Pumpkin Pie

One of my favorites treats this time of year is pumpkin pie.  I'm not normally a big pie fan - I'd much rather have a cupcake or a piece of salted caramel more than I would crave a piece of pie.  But pumpkin pie seems to hold a place in my sweet tooth's heart!  I don't know if it's the perfect ratio of crust to creamy, pumpkin-y goodness or what, but it's one of my favorites!

I pinned a bunch of pumpkin pie recipes over the past couple of weeks, but I decided I'd stick with a basic pumpkin pie.  But instead of my usual recipe, I took a chance and used the one from the back of the pumpkin can.  The difference between the recipe I used today and the one I usually use is this recipe uses sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk.  I was happy with the results and I would definitely make this again. It was so simple to throw together since I took a shortcut and used pre-made pie crust.

I enjoyed my pie directly from the tin as is (I guess I'm a pie purist!), but this would be equally delicious with a side of bourbon-spiked whipped cream or a drizzle of salted caramel sauce!  This would make a nice addition to your Thanksgiving table.

The recipe can be found here.

Enjoy!

Happy National Peach Month!

Yes, yes I know.  We're already halfway through August and I'm just NOW getting around to celebrating National Peach month.  I think this may be my favorite month because peaches are one of my favorite fruits.  They're so versatile and can be enjoyed in both sweet and savory forms.

I had originally set out to make this pound cake, but when the time came to bake the cake, I suddenly became very lazy!  One of my favorite ways to enjoy peaches is in the form of a cobbler, so I Googled some cobbler recipes and came across one from Paula Deen.  I stopped my search right there - I mean, it's Paula Deen and I was looking for a Southern comfort food after all!

This recipe came together really quickly.  I modified the recipe slightly by adding some bourbon (!) and raspberries.  I would definitely make this recipe again and am really looking forward to dessert tonight!  :)


Peach Cobbler (slightly adapted from Paula Deen)

4 cups, peeled sliced peaches (I used about six medium sized peaches)*
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
A good glug (1/4 cup) of bourbon (like Jim Beam)
8 tablespoons (1 stick, 1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (see here for a substitute)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or milk
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of sea salt
1 pint raspberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 3/4 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, salt, and bourbon.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 3/4 - 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with cinnamon.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes; Batter will rise to top during baking.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  Or just face-plant the cobbler...  Once it's cooled, of course!

*Tip on peeling peaches: Boil water (I just use a tea kettle).  While water is boiling, score each peach by making an X on the bottom.  Place the peaches in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them.  Let the peaches sit in the water for a few minutes, until they are cool enough to handle.  You can also fill the bowl with some cold water to help make them cooler to handle.  Peel by starting at the X.  The peel should come off pretty easily.  This is a great trick for tomatoes too!

Here are some other great ideas for peaches:

Peach salsa

Peach BBQ sauce

Peach and gorgonzola pizza (SO good when grilled!)

Peach cobbler scones

Lemon Curd

I love lemon.  It's tart yet refreshing and it reminds me of warm spring and summer days...  It may be the fact that they go so well into a homemade margaritas!  I picked up a large bag of lemons the other day at the grocery store.  It was a total impulse buy and I wanted to find ways to use them up before they spoiled.  I happened to check out one of my favorite food blogs and found a recipe for lime curd.  It was a quick and simple recipe and I made a batch right away (of course using lemons in place of limes).

The flavor of this curd is right on.  It reminds me of the lemon filling my mom used to make for her cakes.  I've made this twice and the second time, I added some zest to amp up the flavor.  I just love the flavor of lemon and this recipe is the perfect balance of sweet and tart.  The curd is very versatile - I bet it would be great put into small tart cups and topped with fruit and whipped cream.  I find it is perfect just scooped from the jar and directly into my mouth!  :)  Check back later to see how I end up using the curd.

Lemon Curd
Yield: 1 1/4 cups
Adapted from Annie's Eats

3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
Zest from one lemon
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 1/2-2 lemons)*
4 T unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

In a non-reactive saucepan, combine the eggs and sugar.  Whisk together until well blended.  Whisk in the key lime juice.  Place the pan over medium-low heat.  Cook, stirring or whisking constantly, until the mixture is warmed through.  Be careful not to heat the mixture too quickly to avoid curdling the eggs.  Whisk in the butter a little bit at a time, stirring in each addition until completely incorporated before adding more.  Continue to cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the mixture thickens and a spoon or spatula leaves a path when drawn through it (no higher than 175˚ F on an instant-read thermometer.)  Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.  Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.  (This keeps up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.)


*This can be made with lemons, limes, oranges...  Any citrus!

Milk Chocolate Ice Cream with Brownie Bits

Yum.  All I have to say is yum!  I decided to make this ice cream because I'd baked some brownies for my running group and they did not come out the way I'd planned.  The tester came out clean, but sadly when I went to cut the brownies they were grossly undercooked.  So, when life hands you undercooked brownies...  You make ice cream!  Sorry, I couldn't resist!  :)


This was my first try at making ice cream in the ice cream maker I received as a birthday gift in July.  I have to say the process isn't nearly as scary as I'd thought.  In fact, it's pretty simple!  The hardest part is waiting for the ice cream to freeze so it can be eaten!  This recipe came together really quickly.  You can use the following brownie recipe (which is my favorite!) or you can use your own favorite.  I'd even suggest picking up some already made brownies to make this simple process even easier.


For the Ghirardelli brownies
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup Ghirardelli sweet ground chocolate and cocoa
2/3 cup unsifted flour
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
*I added about 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips as well as 1/4 cup of caramel bites.  The caramels can be found here at Nuts Online.


Preheat oven to 350°F.  Coat an 8x8" or 9x9" pan with nonstick spray.  Using a spoon, stir eggs, sugar, and vanilla; add butter.  Sift together Sweet ground chocolate, flour, salt and baking powder.  Stir into egg mixture.  Spread into 8" or 9" square baking pan.  Bake 20-30 minutes.  For chewy brownies use 8" pan and less baking time.  For cake like brownies use 9" pan and more baking time.


For the ice cream (from: Annie's Eats):
8 oz. milk chocolate (at least 30% cacao solids), finely chopped
1½ cups heavy cream
1½ cups whole milk
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks


To make the ice cream, combine the milk chocolate and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Remove from the heat and set a mesh sieve over the top of the bowl.

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, sugar and salt.  Heat until the sugar is dissolved.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  When the milk mixture is warm, slowly add to the bowl with the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly.  Return the mixture to the saucepan and continue to heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens just slightly and coats the back of a spoon (170-175˚ F on an instant-read thermometer).  Remove from the heat and pour the custard through the strainer into the milk chocolate mixture.

Cover and chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.  Freeze the batter in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Once frozen, fold in the brownie bits with a spatula.  Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.