Pecan Pie Bars from slowroasteditalian.com

Crust
1 1/4 pounds (5 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Topping
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup light corn syrup
3 cups light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 pounds pecans, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, beat the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, until light, approximately 3 minutes. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter with the mixer on low speed until just combined.  Press the dough evenly into an ungreased 18 by 12 by 2-inch baking sheet, making an edge around the edge like you would a pie crust . It will be very sticky; sprinkle the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned. Allow to cool.

For the topping, combine

the butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, using a wooden spoon to stir. Raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and pecans. Pour over the crust, trying not to get the filling between the crust and the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Cut into bars and serve.

Yoder’s amish chocolate pie

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 9-inch baked pie crust (Try my Amish Never Fail Pie Crust recipe above!)
  • Whipped cream
  • Chocolate shavings
  1. In a large sauce pan, whisk together the sugar, flour, and cocoa.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, yolks, and vanilla. Pour into the sauce pan.
  3. Turn the heat to medium and stir in the vanilla and butter. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken.
  4. Pour into the baked pie crust and smooth the top. Let cool at room temperature for 2 hours and chill in the refrigerator for an additional 2 hours.
  5. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

salted carmel tart from recipetineats.com

Base:
      •  8 oz  Graham Crackers, 
      • 150 g / 5 oz unsalted butter , melted 
    Caramel:
      • 100 g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter
      • 1 cup / 200g (packed) brown sugar
      • 2 cans sweetened condensed milk (395g / 14oz each)
      • 1 3/4 tsp salt (2 ½ – 3 tsp salt flakes)
    Chocolate Ganache Topping:
    • 1/3 cup heavy/thickened cream
    • 150 g / 5 oz dark chocolate melts / chips
    • Sea salt flakes, for topping
    1. Preheat oven to 160C/320F. Grease and line the base only of a 23cm / 9″ tart tin with a loose base. (Or a springform pan of a similar size)

      Roughly break up biscuits and place in a food processor, then whizz until fine crumbs form. Or do this step with a ziplock bag and rolling pin.
    2. Pour crumbs into a bowl, add melted butter, mix until it looks like wet sand and no dry crumbs remain. Pour into tin, then press firmly into base and sides – use something flat like a cup to assist (refer to video).
    3. Transfer to tray (safe handling), place in oven and bake for 10 minutes, then remove and cool slightly (5 minutes in fridge).
    Caramel:
    1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and whisk to combine – butter may not incorporate fully.

    2. Once it starts bubbling and the sugar is completely melted, pour in the condensed milk, whisking as you go. Whisk constantly until you see steam coming off the caramel (~ 4 minutes), then remove from heat.

    3. Add salt (adjust to taste), then pour the caramel into the tart base.
    4. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges of the caramel surface is golden and the surface has a “skin” on it, but the caramel is still soft and the centre jiggles slightly (see video for demo.)
    5. Cool on counter while you make the chocolate.
    Chocolate Ganache:
    1. Place cream and chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Microwave in 2 x 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until smooth.
    2. Set aside for 10 minutes to thicken slightly, then pour over the base. Smooth top or make swirls like I did (just wait until the chocolate thickens slightly). Sprinkle with sea salt flakes.
    3. Refrigerate for 1 ½ hours to allow chocolate to set. Then remove and bring to room temperature before slicing to serve. Handle carefully when sliding the tart off the base – or just leave it on to be safe and just remove the sides.

    Recipe Notes

    1. You need about 2 cups once crushed. No need to be exact here, the crumb crust is fairly forgiving so just eyeball the weight based on the whole biscuit packet weight.

    Another biscuit that is terrific to use for a biscuit crust is Digestives which is very popular in the UK/Europe and also quite popular here in Australia. If you use Digestives, reduce the butter to 75g because they are more buttery than Marie Crackers and Graham Crackers.

    Other biscuits: Basically any plain biscuit works great like Arnott’s Arrowroot works great, and even flavoured ones like Gingernut. The dense sticky filling of this tart makes the crumb crust quite strong so it’s fairly forgiving re: biscuit and butter quantities.

    2. STORAGE – This tart keeps SO WELL! It will keep in an airtight container for a week and still taste like it was made yesterday albeit the crust on the edge does soften a bit, but most people wouldn’t even notice (I don’t think). If it’s super hot where you are i.e. the chocolate becomes melty, keep it in the fridge but always bring to room temperature before serving otherwise the caramel won’t be creamy. It also freezes great – again, bring to room temp before serving. I’ve only frozen it for a couple of weeks but see no reason why it wouldn’t keep for sever

    al months.

    3. This is a VERY rich tart. I find that when cut into 12 (so quarters, then each quarter into 3), a slice is too much for me. So I have said that this serves 14 to 16. The nutrition is for 14 servings.

Veggie Pot Pie from 12tomatoes.com

  • 1 sheet frozen, store-bought puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
  • 1 cup potato, diced
  • 3/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard seed
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
  2. Bring a large pot of cold, salted water to boil and cook potatoes for 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside..
  3. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute carrots and onion until tender. 8-10 minutes.
  4. During the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, add drained potatoes and garlic and cook until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper, thyme and oregano.
  5. Transfer vegetables to a separate bowl.
  6. Melt butter in the Dutch oven and stir in flour to create a roux. Whisk continuously to remove lumps and cook for 2 minutes to cook flour.
  7. Once smooth, whisk in vegetable broth and heavy cream and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until mixture thickens.
  8. Season with salt and pepper and ground mustard seed.
  9. Return vegetables to Dutch oven and stir to make sure everything is evenly coated.
  10. Take thawed puff pastry sheet, unfold it and gently press it into a large baking dish, making sure it comes up at least a little on all sides.
  11. Pour vegetables into puff pastry crust, place baking dish in oven and cook for 20 minutes, or until set and bubbly.
  12. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

banana bread brownies from 12tomatoes.com

2 eggs
3 bananas, mashed
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

For frosting:

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅓ cup milk

 

  • Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or line with parchment paper.
  • Mash bananas until just smooth. Add cinnamon and stir until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, sour cream, and eggs until creamy. Add vanilla extract and mashed bananas.
  • In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet in 3 small batches. Optional: fold in chopped walnuts.
  • Pour batter into baking dish, spreading evenly, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven to cool slightly.
  • In large sauce pan, melt butter until just golden brown in color.
  • Whisk in powdered sugar one cup at a time, followed by vanilla and milk.
  • Once mixture has come together and thickened, pour warm frosting over top of banana brownies, using a spatula to spread evenly over the top. Cool completely before cutting into squares to serve.

 

Country Peach Cobbler

1 ( 29 oz.) can sliced peaches, drained well
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. table salt
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and cold
1 cup heavy cream
cinnamon and sugar (for sprinkling on top)

 

  1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees
  2. Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  3. Drain your can of peaches.
  4. Pour drained peaches into bottom of baking dish (spreading them out evenly).
  5. Sprinkle peaches with a little cinnamon or cinnamon sugar mixture.
  6. For the topping, in a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  7. Then add in the cubed butter.
  8. Begin to “cut” it into the flour mixture.
  9. You can use a pastry cutter. Or better yet, use your fingers. Just work it in with the flour until it becomes small pebbles and has been worked in with the flour/sugar mixture.
  10. Then pour in heavy cream.
  11. Combine until all the flour mixture has become moist. It will be very thick.
  12. Using a spoon, begin plopping the topping all over the peaches. Just put it on in clumps. Doing your best to cover the peaches. Don’t worry about smoothing it out.
  13. Sprinkle the top with sugar or a cinnamon/sugar mixture. (the cinnamon will make the topping appear darker as it cooks.)
  14. Bake for about 40 minutes.
  15. Top will be golden brown, and you can stick a toothpick in the top to make sure the topping has completely baked through (toothpick should come out clean).

Recipe Notes

I made this with fresh peaches and frozen blueberries. It took about 47 min in the oven.

To make this with fresh peaches, you’ll need about 6 peaches, sliced.
Combine sliced peaches with 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour since fresh peaches will produce a lot of juice. Then continue with above steps.
To make cinnamon sugar, combine 2 tbsp. granulated sugar with 1 tsp. ground cinnamon.

Tuna Pâté from food & wine

  • two 10-ounce cans solid albacore tuna packed in olive oil, drained
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 6 anchovy fillets, drained
  • 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons minced capers
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped celery rib
  • Toast or crackers, for servingLine a 7 1/2-by-3 1/2-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving plenty of overhang. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tuna, butter, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, cayenne, anchovies and the 3 tablespoons of capers. Season with salt and pepper and process until smooth. Scrape the puree into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Cover with the overhanging pieces of plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.In a small bowl, stir the 2 tablespoons of minced capers with the parsley and celery and set aside. Unwrap and unmold the pate; onto a serving dish and sprinkle the parsley mixture on top. Serve chilled with toast or crackers.

 

Sugar Cream Pie from 12tomatoes.com/

  • 1 pie shell, store-bought or homemade
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Preheat oven to 350º F and place pie dough in a standard pie dish.
  • Combine sugar, flour, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl and whisk together.
  • Pour in heavy cream and mix together until fully blended and incorporated.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together half-and-half, egg yolks and vanilla extract, then gently stir egg yolk mixture into heavy cream mixture.
  • Pour pie filling into pie crust, then crimp the edges of the pie dough and brush with melted butter.
  • Sprinkle cinnamon across the top of pie, then place in oven.
  • Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until center is just set, but still jiggles slightly when shaken. (After about 1 hour, pie filling will boil. Allow to bubble for 10 minutes then remove from oven.)
  • Remove from oven and let cool completely before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

 

Hot Fudge Sundae, Add Flaky Salt

1 1/2cups  heavy whipping cream
1
/3c up Lyle’s Golden Syrup or corn syrup
tablespoons dark brown sugar

  • 1/4 cup (20 grams) cocoa powder
  • ounces (170 grams) bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
  • tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1teaspoon flaky vanilla salt (regular flaky salt is fine, too)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
  1. In a saucepan, combine the cream, syrup, sugar, and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate, butter, salt, and vanilla. Once the chocolate and the butter have melted, strain the entire mixture to ensure that no pesky cocoa powder clumps remain.
  3. Let cool to room temperature. If you are making this in advance, refrigerate until ready to use and then gently reheat on the stove or in the microwave until the hot fudge is pourable. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
  4. For the salty sprinkles: Combine everything in a small bowl and mix well. Store in a small jar and sprinkle on ice cream, sugar cookies just before baking, puddings, hot cocoa, milkshakes, etc.

Salmon Pasta with Green Goddess Pesto from thewoksoflife.com/

  • 1 large handful of basil (about 1 cup chopped)
  • 1 large handful of parsley (about 1 cup chopped)
  • 1 small handful of dill (about ½ cup chopped)
  • 1 small bunch of chives (about ½ cup chopped)
  • 2 scallions, chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • The leaves from 3 stalks of tarragon (stems discarded)
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
  • 1½ pound salmon fillet
  • 1 pound dried fettuccine
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • ⅓ cup capers, drained and roughly chopped
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups frozen peas
  • Zest of a whole lemon
  • First make the green goddess pesto. In the bowl of a food processor, add the basil, parsley, dill, chives, scallions, tarragon, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Next, rinse your salmon fillet, pat it dry with a paper towel, and season with salt. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the salmon until cooked through on both sides, approximately 5-6 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the fish and your preference for doneness). When it’s cooked to your liking, transfer to a plate, and with two forks, flake the salmon.
  • Next, bring a pot of salted water up to a boil. Boil the pasta according to package instructions until al dente.
  • While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and the garlic. Stir the garlic until lightly browned, and then add the capers. Turn the heat all the way down to low, and stir to combine. Add the heavy cream, followed by the peas. Stir to warm the peas through.
  • Add the cooked pasta and stir thoroughly until the pasta is coated in the cream. Next, add the pesto and stir to combine. Top with the flaked salmon, additional black pepper to taste, and lemon zest.