Banana Pecan Cupcakes

Makes 9
From “Martha Stewart Cupcakes”

Ingredients:

1 c sifted cake flour (not self rising)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 tsp cinnamon
2/3 c mashed very ripe bananas (1 1/3 bananas)
1/4 c buttermilk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1/3 c pecans, toasted, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Put paper liners in muffin tins.
3. Mix butter and sugar. Add eggs. Add buttermilk, bananas and vanilla.
4. Add dry ingredients. Fold in pecans.
5. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
6. Bake 20 min.
7. Cool. Can be frozen for 2 mo in airtight containers.
8. Frost. Enjoy!

KA Harvest Bread

No knead bread for cast iron dutch oven.

INGREDIENTS

3 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup King Arthur 100% Whole Wheat Flour
1.5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 cups cool water
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Optional:
1 1/2 c water
1 shot whiskey (or amaretto or rum or orange juice)

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix the flours, salt, yeast, and water in a large bowl. Stir, then use your hands to mix and form a sticky dough.
2. Work the dough just enough to incorporate all the flour.
3. [RISE1: 24 hours in covered mixing bowl] Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature overnight, or for at least 8 hours; it’ll become bubbly and rise quite a bit, so use a large bowl.
4. Soak raisins and cranberries in 1.5 c water and 1 shot of whiskey. (optional)
5. Roast walnuts on stove until lightly toasted. (optional)
6. [THE NEXT DAY] Drain the whiskey from the raisins and cranberries. Add to dough. Roughly chop the walnuts. Add to dough.
7. Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and form it into a log or round loaf to fit your 14″ to 15″ long lidded stoneware baker; 9″ x 12″ oval deep casserole dish with cover; or 9″ to 10″ round lidded baking crock. Place the dough in the lightly greased pan, smooth side up.
8. [RISE: 2 hours in covered lightly greased mixing bowl] Cover and let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, until it’s become puffy. It should rise noticeably, but it’s not a real high-riser.
9. Using a sharp knife or lame, slash the bread in a crosshatch pattern.
10. Place the lid on the dutch oven, and set the oven temperature to 450°F. Let the dutch oven warm while the oven is preheating.
11. Take hot dutch oven out of oven, lightly spray with cooking spray (it will smoke), and sprinkle with a little cornmeal. Then put slashed dough into the dutch oven, COVER AND BAKE for 45 to 50 minutes.  THEN REMOVE THE LID and bake  for another 5 to 15 minutes, until it’s deep brown in color, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers about 205°F.
12. Remove the bread from the oven, turn out onto a rack, and cool before slicing.
13. Enjoy!

Raisin Pecan Rye Bread

BIGA:

1/8 tsp yeast
1 c all purpose flour
1/3 c water

DOUGH:

1.5 tsp salt
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 c rye flour
1 c all purpose flour
3/4 c water
2 tsp yeast
2 tbsp butter
1/2 c chopped pecans
1 c chopped raisins

DIRECTIONS:

BIGA:

1. Mix well. It is a stiff dough.
2. LET RISE overnight.

DOUGH:

1. Next day, mix biga with all the dough ingredients (except the pecans and raisins).
2. LET RISE 1 hour.
3. Deflate. Knead in pecan and raisins.
4. LET RISE 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 350 F.
6. Bake 25 min.
7. Tent with aluminum foil. Bake 15 min.
8. Interior should read 190 F with bread thermometer.
9. Remove bread from oven and let cool on rack.
10. Enjoy!

Swati’s Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1.5 c Karo Light Corn Syrup
1/4 c + 4 tsp sugar
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
orange zest
lemon zest
2 c pecans halves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Spread pecans in pie shell.

3. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over pecans.

4. Bake slowly at 375 F. First 20 min, bake uncovered. Second 20 min, cover pie crust edges with tin foil to prevent burning. Let rest on counter for one hour before slicing.

NOTE: I put it in a 9 in glass pyrex pie dish. First 30 min, no problem. The second 30 min is too long, it starts to burn. More like 20 min, or 15 min. Next time amend to First 20 min uncovered, second 20 min covered with foil.

NOTE: Crust came out lovely. To roll it out so that it doesn’t stick, I used rice flour instead of all purpose flour. It worked GREAT.

NOTE: You can arrange the pecans artistically (like Martha Stewart) if you want. I didn’t want, it’s a pain and takes a long time. B

Enjoy!

Dohmann Pecan Pie (Best!)

From: http://www.dohmann.com/pecans/pecanpie.html

Ingredients:

1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c Karo Light Corn Syrup
1/4 c sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c broken Texas pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Spread pecans in pie shell.

3. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over pecans.

4. Bake slowly at 375 F. First 30 min, bake uncovered. Second 30 min, cover pie crust edges with tin foil to prevent burning.

NOTE: I put it in a 9 in glass pyrex pie dish. First 30 min, no problem. The second 30 min is too long, it starts to burn. More like 20 min, or 15 min. Next time amend to First 20 min uncovered, second 20 min covered with foil.

 

NOTE: Crust came out lovely. To roll it out so that it doesn’t stick, I used rice flour instead of all purpose flour. It worked GREAT.

Enjoy!

Spiced Pickled Oranges

This recipe was requested specifically by Montreal Rachael. The navel oranges are looking so good right now, it’s a good time to make orange pickles. These are best eaten with aged white cheddar or goat cheese on crackers. Actually I don’t think I have ever eaten them any other way. Choose oranges that are a nice mix between juice and fiber. The juice is cooked out in the pickling process so you will only be left with the pickled fiber and thats what tastes so good! Don’t use organic oranges unless they are fabulous and blemish-free. I used organic oranges once and ended up throwing the whole batch in the garbage because they were too juicy and had little spots on the skins that were magnified in appearance by being in a pickle jar.

Spiced Orange Slices

• 4 large oranges
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 C sugar
• 1/2 C lightly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 C each cider vinegar and water
• 1/4 C corn syrup
• 8 whole cloves
• 4 cardamom pods (Yes I have cardamom pods in my kitchen.)
• 4 cinnamon sticks, 3 inches long
• 1/2 tsp peppercorns

1. Put the oranges in a saucepan and cover with water. Add the salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes or until the oranges are tender. Drain and cool.

2. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, sterilize your jars by boiling for 15 minutes. This recipe should make 4 half-pint jars but I always do an extra or two.

3. Cut the oranges in half crosswise (run the knife down the center of the orange) and then in very thin slices. You should have half-moon shapes that show the radiating segment lines. (So wish I had taken a picture.)

4. Combine sugar, brown sugar, vinegar, water, corn syrup, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and peppercorns in a large saucepan. Stir over high heat until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to mix all the flavours. Add the orange slices, cover and cook gently for 20 minutes. This means that there are small bubbles in the liquid – not no bubbles and not boiling. Remove the whole pot from the heat and let stand for 5 more minutes. Pick out the cinnamon and cardamom and throw them out.
**When you put the oranges into the liquid try to keep the halves together as you sliced them. They look prettier in the jar if the slices are all lined up next to their original neighbor.
**If the orange pieces start to really fall apart then it’s time to stop cooking. If you think there isn’t enough fiber-ey bits to make a nice pickle at this point then don’t bother canning them, just start again and cook for less time.

5. While the pickles are cooling heat up your lids and screwbands in a pot. You want the seals on the lids to be sticky.

6. Remove the hot jars from the canner and put them on a tea-towel that you don’t like very much. Remove the orange slices from the liquid with a slotted spoon and place them in the jars. Remember to try and keep like-slices next to each other so it will look pretty. You can really pack the slices down in the jars. Pour liquid and whole cloves over oranges up the shoulders of the jar. Process 10 minutes for half-pint and 15 minutes for pint jars.