Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Bass Pecans

Note:   Our local newspaper had an article about the new Bass pecan store yesterday.    As a southern girl finding good pecans are very important to me.    I am very, very lucky in that my next door neighbor gives me two HUGE bags of Yazoo County pecans every year for Christmas.    These are huge pecans and are always delicious.     These bags usually last me the entire year.    However, I am always on the look out for great recipes.    I decided to add these to my website because they all sounded so great.

If you have never heard of Bass Pecans you have to try them!   Yum!

South-of-the-Border Cheese Ball

1 pound Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup jalapeno peppers (finely chopped)
Dash salt
Garlic cloves (minced) (optional)
1 cup Bass pecan pieces
Soften cheeses. Add jalapeno and salt (and garlic, if desired), and mix until smooth. Chill mixture in refrigerator until firm enough to shape into a ball.
Roll ball in Bass Pecan Pieces and chill until serving time. You can roll into logs, if desired.
Also, they may be frozen and stored for later use.

Butter Pecan Fudge

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup Bass pecan pieces (toasted)
Combine white and brown sugars, whipping cream and salt, bring to boil and boil 5 minutes (stirring constantly).
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and confectioners' sugar. Stir until smooth; add pecans, spread in buttered 8-inch square pan.

Pecan Magic Bundt Cake

1 1/2 cup Bass pecan pieces, divided
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped apples (4 to 5 large apples)
Shortening for greasing the Bundt pan
Very finely chop 1/2 cup of the pecan pieces. Grease the Bundt pan and line the greased pan with the pecans (covering the entire inside of the pan). Lightly press them to the sides.
Set oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs till light colored.
Add sugar, oil, and vanilla. Blend well. Mix together flour, soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to egg mixture.
Add apples and the remaining cup of (coarsely chopped) pecan pieces to the batter.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (It may seem like there is not enough batter, but it will be delicious.)
Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or cheddar cheese.