Summer of Pies

I've always been more of a cook than a baker. Though I'll fess up to a wicked sweet tooth, I usually satisfy it with pints and pints of haagen dazs, trips to my favorite bakeries, or the occasional batch of cookies. I have one or two go-to cake and tart recipes for dinner parties, but 90% of my time in the kitchen has always been spent on the savory, not the sweet.

Until this summer, when inexplicable, and persistently, I've been making pies. Lemon, chocolate, banana, pecan, plum, and almond pies. One or two a week for over a month now. I'm super-busy with work, and finding time for everything else, yet I have plenty of time to make pies. I have no idea why I've been seized by a sudden pie furor, but I do know that my new habit is satisfying, summery, and very popular with my husband.

So here is my favorite of the pies to date: it is a black-bottomed, banana cream that I 'invented' by borrowing from three different recipes. The hidden layer of chocolate is dark and fairly bitter to balance the sweetness of bananas and a rich vanilla custard. After a few hours in the fridge, it makes for a cooling but very decadent slice that is the best cream pie I've ever tasted. It tastes of sunshine and happiness and the summer of pies.

Banana Cream Pie

1 1/2 C flour
1 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
1/3 C unsalted butter, cold
1/4 C cold water
2 t apple cider vinegar

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in the food processor. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time until it is all cut into the dry ingredients. Slowly pour in water and cider vinegar until the dough just comes together. Remove from processor and flatten the dough into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Place a large piece of parchment paper on a clean work surface, and preheat the oven to 375°. Unwrap the dough and place it on the parchment paper. Roll it out to a 12-inch circle. Lift the parchment paper to flip the crust into a 9 inch pie plate. Tuck in and trim the edges. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the edges are crisp and golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before using.

1/2 C whipping cream
1 T unsalted butter
4 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/2 t vanilla

4 bananas

1/2 C sugar
1/3 C cornstarch
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 C whipping cream
1 1/2 C whole milk
3 large egg yolks
2 t vanilla
2 T (1/4 stick) unsalted butter


Combine whipping cream, butter, chocolate and vanilla in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and well-mixed. While chocolate is melting, slice bananas into 1-inch discs. Pour melted chocolate into bottom of the prepared pie crust. Press the slices of banana into the chocolate, spreading evenly over the bottom of the pie. If you have too many banana slices, spread the extra evenly in a second layer. Place the half-full pie in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the custard. Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Gradually whisk in whipping cream and whole milk, then egg yolks and vanilla. Whisk over medium-high heat until the custard thickens and boils, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in unsalted butter. Allow the custard to cool for about 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has loosely set. Stir the custard to loosen, and pour it over the bananas, spreading evenly.

Chill banana cream pie until filling is set, about 4-6 hours. Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream (optional) before serving.

Photos via flickr.

Country Escape

It's Saturday in the city, but my heart is somewhere upstate...As it heats up in NYC, I am longing for a quiet country escape. Someplace with sunlight, fresh farmstands, a well stocked kitchen and a cool breeze that husband, puppy and I could bundle off to on the weekends. What more could a girl wish for than a quiet cottage escape with great food and the perfect companions?

Photos via ddd, canelle et vanille, apt 34.

Tuesday Macarons

It's 4 o'clock on a rainy New York Tuesday, I'm on my fourth pot of tea, and craving something sweet and crispy to go with. For the record, I discovered macarons a few years ago while living in Brussels and I was instantly in love. These aren't to be confused with their chewy coconut-filled macaroon cousins, but rather they're the impossibly light and crispy meringue-type French cookies that sandwich together silky creams and ganaches in a rainbow assortment of flavors and colors.

Suddenly and subtly macarons have been taking New York by storm. Dessert shops across the city have added them to their menus, and now you can even have them delivered! Some have billed macarons as New York's next dessert fetish (after cupcakes)....which leaves me wondering about the next step: homemade macarons.
Apart from a great birthday experiment last year, in which my valiant husband did battle with two bags of pistachios and a veritable mound of meringue (with delicious, but apparently time-consuming results), my kitchen has never ever seen a macaron, namely because (full disclosure): I've long been afraid to try making macarons myself. For me, they fall into that category of finicky and frustrating French pastry that requires levels of skill and patience that I'm not entirely sure I have. I can tackle an authentic mousse au chocolat or tarte tatin with confidence and enthusiasm, but something about baking whipped egg whites just intimidates me.

The author of one of my favorite recipe blogs, canelle et vanille makes it sound easy, and look gorgeous, but I'm not entirely sure I'm convinced. Which brings me back to 4 o'clock, Tuesday: a lazy rainy day and a familiar sweet-tooth craving and I've just discovered I have all the ingredients I need for chocolate and salted peanut butter macarons. So the question is: do I dare?

Photos via canelle et vanille.

Good Golly

Miss Molly. Wizenberg, that is. The savvy and adorable mind behind Orangette, and one of my favorite foodies. I got Molly's new book for Christmas and I've been dying to try this recipe ever since.

For some reason I've always been a sucker for anything called a "spring salad." Something about the warming weather leaves me craving colorful and leafy-fresh flavors, which this salad delivers in force. It is chock full of savory and bitter greens, tied together by the creaminess of avocado and feta. Here's my (slight) adaptation: totally springy, and totally craveable.

Sliced Spring Salad

1 large chicken breast

1 tablespoon dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
Truffle salt
Fresh cracked black pepper

2 medium Belgian endive, sliced crosswise into ¼-inch strips
1 head radicchio, sliced as thinly as possible
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 medium avocado, quartered and sliced into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 cup French feta (or more), crumbled

1. Season the chicken with truffle salt and black pepper, and grill until just cooked through.

2. While the chicken cooks, combine mustard, vinegar, olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon truffle salt in a small bowl. Whisk until combined and lightly emulsified.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the endive, radicchio, radishes, and cilantro leaves. Add the avocado and feta.

4. Chop the cooked chicken into bite sized pieces and add this to the salad. Toss with vinaigrette to taste.

Crostinissimi

These crostini were invented last year when I threw together several favorite ingredients on a whim as a light hors d'oeuvre. They turned out packed with clean and complimentary flavors and textures, and were quickly declared by Mr. Husband to be in his top five all time favorite foods.

Salty prosciutto nestles atop creamy ricotta with a hidden layer of sweet and savory seasonings that elevate each bite well out of the realm of the traditional rustic. They are light and crisp, but decadently flavorful, easy to make (assembly line style), and they never fail to impress dinner party guests as a first course.

Tonight, a satisfying spring meal of mixed crostini, paired with pea and pesto soup.....

Prosciutto + Ricotta Crostinissimi

1. Thinly slice a traditional French baguette crosswise. I usually make about 3 crostini per person, but make as many as you'd like! Quickly toast the baguette slices in a toaster or oven until just crisped on the outside, but not petrified.

2. Spread a thickish layer of whole milk ricotta over each slice. Ricotta is a star ingredient here, so buy a good quality cheese - the freshest you can find. Sprinkle the ricotta with a few flakes of salt (kosher salt, or fleur de sel) and a quick twist of a fresh pepper grinder.

3. Next, drizzle each crostini with a few drops of high-quality balsamic vinegar - I like Oro Nero from Dean & Deluca, which has a very concentrated balance of light sweetness and gentle acidity. It's worth the investment. Over this, drizzle a fine line of wildflower honey. The honey really ties all the other elements together and complements both the acidity of vinegar and the saltiness of prosciutto beautifully.

4. Fold one or two slices of prosciutto di parma over the top of each crostini and gently press into the base layer. If serving with spring soup or salad, devour as is. If you'd like to dress it up a bit more, top each crostini with either a thin slice of fresh ripe pear (for extra sweetness) or a few leaves of chopped arugula (for extra bite), using a tiny drop of honey to hold slippery toppings in place.