Thanksgiving Favorites... Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie, An All Time Favorite

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One of Lindaraxa's most popular posts published six years ago. 

Now that I live in the South, the DEEP South, I think it would only be appropriate to have pecan pie as my other dessert on Thanksgiving.  I have been mulling whether to have pecan pie or chocolate pecan pie or chocolate bourbon pecan pie and the choice was made for me last night by my friend Libby Wilkie who publishes the beautiful blog An Eye for Detail.  Isn't that what friends are for? Although I have to admit that the bourbon part is my contribution. Who wouldn't exchange that for vanilla extract, especially on Thanksgiving!

Pecan trees are so abundant in this part of Georgia that they are all over my son's backyard.  The area where he lives used to be a pecan farm in the middle of what is now a suburb of Atlanta.  Maybe I can get them to gather some  for me, since, after all, the pumpkin pie filling is a product of our visit together to the pumpkin farm last month.  Talking about home grown pies!

One of the most important things about this pie is toasting the pecans beforehand.  Really, do go the extra mile, it makes a world of difference as far as flavor is concerned.  Place whole or halved pecans on an ungreased sheet pan and toast in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring a few times until light brown and fragrant. Let cool and set aside.  Don't go overboard on the pecans. Just add what it says in the recipe or you will overwhelm the pie  Been there, done that.

 Don't scrimp on quality when it comes to making the best chocolate pecan pie for the holidays. As important as toasted and roasted pecans are to this pie, so is the type of chocolate used. Gourmet chocolate would include such brands as; Lindt chocolate, Ghirardelli chocolate and Callebaut chocolate. Mini chocolate chips are easy to use, and shaved or finely chopped dark chocolate works well too. These two ingredients -- toasted or roasted pecans and gourmet chocolate -- will be the deciding factor between a so-so chocolate pecan pie and a knock-your-socks-off, have-to-have-some-now chocolate pecan pie! A few drops of Bourbon won't hurt either.


Servings:  8 - 10

Ingredients

1 deep dish 9 inch basic pie crust

3/4 cup gourmet chocolate chips or shaved dark chocolate

1 1/2 cup toasted pecans, shelled and chopped in half if desired

1/3 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup Karo light corn syrup

3 large eggs

3 TB Bourbon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F with rack in lowest position.  Prepare pie crust ahead of time  whether you are making one or buying one already made such as Mrs. Smith's. Place toasted pecans in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell (don't worry, they will rise to the top when the pie is fully baked ). Sprinkle chocolate chips or shaved chocolate over the pecans. Place the pie crust on a baking sheet to prevent drips and set aside.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Turn off heat. Add brown sugar, stir until dissolved and pour into a large mixing bowl. Mix well with the whisk attachment.

Add corn syrup and mix again. Scrape.

Mix in bourbon and eggs, beating to mix well, but not foamy.

Carefully pour batter over the chocolate chips and pecans, being careful not to disturb them.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 50 to 60 minutes or until top is slightly browned and puffed up. This will fall during cooling.  Make sure you let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 4 hours.

Chocolate Pecan Pie cuts best when it is chilled. Use a sharp knife. Let cool completely before wrapping. This pie freezes well, so make extra!



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Fond Memories of Fall, Pumpkin Spice Bread....Tracking My Jarsdale Pumpkin From Farm To Table.

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My friend Cronica Domus' new post reminded me of this adventure when I first came to live on the lake.  It also reminded me of Lucy, my Sous Chef who loved to go to the farm.

Are we there yet???

The beautiful Jardale pumpkin which my friends at the pumpkin farm gave me a few days ago is now pumpkin pie and Pumpkin Spice Bread!  I can't believe I did it but I roasted the pumpkin yesterday, strained it, drained it and froze it for a later use, just like my friend Patti Londre recommended.  All in all, I got 4 Cups of pumpkin flesh, 2 1/2 for the pie and 11/2 Cups for the bread.  A meaguer yield for a lot of work.  I did follow their advice and mixed the pie filling before I froze it;  that way I won't have much to do before I serve it on Thanksgiving.

The pumpkin bread was a cinch and a welcomed addition to my afternoon tea.  By the way, it gets better and better every day that goes by.

Before it went in the oven---look at the beautiful orange color!

and the contrast with the blue- gray of the skin

After they came out of the oven

After mashing...look at the water in the bottom!

the end result just after it came out of the oven

Pumpkin Spice Bread

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (210g) flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 cup (200 g) sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (1/4 L) pumpkin purée*

1/2 cup (1 dL) vegetable oil

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup (1 dL) chopped walnuts or almonds*



* To make pumpkin purée, cut a pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a foil or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Drain on top of a colander for a couple of hours. Freeze whatever you don't use for future use.



Procedure

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.

3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.

*This time I used almonds

Makes one loaf. Can easily double the recipe.

I'm Back!... Carbonade A La Flamande, A Ma Façon

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If it is accompanied by French fries it's Belgian.  If it says Flamande it is Flemish and involves beer ; and if it says a ma façon, it means I can do to it anything I want.

Hi, I'm back! 

Yes, that is truly me with a new neck.  It's all bolted up but only I know that.  I was hopeful of getting a new swan neck like Babe Paley and Marella but when I asked my doctor,  he said he could only get me one millimeter.  Nothing is for free, ever.

Now, it's been there, done that.  While I was convalescing, I connected with friends on Facebook.  It is worse than sugar or nicotine.  It's so addictive I was afraid of  overexposure.  I'm still weaning off. 

So today I did some serious cooking.  As in it has a name.  It was for Madame Mere to remind her of her days in Belgium.  I think it worked.  I added the sweet potatoes,  The Belgians will probably set the gendarmes after me but that's what life is all about.  Vive la difference!

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. beef chuck, cut into 2″ x ¹⁄₂″-thick slices
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ¹⁄₄ cup flour
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 slices bacon, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1/2 cup Pomi chopped tomatoes
• 2 cups Belgian-style ale, like Ommegang Abbey Ale or dark beer
• 1 cup beef stock
• 2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• Thyme, tarragon, 
• 1 bay leaf\
• 1 cup sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed. (optional)
• 1 cup frozen boiled onions
• kitchen bouquet, (2 TB.)
• French fries

Directions:

Season beef with salt and pepper in a bowl; add flour and toss to coat. Heat 2 tbsp. butter in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add beef; cook, turning, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; set aside. Add bacon; cook until its fat renders, about 8 minutes. Add remaining butter, garlic, and onions; cook until caramelized, about 30 minutes. Add 1/2 cup chopped Pomi tomatoes,  half the beer; cook, scraping bottom of pot, until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes. Return beef to pot with remaining beer, stock, sugar, vinegar, thyme, parsley, tarragon, bay leaf, and salt and pepper; boil. After 30 minuted add sweet potatoes (if using). After 1 hr. add frozen boiled onion. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until beef is tender, about 1 ½ hours. Add kitchen bouquet.  cook a few minutes. Serve with french fries or bread.

When you cook your french fries, make sure the heat of the oil is very hot before you add them.  I know about the splash.  It's a tough shot but it's what works best!

Don't tell her but my neck is longer...all I can say is, it hasn't been easy.

All photos Lindaraxa

Where There's A Will, There's A Fall Front Door

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You didn't think that back surgery was going to keep Lindaraxa from having her Fall decorations up this year, did you? If you did, you don't know her very well....

I have gotten to really enjoy those little electric carts that they have at some stores for shoppers with disability, although I have to say that what I see mostly riding them are really overweight people. Sometimes you see two, one on each cart of course, following the other.  People like my mother, who really need them, for some reason refuse to use them.  I think it's their way of fighting back although once she came to live with us she tossed in the towel.  As for me, if that is the only thing standing between me and my mums, I don't care.   They are really a good device for getting people like me to do what they have to do.

These are really more of an orange than yellow

I'm telling you this because I'm sure you are wondering how I got the mums.  Between us chickens, I sneaked out of the house one afternoon when I heard Costco had them and made up some cockamamie excuse as to how they got to the front door. And part of it is true, for I am lucky to live in an area of the country where gentlemen still open doors for you and bend over backwards when you ask for a little help,  I usually pick a really cute one, particularly when I'm shopping for electronic gadgets or a Christmas sweater for my son and it drives my daughter insane.  Anyway, the mums got here and the new wreath was brought in by the Three Kings.  Now, I have to figure out the pumpkins...

Once I can get a good samaritan to move the fern and the ivy to MM's apt. I will rearrange with a pumpkin or two

Once the mums are done, I have orange pansies in the urn which, with the pumpkins, should carry us through Thanksgiving.  That's as far ahead as I can think right now.

Wild Rice With Dried Cranberries, Apricots And Butternut Squash

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I have been wanting to try this recipe ever since I saw it on the Williams Sonoma site.  It reminds me of Ottolenghi, whose recipes you know I adore, and it has everything I love in a dish to accompany poultry, including a delicate nutty flavor.   

I have been feeling guilty about not posting Thanksgiving recipes lately seeing that the holiday is next week and knowing that a lot of you are looking for new ideas and not posts about my beautiful roses.  First of all, we have been moving my mother to her "garden apartment" the last couple of weeks so my mind has not been on entertaining but on boxes.  Added to that is the fact that I have been posting Thanksgiving menus for the past five years and this is one of the meals I try not to vary much  How many ways can you cook a turkey, or make a stuffing, or improve on sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, or a green bean casserole with fried onions, or pumpkin and pecan pies?  They are all here including various cranberry sauces and chutney.  Just do a search or go to the MASTER RECIPE INDEX at the top.  But this? this is special and it's worth posting about.  It. would be an excellent addition or substitution as a side dish for the holiday or as part of a weekday meal of roast chicken, like the one we had last night.

If you want a simple Thanksgiving, for maybe two or three, this is your ticket to a no fuzz holiday.  Maybe a green vegetable and a good store bought pie and you, my friend, are off the hook!

It was really tough having to practice this recipe before I posted it.  Really tough....

And making these chicken thighs to go with it was also really tough.  Preparation took all of five minutes.  The things I go through for my fans.....

I made a couple of changes to the recipe by using this brown and wild rice mix which I much prefer to just wild rice. To me wild rice always tastes tough and always manages to get between my teeth or stuck at the back of my throat making me concentrate on getting it out delicately without anyone else guessing what's going on. Here you have more room to maneuver and besides I like the relative softness of the brown rice in the mix.  I also used chicken instead of vegetable stock for more flavor but go the vegan route if you must.   At the end, drizzle a small amount of the drippings from the turkey or roast chicken . That's the icing on the cake!

By the way, I roasted the squash alongside the chicken alternating the temperature between 375 and 400 to accommodate both.  No problem, as you can see.

For Thanksgiving, you might want to substitute dried cranberries for the cherries.

I made enough chicken and rice to save for leftovers tonight.  Or did I?  

This will be the battleground at the dinner table tonight.  I see only two small portions and three hungry ladies .  I have my bets...

Wild Rice Pilaf with Dried Cherries, Apricots and Butternut Squash

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia, chopped

2 tsp. curry powder

2 cups (12 oz./375 g) wild rice, I used Royal Blend Texmati wild and brown rice

1 cinnamon stick

1 orange zest strip, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long and 1/2 inch (12 mm) wide

4 1/2 cups (36 fl. oz./1. 1 l) chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 cup (2 oz./60 g) diced dried apricots

1/2 cup (2 oz./60 g) dried pitted cherries or cranberries

1 small butternut squash, halved, seeded, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) pieces

2 tsp. olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup (2 oz.) chopped toasted pecans

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

In a large, wide saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir to combine. Stir in the wild rice, cinnamon stick and orange zest and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add the broth, apricots and cherries to the saucepan and increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil, stirring once. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the broth is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 55 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.  If you are cooking with the wild and brown rice blend, uncover,check if rice is done, let some of the steam out, stir with a fork, lay a folded paper towel on top of the rice and replace cover.

While the rice is cooking, in a large bowl, toss the squash with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until golden brown outside and thoroughly tender inside, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover to keep warm.

To assemble, transfer the rice mixture to a serving bowl. Remove cinnamon stick and orange zest and discard. Fold in the roasted squash and pecans, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

If you are serving alongside turkey or chicken, drizzle some of the juices from the pan.

Roast chicken thighs

Marinade chicken thighs in lime and orange juice, mashed garlic and chopped onions.  Sprinkle some Herbs de Provence on top, salt and pepper. Cut butter in cubes and lay one on top of each thigh Cook at 375 for around 50 minutes.  Turn the oven to broil and cook until skin is browned.  

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Test Kitchen
Photos Lindaraxa

The Last Of The Roses

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It was as if they knew it was their last hurrah.  Every single rose bud I clipped before the frigid temperatures arrived opened up perfectly. And the scent...oh my, the scent! It is pure rose and intoxicating.  No wonder Heritage is one of the most popular of the David Austin old English roses.

I am forwarding these photos to my granddaughter, Taylor Rose, after whom this rose bush is named. Whenever she comes to visit it is one of the first things she checks out.  Gardening together is one of our favorite pastimes no matter how brief her attention span may be.  Hopefully it will continue for years to come.

There is no need for words.  Just enjoy!

Tonight the temperatures are expected to dip into the low 20's.  I fear for everything I've planted this Fall but I've covered as much as I can with burlap and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  Just four more months to go!

All photos Lindaraxa

The Prettiest Color Of Fall

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Yesterday the Sous Chef and I  took a walk around the neighborhood and went no farther than this.  I turned around, ran back to the house and got my camera.  Then I knocked on the owner's house and asked the name.  Needless to say,the Sous Chef was mighty annoyed that we had interrupted our walk to ask about "a dumb bush".

Maybe some of you are familiar with it, but for those of us who are not, it is called a Burning Bush or Euonymus alatus and is native to central and northern China, Japan, and Korea. 

The flowers are greenish, borne over a long period in the spring. The fruit is a red aril enclosed by a four-lobed pink, yellow or orange capsule.

The common name "burning bush" comes from the bright red fall color.

It is a popular ornamental plant in gardens and parks due to its bright pink or orange fruit and attractive fall color. The species and the cultivar 'Compactus' have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Not everything is positive about this plant.  It  is also an invasive species of woodlands in eastern North America, and its importation and sale is prohibited in the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire

E. alatus is used in traditional Chinese medicine to promote blood stasis to promote menstruation, remove toxic materials, subside swelling, and kill insects or parasites. Wikipedia

That should cover your basic needs...

Some of you may remember the name as an object described by the Book of Exodus as being located on Mount Horeb; according to the narrative, the bush was on fire, but was not consumed by the flames, hence the name. In the narrative, the burning bush is the location at which Moses was appointed by Yahweh (God) to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into Canaan.

As a powerful religious symbol, the burning bush represents many things to Jews, Christians and Muslims such as God's miraculous energy, sacred light, illumination, and the burning heart of purity, love and clarity. From a human standpoint, it also represents Moses' reverence and fear before the divine presence.

The Hebrew word used in the narrative, that is translated into English as bush, is seneh (סנה), which refers in particular to brambles; seneh is a biblical dis legomenon, only appearing in two places, both of which describe the burning bush. It is possible that the reference to a burning bush is based on a mistaken interpretation of Sinai (סיני), a mountain described by the Bible as being on fire.  - Wikipedia

What stopped me on my tracks was not only the color, but the berries as well.

I did ask...

After a couple of days, the berries start to drop off but the color is so pretty it's worth picking them up.  After weighing the pros and cons, I decided it was easier to knock on my neighbor's door once a year and cut a couple of branches for my vase.  The alternative was not very appealing.

A Family Trip To The Pumpkin Farm

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Last weekend we went en famille to the Kingsley Family Farm to pick out our pumpkins.  We do this twice a year, in mid October and later on in December for our Christmas tree.  I know we can pick out pumpkins for less money elsewhere, but the entertainment here is so fabulous it's worth the markup in spades.  No matter how old you are, you will have lots of fun.

Where else can you find pumpkins the size of the ones above?

There is every kind of pumpkin here, too many to list and, frankly, I forgot to jot down the names!

Preserves, syrups, apple cider anyone?

It took us forever to find THE one...

And the winner is.....

.

This Cinderella pumpkin is now gracing our front door.  Unbeknownst to me, my daughter went around and found another just like it.  We now have the most expensive pumpkins of the neighborhood in front of our house!

Future Christmas trees.

This was my mother's first trip to the farm.

We have very determined shoppers in this family...they have been well trained/

But Madame Mere had another idea in mind and look who's waiting for her at the wheel...

With a little help from her grandson no less......as my daughter watches in the background in complete disbelief.

This is much better than picking out pumpkins she says...

This is the second tractor she rides in the four months she's been here.  A real farm girl!

Heaven knows what they're talking about....

Was that Grammy?????

Meanwhile, back at the farm...

Why does this photo make me think of pate?

Every farm has a dog, right? He was the official welcoming committee.

I'm not familiar with this breed of cattle but they were beautiful and very, very vocal!

History repeats itself...my grandchildren look exactly like their father and aunt at that age...

Madame Mere's destination...more hydrangeas

MM on the lose..I think her boyfriend ditched her...

 Daughter in law and Harper are just happy to be on the sidelines.  We are all on pins and needles hoping she will turn out to be a redhead like her mom.

Finally, back to Lindaraxa's for lasagna, everybody's favorite...

where we offer free babysitting services from the Sous Chef, always willing to oblige.

Stay........

They may the most expensive pumpkins in the neighborhood but they are a daily reminder of all the fun we had at the farm.  Priceless!

*******

10/29/14

The cows have been identified by one of our readers and favorite bloggers, Chronica Domus as a heritage breed by the name of Belted Galloways

" I just watched a documentary on Dumfries House in Scotland and saw some of these attractive cows being visited by Prince Charles, who is a big advocate for heritage breeds. "

See full comment below.  There were more cows out to pasture, I guess HE takes care of them!