Pecan Pie

I have never had a lot of success with pecan pie - too hard, too runny, too stiff.  Is it cooking too long? Not long enough?  Good lord.  Pecan pie is nothing more than a custard pie with corn syrup instead of cream.  How hard can this be?  If you want a sturdier quiche or a thicker crème brulée you add more eggs.  So, more eggs must be an important piece of the equation.  But which recipe to start with?  I decided to start with this one from King Arthur Flour.

I'm just trying to figure out the custard part here, so no fancy crust efforts.  Simple pre-made pie crust from Pillsbury is just fine for now. Pre-baking the shell for a pie that bakes 40+ minutes is new to me, but in the spirit of experimentation, I did it.

Lined with non-stick foil

And after the baking.  It's not actually done, but it looks pretty sturdy

 

For the custard
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 c light corn syrup
1/2 c dark corn syrup
1 stick butter, melted
3 eggs - Using Jumbo this time, just to see
1 tsp vanilla

 

This recipe calls for half a cup of chopped pecans sprinkled with salt and toasted lightly in the oven.  

Les voila. 

 After baking for just 40 of the recommended 45 minutes, the pie looked puffed and golden.  See that little place on the side where the custard is done?  I thought that was a good sign.

Recipe says the pie will fall slightly as it cools.  Roger that.

The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating.  Well, actually, for me, it's in the cutting.  Would this be a soupy mess like so many before, or would it be a triumph?   The recipe specifically said that the pie cut well when it was completely cool, so I am going to resist the temptation to cut it while it's still warm. 

And...voilà - my first ever absolutely perfect pecan pie.  The filling is soft but firm - not eggy, but not too sweet.  It's a winner.
 

Frogmore Stew

This looks fun to try - Corn, Shrimp, New Potatoes and sausage - cook it up and eat it with your hands!

Here's Bobby Flay's recipe:

• 3 quarts water
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoon crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
• 2 bags frozen corn kernels
• 1 head celery, 1-inch dice
• 1 large onion, 1-inch dice
• 7 pounds red potatoes, quartered
• 2 pounds smoked sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined

Blueberry happiness

Blueberry Coffee Cake 

Source: Cook's Illustrated

Makes one 9-inch cake, serving 8 to 10

Streusel

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (2 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch table salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into 8 pieces, softened but still cool

Cake

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour ( 7 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened but still cool
2/3 cup granulated sugar (about 4 3/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs , room temperature
4 cups fresh blueberries (about 20 ounces), picked over

For the streusel: In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt on low speed until well combined and no large brown sugar lumps remain, about 45 seconds. Add butter and mix on low until mixture resembles wet sand and no large butter pieces remain, about 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer streusel to small bowl and set aside.

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch round cake pan with 2-inch sides with nonstick cooking spray, line bottom with parchment or waxed paper round, and spray round; dust pan with flour and knock out excess. 

In a small bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder together then set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, salt and lemon zest at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Beat in the vanilla.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just about incorporated.  Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish stirring - the batter will be very thick.  Gently fold in the blueberries. 

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan; spread in an even layer.  To top with the streusel - pick up a handful of streusel and squeeze to form a clump.  Break this large clump into smaller pieces and sprinkle over the batter.  Continue until you've used all of the streusel.  Bake for about 55 minutes, or until the streusel is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool for 15-20 minutes.  Run a thin knife around the edges of the cake then invert it onto the rack.  Remove the parchment then turn the cake streusel side up and let cool on the wire rack.

Texas Caviar

A new favorite from Southern Living, courtesy of my friend, Kathleen.  Thanks for the recipe and for a great week at your beach house, Kath!

1 15-oz can yellow hominy - drained

1 15-oz can black-eyed peas - drained

3 green onions, finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large tomato, diced

1 medium green pepper, seeded and diced

1 jalapeno pepper seeded and minced (I used pickled)

1/3 c chopped fresh parsley

1/4 c chopped onions

1/2 c Italian salad dressing

Toss everything together in a bowl and chill.  Serve with tortilla chips.  This gets better and better the longer it marinates.  

Notes 

For some reason, there is only white hominy in Southern Maryland, but it's just as good

I used Good Season's Italian dressing mix and made it up with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

You could add a can of black beans to make it go further. 

Blackberry Oatmeal Pancakes

These our traditional summer time treat made with wild blackberries we pick ourselves!

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten to blend
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
vegetable oil
2 cups fresh blackberries or frozen blackberries, thawed, drained
warm maple syrup

Mix oats and buttermilk in large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Whisk eggs and butter into oatmeal mixture. Mix in flour , sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Heat griddle or heavy large skillet over medium-high. Lightly brush with oil. Ladle batter by 1/2 cupfuls onto griddle. Sprinkle some berries over. Cook
until batter bubbles and bottom is deep golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn pancakes and cook until second sides are deep golden brown. Transfer to plates. Repeat with remaining batter and berries. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Chipotle madness

My kids are unapologetic Chipotle addicts.  I, myself, have never been there.  Not even once.  I have heard that it's great, but it isn't exactly my idea of a family meal.  So I offered to make Chipotle's food at home.  "Aw, Mom," they all whined, "it's not the same." .  But I was determined to try.

First step - get their recipe for the chicken. 

There were two recipes that seemed like good candidates.  I combined them and came up with this:

2 whole dried ancho chilies
2 tsp ground cumin
2 T dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1/2 red onion, cut in quarters
1/4 c oil
8 chicken breast halves, cut through thick parts to make them uniform thickness

Place anchos in small measuring cup and cover with 1/2 c boiling water.  Let stand a few minutes .  Place remaining ingredients (not chicken, obviously) into blender, add softened anchos and blend until smooth.

Place chicken breasts in glass baking dish, and pour marinade over.  Cover chicken to coat evenly.  Let marinate at room temperature an hour, or overnight refrigerated.

While the chicken was marinating, I made the rice.  A batch of basmati rice in my rice cooker with a little salt.  When it was done, I stirred in cilantro and fresh lime juice.  Not sure how much, but enough so that it tasted right when Katie tasted it!

Grill chicken 4 minutes per side till done.

 

 
Set aside to cool slightly and shred or slice into  bite-sized pieces.

The mild salsa - kind of a pico de gallo, I chopped half a red onion, 4 small ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped, small bunch cilantro, juice of one lemon and one lime, and half teaspoon salt. For the guacamole, I made my favorite recipe from Rosa Mexicana - I mean it's hard to make bad guacamole.

 

Then I sauteed some green bell peppers and onions in a little olive oil.

 

Heat the giant tortilla in the microwave for 20 seconds under my plastic microwave dome.  Rice, meat, onions/peppers, shredded Mexican cheese (Kraft), guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and rolled it up. 

Verdict?  "Wow, Mom!  This is amazing - it tastes EXACTLY like Chipotle!"  We have this little rating scale at our house when I try a new dish:  1 is "I wouldn't eat it again if I were starving," 10 is, "I would eat this once a week for the rest of my life."  Everyone agreed it was a 10 and asked that it be our Sunday night tradition, much the way homemade pizza is our Friday night tradition.  I'm in.

Wonderful summer main dish salad

Tried this salad for dinner Sunday.  Just happened to have some almost everything on hand, and the grocery store avocados were ripe - sometimes the stars just align themselves perfectly.  We all agreed that this was a good meal to put into regular rotation (once every two weeks) over the summer.  Nice bottle of chardonnay was perfect.