Salty Sweet Log Cabin Recipes

LOG CABIN PIE

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. (Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.)
• Turn dough out onto a work surface. Divide dough into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all dough together with a scraper (if using) and press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. If dough is sticky, dust lightly with additional flour. Wrap disk in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Make pie shell:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under slightly and press against rim of pie plate. Decoratively crimp. Chill shell 30 minutes.
• Lightly prick bottom and side of shell with a fork. Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is pale golden along rim and set underneath weights, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until bottom and side are golden, about 15 minutes more. Cool completely in pie plate on a rack, about 20 minutes.
• Make filling and bake pie:
• Whisk together yolks and salt in a bowl until blended, then whisk in syrup and lemon juice. Stir in pecans and pour filling into pie shell, spreading nuts evenly. Cover edge of shell with a pie shield or foil and bake just until filling is set, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool to warm or room temperature on rack.

SWEET, SALTY, SPICY PARTY NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
• Combine walnut halves, pecan halves, almonds, and cashews in a large bowl. Add salt, black pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper; toss to coat.
• Heat sugar, water, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter is melted. Cook for 1 minute and remove from heat. Slowly pour butter mixture over the bowl of nuts and stir to coat.
• Transfer nuts to the prepared baking sheet and spread into a single layer.
• Bake nuts in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Stir nuts until the warm syrup coats every nut. Spread into a single layer, return to the oven, and bake until nuts are sticky and roasted, about 6 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

SALTY-SWEET PEANUT BUTTER SANDIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick liners. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until smooth and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Add the peanut butter and eggs, and mix. Add the flour and salt and mix just until well combined, with no white flour showing.
• Using a small cookie scoop (about 2 teaspoons capacity), scoop dough onto prepared pans. The tops will be rounded but craggy. The cookies will not spread much or change shape when they bake, so they can be placed quite close together, but leave room for air circulation so they can brown.
• In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 tablespoon salt. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with sugar-salt mixture, getting it into the crags and crannies. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until cookies are set and golden-brown. Carefully lift or slide off baking sheets and cool on racks. Store in layers separated by parchment paper, in airtight containers.