Banana Coconut Rum Cream Pie

Banana Coconut Rum Cream Pie

Recipe by Dragon

Inspired by Epicurious & Southern Mamas

Bananas, coconut, rum and cream.....in pie form. What more is there to say? This is one of the most delicious pies you will ever have and it doesn't hurt that it's easy to make too. Chill the pie for at least 2 hours but I think it's optimum at 4 hours. Enjoy!

Makes One 9 inch pie

Ingredients:

Pie Shell:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup shredded sweet coconut

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Pie Filling:

1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar, divided

1 tablespoon butter

4 firm-ripe bananas, sliced
1/4 cup shredded sweet coconut

8 oz cream cheese, softened

zest of 1/2  lemon

1 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons coconut rum, divided

Toasted shredded sweet coconut to garnish

Directions:

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Combine & mix graham crumbs, butter, cinnamon, coconut and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in a bowl until combined well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of 9 inch pie plate. Bake crust 10 minutes, and then cool completely in pie plate on a rack, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a sauté pan over medium heat, combine 1 tablespoon of butter with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of rum until they melt together. Add the sliced bananas and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring to make sure the bananas are coated with the butter/sugar/rum. Remove bananas from the heat, toss gently with shredded coconut and let bananas cool.

4. Beat together cream cheese, lemon zest and 1/3 cup brown sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

5. Beat heavy cream with 2 tablespoons of rum in another bowl with cleaned beaters at medium speed until it holds soft peaks. Gently stir one third of whipped cream into cream cheese mixture to lighten, and then fold in remaining whipped cream.

6. Arrange the banana slices evenly over the bottom of the cooled crust. Spread all cream filling over the bananas. Sprinkle toasted coconut over top. Chill pie for at least 2 hours before serving.

Mousseline au Chocolat

Mousseline Au Chocolat
Recipe by Julia Child **

French food is just as much about technique as it is about great ingredients.....and in the case of Mousseline Au Chocolat, it also requires one strong whisking arm. Chocolate mousse is one of my favourite desserts. I love its luscious feel in my mouth as the chocolate melts slowly on the tongue. Perfection.

Julia said "Among all the recipes for chocolate mousse this is one of the best, we think; it uses egg yolks, sugar, and butter, and instead of cream, beaten egg whites."* And, beat eggs you will! This is a great workout for your upper arms and it will justify the calories of this amazing dessert later. ;) Bon Appetit!

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup instant sugar (very finely granulated)
1/4 cup orange liqueur
6 ounces or squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
4 tablespoons strong  coffee
6 ounces or 1/2 sticks softened unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely diced, glazed orange peel (optional)
4 egg whites
pinch salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Garnish:
1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped until stiff with a pinch of sugar and a drop of vanilla.
Cocoa powder for dusting

Directions:
1. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until mixture is thick, pale yellow, and falls back upon itself forming a slowly dissolving ribbon. Beat in the orange liqueur.

2. Then set mixing bowl over the not­ quite simmering water and continue beating for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is foamy and too hot for your finger.


3. Then beat over cold water for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is cool and again forms the ribbon. It will have the consistency of mayonnaise.

4. Melt chocolate with coffee over hot water. Remove from heat and beat in the butter a bit at a time, to make a smooth cream.Beat the chocolate into the egg yolks and sugar, then beat in the optional orange peel.

5. Beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks are formed; sprinkle on the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Stir one fourth of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold ín the rest.

6. Turn into serving dish, dessert cups, or petits pots. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

7. I decorated the top of the mousse with lightly sweetened whipped cream with a touch of vanilla. A little dusting of cocoa powder completes this delicious dessert.

* Keep in mind that this recipe uses raw eggs so be careful if you're pregnant or have other health restrictions.

**Excerpted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Copyright © 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

Blueberry Cobbler

Blueberry CobblerRecipe by Thomas Keller

Some of the best tasting dishes are the ones that are the simplest to prepare and only require a few ingredients to make magic.

As soon as I took my first look at Thomas Keller's "Ad Hoc at Home" cookbook, I immediately knew I would make this amazing blueberry cobbler dish because I had to resist the urge to lick the photo in the book.

This past weekend, I had my chance to make this dessert. It was quick and easy to prepare! I loved how Keller's cake like biscuits soaked up all the blueberry juice. I served it warm but it tastes good cold also. I can't wait to start playing with different fruits and berries in this recipe....it's so versatile. Enjoy!

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

Topping:
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk

Filling:
8 cups blueberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Cinnamon sugar:
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. For topping, in medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and baking soda.

2. In large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Using hand mixer, mix on low speed, then beat on medium until mixture is light and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk in 2 batches. Scrape down sides; mix again to ensure all ingredients are combined.

3. For filling, in medium bowl, toss blueberries with sugar, flour and zest. Spread in 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Spoon mounds of batter over berries, leaving space between mounds. (Makes about 12 mounds.)

4. For cinnamon sugar, stir together sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over batter. Bake in preheated 350F oven 40 minutes or until juices are bubbling and topping is golden and cooked through.

5. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving. (Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days.)

Rolled Omelette

Rolled Omelette
Recipe by Julia Child*

My love for Julia Child is no secret. Julia was a remarkable woman/chef who introduced an entire generation to the art of French cooking. I've read her books, cooked her food and followed her life. So I'm excited to announce that I'll be participating in a project celebrating Julia Child's 100th birthday. I'll be preparing and blogging some of Julia's most popular recipes in these 100 days leading up to her birthday on August 15th.

You can follow me and other bloggers on Twitter with the #jc100 hashtag or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JuliaChild

Our first recipe comes from Julia's masterpiece "Mastering The Art of French Cooking", the classic Omelette Roulée or Rolled Omelette. This recipe is more about technique than ingredients. In fact all you need are 2 eggs, a pinch of salt/pepper, butter, a hot pan and 20 seconds. Simple, right? I thought so to until I tried it.

I thought I could get the perfect, pale omelette on the first try. Nope, what I got was tasty but far from perfect. The omelette was too brown and I couldn't achieve that perfect rolled shape.  But as Julia said: “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude." So I gave it another 2 tries and the final one was the best. Ok, so maybe I didn't get the absolutely perfect pale colour, but baby I mastered the roll! Bon Appetit!

 
Here Julia Child teaches us how to make the perfect omelette.

*Excerpted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Copyright © 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

Tyler Florence's Ultimate Fried Chicken
Recipe by Tyler Florence

Sometimes you just can't get enough of a good thing and in this case, my desire for fried chicken is unending. This time Peter (kalofagas.ca) and I tried another much touted recipe, Tyler Florence's Ultimate Fried Chicken. Now calling a dish 'ultimate' might set the bar high but in this case, I agree. I loved this recipe. I enjoyed it even more than Art Smith's famous fried chicken recipe. Tyler's chicken had a thinner coating which I like and the addition of the herbs worked. Give this recipe a try, you won't regret it. In the meantime, I'm on the hunt for the next great fried chicken recipe. Enjoy!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 (3 to 4 pound) chicken, cut up into 10 pieces
Kosher salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne
Freshly ground black pepper
1 quart buttermilk
2 tablespoons hot chili sauce (recommended: Srirachi)
Peanut oil, for frying
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
3 big sprigs fresh rosemary
1/4 bunch fresh sage
1/2 head garlic, smashed, husk still attached
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:
1. Put the chicken pieces into a large bowl. Cover the chicken with water by 1 inch; add 1 tablespoon of salt for each quart of water used. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

2. In a large shallow platter, mix the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne until well blended; season generously with salt and pepper. In another platter combine the buttermilk and hot sauce with a fork and season with salt and pepper.

3. Drain the chicken and pat it dry. Dredge the pieces, a few at a time, in the flour mixture, then dip them into the buttermilk; dredge them again in the seasoned flour. Set aside and let the chicken rest while you prepare the oil.

4. Put about 3 inches of oil into a large deep pot; it should not come up more than half way. Add the thyme, rosemary, sage, and garlic to the cool oil and heat over medium-high heat until the oil registers 350 to 365 degrees F on one of those clip-on deep-fry thermometers. The herbs and garlic will perfume the oil with their flavor as the oil comes up to temperature.

5. Once the oil has reached 350 to 365 degrees F, working in batches, carefully add the chicken pieces 3 or 4 at a time. Fry, turning the pieces once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Total cooking time should be about 30 minutes. When the chicken is done, take a big skimmer and remove the chicken pieces and herbs from the pot, shaking off as much oil as you can, and lay it on a tea towel or brown paper bag to soak up the oil. Sprinkle all over with more salt and a dusting of cracked black pepper. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Once all the chicken is fried, scatter the fried herbs and garlic over the top. Serve hot, with big lemon wedges