Ingredients

Fruit Filling

• Four Ripe Pears
• 1 Cup Chopped Pecans
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Coffee Cake

• 2 Large Eggs
• 2 Cups Sour Cream (or Creme Fraiche or Yoghurt)
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 8 Ounces Unsalted Butter At Room Temperature
• 1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Lemon Peel
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• Dash Of Salt
• 2 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

Preparation time
40 minutes

Preparation
Prepare your pan by buttering either a 10″ cake pan, or a 10″ bundt pan.

To prepare the filling, peel and core the pears. Cut the fruit into 1/2 inch dice. Mix together with the rest of the topping ingredients, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the eggs and sour cream with the vanilla extract. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue beating another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg mixture, and on low speed mix well with the butter mixture.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix just until it is combined. Pour half the mixture into your prepared pan, and spread the filling mixture over top. Pour the rest of the batter over the filling and carefully spread evenly. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Serve either warm, or at room temperature.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

• 1/2 c Butter
• 1/2 c Shortening
• 2 c Sugar
• 5 Eggs (separated)
• 2 c Flour
• 1 ts Soda
• 1 c Buttermilk
• 1 ts Vanilla
• 1 cn Flaked coconut (3-1/2 oz.)
• 1 c Pecans (finely chopped)

Icing

• 8 oz Cream cheese (softened)
• 1/4 c Butter
• 1 lb Powdered sugar (sifted)
• 3 tb Water
• 1 ts Vanilla
• 1/3 c Pecans (finely chopped)

Preparation time
60 minutes

Preparation
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and shortening; add sugar and beat until mixture is smooth. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Combine flour and soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in vanilla. Add coconut and chopped pecans. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 8 inch cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool.

Icing
Blend cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and water, beating until smooth. Add vanilla and blend. Spread between layers and top and sides. Sprinkle top with pecans.

For more flavor and taste, coconut and pecans may be added between the layers.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Butter or Margarine
• 1/2 Cup Sifted powdered sugar
• 1Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Tsp Salt 3/4 Cup Finely chopped pecan
• Additional Powdered sugar

Preparation time
25 minutes

Preparation
Cream butter in a large mixing bowl; Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour, salt & pecans gradually add to cream mixture, blending well. Chill until firm.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Roll in additional powdered sugar while warm. Cool on wire racks and roll again in powdered sugar.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1  cup sugar
• 5 eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 qt. of pecans or walnuts
• 1 cup raisins (may substitute dates, figs, or dried appricots)
• 1 cup diced marachino cherries)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla

Preparation time
20 minutes

Preparation
Cream butter and sugar with mixer. Beat eggs thoroughly and add to creamed mixture. Now add in vanilla flavoring.

Make certain nuts and cherries are cut into small pieces. In a separate bowl add cherries, nuts and raisins. Cover all with flour and mix until even.

Add creamed mixture to nut mixture (or vise versa – what ever is in the bigger bowl). Place wax paper in botton of round cake pan. Pour in ingredients. Bake at 300 degrees F. for one hour and twenty minutes.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

Pudding

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups pecan pieces (about 5 1/2 ounces)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened
• 1 tblsp bourbon
• 5 eggs, separated
• Pinch of salt
• Bourbon Sauce

Bourbon Sauce

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tblsp bourbon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation time
45 minutes

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of hot water and set the bowl over a pan of hot but not simmering water. Stir with a whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the water and let the chocolate cool to room temperature.

Coarsely chop the pecan pieces in a food processor. Remove 1/2 cup of the pecans and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar to the remaining nuts and grind to a fine powder. Combine the finely ground pecans, bread crumbs and cinnamon in a bowl; mix well and set the mixture aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter with half the remaining sugar until soft and light. Beat in the cooled chocolate and then the bourbon. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating until smooth. Stir in the pecan bread crumb mixture.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until they form very soft peaks. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar in a slow stream and continue beating until the egg whites hold soft peaks. Stir one-fourth of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate batter, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

Pour the batter into a buttered 1 1/2 quart baking dish or 8 inch square baking pan. Smooth the top. Scatter the reserved chopped pecans evenly over the surface of the batter. Place the baking dish in a larger pan and pour hot tap water into the larger pan to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake the pudding in the middle of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the pudding puffs and feels slightly firm when pressed with the palm of the hand; do not overbake.

To serve, spoon the warm chocolate pecan pudding onto dessert plates. Ladle 2 or 3 tablespoons of the Bourbon Sauce over. Pass the reamaining sauce separately.
Bourbon Sauce

In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine the milk and sugar. Bring to a boil over moderate heat.

Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl until liquified. When the milk boils, gradually whisk 1/3 of it into the yolks. Return the remaining milk to a boil over low heat and whisk in the yolk mixture. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes; do not let boil. Immediately remove from the heat.

Whisk the sauce constantly for 1 minute to cool. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl and whisk for 30 seconds. Stir in the bourbon and the vanilla. Serve warm.

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar, divided
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Preparation time
30 minutes

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.
• Place the pastry sheets in the baking dish and place the dish in the oven. Watch it closely. When the top layer turns crunchy and golden, remove it from the oven. Continue until all the sheets are cooked.
• Preheat the oven broiler.
• In a bowl, combine walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, raisins, coconut and 1/4 cup sugar. Break cooked pastry into pieces and stir into nut mixture. Spread mixture evenly in 9×13 inch dish.
• Bring milk and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Pour over nut mixture.
• Beat the heavy cream with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread evenly over nut mixture in dish.
• Place dessert under oven broiler until top is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.