Nigella Lawson's Mini Key Lime Pie Tarts

I swear the plague has hit my humble abode. I started feeling a little funny a few days ago. Well- it came full force and not until tonight did I feel well enough to even leave a horizontal position. But I’m slightly getting better. In fact, I felt so well today that I decided to return all of the 7 Project Runway DVD’s back to the library and make Nigella Lawson’s Mini Key Lime Pie Tarts. Those two things were quite adventurous for not leaving the house in 2 days.

I slightly adjusted her recipe. I didn’t have key limes, so I just used the limes I purchased at my local public market. I like my key lime TANGY so I added a ½ lime extra for the juice portion in the recipe. I also added the zest to the “batter” as well as on the tops of each individual tart. I thought it was a good mix of tart and sweet. I think these might be the cure I was looking for. Thanks Nigella!

Recipe Follows:

Nigella's Mini Key Lime Pies

1/2 cup unsalted butter
9 ounces graham crackers
2 large eggs -- separated
(7-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 limes -- zested and juiced
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 325.

Melt the butter in a pan . Put the graham crackers, broken up roughly, in the processor, and blitz. Still processing, add the melted butter down the funnel and turn this wet sand onto a plate or into a bowl. Put a heaped teaspoonful of the biscuit base into each mini-muffin cup, press it around the edges and up the sides of the cup with your fingers, and let it harden in the refrigerator.
Beat the egg yolks until thick-I use an electric mixer for this- then add, still beating, the condensed milk and lime juice. If you;re making these the day before they're needed, keep the lime zest in an airtight bag.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks form and gently fold into the yolk mixture. Using a dessert spoon ( and a teaspoon for scraping), fill the cracker-crusted mini-muffin pans. Transfer to the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove, let cool in the pans, then refrigerate for a day.
Turn out the mini key lime pies: turn the pan upside down and gently tap on the bottom until the pies fall out. If they're well chilled this works fine. Using a very fine grater, dust with the lime zest.

Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies/Bars

I've been substitute teaching a lot lately. The school staff are really close-knit and I appreciate the love that floats through the halls of the school. It's actually kind of freaky. I usually take sweets with me to hand out. (It's something that has been ingrained in me. My mother is the best baker and the most giving person I have ever met) Since the school I am referring to is a Parochial school and it is Lent, I decided to make something other than chocolate. It was much appreciated, and the teachers like knowing that these were on the lighter side.

I found this recipe in my new copy of Cooking Light magazine. I believe A) the lack of fat/oils in this recipe made it difficult to form and B) I halved the recipe so there turned out to be even less butter/oil. I ended up making bars instead of cookies. I could've baked these less, they were quite crunchy, but I love the caramel bits within the bars.

Recipe to follow:

Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 4 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)

Ingredients

• 6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup finely chopped dried apple slices
• 3/4 cup caramel bits or 16 small soft caramel candies, chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a bowl; stir well.

3. Place sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture; beat at low speed until just combined. Fold in apple and caramel bits.

4. Drop dough by 2 teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Flatten balls slightly with hand. Bake at 350° for 9 minutes. Cool on pans 3 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Joy of Cooking's Roasted Garlic Muffins

Today I came home from the gym feeling lousy. I think I over-exerted myself. I do that when I miss a few days, I feel I have to make up for them. Bad idea. So, dinner was a simple vegetable soup. I was wanting something "carb-y" to go along with the soup. Opening my new Joy of Cooking, I found the muffin section and narrowed in on the Roasted Garlic Muffins. These turned out beautifully. The only change I would make to leave out more of the brown sugar. They asked for 2/3 C. which I think is an extrordinary amount. I did a little over 1/3 C. and next time I would do even less. Other than that, I will be making these again...soon.

I learned something neat. I always thought if you wanted roasted garlic you have to wait 30+ minutes. I learned that you can use the microwave and a little olive oil instead to "roast" the garlic.

Thanks for the tip e-how!

Old, Oldest, New

(2 of the best things on Earth)

And that's dinner!

Bean burritos and Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

So, my boyfriend and I are QUITE into the show Project Runway. Of course, we haven't started watching it until now. I heard they're onto the 7th season. We started with the 4th (the last disc, working backwards) and now we decided to start with the first season.We're a lot less confused now. Ha! Anyways, yesterday we made a marathon of it. I made non-special bean burritos. Easy food to consume for couch sitters.

Because I didn't feel gross enough confining myself to a couch for hours and hours I made Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, just to have around. I didn't have any white chocolate in the house (mainly because I can't stand it) so I began searching for a recipe for Macadamia nut cookies. Found a simple one in my Bon Appetit and just replaced the white chocolate with the dark. I wouldn't use dark next time, it overpowered the other flavors. But really....could butter, sugar and chocolate of any kind be bad?

Recipe to follow:

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6-1/2 oz. white chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup macadamia nuts, halved

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Blend butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla until fluffy, stopping once to scrape down sides of bowl, about 1 minute. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix until just combined.

Do not overmix. St lightly greased cookie sheet. space about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 375°F until lightly brown around edges, about 15 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes, then remove to racks and cool completely. Store in air days at room temperature or freeze 3 weeks.

Serving Size: 8

Barley, Butternut Squash, and Shiitake Mushroom Risotto

Came across this recipe in my new March 2010 Cooking Light magazine. I love Shiitake mushrooms and it has been wayyyyyyy too long since I've had barley. This recipe was interesting, pearl barley is like risotto in texture. Everyone enjoyed this. The only changes I made was in the cheese. Believe it or not I didn't have Taleggio available so I referred to my copy of Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials and found that if I use my Smoked Gouda instead it would be alright. I didn't have any red-onion on hand, so I used a yellow one. Next time, I think I would use less Thyme. That probably is just personal though...I'm learning to like it. :)

Recipe to follow...

Barley, Butternut Squash, and Shiitake Risotto

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
Ingredients

* 3 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
* 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
* 2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 1/2 pound)
* 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
* 1 cup uncooked pearl barley
* 2 garlic cloves, chopped
* 2/3 cup white wine
* 3 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 4 ounces Taleggio cheese, diced
* 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine squash, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss well to coat. Arrange squash mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes, stirring once.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl; keep warm.

4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan. Add onion; saut´´ 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add barley and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed. Add broth, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is nearly absorbed. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in squash, mushrooms, and thyme. Serve immediately.

Snow Day and Pumpkin Gnocchi

Today was an official Snow Day. Every school district here in Rochester New York and surrounding areas was closed today. I drove home from Buffalo early this morning after a fun night visiting with some friends from college. The Thruway commute was not a fun experience, but upon arriving home I actually embraced the snow-got some great shots and got inspired to make a great comfort meal.Rachael Ray created a Decadent Pumpkin Gnocchi recipe on her show not too long ago. I highly recommend this meal- instead of pumpkin I used Butternut Squash.

---Recipe Follows---

Rachel Ray's Decadent Pumpkin Gnocchi

• 2 pounds butternut squash, kuri squash or sugar pumpkin, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups whipping cream
• Freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon
• A few sprigs fresh sage, very thinly sliced
• 2 bundles farm fresh spinach trimmed and washed or 3/4 pound bagged spinach, stemmed
• 1 pound good quality fresh gnocchi
• Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano for topping

PREPARATION

Pre-heat the oven to 400˚F.

On a baking sheet, toss the squash with the EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, turning once. Remove the squash, turn off the oven and place a large platter in the oven to warm for a few minutes.

When the squash has been in the oven for about 15 minutes, bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet or pot with the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook gently, 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the wine and stir for 1 minute, then add the cream and bring to a bubble. Reduce the heat to keep the cream at a rolling simmer and let reduce for 7-8 minutes, until the cream coats the back of spoon.

When the water comes to a boil, add salt and, working in batches, add the spinach and wilt for 30 seconds. Remove to a plate with a spider or tongs and drain. To the same pot of water, add the gnocchi and cook until they float and are hot through, about 3 minutes.

Remove the warm platter from the oven. Arrange most of the roasted squash and spinach on the platter. Toss the drained gnocchi with the sauce and arrange on top of the squash and spinach. Garnish with the remaining squash and spinach and lots of freshly grated cheese.

Meyer Lemon Pie

Yesterday was my birthday. 24 on the 24th. That's the first and last time that will happen. I'm not impressed by birthday's anymore. Actually I dread them. This one turned out to be pretty stressful, trying to stretch myself between different events with different people. I'm only one person people! What I prefer on a birthday is a nice dinner. In or out i'm not picky oOooo and Fondue! And that's just what we had yesterday, a nice dinner out and fondue in. It was a dream...

I went to visit family today and wanted to add to the dessert presentation, so I did some researching, looked at what I have a lot of and made a.....Meyer Lemon Pie.

Meyer lemons are crazy things! They taste like a cross between an orange and a lemon. They're even orange tinged,making them easy to identify. I thought that this pie would need less sugar next time, considering the lemons are so well, not sour. The only adjustment I made was to add another Meyer. I wanted it chock full. The pie turned out to be more of a curd. And I used a pie dough recipe that included a TON of butter. I wouldn't use that again, it definitely wasn't flaky or delicious. But, to everyone else it was quite the crowd pleaser. Isn't that great when others only see the good, while all you can think is, "i should've added that later on, this needs more____," Nonetheless, I was so pleased that my family enjoyed it-just wish I got better pics of the final product.

Recipe to follow:

Shaker Lemon Pie

Adapted by Smitten Kitchen

Makes one 9-inch pie

2 large lemons, preferably Meyers
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
4 tablespons butter, melted
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 egg white
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Dough for one double-crust pie [See recipes here and here.]

Thoroughly wash lemons, then dry with paper towel. Finely grate lemon zest into a bowl. Using a mandoline, slice lemons as paper thin as you can get them; remove and discard seeds. Add slices to zest and toss with sugar and salt. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Roll out half the dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, fit it into a 9-inch (1-quart) pie plate, and trim the edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang.

Mix the macerated lemon-sugar mixture with eggs, melted butter and flour until combined well. Pour in to prepared pie shell.

Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface, drape it over the filling, and trim it, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under the bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it, and crimp the edge decoratively. Beat one egg white until frothy and brush over pie crust, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cut slits in the crust with a sharp knife, forming steam vents, and bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F. and bake the pie for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until the crust is golden. Let the pie cool on a rack and serve it warm at room temperature.