Thursday, November 1, 2007

Pecan Tassies.

Pecan Tassies

Pecan Tassies

Somehow in class today I ended up with a two inch doodle that reads "Pecan Tassies!" It's hard to concentrate when the lecture is about TCP/IP and the history of the internet.

I said I needed time to regroup from baking failure, but then I started thinking about how easy Pecan Tassies would be since Alice Medrich's recipe uses melted butter.

They were incredible fresh from the oven; extremely crunchy on the outside but chewy inside with some runny brown sugar/butter sauce that you can almost see in the first photo. The crust was flecked with real vanilla bean since I ran out of extract.

I liked this recipe so much that I wanted to give away the product immediately. My roommates and I don't go through pastries very quickly and it seemed tragic to let these sit for days and get soggy.

I ended up taking them to some friends who work for Apple. Their office is amazing; simple and well designed with some incredible furniture and a gorgeous view of Oakland. I only felt a little jealous!

It was nice to meet some new people and share the baked goods. I really love baking for others, and the folks at Apple said I could ditch things any time. Someone chimed in that they love cheesecakes.

Honestly, if you're in Pittsburgh and have a horde of hungry coworkers I can hook you up. As long as I don't blow my budget on ingredients.

Pecan Tassies
adapted from Alice Medrich's Cocoa Bean Tassies in Bittersweet
for the pastry:
12 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
scant 1/4 tsp salt
1.5 cups all purpose flour

for the filling:
1 large egg white
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup pecans (or cocoa nibs), chopped
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
generous pinch of salt
2 12-cup miniature muffin pans

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
To make the pastry: combine the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour and mix until just incorporated.

Divide the dough in half and press each half into a flattened 4 inch square. Cut each square into 12 equal pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Place one ball in each muffin cup and press it evenly over the bottom and all the way up the sides of the cup, forming a neat rim. Set aside.

To make the filling: in a medium bowl, beat the egg white until foamy. Stir in the brown sugar, melted butter, pecans, vanilla, and salt. Divide the filling evenly among the tartlet shells, about 1 tsp each.

Bake the tassies for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees and bake for 20 minutes more, or until the pastry is well browned on the edges and underneath (lift one out with the point of a knife to check.) Let cool in the pans on a rack.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Pecan Tassies look really really good, Lisa. They also look like they could use a lil' help... being eatin'. Boy, they look downright delicious!!!

But, a "Cellist who bakes a lot?" That'd be the coolest part; I love good eats & music. New to your blog but destined to be a regular.

~ anthony
oakland.raidersfan@yahoo.com

Lunch Buckets said...

This would make a great sub for the traditional pecan pie at Thanksgiving this year. Or maybe I'll just move to Pittsburgh.

peterb said...

These were AWESOME. I ate two.

I am, of course, typing this comment from the cardiac ward at UPMC.

Anonymous said...

you can leave them at the east liberty borders, for the fabulous marketing director....she (me) adores your site-and your recipes!

Madeline said...

I'm planning on making these for a dinner party but I'm also about to be a little ambitious here and try to make 3 or 4 of your recipes for the same party. Do you think I can make these a day or two ahead of time and reheat them in the oven before I serve them?

You have a really great blog!

sarah marie said...

These look delicious! I found your blog through tastespotting and I'll definitely be back. I'm a violinist who bakes a lot, so we have something in common! :)

Pittsburgh Needs Eated said...

madeleine:
I'm not sure how re-heating would work. If I were going to try it, i'd try a 250 degree oven for like 5 minutes.

Personally, if I were making 2 other desserts, i'd just leave them at room temperature.

Good luck! Let me know how it all turns out.

Anonymous said...

hi there. Oh how I wish I was in Pittsburg!!I just found your blog recently, but I keep checking it daily to look at and be inspired by our wonderful cakes and other yummie stuff.Love the blog.
Kindest,
Eli fra Norway

slush said...

I cant find my Grams Pecan Tassie recipe, so Im out scouring the net now. Great blog you have. Nice to see a fellow Pitt baker blogger!

~laurie
quirkycupcake.com

Meadowlark said...

Third year and STILL the biggest hit. THANKS and happy holidays. :)