Pecan Caramel Sticky Buns

The title says it all doesn't it! Yum! Well a colleague at work demanded that i bring in a treat as she was yet to try my cooking. So after perusing ideas on the internet i thought that these sticky buns would be an easy solution, also because my mother (yes, i currently like with my parents. yikes) picked up 12 little pie tins, perfect for sticky bun making!

Little did i know the work that goes into sticky buns. If anyone has made puff pastry, croissants or similar puffy pastries before, they will know the angst involved, particularly if you're a first timer like me. But the satisfaction i felt as i pulled the amazingly puffed and soft pastries from the oven was all worth it!

Butter Pecan Icecream

Yes, i've been absent without leave for quite some time now! But that doesn't mean i haven't been cooking away. I've simply been too engrossed in eating my creations before i get a chance to photograph them.

To get your tastebuds a-tingling, and your saliva a-flowing after a long hiatus, let me introduce to you the best icecream i've ever made! Taken from the recipe for a well known icecream brand, it is also one of the easiest icecreams to make too. No risk of curdling THIS custard!

Ingredients

• 1 cup of pecan halves
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 cup full cream milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar

Method

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat.

Once melted, add the pecans
Saute until the butter is juuuuust beginning to brown, and the pecans are very fragrant.

Pour off the butter into a cup and reserve the pecans.
Crack the eggs into a deep bowl and whisk until thick and creamy (about 2 minutes)
Add the sugar in 5 lots, whisking with each addition, then whisk for a further 1 minutes
Add the cream, milk, and melted butter, whisking to combine well
Transfer to a jug and chill in the refrigerator (say 2 hours)
Transfer the mixture to an icecream maker and freeze as per manufacturer's instructions.
Just before the mix is fully frozen, add the pecan halves
Enjoy!

Pecan Pie

North Americans seem to have such sweet tooths. New York Cheesecake. Peach Pie. Mississippi Mudcake. Brownies. And that's only the stuff that's now common everywhere else! Less common in Australia is the truly so-sweet-you-could-cry foods like Pecan Pie, essentially a pie filled with pecans and caramel. The caramel was so intense in this dish based off an American recipe, the first time i made it, that the pecans were almost like an afterthought. This time upped the quantity of pecans to help balance sweet with nutty.