Sweets for my B...

Dear hubby has a sweet tooth and that's why there is always a tasty treat in the house. He grew up in a household where his mom is like Martha Stewart where all possible cookies, brownies, baking are a staple. So, even if I'm not fond of anything too sugary, for my honey-bunny, I learned how to bake! I guess it started with a banana bread. B whipped it up while I watched him do it. He was too fond of making it that on the first year we were together, we gave them as gifts for Christmas. I was proud of B knowing that he knew how to bake but at the same time, I have a bit of a guilt that I did NOT know how to do one. I learned slow and I'd "cheat" by using those box-ed stuff, hahahaha... However, now that I somehow knew how to do the basics, I feel kind of betrayed (naks!) when it's not from scratch. If you think about it, it's cheaper to do it from scratch and the boxed ones I find a tad too sweet (maybe because I can choose alternatives for my sugar - like putting in maple syrup or honey or brown or a mix of brown and white).

Not to be a snob here, but it's weird that after a while of doing some tinkering in the kitchen, I can somehow tell if the goodies were from scratch or boxed. Yikes!!!

B has a big affinity to cookies - I don't. The only 'cookie' I like are the shortbread ones - in all its variety. I guess until I've learned to make it chewy and moist, I probably will not have it on top of my favorites! But, for B and I, we have come to one hands-down favourite. The Pecan Butter Tart from Trish Magwood's Dish Entertains cookbook.

This is a butter tart - so you have to use real (unsalted) butter. If you use margarine, you'll find the 'base' a tad bit salty - this is because most margarine has high salt content. And, butter has that airy (not heavy) taste to it so you should use butter and not cheat by using the margarine. ;) (I knew this because I did so!!! hahaha) If you don't have a butter on hand, make sure you reduce your salt when making the base then.

With the pastry blender (like the one showing here), work the cubed butter in the dry ingredients. If you don't have a pastry blender, use two knives and "cut" the ingredients on a scissorlike motion. I am sharing this tip because I have made pastries then without the pastry blender! :) The 'pastry' or the base will be ready when the ingredients now look like a coarse meal (buo-buo yung itsura nya).

Once the butter is fully incorporated, press the pastry in a parchment-lined square pan. I try to have some excess on the sides of the pan so you can easily take the whole tart without breaking it!

Make sure that you have an evenly pressed base by using your spatula. :) Bake this in the oven for about 15 minutes. Note: This same recipe for the base is actually the same basic ingredients when making shortbread cookies! :)

While the base is in the oven, prepare the pecans. The original recipe calls for raisins (I use sultanas) but B does not like raisins too much. For this special request, I relented and omitted raisins from the batch and just used all pecans. (I fibbed that the recipe becomes more expensive without the raisins as extenders. lol) Using the mezzaluna (the half moon thingy on the picture), cut the bigger nuts into smaller bite-sized pieces.

Then with the topping mixture (corn syrup, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla), pour in the pecans.

Pour the topping on the now-cooked base and bake for at least 20 minutes. To know that it's done, the top should be spring like to the touch - if you see the topping looking unstable, that means, the inner stuff is not done yet!

Let the tart cool for at least 10 minutes then cut in the desired pieces! :) Bon apetit!