Pecan Valley Pecans

• 1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
• 3 each eggs; slightly beaten
• 1 cup Karo Light or Dark Corn Syrup
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Halves

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large bowl, stir first 6 ingredients until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie shell.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool.

• 1½ cups blanched almonds
• 1 egg white
• ¼ cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Using a knife, chop the almonds fine. Or chop them briefly in a food processor.
3. Beat the egg white until stiff and gradually fold in the sugar. Fold in the chopped almonds and press the mixture firmly over the bottom and sides of an oiled 9-inch pie plate. Bake the shell until light brown. Remove to a rack and cool.

Yield: 6 tart shells, or 2 9-inch pie shells

• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup Ritz Cracker crumbs
• 1½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon almond flavoring

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites until foamy. Add 1 cup sugar a little at a time, beating after each addition. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Continue beating until mixture holds soft peaks.
3. In a large mixing bowl mix cracker crumbs and 1 cup pecans. Fold into meringue mixture a little at a time. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch pie plate to form a shell. Pull up mixture into peaks around edge of plate with back of spoon. Spread evenly.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool thoroughly on a wire cake rack.
5. In a large mixing bowl mix cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond flavoring. Whip until thick and shiny. Spoon into cold pie shell.
6. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup chopped pecans round edge of cream. Using a sharp knife, cut like a pie.

2½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups apples, thinly sliced
½ cup brown sugar; firmly packed
¼ cup dark molasses
3 tablespoons brandy
3 eggs
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ cups mild Cheddar cheese; grated
Whipped Cream or Ice Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Sift four and baking powder together. Make a well in center and in it put the sugar, vanilla and eggs. Mix in some of the flour from the sides to form a paste. Cut the butter into small pieces and put around the top of the paste. Cover with the rest of the flour and knead all ingredients until the dough is smooth. Divide the dough into two balls and refrigerate, covered until dough is cool and firm enough to handle. Roll out as usual and line the bottom of a 10-inch pie plate.
3. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the molasses, corn syrup, brandy and lemon juice. Add the apples and pecans and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
4. Sprinkle grated cheese over bottom of a pastry lined 10-inch pie plate. Pour pie mixture over grated cheese. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
5. Top pie with a lattice crust and bake about 35 to 45 minutes at 350º until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
6. Serve warm, topped with vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream.

1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsalted butter; cold
¼ cup Crisco
¼ teaspoon sea salt
5 tablespoons water; maybe a little less
1¾ cups granulated sugar
¾ cups water
5 tart apples; peeled and sliced
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup unsalted butter
2 large eggs; beaten
¾ cups raisins
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Process flour, cold butter, Crisco and salt in work bowl until the butter is in pea size pieces.
2. Add ice water and process with on-off turns only until dough begins to hold its shape.
3. Take out pat down into flat circle and refrigerate 30 minutes
4. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
5. Roll out on floured surface and put into 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Cover pastry with foil and fill with beans.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove beans and bake until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
7. Mix ¾ cups sugar and water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Add sliced apples and cook, covered, stirring occasionally until tender.
8. Drain and cool.
9. In top of double boiler, mix 1 cup of sugar, spices, salt and butter.
10. Add beaten eggs quickly and beat with whisk until blended.
11. Add remaining ingredients and cook over hot water stirring until thickened. Cool.
12. Layer apples in pie shell and pour mixture over apples.
13. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 8

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
1 9-inch pastry crust; unbaked
¼ cup brown sugar; firmly packed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter; melted
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
4 cups pared and sliced apples
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Ice Cream or Whipped Cream

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. In 9-inch pie shell, combine brown sugar, margarine and pecans.
3. Carefully place one crust on top of sugar/nut mixture; trim even with edge of pie pan.
4. Combine remaining ingredients and put into pie crust.
5. Cover with remaining pie crust; trim even with edge of pie pan. Fold crust edge inward toward center of pie; seal edges with water. Prick top of crust to vent; place on foil-covered baking sheet.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 2 minutes.
7. Carefully run knife tip around plate to loosen pie. Invert onto serving platter.
8. Serve warm with ice cream of whipped cream.

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.

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
3 eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter; melted

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Combine sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Beat eggs at medium speed until blended. Gradually add hot sugar mixture to eggs, beating constantly. Stir in butter, vanilla and pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes.

2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cups shortening
⅓ cup cold water, approximately

1. If using a food processor, put the flour, salt and shortening into the con­tainer. Start processing while pouring the water through the funnel. Add only enough water so that the dough holds to­gether and can be shaped into a ball.
2. If using a pastry blender or 2 knives, chop in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle water slowly over the top of the flour, while toss­ing the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl with a fork. After about three quar­ters of the water has been added, press the dampened part of the dough into a ball and set aside. Add only enough water to dampen the remaining flour mixture. Press all the dough together.
3. Divide the dough into 2 portions, one slightly larger than the other. If the kitchen is hot, chill the dough for ½ hour before rolling.
4. Place the larger ball of dough on a lightly floured pastry cloth or board, pat in all directions with a floured rolling pin and then roll from the center out in all directions, loosening the pastry and re-flouring the cloth and rolling pin as nec­essary. Roll into a round ⅛ inch thick and 2 inches larger in diameter than the top of the pie plate.
5. Fold gently into quarters, place in the plate and unfold. Fit the dough into the plate loosely and press against the plate without stretching it. Trim the edge slightly larger than the outside rim of the plate. Add desired filling.
6. Stack the pastry trimmings on the re­maining ball of dough and roll until about 1 inch larger than the top of the plate. Fold gently into quarters and cut several small gashes to allow steam to escape.
7. Moisten the rim of the lower crust, place top crust on the filled plate and un­fold. Do not stretch the pastry. Tuck the rim of the top beneath the edge of the undercrust and flute with the fingers, mak­ing a tight seal.
8. Bake as directed for the filling used.

Yield: Pastry for 9-inch double-crust pie, or 6 tarts

Variations

Baked Pie Shell
Line pie plate with pastry for bottom crust and prick well with a fork around bottom and sides. Bake in preheated 450ºF oven 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool be­fore adding desired filling.

Lattice-Top Pie Crust
Roll dough for top crust into a circle and cut into ½-inch strips. Moisten the rim of the bottom crust with water and place half of the strips parallel on the filled pie shell, spacing evenly. Repeat with remaining strips in opposite direction. Attach strips firmly to rim.

Tart Shells
Cut pastry into 5-inch rounds and fit over inverted muffin tins or custard cups; or line tart shells, fitting pastry loosely into pans and pressing it firmly around the sides. Prick well with a fork and bake in a preheated 450ºF oven 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

2 8-inch pie shells; unbaked
3 eggs
⅔ cups granulated sugar
¾ cups dark syrup
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs until blended, add sugar, syrup, salt, and beat thoroughly. Stir in butter.
3. Put 1 cup of pecans in each pie shell. Pour liquid mixture equally over each.
4. Place pies on a cookie sheet on middle rack of oven, bake for 10 minutes.
5. Lower oven temperature to 300ºF.
6. Continue to bake about 30 minutes until filling is firm.