1 Kahlua Pecan Pie

I've been on a Kahlua kick recently, haven't I?  I made this splendid pecan pie with the homemade Crème de Café I was given, and I got the idea from an old high school friend of mine who's quite the baker (thanks, Robert!)  This recipe is actually gluten-free if you make it with a GF crust.

You'll need:

1 9" unbaked pie crust
2 1/2 Tbs room-temp butter
1/3 cup sugar
4 lg eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup dark corn syrup (I used 3/4 cup light syrup and 1/4 cup molasses)
1/4 cup Kahlua
1 cup pecans

Preheat the oven to 375.  Begin by creaming together the butter and sugar in a mixer until it's fluffy.

Then add in each egg one at a time, and beat well after each addition.

In a large measuring cup, mix together the salt, corn syrup and Kahlua, and then incorporate into the egg/butter/sugar mixture.

Mix well.

Place your pecans in the unbaked pie shell.  You can do your edges all pretty-like and arrange the pecans in a nice pattern, but I was all for speed and thus, rusticity.

Pour the mixture carefully over the pecan pie shell until it almost reaches the top (don't pour too much in, you may have some leftover.)

Bake at 375 degrees on a low center oven rack for 30-45 minutes, or until the center is still slightly jiggly. Remove and let cool completely on a rack for several hours.

Serve with Kahlua whipped cream (1/2 cup heavy cream + 2 Tbs Kahlua, beaten) and enjoy!  Lasts 1-2 days at room temp, then freeze.

2 Homemade Crème de Café

I have been a little remiss in my posting the last few days - as I mentioned, my sister and my 6 month old nephew are here visiting, and Ella's Fall vacation started on Thursday.  We have been sightseeing like crazy, eating at all our favourite spots and cooking all my special treats.

Wednesday we took the kids for a flying one-night visit to my grandfather's home in Tennessee, and were treated to his lovely wife Nella's superb hostess skills (including her cooking - that lady is the domestic goddess that I can only dream of becoming.  For almost 30 years Nella has been the best stand-in grandmother we could possibly have asked for.)  She intrepidly took my sister and I, and our two children antiquing in Knoxville all day, for I was in hot pursuit of some new Descoware, and I was sure I would stumble upon some (alas, I did not.  However I did find a sweet kitchen twine holder!)

Nella is a born and bred Tennesseean, and she makes the most wonderful Crème de Café a.k.a. Kahlua (which my grandfather lovingly calls "Coffee Booze-ter.")  She says that you can't claim to be Tennesseean if you can't make your own booze, and so she graciously shared with us her recipe.  She gave me a bottle to take home, so I haven't had the excuse to actually make this yet, but it is delicious, and great in coffee (provided you are spending a lazy weekend morning at home!  Grandpa uses this in place of sugar in his coffee, and hey, when you're 90 years old, why not?)

Ingredients:

2 quarts water

8 cups sugar

2 oz instant coffee

1 fifth (a 750ml bottle) of grain alcohol such as distilled whiskey or vodka

In a large pot, heat the water to dissolve the sugar and coffee (make sure they are completely dissolved.)  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.  Add the alcohol, stir to combine and portion into sterile glass bottles.  Nella's note:  "We used to use distilled whiskey, but it got to be too expensive, so we switched to vodka and it tastes just as good!"

And you knoooow it would be extra-delish in the White Russian Apple Pudding recipe I posted recently!!