Thats just nuts!!!

nuts i tell ya, just plain nuts!!! what a week it's been. a nasty storm blew out my phone/internet connection when the line was struck by lightning. it took a week to get back up and running because i only have residential service, business services get first priority. thanks at&t for making me feel appreciated, the competition is beginning to look real good at this point. i actually had to venture off to the public library to read my email and research information for the book i am working on which is now on the shelf due to contract issues-thanks guys for making me feel like part of the team. the bright spot in an otherwise crappy week, it was pie time again and i nearly missed it but thanks to holly, i made it into the round up even though my post wasn't up.

this month's theme was nuts. so fitting this week, everything else in my world was going nuts so why not the pie too? the hostess this month was jacque of daisy lane cakes and we were challenged to bake a pie using nuts-any kind of nut, however we pleased as long as it was obvious that it was in there. i was tossed up on what to do. peanut butter came to mind but i am a little saturated with peanut butter right now. chocolate and nut combos came to mind but it's a little cliche. fruit and almonds, booringgg. then i spied a jar of sorghum in the closet; the wheels began to turn...why not all of the nuts i have handy in a translucent custard (think pecan pie) with some sorghum?

the finished tart, all gooey and nutty. the combination of toasted walnuts, almonds, pecans and hazelnuts with a hint of cinnamon and sorghum is incredible. the sorghum, while sweet, cuts the cloying aspect of the corn syrup and sugar that most recipes call for. it adds a different dimension of flavor and sweetens the pie without it being too sweet. just beware, if you decide to try this, use part sorghum to corn syrup, consider adding a tablespoon or two of flour-it adds moisture not found in corn syrup, and don't substitute molasses for sorghum-it is too strong and will add a bitterness that will mask the flavor of the nuts and spices.

gooey and sweet all on it's own, perhaps with a little unsweetened whipped cream...mmmmm...

thanks jacque for a sweet ending to a sour week!