Rania's Recipes: Pecan Bars & Plum Galette
Rania Harris stopped by PTL today to show off some great portable and fruit-based desserts that are perfect for summer!
Pecan Bars
Crust:
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup toasted pecans, chopped coarse
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (¾ stick), cut into ½ inch pieces
Pecan Filling:
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup light corn syrup
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (½ stick), melted
- 1 tablespoon bourbon or dark rum
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 cups toasted pecans, chopped coarse
Directions:
For the crust:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fold two 16-inch pieces parchment paper lengthwise to measure 9 inches wide. Fit 1 sheet in bottom of greased pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan (overhang will help in removal of baked bars). Fit second sheet in pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
Place flour, brown sugar, pecans, salt, and baking powder in food processor. Process mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal, about five 1-second pulses. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles sand, about eight 1-second pulses. Pat mixture evenly into prepared pan and bake until crust is light brown and springs back when touched, about 20 minutes.
For the pecan filling:
While crust bakes, whisk together brown sugar, melted butter, corn syrup, bourbon, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until just combined. Add egg and whisk until incorporated.
Pour filling on top of hot crust and sprinkle pecans evenly over top. Bake until top is brown and cracks start to form across surface, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Remove bars from pan using foil or parchment handles and transfer to cutting board. Cut into bars that measure 1 ½ inches by 2¼-nches.
Yield: 24 bars
Plum Galette
Pate Brisee:
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 11/3 cup ice water
Filling
- ¼ cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons ground almonds
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2-1/2 pounds large plums—halved, pitted and cut into ½ -inch wedges
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small bits
- ½ cup good-quality plum, apricot or raspberry preserves, strained if chunky or seedy
Directions:
Make the Brisee: Put the flour, butter and salt in a food processor and process for 5 seconds; the butter should still be in pieces. Add the ice water and process for 5 seconds longer, just until the dough comes together; the butter should still be visible.
Remove the dough from the processor and gather it into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 16-by-18-inch oval 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick. Drape the dough over the rolling pin and transfer it to a large, heavy baking sheet. Chill the dough until firm, about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°.
Make the Filling: In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup of the sugar with the ground almonds and flour. Spread this mixture evenly over the dough to within 2 inches of the edge. Arrange the plum wedges on top and dot with the butter. Sprinkle all but 1 teaspoon of the remaining 1/3 cup sugar over the fruit. Fold the edge of the dough up over the plums to create a 2-inch border. (If the dough feels cold and firm, wait for a few minutes until it softens to prevent it from cracking.) Sprinkle the border with the reserved 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Bake the galette in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour, until the fruit is very soft and the crust is richly browned. If any juices have leaked onto the baking sheet, slide a knife under the galette to release it from the sheet. Evenly brush the preserves over the hot fruit; brush some up onto the crust, too, if desired. Let the galette cool to room temperature before serving.
Serves: 6 - 8
