Tartine's Maple-Glazed Pecans and my personal collection of Sweet and Spicy Nut Recipes

Here's another great recipe from the famous San Francisco Bakery and Cafe, Tartine.
I live in Texas and we love Pecans. In the book it says , "although the maple makes these Pecans seem like holiday nuts, they make delicious cocktail bites".

I have several recipes for sugared and spiced nuts , but I will have to add these to our Thanksgiving and Christmas menu. I'll include some of my other favorites at the end of this recipe.

It's a very simple recipe with tasty results.

2 TBS Maple Syrup ( Use the best you can afford)
2 TBS Light or Dark Corn Syrup
2 TBS Granulated Sugar
1/8 tsp Salt
2 C Pecan halves

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a Silpat non stick liner.

In a mixing bowl:
Maple Syrup
Corn Syrup
Sugar
Salt
Mix well.

Add the Pecans and stir to soar the Pecans well.
Spread the Pecans onto the sheet pan in a single layer

Bake , stirring every few minutes with a heat proof rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, one the mixture begins to bubble, about 4 - 6 minutes.
They are done when they're golden brown and the syrup is thick and bubbling slowly. Watch carefully so they don't burn.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow the Pecans to cool completely on the pan.
The coating will be crisp when the Pecans are cool.
Separate the cooled Pecans.
Keep them in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 2 weeks.

I will probably double or triple the recipe for a party.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!



These are from the Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House in Oregon. They shared the recipe in the Dallas Morning News.

1 1/4 pounds of Almonds
1/4 C Molasses
1 TBS Sea Salt
1/2 Pound Brown Sugar ( divided in half)
1 1/4 pounds of Roasted Salted Cashews

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine Almonds with Molasses, Sea Salt and half of the Brown Sugar.

Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir the hot Almonds into the remaining Brown Sugar in the bowl.
Spread the nuts out on the baking sheet and set them aside to cool.

Toss the cooled Almonds with the Cashews into the bowl.

Store covered in a cool dry place in a plastic or glass container.

Makes about 10 cups.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!



Union Square's Cafe Bar Nuts:

2 1/4 C mixed Nuts, no peanuts ( or... peanuts if you want)  I've done only Pecans because.... I live in Texas!

2 TBS coarsely chopped fresh Rosemary

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper ( I use 1/4C Heirloom Chimayo Chile Powder and 1/4C Cayenne Pepper Seasoning.

2 tsp Brown Sugar

2 tsp Sea Salt

1 TBS butter, melted

Toss nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet

Roast them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients and toss the nuts in the mixture

Store them in a jar and........

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!



I have many recipes for flavored nuts. There are several posted on the blog.
Here's another favorite.

Texas Pecans:

2 TBS butter
1/4 C Worcestershire Sauce ( I use a vegetarian version)
1 TBS Ketchup
2 dashes of Tabasco Sauce
4 C pecan halves
salt

in a saucepan, melt butter and add:
Worcestershire Sauce
Ketchup
Tabasco

Stir in pecans
Pour into a glass baking dish in a single layer
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes
Stir often
Pour onto Paper Towels
Sprinkle with salt.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!


I've posted many recipes for spiced nuts. I love them all. Here's my latest recipe.
I made these with a combination of Extra Large Peanuts and Whole Almonds. You can use all of one kind of nut or any combination. The next time I make them I'll try Mixed Nuts. Of course, in Texas, we also use only Pecans.

2 TBS olive oil
6 C nuts
1/3 C honey (I used a Lavender Honey from France)
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 TBS salt
4 TBS sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Heat a large Saute Pan on Medium High. When it gets hot, add the oil.
Add the Nuts and stir for 1 minute.
Reduce heat to low and continue to saute the nuts for 7 minutes, stirring often.
Add:
honey
spices
salt
sesame seeds
Stir Well

Spread on a sheet pan.
Dry them in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes.
Cool before moving to a sealed container.
As soon as they're cooled you will need to scrape the nuts from the pan with a strong metal spatula and break up the nuts as you remove them.
I kept some small clusters.
They are absolutely delicious.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Tartine's Heavenly Morning Buns

If you've never been to Tartine Bakery and Cafe in San Francisco, then you've missed out on Heavenly Morning Buns. They are the trademark pastry of the famous bakery. If you want them fresh, you have to arrive early and expect to wait in line. I've read testimonials from customers that say they would never imagine standing in line waiting for a pastry, but they all agree that the Morning Buns are definitely worth it, and the lines are proof!
I have the cookbook and it does not include this recipe.
They plan on including it in the next book.

Here's the recipe.


2 pounds of Croissant Dough (recipe to follow)
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C Granulated Sugar
Zest of 2 Oranges, finely grated.
2 TBS Cinnamon
A Pinch of Salt
8 TBS Butter, melted.
Granulated Sugar for coating muffin cups and for rolling finished buns.

In a small bowl:
Make the Sugar Mixture.
Brown Sugar
Granulated Sugar
Orange Zest
Cinnamon
Salt
Combine well.

Generously brush the bottoms and sides of the cups of a 12 cup Muffin Tin.
Add a tsp of sugar in each cup and tap out the excess.

Roll out the Croissant Dough into a 1/4" thick, 6"X 8" rectangle with the long side in front of you.
Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle Sugar Mixture evenly over the entire rectangle. The Sugar should be about 1/8" thick. You may have a bit of the mixture left.

Begin with the long side facing you and roll the rectangle into a cylinder.
Cut into 1 1/2" discs.
Fit each disc into a cup in the muffin tin, the swirl pattern should be visible on the top.
If you have extra discs, make more buns! They can be frozen individually on a sheet pan and transferred to plastic bags and freeze. (defrost about 45 minutes and bake as directed).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Allow the Buns to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
They should rise at least 1 1/2 times their original size.
Place the Muffin Tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 45 - 60 minutes, baking time will depend on your oven.
The tops should be well browned and the sugar will be melted.
Remove the pan from the oven and immediately release the buns onto a clean sheet pan or work surface.
It's recommended to eat the buns immediately.
They can be stored in an airtight container and eaten the next day by heating them in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.



Croissant Dough:
I have to say that this is a complicated process, however, for the dedicated baker it's a necessary step to create theses amazing Morning Buns, and you can make homemade Croissants with this recipe.


The Preferment, (a fermentation starter).

1/4 C Nonfat Milk
1 TBS Active Dry Yeast
1 1/3 C All Purpose Flour

The Dough:

1 TBS + 1 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1 3/4 C Whole Milk
6 C All Purpose Flour
1/3 C Granulated Sugar
1 TBS + 1 tsp Salt
1 TBS Unsalted Butter, melted


Roll-in-Butter:

2 3/4 C Unsalted Butter, cool but pliable.

Egg Wash:

4 Large Egg Yolks
1/4 C Heavy Cream
A Pinch of Salt


Preferment preparation:

In a small saucepan, warm the milk only enough to take the chill off.
Pour into a mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast over it.
Stir to dissolve the yeast with a wooden spoon.
Add Flour, mix with the spoon until a smooth batter forms.
Cover the bowl with cheesecloth and let it rise until almost doubled in volume, 2 -3 hours at moderate room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

Dough preparation:

Pre measure all ingredients and have them available.
Transfer the Preferment and then the Dough Yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Mix on low until the yeast is incorporated into the Preferment, 1 - 2 minutes.
Stopping the mixer as needed to scrape the sides of the bowl.

When the mixture has come together into an even , well mixed mass, increase the speed ti medium and mix for 2 minutes.
Slowly add half of the milk and continue to mix until completely incorporated.

Reduce the speed to low, add the flour, sugar, salt, melted butter and the remaining milk and mix until the mass comes together in a loose dough, about 3 minutes.

Turn the mixer off and let the dough rest for 15 - 20 minutes.
This resting period helps to shorten the final mixing phase.

Start the mixer again on low speed and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, a maximum of 4 minutes.
If the dough is firm, add a little more milk, 1 TBS at a time to loosen it.
But take care not to over mix it.
Cover the bowl with cheesecloth and let the dough rise in a cool place until the volume increases by half, about 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and press into a rectangle, 2" thick.
Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 - 6 hours.

About an hour before you're ready to start laminating the dough, put the butter that you will be rolling into the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Mix on medium speed until malleable but not warm or soft, about 3 minutes.
Remove the butter, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate just to chill, not to resolidify.

Now you can begin laminating the dough.
Lightly dust a cool work surface with flour and remove the dough and the butter from the refrigerator.
Unwrap the dough and place it on the surface.
Roll it into a 28" X 12 " rectangle. With the long side facing you, start from the left , spread and spot the butter over 2/3 of the length of the dough.
Fold the uncovered 1/3 over the butter and then fold the left hand 1/3 over the center, as if folding a business letter.
With your fingers, push down along the seams on the top and bottom to seal the butter.
This rectangle is known as a Plaque.

Give the Plaque a quarter of a turn so the seams are to your right and left, rather than top and bottom.
Roll the dough into a rectangle again, 28" X 12" and repeat the entire folding process again.
Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 1/2 - 2 hours before making the third fold.

Clean the work surface and lightly dust with flour.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator.
Unwrap and place on the surface.
and roll again into a 28" X 12 " rectangle.
Refold as in the first two times.
You should have a Plaque of dough measuring 9" X 12 ", about the size of a Quarter Sheet Pan and 1 1/2 - 2" thick.
Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer until evening and transfer to the refrigerator before retiring for the evening , refrigerate over night.
The next morning the dough will be ready to make the Morning Buns.
Follow the instructions at the beginning of this recipe.
I'm not going to post the precess fro making Croissants, but at this stage of the dough you can make them.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Nut Tart

I love any kind of nuts. I think this tart will grace our Thanksgiving table this year.
One of my favorite tarts is a Torta di Riso that I make during the Holidays. I'm adding this one to our menu.
I'll re post the other one at the end of this post.


Crust:
1C Flour
2 TBS Cornstarch
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 C (1/2 stick) Butter, room temperature, cut into 1/2" cubes.
1/4 C Granulated Sugar
2 TBS Confectioner's Sugar
1 Egg


Filling:
1/2 C unsalted Pistachios, chopped
1/2 C toasted Hazelnuts, chopped
1/4 C Pine Nuts, whole
1/4 C (1/2 stick) Butter
1 C Dark Brown Sugar
1 C Light Corn Syrup
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
Confectioner's Sugar for dusting


Crust preparation:
In a mixing bowl:
Flour
Cornstarch
Salt
Baking Powder
Whisk well.

In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer:
Butter
Sugar
Confectioner's Sugar
Beat until pale yellow. (3 minutes).
Add Egg, mix well, scraping bowl if needed.
Add Dry ingredients in 3 batches, beating between each addition.
Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll dough onto a floured surface into a 12" round.
Transfer to a tart pan.
Press into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Trim the dough flush with the top of the pan using a rolling pin.
Prick the entire surface with the tines of a fork.
Put in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.

Remove from the freezer and cover the dough with parchment paper, including a 1" overhang.
Fill the pan with pie weights.
Bake for 35 - 40 minutes.
Remove the weights.
Return to the oven and bake an additional 25 - 20 minutes.
Remove from oven to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Place the tart pan on a sheet pan and prepare the nuts.
Spread the nuts in a single layer on 3 separate small sheet pans.
Place them all in the oven and roast:
Pistachios for 5 minutes.
Pine Nuts for 10 minutes.
Hazelnuts for 20 minutes.
Remove the pans and cool completely.

In a saucepan on medium heat:
Butter
Heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Create a golden brown butter.
Remove and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl:
Brown Sugar
Corn Syrup
Salt
Vanilla
Whisk well.
Add egg and whisk.
Add Brown Butter and whisk again.
Fold in all of the Nuts.
Pour into the Tart Pan.

Bake for 1 hour, rotate the pan after 30 minutes.
If the crust begins to darken, cover loosely with a loose foil tent.
Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Dust with Confectioner's Sugar just before serving.
Garnish with Whipped Cream.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!



Torta di Riso:
I hope you take the time to make this amazing Torte.
This doesn't sound like a Hippy in the Kitchen kind of recipe, but I was a privileged hippy! Or so my parents thought ........

Anyway, this is a Best of the Best from my personal collection of recipes. (1984)
Serve this and your guests will think you're  a really fancy cook!

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.

1 quart of milk (4 cups)
1/2 C Italian Arborio Rice
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C raw whole almonds ( here's where the hippy part is)
1 TBS sugar & a few drops of water
6 eggs
3 TBS almond liqueur
1 tsp almond extract
Additional Almond Liqueur

Bring milk to a boil in a heavy saucepan.
Stir in the rice, mix well.
Blend in sugar and vanilla.
Reduce heat and simmer slowly, uncovered, stirring occasionally about 20 minutes.
Allow to cool.

Pre heat broiler.
Arrange Almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with 1 TBS sugar and a few drops of water.
Broil until they begin to caramelize.
Transfer to a food processor and coarsely chop.

Generously butter a 10" quiche pan ( this recipe fits perfectly)

Beat eggs together with 3 TBS Almond Liqueur and Almond Extract, in a large bowl.
Add Almonds and rice mixture and blend well.

Place the mixture in the quiche pan
Bake until the top is chestnut brown, about 1 hour.
Remove immediately. poke holes in the top with a toothpick and sprinkle generously with additional liqueur.
Cut into wedges and cool before serving.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Roasted Sweet Potato, Spinach and Peppered Pecan Salad with Dried Cranberries.

This is the perfect Fall salad and it would be great for a Thanksgiving menu. We will definite;y make this for the Holidays this year.
It's never too early to start preparing your Holiday menu.
I saw this salad on an episode of P. Allen Smith.
I've adapted it a bit without changing the integrity of the original recipe.

Let's start with the Vinaigrette ingredients:

1 Shallot, peeled
3 TBS of Creole or French Grainy Mustard
1 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
2 TBS Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 TBS Brown Sugar
3/4 C Olive Oil

Peppered Pecans ingredients:

Vegetable Cooking Spray
2 TBS Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 TBS Brown Sugar
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 Egg Whites
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce ( I use a vegetarian version)
1 Pound of Pecan Halves

Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

3 Medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1" pieces.
2 TBS Olive Oil

Spinach and Cranberries:

8 C Baby Spinach Leaves
1 C Dried Cranberries


Prepare the Pecans:
Spray a roasting pan or sheet pan with a vegetable cooking spray and set aside.
In a small bowl:
Black Pepper
Salt
Sugar
Whisk well.

In a large mixing bowl:
Whisk Egg Whites well.
Add Worcestershire Sauce.
Mix well.
Add Pecans and fold by hand to coat well.
Pour this mixture into a colander to remove some of the excess Egg White.
Return to the bowl and add the Pepper mixture.
Fold well to coat the Pecans.
Spread in a single layer on the sheet pan and roast at 375 degrees for 5 minutes.
Stir them and return to roast an additional 5 minutes.
Remove them from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl:
Toss the Sweet Potatoes with a some Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper.
Roast for 25 minutes.

Prepare the Vinaigrette: in a Blender:
Shallot and pulse to chop.
Add:
Mustard
Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Salt
Sugar.
Blend on medium speed, scraping if necessary.
Slowly drizzle in the Oil.
Transfer to a small bowl.
Set aside.

In a large Serving Bowl:
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Pecans
Cranberries
Fold in the Vinaigrette.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

S'mores Brownies

We have small grandchildren who love S'mores. Actually, all of us love S'mores. We recently spent some time at a beach house in California that had a backyard fire pit. We made S'mores almost every night. Our 6 year old granddaughter was with us. She loved making them.
We have a family event this weekend and I found this recipe from Mom's Pantry Kitchen. I decided that this has to be the dessert we'll take. Our kids and our grandchildren all love S'mores, so this was not a difficult decision for the dessert!
I decided to simply copy the link so you can all try this recipe.

http://www.momspantrykitchen.com/smores-brownies.html

Enjoy!
S'mores!

It doesn't get much easier than this !

I only use Ghirardelli brownie mix, it has chocolate chips in it!

Into the oven!

Out of the oven!

Atlantic Beach Pie

Of course there's a story with a pie titled Atlantic Beach.
It comes from Crook's Corner Restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Many people claim that it's the best pie they've ever eaten. Every Seafood Restaurant in the South served this pie.
It has a filling similar to Lemon Meringue or Key Lime Pie, but it's the crust that makes this a special pie. The crust is dense, thick and salty which balances the sweet / tartness of the filling.

Crust:

1 1/2 sleeves of Saltine Crackers
9 TBS  Butter, softened
3 TBS Granulated Sugar

Filling:

1 (14oz) can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
4 Egg Yolks
1/2 C of Lemon Juice ( Lime Juice can be used too).
Whipped Cream and Sea Salt for garnish.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1 - 8" Pie Pan

Crush the crackers with a rolling pin or place them in a large zip lock bag and crush with your hands. Crush them finely but not to "dust".

In a mixing bowl:
Cracker Crumbs
Butter
Sugar
Mix until it resembles a dough like texture.
Press evenly into the Pie Pan.
Chill the Pan for 15 minutes.
Bake the crust for 18 minutes. It will be golden brown.
Remove to a cooling rack for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling.

In a mixing bowl:
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Egg Yolks
Whisk well.
Whisk in Lemon Juice.
Whisk well.
Pour filling into the crust.
Bake at 350 for 16 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes on a cooling rack.
Top the pie with Whipped Cream and sprinkle with Sea Salt.
Refrigerate and serve cold.


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Back from Vacation!

We traveled 4 weeks, through 7 States and over 5,000 miles. What a great vacation. I posted a few recipes, but I'm looking forward to getting back to the Blog.
It's getting close to contest time for me. I enter a Hatch Chile Contest and the Dallas Morning News Holiday Cookie baking contest every year. I've been a finalist in both contests.
I look forward to creating new recipes. I have many to choose from this year and as soon as I enter them, I will post the recipes on the Blog.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!