Chocolate Drizzled Pecan Pralines

Pecan Pralines are such a sweet treat, and drizzled with dark chocolate adds another level of flavor for us chocolate and pecan lovers!!!

Ingredients

3/4 cups sugar

• 1/3  cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4  cup butter 
• 1/4  cup milk 
• 1 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 1/2  cups toasted pecan halves
• 3 oz Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• Preparation
• Stir together all  ingredients except pecans and chocolate, in a heavy 3-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Continue to boil, stirring constantly, 7 to 8 minutes or until a candy thermometer reaches 234°.Remove from heat, and stir in pecans.  Spoon pecan mixture onto parchment lined baking sheet, spreading in an even layer.  Let set about 20 minutes.  Separate and break up praline-coated pecans into pieces using 2 forks.   Microwave chocolate in a microwave safe bowl at 50% power for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval.  When smooth, drizzle chocolate over pecans and let set.  For quicker setting place in refrigerator or freezer.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
• Adapted from Southern Living

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Pecan Praline Ice Cream

So yesterday was National Praline Day and that was enough to inspire me to make up some sweet Pralines and even try making Pecan Praline Ice Cream.  I LOVE pecans and the sweetness added by the praline candy mixture makes them such a heavenly treat :)

I am not very experienced at making ice cream nor have an ice cream maker, but that didn't stop me from trying, and I am glad I did.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup packed light brown sugar

4 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup chopped pecans

Optional:  caramel or apple cinnamon ice cream topping for mixing in 

Optional toppings:  chopped up pralines, chopped dark chocolate

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan combine the cream, milk and brown sugar, cook over med-low heat, stirring frequently until hot and sugar is dissolved.  In a med bowl whisk the egg yolks together.  Add and whisk about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the yolks until blended.  Then slowly add the egg mixture to the saucepan, whisking until well blended.  Continue cooking on med-low heat for about 5-7 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.  Cook until the mixture coats the spoon.  

Stir in vanilla and pecans and let cool completely, for quicker cooling transfer to a metal bowl placed in an ice bath.

Pour cooled mixture into a aluminum foil lined 9 X 5 loaf pan or other 2 quart container. 

Cover tightly and freeze for 6 hours or more until firm.  Once or twice move the mixture around with a fork to distribute and freeze evenly.  

If desired about 1/2 way through freezing process mix in chocolate syrup, caramel or apple cinnamon ice cream topping for more flavor.  In this batch I added about 1/2 jar of the apple cinnamon topping, it gave it a pecan-apple pie flavor, I liked it but I think it would have been just fine and delicious without it too.

adapted from about.com southern food

Optional apple-cinnamon add-in

Ready for the freezer

When it was all done I topped it off with whipped cream and crushed praline pecans to make it over the top sweet!  This tasted just like praline pecans in ice cream form, the texture was in between a gelato and icecream.

On a cone dipped in chopped pralines and chopped dark chocolate, heaven!

For the praline topping I used this recipe:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/praline-pecans-10000001133867/

Enjoy!

Tamale Pie

I recently found a lost treasure ~ some old recipes I cut out from various magazines and saved over the years, some date back to when I was a teenager, looking through these brought back great memories.  I will be recreating these recipes very soon.  One of my Facebook readers just asked for a tamale recipe and I happened to just find a great one in there.   It is from 2004, in Life magazine - I think it was an insert in Newsday at one time.   I haven't made this in a while but I remember it was a very good one. It was created by chef and author Rick Rodgers and found in his book "Celebrations 101"
http://astore.amazon.com/rosscoubak-20/detail/0767914643       

This recipe uses chicken as the protein but I think it could work just as well with pork, steak or ground beef.  
Here's the recipe:
Filling
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more to coat baking dish
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 "cubes
1 med onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced into 1/2 "pieces
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 cup chicken broth
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup drained and coarsely chopped pimento-stuffed green olives
Topping
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone ground
2/3 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish


For filling:  heat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center.  Lightly oil a 11 1/2 by 8 in baking dish.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Add chicken and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 mins.  Stir in onion, peppers and garlic, cover.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 8 mins.
Sprinkle with flour and chili powder and stir.  Stir in broth and sauce.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 mins.  Stir in olives, season with salt to taste.  Spread filling in baking dish.
For topping:  bring broth to a boil in a med size saucepan over high heat.  Whisk cornmeal and 1 1/2 cups cold water together in a med sized bowl, then whisk this mixture into the boiling broth.  Reduce heat to med and cook, whisking often, until cornmeal is very thick.  Spread cornmeal as evenly as possible over filling.  Place baking dish on a large baking sheet. Bake uncovered until filing is bubbling, about 25 mins.  Sprinkle with cheese, and bake until it melts, about 5 more mins.  Let stand about 10 mins at room temp, garnish with cilantro and serve.
Adapted from Rick Rodgers recipe for Tamale Pie


If you try this out, please let us know how any variations work

Lemon Bars 3 Ways

Yummy lemon bars - sweet and tart lemony filling with a tender buttery crust, made even better with whipped cream and berries!

 

Or simply dusted with confectioners sugar

 

Cut into a heart shaped with a cookie cutter and topped with raspberries



My favorite lemon bar recipe can be found here and in this Barefoot Contessa book, amongst many other great recipes:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-bars-recipe/index.html
http://astore.amazon.com/rosscoubak-20/detail/0609606441