Pecans are My New Bacon

Bacon continues to dominate the world, and though I am still a fan, though I have found a replacement and pecans are my new bacon. I seem to be adding them to everything, and everything I add them to is better for it. Toasted pecans (and you must toast them) add flavor, texture and depth to foods. They’re good with both sweet and savory foods, and they’re good for you too. Honestly I started adding pecans because I had a two pound bag of them in my freezer, and needed to use them, but once I got started it was as if I’d begun mainlining some culinary drug—I wanted them in everything. 

Last week I saw a recipe from one of my favorite blogs Smitten Kitchen for biscuits made with caramelized onions and Gruyère. They sounded perfect for the Christmas dinner I was invited to at my friend Lisa’s house. She always has ham, and when you have ham, you have to have biscuits. Last year I made super-flaky biscuits, and though they looked impressive, and flaky, it turns out I prefer a lumpier, denser, more scone-like biscuit. Anyway these sounded like a perfect ham-accompanying biscuit, and I trust Deb Perlman recipes for integrity as well as palate pleasing. All these biscuits needed to feed my new addiction was the addition of toasted, chopped pecans. I sincerely hope Ms. Perlman would agree.

There were always pecans around when I was growing up. My mom was a graduate of Smith College, and the alumnae sold pecans as part of their fundraising efforts. I don’t recall her using them for anything besides pecan pies, but I remember the bags of them in the freezer, and cases of those bags in the living room ready for delivery. My mom was a good cook, but a spectacular pie maker, but that is another story.

Many people consider pecans and walnuts interchangeable, but I disagree. I find walnuts too soft and a bit waxy, even when toasted. I would definitely substitute pecans for walnuts, but never the other way around. Pecans are sweeter, nuttier, and have more crunch. The aroma of toasting pecans is heavenly, much like the smell of bacon is.

As I’ve mentioned I keep my pecans (all nuts in fact) in the freezer. I buy nuts at places like Costco, Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods Market where I can get them in bulk, and generally for much less than you’ll pay for those tiny half-cup bags sold in the baking aisle (check out the price per pound on those, you’ll faint). When I am toasting nuts I always make extra, and store those in the freezer as well, then I can pull them out and toss them into salads, waffles/pancakes, scones, biscuits, cookies, roasted vegetables, cauliflower, or even on top of pasta. They make a nice addition to chicken salad, or a low-carb ‘breading’ for fish or cutlets of meat. They are the green shoes my mom made fun of, but actually turned out to go with all my clothes; they are the new bacon, at least at my house.

I hope all this pecan PR has convinced you to start adding pecans to things you might not have considered.

Caramelized Onion, Gruyere and Pecan Biscuits

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Ingredients

• 11 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter (1 TBL for the onions, the rest cut into small cubes)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Medium onion (about 8-10 ounces)
• 3 cups flour (1/4 cup reserved for rolling out bsicuits)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4oz Gruyere cheese (cut into 1/2)
• 1/2 cup pecans (toasted and chopped fine)
• 1 cup buttermilk

Note

These biscuits are an adaptation from Smitten Kitchen's caramelized onion and gruyere biscuits which is an adaptation from Alyce Shields via Tasting Table.  I was glad to see that Ms. Shields' recipe was classified as a scone; I like my biscuits as scone-like as possible which for me means extra tender with a craggy exterior. No smooth cheeked scones/biscuits for me.

I love Deb Perlman's method of cooking onions, saves time, and no added sugar needed. This will surely be my new method.

 

 

Directions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F Cut onions in half lengthwise, and slice thin (use a mandolin or food processor) Melt 1 TBL butter and olive oil in a skillet on low heat Add onions, stir to coat onions with the fat, put a lid on the skillet and allow onions to sweat for ten minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook stirring frequently until onions are brown (about 20 minutes) Allow to cool

Step 2

Put pecans on a sheet tray and toast in the oven about 5-10 minutes, until fragrant, but do not let them get dark brown Allow to cool, then chop in food processor until fine, but not pulverized Remove nuts from processor, and then put dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder) Pulse a few times to combine, then add butter

Step 3

Pulse the mixture several times until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal Turn mixture out into a large bowl Add cubed cheese and pecans, and toss gently to combine Combine buttermilk and onions and add to flour mixture, use a wooden spoon to gently combine Flour the counter with the reserved flour, and dump out biscuit dough Pat dough flat, then fold in half, repeat three times, then roll or pat dough into a 1" thick rectangle To make round biscuits use a 2" cutter (for 15 biscuits) or 3" cutter for 12 large biscuits or Cur dough into rectangles or triangles

Step 4

Lay biscuits on a parchment-lined sheet tray Bake for 20-23 minutes until the biscuits are golden-brown and you can see the melted cheese around the edges