Maple Pecan Torte With Bourbon Recipes

MAPLE-PECAN BOURBON BALLS

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the vanilla wafers and pecans and process until fine crumbs form. Add the maple syrup, cocoa, bourbon, vanilla, salt and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar and process until completely combined and the mixture holds together when shaped into a ball.
• Portion the dough into 1 tablespoon scoops and transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all the dough is portioned, roll the scoops into neat balls.
• Melt the chocolate over a double boiler on the stove or in short bursts in the microwave. Using two forks, dip each ball into the melted chocolate, and rotate to cover completely in chocolate coating. Tap each of the covered balls over the edge of the bowl to release excess chocolate and transfer to the prepared sheet. Alternatively, roll the uncoated balls in the 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar until coated.
• Transfer the sheet to the fridge to set for at least 20 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

MAPLE PECAN TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat flour into creamed mixture. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to handle., Divide dough into 12 portions. Roll each portion into a 5-in. circle; transfer to 12 ungreased 4-in. fluted tart pans with removable bottoms. Trim crust even with edges. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the first 6 filling ingredients. Pour into tart shells; arrange pecans over tops. Bake 25-30 minutes or until centers are just set (mixture will jiggle). Cool on wire racks. If desired, serve with ice cream. Refrigerate leftovers.

BOURBON-MAPLE-PECAN SUNDAE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it foams. Add the pecans and toss to coat evenly; toast for about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and swirl until it melts; toss to coat the nuts. Add the bourbon and maple syrup and remove from the heat. Swirl the sauce to mix, and then allow to cool slightly in the pan. Pour the sauce over scoops of ice cream to serve as a sundae. Season with a little pinch of salt. Serve immediately.

MAPLE PECAN TART

Steps:

• For crust:
• Using electric mixer, beat butter in medium bowl until smooth. Add sugar, egg yolk, and salt; beat until blended. Add flour and beat just until dough begins to clump together. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to 10 1/2-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• Place crust in freezer 30 minutes before filling and baking.
• For filling:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk eggs and brown sugar in medium bowl until well blended. Whisk in maple syrup, corn syrup, melted butter, and salt. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into unbaked crust. Place tart on rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake tart until filling is slightly puffed and set, about 40 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Tent loosely with foil and let stand at room temperature.
• Cut tart into wedges and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

BOURBON-PECAN TART

Steps:

• Place crust in 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom; press crust into pan. Trim overhang. Chill crust 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans. Bake until crust is set and pale golden, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake crust until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Place pan with crust on rimmed baking sheet.
• Meanwhile, using electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar in medium bowl. Beat in corn syrup. Add butter, bourbon, vanilla, and salt; beat until blended. Stir in pecans.
• Pour pecan filling into hot crust. Bake until center of filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool tart on rack 1 hour; remove pan sides. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Rewarm slightly before serving, if desired.

BOURBON MAPLE CANDIED PECANS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the maple syrup, butter or oil, bourbon or vanilla, salt, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Whisk until blended. Add the pecans and stir to coat.
• Dump the contents of the bowl onto your prepared baking sheet and arrange the pecans in a single layer (the maple syrup might pool on the bottom of the pan, but that's ok).
• Bake for 23 to 26 minutes, stirring after the first 10 minutes of baking and then every 5 minutes thereafter. The pecans are done when almost no maple syrup remains on the parchment paper, and the nuts are deeply golden. The maple syrup coating will be a little sticky right out of the oven, but will harden as the pecans cool.
• Stir the pecans one more time, spreading them into an even layer across the pan again, and set aside. While the nuts are still warm, carefully separate any large clumps.
• Candied pecans will keep for up to 2 months in a sealed bag at room temperature.

MAPLE BOURBON PECAN PIE

Steps:

• Making the pie dough ( makes 1 double-crust "or" 2 single-crust 9 to 10-in. pies) - In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
• With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tbsp at a time.
• Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.
• Now -- making the pie -- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pie tin, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under evenly. Using a paring knife, carefully cut out leaves from scraps of dough. Gently score leaves with the back of the knife to create veins. Place leaves on a baking sheet. Transfer lined pie tin and leaves to refrigerator. chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, butter, 4 whole eggs, corn syrup, maple syrup, bourbon, and vanilla. Fold in half the pecan halves. Pour filling into pie shell; arrange remaining pecan halves on top of pie.
• Score the outer rim of pie. Beat 1 egg yolk, and brush over hatch marks. Adhere the leaves to the dough in a decorative pattern. Chill the pie for 30 minutes. Mix 2 tablespoons heavy cream with remaining egg yolk. Brush the egg glaze over the leaves, and transfer pie to the oven.
• Bake 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake until a knife tip comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MAPLE BOURBON PECAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the maple syrup, half and half and fine salt. Heat over a medium flame, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to steam and small bubbles form around the edges. (If the mixture begins to look curdled, take it off the heat and don't worry; it will smooth out in the next step. It's just the acidity of the maple syrup having its way with the milk solids.)
• Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and place the bowl on a damp kitchen towel to anchor it. Place the cold, heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl and set a mesh sieve over the bowl.
• Slowly dribble the hot milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pot, place over a low flame, and cook, stirring constantly with a heat-proof silicone spatula, until the mixture begins to "stick" or form a film on the bottom of the pan, or reaches 170º. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, and pour the mixture through the strainer and into the cold cream. Stir to combine, then cover and chill until very cold, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.
• In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, add enough water to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Add the sugar to the center of the pot, moisten it evenly with the water, and wash any crystals that get on the sides of the pan down into the water. Add the corn syrup and cover the pot with a lid. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil until the sugar has dissolved.
• Have the butter, salt and nuts measured and at the ready, and have a sheet of parchment paper or a baking sheet ready on which to dump the candied nuts.
• Remove the lid from the pot, and, without stirring, boil the syrup until it reaches an amber caramel. (If the mixture begins to crystallize, you can save it by adding more water and beginning the caramelization process again.) Remove the pot from the heat and immediately swirl in the butter and salt, then add the nuts and stir quickly to coat with a heat-proof silicone spatula.
• Dump and scrape the nuts out onto the parchment, and quickly separate the pieces with the spatula as much as possible. You can use your fingers when the mixture cools a little more, stretching it into fun shapes. Let the nuts cool, break or chop up any large clumps, then freeze the nuts while you...
• Stir the bourbon and vanilla into the chilled ice cream base. Place the ice cream base in the freezer for half an hour to get it really cold, stirring it every 10 minutes to prevent ice crystals from forming.
• Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is the consistency of a thick milkshake, stir in the candied pecan pieces. Scrape the ice cream into a container, and freeze until scoopable, at least 4 hours.
• The ice cream is best within a week of churning, but will keep for several months. Store with a piece of parchment paper pressed to the surface to prevent ice crystals from forming.

MAPLE-PECAN TORTE (WITH BOURBON)

Steps:

• heat oven to 350°F.
• Spread chopped pecans on large baking sheet.
• Toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Remove nuts from oven; set aside to cool.
• Maintain oven at 350°F.
• Lightly butter and flour 2 straight-sided 10 inch round cake pans.
• Line bottoms with ungreased kitchen parchment or waxed paper.
• On medium speed, beat 1 cup butter in large bowl until fluffy.
• Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar.
• Continue to beat until very fluffy.
• Increase speed to high.
• Pour in 1 cup of the maple syrup in thin stream, beating all the while.
• Beat egg yolks into the butter mixture, one at a time, beating and scraping sides of bowl with rubber spatula after each addition.
• Beat in orange zest, maple flavoring and vanilla.
• Sift cake flour, baking powder and soda onto waxed paper or bowl.
• Sift together one more time; set aside.
• Beat egg whites and salt in large grease-free bowl with clean beaters on medium speed until soft peaks form.
• Increase speed to high and beat until stiff but not dry.
• Beginning and ending with the flour mixture, fold it and egg whites alternately in butter mixture, sifting the flour over the butter mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time and then folding it into mixture.
• The flour will take 5 additions.
• The egg whites 4 additions.
• Fold gently--Do not over mix.
• Pour batter in prepared cake pans and smooth surface with gently with rubber spatula.
• Bake in center of oven 25 to 30 minutes or until inserted wooden pick comes out clean.
• Remove pans from oven. Let layers cool in pans on wire rack 8 minutes.
• Unmold layers onto wire racks, let cool completley.
• Place layers in plastic wrap on baking sheets in freezer until semi frozen, about 45 minutes.
• While cake is in freezer make Maple Buttercream:.
• Combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup maple sugar in a heavy saucepan.
• Add orange slice and bourbon.
• Heat, stirring constantly over medium-high heat to boiling.
• Boil gently 1 minute.
• Remove from heat. Discard orange slice.
• You should have about 1/3 cup of syrup.
• Trim brown crusts from top and bottom of each semi-frozen cake layer; discard trimmings.
• Cut each layer horizontally in half with long serrated knife.
• Brush sides of layers with syrup.
• Sprinkle remaining syrup over surface of each layer.
• Place one layer, syrup side up on plate.
• Spread with Buttercream.
• Stack second layer on top with syrup side up.
• Spread with Buttercream.
• Repeat with next 2 layers--do not put Buttercream on top of last layer.
• Place a baking sheet on top of cake.
• Place a one 1-pound weight (can of fruit or a bag of rice) on top of baking sheet.
• Refrigerate 15 minutes to compress layers.
• Remove cake from refrigerator. Remove weight. Remove baking sheet.
• Spread remaining Buttercream over top and sides of cake.
• Press toasted pecans evenly over sides of cake.
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
• Maple Buttercream:.
• Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy; reserve.
• Heat maple syrup in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat to boiling.
• Cook without stirring until syrup reaches firm ball stage or candy thermometer reaches 244°F (31 to 32 minutes), watching to see syrup doesn't boil over.
• You should have about 1 cup.
• When syrup reaches soft ball stage (238 degrees to 240 degrees or 22 minutes), begin beating egg whites with salt in large grease-free bowl with clean beaters on medium speed until stiff but not dry (7 to 8 minutes.
• Continue to beat.
• Add hot syrup in thin streams, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula once or twice.
• Continue to beat mixture until it has reached room temperature and no longer feels warm (10 to 15 minutes).
• Increase speed to high.
• Beat in one fourth of the reserved butter about 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Then beat in remaining butter by tablespoons.
• Scrape down sides.
• Beat in bourbon and vanilla.