Fresh Pumpkin Pie - take two!

So excited to have fresh canned pumpkin shipped to me by Mr. Flip Flop's sister, Ruth, in Indiana.  I used her recipe and pumpkin last year to make my first ever pie from fresh pumpkin.  It was, indisputably, the best pumpkin pie I have ever eaten.  Hope this year's lives up to the previous one.

I didn't have luck last year with my fancy pie crust border.  A few years ago I used a leaf cookie cutter and used a paring knife to mark the veins.  That was quite labor intensive, but looked beautiful IMHO, for a first attempt at a "fancy" crust.  I baked a piece of cut-out pumpkin shape dough on top of the pie - and it didn't work very well.

Last year, I used a Paula Deen plunge cutter - but the pieces were too big for a crust edge, they just draped down - not a bad look - but it didn't look like I expected, nor wanted.  I used an egg wash and a pastry brush on the crust top - and only had foil to cover my crust - I felt like the egg wash was too abundant and it browned too quickly.  I was darn well determined to find a pie crust protector instead of foil for future use. I used some extra dough to cut out pumpkins and baked them separately for embellishments.  They turned out quite well.  Every year is a learning experience.

So, this year?  I got out 3 different plunger cutters.  The pumpkin from last year, with thoughts of trimming the pieces (nope - too much work).

Another large maple-type leaf from the Paula Deen set I bought last year, but it looked too big also.

 My third choice was the one I used... a rose-leaf shaped fondant plunger (worked beautifully).  I also changed from a pastry bush and egg wash to a small paint brush and painted the crust with a conservative amount of heavy cream - lightly painted on each leaf to enhance the veins.

Additionally, I bought a pie crust shield (silicone) that ended up being too small to cover my crust once the leaves were on the edge and caused the 10 inch pan to actually extend to about 10 1/2 inch from leaf edge to leaf edge.

I turned the shield over and placed it on the crust between the 15 and 20 minute mark, and it worked just fine!

I used the maple leaf and the pumpkin leaf from the Paula Deen set to cut out some leftover dough for toppers.  Also painted those with cream and sprinkled on some sanding sugar for shine.

The toppers turned out quite nicely.

I've said it before - I am not a great pie baker, but with the right tools, even a mediocre pie baker can make a really nice pie presentation.  Like men have been saying for years "it's all about having the proper tools"... well, the same thing goes in my kitchen.  I try not to buy single use items, but the pie crust shield is a necessity for me.  I get so frustrated trying to cover an edge of a pie without messing up the pie or the crust and having to worry that it is going to fall off.  Not worth the stress and anxiety.  So, this is going to be one of those "one use" products I do recommend.  Too bad I can't find one that actually fits my glass pie pan.  But, hey, upside down worked, so I will just go with it.

Everything came together and was placed in the oven on a cookie sheet.  (just in case of high rise overflow)  I took it off the cookie sheet for the last 10 minutes to ensure the bottom of the crust was done enough.  It is perfectly browned.  I'm so pleased.  Oh, and in case you are wondering?  Pillsbury refrigerated rolled pie crust.  I simply can't make it any better and this is very consistent.  Another de-stressing choice for me on holidays.  I have not had great luck with store-brand rolled pie crust...so Pillsbury it is!

A little freshly whipped sweetened vanilla bean cream, a cute topper, and one delicious pie, ready to serve.  The full recipe is on the 2013 blog post which you can find here.  If you have the chance to make a pumpkin pie using fresh pumpkin, it is really something special!  If you don't have the inclination, canned pumpkin is great - I've used it for years...but give these pie crust decorations a try - easy enough to do, and makes a simple pie look special!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone...

Bon appetit, Y'all!!!

Dulce de Leche Banana Pie - Take Two!

A couple of summers ago I made a big recipe of Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie for a group of friends visiting the coast.  My husband was working out of town and could not join us and I just realized he had never had this pie.  As I searched my brain for a make-ahead dessert for our dinner, it popped into my mind because Cinco de Mayo (which is tomorrow) is always celebrated in our area.  This celebration of Mexican heritage always includes lots of yummy food so I was leaning towards finding something that might fit into such a celebration.  We live only 30 or so miles from the Mexico/Texas border...so we Caucasians are definitely in the minority here, but I try to embrace the culture of the area where I live because they have all embraced our family so very warmly.

I saw Marcela Valladolid make this on Food Network  back in 2011 and adjusted her recipe to suit our family.  This one is more like hers - the one I linked above was enlarged for a crowd!  I'll be serving it for dinner tonight after we get back from the beach - I have a roast in the slow cooker and this pie in the fridge... add some green beans, brown rice, and yeast rolls and our dinner will be a fast fix when we get back!

So, here's the smaller pie version of this delicious dish!

Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie Take Two
Adapted from Marcela Valladolid's recipe

Ingredients:

Crust:
Two 3.5 ounce packages of Maria crackers (I used a local store brand)
1 stick salted butter, melted (8 Tbsp)

Filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
One 13 ounce can Nestle La Lechera Dulce de Leche
3 medium bananas, sliced

Method:

First prepare the crust so it can chill.  Place the Maria crackers in the bowl of a food processor and process until well ground - I had to break a few cookies by hand to finish the process.  I tried to use the small bowl and blade of my KitchenAid food processor, but it wasn't a big enough blade to chop them all up... so I had to change bowls and blades (irritating).

Add the melted butter and pulse until well combined - scrape any butter that gets thrown on the side.  Pour the buttery crumb mixture into a glass pie dish, pressing the crust evenly across the bottom and up the sides with a flat bottomed metal measuring cup - it makes this a very easy process!  I held my fingers at the top of the pie dish so it didn't push up over the edge.  Be cautious not to over-pack the crust or it will be a challenge to cut through it when it is time to serve. 

Refrigerate for 20 minutes to solidify the butter.

Next prepare the cream filling.  I used my stand mixer.  Beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy with minimal lumps.  Add the powdered sugar and cinnamon, whipping at low speed, until combined.  Scrape the bowl with a spatula and hand mix any lumps you still see.  Add the cream to the butter/cream cheese mixture and put on your whisk and whip to soft peaks.  It's a thick concoction so don't expect a texture of whipped cream.

Open your can of Dulce de Leche and get a small offset spatula ready then get your crust out of the fridge to assemble the pie.  Begin by spreading the dulce de leche on top of the chilled crust.  I worked straight from the can and was careful to not "lift" the crust - it works very well with a cold crust and an offset spatula.

Once the dulce de leche is completely covering the bottom of your pie crust (and you have about 1/4 cup still left in the can for decorating the top), peel and slice your bananas, arranging them in an overlapping manner around the pie.  If you really love bananas, add a couple of more and make a double layer.  I kind of wish I had done another layer - I love the bananas in this pie.  

Next spread the whipped cream topping evenly over the banana layer being careful, again, not to pull the bananas up.  Another offset spatula, or even a rubber spatula, works perfectly for this.  

Place the remaining dulce de leche in a sandwich or piping bag and microwave it for just a few seconds until soft enough to squeeze.  Snip a bit off the sandwich bag and drizzle over the top of the pie.  If you don't think it is "drizzly" enough, you can warm the dulce de leche in a small pan on the stove top.  I was in a hurry and didn't get mine soft enough for the thin drizzle I desired.

Refrigerate and chill until set.  Remove from refrigerator 30-45 minutes before cutting - if the butter in the crust is slightly softened it will help the slices release from the pie plate.

This is a deliciously different banana cream pie - I hope you enjoy.  Thank you to Marcela Valladolid for such a wonderful recipe.  Her original version includes peanuts and you may find it on the Food Network website.

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

Shared With:

DULCE de LECHE BANANA CREAM PIE

For one of our beachy dinners for the Deaf Club (a group of over 20 folks) I made a version of Food Network's Marcela Valladolid's Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie.  I made a few alterations...and boy was it good!  If you want to take a yummy dessert to a pot luck or serve something slightly different for dessert, this is a great one to try.  I'm recording my larger recipe...because one little pie wouldn't have done the trick.

We didn't quite finish it Wednesday night, so we had coffee and pie after the beach on Thursday.  Even better the next day :-)

DULCE de LECHE BANANA CREAM PIE
Adapted from Marcela Valladolid's recipe


Ingredients:

2 7-ounce packages Marias Cookies (a Mexican cookie, tastes a lot like animal crackers in my opinion) - available in the cookie aisle of most grocery stores - with the Hispanic cookie selection
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted (or if you use salted butter, don't add the salt above)

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cans dulce de leche (used Nestle's La Lechera Dulce de Leche)
6 medium bananas, sliced

Method:

For the crust: 
Place the Maria cookies in the bowl of your food processor and process until coarsely ground. 

Add the salt and pulse until everything is finely ground. 
Add melted butter and pulse until combined. 

When pressing with fingers, crumbs will hold together when proper texture. 

Transfer the crust mixture into a 9x13 glass dish (I used a Pyrex dish).  Spread the crumbs evenly and use the bottom of a measuring cup to press and form the crust evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pan.  Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes to solidify the butter.

For the cream filling: 
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the beater attachment, whip the cream cheese and butter at medium speed until fluffy with minimal lumps.  Add the powdered sugar and cinnamon, whipping just until combined.  Replace the beater with the whip attachment and pour the whipping cream and whip to soft peaks.  It goes pretty fast so be careful - I went a little further than I should have and nearly had stiff peaks.

To assemble the pie:
Spread the dulce de leche on top of the chilled crust.  I put a lot in the crust and spread with an offset spatula.  Careful not to dislodge crumbs from the crust.  It smoothed on surprisingly easily.  I used about 1 1/2 cans of Dulce de Leche. 

Top generously with sliced bananas, forming 2 layers if necessary.  I used an overlapping line method to insure every bite had banana. 

Pour the whipped cream filling on top and spread evenly to completely cover the banana layer.  I actually covered the edge of the crust too. 

Refrigerate and chill until set - about 2 hours.

I put the remaining Dulce de Leche in a quart sized freezer Ziploc bag and piped drops onto the top of the pie. 

Cut into squares with a sharp knife, wiping the knife between slices.  When serving, I stuck a whole Maria cookie into the top of each dollop of Dulce de Leche.

I must say, it got rave reviews.  Deliciosa!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

SHARED WITH:

Flash In The Pan

Do you have trouble baking an apple pie?  I do.  Pies are not my forte...no matter how I try, regardless of homemade crust or even store bought...it's either soggy or burned on the bottom or shrinks or the edges burn.  I am just not a pie baker!  I simply don't have "the touch".

I'm working on that this year...maybe.

The one thing I do have luck with, is the more rustic style.  The ones that taste marvelous...but don't look traditionally "pie like" :-)

I made this "upside down pie", or tart, for the first time in the early 1990's.  Almost no one can mess THIS up (thank goodness).  It was either in a magazine or the newspaper...I can't really tell.  It's so old it is brown...so I'm thinking newspaper!  Oddly, the recipe did not include spices...so I've added my spices to it...way better.  It also calls for laying your apples out in a circular pattern...um, I just kind of dump them in.  Also, I put some of the lemon juice on my apple slices if they have to "wait for me" to get to them after I peel them.

Save this if you need an easy, yet delicious, apple tart recipe...upside down.

FLASH IN THE PAN APPLE TART

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter (use real butter - it matters)
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cored and peeled Granny Smith apples, cut into slices (I had 2 large Gala apples - I used them - they were great)
1 rolled 1/4" thick round pie dough (refrigerated is fine - box is fine - scratch is fine - I made one from scratch this time)

Ready to go in the oven...see rustic is good!

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place 1/4 cup butter in a 9-inch glass pie plate.  Place pie plate in oven until butter is melted.  Remove from oven; stir in brown sugar, light corn syrup, spices, and lemon juice.  Arrange apple slices over brown sugar mixture in circular pattern.  Drape rolled pie dough over apples, tucking sides in around apples.  Bake tart for 30-35 minutes (place on a baking sheet covered in foil in case of bubble overs...really makes clean-up easier in that event), until crust is golden brown.  Remove from oven, cool 5 minutes.  Invert tart onto serving plate with a lip.  Serve with ice cream, if desired.  Makes 6 servings.

Just out of the oven - be sure to let it sit for 5 minutes before flipping

Make sure you flip it onto a rimmed plate - the juice will run out of the tart.
Place the plate on top of the pie pan and "flip"

The pie crust I used is one I found because I needed one that didn't require shortening.  I only had butter...so I found a Land O'Lakes recipe that worked just great!  I also used the food processor to make the dough...so pretty darn easy.  I didn't roll it out very pretty...but since it was a "drape and tuck" it really didn't matter! 

BUTTER PIE CRUST
from Land O'Lakes

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups cold butter
4-5 tablespoons ice cold water

Method: (the one I used)
Cut butter into small pieces and place in freezer to get very cold.
Place flour and salt in bowl of food processor and pulse to combine.
Add butter to flour and pulse until you can't see the big butter pieces...you want little bits throughout.
Through the shoot add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until the dough just begins to come together.
Check the readiness by pinching together a small bit..if it holds shape, it's ready...if not add a bit more water.  Much will depend on the humidity of the day and the flour.  Mine took a full 5 tablespoons and about 1 extra teaspoon.

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface - push together with your hands - divide in half.
Pat dough into a disk and wrap each half in plastic wrap.  Place in refrigerator to rest at least 2 hours.

When ready to roll it, put some bench flour out on a smooth surface (granite counter works great) and roll to something resembling a circle :-)  That's as good as it gets with me!  Rustic...yeah, that's the ticket.

I didn't have any ice cream today...so I whipped up some cream with vanilla and confectioner's sugar...yum...it was a delicious dessert.  Easy and delicious...who could ask for anything more?

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!