Candied Pecans

Spice up all your holiday tables with these easy and delicious candied pecans.

ingredients:

2 cups Pecan Halves

2 Tbs Brown Sugar

½ tsp Salt

optional :

•freshly ground pepper – 5 turns of the pepper mill

•1/8 tsp. Curry powder

directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the pecan halves on a cookie sheet lined with foil and spread them out in one layer. Toast the pecans for about 5 minutes, just to get them warm.

Place the brown sugar and salt and optional spices in a medium sized bowl and mix them well. Fill a small bowl with some warm water.

When the pecans are warm, take them out of the oven, and turn the oven down to 250 degrees. IMMEDIATELY place the warm pecans in the bowl with the seasonings. Dip your hand into the warm water and use your wet hand to toss the warm pecans with the seasoning. You are basically trying to melt the sugar with a little water so that the pecans are coated evenly with a flavorful syrup. If you need to add a little more water, you can dip your hand in the bowl of water and toss the pecans again. You do not want them to be soggy – just lightly and evenly coated.

Place the seasoned pecans back on the foil lined cookie tray and spread them in one layer. Put the cookie tray back in the oven at 250 degrees and let them cook for about 20 minutes.

Check the pecans by taking one out of the oven, letting it cool for about 5 minutes, and then tasting (no need to take the whole tray in and out of the oven a million times!). You want the pecans to have a little bit of crunch – not a sticky film. If the pecans are still sticky, keep baking them for another 10 minutes and continue to check them in this manner until you are satisfied.

Candied pecans will keep crisp for about a week if stored in a dry area – sealed Tupperware, etc. Not in the refrigerator.

Place the pecans decoratively on your finished pumpkin pie for a little added texture and flavor, or serve alone as a snack with champagne, etc.

Our Pop Up Shop at Anya Hindmarch

Last week was a GREAT week!

We are so busy gearing for the holidays, corporate parties, pre-ordered Thanksgiving pies. Our Culver City bakery is busy making artisan cookies, couture cookies and custom logo brownies for Kate Spade, Baby Phat, Lucky Magazine and so many more.

Along with all of our normal, day to day stirring and baking, last week we joined forces with the Anya Hindmarch store on Robertson Boulevard for a 4 day event, raising money and awareness for Coach Art. We had an opportunity to meet with many of the young children whom are involved with the organization.

We set up a mini bakery inside the store and met many wonderful and amazing people. We are planning on doing many more Pop-Up shops around town. It was truly a rewarding and special experience.

Some of the treats we made

Disco Ho-Ho's

Pumpkin Cheesecakes with the Anya Logo

Pudding Shooters

(chocolate, caramel, vanilla pudding)

Lots of celeb's showed up and LOVED our treats

The Saturday before the event, we invited a few of the kids from Coach Art to help bake and create for the event. They helped make chocolate baby cakes, pumpkin pies and even created sugar cookies, which they took home for their family to enjoy.

At the opening night event, the kids made bag puppets. All of the creations were fantastic.

Thanksgiving Pie Menu 2009

We, at platine, love the holidays. We especially love creating new recipes, using local, farm grown ingredients.

Let us bake your pies for your Thanksgiving Table.

platine + anya hindmarch + coach art

We are so excited about this upcoming event next week.

Anya Hindmarch is an amazing British designer whom has stores all over the world. Her store on fashionable Robertson Boulevard and Platine Bakery have teamed up to raise money and awareness for Coach Art. Coach Art's mission is to improve the quality of life for underprivileged children and adolescents with chronic and life-threatening illnesses by providing free, personal lessons in the arts and athletics.