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!!

0 White Russian Apple Pudding

Why do I call this "White Russian"?  Because it's got Kahlua!  This is definitely a decadent dessert, or perfect with a hot cup of coffee to enjoy with friends.

For the apples
4-5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Kahlua
1/4 cup honey or brown sugar
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs lemon juice
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

For the custard
1 loaf (5-6 cups) of stale bread cut into cubes - French, sourdough, whatever you like
1 cup heavy cream or almond milk
1 cup milk
4 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Kahlua
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt


Topping
2 Tbs room-temp butter
chopped pecans (optional)
maple syrup (optional)

First you need to make the apples to later add into the custard.  In a medium heavy lidded saucepan combine all the apple ingredients over medium heat.

Cover and simmer on medium-low for about 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes...

...until it looks about like this, the apples are cooked down and the sauce has thickened.  If it's still a little watery, just uncover and simmer another 5ish minutes to reduce.  Take it off the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

While the apples are cooking, get started on your custard.  Mix together everything in the custard category except for the bread cubes and Kahlua.

Next, add the apple mixture.  If it's still hot, make sure you temper the custard as you're adding to it.  Just add one spoonful of the hot apples first, and quickly whisk it together.  Keep adding the apples in this manner until you get about half way through, and then add the remainder and whisk together thoroughly.  If you add them all in at once, you will scramble the eggs!

Now, add the Kahlua to the warm custard.  Half the Kahlua was cooked down in the apples, and the other half is being added to the custard now.

Next, in a large bowl pour the custard mixture over the bread cubes.  I used my homemade bread I made last week for this recipe.  Gently combine and let the bread and custard sit for at least 30 minutes (or overnight.)  When you're ready to bake, lightly grease a baking dish with cooking spray or butter and pre-heat the oven to 375.  Pour the soaked bread cubes into the dish.

For the topping, sprinkle the chopped pecans all over the top, if using, and dot the top with bits of the butter.

Place into the 375 degree oven and bake for about an hour.  The top will get slightly crispy, and the middle will be creamy deliciousness.

At this point, I always drizzle a healthy amount of maple syrup all over the top, and it soaks in.  With every bite you get tender chunks of apple and the sweetness of the Kahlua.  So good!