Baked Catfish and Pecans

2 pounds catfish fillets
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon red pepper
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Make pecan sauce by combining ¼ cup butter, chopped pecans, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce and blend well.
3. Combine flour, sea salt, pepper, lemon rind. Roll fillets in mixture, coating well.
4. Melt ¼ cup butter in large skillet. Brown fillets over medium heat until light brown; turn once to brown both sides.
5. Place fillets in well-greased 12-inch-by-8-inch-by-2 baking dish. Sprinkle pecan butter sauce over fillets. Sprinkle with additional chopped pecans if desires.
6. Bake uncovered in a preheated oven for 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork

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Banana Butter Pecan Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter
⅔ cups granulated sugar
1 egg
¼ cup light molasses
1 cup mashed bananas
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Grease cookie sheets.
3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until fluffy. Gradually add the sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, molasses and banana.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture; beat until thoroughly blended. Stir in the chopped nuts.
5. Drop the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the center of the cookies spring back when lightly touched. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

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Banana Pecan Cake

⅔ cups banana; mashed
⅓ cup margarine
6 egg whites; large
¾ cups water
2 cups cake flour; unbleached
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
½ cup raisins1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat together mashed bananas and margarine until creamy.
3. Add egg whites and water. Beat well.
4. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat until smooth.
5. Add pecans and raisins. Spoon batter into a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan, sprayed with vegetable oil spray.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and cut into 3-inch-by-3-inch squares.

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Banana Pecan Snack Cake

1 package Snack Cake Mix
1 egg
⅓ cup vegetable oil
½ cup ripe banana; mashed
½ cup buttermilk; milk or water
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Pour snack cake mix into an ungreased 8- or 9-inch square baking pan.
3. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients, beating with a fork to blend.
4. Stir into Snack Cake Mix until blended.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on rack.

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Banana Pecan Upside Down Cake

1 cup brown sugar; firmly packed
¼ cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
¼ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
4 large ripe bananas; peeled and cut diagonally; ¼ inch slices
1 cup cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter; at room temperature
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons milk
Sweetened whipped cream; optional1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Combine sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan; stir over low heat until butter melts and mixture is well blended.
3. Pour into a 9-inch diameter cake pan with 2-inch high sides. Spread to coat bottom of pan.
4. Pour maple syrup over sugar mixture.
5. Sprinkle nuts evenly over.
6. Place banana slices in concentric circles on nuts, overlapping slightly and covering bottom. Set aside.
7. In a large mixing bowl stir flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; stir until mixture is well blended.
8. In another bowl beat sugar and butter until creamy.
9. Add egg and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.
10. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk in three additions. Spoon batter over bananas.
11. Bake in a preheated oven for about 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
12. Transfer cake to rack. Run knife around pan sides. Cool cake on rack for 30 minutes.
13. Place a plate over pan; invert cake. Let stand 3 minutes, and then gently lift off the pan.
14. Serve warm with whipped cream.

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Banana Pineapple Pecan Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 14-ounce can crushed pineapple; divided
3 eggs
1½ cups oil
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 6)
1½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 recipe Pineapple Pecan Icing

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in large bowl.
3. Add 1 cup pineapple, eggs, oil, bananas, pecans and vanilla. Mix just until thoroughly combined. Turn into greased and floured 10-inch cake pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 70 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.
5. Cool on rack 20 min. Then remove from pan and cool completely.
6. Spread Pineapple Pecan Icing on top and side of cake.Servings: 12

Pineapple Pecan Icing
⅓ cup crushed pineapple, drained
¼ cup margarine, softened
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons to 3 tablespoons pineapple juice1. Drain reserved pineapple well.
2. Whip margarine, powdered sugar and pineapple juice together until smooth. Fold in pineapple.

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Banana-Fudge Pecan Brownies

½ stick unsalted butter
1 6-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
¼ teaspoon sea salt
⅓ cup mashed ripe banana
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease bottom only of 8-inch square pan.
2. Melt butter and chocolate chips in 2-quart saucepan, over low heat, stirring constantly; beat in thoroughly with spoon flour, vanilla, sugar, baking powder, pecans, salt, mashed banana and egg spread batter evenly in pan.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until center is set.
4. Cut into 2-inch squares.

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Banana-Pecan Cookies

1½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar; firmly packed
⅔ cups shortening; soft
1 egg
¼ cup milk
1 cup mashed bananas
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
2 cups Quaker Oats; uncooked (quick or old-fashioned)

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon into bowl. Add sugar, shortening, egg, milk and bananas. Beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in pecans and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

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Banana-Pecan Snack Cake

1 package Snack Cake Mix
1 egg
⅓ cup vegetable oil
½ cup mashed; ripe banana
½ cup buttermilk; milk; or water
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Pour Snack Cake Mix into an ungreased 8- or 9-inch square baking pan.
3. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients, beating with a fork to blend. Stir into snack cake mix until blended.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a rack.
5. Place a paper doily on the hot cake, dust with powdered sugar and then remove the doily.

Makes 9 servings

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Basic Pie Pastry

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.

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