PIE DAY PART I: BANANA CREME PIE

I CANT STOP MAKING PIES. 

I've made five different kinds in three days and if I'm going to be honest, its getting a little out of control.

In order to rationalize the obsession, I told myself I would share the three best and call it "Pie Day".
And then seek professional help.

In Tucson it's already 105 degrees out. Probably a good time to kick the pumpkin to the curb and try out some new SUMMER FLAVORS. Or old ones... as long as they're good. When I started baking the faux-chef taught me his way of making banana cream pie: whip instant pudding and cream together, scrimp on the pecans and serve. Nonononono, wait, hold on. I knew there was better recipes out there and so I searched near and far on the interwebs and made them over and over until I found the best one to share with YOU! I PRESENT: Banana Crème Pie.

The fancy "crème" spelling is so you know its good.

In a saucepan, mix 2 c milk, 1 c heavy cream, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, and 1 t vanilla. Bring those bad boys to a boil. While you are waiting, in a small bowl whisk 4 egg yolks and 3 T flour. It's gonna be a really thick paste. Thats cool.  

Tempering eggs is when you take a bowl of eggs (and other stuff too) and slowly bit by bit add in hot liquid. You whisk as you add tablespoons at a time until it starts to make the egg mixture hotter. Then you add more and more hot stuff and the egg temperature rises and rises until you've added enough that its the same hotness as the original hot stuff. This allows the eggs to get all hot-like but not actually cook. Don't ever stop whisking. Y'know what I'm trying to say right? I don't really technical terms and all that jazz. OK. SO. Once you bring your milks/vanilla to a boil, you temper it into the egg/flour paste. This goes on on until the eggs are hottttttttt and then you stick it back on the burner and continually whisk until its pudding thick. PHEW. That was a lot of 'splainin.

Pull it off the burner and 3-4 sliced up bananas. Mix 'em in, and pour it into a pre-baked pie crust. I poke holes in mine and bake until the edges are golden... usually 350 degrees for 15-30 minutes. Yeah, thats a big gap but just look at it. Is it pasty? Not done. Golden brown? Pull it out! (I made these ones in large muffin pans!) You don't have to let the crust cool necessarily because your filling is hot, but after pouring the banana mixture in let it cool in a fridge for 1-2 hours. OR, if you're inpatient like me, just put it in the freezer for a half hour.

Top with whipped cream! Store bought is cool, or you can make one like this. I underwhipped mine on purpose because I was kinda tired of perfect towers of piped cream. So instead I made whipped cream lava and I find it tastes just as good if not better.

Does your head hurt from reading this? Mine hurts from typing all of it:) Do you have a favorite banana cream/creme pie recipe? Wanna share it with me?

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ONE RECIPE, FOUR WAYS: SUMMER PANCAKE STYLE!

Pancakes are our catch all at our house. For one thing, breakfast (for dinner especially) is the most delicious food everrrrrr! Second, we usually have everything to make it lying around. SO. I took the basic recipe I use, which is perfect, and added simple ingredients to make FOUR summery kickass versions:

Blackberry with Red Wine Reduction Simple Syrup
Sugared Lemon Basil
Fresh Poached Kumquat Ginger and Brown Sugar
and
Mixed Berry with Greek Yogurt and Honey.

You're drooling already huh? I can see it.

The basic recipe goes like this:

1 c flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 T sugar (brown or white)

Mix this all together and then add the liquids:

3/4 c milk

1 egg

1/2 t vanilla

2 T melted butter or oil.

Whisk, let sit for 5 minutes and then cook away!

 Poached Kumquat Ginger and Brown Sugar:

Add to the finished batter: the zest of 5 or 6 kumquats and 1/2 t. of fresh grated ginger.

To make the poached kumquat brown sugar glaze, put 1 c of water to simmer with halved kumquats. Let this simmer for 10 minutes and then add 1/3 c brown sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves and let it sit until cool!

 Blackberry with Red Wine Reduction Simple Syrup:

I added some chopped frozen berries to the batter (if you use these the cooking time will be longer!) and then made the reduction. Here's how: Take any amount of wine... say a cup and simmer it until it reduces in half! It doesn't take as long as you would think and it's SO simple! Add 1/4 c sugar and mix it to dissolve. Red wine reduction simple syrup! Delicioso.

 Sugared Lemon Basil:

I have fresh basil growing in my window (for now...) so I wanted to figure out a way to incorporate it!

The zest from a lemon, and the juice AND 3 or 4 julienned basil leaves!
While one side was cooking, I dusted the top with sugar and flipped it over.
Garnish more sugar and serve 'em warm!

Mixed Berry with Greek Yogurt and Honey:

More frozen berries! You can mix them in before cooking them, or you can sprinkle them on top while the first side cooks. Top with greek yogurt (I like Trader Joe's honey version!) and drizzle with honey. Its really really good for you and super fresh light and delicious.

Do you have any versions of pancakes that YOU would like to share?

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//REAL QUICK RECIPE// (WHIPPED LEMON MOUSSE IN FROZEN LEMON RIND)

Yeah, it's summer here.
As in, already-101-degrees-today summer...whew!
It really is the summers here that keep Tucson from being overover populated.
If we didn't get third degree sunburns from walking to our cars in the summer, this city would be paradise and therefore overrun by paradise seekers.
But its hot, so we sweat it out alone.
C'est la vie.

SO.
Citrus is the flavor of the summer (I'm particularly fond of grapefruit) therefore I'm creating lemonlimeorange everything.
As promised, here is a recipe (!) for
Lemon Mousse:
Essentially it's a lemon curd with whipped cream folded in. 
If you hate whipped cream don't make this.

Curd:
6 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
2 t lemon zest
3/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. "kinda chopped up" butter

Mix the eggs, sugar, and zest in a saucepan until smooth. Add juice and butter and cook it over medium heat whisking for 8 minutes or until you cant any more. Whichever comes first. Put it in a large pan and cover it with plastic wrap. Make sure you press down the plastic till it touches the curd that way a skin wont form!
You can refrigerate it until its cold, but I cheated and put mine in the freezer for a half hour.

When it's cold, fold in the whipped cream ever so gently.

Whipped Cream:
2 c. heavy whipping cream
1/3 c. powdered sugar
dash of vanilla if you want.

Pour the cream into your mixing bowl, then sugar, than vanilla.
Whisk on high (youre probably gonna need a stand or hand mixer) until thick thick peaks form.
---
The mixture will be soft, so chill it for an hour or so while it sets. Or not... you don't have to. It's your life.
I was going to make white chocolate bowls, but I just REALLY hate citrus and chocolate together.
You feel me?

So, instead I cut a lemon in half, sliced off a little on the bottom so it would stand up and cored out the center. You can stick it in the freezer if you want to serve the mousse later (it will keep it chilled while eating!) or you can blot the juice out and use the lemon bowl right away. Your life, remember?

It was easy and pretty good, though it was a little "Cool Whippy" for my taste... but everyone loved it and even I had to admit it made for a good summers night treat.

Chow down y'all.

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