Anything with pecans, to me, means comfort food. These are a wonderful scones mixed with cheese and herbs…….yummy-yummy.
You will need:
- 1 cup toasted, coarsely chopped pecans
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 cup finely ground toasted pecans
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/4 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. mustard
- Shredded cheese for topping
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl combine flour, ground pecans, baking powder, soda and salt.
Using a pastry blender cut in butter until mixture looks like a coarse meal. Stir in the Gruyere cheese, chopped pecans and thyme. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture.
In a small bowl, beat the egg, buttermilk, honey and mustard. Add all at once to the flour mixture.
Turn dough out onto a lightly flolured surface. Knead gently 10-12 strokes until nearly smooth. Divide in half. Roll and pat into 2- 6 inch circles. Cut each circle into 6 triangles. Place the triangles on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden.
Transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm. You could, at this time, drizzle a little honey over the top of each scone.
Now, make a pot of tea/coffee, grab a good book/friend and enjoy a quiet time.
Truly yummy-yummy
Chocolate Almond Martini
This is a really neat martini to try. It tastes like the almond/coconut/chocolate bar you could buy when I was growing up. We don’t buy chocolate bars per say anymore, so I don’t know if they still exist. Anyway….
You will need:
- 16 parts Chocolate vodka
- 2 parts Frangelico liqueur
- 1 part creme de cacao
- 1 dash of coconut syrup
Pour ingredients into a shaker filled with crushed ice and shake really well. Strain into chilled martini glasses with 1 unsalted, roasted whole almond.
It’s neat and yummy-yummy!
Baked Peaches 2011
This is the season for peaches and now is the time to make good use of them with an updated recipe.
You will need:
- 6 peaches, halved
- 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
- 3-4 tbsp. dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 block of Philadelphia cream cheese (not lite)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15 x 10 inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Trim a very thin slice off the bottom of each peach half (so they will stand straight). Dip each half in the butter to coat and sprinkle the cut sides with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla untill well mixed and light and fluffy. Spoon this into each peach half centre. Sprinkle pecans on top.
Bake uncovered until lightly browned and softened. (about 25-30 minutes) Serve warm.
This is truly yummy-yummy!
Fresh Peach Pie
Living where we do now and it being the season for peaches, here is a recipe I used so many years ago….it is soo good and with peaches so readily available, why not?
You will need:
- pastry for two crusts to fit a 9 inch pie plate
- 8 cups of sliced fresh peaches
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tbsp. Cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare pastry.
Mix peaches lightly with other ingredients in a bowl. Put into pastry lined pan and top with pastry. Press to seal and bake 50 – 60 minutes until browned. That’s it….that’s all it is. Yummy-yummy.
Chocolate Mint Martini
Two favourites together. You will need:
- 6 parts Grey Goose Vodka
- 1 part White Chocolate liqueur
- 1 splash of Creme de Menthe
Pour ingredients into a shaker filled with cracked ice and shake really well. Strain into chilled martini glasses and garnish with a mint leaf.
Puffy Cheese Strata
Another treat for breakfast. Make this for special occasions – Anniversaries, Birthdays, Saturdays, Sundays….you get the picture.
Using a 13″ x 9″ pan, use enough crustless bread slices to make a double layer.
You will need:
- 1/2 lb. Balderson’s white cheddar cheese
- 3/4 lb. Monteray Jack Cheese (extra for later)
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- Fresh parsley
Place one layer of bread in the baking pan.
Grate both cheeses and sprinkle 1/3 mixture over the top of the bread. Add second layer of bread.
Blend the milk, eggs and cream until completely mixed and pour over the bread. Top with remaining cheese.
Cover and refrigerate over night. Take the pan out of the fridge and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake, covered for 30 minutes. Take cover off and bake another 30 – 45 minutes. When done, it should be really puffy and just starting to turn a golden brown. Cut into 8 pieces and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
To make this even more special, add some beautiful fresh fruit on the side. i.e peaches, nectarines, pears, and/or figs for example.
Banana White Chocolate Muffins
This is one sure way to get your potassium…..gotta love those bananas and this is another way to do that.
You will need:
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup Crisco oil
- 4 pureed bananas
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp. baking powder
- 1/3 cup grated white chocolate
- 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, blend eggs, oil, bananas and milk. In another bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, white chocolate and pecans.
Make a well in the centre and add the milk mixture. Stir only until moistened.
Fill prepared muffin tin 3/4 full. Bake for about 20 minutes or until they turn a light golden colour.
These are delicious and fits into the “other” food group….chocolate. Just ask any woman.
Enjoy.
Goldenrod Eggs
I absolutely love this recipe. You will too. The flavours are extraordinary and as I type this, my mouth is watering. No kidding!
This is for two (adjust for more).
- 5 hard boiled eggs
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 1 cup milk
- pinch salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 cup shredded Swiss or Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup sliced saute’ed mushrooms
- 2 English muffins, halved
- 4 slices ripe tomato
- 4 slices Canadian bacon
Shell eggs, dice egg whites and set aside. Mash yolks until crumbly and also set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter, gradually stirring in the flour to make a roux (paste). Add milk slowly, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Continue cooking until sauce thickens and then add the sour cream, mustard and cheese, again stirring until blended. Add the mushrooms and egg white. Remove from heat and cover.
Toast and butter muffins.
To assemble: place a tomato slice on each muffin half, follow with a slice of bacon, top with sauce and sprinkle the top with the crumbled egg yolk.
Oh my goodness, this is so darn gooooooood. Try it.
Cinnamon, Pecan and Cranberry Scones
This is a real nice recipe to make. I took this from my cookbook “The B & B Cookbook”. It makes 6 wedges.
You will need:
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing scones
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 3 tbsp. sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on scones
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 tbsp frozen butter, grated (makes for fluffier scones)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl whisk together 1/4 cup of the cream, egg yolk and vanilla.
In another bowl, sift the flour, 3 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, pinch of salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the butter and gently stir to mix. Stir in the pecans and cranberries.
Add the cream mixture and stir with a fork until it forms a sticky dough, but still manageable. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 30 seconds. Pat into a 3/4 inch thick round and cut into 6 wedges.
Transfer the wedges to a parchment lined baking dish. Brush each one with the extra cream and sprinkle with some sugar.
Bake the scones in the center of your oven for about 15-18 minutes or until a light golden.
The only thing needed here is some fresh butter and jam, a spot of tea or a good cup of coffee. Oh, yes, and having a good friend to share it with is an excellent idea.