A Trio of Sweet Treats from Sugar & Scribe Hits the Markets
Just in time for the holidays, Maeve Rochford, chef/owner of La Jolla's Sugar and Scribe, has introduced a new product line that for now includes three items: Spiced Cranberry Chutney, Orange Cardamom Fig Glaze, and Praline Pecan Pie Filling.
"I've wanted to create a varied product line that really embraced both my heritage and my personal culinary journey," she says. "The line started really to take form in July and now the first three items are ready."
Rochford knew they were coming out in November so she picked her top three holiday go-tos. The Praline Pecan Pie is a family favorite, and its origins are French. While she usually emphasizes her Irish heritage, "Rochford is actually French Huguenot. The praline is my addition to the family recipe."
I used the pie filling, along with her all-butter pastry crust recipe (recipe below), to make a pie for my family's Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of using a deep dish pie plate, I used a regular-size pie pan so I would have enough left over to make a mini pie that I could taste. The filling is rich and complex, thanks to the melding of lemon, vanilla, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, molasses, and bourbon. The recipe on the jar is easy to follow—just know that because of the limited space for the recipe, it doesn't say to add the filling to the eggs, sour cream, and melted butter. Not that you wouldn't realize you needed to include it, of course...
Rochford also told me that you could use it to make sweet rolls. Just make or buy your dough. Roll up the dough and slice the individual rounds and place them in a pan, then pour the filling over them and bake. Too lazy for this? Then pour it over ice cream or Greek yogurt.
The Cranberry Chutney is another family recipe, and very popular at Sugar and Scribe. "It's been one of my go-to, year-round foodie items," says Rochford. I found it to be a terrific mash up of a chutney and cranberry sauce, with a fabulous texture. This, family and friends, will be in a bowl on my Thanksgiving table.
Finally, there's the Orange Cardamom Fig Glaze. As Rochford says, it can go with proteins as well as sweet dishes. I used it on chicken recently, slathering it on close to the end of its roasting time. It created a tangy citrusy flavor that complemented the poultry. I'd use it on roasted pork tenderloin as well as salmon or black cod. But it would be equally enjoyable on yogurt or vanilla ice cream. Rochford warms it and pours it on pancakes.
More items will be coming in 2017. In the meantime, you can find them at local Vons and Albertsons markets, on Amazon Prime, Carlsbad Gourmet (which is the co-packager), and, of course, at Sugar and Scribe.
Deep Dish Praline Pecan Pie
From Chef Maeve Rochford of Sugar & Scribe
Makes 1 9-inch deep dish pie
All-Butter Pastry Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups of AP Flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup ice cold unsalted Finlandia Butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Around a 1/4 cup ice cold water
- Pinch of cinnamon
Filling:
- 3 eggs, beaten with a fork
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1 jar Praline Pecan Pie Filling
Directions
- Make the crust: In a large bowl, combine flour and salt and pinch of cinnamon. Cut in ice cold cubed butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on floured board. Gently place into pie pan. Trim and crimp edges. If you have leftover dough, wrap it up and freeze for another use. Let pie crust rest in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
- Combine the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the filling in the pie shell and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Shake the pie slightly to check for doneness. The center should move like set gelatin. The pie will fall after removing from the oven. Carefully level the nuts as it falls.
- Cool overnight or for at least four hours before serving.
