Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

November 30, 2012 by 3 Comments

This pie. Oh, this pie. This pie is amazing. I’d almost go as far as saying it was my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal. It definitely made the best breakfast, lunch, and snack for the (very) few days it lasted after Thanksgiving. I just feel lucky that I had a group of guests that were too full for 2 slices of pie and were all natural pumpkin pie choosers. The guests that did make the (best) decision to try this pie also loved it.

So what’s so great about this pie? The super sweet filling is enhanced by the warm bourbon and perfectly balanced with the toasted pecans and dark, bitter sweet, chocolate. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I’ve only had regular pecan pie one or two times. But now that I’ve had this chocolate bourbon version, I’m not sure a regular one will cut it.

 

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

Ingredients
1 9-inch pie crust*, blind baked**
8 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup half and half
3 Tbsp bourbon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

*I used the crust recipe from this pie

**To blindbake a pie crust, form it as desired in a pie pan. Use a fork to prick several holes in the bottom of the crust. Place a sheet of foil in the crust and fill with dry beans. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 375, remove foil and dry beans, and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until bottom looks dry.

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a heat proof bowl, stir together the egg yolks and vanilla. Set aside. To a medium saucepan, add the sugar, butter, corn syrup, cream, bourbon, and salt. Heat over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling. Next, slowly stream the hot mixture into the egg yolks, whisking vigorously and constantly so as not to cook the egg. Strain through a mesh sieve into a large glass measuring cup.

Sprinkle pecans over blindbaked pie crust, followed by the chopped chocolate. Pour the sugar mixture, in a slow spiral motion, over the pecans and chocolate.

Place the pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. Store at room temperature covered with plastic wrap. Delicious with real whipped cream!

Source: Fine Cooking Magazine, Oct/Nov 2011

 

Filed Under: Dessert, Holiday Treats, Pie, Thanksgiving Tagged With: , , , , ,

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

November 15, 2012 by 6 Comments

I know, I just posted a pumpkin recipe last week. But can you really have too many pumpkin recipes? I think not. Especially in the world of food blogging, there is always room for more pumpkin recipes.

Actually, I’m kind of surprised I’ve never posted a recipe for pumpkin cupcakes before. It’s well known on my dad’s side of the family that every year I will bring pumpkin cupcakes and/or cookies to the family meal. This year I am not able to make it in person, but I’m there in spirit and sending virtual pumpkin love.

This particular pumpkin cupcake recipe is actually different than the one I’ve used in the past. Once I tried it, I knew my old recipe was old news. This recipe creates a perfectly domed cupcake, with a moist interior, and the perfect cupcake crumb. I made this particular batch for a work party at Jesse’s office and I heard that they were a huge hit. He certainly didn’t bring home any leftover cupcakes for me…. Good thing I got my taste tests in before he took them! :)

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin purée
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 batch brown sugar cream cheese frosting (recipe below)

Cinnamon Sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, pumpkin, sugars, and vegetable oil until well combined, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Fill each liner with about 1/3 a cup of batter.* Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting. After frosting, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar for garnish.

This recipe makes about 12 cupcakes.

Adapted from Sweetopia

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
2 heaping Tbsp brown sugar
2-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla


Directions
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar (starting on a lower speed when first adding, then increasing speed as it is combined) and beat until combined. Start with 2 cups and increase as needed to create desired consistency. Add the vanilla and beat for about 1 minute.

Adapted from Michelle Wilson Brown via Food Network Cupcake Wars

 

 

Filed Under: Cupcakes, Dessert, Pumpkin, Thanksgiving Tagged With: , , , ,

Green Bean Casserole From Scratch

November 14, 2012 by 1 Comment

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is just over a week away! We were originally expecting to still be in China for the holiday, so it’s been a pleasant surprise getting to plan a full on American feast. There are some foods that were just hard to find in Suzhou, like turkeys. One grocery store did have 1 frozen turkey. But they literally had that same turkey the entire time we lived there, so I had my doubts about the quality. Here I have my choice of ingredients, a nice big kitchen to prepare it in, and a group of friends to share it with.

My menu is shaping up to look pretty similar to last years, with just a few adjustments and additions. One thing that was requested this year was green bean casserole. Of course I could just go with the traditional casserole made with cans, but that wouldn’t be quite as fun! So I searched for a from scratch recipe that would be the best balance between the traditional taste and better for you non-processed ingredients. I think I found a real winner! One that gives the canned casserole a run for its money!

One last thing – For the trial run I bought a bag of crispy fried onions for the topping but on the actual day of I plan to make them myself.

 

Green Bean Casserole From Scratch

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds green beans*, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup gruyere cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup french fried onions
2 tablespoons butter, melted optional
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs optional

*For the trial run I thought the green bean to sauce ratio was little high so I’ve adjusted the amount of green beans to reflect what I will do on Thanksgiving.

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Fill a large skillet or wok with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and cook just until tender, about 4 or 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Wipe any excess water from the large skillet, reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 10-15 minutes, until softened and starting to caramelize. Add the garlic and thyme sprigs, cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.Add the tablespoon of olive oil and then sprinkle in the flour and stir, cook for a minute or 2. Pour in the white wine, stirring and scraping up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. After one minute, reduce heat to medium-low and add the broth and cream. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the liquid starts to reduce and thicken. Stir in the gruyere cheese until melted. Taste the sauce and season with any additional salt and pepper if needed.

Stir the green beans in to the sauce then pour into a casserole dish. In a separate bowl toss stir together the melted butter, panko bread crumbs and fried onions*, sprinkle over top of casserole. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and turning golden brown.

*You can also skip the melted butter and panko and just top with fried onions.

Adapted from Closet Cooking

 

Filed Under: Holiday Treats, Side Item, Thanksgiving, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , ,

Corn Casserole

July 31, 2012 by 5 Comments

A few weeks ago I was making Jalapeno Popper Chicken for dinner but I was at a total loss of what to serve with it. I knew we would have a side salad but I felt like I still wanted something else. Suddenly corn casserole popped into my head and it seemed like the perfect fit. So I did a little searching but I was a disappointed with what I found. Pretty much every recipe called for a canned corn and Jiffy cornbread. I don’t love canned corn and I knew a box of Jiffy would be a difficult find in Suzhou (and probably expensive if I found it!).

At that point I had my heart set on corn casserole, so I continued on the hunt for a from-scratch recipe. I never did find one that was everything I was looking for, but I did find one that looked like a good starting point. I made a few adjustments and cut the recipe in half so we wouldn’t have leftovers for a week. I’m really happy with how it turned and happy to have another side dish to add to the rotation.

 

Corn Casserole, From Scratch

Ingredients
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups fresh corn cut of the cob, cobs scraped to release all of the juices, or frozen corn
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup yellow corn meal
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl whisk together the sour cream, cream cheese, milk, butter, corn and any corn juices you were able to scrape from the cob. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
Pour into a greased pie pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until it is set and the edges are golden brown. It’s OK if the center jiggles just a tiny bit.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes then serve.
Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

 

Filed Under: Side Item, Thanksgiving, Vegetables Tagged With: , ,