# Pecans **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 14, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecans/308217 "2005-06-14T14:30:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecans/308217/21 "2005-06-15T02:35:13Z")
I like all nuts, but pecans are the best. I have a recipe for hot/sweet pecans that’s totally addictive. Not quite the same with other nuts. Cashews are good, too, but I can only eat so many cashews. **RunAmok,** pecan tassies are the best! I make them with walnuts sometimes, but they’re so much better with pecans. Do you have a tassie press? They’re less labor-intensive that way. I found a recipe for caramel tassies that got rave reviews from my co-workers. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecans/308217/22 "2005-06-15T03:29:15Z")
> [@Duke of Rat](#): > > puh-kahn here, I have several large puh-kahn trees in my yard. I also have several colonies of squirrels. I have to buy any puh-kahns I eat, the squirrels harvest them while they are still green. Dude! Opportunity to double-crop. Get your 12 gauge out, knock off some squirrels and serve 'em roasted and garnished with pee-KAHNS. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecans/308217/23 "2005-06-15T03:33:40Z")
Squirrel pie just wasn’t what I was after, plus the 12 Ga tore 'em up purty bad. ---
**Author:** ![RunAmok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@RunAmok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RunAmok)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecans/308217/24 "2005-06-15T04:54:45Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > **RunAmok,** pecan tassies are the best! I make them with walnuts sometimes, but they’re so much better with pecans. Do you have a tassie press? They’re less labor-intensive that way. I found a recipe for caramel tassies that got rave reviews from my co-workers. Oh, My, dOg, there’s such a thing as a tassie press?! I never heard tell of such, but could definitely use one: Recently I made about 32 dozen tassies for a friend’s wedding, and boy, are my arms tired. (Bah-dum-bump!) Seriously, though, I’d volunteer to make 'em more often if I had a labor saving device for the pastries. (And the caramel tassies sound scrumptious – share the recipe, please!) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecans/308217/25 "2005-06-15T14:59:40Z")
I just remembered a sandwich Mama used to make when I was little that was sooooo good: cream cheese and pecans. And my aunt made the best pecan divinity I have ever eaten. Stuckey’s doesn’t even come close. But they do have a decent pecan log. ---
**Author:** ![quasixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/65b543/32.png) [@quasixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quasixote)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecans/308217/26 "2005-06-15T15:46:49Z")
1. pih-KAHN 2. Each nut has its own place in the culinary world. 3. Pecan pie 4. Even though this belongs in Cafe society, I’ll tell you my favorite recipe for pecans. Take your standard pesto recipe and substitute as follows: 1. Toasted pecans for toasted pine nuts. 2. Sweet thai basil for standard basil. 3. peccarino ( goat’s milk) romano for standard romano. 4. Kalamata olive oil for standard olive oil. This takes pesto to the next level. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecans/308217/27 "2005-06-16T15:15:35Z")
1. p’KAHN 2. Brazils are best, maybe only because they were rare in the mixed nuts we got when I was a kid. I’ll eat whatever nuts are around, though. 3. Pecan pie is good, but just a poor imitation of a butter tart. (Look here - [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=294992](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=294992) ) Pralines are wonderful. 4. As far as I can tell, ‘Praline’ is pronounced prah-LEEN in New Orleans, but PRAY-leen in Texas. I’ll second the request for the caramel-tassie recipe, and also ask for the hot/sweet pecans. (How about nuts that are just spicy, not sweet? Anybody?) ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecans/308217/28 "2005-06-16T15:23:38Z")
In Georgia, it’s definitely PRAY-leens. And don’t forget divinity. It has pecans too. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecans/308217/29 "2005-06-16T17:51:12Z")
I like most nuts but pecans are probably my least favorite (except when in a pecan pie). I guess it’s their bitterness and slightly “maplely” flavor or something. My favorite nuts are almonds and pistachios. If you want to branch out and get nutty and go one step beyond the same old pecan pie might I suggest: CHOCOLATE-WALNUT PIE 4 ounces semisweet chocolate 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust made from Basic Pie Pastry 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup light corn syrup 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted and allowed to cool 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups broken walnuts Garnish (optional) Whipped cream Preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a heavy pot on low heat. Pour it evenly into the unbaked pie shell. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter, and vanilla well. Stir in the walnuts. Pour the mixture into the chocolate-lined pie shell and bake until the filling is set, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove to a rack and let cool. The pie may be made ahead several days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Serve with whipped cream if desired. Makes 8 servings. Trust me…this pie will kick pecan pie in the nuts! ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecans/308217/30 "2005-06-16T21:38:17Z")
> [@RunAmok](#): > > Oh, My, dOg, there’s such a thing as a tassie press?! I never heard tell of such, but could definitely use one: Recently I made about 32 dozen tassies for a friend’s wedding, and boy, are my arms tired. (Bah-dum-bump!) Seriously, though, I’d volunteer to make 'em more often if I had a labor saving device for the pastries. (And the caramel tassies sound scrumptious – share the recipe, please!) 32 dozen? :eek: I can’t find a picture of a tassie press online–maybe there’s another name for them. Here’s what [mine](http://www.unc.edu/~melaniem/pics/tassiepress.jpg) looks like. You make your little dough balls, stick them in the pan, dust the big end of the tassie press with flour, and squish the dough into the pan. I love it–I can make a lot more tassies that way. Which is good, because they never last very long, so you can never make too many tassies. You can put almost anything in tassies. One of my favorites was a cheesecake filling topped with lime curd and whipped cream. Easy, and yummy! Just a note–the dough recipe makes 3 dozen, but the caramel makes 4 dozen. I usually make a couple of batches of dough and make several different kinds of fillings. **Pecan Tassies** 1 stick (1/2 cup), unsalted butter, softened, plus 1 tablespoon, melted and cooled 3 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 large egg 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup pecans, chopped fine In the bowl of an electric mixer cream 1 stick of the butter with the cream cheese until the mixture is light and fluffy, add the flour and the salt, and beat the mixture until it forms a dough. Form the dough into a disk and chill it, wrapped in plastic wrap, for 30 minutes. Press rounded teaspoons of the dough into thirty-six 1/8-cup muffin tins and work the dough evenly onto the bottoms and up the sides of the tins to form 1/8-inch-shells. Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a bowl whisk together the egg, the brown sugar, the melted butter, and the vanilla until the mixture is combined well. Divide the filling among the shells, sprinkle it with the pecans, and bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crusts are golden. Let the cookies cool in the tins on racks for 10 minutes, remove them from the tins carefully, and let them cool completely on the racks. May be made 2 months in advance and kept frozen in airtight containers. Makes 36 cookies. **Caramel Dream Tassies** 14 oz. pkg. caramels (unwrapped) 3/4 c. evaporated milk, divided 1/2 c. butter 1/2 c. shortening 2/3 c. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla ground nuts Melt caramels with 1/2 c. milk in microwave or double boiler. Spoon into **baked** tassie shells, about 2/3 full. In a small bowl, blend butter and shortening, mixing well. Set aside for 20 minutes. In another bowl, blend sugar, remaining 1/4 c. milk, and vanilla. Set aside for 20 minutes. Combine the two bowls into a large bowl. Using a mixer, whip on high until creamy. Spoon this frosting on top of caramel layer. Sprinkle with ground nuts. Makes 4 dozen cookies. **Brownie Tassies** 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips 2 T. butter 1/3 c. sugar 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp. vanilla whole hazelnuts Melt chips and butter in saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar, egg, and vanilla. Place a whole hazelnut in center of each pastry-lined cup. Top with 1 round tsp. of chocolate mixture. Bake as directed. Makes about 2 dozen. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecans/308217/31 "2005-06-16T22:48:52Z")
When I was a child we went to a cafeteria style restaurant in a little plaza (they weren’t called strip malls in Arizona in the '60s) and I had pecan pie for dessert. It was an epiphany. I realized that this wonderful pie was invented just for me. Yummy, crunchy pecans and that oh so flipping sweet Karo syrup goo filling. I always substitute pecans for walnuts which TheLadyLion approves of but she has no taste for pecan pie. I have actually caught myself in Costco debating spending more money on pecans as if my grandmother was going to start lecturing me about how tough they had it during the depression. I but the damn pecans now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecans/308217.md?page=1)