Pecan Recipes | April, 2005

Acorn Squash with Wehani Rice and Pecan Stuffing

  • 3 acorn squash
  • 2 cup wehani rice or rice blend
  • 4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon tamari
  • 1 tablespoon soy margarine or unsalted butter
  • 1 cup carrot, diced
  • 1 cup celery, diced
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
  • 2 tablespoons Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest, minced
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  1. Halve squash lengthwise. Seed, then steam for 20 minutes. Squash will not be fully cooked. Set aside. May be prepared one day ahead. Refrigerate.
  2. Bring water and tamari to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Rice may be cooked up to 2 days ahead; refrigerate until used.
  3. For stuffing: in a large skillet, sauté carrots, celery, onion, thyme and ginger in margarine or butter until onions are golden. Thoroughly toss in pecans, orange zest and rice. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside. Stuffing may be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated.
  4. Put orange juice, honey and cinnamon into a small jar and shake vigorously to combine. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Glaze may be prepared a day ahead.
  5. One hour before serving, Preheat oven to 375ºF.
  6. Mound stuffing mixture into each squash half to about 2 inches over top of squash. Place stuffed squash halves in a baking pan filled with ½ cup of water. Drizzle some glaze over stuffing and brush onto squash. Cover with foil
  7. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Drizzle remaining glaze over squash, and continue baking, uncovered, for another 20 minutes until glazed and lightly browned. Serve immediately.
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Apple Pecan Stuffing

Unsalted butter or margarine
⅔ cups diced onion
⅔ cups diced celery
3 cups diced day-old bread
3 cups diced apples
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground sage
⅛ teaspoon ground marjoram
⅛ teaspoon ground thyme
½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
½ cup water

1. Melt ¼ cup butter in skillet. Add onion and celery and cook until tender. Add to bread.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Stir in apples. Cook until golden.
3. Add apples to bread mixture. Mix in sea salt, pepper, sage, marjoram, thyme, parsley and pecans. Add water and mix thoroughly.

Makes enough for 10-pounds turkey

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Arizona Pecan Chocolate Rum Pie

¼ teaspoon sea salt
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup lard; chilled
3 eggs; lightly beaten
3 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon vinegar
1½ ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cups dark corn syrup
½ cup brown sugar; firmly packed
¾ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rum
1¼ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl mix the salt into the flour and cut in the lard. Measure out 1 tablespoon of the beaten eggs into a small bowl and reserve the remaining eggs. Add the water and vinegar to the bowl and stir. Slowly add the liquid to the flour and lard, just until the mixture holds together to form a dough. Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin and roll the dough into an 11-inch circle. Fit it into a 9-inch pie pan and refrigerate it if you plan to finish the pie after several hours, or freeze it if you are completing the recipe at this point. This will prevent shrinkage.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heavy saucepan. Set aside and allow to cool.
4. Stir the corn syrup and sugar into the reserved eggs. Add the chocolate and butter, vanilla, rum and the pecans. Mix well and pour into the pie shell.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour, or until set. The filling will rise and then fall. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

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Brownie Pecan Pie Bars

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons cocoa
1¼ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
¾ cups flour
⅓ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 recipe Pecan Topping

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour 9-inch-by-9-inch-by-2-inch pan.
2. Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan; remove from heat. Mix in cocoa, sugar and eggs. Stir in flour, pecans, vanilla, salt and baking powder Spread in pan.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 23 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare Pecan Topping.
Pecan Topping
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 egg yolk; beaten
⅔ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Melt butter in 1-quart saucepan; remove from heat. Mix in sugar, eggs and egg yolk. Stir in pecans, flour and vanilla. Immediately pour topping over brownies.
2. Bake about 18 minutes longer or until firm; cool. Cut into 2¼-inch-by-1½-inch bars.

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Brussels Sprouts in Pecan Sauce

1 pounds Brussels sprouts; trimmed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
Sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the Brussels sprouts, covered in boiling salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Keep warm.
2. Heat the butter in small saucepan and brown the pecans; do not let them burn. Pour the pecans over the Brussels sprouts and serve.

Serves 4 to 6

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Butter Pecan Cake

⅓ cup margarine
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
3 cups all-purpose flour; divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; divided
1 cup light-colored corn syrup
½ cup firmly brown sugar; firmly packed
1 egg
2 egg whites
¾ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegetable cooking spray
¼ cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar; firmly packed
2 teaspoons skim milk1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a small saucepan melt margarine over medium heat. Add pecans, and sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Drain pecans, reserving margarine; set margarine aside.
3. Combine pecans and 1 tablespoon flour; stir well, and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine reserved margarine, corn syrup, and ½ cup brown sugar beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add Egg; beat well. Add egg whites, and beat well. Combine remaining 3 cups flour, baking soda, and salt; add to brown sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix after each addition. Stir in pecan mixture and vanilla. Pour Batter into a 12-cup Bundt pan coated with cooking spray.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool on a wire rack.
6. Combine powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and skim milk; stir well. Drizzle over cake.

Yield: 16 servings

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Butternut Squash with Onions and Pecans

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion; finely chopped
6 cups butternut squash; peeled and seeded
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
3 tablespoons fresh parsley; minced
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

1. Dice squash into ½-inch cubes.
2. Toast pecans. Melt butter in heavy large skillet. Add onion and sauté until very tender, about 15 min. Add squash and toss to coat.
3. Cover and cook until squash is tender but still holds its shape, stirring frequently, about 15 to 30 minutes. Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
4. Re-warm over med heat before continuing. Stir in half of pecans and half of parsley. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to bowl.
5. Sprinkle with remaining pecans and parsley before serving.

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Candy Apple Pecan Pie

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
1 9-inch pastry crust; unbaked
6 cups apples; thinly sliced; peel
⅔ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
½ cup cinnamon red hot candies
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
⅓ cup all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. In large bowl, toss together apples, pecans, candies, ⅓ cup sugar and flour.
3. Pour into pie shell. Break or crumble the other pie crust into very small pieces.
4. Toss with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Sprinkle over apples.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes or until candies melt and bubble through the crumbled crust.
6. Cool completely before serving.

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Caramel Pecan Treasures

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cups light brown sugar; firmly packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
25 to 30 caramels, cut in half, rolled into balls
Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces; finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Have ungreased baking sheets ready.
2. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl until well-mixed. Stir in flour and baking powder. (If kitchen is warm, refrigerate dough for a few minutes; dough should be firm enough to roll easily.) Shape scant teaspoonsful of dough into balls about the size of a marble. Place on baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Flatten slightly.
3. Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
4. Melt chocolate chips with shortening in top of double boiler set over simmering water. Remove from heat.
5. Flatten caramel halves so they are the same diameter as the cookie. Put one caramel half on top of each cookie. (If necessary, use a dab of chocolate as “glue” to help caramel adhere to cookie.) Using a small metal spatula, spread melted chocolate thinly over top and sides of caramel and cookie to cover. Press chopped pecans onto tops of cookies. Let stand on a wire rack until chocolate firms (refrigerate if desired), about 20 minutes. Put into individual paper wrappers. Store in a cookie tin with a piece of wax paper between each layer.

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Caramel-Pecan Cake

3 tablespoons boiling water
2 ounce sweet cooking chocolate
¾ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons margarine; softened
2 egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cake flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 egg whites
1 recipe caramel topping
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
1 recipe Caramel Topping1. Preheat oven to 350ºF
2. Grease and flour a 13-inch-by-9-inch-by-2-inch rectangular pan.
3. Pour boiling water on chocolate, stirring until melted; cool.
4. In large bowl beat sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time.
5. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla on low speed.
6. Mix in flour, baking soda and salt alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition, until batter is smooth.
7. Beat egg whites until stiff; fold into batter. Pour into pan.
8. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
9. Spread Caramel Topping over hot cake; sprinkle with chocolate chips and pecans.
10. Continue baking for about 20 minutes longer or until chocolate chips melt.
11. Cool before serving.

Yield: 12 servings

Caramel Topping
½ cup brown sugar; firmly packed
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup whipping cream
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1. Combine brown sugar, sugar and whipping cream in medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Cook and stir, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in butter until melted. Cool. Then drizzle over cake.
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