Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups pecans
• 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 9-inch unbaked deep dish pie shell

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put all ingredients except pie shell in blender in order listed. Cover and blend on chop until nuts are coarsely chopped, about 8-10 seconds.
2. Place pie shell on cookie sheet. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Bake about 35 minutes or until crust is browned and filling is puffed. Cool.
3. If making ahead of time, store in refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before serving.

Gourgeres

From The Gourmet Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted buter, cut into tablespoons
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4-5 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated Gruyere (about 4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Rounded 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspooon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Put racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 375. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly butter them.
2. Combine water, butter and salt in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring until butter is melted.
3. Reduce heat to moderate, add flour all at once, and cook, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan, about 30 seconds. Continue to cook and stir to remove excess moisture for about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 3 minutes.
4. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well with wooden spoon after each addition; batter will appear to separate but will become smooth once beaten. Mixture should be glossy and just stiff enough to hold soft peaks and fall softly from a spoon. If it is too stiff, beat remaining egg in a small bowl and add to batter 1 teaspoon at a time, beating and then testing batter after each addition until it reaches desired consistency.
5. Stir in cheeses, nutmeg and pepper.
6. Fill pastry bag with batter and pipe fifteen 1-inch-diameter mounds 1 inch apart onto each baking sheet. Bake, switching positions of sheets halfway through baking, until puffed, golden, and crisp, about 30 minutes total. Serve warm.

7 Hour Braised Leg of Lamb – in a Slow Cooker

Gigot de Sept Heures (in French)

Ingredients:

For the lamb:

• 1 4-pound shank end leg of lamb or a 4 pound piece of shoulder, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1  750-ml bottle dry white wine
• 20 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 10 sprigs each fresh rosemary, thyme and savory
• 5 fresh or dried bay leaves

For the beans:

• 2 cups dried white beans, preferably cannellini or white coco, soaked overnight
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, parsley and a bay leaf tied together with kitchen twine
• 10 whole cloves
• 1 large onion, halved
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons crème fraîche (or some other cream)

Directions:

1. If the cut of lamb is boneless, tie. Rub the lamb with oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a 6 quart Dutch oven or large pan over medium-high heat. Add lamb and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes. Transfer lamb to a plate.
3. Nestle garlic and herbs into crockpot; place lamb on top of herbs; add pan juices and any brown bits from Dutch oven. Add wine and 2 cups water to the slow cooker. Cover and leave on high for 3 1/2 hours. Turn the lamb 3-4 times as it cooks. Turn the slow cooker to low and try to keep it at a low simmer. Cook until the lamb is very tender, about 3–3 1/2 more hours. Transfer to a rack, cover with foil and let cool for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the beans: About 1 1/2 hours before the lamb is done, drain beans and transfer to a 4 quart saucepan along with 6 cups water, 4 cloves garlic, and the herb bundle. Insert the cloves into the onion and add to the pot.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until beans are tender, about 1 hour.
6. Remove pot from heat and season with salt and pepper. Discard herbs and strain beans, reserving cooking liquid.
7. Transfer 2 cups beans, 1⁄4 cup cooking liquid, oil, crème fraîche, and remaining garlic clove to a blender and purée.
8. Stir puréed bean mixture and about 1 cup of the cooking liquid back into pot and cover to keep warm until lamb is cooked. Serve the lamb sliced or torn into chunks, alongside the beans.

Cranberry-Nut Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 3 1/2 cups (or more) bread flour
• 1 tablespoon (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons quick-rising dry yeast (from one 1/4-ounce envelope)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for coating bowl
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)
• Raw sugar

Directions:

1. Stir nuts in dry skillet over medium heat until toasted, about 5 minutes. Cool.
2. Mix bread flour, brown sugar, yeast and salt in bowl of heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.
3. Warm milk in small saucepan over low heat until instant-read thermometer inserted into milk registers 95 degrees. Add oil; remove from heat. Add milk mixture and 1 egg to flour mixture. Mix on low speed until wet coarse ball forms, about 1 minute.
4. Add nuts and cranberries. Replace paddle attachment on mixer with dough hook. Mix dough on low speed until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky, adding more flour by the tablespoon as needed, about 4 minutes. Transfer dough to floured surface; knead 2 minutes.
5. Lightly oil large bowl. Shape dough into ball; place in prepared bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, 1 3/4 to 2 hours.
6. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer dough to unfloured surface; divide into 12 equal pieces. Using cupped hand, roll and rotate 1 dough piece firmly on work surface until dough piece pops up into cupped hand as smooth round ball, about 6 rotations. (This will make dough ball as smooth as possible; if necessary, wipe work surface with damp paper towel to help create traction.) Repeat with remaining dough pieces.
7. Transfer rolls to prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Spray rolls with nonstick spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until 1 1/2 times original size, about 1 1/2 hours. Brush rolls with egg glaze; sprinkle with raw sugar. Let rise 15 minutes longer.
8. Meanwhile, position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
9. Place rolls in oven; reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake 7 minutes. Rotate baking sheet; bake rolls until golden and slightly firm to touch, about 8 minutes longer. Cool completely on rack.