Maple Pecan Torte With Bourbon Food

MAPLE PECAN TART

Steps:

• For crust:
• Using electric mixer, beat butter in medium bowl until smooth. Add sugar, egg yolk, and salt; beat until blended. Add flour and beat just until dough begins to clump together. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to 10 1/2-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• Place crust in freezer 30 minutes before filling and baking.
• For filling:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk eggs and brown sugar in medium bowl until well blended. Whisk in maple syrup, corn syrup, melted butter, and salt. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into unbaked crust. Place tart on rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake tart until filling is slightly puffed and set, about 40 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Tent loosely with foil and let stand at room temperature.
• Cut tart into wedges and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

MAPLE-PECAN TORTE (WITH BOURBON)

Steps:

• heat oven to 350°F.
• Spread chopped pecans on large baking sheet.
• Toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Remove nuts from oven; set aside to cool.
• Maintain oven at 350°F.
• Lightly butter and flour 2 straight-sided 10 inch round cake pans.
• Line bottoms with ungreased kitchen parchment or waxed paper.
• On medium speed, beat 1 cup butter in large bowl until fluffy.
• Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar.
• Continue to beat until very fluffy.
• Increase speed to high.
• Pour in 1 cup of the maple syrup in thin stream, beating all the while.
• Beat egg yolks into the butter mixture, one at a time, beating and scraping sides of bowl with rubber spatula after each addition.
• Beat in orange zest, maple flavoring and vanilla.
• Sift cake flour, baking powder and soda onto waxed paper or bowl.
• Sift together one more time; set aside.
• Beat egg whites and salt in large grease-free bowl with clean beaters on medium speed until soft peaks form.
• Increase speed to high and beat until stiff but not dry.
• Beginning and ending with the flour mixture, fold it and egg whites alternately in butter mixture, sifting the flour over the butter mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time and then folding it into mixture.
• The flour will take 5 additions.
• The egg whites 4 additions.
• Fold gently--Do not over mix.
• Pour batter in prepared cake pans and smooth surface with gently with rubber spatula.
• Bake in center of oven 25 to 30 minutes or until inserted wooden pick comes out clean.
• Remove pans from oven. Let layers cool in pans on wire rack 8 minutes.
• Unmold layers onto wire racks, let cool completley.
• Place layers in plastic wrap on baking sheets in freezer until semi frozen, about 45 minutes.
• While cake is in freezer make Maple Buttercream:.
• Combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup maple sugar in a heavy saucepan.
• Add orange slice and bourbon.
• Heat, stirring constantly over medium-high heat to boiling.
• Boil gently 1 minute.
• Remove from heat. Discard orange slice.
• You should have about 1/3 cup of syrup.
• Trim brown crusts from top and bottom of each semi-frozen cake layer; discard trimmings.
• Cut each layer horizontally in half with long serrated knife.
• Brush sides of layers with syrup.
• Sprinkle remaining syrup over surface of each layer.
• Place one layer, syrup side up on plate.
• Spread with Buttercream.
• Stack second layer on top with syrup side up.
• Spread with Buttercream.
• Repeat with next 2 layers--do not put Buttercream on top of last layer.
• Place a baking sheet on top of cake.
• Place a one 1-pound weight (can of fruit or a bag of rice) on top of baking sheet.
• Refrigerate 15 minutes to compress layers.
• Remove cake from refrigerator. Remove weight. Remove baking sheet.
• Spread remaining Buttercream over top and sides of cake.
• Press toasted pecans evenly over sides of cake.
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
• Maple Buttercream:.
• Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy; reserve.
• Heat maple syrup in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat to boiling.
• Cook without stirring until syrup reaches firm ball stage or candy thermometer reaches 244°F (31 to 32 minutes), watching to see syrup doesn't boil over.
• You should have about 1 cup.
• When syrup reaches soft ball stage (238 degrees to 240 degrees or 22 minutes), begin beating egg whites with salt in large grease-free bowl with clean beaters on medium speed until stiff but not dry (7 to 8 minutes.
• Continue to beat.
• Add hot syrup in thin streams, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula once or twice.
• Continue to beat mixture until it has reached room temperature and no longer feels warm (10 to 15 minutes).
• Increase speed to high.
• Beat in one fourth of the reserved butter about 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Then beat in remaining butter by tablespoons.
• Scrape down sides.
• Beat in bourbon and vanilla.

MAPLE PECAN TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat flour into creamed mixture. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to handle., Divide dough into 12 portions. Roll each portion into a 5-in. circle; transfer to 12 ungreased 4-in. fluted tart pans with removable bottoms. Trim crust even with edges. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the first 6 filling ingredients. Pour into tart shells; arrange pecans over tops. Bake 25-30 minutes or until centers are just set (mixture will jiggle). Cool on wire racks. If desired, serve with ice cream. Refrigerate leftovers.

MAPLE-PECAN BOURBON BALLS

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the vanilla wafers and pecans and process until fine crumbs form. Add the maple syrup, cocoa, bourbon, vanilla, salt and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar and process until completely combined and the mixture holds together when shaped into a ball.
• Portion the dough into 1 tablespoon scoops and transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all the dough is portioned, roll the scoops into neat balls.
• Melt the chocolate over a double boiler on the stove or in short bursts in the microwave. Using two forks, dip each ball into the melted chocolate, and rotate to cover completely in chocolate coating. Tap each of the covered balls over the edge of the bowl to release excess chocolate and transfer to the prepared sheet. Alternatively, roll the uncoated balls in the 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar until coated.
• Transfer the sheet to the fridge to set for at least 20 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

BUTTERED-PECAN FRENCH TOAST WITH BOURBON MAPLE SYRUP

Steps:

• For the buttered pecans:
• Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
• Place the pecan pieces on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 10 to 14 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 200°F.
• In a medium sauté pan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the sugar and salt. Add the pecans and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the butter is lightly browned. Remove the pan from the heat.
• For the french toast:
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.
• In a small saucepan set over medium heat, warm the heavy cream for about 3 minutes, until just steaming and remove from the heat.
• In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the sugar mixture to the cream and stir just until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cream mixture to the egg and milk mixture. Stir in the vanilla.
• Working with one slice of bread at a time, put a slice into the egg mixture and let it soak for about 15 seconds on each side. Place on a rimmed baking sheet to rest while all the bread is dipped and the pan is heated.
• In a medium nonstick skillet or griddle pan set over medium heat, melt the clarified butter. Place 2 or 3 bread slices into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown on each side. Add a bit more butter to the pan after you flip the bread, if needed. Transfer to a heatproof plate or rimmed baking sheet with a wire cooling rack set inside. Cover with a kitchen towel and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest of the toast. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining bread.
• For the bourbon maple syrup:
• In a small saucepan set over low heat, gently stir together the maple syrup, bourbon, and vanilla until just warmed and well combined.
• To serve, place 2 slices of French toast on each plate. Generously sprinkle with buttered pecans, drizzle with syrup, and dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.