Crack Pie

When I read the latest issue of Bon Appetit and saw a recipe from a famous NYC Bakery that involved salty and sweet--I was there! I figured I could make this recipe and we could eat a we would cookies (which I rarely make to being with...) and just nibble when we needed to satisfy our sweet teeth. This recipe is not called crack pie for nuthin! Do not attempt if you are on a diet :)

Ingredients
Oat Cookie Crust

* Nonstick vegetable oil spray
* 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
* 5 1/2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 large egg
* 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
* 1/2 cup all purpose flour
* 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt

Filling

* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
* 6 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
* 4 large egg yolks
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Preparation
Oat Cookie Crust

* Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray. Combine 6 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until pale and fluffy. Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Turn oat mixture out onto prepared baking pan; press out evenly to edges of pan. Bake until light golden on top, 17 to 18 minutes. Transfer baking pan to rack and cool cookie completely.
* Using hands, crumble oat cookie into large bowl; add 3 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar. Rub in with fingertips until mixture is moist enough to stick together. Transfer cookie crust mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Using fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish. Place pie dish with crust on rimmed baking sheet.

Filling

* Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Whisk both sugars, milk powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and whisk until blended. Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie 30 minutes (filling may begin to bubble). Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to bake pie until filling is brown in spots and set around edges but center still moves slightly when pie dish is gently shaken, about 20 minutes longer. Cool pie 2 hours in pie dish on rack. Chill uncovered overnight. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled.

* Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into wedges and serve cold.



Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/09/crack_pie#ixzz0z3sZnpr9

Buttery Sourdough Dinner Rolls

We had dinner at our new neighbor's house last week and he is a bread man. He bakes two loaves of bread every week to be used for their sandwiches and then makes additional rolls, sweet breads and additional breads as needed. I was impressed. For dinner that night he made these rolls and they were divine.... Honestly, I know I have been throwing around the term "the best" liberally, but these were the best rolls I have ever eaten. Mr. E. and I were lucky enough to enjoy them with dinner tonight as our generous neighbor shared his cookbook with me as well as a jar of his valuable sourdough starter. For more information about sourdough starters check out this website http://www.io.com/~sjohn/sour.htm One of the main differences between a lot of starters I have seen and mine is that mine was made with milk. Enjoy!

2 packages dry active yeast
½ cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
4 cups all purpose flour
¼ sugar
1 teaspoon salt
10 T butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1 cup sourdough starter, at room temp
½ cup warm milk (about 110 degrees)

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, stir together 2 cups of flour, the sugar and salt. Then add yeast mixture, 6 T of the melted butter, the egg, starter and milk.

Beat with a heavy-duty mixer for about 5 minutes until well blended and smooth. Gradually beat in the remaining 2 cups of flour. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 45 minutes).

Pour 2 T of the remaining melted butter into a 9 13 inch baking pan, tilting pan to coat bottom. Stir dough down and drop into pan by large spoonfuls, making about 15 rolls. Cover and let rise in a warm place until light and puffy (about 30 minutes).

Drizzle the remaining 2 T melted butter over the rolls. Bake in a preheated 425 oven 400 for a glass pan for 15-20 minutes or until browned. Turn out onto a plate and serve hot. Pull rolls apart to separate.

Happy Birthday Mr. E!

It's Peach... What else would it be?

Herring Pate

We have been trying to eat more fish lately in addition to our weekly salmon dinner (now that Baby O is here!) and one of my more recent creations can either be served as an appetizer or as a main dish for a casual meal. Yes, I know that smoked herring does not sound appetizing at all but it is oh so good for you.

Ingredients:

7.5 can smoked herring
3 oz. lite cream cheese
1/2 lemon, squeezed
a few dashes of hot sauce
1 T of tomato paste (buy the tube of TP... it is much more economical than the cans)

Mix in a foot processor until it reaches a smooth consistency, about 30 seconds. Serve on toasted baguette rounds. We had a meal using leftover ingredients last night so I served this with roasted sweet potatoes and a salad.

The Best Peach Cobbler Ever... and so easy

Peaches are BIG in southern North Carolina and they are oh so delicious this time of year. In fact, local farmers are reporting that this is one of the best crops they have seen in years so of course I have been stockpiling them in our freezer as fast as I can. I also decided that I should put them to good use in a traditional southern dessert... peach cobbler! I found this recipe online and it had...881 reviews (almost all positive). That Paula Deen really knows here stuff! Unfortunately it was so good that it was all gobbled up before I could get a photo... but I am sure there will be another pan of this soon.

Ingredients:

* 4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
* 2 cups sugar, divided
* 1/2 cup water
* 8 tablespoons butter
* 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* Ground cinnamon, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

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

Mix remaining 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 ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. We served it with Breyer's all Natural vanilla!

Paula Deen's Homecooking http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/peach-cobbler-recipe/index.html

Sweet Potato Fries and Dip

I LOVE sweet potato fries and never pass up an opportunity to try them out if we are out at a restaurant because surprisingly, they always taste different. My favorite part is the dipping sauce(s) that accompany these fries. The best dipping sauces I have tried are served at Bar Cento in Ohio City in Cleveland, Ohio. Sadly, I don't think I will make it back there any time soon. For a few years now I have been trying to find the perfect dip recipe to make at home to accompany the sweet potato fries that we grill or roast in the oven. Finally, last night I hit the jackpot. This sauce was amazing!


Avocado Dip:

* 1 avocado
* 1/3 cup mayonnaise
* 1/3 cup cream cheese
* 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped.
* 2 scallions, white and light green part only, chopped
* 1 lime, juiced
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the avocado, mayonnaise, cream cheese, jalapeno, scallions, and lime juice into a blender or small food processor. Blend for 1 minute or until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Recipe courtesy Ingrid Hoffmann, 2007

Greek Pasta Salad

We are moving! In anticipation of the big packing and moving day I am trying to prepare foods using the ingredients we already have stocked in our cupboard or refrigerator.... Luckily I have been craving this staple of the 1980's for the last few months and we had most of the ingredients available. The only substitution I made was to prepare the salad with prosciutto instead of pepperoni!


Ingredients

* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
* 2 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
* 3 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
* 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1 cup sliced red bell peppers
* 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 1 (4 ounce) can whole black olives
* 3/4 cup sliced pepperoni sausage, cut into strips

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, black pepper, and sugar. Add cooked pasta, mushrooms, tomatoes, red peppers, feta cheese, green onions, olives, and pepperoni. Toss until evenly coated. Cover, and chill 2 hours or overnight.