Pecan Valley Pecans

½ cup unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces; divided

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In top of double boiler, melt butter with chocolate. Remove from heat. 2.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, mix sugar, eggs and vanilla, add chocolate mixture and stir to blend.
4. Stir in flour gradually. Add ¾ cups nuts. Blend well.
5. Spoon batter into greased 9-inch pie pan. Sprinkle top with remaining ¼ cup pecans.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.
7. Cool before cutting into wedges. Pie may be refrigerated or frozen.
8. Add a scoop of French vanilla ice cream to top of slice of pie just before serving

½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Meal
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup well-chilled unsalted butter (1/2 stick) cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon (about) ice water
⅓ cup water
¼ cup (or more) granulated sugar
1 cup chopped fresh rhubarb*
2 tablespoons water
¾ teaspoons arrowroot
2 to 3 tablespoons red currant jelly
Crème Fraiche

1. Combine flour, pecans and sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in water just until dough holds together. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate thoroughly.
2. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
3. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to thickness of ⅛ inch. Cut out two 4½-inch circles. Fit into two 3½-inch round tart pans. Trim edges of dough even with edge of pan. Prick bottom with fork.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for about 25 minutes until crisp and lightly browned. Let cool.
5. For filling: combine ⅓ cup water and ¼ cup sugar in medium saucepan over low heat. Add rhubarb, cover and bring to simmer, stirring gently once or twice. Cook just until rhubarb is tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Drain, reserving liquid. Taste and adjust sweetness of the rhubarb, adding more sugar if desired. Return liquid to pan.
7. Mix 2 tablespoons water with arrowroot. Blend into rhubarb cooking liquid. Place over low heat and stir gently until thickened and clear, about 5 minutes.
8. Add rhubarb. Let cool. Spoon filling into tart shells.
9. Melt jelly over very low heat. Spoon or brush evenly over filling. Refrigerate tarts until ready to serve.
10. Top each with a dollop of crème fraiche or sour cream.

Makes 2 servings

Note: A 10-ounce package of thawed frozen rhubarb can be substituted. Drain well, reserving juices; substitute juice for water in filling Measure 1 cup rhubarb, reserving remainder for another use.

Crème Fraiche
Crème fraiche is pronounced ‘krem fresh’. It is a thick and smooth heavy cream with a wonderfully rich and velvety texture. This matured cream has a nutty, slightly sour taste produced by culturing pasteurized cream with special bacteria. In France, where it originated, the cream is unpasteurized so it naturally contains the bacteria necessary to make crème fraiche. The butterfat content varies (usually 30%), as there is no set standard so you will find every brand tastes a little differently. Crème fraiche can be found in specialty food stores and some grocery stores although it is quite expensive.

Crème fraiche is used in both sweet and savory dishes. Makes a wonderful topping for fresh berries, cobblers and puddings.

1 cup heavy whipping cream*
1 tablespoon buttermilk

1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the cream to 105ºF.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the buttermilk.
3. Transfer cream to a large bowl and allow the mixture to stand in a warm place, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until thickened but still pourable.
4. Stir and taste every 6 to 8 hours. This takes anywhere from 8 to 36 hours. The crème is ready when it is thick with a slightly nutty sour taste.
5. Chill cream for several hours before using. Crème fraiche may be made and stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Note: If possible, use pasteurized heavy whipping cream, as ultra pasteurized will take much longer to thicken.

2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup chilled unsalted butter
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water
¼ cup unsalted butter
3 eggs
¾ cups granulated sugar
¾ cups light corn syrup
¼ cup chocolate chips plus extra to garnish
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
Whipped Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Prepare pie crust by blending the flour, butter and salt in a food processor. Add ice water a little at a time while blending. Do this until it forms a dough ball (you can also do this in a bowl using a pastry blender or forks to mix).
3. Melt butter and set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl mix eggs and sugar; add syrup and melted butter. Spread chocolate chips and pecan pieces over bottom of pie crust. Pour egg and sugar mixture over chocolate and pecans.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for about 35 minutes until pie is golden brown. Top with Whipped Cream, if desired.

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
4 eggs; beaten
1 cup light corn syrup
⅔ cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter; melted
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon almond extract (or to taste)
1 tablespoon chocolate extract
6 ounces white chocolate; melted
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Halves
1 cup sliced or slivered almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine beaten eggs, corn syrup, sugar, melted butter, vanilla, almond extract, chocolate extract and melted white chocolate. Beat with an electric mixer until blended. Stir pecans and almonds into mixture. Pour mixture into pastry shell.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes.