This year, over the eating holidays, I fared well. I’ve been more vested in reducing intake than finding new and enticing recipes. However, we received fresh pecans as gifts from two family members. Fresh pecans are a family memory for us. Pecan trees were common in people’s yards, and there were pecan orchards in our area, grown by, at that time, the many small farmers spread across communities. Fresh pecans and desserts with pecans, like cakes and pecan pies, were popular. My sister-in-law makes the best pecan pies, by the way. I couldn’t join for Thanksgiving, and enjoy some of her pecan pie, so I began thinking about baking with pecans. We have a set of ramiken dishes, and I had been wanting to use those for individualized desserts, and the following idea struck:
Shortbread cookies for a crust, cheesecake, and a pecan pie topping
Crust: We had been getting butter cookies imported from France through Costco that I wanted to crush and use for a crust, but those were discontinued. Greg decided to try some recipes for shortbread cookies. The first one was a bit salty, which probably helped when I used it for the crust. He used the outer part of a donut cutter, inherited from my mom, to cut the cookies, and it turned out to be the perfect fit for a bottom crust in the ramekin dish. About any shortbread recipe will do.
He also looked up the history of why “shortbread” was used instead of “cookie”. Apparently, when cookies were taxed by England, the Scottish people began making “shortbread”, which as a “bread”, avoided the tax. Sounds like Scottish history to me, and I’m happy to count this among my genetics.
Cheesecake: I looked at several recipes and settled on an adaptation of this one:
https://bakerbynature.com/extra-rich-and-creamy-cheesecake/
I chose this one as a starting point because I wanted a lighter cheesecake, like the ones at Badolina’s in Houston. The heavier, more traditional recipes include sour cream, and I wanted a creamier flavor and texture. Also, for traditional recipes, use of a mixer is discouraged, to produce a denser cake.
To fill four ramiken dishes, I used this ratio of ingredients:
One pkg cream cheese, 8 oz., softened (not cooked) in the microwave
3/8 cup sugar (yes, you will have to estimate)
1 large egg
2.5 tablespoons of heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Whip the cream cheese first, then add the cream and egg. As soon as the mixture is not quite homogenized, add the flavor and sugar. I used a handheld mixer. (Don’t overmix.) This produced some lightness without being fluffy. Tip: melt the cream cheese in a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup and you can blend the rest of the ingredients into the same dish afterward.
I put the cookies in each ramekin, then filled to near the top. I baked at 350 for 45 mins. on a cookie sheet, with a larger baking pan below containing about half an inch of water. These rise like a souffle, but settle if disturbed before they are fully baked. I checked the dishes at about 40 mins. and wibbled to see whether the mixture had set, then baked for about 5 mins. longer. In some environments, the baking time may need to be decreased. The texture should not be stiff from overbaking. I cooled, then stored these in the refrigerator for a few hours, covered.
While the cakes were baking, I made the praline sauce. The pecan pie recipes didn’t look quite right as a topping, so I started with this praline sauce recipe:
https://southernshelle.com/bourbon-pecan-topping/
and modified as follows:
2 tblsp. unsalted butter
3 tblsp. dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. light corn syrup
2 tblsp. heavy cream
1 tsp. Cook’s English toffee flavoring
Sprinkling of salt
1/2 cup pecans
Stir all but the pecans in a small saucepan on the low side of medium heat, then add the pecans. Heat while stirring at a temperature that won’t scorch the sugars. Watch for the sauce to have a heavy, very slow drip from the edge of a spoon, but don’t crystalize to the point of forming a thread. I used a small Correlle dish on a glass cooktop. The glazed dish could also be used for storage, avoiding metals which can cause flavor change, and it could be easily reheated on the cooktop in the same dish for a warm topping on a cool cheesecake. I covered the top of two cakes liberally, then put the rest in the refrigerator for later.
These were so delicious that it was hard to wait! And with about 8″ of snow on the ground, , while Grace O bounds and races then sits and gazes at scenery, it is a good time to meddle in the kitchen again.
For additional snowed-in ideas, try the “In the kitchen” category link:
https://thebigfootclub.com/category/homeaccomodations/in-the-kitchen/
*For the most delectable result, pecans should be purchased at harvest and kept frozen or used while fresh. Some pecan varieties oxidize more rapidly than others. Elliott is a good variety for this use.