Pecan Pie, the great Corn Syrup-Free hunt

Because I did a poor job of planning, and what I did plan for our Christmas meal was stuff I'd never made - ie a Pecan Pie, I fond myself Christmas morning searching for recipes without corn syrup because I didn't have any on hand.

I found a good one.  It was mostly as I remembered pecan pie of past (or at least the way my pie aficionado sister-in-law makes them back in pie country).  The only hitch was I burned the top and the inside was still too runny. I think I'll blame my oven.  My local sister-in-law saved it from certain death however by suggesting I cover it in foil for the last 10 or so minutes.

http://www.chefeddy.com/2009/10/pecan-pie-corn-syrup-free/

Pecan pie, without corn syrup

Yield: 1- 9 inch pie

3	(3)	Large eggs	3
¾ Cup	(6 oz)	Water	180 g
1 ¾  Cup, well packed	(14 oz)	Medium brown sugar	420 g
½ teaspoon	( ½ tsp)	Salt	2.5 g
½ Stick	(2 oz)	Unsalted butter	60 g
1 Tablespoon	(0.5 oz)	Brandy or Rum (optional)	15 ml
2 teaspoon	(2 tsp)	Vanilla extract	10 ml
2 Cups	(8 oz)	Pecan pieces	240 g

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Whisk together the eggs and water until very well blended. Add the brown sugar and salt. Melt the butter and add to the mixture. Add the Brandy and vanilla extract.
3. Place the pecans in the pie shell and pour the custard filling over the pecans, the pecans will automatically float to the surface. Since nine inch pie shells vary in depth and thus volume, not all the custard filling may fit.  By not mixing the pecans into the custard filling you will possibly prevent throwing away extra custard filling containing pecans.
4. Place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 325°F (160°C) and bake until the center of the pie is set and no longer trembles when touched, about 65 minutes.

Christmas Potatoes au Goat Gratin

I threw this together with out measuring but here it is basically:

Slice about 7 potatoes
Place 2 layers of thinly sliced potatoes in 9 x 13 baking dish
Over low heat melt 1/4 cup of butter and 2 tbsp goat butter
Add about 3 tbsp flour, wisking
Add 1-2 cups goat milk
Add 2 or more cups shredded white cheddar cheese

Tweak it to make it a thick soupy consistency.  Pour half or a bit less over first layer of potatoes.  layer the rest of the potatoes and pour the remaining sauce.  Cover with some shredded parmesan cheese and some panko bread crumbs.  Cover with foil and bake at 375 for an hour.  Take the foil off and bake for another 15-20 minutes to get it boiling and toasted up on top.

******Most important part*****
Don't TELL your diners that there is goat in it until AFTER they've had their fill.

Christmas Blueberry Muffins

Husband's family has blueberry muffins Christmas morning,  so we do as well.  I'm happy to replace the yeasty difficult -to-make hot cross buns I grew up with.

This is the recipe I've been using, found on allrecipes.com and it is really key to have fresh blueberries on hand:

"To Die For Blueberry Muffins"

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.