Posts Tagged ‘pecans’
Daily Recipe: Pecan Pralines from Maggie’s Farm
The holiday season is a time to spend with family. It’s the time of the year to make an effort to go home, spend quality time with the important people in your life, and share in the warmth of being with the people you love.
Many of the celebrations revolve around around food. This can look like marathon cookie baking sessions or sharing a big dinner where the hours go by and everyone stays for one more glass of eggnog.
Although we have gone a little cookie heavy this month (it is December, after all), we couldn’t resist featuring these pralines. Not only do they look delicious, they come with a wonderful back story that may bring a tear to your eye. We love that Maggie (From Maggie’s Farm) has such a connection with her food and amazing stories to tell. We can’t get enough of her blog, as her sunny personality comes out in her words and her love-filled recipes.
Make up a batch of these pralines, curl up with a cup of tea and bask in the joy that comes with the season.
We raise our glasses to the holidays, to our loved ones, and to the joy that is holiday baking.
Happy eating!
Pecan Pralines
From Maggie’s Farm
*we used maple syrup instead of the golden syrup used in the original recipe. Do what tickles your fancy!
in.gredients
- 1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- a pinch, each, of cayenne pepper, and kosher salt
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp. half and half
- 3 tbsp. water
- 2 c. pecans, halves or pieces
In two quart saucepan, combine sugar, spices, syrup, butter, and half, and water. Bring to a boil. Add nuts and return to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium, and continue until candy reaches soft ball stage or 238 degrees. Remove from heat and stir rapidly until mixture begins to lose its gloss.
Quickly drop candy from tablespoon onto waxed paper and allow to harden. Makes about 24 small pralines, or 6 gigantic, sprawling, good-for-the-pause-that-refreshes, too-large-to-dunk-in-your-cup-of-afternoon-coffee, just-this-side-of-tummy-ache-sized holiday delights.
Daily Recipe: Mixed Green Salad with Oranges, Cranberries and Pecans
We all know what’s it like to be scrambling around last-minute trying to come up with good side dishes for Thanksgiving. Sometimes you may want to branch out and try something other than the usual mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. This wonderful salad is offered in-store today, so if you feel like giving it a try before committing to making the dish, stop in for a bowl of greens!
And speaking of scrambling, we’re doing a daily recipe post in the evening (instead of our typical morning post) because we’ve been working on getting the word out about the great news that we were named Austin Chronicle’s 2012 Best New Local Business!
We’re honored that the lovely people of Austin recognized in.gredients as a great new business, and we want to thank all of our wonderful customers and vendors.
So whether you are trying out new recipes for thanksgiving, or you just want to stop in for a bowl of greens, this salad is sure to please.
Thanks again for making in.gredients Austin’s Best New Local Business and happy eating!
Mixed Green Salad with Oranges, Dried Cranberries and Pecans
Adapted from Epicurious
Serves 6
1 cup plus 3 tbsp orange juice ($1.75 for 1 lbs)
6 tbsp dried cranberries ($.44 oz)
3.5 tbsp olive oil ($.80 for 3.5 tbsp)
2 tbsp lemon juice ($.50 for 2 lemons)
1 tbsp grated orange peel
6 cups mixed baby greens ($5 for 1/2 lbs)
3 oranges, peel and white pith removed, segmented ($1.75 per lbs)
3/4 cup apple pie pecans ($1.13 per oz)
Approximate total for in.gredients: $12.50
Approximate total for each person (serves 6): $2.08
Bring 1 cup orange juice to simmer in a heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Mix in dried cranberries. Let stand until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain well; discard soaking juice.
Whisk oil, lemon juice, orange peel and remaining 3 tbsp orange juice in a small bowl to blend. Mix in cranberries. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
Place greens in a large bowl. Toss with dressing. Add orange segments to bowl; toss with remaining dressing. Top salads with orange segments and pecans.
Recipe: Chicken Salad with Persimmon, Pecans, and Thyme
Here’s an interesting (and timely) seasonal twist on a classic favorite: a chicken salad recipe from Healthy Green Kitchen that calls for persimmons and pecans. The beauty of this recipe: if you live in Central Texas, you can get all the “fixins” for this salad locally, because as y’all know, ’tis the season for persimmons and pecans! What’s more, it’s a great way to use leftover roast chicken or turkey!
(image: Wikimedia Commons: “Persimmons”)
