Sea Salt Caramel Pecan Bars

I first made these wonderful pecan bars on the 4th of July at our neighborhood BBQ and they were a huge hit! I even over roasted my pecans, and by that I mean, BURNED. I used them anyway and I swear it made it even better. My neighbors were asking for the recipe so I'll post it here for easy access. I think I'll keep this in my back pocket for Thanksgiving too, it would make a wonderful substitute for traditional pecan pie, which I happen to favor over pumpkin. This dessert is really easy to put together but comes together as it cools, so plan in advance; if you eat these right out of the oven you will need a spoon. And you will burn your mouth off...

 

Whether you roast your own pecans or buy them already roasted for you, make sure you take the extra step. Roasting nuts brings out their nutty flavor and its beneficial in almost every recipe. I used the last of my Oklahoma foraged pecans to make these (hint hint mom, I need more!) and I swear they taste better than packaged, but that might be wishful thinking..

These pecan bars are extremely rich and satisfying; the silky caramel leads to a bite of crunchy pecan and the sea salt is the star as it enhances the sweetness and brings out the flavors of the other ingredients. These are best enjoyed with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee. That's my kind of dessert! I hope you enjoy.

Sea Salt Caramel Pecan Bars

Sea Salt Pecans
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
2 cups raw pecan halves

Crust
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
pinch of salt (optional)

Filling
2 cups Salted Pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees. Combine Sea Salt Pecan ingredients in a medium bowl and toss until pecans are coated with butter and salt. Roast 10-12 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside.

Increase oven heat to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and spray with cooking oil. In a medium bowl combine flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt together until combined. Cut butter into flour mixture using your fingers until pea-sized lumps form. Press crust evenly in the bottom of prepared baking sheet, set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl add butter, brown sugar and heavy cream and heat on high for one minute. Stir, and heat again for one minute more. Mix in vanilla and salt and blend until remaining butter is melted.

Sprinkle pecans and chocolate chips evenly over the top of the crust. Add caramel mixture on top until evenly distributed. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until bubbly and browned. Remove from oven and let cool for 3 hours on the counter top and chill overnight in the fridge for clean and easy cutting.

 

Try not to eat more than one, unless you've just run a marathon and then you can have three. 

Chicago-Style German Potato Salad

 

My mother-in-law still sends letters the old fashioned way and I love this about her. It's nice to unplug and get correspondence from someone that isn't in the form of a text or email. She recently sent me a newspaper article about an Oklahoma based mustard company called Seikel's Oklahoma Gold Mustard.  The article noted it was being sold at Whole Foods Market and since I work for the company, she thoughtfully sent me the accompanying recipe. I happened to have a 5 pound sack of recently purchased Yukon Golds so it really was perfect timing.

The article calls this Oklahoma-Style German Potato Salad but because I couldn't find Siekel's here in Chicago I opted for a Chicago based mustard company, Mustard Girl, and renamed it Chicago-Style German Potato Salad. I can do that right?

The original recipe calls for 1/2 pound of bacon crumbled on top but I eliminated the bacon and it was great. This mayo-less salad is great for BBQ's or picnics or just a change from the usual. The amount of vinegar seems like a lot but the flavors really mellow and deepen when simmered on the stove top. This potato salad has just enough bite. I reduced the original amount of sugar the recipe called for from 1/4 cup to 1 tablespoon because I thought the 1/4 cup I used was too sweet, but play with the measurements to suit your own tastes. 

Let me know what you think and if you have a favorite local mustard. I always like finding new products and testing new recipes.

Chicago-Style German Potato Salad

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon Mustard Girl yellow mustard
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Boil potatoes in a large pot filled with salted water for about 20 minutes or until tender. Remove from water, let cool, and cut potatoes into cubes.

Saute onion in oil over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add mustard, vinegars, sugar, salt and parsley, letting it simmer for 2 minutes.

Toss potatoes with sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Parsley Pecan Pesto

I finally got around to updating my "About Me" section, an undeniably taxing undertaking since talking about yourself to strangers and even people you know is weird and exhausting which is why I've avoided updating it for so long. Take a look if you'd like.


As a frugal individual (my husband may disagree..) I'm always looking for ways to save money. I absolutely love pesto and I crave it especially in the summer, much more than traditional marinara sauce when I'm in the mood for pasta. But fresh basil and especially pine nuts can make for an expensive dinner and even prepared pesto is pricy and not nearly as delicious when you prepare it fresh. Thus, my inspiration for Parsley Pecan Pesto!

 Fresh parsley is half the price as basil and pecans are one of the most affordable nuts you can buy. Mine were especially affordable since my mom gave me a whole grocery sack full over Christmas from her pecan trees in Oklahoma and I've been storing them in my freezer where they keep for up to a year. The prices of pine nuts have skyrocketed due to droughts, bugs, and the general expense of extracting the seed from pine cones themselves which is tedious and time consuming. If you don't like pecans you can certainly use pistachios, walnuts, or even cashews but be prepared to pay more.

I'm totally weird and I actually don't crave pasta all that often, we eat it maybe bi-monthly and I just forced myself to eat the leftovers of some egg noodles I made last week so I opted to try zucchini noodles instead, not only to avoid more pasta but to see what all the fuss is about. I usually HATE vegetables as substitutions for pasta, who are you trying to fool? My taste buds are not stupid! But I have to say these "noodles" weren't half bad. And while I'd never run out and buy a spiral slicer I will keep this recipe in my back pocket for future low carb meals.

I have a mandolin that can also julienne and making these ribbons could not have been easier. The spiral slicer mentioned above also makes easy work of vegetables but I have a small kitchen and little room for unnecessary gadgets. Rotate the zucchini once the seeds start showing until your left with the core and discard the rest (or make zuchhini bread like I did!) I salted them liberally with kosher salt or you could use sea salt (don't use Morton's iodized salt). Then let them sit in a colander in the sink for at least 20 minutes where the salt will draw out the water in the zucchini. Then take some paper towels, lay them out and put your noodles on top and cover them with another layer of paper towels ( I did this in two batches). Then over the sink wring out the water as best as you can, there is an AMAZING amount of water that will be released and this will also rinse the salt off so don't worry too much about over salting them. I used 4 medium zucchini's which seemed like way too much but once the water is wrung out you get about half the size and it will serve 3-4.

Now it's time to make the pesto! Make sure you take the time to roast your pecans as this will greatly enhance their flavor. Ten minutes in a 250 degree oven should do it. I don't have a food processor (crazy, I know!) and this worked perfectly with an immersion blender just so you know.

Parsley Pecan Pesto
Makes 1 cup

1 1/2 bunches fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, roasted, chopped
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
salt to taste

Combine parsley, garlic and pecans in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground, add olive oil and pulse until a smooth paste forms. Add parmeasean cheese, stir. Ready to serve!