Spiced Pecan Crust Food

BOURBON PECAN PIE

Steps:

• To make the crust: Chill the butter in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Pulse the pecans 6 to 7 times in a food processor or until finely ground. Add the flour and salt, and pulse an additional 4 to 5 times. Add the butter and pulse 6 to 7 times, until the texture looks mealy. Remove the lid of the food processor, add the water and bourbon, and pulse 5 to 6 times until the mixture holds together when squeezed and feels like dough. Transfer the dough to a gallon-sized zip-top bag, squeeze together until it forms a ball, then press into a rounded disk and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• To assemble and bake the pie: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk the eggs, sugar, golden syrup, butter, bourbon, vanilla and salt together until combined. Set aside.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Cut along two sides of the zip-top bag, open the bag to expose the dough and sprinkle both sides very lightly with flour. Cover with the bag and roll out with a rolling pin to an 11-inch circle. Open the bag again, and sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Place the dough into a 9 1/2 to 10-inch tart pan that is 2 inches deep. Gently press the dough into the sides of the pan, crimping and trimming the edges as necessary.
• Evenly sprinkle the 6 ounces of chopped pecans in the crust and pour the filling on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Place the remaining 2 ounces of whole pecans in a border on the edge of the filling. Bake 10 minutes, until the center of the pie should reach 200 degrees F, and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a cooling rack to room temperature before serving, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
• Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• Mix the salt, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon and orange peel together in a small bowl and set aside.
• Place the nuts in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes until they just start to brown and smell toasted. Add the butter and stir until it melts. Add the spice mixture and stir to combine. Once combined, add both sugars and water, stirring until the mixture thickens and coats the nuts, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer the nuts to the prepared sheet pan and separate them with a fork or spatula. Allow the nuts to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container for storage. Can be stored for up to 3 weeks. Yield: 1 pound.

PECAN NUT CRUST

Steps:

• Stir together ground nuts, cinnamon, and sugar. Mix in melted butter.
• Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch, deep-dish style, pie pan. Chill the unbaked crust in the refrigerator for about 30 to 45 minutes.
• Place pie crust on a cookie sheet, and position on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. WATCH it carefully, as nut crusts burn easily; they DON'T have to turn black to taste burnt! Cool completely before filling.

PECAN PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Place pecans in food processor; grind until fine.
• Add melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla and water.
• Continue processing till mixture begins falling off sides of bowl.
• Press into 9-inch pie pan.
• Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or microwave at full power for 6 minutes.

SPICED PECANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• In a small bowl beat the egg white with the water. Stir in the pecans, mixing until well moistened.
• In a small bowl, mix together sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Sprinkle over the moistened nuts. Spread nuts on prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. Be careful not to overcook and burn the nuts.

SPICED PECAN PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Lightly coat a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Reserve.
• Place the spices, pecans, graham cracker crumbs and sugars in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.
• Slowly add the butter and vanilla until mixture is moist. Note: all of the butter may not be needed.
• Press the mixture into and up the sides of the prepared pie plate.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

PUMPKIN PIE WITH SPICED NUT CRUST

Steps:

• Pie Filling:.
• Combine all ingredients except crust; stir well. Pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes or until set. Remove from oven; let cool.
• Spiced Nut Crust:.
• Combine all ingredients except pecan halves; stir well. Press onto bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Press pecan halves onto rim of crust at 1 inch intervals.

PECAN CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Mix all the ingredients together, press into a 9" tart or pie pan.
• Bake until golden, 15-20 minutes.
• Cool and fill.
• Note:.
• For a quick and elegant dessert add a layer of pastry cream (or instant vanilla pudding made with 1/2 and a teaspoons of vanilla), and top with your favorite seasonal fruit- berries are especially good. Melt 3-4 Tbls of raspberry, apple or apricot jam with 1 Tbls. of a complimentary liquor, cool slightly and drizzle over the fruit, add a dollop of fresh whipped cream to each slice.

GROUND PECAN CRUST (LOW CARB)

Steps:

• Grind the pecans. Fine ground will help the crust hold together better, coarse gives you a crunchier crust.
• Add the Splenda to the ground nuts.
• Add the butter (softened or outright melted).
• Press mixture into a pie plate or springform pan.
• Bake for 5-10 minutes between 350 and 450, depending on how toasted you want it.
• You can also make this crust ahead of time.

SOUTHERN PECAN PIE WITH SPICE CRUST

Steps:

• To make the filling, combine corn syrup and sugar in saucepan and stir to mix. Place over low heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. Remove from heat, add butter and allow butter to melt. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs until liquid and whisk in salt and Bourbon. Whisk in syrup and butter mixture, being careful not to over mix. Allow to cool while rolling and forming the bottom crust.
• Set a rack at the lowest level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
• Arrange pecans in crust. Skim foam from top of filling (or the top will have an unattractively mottled surface) and pour over pecans. With the back of a fork, press the pecans down into the filling so that they are covered.
• Bake the pie for about 45 minutes, until the crust is baked through and the filling is set and well puffed in the center. Cool the pie on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.
• To mix the dough by hand, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces and add to dry ingredients. Toss once or twice to coat pieces of butter. Then using your hands or a pastry blender, break the butter into tiny pieces and pinch and squeeze it into the dry ingredients. Occasionally reach down to the bottom of the bowl and mix all the ingredients evenly together. Continue rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse-ground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible. Beat the egg(s) in a small bowl and pour over the flour and butter mixture. Stir in with a fork until the dough begins to hold together, but still appears somewhat dry. Scatter a teaspoon of flour on the work surface and scrape the dough out onto it. Press and knead the dough quickly 3 or 4 times, until it is smooth and uniform.
• To mix the dough in the food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in work bowl fitted with metal blade. Pulse 3 times at 1-second intervals to mix. Cut butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and add to work bowl. Process, pulsing repeatedly at 1-second intervals, until the mixture is fine and powdery, resembles a coarse-ground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible, about 15 pulses in all. Add the egg(s) to the work bowl and pulse ten times or so, until the dough forms a ball. Scatter a teaspoon of flour on the work surface and scrape the dough out onto it. Press and knead the dough quickly 3 or 4 times, until it is smooth and uniform. Press the dough into a disk (two equal disks for the larger amount of dough). Sandwich the disk(s) of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap and press it into a 6-inch circle. Refrigerate the dough until firm, or until you are ready to use it, at least 1 hour.
• Storage: Keep the dough in the refrigerator up to two days, or freeze it double-wrapped in plastic. Because the dough is thin, it will defrost quickly at room temperature when you intend to use it.