Kitchen Guy

Recipe: Sweet Potato Pie

Posted by Chef Jim on April 15, 2010  |  Comments Off

Here’s what you need:

1/2 cup pecans — toasted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter — cold and cut up
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 1/2 pounds sweet potato — about 4
1 1/4 cups half and half
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons light molasses
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
20 pecan halves
1 cup marshmallow — minis

Here’s how to make it:

Prepare the crust: In a food processor with knife blade attached, blend toasted pecans and sugar until finely ground. Add flour and salt and pulse to blend. Add butter with shortening and pulse just until mixture resembles very coarse crumbs. With processor running, add 3 tablespoons ice water, stopping processor just before dough forms ball.

Pat dough into 9-1/2 inch deep dish pie plate. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over dough and press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the side of the dish. With fork, prick bottom and side of pie crust to prevent puffing and shrinking during baking. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 400. Prepare filling: With fork, pierce sweet potatoes in several places. Microwave on high about 8 minutes or until tender, turning over potatoes midway through cooking. Cool until you can handle them; peel off skin and mash. you should have about 2 cups.

Line crust with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake crust 20 minutes; remove pie weights and bake 10 minutes longer until lightly browned. Cool crust on a rack at least 15 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 375.

In a large bowl with wire whisk, beat mashed sweet potatoes with half and half, sugar, molasses, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and eggs. Pour mixture into crust. Cover the edges with foil to prevent burning.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Prepare topping: Arrange pecan halves on top of filling around edge of pie. Place marshmallows in center of pie. Bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until marshmallow are puffed and golden. Cool at least 1 hour before serving or refrigerate up to 1 day.

Recipe: Maple Pecan Cookies

Posted by Chef Jim on April 15, 2010  |  Comments Off

Here’s what you need:

2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

Here’s how to make it:

Beat the butter until pale and creamy, about three minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar until well blended. Add the maple syrup, egg yolk and vanilla and mix until blended.

Mix in the flour and pecans until blended.

Divide the dough in half and shape into long logs using a little flour on your hands if it gets sticky.

Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator, one roll at a time, unwrap and slice the dough about 1/2 inch thick. Place the disks on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until golden.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in a sealed tin.

Video: Cranberry Date Nut Bread

Posted by Chef Jim on November 24, 2009  |  Comments Off

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