BB: Peach and Blueberry Crumbles

Crumbles, cobblers and crisps, oh my. Frankly the difference between these various approaches to serving seasonal fruit escapes me. In come Ina with something I would have never tried if not for joining a group dedicated to trying her recipes.

Tart, sweet, flaky, smooth and delicious this is very simple yet so very good. I halved the below recipe from Barefoot Contessa Family Style. I would suggested reducing the sugar if using very ripe peaches. Also it needed a bit more topping so if crumbly is your thing make a bit more of the crumble.

Many thanks to Aggie of Aggie's Kitchen a brilliantly written and photographed blog, for an excellent seasonal selection.

Peach & Blueberry Crumbles
From Barefoot Contessa Family Style, pages 197-198
Serves 5 to 6

For the fruit
2 lbs firm, ripe peaches (6-8 peaches)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

For the Crumble
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 lb (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.

For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and back for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature. If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles int he refrigerator and bake before dinner. Serves 5 to 6.

BB: Pasta with Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Food snobs have any number of coveted spectacular ingredients where the premium price reflect the reputation. Sun-dried tomatoes are such an item. While the concept of preserving tomatoes by drying in the sun and then soaking in olive oil sounds tasty, the chewy texture does not please my palate. Even with such a skeptical perspective on the key ingredient, I was pleased when Cat of Delta Whiskey chose Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes for the first July Barefoot Bloggers recipe.

Substituting oven roasted grape tomatoes mimicked the flavor of sun-dried tomatoes while creating a more pleasant texture with a price that fit my budget.

This recipe was a winner and is an excellent addition to any summer dinning table. The flavors were rich while still light for summer, with a bit of tang. Below is my adaptation, for the original recipe visit The Food Network or buy Barefoot Contessa Family Style.

Pasta with Oven-Dried Tomatoes
Adapted from Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Family Style pg. 58
Serves 4

1/2 pound Gemili pasta
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1/2 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced (half-pint grape tomatoes)
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced

For the oven roasted tomatoes:
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved long wise and seeded
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of sugar

For the dressing:
Oven roasted grape tomatoes
1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon capers, drained
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes and mozzarella.

For the oven-roasted tomatoes: pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine, sliced tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on sheet pan and sprinkle with sugar. Cook for 30-40 minutes until almost burnt. For the dressing, combine the oven-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, olives, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth. Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and parsley, and toss well.

BB: Curried (Not Really) Couscous

Couscous is a simple, versatile grain that can stand on its own or play a supporting role. It often makes an appearance on my dinner table so I was pleased that Ellyn of Recipe Collector and Tester selected this dish as the first June recipe for Barefoot Bloggers. The part of this selection I wasn't so keen on was the curried part of the recipe. One of the great challenges of cooking along with a group is dealing with ingredients that don't please ones palate. In this case, I took a bit of liberty, scratch that, a lot of liberty and substituted zatar seasoning comprised of sumac, dried wild thyme and sesame seeds. Pine nuts seem to be a natural pairing to zatar and from there I changed the focus of the dish away from curry. Regardless of these substitution this was an excellent choice for the first month of summer. The fundamentals of the recipe are strong and very, very good. The yogurt element was tangy and is something I will integrate in my couscous recipes. Enjoy!

Curried Couscous

Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

6 Servings

1 1/2 cups couscous
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (omitted)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (used lemon juice)
1 teaspoon curry powder (substituted with zatar seasoning)
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (omitted)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup small-diced carrots (omitted)
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (used only 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins (substituted pan sauteed tomatoes)
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds (substituted toasted pine nuts)
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts) (omitted)
1/4 cup small-diced red onion (substituted shallots)

Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste. Serve at room temperature.

BB: Outrageous Brownies

No words can truly express the chocolaty, gooey and outrageously delicious nature of these brownies selected as the last May recipe for Barefoot Bloggers. May was very hectic and vacay coincided with the deadline for posting this dish. After reading many of the posts I recognized this recipe could not be skipped. While I may be late to the party, please don't be, make these brownies.

Please note, I halved the recipe and broke in my first 9x13 baking pan. I reduced the amount of sugar and coffee by 1/4. The brownies were moist not overly sweet and overall big on chocolate. Please be sure to visit Eva at I'm Boring for an excellent recipe play by play.

Outrageous Brownies
Ina Garten from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Servings: 20 large brownies

1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.
Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

BB: Lemon Cakes... Sort Of

Lemon is used is just about everything I make. My husband has an unnatural love of lemons to the point that I don't throw lemons out after juicing as he will eat them like apples. This bonus BB recipe selected by McKenzie or Kenzies Kitchen, profiled lemon in a big way and I didn't take the bait. The recipe sounded challenging but more lemon didn't so very interesting so I substituted orange zest and juice.

The cakes were similar to a pound cake and truly profiled the fresh orange flavor. The recipe was challenging for a novice baker but the directions were concise easy to follow.

Other than using orange I made a few adjustments: added only 1 1/2 cups of sugar as opposed to 2 cups; poked holes so the syrup would seep into the cake; made only 1/2 the glaze.

We brought this cake with us on our road trip to Montreal and it was a perfect snack! Once again you delivered, Thanks Ina! I am on vacay for a bit, hopefully I return with some blog worthy inspiration.

Lemon Cakes

Barefoot Contessa Parties!, 2001
Servings: 2 loaf sized cake, 20 servings

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired.
Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

BB: Tuna Salad- The Real Stuff

I was thrilled that Tuna Salad was selected as the first Barefoot Bloggers May recipe. Kate of Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails, authors a fabulous blog and she could not have picked a better dish! Regardless of the price and extra effort in finding fresh tuna, the flavors truly delivered.

I was a bit concerned about the lime juice in this recipe as I am more accustomed to lemon with seafood. However, I found it truly complemented the tuna. I think lemon would be a bit harsh. The avocado brought creaminess to the party, while the red onion and scallion a bit of crunch. I did not know what to expect from an aesthetic perspective, because I had not seen a picture of this dish, but after the first bite, it tasted so good, I did not care what it looked like. This was prepared at my sister's home, and wish I would have brought a stainless steel pan as she only has non-stick coookware which did not give the sear I expected. Although the seared color was not pronounced, the flavor more than made up for that fault. I found the tuna to be perfectly rare while my sister indicated to cook for only 45 seconds as opposed to the 1 minute.

Please be sure to visit Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails for the full Ina Garten recipe and note I omitted the hot sauce and used reduced sodium soy sauce.

BB: Meet Monsieur and Madame Croque

A classic French sandwich- Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame brings me back to Paris. Granted, I do not recall a mornay sauce topped croque but the concept is there. I have made this before and was glad to see Kathy of All Food Considered selected this dish as it makes a perfect lunch or a fabulous breakfast-topped with a poached egg. The mornay sauce really adds to the cheese flavor and provides a crunchy texture. I used white bread for the madame version- sans crust, the monsieur version with crust. In retrospect, I should have used a more dense white bread, but it still was a great dinner that came together in a snap. Madam and Monsiuer spent a little too much time in the broiler as I scrambled to find my camera. I halved the below recipe from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris page 48 or you may find the recipe here.

Croque Monsieur

Ina Garten Barefoot In Paris

Serves 4

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups hot milk

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch nutmeg

12 ounces Gruyere, grated (5 cups)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

16 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed

Dijon mustard

8 ounces baked Virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter–flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat, add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan, and set aside. To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted. Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

BB: Asian Chicken Salad

Asian Chicken Salad is a nice spin on the more traditional mayo-based chicken salad. I really wanted to love this dish, but I found it was a bit heavy on peanut butter. The inclusion of fresh red pepper and roasted asparagus (as opposed to blanched asparagus) somewhat saved this dish, because it provided a much needed crunch. I halved this recipe and it still made a good amount. I will try this again with maybe just a small amount of peanut butter to keep the dressing together as well as black sesame seeds for some color contrast. Many thanks to McKenzie of Kenzie’s Kitchen for the selection. Please be sure to visit her blog for the recipe which is can be found, Barefoot Contessa Parties on page 98.

I have been a member of Barefoot Bloggers for a few months now and I have so much cooking through some wonderful recipes many of which I normally wouldn't try!

BB: Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts

My husband loves goat cheese, I mean he has an unnatural love of goat cheese, not unlike my love for Ina Garten dishes. This dish for Barefoot Bloggers was selected by Anne of Anne Strawberry, pleased both members of the household. I must say this is my most favorite Ina dish and I have made many Ina dishes, even prior to joining Barefoot Bloggers. My only complaint, if you could call it that, I wish tomatoes were in season. Other than this it was perfect, buttery, tart, smooth, crunchy and above all elegant. Ina always seems to bring a touch of elegance to the table and I really respect that about her as I am sure there are plenty who are better chefs or cooks but no one has her ability to take a dish that sounds hoity and make it accessible. I made one tart with goat cheese (photo above) and the other with feta (feta below). Both were excellent but the goat cheese prevailed. I omitted the basil as I forgot to acquire off my shopping list.

Many thanks again to Anne Strawberry for a great selection, please be sure to visit her blog which, by the way is loaded with wonderful pictures and great dishes, for the recipe.

BB: I Can't Bake and It's My Mother Fault: Brownie Pudding

Well, I am convinced that a persons up bringing affects their current existence and future endeavours in weird ways. Real profound right? Not so much, but I am trying to find the root cause as to why as a decently bright, educated individual I can't seem to achieve success when faced with a relatively straightforward recipes that involves sugar a mixer and a heat source.

I have determined that part of the problem is growing up in a Greek household that:

1.) Used non-standard measuring devices. I am still for the life of me trying to figure out the nomenclature of my mother's "tools".
2.) Owned every size pan but a 9x13 roasting pan (most household cookware came from restaurant supply stores or Theio Panagiotis restaurant, my mother still laughs at stores like Williams-Sonoma and Crate & Barrel).
3.) Had fruit for dessert.

Now item 1 I have overcome as I channel 7th grade home economics class. Items 2 and 3 however are a bit more difficult to tackle.

You see the 9x13 pan is significant as most "American" baking recipes use this dimension. Greek-Americans generally speaking don't cook in such a proportion. One makes a big pan of everything, there is no cooking for two people, it's cooking for a family and the neighbor who is working long hours and the friend at church that just loves that particular dish or the unexpected dinner guest. If you're going to invest the time for dishes like pastitso, youvetsi, baklava, yalatopita, karithopita, bougatsa or the pain staking task of rolling out phyllo you're going to make a large dose of that item. I love to entertain in this manner, I however never picked up the ability to downscale a recipe and have yet to acquire the coveted 9x13. I truly would have it no other way... expect of course when presented with an opportunity to make Chocolate Brownies that resemble lava cake. Somehow the Greek sensibility doesn't mix well when proportion really matters.

Now as for reason 3 as to why Kanella can't bake..... there were no brownies or cookies after supper during my formative years. One can try to assimilate to their adopted country but there are some things that people hold on to. Greeks generally eat fruit after a meal and consuming dessert is an event not associated with dinner. Mind you my parents were born during WWII during a very dark time in Greek history and they barely had bread (I am not exaggerating) so anything sweet that used sugar or honey was reserved for holidays. Thus I was only exposed to desserts for special, large occasions or when ladies visited the house and drank coffee and gossiped and the 9x13 certainly would not do the job for such events.

So the moral of the story I suck at baking and it's my Greek mother's fault.

This week's BB bonus recipes was selected by Tia of Southern Eh? I would have loved this dish if may be I had the right proportion of cookware (see above) and if had a bit more patience as i attempted to discard the water from the water bath while the brownie/pudding vessel was still in the water ending up with a runny mess. Now this called for a 9 x 12 x 2 pan and by the time I had even noted the required pan dimension the eggs were beating away. Regardless I gave it my all and will try this again as I am not quitter.

BB: Chicken Piccata

This dish was selected by Lindsey of Noodle Nights and Muffin Mornings and what a selection it was. This is everything that is good about cooking at home, fast, easy, elegant and flavorful. I cook with lemon and chicken often and found this recipe heavy on the lemon, I added a bit of honey to the sauce to offset the tart lemon flavor. Such a fix has worked in the past and worked this time. Please check out Noodle Nights and Muffin Mornings for the recipe.

BB: Meringues Chantilly

Oh boy was this a doozy of an effort! I must preface my comments on this recipe with some background. I hate meringue. Since I committed to trying new recipes I made this with the hope that somehow I would grow to love meringues, I mean Ina never real steers one array....

The recipe was easy to follow and the approach straightforward, I couldn't help thinking so much effort so lackluster meringues? Even my husband didn't care for them and he generally likes meringue. Regardless I found the berry stew very tasty and will for sure use that in future desserts and you really can't fault a dessert with homemade whipped cream.

Thanks to BMK of Reservations Not Required (recipe may be found here) for the selection as sometimes you have to try to make something to reinforce the notion that you actually dislike it!

Barefoot Blogger: Real Spaghetti and Meatballs

Pasta is one of my favorite things and I am always looking for new tricks. One of the best new tricks is trying a different approach to a classic. This recipe is very similiar to my usually spaghetti and meatballs and I found the flavors really fresh and simple and sometimes that's all you really need. I found the meatballs a little on the bready side but that allowed to soak up a really mild sauce. My guests and I really enjoyed and I followed the recipe to the tee.












Recipe: Ina Garten from Food Network Website

Ingredients

For the meatballs:
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For serving:nocoupons
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.
Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.
For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

Barefoot Blogger: Sticky Buns

I am really pleased that I could join this great group Barefoot Bloogers. I joined late this month and am excited about trying new recipes, since I honestly wouldn't have tried this recipe otherwise, it's a good chance to try new things. Recipe was easy to follow, found it a bit heavy on the butter but the end producet was excellent. Enjoy!

Sticky Buns
Ina Garten
12 servings


12 tablespoons (1 & 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
1 package (17.3 ounces/ 2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

FOR THE FILLING:
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture. Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with half of the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1½ teaspoons of the cinnamon, and ½ cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about ½ inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1½ inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.