Today’s Secret Recipe will make an excellent addition to your Valentine’s Day dessert spread. At the Mountain Restaurant in Southern California they serve a yummy walnut praline shortbread. It combines rich, crumbly walnut shortbread with a sweet honeyed praline and chopped walnuts. It’s hard to eat just one of these, so make sure you bake enough of them to go around.
The Mountain Restaurant has been known for simply wonderful, top-quality food made from the heart. They were one of the best fine dining establishments in Idyllwild until they closed in 2012. Now they offer full service catering in Idyllwild.
Enjoy the recipe!
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Praline:
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the brown sugar, sugar, butter and honey. Stir until the mixture comes to a boil, then whisk constantly for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cool for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in the cream. This makes about one-half cup praline base.
Shortbread and assembly:
- 2 cups (8.5 ounces) flour
- 2 cups (7.3 ounces) walnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (1.2 ounces) cornstarch
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened, plus extra for buttering the pans
- 1 cup plus 2 teaspoons (7.7 ounces) sugar
Praline base
- 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
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In the bowl of a food processor, blend together the flour, walnuts, salt and cornstarch until finely ground and fully combined.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until combined and just fluffy.
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Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until completely combined.
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Halve the mixture and roll each half into a log about 1 3/4 inches thick (the diameter of the log should match the diameter of the base of the mini-muffin molds). Roll the logs tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate until chilled and solid, at least 1 hour.
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Heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease the mini-muffin pans. Unwrap 1 log at a time and cut crosswise into about one-third inch coins. Place each coin in a greased mini-muffin mold, and repeat until all of the molds are filled. If you haven’t yet used all of the dough, chill the remaining dough until ready to cut.
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Using a half-teaspoon spoon measure, make an indentation in each shortbread coin. Fill each shortbread coin with one-half teaspoon of the praline base, then sprinkle over some of the chopped walnuts.
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Bake each tray until the shortbread is set and golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and cool slightly before unmolding. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Makes 3 Dozen.
Source: LA Times
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Until Next Time… Be Well!
Kind Regards,
RSN