Coconut Banana Cream Pie

I have an amazing cookbook by Cook's Illustrated titled, Baking Illustrated. It teaches you how to make the best of every dessert possible. Like a baking encyclopedia. I love it. This original recipe for Coconut Cream Pie came from them - I tweaked it a bit to make it my own, and now Tom's favorite.

INGREDIENTS

1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk, well stirred. (not cream of coconut!)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup (1 1/4) oz.) unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 t. salt
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 T. unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 - 2 bananas sliced
whipped topping

DIRECTIONS

Bring the coconut milk, milk, shredded coconut, 1/3 c. sugar and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. When the mixture reaches a simmer, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl to break them up, then whisk in the remaining 1/3 c. sugar and cornstarch until well combined and no lumps remain. Gradually whisk the simmering liquid into the yolk mixture to temper it, then return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until 3 or 4 bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened, about 30 seconds (it actually took a few minutes for me). Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla and butter. Pour half the filling into a cooled, baked pie crust. Slice the bananas on top of filling and add remaining filling on top of bananas. Press a sheet of plastic wrap over the surface of the pie and refrigerate until the filling is cold and firm, at least 3 hours.

Serve with whipped topping. You can add toasted coconut on the top of the whipped cream, but I preferred not to. The coconut in the filling was sufficient to my taste.

Posted by Debi

U.S. 1 Blueberry Key Lime Pie

2008 AMERICAN PIECOUNCIL/CRISCO NATIONAL PIECHAMPIONSHIP
AMATEUR BEST OF SHOW

BY JOHN SUNVOLD, WINTER SPRINGS, FLA.



CRUST


1½ cups graham cracker
crumbs

½ cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted


Mix all ingredients together and press mixture into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake in a 375 -degree oven for 20* minutes, or until brown. Allow to cool down to room temperature.
*Kitchen Ade note: I found this pie crust only needed 10 minutes to brown.




KEY LIME LAYER


2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

2 large eggs

¾ cup Key lime juice


Mix all of the ingredients and pour mixture into the cooled pie shell. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 2 hours.



BLUEBERRY PRESERVES LAYER


Spread ¾ cup Smucker’s blueberry preserves on the top of the Key lime layer.

Cover fully from crust to crust. Do not let preserves touch the crust, as it may get soggy with contact. Chill.



WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE LAYER


2 ½ cups heavy cream

¼-pound (4 ounces) white chocolate, broken into small pieces


Bring ½ cup of cream to a boil over medium heat. Add white chocolate and stir constantly until the chocolate is melted, and the mixture is combined. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.



In a large bowl, beat the rest of the heavy cream with an electric mixer on high speed. Beat until soft peaks form. Slowly add the white chocolate mixture and continue to beat until stiff. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Top the blueberry preserves layer with the white chocolate mousse. Garnish with fresh blueberries and grated lime peel (for color). Chill for 2 hours. Serves 8.

Posted by Debi Walter

Picture to follow when I bake this pie this weekend for Ashley's BD.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

I found this recipe on the Good Life Eats blog. Believe it or not, it was a delicious soup to enjoy on a hot summer day. Try it for yourself - I like this one BETTER than the one Panera offers on their menu.

INGREDIENTS:

For The Chicken:
1 lb. chicken - boneless, skinless breasts
1 stalk celery, cut into thirds
half of lemon sliced
handful of fresh parsley
1/4 t. each, salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme
1 cup water
1/2 cup chicken broth (I added more to cover chicken)

For The Soup:
1 onion, dices
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup white wine
3 carrots, sliced into rounds
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 - 3/4 cup orzo pasta, uncooked
3 egg yolks
2 - 3 T. fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. fresh parsley, minced
1 1/4 t. fresh thyme
2 - 3 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

For the chicken:
Combine all the ingredients in a medium pan. Bring to a boil and simmer until chicken is cooked. Remove from heat. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside. Shred with a fork when cool. Toss remaining ingredients. (the original recipe called for using a pressure cooker. See their website for all the directions if you choose to use one.)

For the soup:
Add 1 T. of olive oil in a large dutch oven. Saute the onion over medium-high heat until golden and tender. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more.

Add the white wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and carrots. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and lemon together. Add 1 cup of hot broth from the dutch oven very slowly to the egg yolk mixture, whisking as you pour. Then, transfer the mixture to the dutch oven, Stir in the orzo and chicken.

Continue cooking over medium-low until the pasta and carrots are tender. Just before serving, season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the thyme, parsley, and spinach. Serve immediately

Serve with hot fresh bread, or a handful of oyster crackers. ENJOY!

posted by Debi Walter