martha Stewart TV show. It was such a quick, easy cake I had to try it to see whether the taste could stand up to the ease of preparation. It did.

It's a very moist cake with lots of flavor and good texture. I even substituted one cup of whole wheat flour (I didn't have quite enough regular flour on hand) with no complaints. There's one more reason you should try this cake: it makes your house smell absolutely wonderful while it's baking and for several more hours after you take it out of the oven!

Nonstick cooking spray with flour

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

2 cups canned pumpkin puree

2 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

For The Creme Fraiche Glaze

3 tablespoons creme fraiche (I used sour cream)

3/4 to 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-to 10-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg together into a medium bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together pumpkin, sugar, and eggs on medium speed. With the mixer running, slowly add oil. Add flour mixture and chocolate chips; mix on low speed until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and transfer to oven. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 70 to 80 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes before inverting cake onto rack or serving plate.

Make the creme fraiche glaze: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together creme fraiche and 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add more confectioners' sugar as necessary to reach desired thickness. Drizzle glaze over cake and serve.

Peanut Butter Banana Pie

This has to be the best really easy summer dessert in my collection of recipes. If you know of one that's as easy and is actually better, please let me know. Remember, I have a special affinity for anything 'banana'. I don't think anyone would complain if you added coconut to the bananas and garnished with coconut instead of peanuts and M&M's. I was catering to the younger crowd with this one.
Just a few hours in the freezer and you're ready to serve. Plus, it makes two pies--one for today, and another for tomorrow or to share with a friend.

As you can see, the ingredients are basic and there's nothing to cook. This would be a good recipe for the young aspiring chefs in your family. They could even do it themselves.

(For my Point Counting Friends, use Splenda Brown Sugar, reduced fat and fat free products and skip the garnish!)

Peanut Butter and Banana Pie

(makes 2 pies)

2 pre-made chocolate cookie crumb pie shells (I used Keebler's Ready Made Chocolate)

One and one-half cups brown sugar

8 oz. Cream cheese

1 cup good peanut butter (you chose, smooth or crunchy)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 large container (12oz.) cool whip

3 bananas

Prepared chocolate syrup (I used Reese's Shell syrup)

Extra cool whip, chopped peanuts, and M & M's for garnish, optional

Beat brown sugar, cream cheese, peanut butter and vanilla until well combined. Beat in half the cool whip, then fold in the remaining cool whip. (Don't forget to lick the beaters!)

Slice bananas, and divide equally between pie shells, covering the bottoms.

Pour peanut butter mixture over bananas. (Share licking the bowl!)

Cover and freeze.

Remove from freezer and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. This is an important step!

Serve with extra cool whip, chopped peanuts, M & M's and chocolate syrup as garnish (optional).

ENJOY!!

Fresh Fruit Tarts

And now, a dessert thrown in for good measure. These tarts are of the 'almost homemade' persuasion, and very similar to the Coconut Cream Tarts I made last spring. I only exchanged toasted coconut for fresh fruit. These little sweet bites would make a colorful dessert for July 4th. Eating one won't ruin your diet, if you can really eat only one!

Fresh Fruit Tarts

1 pkg. (24) refrigerated cookie dough

1 small pkg. Instant vanilla pudding mix

One and one-half cups whipping cream

One-half cup half and half

1 T almond flavoring

Strawberries capped and sliced vertically

Blueberries

Prepared whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spray muffin tins with Pam

Sprinkle flour over counter. Roll each cookie (keep cookie dough very cold) into thin round and place in muffin tin. (You can also flour your hands, and pat each dough piece between palms into rounds.)

Bake for 16 minutes, or until beginning to turn golden.

Leave in muffin tin for a couple of minutes, until firmly set, then remove to wire rack and cool.

Combine pudding mix, whipping cream, half and half, and almond flavoring until well combined and thickened. Place in refrigerator until ready to assemble.

Cover the bottom of each cookie tart with about two teaspoons of pudding.

Fill the center of each tart with blueberries, and add three strawberry slices around outside edge.

Add a dollop (or squirt) of whipped cream and top with one blueberry.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cooking with Intention

LOVE MAKES the WORLD GO 'ROUND...

Valentine's Day 2011 is now just a memory: chocolates, flowers, romantic dinners and Cupid's arrows have come and gone. I'm left with a couple of extra pounds and some really good food memories. Valentine's Day and my birthday are so close together, I get a double dose and love every bite. The next time you're trying to think of a good gift, consider one of these 'food' ideas.

Candy is not just for Valentine's Day, especially not these unique chocolates. Norman Love Confections (www.normanloveconfections.com) are not only unbelievably delicious, but each piece is like a work of art. A favorite is their intense dark chocolate infused with jalapeno pepper. Burdick Chocolates (www.burdickchocolate.com) are miniature bite sized pieces (no sharing!). The wooden box is filled with miniature chocolates, each little bite revealing a big surprise, like the white chocolate ganache infused with lemongrass and a hint of vodka, garnished with pink peppercorns.

I also received a cheese tasting from the wonderful Murray's Cheese on Bleeker Street in New York City along with their famous cheese straws. The cheeses were specifically chosen for me by one of their cheese experts (www.murrayscheese.com). All you have to do is call, and ask. They will help you select the perfect cheese.

The next one is really unique: a container, overnighted by Fedex, of Rice Pudding (The Edge of Rum Raisin was our flavor) from Rice to Riches. There are over thirty flavor choices, shipped chilled in a special bowl with spoons designed for proper eating, and directions to ensure that you enjoy every morsel. I'm not kidding, it is so delicious I'm not even going to try to recreate. I'll let the masters orchestrate their magic (www.ricetoriches.com).

Box number five held a collection of artisanal mustards from the Lusty Monk (www.lustymonk.com), beginning with Altar Boy, a honey mustard with plenty of spunk, and progressing to Original Sin, guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes if not eaten with respect. There was a mustard to suit everyone's taste.

Finally, my daughter baked one of her famous cream cheese pound cakes for the big number birthday. She used a new cake pan shaped like a giant cupcake. The result was a cake sized cupcake with chocolate ganache and gold sprinkles. It was delicious and beautiful. Maybe the best cream cheese pound cake she's ever made. Her explanation for why this particular cake was better than usual was most interesting. She said she baked that cake with intention, with thoughtful love intention.

Does intention really make a difference when we cook? I've always thought so and hoped so, but now I have proof. Cooking with love does make a difference, whether it's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich tucked into a lunch box or an elaborate meal served on your best china. Or even an elaborate meal at your dining room table on your best china with a jar of peanut butter on the side, just incase the rich food doesn't suit everyone. It's the intention that matters. And it's always who's around that table rather than what's on it that really makes the difference. After all, LOVE DOES MAKE THE WORLD GO 'ROUND.

Thank you for all the love!!

Merry Christmas!

Only a few days left 'til Christmas—but don't panic. I have good tips for all things 'Christmas' including gifts!

I've learned that the world won't stop turning if I don't finish everything on my Holiday To Do List. No one even notices. It seems that we're all trying to do too much, so I'm asking myself more often, 'what really matters today?'. That's Tip #1. Ask yourself, and then listen quietly for the answer.

I remember the year we made all our tree ornaments. That's all we could afford, and they mattered. The homemade ornament year was followed by several years of homemade gifts. When I spot one of those hand crafted treasures, and some are still hanging around, it takes me back to a much simpler time. Then came a string of Santa Claus years when the absolute thrill of believing was most important, even if it meant driving half way across the state to make it happen. I loved those years, and I'm told they'll come around again.

A bunch of years have passed since the Santa Clause era, and I'm ashamed to admit I can't really say what mattered from one year to the next. We were busy. We did it all, but I don't remember much about what 'it all' was. Here's Tip #2: Try not to let that happen to you. Whatever you're doing this year, whatever matters most to you, take the time to acknowledge it, and really enjoy the moment!

Tip #3: a Pecan Bar from Martha Stewart that can replace pecan pie in a snap, or be wrapped for a lovely gift.

Tip #4: David Libovitz Spiced Glazed Nuts and Pretzel Mix—quick, easy and delicious as a party snack or for a gift that will be appreciated by everyone.

Tip #5: Artichoke Spread—again, serve it yourself, or put it in jelly jars and share with your friends and neighbors (must be refrigerated).

Have a very Merry Christmas, and enjoy each precious moment!

Pecan Bars

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, December 2004

Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 1 hour

Ingredients

Makes 24

FOR THE CRUST:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

FOR THE FILLING

3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 ounces (about 2 cups) pecans

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil. In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg; pulse just until a dough forms.

Transfer dough to prepared pan; with floured fingers and an offset spatula, press firmly into bottom and 3/4 inch up sides. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

Prick bottom of dough; bake until lightly golden, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool while preparing filling.

Make the filling: In a large saucepan, bring butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over high heat, whisking constantly, until smooth; continue boiling, without stirring, until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Whisk in cream and salt; mix in pecans.

Assemble and bake: Spoon hot filling evenly over crust, using spoon to arrange and press in nuts so they fit snugly (create as flat a surface as possible).

Bake until bubbling and amber-colored, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Using foil, lift cake from pan; peel off foil. With a sharp knife, trim edges (if desired). Cut into 6 even strips; cut each strip crosswise into 4 even strips to make 24 bars.

Spiced Glazed Nuts and Pretzel Mix

Adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz

2 cups (200 gr) mixed raw nuts (untoasted); any combination of cashews, whole almonds, peanuts, pecan halves, and hazelnuts

1 tablespoon (15 gr) unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons (45 gr) dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or another red pepper)

1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt or kosher salt

2 cups (100 gr) small pretzel twists

1. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and roast in a 350F (180C) oven for 10 minutes, stirring once for even toasting.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, and maple syrup.

3. Add the warm nuts, stirring until coated. Then mix in the salt and pretzels, and stir until the nuts and pretzels are completely coated.

4. Spread the mixture back on the baking sheet and return to the oven for 12-18 minutes, stirring twice during cooking. Remove from oven and cool completely, separating the nuts and pretzels as they cool. (12 min. was plenty for mine)

Once cool, this mixture can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

Artichoke Spread

2 cups packed artichoke hearts, drained

zest of half a lemon

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoons sea salt

2 generous tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (or curly if that's all you can find)

1 cup toasted pecan pieces (you can substitute almonds or pinenuts)

One and one-half cups shredded parmesan cheese

4 oz. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a food processor, pulse artichokes, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic clove, salt and parsley until combined and artichokes are coarsely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spoon. Add pecans, and pulse just until chopped. Scrape down again. Add parmesan cheese and olive oil, and pulse several more times to combine. Add more olive oil if needed.

Store in refrigerator for two weeks, or freeze in freezer containers.

Use as spread with crackers or crostini, or you can add to hot pasta as a sauce.