Cholesterol Pie

I think most families (except mine?) make this dessert, they just call it something different. In the case of the Robber's family they call it cholesterol pie and someone makes it for every major family event. The Robber himself loves it and when his mother came to visit and to help out with Ruggles last week, the Robber requested special that she make it for him. I ended up making it, in a grand gesture of support for the Robber and to allow Nana to spend more time with Ruggles and I think everyone was happier that way (see note on pecans below) but I think the future I will leave the making of this to the Rawles.

Writing Ruggles and "cholesterol pie" in the same paragraph hurts my heart a little, even if it is entirely hypocritical given that I exposed him to icecream in grand amounts during my whole pregnancy.

Notes: I added chopped pecans to the crust and toasted chopped pecans and some chopped dark chocolate chips to the top. The pecans to the crust were genius for the Robber and I felt the toppings were too, but the Robber scraped them off the top and then ate the rest. Hmmm. If I were making this again I would make a thicker cream cheese layer and remember that the crust is kind of crumbly, so you have to portion out the cream cheese layer for the spreading, not just plunk it down in the middle and spread it out from there.

Ingredients and Directions:

Layer 1

1 C. flour

1/2 C. butter or margarine

1/2 C. chopped nuts (not optional, pecans!)

Mix together and spread in a 9x13" glass pan. Bake at 350 F for 15-20 min.

Layer 2

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1 C. powdered sugar

1 1/2 C. Cool Whip

Cream together and spread over cooled Layer 1.

Layer 3

1 large package instant chocolate pudding

2 1/2 C. milk

Beat together for 2 minutes and pour over Layer 2.

Layer 4

2 C. Cool Whip

Spread on top of pudding layer. If desired, sprinkle top with nuts, chopped chocolate, etc.

Cranberry Nut Bread

I made this bread as part of our family graduation party and the Robber liked it so much that he insisted we get the recipe. So my mom photocopied it from her recipe book and sent it to us and the Robber cannot believe his luck. . . well he won't believe it when I make it again. The recipe strongly recommends pecans but gives the ok to walnuts and advises against slicing too soon out the oven, good advice given the crumbly nature of this bread when it is hot.

From American Classics, possibly from Good Housekeeping.

Ingredients:

1 T. grated orange zest

1/3 C. fresh orange juice

2/3 C. buttermilk

6 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg, beaten slightly

2 C. all-purpose flour

1 C. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 C. cranberries (about 6 oz.), chopped coarsely

1/2 C. pecans, chopped coarsely and toasted

Directions:

1. Toast the pecans by placing a skillet over medium heat, adding chopped pecans and toasting, shaking the pan frequently until nuts are fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375F. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan; set aside.

3. Stir together the orange zest, orange juice, buttermilk, butter, and egg in a small bowl. 

4. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just moistened.

5. Gently stir in the cranberries and pecans. Do not overmix.

6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smoother the surface with a rubber spatula. Bake 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350F; continue to bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45 minutes longer.

7. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wife rack and cool at least 1 hour before serving. Once cooled, the bread can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for a couple of days.

Hello Dolly Bars

My sister TMP made these for our little graduation shindig at home last Saturday. My in-laws loved these and as my husband is, you know, an in-law he loved them too and insisted that we get the recipe. So here it is, dear Robber, for you.

From somewhere, didn't ask TMP where she got them.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. (1 stick) salted butter, melted

1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs (ca. 1 1/2 packages)

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 C. chocolate chips (replace 1 c. with butterscotch or other chips, if desired)

1 1/2 C. chopped pecans, lightly toasted

1 1/2 C. sweetened shredded coconut

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

1. Mix the graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon with the butter and press into the bottom of the pan. 

2. Layer the chips, nuts, and coconut on top of the crust. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the lot. 

3. Bake at 350 for approx. 30 minutes, until nicely browned and a bit bubbly. Cool completely before cutting.

Yield: This quantity will make an 8"x8" pan of thick bars or a 9"x13" pan of thinner bars.

Cinnamon Roll Scones

Just when I was going to close the door on new scone recipes, this one had to come along! Actually, it's not a new recipe at all, but rather an alteration of the lemon blueberry scone recipe I already have. The wheat flour makes the scone less sweet overall, but the texture is just as perfect here as with the lemon version. I didn't have cinnamon chips so I chopped up some white chocolate instead, which makes for a more subtle scone as I imagine the cinnamon chips would have been more overpowering. The toasted pecans in it were delicious, and as the Robber is currently on a huge toasted pecans kick (he always is, actually) he has been eating these non-stop.

I skipped the "finish" part because why would you put butter and sugar on top of a scone you are going to glaze? It seemed too much for me.

From Annie:

http://annies-eats.com/2012/02/13/cinnamon-roll-scones/

Ingredients:

For the dough:

8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen whole

½ C. milk

½ C. low-fat greek yogurt

1 C. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

1 C. whole wheat flour

½ C. sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

For the filling:

Milk or cream, for brushing

3 T. sugar

¾ - 2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I used more because I lacked cinnamon chips)

2/3 C. chopped pecans, toasted

¼ -1/2 C. cinnamon chips (white chocolate, strawberries, whatever)

To finish:

2 T. melted butter

Coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

For the glaze:

1 C. confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 T. milk

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat to 425˚ F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Grate the frozen butter on the holes of a large box grater.

2. Whisk together the milk and yogurt in a medium bowl; refrigerate until needed.

3. Combine the flours, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the grated butter to the flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated

4. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula just until combined. Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour, and knead with well floured hands, 6-8 times, just until the dry ingredients have been mostly incorporated.

5. Roll the dough into a 12-inch square. Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter (a dough scraper really helps with these steps). Fold the short ends of the dough into the center in thirds, to form an approximate 4-inch square. Transfer the dough to a plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.

6. Return the dough to the floured work surface and roll into an approximately 10-inch square. Lightly brush the surface of the dough with milk or cream. Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dough. Layer with the toasted pecans and cinnamon chips.

7. Roll the dough up into a tight log. Lay the log seam side down on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice into 8 round discs. Place the shaped scones on the prepared baking sheet (I patted my slices down flat a bit on the baking sheet). Lightly brush the top of each scone with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar. (If freezing ahead of time, flash freeze on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then wrap individually and store in a freezer bag until needed.)

8. Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 16-20 minutes (about 20-22 if baking from the freezer). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 10 minutes.

9. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and milk. Whisk together until smooth, adding additional milk or sugar to reach your preferred consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the scones. Serve warm.

Birthday Carrot Cake Ala The Robber

The Robber made me this delicious carrot cake for my birthday with maple cream cheese frosting. He tried to find a recipe that was lighter so the whole affair wouldn't seem quite as heavy as carrot cake usually is. I'm not a carrot cake expert, so I'm not sure how it stacks up to other cakes but it was very, very good. I am certain the Robber loved it even more than I did. I think he is hoping I will make it for him for Easter. "Carrots are what the Easter bunny eats, right?" So this will be making a comeback in our house.

From the Food Network, adapted by the Robber:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/carrot-cake-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

12 oz. grated carrots, medium grate, approx. 6 medium carrots

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 T. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/3 C. granulated sugar

1/4 C. dark brown sugar

3 large eggs

6 oz. plain yogurt

6 oz. vegetable oil

Optional: 1/2 C. raisins (plumped by soaking for 1/2 hr in warm water)

Optional: 1 C. chopped, toasted pecans (can also add to surface of cake)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round and 3-inch deep cake pan (Or two 9" pans for two layers). Line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a bowl and add in grated carrots. Toss until the carrots are well-coated with the flour.

3. In separate bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and yogurt. Drizzle in the vegetable oil and combine. Pour this mixture into the carrot mixture and stir until just combined.

4. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and bake for another 20 minutes or until the cake reaches 205 to 210 degrees F in the center.

5. Remove the pan from the oven and allow cake to cool 15 minutes in the pan. After 15 minutes, turn the cake out onto a rack and allow cake to cool completely. Frost after the cake has cooled completely.

Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries and Pecans

So one thing about my current rotation is that their food is GREAT. They are a vegetarian residency and every day they have salad and the best fruit salad and I am just in eating heaven because I can eat a lot of volume with few calories. A few days ago they had this amazing couscous chili with garbanzo beans and kidney beans and couscous and tomatoes and it was so so good. But on to this couscous. This couscous, also so so good. Light. Tasty. I thought the finely chopped pecans were essentially to giving it an underlying nutty, tasty flavor but then the Robber thought they weren't needed as much. Who knows, but that this was delicious.

From the NYTimes Well Vegetarian Thanksgiving 2010 blog:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/08/health/20101108_thanksgiving.html#Couscous_Salad_With_Dried_Cranberries_and_Pecans

Ingredients:

1 C. couscous, preferably whole wheat
Salt
2 large carrots, grated
1/2 C. chopped pecans
1/2 C. chopped dried cranberries
1/4 C. chopped scallions
1/4 C. olive oil, or more as needed
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, or more juice as needed
1 tsp. coriander
Pinch of cayenne, or to taste
Black pepper
1/2 C. chopped fresh parsley
1 T. chopped fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon dried

Directions:

1. Put the couscous in a small pot and add 1 1/2 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then cover and remove from the heat. Let steep for at least 10 minutes, or up to 20.

2. Put the slightly cooled couscous in a large salad bowl along with the carrots, pecans, cranberries, scallions, oil and lemon zest and juice, and sprinkle with the spices and salt and pepper. Use 2 big forks to combine, fluffing the couscous and tossing gently to separate the grains. (The salad can be made up to this point and refrigerated for up to a day; bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

3. Stir in the parsley and sage. Taste and adjust the seasoning, moisten with a little more oil and lemon juice as you like, and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Banana Cream Pie With Candied Walnuts

Since marrying the Robber I have been on a quest to find a banana cream pie I could really get behind. You see, the Robber loves loves loves banana cream pie and to the vast vast vast majority of cream pies I say: meh. There is nothing exciting a banana cream pie has to offer. No thrill of taste. No comforting sigh. Mostly just bland custard and too-soft bananas.

But the quest. The sacrifices we make for marriage. And finally, this pie, and this triumph. Yes! This pie is triumph! For the first time in my life, I have met a banana cream pie I could eat over again, get excited about making again, savor in my sleep. I have found you banana cream pie, and now I will never stray again. The search is over. I found this pie on pieloveyou.blogspot.com, but it comes by way of Bubby's Homemade Pies, a cookbook based out of a restaurant in Lower Manhattan. I made my own crust for it, but I'm sure it would be just as delicious with the crust suggested which is below.

Note: I made a full batch of the candied walnuts, which I used for both the pie and a salad. For the pie only I think you could use a half batch and have plenty.

You can find the recipe online here:

http://pieloveyou.blogspot.com/2010/02/banana-cream-pie-with-candied-walnuts-4.html

For the candied nuts:

1/4 C. honey (any type)

1 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

2 C. raw, unsalted walnuts or pecans

1) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, mix together honey, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, nuts and mix well.

2) Spread the coated nuts on a large, well-greased, baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. Stir and scrape them up every 5 minutes with a spatula. Return to pan until they smell good and are a deep glossy brown. Be careful not to burn them.

3) Remove the pan from the oven and scrap the nuts up while they are cooling and spread onto a plate so they won't stick together. When the nuts are cool, dry and set, store them in a container in the refrigerator and store up for 3 weeks.

For the sour cream crust:

1 C. all purpose flour

1 pinch salt

8 T. (one stick) cold, unsalted butter

1/2 C. very cold sour cream

1. Combine flour and salt and cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add the cold sour cream and mix by hand to combine until it it forms a ball. Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

2. Roll chilled disk into a 12-inch round on a well-floured surface. Place into a 9 inch pie pan and cut overhang down to a 1/2 on all sides. Fold under to create a thicker lip on pie edge and decoratively pinch sides. Once set, chill in freezer for 15 minutes before cooking.

3. While re-chilling the pie, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line pie with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes and decrease temperature to 300 for another 15 minutes or until golden brown.

For the vanilla pudding:

2 C. whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

1/2 C. sugar, divided

pinch of salt

1/2 C. egg yolks (about 6 yolks)

1/4 C. cornstarch

4 T. (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed

1. In a large, heavy, non-reactive saucepan (aluminum reacts and will cause a pudding to turn dingy grey), combine the milk, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the vanilla bean and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch until smooth.

2. Have the whisk, a ladle and a large glass or ceramic dish handy. Heat the milk mixture in the saucepan until it just comes to a boil, whisking it a bit as it gets steamy. When you see the first bubbles boiling up, take the pan off the heat and place it on a potholder next to the egg mixture. (To make life a little easier on yourself, put the egg bowl on the right if you're right-handed, or on the left if you're left-handed. Use your stronger arm to whisk; use your weaker arm to ladle the hot milk.

3. During the next steps, stir constantly or the eggs will coagulate and you'll have scrambled eggs. This is quick work. Take a ladle full of hot milk and pour it in a thin stream into the eggs, whisking constantly. Continue stirring, and add a few more ladle fulls of hot milk to the eggs in the same way. The tempered eggs are now ready to add back into the hot milk.

4. To do this, whisk the hot milk constantly and pour the tempered eggs in slowly. When fully combined, put this mixture back on the stove top over medium heat and continue to whisk constantly.The mixture should be ready to come back to a boil very quickly.When the custard nears the consistency of pudding, take very short pauses in stirring to look for signs of a bubble surfacing (it is more like a single volcanic blurp). Don't look too closely, or you'll risk getting spattered with hot pudding. Just stir, pause briefly, stir, and so on.

5. When you see the first blurp, remove the pan from the heat immediately and whisk in the cubes of butter.Whisk until fully combined and immediately pour the pudding into a large glass or ceramic dish to cool it down. While the pudding is still very hot, stretch plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Smooth out any air pockets to make the pudding airtight. This will prevent a skin or condensation from forming on top of the pudding. Refrigerate the pudding until completely cold — at least 4 hours.

6. Stir the cold pudding and retrieve the vanilla bean. Squeeze out the excess seeds (those little black specks) in the interior of the pod with your thumb and forefinger — pinch and slide your fingers down the length of the bean, freeing the black seeds as you go. Do this with each half of the bean, returning as many seeds as possible to the pudding.

Putting it all together:

4-5 medium sized bananas (select ripe bananas without any sign of spots or green near the stem)

1 1/2 T. of fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 C. sour cream

Vanilla pudding

Candied nuts

1. Slice the bananas 1/4 inch thick to get 4 cups and immediately toss in the lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Stir the vanilla extract into the sour cream and gently fold into the bananas. Layer the coated bananas in the pie crust and flatten them. Pour the pudding on top and smooth it with a spatula.

2. Cover the pie in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting. Serve the wedges of pie cold sprinkled with candied walnuts.

3. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Maple Pumpkin Pie with a Gingersnap Crust

Sounds intriguing, no? The maple and the pumpkin are really good together, and gingersnap crusts are always my friends, but somehow the combination didn't WOW me like I wanted it to. This recipe has wowed other women in large numbers, however, so it is worth giving it a try and it is worth making again, to mix the pumpkin pie world up and to give the boringness of most pumpkin pies a little zing. But I think the "throaty" Sokolov pie elsewhere on this blog has my true pumpkin pie heart.

From Kimberly at Pie Love You:

http://pieloveyou.blogspot.com/2010/11/45-maple-pumpkin-pie-with-gingersnap.html

Ingredients:

For the crust:

14 2-inch gingersnaps (about 4 oz)

1 C. pecans (about 4 oz)

1/4 C. granulated sugar

1/4 C. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling:

1 C. pure maple syrup

2 C. canned solid-pack pumpkin

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. heavy cream

2/3 C. milk

2 large eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Use a small amount of the melted butter to grease a 9" (1 quart) pie pan. (Note: Use a big one, this is not your average thin pumpkin pie.)

2. In a food processor grind gingersnaps, pecans, and sugar until fine and add remaining butter, blending until combined well. Press mixture onto bottom and up side of buttered pie plate. Bake crust in middle of oven 15 minutes, or until crisp and golden around edge, and cool on rack.

3. In a 3- to 3 1/2-quart heavy saucepan gently boil maple syrup until a small amount dropped into a bowl of cold water forms a soft ball, about 210° F on a candy thermometer, and cool slightly. In a bowl whisk together pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cream, milk, and eggs and whisk in maple syrup.

4. Strain filling through a fine mesh sieve. Use a spatula to stir and press mixture through sieve. Once you get almost everything through the sieve (no need to force the small amounts of stringy or flavorless pumpkin, which are the only things remaining in the end, through the sieve), pour filling into cooled shell. (I skipped the straining part and didn't half a problem.)

5. Bake pie in middle of oven 1 hour, or until filling is set but center still shakes slightly. (Filling will continue to set as pie cools.) Transfer pie to a rack to cool completely.

Caramel-Apple Pecan Cake

My approach to Thanksgiving this year is instead of trying to make everything in two days, why not just spread the recipes out and have Thanksgiving all fall long? This recipe is one I found a year ago from the NYTimes, and re-browsing my files it sounded like something the Robber would love. The cake part itself is delicious-- and of course the pecans and the apples are a great idea to go with it. Unfortunately, the caramel was too--- just not right. It is not very sweet and detracted from the other strong elements of the cake. Next time I make it (as I probably will as the rest was so good!) I will either make it without the caramel part, maybe pre-cook the apples a little bit (saute them or something), or use a milk-product based caramel that has more flavor. Of course none of this stopped the Robber from downing 3/4 of the cake in 16 hours. He's good for getting rid of calories that way. :)

From the NYTimes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/dining/183drex.html?ref=dining

Ingredients:

1/4 C. pecan halves

2 large tart apples, like Fuji, peeled, cored and sliced

For the cake:

1/2 C. flour

3/4 C. sugar

1/2 C. pecan halves, finely ground

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick (4 oz.) soft unsalted butter

3 large eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the caramel:

1 C. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Use a little butter to grease a 10-inch glass pie plate. Arrange 1/4 cup pecan halves in a pattern in pie plate. Arrange apple slices over and around pecans, in a single layer in a pattern. Scatter any extra slices randomly on top.

2. Heat oven to 350F. In a food processor, finely grind remaining pecan halves. Mix with flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

3. Whisk 1 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a skillet and mix with 1/3 cup water. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until mixture turns amber. Swirl pan from time to time if necessary. Immediately pour caramel over apples in pie pan.

4. With a mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla extract. Fold in flour mixture. Spread batter over apples. Bake 30 minutes, until nicely browned. Cool.

5. Run a knife around edges and invert cake onto a serving dish, one that is heatproof if you want to warm cake before serving. Serve with butter pecan ice cream.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Double Chocolate Pecan Pie

The Robber and R and I made this and ate a bit rather quickly out of the oven, but as the pie lasted for a few days and slowly carmelized it just got better and better producing this amazing chocolate carmel at the edges. I think the Robber would prefer just a plain pecan pie over this pie but I think that is because he only ate it warm. I like the idea of this pie because it provides an opportunity to make a chocolate pie that isn't as over the top as the chocolate cream pies I've had. Definitely a pie I would make again, though given my pie repertoire and the Robber's strong preference for coconut cream, it might be a while. (Unless I can sneak this in at Thanksgiving.)

From Williams Sonoma by way of Annie:

http://annies-eats.net/2009/11/23/double-chocolate-pecan-pie/

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1¼ C. all-purpose flour

1 T. sugar

¼ tsp. salt

8 T. cold, unsalted butter, cut into medium cubes (about 16 pieces)

3 T. ice cold water

For the filling:

3 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

¾ C. packed dark brown sugar

½ tsp. salt

2 large eggs

½ C. corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 C. pecans, toasted and chopped into small pieces (or not)

3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. To make the crust, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly to combine. Add the cubes of butter to the bowl and mix on low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal and the largest chunks of butter are not much larger than peas. Add the water to the bowl and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together.

2. Form the dough into a disc, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until chilled.

3. On a lightly-floured work surface, roll the pie dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer the round to a 9-inch pie plate by rolling the dough around the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pie pan. Trim the edges as necessary and create a fluted pattern using a finger to make the indentations. Freeze the dough-lined pie plate until firm and very cold, about 30 minutes.

4. Adjust an oven rack to lower middle position and heat the oven to 375° F. Remove the dough-lined plate from the freezer, press a sheet of foil inside the pie shell and fill with ceramic baking beads. Bake about 30 minutes, until the dough looks dry and light in color. Carefully remove the foil and weights. Continue baking the crust 5-6 minutes more, until light golden brown.

5. While the pie crust is baking, make the filling. Melt the butter in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Remove the bowl from the double boiler but maintain the simmering water. Stir in the sugar and salt with a wooden spoon until the butter is absorbed.

6. Beat in the eggs, corn syrup and vanilla. Return the bowl to the double boiler and heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is shiny and hot to the touch, about 130° F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat and stir in the pecans.

7. As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, lower the oven temperature to 275° F. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Scatter the chopped chocolate pieces over the filling and press into the filling with the back of a spoon.

8. Bake on the middle rack of the oven about 50-60 minutes, until the pie looks set but slightly soft, like gelatin, when gently pressed with the back of a spoon. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 4 hours.

Baby Salad Greens With Sweet Potato Croutons and Stilton

I made this salad-- with my own personal revisions-- for A.'s baptismal lunch in Syracuse. I was a little bit intimidated by the salad assignment, given picnic attendee S.O.'s salad expertise, so I thought I'd better look around for something a little bit different and promising. I found this recipe in a salad slide show on the NYTimes (where else) and thought the idea of the potato croutons with the Stilton was intriguing. I'd never had sweet potato "croutons" before, but have long been a fan of Stilton and so the recipe had the elements of both challenge and familiarity. I don't have a steamer, and so I had to "steam" the potato in the microwave and then saute them, so they ended up both a little wetter and a little more burned than was ideal, but it didn't seem to deter anyone too much.

I doubled this recipe, and added to it 1 cup of candied pecans, which I used making the candied nuts recipe found in the April 2011 section of this blog. I made the recipe as originally written, using syrup instead of honey and found the nuts to be much less sticky. I also added about 2 cups of fresh blueberries to the salad, so all-in-all it was really a sweet-potato-blueberry-candied-pecan-stilton salad but it was, truthfully, so delicious and worth the extra effort of both the nuts and the sweet potato cooking. I'm tempted even to just candy a whole bunch of nuts and keep them around for the purpose of carelessly tossing into salads on a whim at any time.

Ms. Shulman says of her recipe, "Sweet potatoes contrast beautifully here with the pungent Stilton. Other cheeses that work for this salad are goat cheese and feta." Amen. Here's the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/health/nutrition/18recipehealth.html

Ingredients:

For the salad:

1 large sweet potato (10 to 12 ounces), peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 6-oz. bag baby salad greens

1 T. chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, parsley, chervil, chives (I used chives)

2 oz. Stilton or blue cheese, crumbled or cut into small pieces (about 1/2 cup) (I used the cranberry Stilton, but I really wanted to use the apricot Stilton, both would be good!)

(Blueberries and candied nuts!-- for the RMR version)

For the dressing:

1 T. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 small garlic clove, minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 C. buttermilk

Directions:

1. Steam the sweet potatoes for 5 minutes, until just tender. Remove from the heat and drain on paper towels.

2. In a medium, nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, shaking the pan and moving the pieces around often, until evenly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain on paper towels.

3. Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt pepper, olive oil and buttermilk.

4. Place the salad greens in a salad bowl and top with the cheese. Toss with the dressing. Sprinkle on the sweet potato croutons and serve.

Yield: Serves 4

Advance preparation: You can steam the sweet potatoes and make the dressing several hours ahead.

Candied Nuts

Bob wanted to make some candied pecans for a spinach salad we were making, so I tasked him with looking it up on the internet and making it happen. This is what he found:

http://comfybelly.com/2009/04/crunchy-pecans-and-spiced-nuts/

We omitted the nutmeg, and tripled the cinnamon, and the result was much to Bob's liking and overall a very good addition to our salad. The nuts came out a little sticky, and perhaps would be less so if we had used syrup rather than honey. I guess I'll have to make these again and find out!

Ingredients:

1 cup of nuts
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 tablespoon of butter, melted
3 tablespoons of honey (or maple syrup)
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Mix all the ingredients together until well-coated.

3. Place nuts on a stick-free baking sheet (I recommend parchment paper) and bake for about 15 minutes or until the nuts start to brown.

4. Cool for 10 minutes, or until dry, and enjoy!

Pecan Pie

Yet another recipe Mom has been making since I can remember but I don't know the origin of. The Robber specifically requested pecan pie for Thanksgiving, and although this came out of the oven a little overdone due to general hectic-ness, he still ate almost the entire pie before he left! He loved it, and that is good enough for me.

Ingredients:

1/4 c butter

1 c light corn syrup

1 c brown sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

1/2 t lemon juice

1 t vanilla

1/2 t salt

1 1/2 c whole pecans

cinnamon

Unbaked pie crust

Directions:

1. In separate bowl, add corn syrup, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, salt. In saucepan, brown butter till golden brown-- don't burn. When butter is ready, add browned butter to the corn syrup mixture.

2. Roll pecans in cinnamon, coating well, and arrange in bottom of pie crust. Pour mixture over pecans. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then 325 for 45-50 minutes.

Consider reducing sugar/corn syrup if too sweet for your taste.

Cranberry Jello Salad

This is an old recipe that my Mom has made for years and years for Thanksgiving, I don't know from where she originally got it, but it is one of my favorite foods to eat at Thanksgiving. Unfortunately I didn't make it exactly like Mom does for some reason and got a slightly different result but nonetheless it was tasty and well loved by our other male guest who declared it the best jello he had ever eaten.

Ingredients:

6 oz raspberry Jell-O
2 c water
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 c sour cream
1 c chopped pecans

Directions:

Follow the jello package. Note that the jello package will call for 2 cups hot water, 2 cups cold water. Heat the 2 cups of water used in this recipe for your hot water and use your cranberry sauce in lieu of the called for cold water. You can add in the pecans whenever. Swirl in sour cream when the rest is partially set. I suspect Mom just cuts in the sour cream minimally, rather than "swirling" as the directions suggest.

Sus' Salad and Dressing

I dreamed about this salad with its dressing, it was that good. We had it at Thanksgiving and it was amazing, I could have just eaten the salad and been a happy camper. These directions come from SLO, who got the recipe from Sus, the sister-in-law of her current Manfriend. I love the extended world.

Salad:

Romaine lettuce
Lots of avocado
Plums
Candied/sugared pecans (I browned some pecans in a pan, added a lot of brown sugar, took it off before they were burnt--awesome)

S. also added some fresh mozzarella. She adds:

I might add bananas next time. Maybe pears. Or golden raisins? Another vegetable? Something.

The Salad Dressing:

One part fresh squeezed lemon juice (with some pulp, even)
One part olive oil
Healthy handful of brown sugar (dark!)
Fresh ground pepper to taste


I'm going to try this dressing out with LIMES this week!

Dixie Salad

A family Thanksgiving tradition.

Basic elements all mixed together with the cream as the binding agent:

Whipped cream
Shelled pomegranate seeds
Chopped apples
Nuts: pecans or walnuts

R. says this is abominable but I just put chopped Snickers AND chopped fresh brownie in mine.

Caribbean Dream Pie

From The New Moosewood. Seriously better than I thought it was going to be, and ridiculously easy to make. It would be hard to mess this pie up.

SWEET CRUMB CRUST:

2 cups crushed graham crackers or ginger snaps (easily done in a food processor)
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (optional, If you prefer you can substitute another 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers of ginger snaps)
1/4 cup finely minced pecans
6 Tbsp. butter, melted

1) Preheat over to 350F.
2) Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan, building a handsome 1/2-inch ridge around the edge. You will have more than enough to fill the pie pan-- sprinkle the rest in another pan. Place both in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

FILLING:

1 14-15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbsp. grated lime rind
1/2 cups plus 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
1/2 a ripe mango, peeled and sliced (or chopped)

1) Pour the milk into a medium-sized bowl.

2) Add the grated rind and juice, and whisk for a few minutes until the milk thickens.

3) Layer the banana and mango slices in the baked, cooled crust. Pout the thickened milk mixture over the fruit, spreading it into place. Sprinkle the top with extra crumb mixture, and chill until cold. Serve cold.

Skeptical of the filling, I added one more bananas (three large bananas total) and tripled the mango (1 1/2 mangoes total). I also increased the lime zest, but not the lime juice or the milk. I found this to be just fine. I also topped the pie generously with lightly sweetened whipped cream and then sprinkled the extra crust crumbs on the top of the whipped cream, not the pie itself. The overall was wonderfully creamy and fruity and perfect for the lovely early summer evening. This pie should be served in California often.