Chocolate pecan pie

crust
Flour	1 ¼ cups (175g)
Salt	¼ teaspoon
Sugar	2 teaspoons
Butter, unsalted, chilled, cubed	4 ounces (115g)
Water, iced	4 tablespoons (60ml)
filling
Eggs	3
Sugar, dark brown, packed	¾ cup (150g)
Corn syrup	2/3 cup (200g)
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon
Salt	½ teaspoon
Butter, melted	2 tablespoons (30g)
Bourbon	2 tablespoons
Pecans, toasted, very coarsely chopped	1 2/3 cups (190g)
Bittersweet chocolate	¾ cup (120g)

Crust

1. Mix together flour, salt, and sugar.
2. Add butter, and cut in until the size of small peas.
3. Add water, and mix until dough comes together.
4. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface into a 12-inch round.
6. Transfer into a 9-inch pie plate, letting the dough ease into the pan rather than pressing it in.
7. Tuck the overhanging dough underneath the area above the rim of the pie plate, to create a double width, and then crimp the edges.
8. Refrigerate until ready to fill.

Filling

1. Preheat oven to 375°F, and position a rack in the center.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, syrup, vanilla, salt, butter, and bourbon.
3. Stir in pecans and chocolate.
4. Scrape filling into the prepared pie shell.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the filling puffs slightly but still feels slightly wiggly and moist in the center.
6. Cool completely before slicing; serve with ice or whipped cream.

Recipe by David Lebovitz, kindly provided by Ben.

Slow-cooked spareribs with pineapple & ginger

Pictured with Brussels sprouts & jalapeño bread. 

4-quart slow cooker
Pineapple chunks	20 ounces
Soy sauce, light	1/3 cup
Ketchup	1/3 cup
Vinegar, cider	3 tablespoons
Sugar, dark brown	3 tablespoons
Ginger, freshly minced or grated	2 tablespoons
Garlic, minced	1 clove
Pork spareribs or baby back ribs, cut into serving pieces of 3 to 4 ribs each	4 pounds

1. Drain pineapple, reserving ½ cup of the juice, and set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine juice, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, sugar, ginger, and garlic; set aside.
3. Coat slow cooker with cooking spray.
4. Add liquid mixture to the slow cooker.
5. Stack ribs flat, alternating with pineapple chunks.
   For oval cookers, lay ribs flat, and scatter chunks around them.
6. Cover, and cook for 8 to 9 hours on LOW.

Time: 9 hours total (15 minutes active) • 6 servings

Jalapeño bread

	1 ½-pound loaf	2-pound loaf
Water, 80°F/27°C	¾ cup	1 cup
Oil	2 ½ tablespoons	3 tablespoons
Corn, whole kernel	¾ cup	1 cup
Jalapeños, chopped	3 tablespoons	¼ cup
Sugar	2 tablespoons	2 ½ tablespoons
Salt	1 teaspoon	1 ¾ teaspoons
Flour, bread	3 cups	4 cups
Corn meal	½ cup	2/3 cup
Cilantro, fresh, chopped	1 tablespoon	1 tablespoon
Yeast, active dry	2 teaspoons	2 ¼ teaspoons

1. Place ingredients into bread machine in order listed.
2. Select BASIC, and START.

Recipe from the Breadman Instructional Manual & Recipe Guide.

Pineapple upside-down cake

Butter, melted	2 tablespoons
Sugar, brown, packed	1/3 cup
Water	1 tablespoon
Pineapple slices, drained, halved	8 ounces
Cherries, maraschino, halved	4
Flour, all-purpose	1 1/3 cups
Sugar	2/3 cup
Baking powder	2 teaspoons
Milk	2/3 cup
Butter, softened	¼ cup
Egg	1
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, and position a rack in the center.
2. Coat bottom of 9x1 ½-inch pan with butter.
3. Stir in brown sugar and 1 tablespoon water.
4. Arrange pineapple and cherries in the pan.
5. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder.
6. Add milk, butter, egg, and vanilla.
7. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined; beat on medium for 1 minute.
8. Spoon batter over pineapple and cherries.
9. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes; loosen sides; invert onto a plate.

Notes: Do not bake in a silicon pan! The sugar does not caramelize properly. The mother of my friend Detra was kind enough to offer the following:

‎"All I do is use about a half stick butter, throw in some dark brown sugar and bring it to a boil. Remove; put my pineapple rings down, then my cherries, and pecans. Mix the cake and pour it over. Very easy!"

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

Kay's whole wheat banana bread

Dry
Flour, whole wheat	2 cups
Wheat germ	¼ cup
Baking soda	1 teaspoon
Salt	½ teaspoon
Wet
Bananas	1 ½ cups
Oil, vegetable or nut	¼ cup
Honey	¼ cup
Eggs	2
Vanilla	1 teaspoon
Pecans, or other nuts (optional)	½ to 1 cup

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Coat a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt; make a well in the center of the mixture.
4. In another bowl, combine bananas, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
5. Mix Wet and Dry together, stirring until moistened.
6. Gently stir in nuts, if desired.
7. Spoon batter into pan, and bake for 1 hour, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Recipe from my aunt Kay.