Recipe List

Recipe for Flaky Pie Crust (two 9-inch crusts)

 

 

Quote from the Washington Post:
“True to its name, this is about the flakiest pie crust we have tested in the WaPoFood Lab. Its tensile strength makes it especially good for the kind of intricate designs produced by its author, German baker and pie artist Karin Pfeiff-Boschek.”

  • 2 ½ cups (350g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp white sugar
  • 200g (1 cup or 2 sticks ) cold butter
  • 1 med. egg + about 5Tbl ( 80 ml) ice-cold water (carbonated mineral water if available – alternative: Non-carbonated water and ¼ tsp cream of tartar) + a few drops of vinegar.

Method (food processor) – our preferred method

  • Place flour, salt and sugar in the processor bowl and process at high speed to mix.
  • Cut butter into strips then into about ½ inch (1 cm) cubes.
  • Add butter to flour mix and pulse at low speed until the butter is in pea-sized discrete pieces. This only takes a few short pulses. Better too little than too much pulsing.
  • Beat egg lightly and mix with cold water and vinegar. Stir in cream of tartar if using.
  • Turn on processor to medium speed and immediately add egg-water mixture and shut off motor. Pinch the dough between your fingers and if it is too dry add a bit more water and pulse. If too sticky add a little flour. When you have done this a few times you will know how long to mix. The process goes very quickly. Do not over mix.
  • Makes about 700g (23 oz). Divide in half, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to 18 hours in refrigerator, or freeze to keep for at least 2 weeks.

Method (using a hand pastry blender, knives or finger tips).

  • Place flour salt and sugar in a large bowl and mix with a wire whip
  • Cut butter into strips then into about ½ inch (1 cm) cubes.
  • Add butter to flour mix and cut the butter in until it forms pea-sized discrete pieces.
  • Beat egg lightly and mix with cold water and vinegar. Stir in cream of tartar if using.
  • Add egg and water mixture and stir in with fork just until mixed. Do not overwork or knead. Feel dough between your fingers and if it is too dry add a bit more water and mix. If too sticky add a little flour. When you have done this a few times you will know how long to mix and the exact proportions for your flour. The process goes very quickly. Do not over mix.
  • Makes about 700g (23 oz). Divide in half, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to 18 hours in refrigerator, or freeze to keep for at least 2 weeks.

These instructions are by necessity only guidelines. The amounts of flour and water will need to be adjusted because every brand of flour has a different protein content and degree of hydration. However, a very small amount of water can make a very big difference in the consistency. Since the ingredients are inexpensive it is possible to practice a number of times.

 

Frangipane

A sweet almond filling that is ideal as a bed for fruit in a pie

 

  •    2/3 cup ( 150 g) butter, softened
  •   2/3 cup  (150 g) white or light brown sugar (Depending on the color desired)
  •    2 large  eggs, plus 1 yolk
  •    2 tbsp Calvados or cognac (to taste)
  •    pinch of salt
  •    ¼ tsp almond essence
  •    5 oz (150g) ground almonds
  •    1 oz (30 g) plain white flour

Put the butter and sugar in large bowl and blend with a hand mixer.

Beat the eggs with the Calvados or cognac, salt and the almond essence. Add a small amount of the egg mixture to the butter and sugar and beat until combined. Continue to add a little at a time and beat until smooth.

Fold in the ground almonds and flour.

 

Chocolate Pie with Fruit Topping

 

 

This recipe is slightly more complicated than the simple “pudding pie” in the Pie World section, but the filling is definitely a knockout for lovers of dark chocolate. It is best to use the highest quality chocolate available. We use either Lindt 70% dark chocolate or a mix with Lindt Milk Chocolate. You can’t go wrong, really, if you use high-quality chocolate.

Makes one 22 cm (9″) pie

Time: 1 hr plus baking time

Ingredients

for the crust
2  x 350g portion pie dough (for recipe and instructions see “Flaky Pie Crust” on this page below

Equipment

9″ – 23 cm pie form
rolling pin
pie weights or dried beans for pre-baking the crust
cookie cutters or a sharp knife
bowls
water bath (bain marie)

Ingredients

for the crust

2 x 350g portions pie dough (for recipe and instructions see “Flaky Pie Crust” on this page below)

For the filling

  • 150 g butter, cubed
  • 200  dark chocolate, chopped
  • 3 eggs m or l
  • 30 g white sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 100 g cream

for the topping

Kiwis, peaches, nectarines or other fruit cut attractively

Instructions

Crust

Prepare dough and rest in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight

Preheat the oven to 180 °C

Roll out the first portion of dough into a circle about 3 mm in thickness that fits the pie form, roll onto the rolling pin and transfer to the form. Leave about 2 cm overhang. Prick the crust over the whole bottom with a fork. Line the crust with parchment or baking paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and weights or beans, brush egg/cream wash onto the edge of the crust and bake another 5 minutes.

Roll out the second pie crust to a thickness of 4 – 5 mm and using cookie cutters or a sharp knife cut out the decorations you plan to use. Brush the egg/cream wash on the decorations and bake at 180 °C for 20 min. or until golden brown.

Filling

In a bowl over a water bath (bain marie) melt the chocolate and the butter until smooth and allow to cool. In a second, larger bowl mix the eggs and sugar. Add the cooled chocolate mixture one spoonful at a time to the egg mixture. Mix thoroughly, but gently. Stir in the cream. Place the pre-baked pie shell on a baking sheet and pour in the chocolate filling. Bake for 15 minutes or until the filling begins to set. Allow to cool for 10 – 15 min. Use your imagination in cutting the fruit and then place the pieces on top of the filling.

The pie can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two days (although it almost never lasts that long around here).

 

 

Tandoori spiced Curried Red Lentils with Tiger Prawns

 

 

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 24 tiger prawns (large shrimp) cooked or uncooked (thaw if frozen)
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes
  • 16 oz. (400 g) dried red lentils
  • 2 tbsp tandoori curry paste
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 bell pepper diced

 

Method

Rinse lentils well in cold water until the ware is clear. Place lentils in saucepan, cover with water (1 to 2 cups, or 250 to 500 mL) and simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, approximately 20 minutes. If needed, add more water while cooking. Drain lentils and set aside.

Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onion, bell pepper and garlic until softened. In a small bowl, combine tandoori paste, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper. Add curry mixture to onion and continue cooking over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato and reduce heat. Taste and adjust the heat by adding the chili powder. You can easily vary the seasoning according to the curry powder you use. If not spicy enough for your taste add more chili powder. Some curry preparations are already so spicy you may need to use less chili. Best try before serving!

Stir in prawns and lentils, and simmer for about 5 minutes. If using raw prawns cook until pink.

When lentils are heated through, divide between four dishes and serve. We also like to adorn the plates with fresh coriander green (cilantro).

Sour Cherry Pie

 

 

  • 1 kg  (2 pounds) sour cherries (about 6 cups), rinsed and pitted. Drained canned or frozen are fine
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon kirsch or brandy
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1/3 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/3 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Method

Mix the cherries, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium sized pot and heat, stirring continuously until thickened. Keep heating for 2 minutes to cook the starch. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Allow to cool. We often cool by placing the pot in a sink with cold water.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Prepare the bottom crust as usual and add the filling. Cover or decorate as you like. Place on the bottom rack in the hot oven for 10 – 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 175 °C (375 °F) and bake for another 20 – 25 minutes. The bottom crust can also be baked blind using baking weights or dried legumes. This assures that the bottom crust is properly baked, but is usually not necessary. If the upper crust begins to brown too quickly it can be covered lightly with a sheet of aluminum foil.
Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

 

Mie Noodle and Shrimp Omelette Waffle

 

Ingredients for 4 portions

  • 150 g (5 oz) shrimp, shelled and deveined
  • 200 g (7 oz) mie noodles
  • small bunch of chives
  • 1 fresh red chili pepper
  • 4  eggs (m)
  • Salt
  • oil for the waffle iron
  • 2 Tbl mayonnaise
  • green salad leaves, cucumber sticks, green coriander (cilantro)
  • Sriracha sauce to serve

Instructions

Wash shrimp or thaw and rinse if frozen. Place the noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave in the water for 5 minutes so the noodles are just al dente. Pour noodles into a colander and rinse with cold water. Cut into shorter pieces with a scissors. Chop the chives into little rolls, slit the chili open and remove the veins and seeds. Wash and cut into fine strip.

Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the noodles, shrimp, chives and 1 tsp salt. Mix well. Heat the waffle iron and coat the surfaces with oil. Put enough noodle-omelette mix in the waffle iron to not quite fill the indentations. Add a bit of the egg mixture  in the bottom of the bowl to each waffle. Bake for about 4 minutes until golden brown. Place the finished waffles in a warm oven (80 °C – 175 °F) while baking the rest.

Mix the mayonnaise with 1-2 Tbl water and stir until smooth. Drizzle a stream of the mayonnaise mix over the waffles and add Sriracha according to taste. Serve with fresh green salad leaves, cucumber and coriander.

 

 

Croque Maritime

 

croque_m_01

This is one of our favourite breakfast, lunch or brunch treats. It is our modified version of Rachel Khoos’ Croque Madame from her cookbook, “The Little Paris Kitchen.” (The cookbook is to be recommended, too. There are many wonderful and enjoyable recipes that we love in it.) To make it you need a muffin (or cupcake) pan with 6 depressions. Our version is a wonderful combination of toast, seafood, egg and cream Mornay sauce.

Serves 6

Ingredients
6 slices soft white bread
melted butter

6 eggs
For the filling:
200 g (7 oz) chopped smoked salmon
200 g (7 oz) small prawns (or crab meat)
120 g (4 oz) mascarpone
30 g (1 oz) Parmesan or pecorino
1 clove garlic minced
2 Tbl chopped fresh dill
1 zest of a lemon grated
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
For theMornay sauce :
1 Tbl. white flour
1 Tbl. butter
200 ml (2/3 cup) warm milk
30g (1 oz) grated cheese (Gruyere, Comté or Parmesan)
1/2 tsp. mustard
salt, freshly ground pepper and freshly ground nutmeg

Directions
Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
Remove the crust from the bread and roll it out thin with a rolling pin. Brush melted butter on both sides of the bread and carefully press it into a cavity of a muffin tin pressing in place with a small glass if necessary. Repeat with the rest of the bread slices.

Prepare the filling by mixing all of the ingredients in a bowl and correct the seasoning with salt and
pepper.

To make the Mornay sauce melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove with medium heat, add the flour and stir until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk while stirring and when the mixture is smooth put back on the heat, add the mustard and nutmeg and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from the heat. Set about a tablespoon of the grated cheese aside for trimming and add the rest to the warm sauce, stirring until melted and smooth. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. If the sauce has gotten too thick add a bit of milk and stir. If it has developed lumps pour it through a sieve.

Place a teaspoon of the seafood filling in each bread “cup,” carefully add an egg to each cup so as not to break the yolk. If the eggs are large it may be necessary to use only part of the egg white. Add 2 tablespoons of the Mornay sauce to each cup and sprinkle a little of the remaining cheese and a dash of ground pepper on top.

Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Serve piping hot and enjoy with tea, coffee or a glass or white wine.

 

Quick and Delicious Pear Pie

 

20161017_143808

Serves 6

Ingredients
Pastry for a 9″ single crust pie
3 – 4 pears, peeled, halved and core removed (good canned pears are also fine)
1 cup (200 g) white sugar
4 Tbl (30 g) white flour
60 g butter
2 eggs
1 egg white beaten (dash of salt)
vanilla (1 tsp extract, packet of vanilla sugar or seeds from 1 vanilla bean)

Directions
preheat oven to 165 °C (325 °F)
roll out pastry and line 9″ pie plate
brush egg white on pastry
place pear halves in the pastry shell cut side down
beat all other ingredients except the egg white together and pour over pear halves.
sprinkle with cinnamon
bake for 1 hr and 25 min or until cake tester comes out clean from custard
allow to cool on rack before cutting

 

 

Easy Broccoli Quiche

 

20160929_193214

Serves 4 as main course

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
100 g bacon pieces
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 cups milk (or milk and cream)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic, bacon and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with cheese.

Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 50 minutes, or until center has set.

 

 

Pesto alla Genovese

 

20160926_195143

 

Makes about 200g (7 oz)

2 large bunches of fresh basil leaves
1 large garlic clove
25g (1 oz) pine nuts
125ml (4 fl oz) olive oil
4 tbsp freshly grated pecorino cheese
4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

You can make this simply by adding all of the ingredients except the olive oil and salt to a food processor or cutter and blending well, then slowly drizzle in the oil and add salt to taste.

We prefer to make our pesto using a mortar and pestle. The result is very different and much smoother than that made in a food processor. Chop the basil leaves roughly and slice the garlic. Pound the garlic in the mortar, then add the basil and pound again until the leaves begin to be pulverized. Add the pine nuts and pound them with the garlic and basil and the mixture will begin to turn into a paste. Begin to slowly add olive oil until the mixture just liquidizes, then add the cheeses and a small amount of salt. Correct the seasoning by taste. The amount of salt will depend upon how salty the cheeses are.

If you plan to freeze batches of pesto you can put them in plastic ice cube trays and place in the freezer. If you plan to store it for a longer period of time (longer than about 3 months) it is best to freeze without the cheeses and then add grated Parmesan and pecorino after thawing. You can thaw the cubes in the microwave.  Two or three cubes per 100 g serving of pasta is good.

 

Blueberry Cake

 

Blub_01a

 

Recipe By:IRENED/Allrecipes

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup milk
2 egg whites
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
Cream butter or margarine and 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy. Add salt and vanilla. Separate eggs and reserve the whites. Add egg yolks to the sugar mixture; beat until creamy.
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and baking powder; add alternately with milk to egg yolk mixture. Coat berries with 1 tablespoon flour and add to batter.
In a separate bowl, beat whites until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until cake tests done.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2016 Allrecipes.com
Printed From Allrecipes.com 9/1/2016

 

 

Peach Pie

 

Thumb

Ingredients

Pastry for a 10 inch double crust pie

1 egg, beaten
8-10 sliced peeled peaches
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Line the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts. Brush with some of the beaten egg to keep the bottom crust from becoming soggy.

Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour over the peaches, and mix gently. Pour into the pie crust, and dot with butter. If you wish to make a lattice crust as we did you can roll out and cut pastry with a zig-zag wheel or straight with a knife and lay out the lattice as usual. You can also just make a closed upper crust, but don’t forget to make slits in it to vent the steam. Brush the remaining egg over the top crust. Cut several slits in the top crust to vent the steam.

Bake for 10 minutes in the hot oven, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 40 – 45 minutes, until the crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble through the lattice or the vents. If the edges brown to fast, cover them with a skirt of aluminum foil. Cool before serving. The pie tastes better warm than hot.

 

 

Spicy Couscous

 

couscousveg

Serves 6

Ingredients

375 g (12 oz) couscous
1 kg (2 lbs) meat from leg of lamb or chicken legs and breasts
1 can  450g (15 oz) chick peas drained
1 capsule safran powder
2 onions peeled and cut into quarters
3 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
2 Tbl vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 large zucchini
4 medium carrots
4 tomatoes
4 turnips (or 1 Kohlrabi)
1 egg plant
1 large fennel bulb
1 leek
3 potatoes (optional)

harissa (Maghrebi chili pepper paste – available in tubes, tins or jars – see note below).

Directions

Cut the lamb into cubes and dab with paper towls to remove moisture. Leave chicken on the bones, but slash the legs 2 or 3 times. Heat the oil and brown the meat in portions. Add onion and garlic and continue to saute until the onions are soft, but do not let brown or burn. Place meat, onions and garlic in a large, tall pot. Add 1-1/2 quart (liter) water and cook uncovered for 1-1/2 hr.  In the meantime wash and prepare the vegetables, cutting them into medium sized pieces. Add to the meat and cook for about 1 hr. Correct the seasoning with salt, white pepper and harissa.

Prepare the couscous according to the instructions on the package, adding a lump of butter and stirring to break up clumps before serving. Place the couscous in the middle of a large plate or platter and arrange the meat and vegetables around the periphery.

Notes:

Feel free to vary the vegetables according to availability and season.

You can make your own harissa by blending dried chilies, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, salt and olive oil. I will put up a proper recipe at a later date, but the amounts are a matter of taste.

 

Apricot Jam

 

Apricots_01

To make 3 to 4 jars

2 1/4 pounds (1 kg) fresh apricots
1/4 cup (60ml) water
3 cups (600g) sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. Place the apricots in a large pot and add the water. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until the apricots are cooked through.Add the sugar to the apricots and cook without a lid. Skim off the foam from the surface. Sit often to keep the fruit from burning on the bottom. When the jam thickens, turn off the heat and put a small amount of jam on a chilled plate. Put the plate in the freezer for a few minutes, then do the nudge test: If the jam mounds and wrinkles (as shown in the photo), it’s done. If not, continue to cook, then re-test the jam until it reaches that consistency. If you have a candy thermometer you can cook too 217 – 220 °F While the jam is cooking you can place the jars, lids and wide-mouth funnel in boiling water to sterilize.
Add the lemon juice and transfer the jam into the clean jars. Cover

20160729_181845

 

 

 

Curried Zucchini Soup

 

Thumb_01

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch cayenne
2 pounds zucchini, trimmed and chopped
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
Chopped cilantro, garnish
Fried pappadums, or toasted pita triangles, accompaniment

Add Checked Items To Grocery List

Directions

In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes.Add the curry powder, salt, and cayenne, stir, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the zucchini, reduce to medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the zucchini is very tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat. With a hand-held immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor, puree the soup. Return to medium heat and stir in the cream. Simmer for 3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, to taste.

Pour into a clean container and let cool slightly. Refrigerate until well chilled, 4 to 6 hours.

To serve, ladle into large cups, garnish with cilantro, and serve with hot pappadums or pita toast. This soup may be served hot or cold.

 

 

Apricot Pie

 

apricot_pie-001

I found this recipe on the Internet and we were very pleased with the results:
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com (Many wonderful recipes!)

Ingredients:

1 recipe for pastry dough (creates the top and bottom of the pie). See below.
1 kg (2 1/2 lbs) fresh ripe apricots, pitted and sliced into 1 cm thick slices
1 Tbsp lemon juice
50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

Once apricot pie crust has cooled in the fridge at least 1 hour, and you are ready to use it, remove dough from the refrigerator and on a large sheet of parchment paper, roll it out into a 13-inch circle, sprinkling lightly with flour to keep the dough from sticking to your rolling pin. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate (the parchment paper makes it easy to transfer the dough; just put the rolled dough over the pie plate and peel off the paper backing. Take the next piece of dough out of the fridge and re-using the parchment paper, roll it into a second 12-inch circle. Use a pizza cutter to slice the second rolled dough into about 15 (3/4-inch thick) strips. Set aside until ready to use.

Prepping your apricot filling

Preheat Oven to 425˚F.
Stir together the dry ingredients in a small bowl: 1/4 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp flour, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp salt. Pit apricots and slice into 1/2″ thick slices and place them in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp lemon juice and gently stir. Sprinkle the sugar/flour/cinnamon mixture over the sliced apricots and toss gently to combine. Transfer prepared apricot filling into the bottom of your pie pan which should be lined with pastry dough.
Use the strips of pastry dough to create a lattice top and crimp the edges. Click here to view the full photo tutorial on how to make a lattice pie topping. I’ve made it easy for ya! Crimp together the edges or use the leftover lattice topping scraps to make a fancy woven border; just make sure to push the border down onto the pie or it will disconnect from the pie and pieces of it will fall to the bottom of the oven and turn black (not that I’m speaking from experience ;)).

Beat together 1 egg with 1 Tbsp cold water. Brush top and edges of pie generously with egg wash.

Place pie on the center rack and bake at 425 ˚F for 20 minutes then place cookie sheet lined with foil under the pie to catch any drips then reduce oven to 375˚F and bake an additional 30 min until your filling is bubbling. Loosely Cover the top of the pie with foil if it is starting to brown too quickly.

Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust Recipe
The recipe calls for cream cheese and butter which creates a tender and flaky pie crust. This is my go-to recipe for pie crust. It bakes beautifully and doesn’t become soggy. It can be used for any kind of pie and also works well for a woven lattice top. Credits: This recipe was modified from the Flaky Cream Cheese Pastry Dough in The All New All Purpose: Joy of Cooking (1997 version) (pg. 864).
Serving: makes 2 (9-inch) pie crusts (top & bottom for 1 pie)Ingredients
2 cups plus 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp white sugar
½ tsp salt
1½ sticks (12 tbsp) COLD, unsalted butter, cut into ¼” cubes
6 oz (3/4 package) COLD cream cheese, cut into ¼” cubes
3 Tbsp cold heavy whipping cream
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt.
Cut the COLD butter and COLD cream cheese into ¼-inch pieces. Using pastry blender
or a food processor with blade attachment, cut the butter and cream cheese into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces. Note: you could use a knife, but that would take forever.

Drizzle 3 tbsp cold heavy cream over the dough and cut into the dough with a spatula until the dough forms moist clumps. I didn’t get much of a drizzle trying to take of picture of this step at the same time. Your drizzle will be better 😉

Divide the dough into 2 pieces, press into flat disks, cover each piece tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. It stores well in the fridge up to 2 days.

 

Kranz

 

 

Curry Rice

 

One of our favourites. We often have this with fish or with steak, but sometimes alone with a green salad.

Curry_rice

English

2 C (about 400 g) Basmati rice
4 Tbl (75 g) Butter
2 medium onions chopped finely
2 large garlic cloves minced
2-3 stalks of celery chopped
1/2 cup peanuts or cashews partially chopped
1 red bell pepper
2-3 tsp curry powder
1 chili or cayenne pepper to taste

Cook the rice in 4 cups of water as usual
Saute the onion, garlic in the butter, add the celery and bell pepper and continue sauteing. The nuts can be chopped completely or part left whole, or alternatively can be left out altogether. They can be added at any time. Add the curry powder, chili or cayenne and continue to cook over a medium heat until the vegetables are al dente. Stir in the cooked rice, mix well and correct the seasoning with curry powder, salt and pepper.

Deutsch
Zutaten für 4-5 Personen

2 Tassen (ca. 400g) Basmatireis
75g Butter
2 mittlere Zwiebeln fein gehackt
2 Knoblauchzehen fein gehackt
2-3 Stangen Staudensellerie fein gehackt
2 Knoblauchzehen klein gehackt
ca. ½ Dose (100g) Erdnüsse z.T. gehackt
1 rote Paprika (evtl. gehäutet und in Streifen geschnitten)
2-3 TL Currypulver
1 Chili oder Cayennepfeffer nach Geschmack

Reis in 4 Tassen Wasser wie gewohnt kochen (nach Packungsangaben).

Zwiebeln, Sellerie und Knoblauch in der Butter andünsten, Erdnüsse, Currypulver, Chili oder Cayennepfeffer dazu geben, mit dem Reis mischen und mit Salz, Curry und Chili oder Cayennepfeffer abschmecken.

 

 

Banana Nut Bread

 

 

1 cup (100 g) butter
¾ cup (150 g) white sugar
¾ cup (150 g) brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
2 cup (260 g) all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
¼ cup (65 ml) butter milk
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2-3)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts (large pieces)

Grease and flour 1 large or 2 small loaf pan(s). Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C)

In a large bowl cream the sugars and butter together with a hand mixer until smooth. Beat in eggs. Add and stir in combination of bananas, butter milk, soda and salt. Stir in flour, nuts and vanilla.

Bake for about 1 hr. Test with cake tester after 45 min. When tester comes out clean place on rack to cool for 10 min and then invert to remove from pan. Let cool on rack for at least 30 min before decorating with powdered sugar glaze (1 cup [100g] powdered sugar, 2-3 Tbl milk or water and 1 tsp vanilla extract) or dusting of powdered sugar.