pie – Page 2 – Bakerholics Anonymous

Banoffee Pies

Published on March 24, 2013March 14, 2016 by Elise BLeave a comment

Inspired by the banoffee pie scene in Love Actually, I decided to have a go at making some. I was unsure whether I’d like them or not, but with their buttery pastry, dark caramel and fluffy whipped cream topping, even a banana-hater like myself thoroughly enjoyed them.

Ingredients
395g sweetened condensed milk
3 small bananas
Juice of ½ lemon
300ml thickened cream
2 tablespoons grated chocolate

Pastry
1 ⅔ cups plain flour, sifted
110g butter, chilled
110g pure icing sugar
1 egg yolk

Method
Remove and discard label from the condensed milk can, then using a can opener, make 2 small holes in the top. Place in a saucepan, open-side up. Fill pan with cold water to come almost to the top of the can (about 1cm to the top). Bring to the boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 3 hours until a caramel forms, topping up water to keep the same level. Carefully remove cans and cool.

For the pastry, place flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg yolk and 2 tblspns cold water and process until the mixture comes together in a smooth ball. Enclose in a plastic wrap and chill for 30mins.

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line eight 10cm loose-bottomed tart pans. Chill for a further 15mins. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with pastry weights. Blind-bake for 10mins, then remove paper and weights and return to the oven for 5mins or until crisp and golden. Allow to cool.

Open the condensed milk can, then spoon the caramel toffee into each pastry shell to almost fill. Thinly slice bananas, toss in the lemon juice, then place an overlapping layer over the toffee. Whip the cream and pile on top. Decorate with chocolate curls.

Adapted from delicious. ‘Sweet’ cookbook.

Grasshopper Pie

Published on March 17, 2013March 14, 2016 by Elise BLeave a comment

Happy St Patrick’s Day everyone! In honour of the occasion I have decided to post a green recipe. I sadly lack good taste when it comes to my food and drink and love horrendously fake hues (I have a real thing for blue cocktails) and so this pie is right up my alley 🙂 I also love the classic combination of mint and chocolate so this dessert hits all the right notes for me. I choose to use marshmallows instead of gelatine in this recipe as I find it makes it faster to make and less fiddly – although it does take a while for it to set. I tend to serve mine with a little bit of whipped cream and some chocolate curls.

Ingredients (serves 8)
20 oreos (with filling removed)
100g butter, melted
¾ cup milk
24 large, white marshmallows (approx. 180g)
¼ cup creme de menthe liqueur
2 tblspns white creme de cacao liqueur
1 cup whipped cream
1-2 drops green food colouring

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. In a food processor process oreos until they resemble large crumbs. Mix in butter and then pat into the bottom and sides of a 25cm pie dish.

Bake for 5-10mins, remove from oven and cool completely. Once cooled, place into the freezer to chill.

In a saucepan melt marshmallows in the milk over a medium heat. Remove from the heat and add creme de menthe and creme de cacao. Mix well. Add food colouring and then fold in whipped cream.

Pour into chilled pie shell and freeze for 3-4 hours.

Serve with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

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Adapted from Grandma’s recipe.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Published on March 16, 2013March 14, 2016 by Elise B2 Comments

It is thought that the meringue was invented in 1720 by a Swiss pastry chef named Gaspirini. It rapidly became a favourite of the French Court and apparently Marie Antoinette herself used to make it!

The Lemon Meringue Pie is a favourite of many – a staple on cafe and restaurant menus and always incredibly popular among my family and friends. However many people seem to think it’s too hard to make at home. Au contraire mon ami! This recipe makes the whole process very simple and so you can wow your friends and family in no time.

Ingredients (serves 8)
Pastry
1½ cups plain flour
3 tspns icing sugar
140g cold butter, chopped
1 egg yolk
2 tblspns water

Lemon filling
½ cup cornflour
1 cup caster sugar
½ cup lemon juice
1¼ cups water
2 tspns finely grated lemon rind
3 egg yolks
50g butter

Meringue
3 egg whites
½ cup caster sugar

Method
Put flour, icing sugar, butter, yolk and water into a food processor and process until just come together. Press dough into a ball, knead gently on a floured surface until smooth; cover, refrigerate 30 mins.

Preheat oven to 180°C fan-forced. Lightly grease a 24cm flan tin. After resting, roll dough on floured surface until large enough to line the tin. Lift pastry into tin, ease into sides and trim the edge.

Place tin on an oven tray, line pastry with baking paper and fill with pie weights or uncooked rice. Bake for 10mins then remove baking paper and weights and bake, uncovered for a further 10 mins or until pastry case is browned lightly. Cool, reduce oven temperature to 160°C fan-forced.

To make filling: combine corn flour and sugar in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in juice and water. Stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens (mixture should be very thick, jelly-like). Reduce heat, simmer, stirring for 30 secs. Remove from heat and quickly stir in egg yolks, butter and rind. Stir until smooth and leave, covered, until room temperature.

Once at room temperature, spread filling into pastry case.

To make meringue: beat egg whites in a medium bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until dissolved after each addition. Mixture should be smooth and glossy.

Top pie with meringue mixture (I like to make it look rustic with mounds of differing heights) and bake for 5 – 10 mins at 160°C fan-forced until browned lightly. Stand for 5 mins before serving.