apropos of anything

All butter, to be exact.

For Thanksgiving I wanted a to make pecan pie, mostly because I felt like we need to have either a pumpkin pie or a pecan pie at Thanksgiving and pecan would be the desi preference of choice, but given our guest list was upwards of 50 people, I didn’t think a single pie would cut it. Neither did I have time to roll out five pie crusts or any desire to have so much pecan pie on my hands that I wouldn’t be able to stand the smell of it until the next November.

Surely, I thought, there must be a bar version of pecan pie, something I can cut up into squares and put on a plate so that everyone can have a taste of pecan pie since a taste is all they really want anyway, especially with the dessert extravaganza we spread out every year. When I found this recipe in the Gourmet Cookbook that I’d lugged all the way to Augusta I was so thrilled I didn’t consider at first how much butter was involved and whether it was appropriate for the buy-one-get-one heart attackers on our guest list.

Between these and the mashed potatoes (butter! half and half! more butter!), my subconscious was clearly trying to bump some people off.

They are incredibly good, though (as are the mashed potatoes) and perfect to serve with chai or to package up in tins as a hostess gift. If you use the pre-chopped pecans, which I did not because the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is not a time when the grocery stores are bursting with pecans, the prep time on these is minimal, and even the chopping only adds a few extra minutes. These are definitely going into my arsenal of reliable standbys.

Couple notes on this recipe:

• I used orange blossom honey because that’s the one I have on hand for jamming, but I thought the lovely citrusy floral undertones that add so much to jam were a little intrusive here. Next time I’ll probably use straight clover honey.
• Despite the 12 tbsp of butter in the shortbread crust, these did stick to the pan a bit, mostly because of the topping. In the future I’ll be lining the pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Greasing the pan probably wouldn’t help with the sticking and might just make the shortbread too oily.
• I used a hand-held pastry blender instead of a food processor to do the shortbread crust and just a knife and cutting board to chop the pecans.

We put the handful of these that survived Thanksgiving into an airtight container. The leftovers got eaten within a day or two, so I cannot confirm or deny Gourmet’s assertion that these will keep 5 days when properly stored and refrigerated.

Pecan pie bars
The Gourmet Cookbook

For base:
1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

For topping:
2 c. (8 oz.) pecans
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1/3 c. honey
2 tbsp. heavy cream

Make the shortbread base: Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350° F. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture begins to form small lumps. Sprinkle mixture into an ungreased 13-by-9 inch baking pan and press evenly onto bottom with a metal spatula. Bake shortbread until golden, about 20 minutes.

Make the topping: Coarsely chop pecans in a food processor. Melt butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat. Stir in brown sugar, honey, and  cream and bring to a simmer, stirring. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute, and then stir in pecans. Remove from heat. Pour pecan mixture over hot shortbread and spread evenly. Bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes.

Cool completely in pan on a rack, then cut into bars.