Buttermilk Pecan Pie

I remember eating a buttermilk pecan pie and loving it. I found this recipe before Thanksgiving and thought we'd give it a try. Next time, I'll use a mixture with brown sugar. I baked it on top of a gluten free pie crust. I have amended the recipe below as I made it (more pecans and tapioca for flour)

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 9" unbaked pie  shell 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar, adding 1/2 cup sugar at a time.
3. Blend in vanilla. Stir in eggs one at a time. Combine flour and salt; add a small amount at a time.
4. Stir in buttermilk.
5. Sprinkle pecans in bottom of pie crust, pour custard over the pecans, and bake 1 hour and 30 minutes.
6. Best served at room temperature.

**Careful not to overbake this pie- it will get too dry. Yummy!

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

I'd been threatening to make a raspberry yogurt cake this week- but when Saturday rolled around and I still hadn't made it...muffins it was. This is a recipe that I got from The Silver Palate cookbook. I've revised it considerably. My version below uses less sugar, butter, and white flour. It makes 6 jumbo muffins.

Batter:
1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. sugar (scant less)
1/4 c. packed dark brown sugar (scant less)
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 c. apple sauce
1/2 c. milk
1 1/4 c. raspberries (slightly frozen or frozen)

Streusel Topping:
3/4 c. chopped pecans
1/8 c. packed dark brown sugar


Preheat oven to 350. Mix the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium size bowl. Make a well in the center.

Place the egg, melted butter, applesauce and milk in the well. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Gently stir in the berries. Fill each tin about 3/4 full. (12 regular or 6 jumbo)

Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the muffins. Bake them until nicely browned and firm for 20-25 minutes.

**Very nice and easy to make.

Apple Loaf with Pecans and Apricots

Made this loaf today in anticipation of lunches this week. The recipe is from a book called Back to Home Baking.

Quick Apricot, Apple and Pecan Loaf Cake
6 oz (175 g) no-soak apricots, chopped in half (cut into smaller pieces)- (ended up as 1 heaping cup)
6 oz (175 g) cooking apple, 1 medium, cut into 1/2 " chucks with skins on (smaller is better)
6 oz (175g) pecan nuts- (ended up as 1 1/2 cups chopped)
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon- rounded
4 oz (110 g) whole wheat flour* (ended up as a scant less than 1 cup)
4 oz (110 g) plain flour* (ended up as a scant less than 1 cup)
4 oz (110) butter, room temperature
6 oz (175 g) soft brown sugar (ended up as 1 cup semi-packed)
2 eggs, beaten
3 T milk

Topping- cinnamon sugar mixture

Preheat oven to 350.
Spread pecans on a baking sheet and toast them lightly for about 8 minutes. Chop them roughly when cool.
Sift the salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and both flours. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the fruit and nuts. Mix in a mixer starting on a slow speed and increasing speed till everything is mixed thoroughly. Then lightly fold in the apricots, apples, and nuts.
When it is all folded in, add a drop more milk if necessary so mixture drops easily off the spoon. Put into a loaf pan and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.  Bake for 1 1/4- 1 1/2 hours or until cake feels springy in the center.
When cooked, let it cool for 5 minutes before turning it onto a wire rack. Let it get cold before you slice it- otherwise it will crumble.

 *I used spelt flour.

** Family said it tasted nice- but the apricots needed to be lots smaller. The pecans added a nice texture. I got the pecans from a family friend in Anthony, NM.