One of our wonderful customers provided this tempting recipe. She likes to decorate it with pecans, but you can be creative and add your own twist! Here are a few ideas: add fresh, crushed strawberries between the layers; add a layer of custard or cream cheese frosting over the filling; decorate the frosted top with some of our signature Pecan Delicacies (try CocoaLeche, CocoaMocha, CocoaBlanca, or Texas Pecan Toffee).

Chocolate Pecan Torte

Ingredients:

7 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ Cups ground pecans
¼ Cup packaged dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line bottom of 3 (8″) round layer-cake pans with circles of waxed paper.

Separate eggs, putting whites into an electric mixing bowl and yolks into a small bowl. Let whites warm to room temperature (about 1 hour). With mixer at high speed, beat whites with 1/4 teaspoon salt until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup granulated sugar (2 Tablespoons at a time) until stiff.

With the same beaters, beat yolks until thick and light. Gradually beat in the rest of the granulated sugar, beating until thick (about 3 minutes), then beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Combine ground nuts, bread crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Turn dry ingredients into yolk mixture with a rubber scraper, mix well with under-over motion, and fold into whites just to combine.

Divide batter evenly into pans. Bake 25 minutes, or until surface springs back.

Filling

Ingredients:

1 Cup heavy cream, chilled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ Cup confectioners sugar

Directions:

Combine ingredients, beat until still, then refrigerate. After cake has baked and cooled, spread filling between the layers.

Frosting

Ingredients:

4 squares unsweetened chocolate
¼ Cup butter
3 Cups sifted confectioners sugar
½ Cup hot water
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Remove from heat and add sugar, vanilla, and hot water. Pour frosting over the top of the cake and let it drizzle down the sides.

Out in the orchard, our hedging program continues. We’re also working to get the orchard floor smoothed and prepped for spring. Ideally, this would be a good time to deal with any necessary major projects, such as installing and/or upgrading the irrigation system, renovating the cleaning plant, repairing equipment, etc.

February is also a good time to plant pecan trees. If you’d like to know more about planting and training young trees, we’re happy to answer questions. Click here to see the FAQs on the TPGA website.

Check back often to see videos and other helpful information we’ll post here about planting, training young trees, planning a fertilizer program, and more! You should also check our event calendar to find out when the next Q&A with our orchard manager is taking place.

Kelley + Brian • October 2011

The weather was perfect for this October wedding at Royalty Pecan Farms, and the day was captured beautifully in this fun, romantic video created by Andy Schneider of HappyDayMedia.com. Check out his website to see more!

“So far it’s been one of my favorite weddings to shoot because of the couple and how beautiful the farm is.” ~ Andy Schneider, Happy Day Media

Photos by Half Orange Photography

Parmesan Pecan Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

4 (4 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs, whipped
½ Cup chopped Royalty Pecans (either raw or roasted & salted)*
½ Cup ground pecan meal
½ Cup shredded Parmesan cheese*
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Cup extra virgin olive oil (or more as needed)*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour olive oil into a non-stick frying pan on the stove and set it on medium heat.

Mix pecan meal, cheese, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper in a large, flat dish. Whip eggs in a separate bowl.

Coat chicken breasts with beaten egg mixture, then lay them in the dry ingredients. Make sure the chicken is covered well. Using tongs or a fork, gently and slowly lay the chicken breasts into the heated oil. Be careful not to splash, and don’t let any hot oil touch your skin.

Fry the coated chicken breasts in the olive oil for just 1 minute on each side, then arrange them in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle chopped pecans over the top. Bake the chicken for 20-30 minutes (or longer if needed).

* We have some of these excellent, locally made ingredients available at our gift shop: natural shelled pecans, roasted and salted pecans, olive oil from Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard, and a variety of delicious Texas cheeses.

After the harvest season comes to an end, it’s time for the pecan trees to rest before the next growing season begins. As the month progresses, the leaves will continue to fall and the trees will go dormant. During this dormant period, we’ll start hedging the trees.

The main reason we do this is to manage the sunlight. It’s crucial that our pecan trees get the food, water, and sunlight they need. If we don’t trim the trees, the branches could create a canopy too dense for the sunlight to penetrate. Among other things, hedging allows sunlight to reach the lower branches.

For more details on our hedging program, check out this video of the hedger at work:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ryan Price Photography

We’ve had several local photographers set up creative, romantic, and inspiring photo shoots. As stewards of the land, we take pride in our orchard, and it’s always nice to see other people enjoying the beautiful, natural scenery at Royalty Pecan Farms. We’ve chosen a few of our favorites to share with you (in no particular order). These photos really capture the atmosphere at Royalty Pecan Farms – a unique combination of rustic yet elegant, grand yet intimate. Which one is your favorite?

See more in our Event Photo Gallery.

Come out to the farm for an exclusive talk with our Orchard Manager, Andy Sherrod.

Do you know what a yield test is? Come find out about that and more. Join in for a hands-on discussion and demonstration about pecan quality. Learn how you can improve the pecan quality of your own yard trees.

This event is free and open to the public. Free Wi-Fi available.

While you’re here, enjoy the many other treats and activities we have planned for Harvest Saturdays, including hay rides through the orchard, wine tasting, fresh baked goods, and samples of our Pecan Delicacies and Southern Pecan Coffee!

We think this dish could be especially enhanced by adding a few of our signature Veermont pecans. The delicious coating on our Veermont pecans has been compared to raisins with a sweet, tart, and spicy flair.

Recipe of the Month: December 2011

Twice Baked Bourbon Pecan Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. veggie oil
3 pounds sweet potatoes (about 6 round, not skinny)
½ cup crème fraiche or cream cheese
6 tablespoons melted butter, divided
2 Tbs. pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided
¼ cup chopped Royalty Pecans
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil the sweet potatoes and roast on rimmed baking sheet until very tender, 1 to 1 ½ hours. (You can nook them in the microwave to speed the roasting time!)

Cool slightly. Cut each potato in half and place the flesh of the top halves in a bowl—it should just fall out of the skin. Gently scoop the flesh out of the bottom halves and add it to the bowl, leaving a little around the edges for stability. Mix in the crème fraiche, 4 Tbs. butter, syrup, bourbon, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 3/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1 tsp. salt and pepper to taste. Using a hand mixer (or immersion blender), puree until smooth.

Scoop the potato puree back into the bottom halves. Mix the remaining 2 Tb. of butter and ¼ tsp. nutmeg with the panko and chopped nuts. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the mixture over the tops of the sweet potatoes.

Bake another 15-20 minutes until warmed through and golden on top!

* These can be made 2-3 days in advance. If coming out of the fridge, bake 30-40 minutes–until warmed through or cheat and rewarm in the microwave.

What’s Happening on the Farm

• Harvest season continues!
• Still shaking trees and bringing fresh pecans to the cleaning plant.
• Sorting, grading, drying, and getting pecans ready to eat.

During harvest season, we have work to do out in the orchard and work to do at the cleaning and processing plant. After we shake the trees and gather up the pecans, we bring them to the plant to be cleaned, dried, sorted, graded, and prepped for sale.

Before our pecans are ready to eat and enjoy, we put them through several sorting processes to separate the premium grade from the not so premium. Some of our pecans are sold as wholesale, but we sell only the premium, #1 grade, cream of the crop pecans in our gift shop and online store.

First we remove all the sticks, leaves, dirt, and other debris that was picked up by the harvester. The pecans are also sorted by weight and size.

Another important step is to clean and sanitize the pecans and put them in large drying bins. Ambient air is blown into the drying bins to get the pecan kernel moisture down to about 4%.

Some of the inshell pecans are then sent to a shelling plant, where they’re turned into beautiful, golden premium halves and pieces.

For information about the different pecan varieties we have, click here to check out our FAQ page.

Join us for Harvest Saturdays during November and December to enjoy hay rides, orchard tours, family fun, and tempting samples of our signature Pecan Delicacies.

While you’re here, take a guided tour of the orchard for a close-up look at harvest activities on a working pecan farm. Ride a tractor-pulled wagon through the orchard and learn how the pecans go from our trees to you. Feel free to bring a blanket on cold afternoons! After the tour, enjoy a cup of hot coffee, cocoa, or other freshly brewed hot drink.

We invite you to spend the day with us. Browse our gift shop and enjoy the samples available. Buy a slice of pie (or a whole pie!) or sweet bread and a glass of wine, beer, or soda. Bring a lunch and have a picnic while you relax and enjoy the view! Free Wi-Fi available.