Happy Pi Day! 3-14

Happy Pi Day Everyone!!! 3-14-16

In honor of Pi Day here is a link to my Banana Cream Pie!!!  I hope you check it out and what Pie will you be eating today!! LOL!! 🙂

https://whatscookingwithchefamy.com/2012/06/17/banana-cream-pie-for-fathers-day/

Dark Chocolate Cake with Orange Mascarpone Frosting!!

This is a little late, but Happy Belated Mother’s Day to all the Mothers out there 🙂

This past Mother’s Day I had my parents over to my house along with my bestie Danny 🙂

I made dinner and dessert and everyone went home full and my folks got all the leftovers 🙂

Lets start with the best the dessert, I made a Dark Chocolate Cake with Orange Mascarpone Frosting…YUM!! 😛

• Servings: 8-10
• Print

For the Cake
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup Chocolate Milk (TruMoo)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the Frosting
Peel of 1 orange and Zest of 1 Orange
1 cup heavy cream
12 oz. mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted (more or less, to taste)

DIRECTIONS
For the Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray
2. In Medium bowl whisk together eggs, hot milk, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in eggs, hot chocolate, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until combined. Divide evenly between prepared cake pans.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

For the Frosting:
Infuse orange peel into cream first:
1. Place cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add peels of one orange to the cream and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the cream has taken on some orange flavor.
2. Take cream off the heat. Remove peels with tongs or by straining the cream. Discard peels. Allow cream to cool a bit before placing in the refrigerator until completely chilled, I did this over night.
3. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream just until very soft peaks form.
4. In a second bowl, beat together mascarpone and confectioners’ sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in ¼ of the whipped cream, then fold in the rest of the orange-scented cream and the zest of one orange, (keeping a little to garnish the top of the cake), into the mascarpone mixture until incorporated. Frost cake, keep chilled until ready to serve.

The was great I love the chocolate and orange combo 🙂

Now for Dinner I made Grill Salmon with fresh pasta, pistachio pesto along with sauteed mushrooms and asparagus…it was yummy too!! :

My pasta making

I need to make fresh pasta more often, it really is easy 🙂

Enjoy Everyone!!!

Banana Cream Pie for Father’s Day

Banana Cream Pie – Happy Father’s Day Dad!!!

My Dads ultimate favorite thing is Banana Cream Pie, I make it for him on his birthday and Father’s Day…I know I should make it more often for him because he just absolutely loves it. I remember the last time was his birthday and I had stayed overnight and I woke up around 5:00am and there he was cutting himself a piece of pie. I had to laugh, so I started to make 2 cause the first one does not last the night.

So this is my Banana Cream Pie I make for my Dad.

Now I use a pre made pie crust, I know, I know I should make one from scratch but if you have time then you should for sure, but I don’t mind cutting that corner if I don’t have time.

First I bake my crust, then let it cool.

In the meantime I make the filling.

1/3 cup cornstarch
3 large egg yolks, keep whites to use in the meringue

1 ½ cup whipping cream
1 ½ cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
¼ tsp. Salt
1 ½ tsp. Vanilla
2 tbsp. Unsalted butter, softened

In a medium saucepan, whisk sugar, cornstarch and salt, then whisk in whipping cream, milk, then egg yolks. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking until custard thickens and just boils. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla and set a side.

Slice 3 large ripe bananas, put half the slices over the crust, then half the filling, rest of bananas ending with the rest of the filling, spread evenly. Set aside.

The meringue topping, I use a marshmallow topping, some will call it a 7 minute frosting.

¾ cup sugar, plus 2 tbsp.
1 tbsp. Light corn syrup
2 tbsp. Water
3 large egg whites, left over from the filling, room temp.

In a small saucepan, add sugar, corn syrup and water, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat a little and insert in a candy thermometer until it registers 230 degrees.

In the meantime, using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2 ½ minutes.

Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar, once the syrup reaches 230 degrees, pour the syrup in a steady stream down the side of the bowl containing the egg white mixture with the mixer on medium-low speed.

Then beat on medium speed until cool 5- 10 minutes, the frosting should be thick and shiny.

Take frosting and put all of it on top of the banana and filling mixture, mound it up high and with the spreader, spread all the way to the edge of the pie crust.

Now since this is not really a meringue, I take my little crème brulee torch and torch the topping to make it look like a meringue.

Set in the refrigerator for at least 4-5 hours or longer to set. Slice and enjoy!!!

Cream Scones

6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup cream, plus 2 tbsp. extra
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder

Sift together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl,  in a small bowl beat together 1/2 cup cream, egg and vanilla.  Add the butter to the flour mixture using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour cream mixture in the well and with using your hand gently fold mixture together. Just when mixed together, turn out onto a floured surface, knead very gently only 3-4 times.  Form into a circle and pat gently to about 1 inch thick, using a 3 inch round biscuit/cookie cutter cut out scones, you will get about 8 scones.  Or you can cut the circle into 8 wedges.  Brush scones with extra cream, and place onto a baking sheet, bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, risen and golden.

Serve with English clotted cream or English Double Devon Cream and fruit preserves.

I’ve made these several times and they always turn out so yummy and they are so so easy and simple….A must try for breakfast or afternoon tea!!

Beer Cheese Soup

1 cup onions, minced
½ cup celery, minced
½ cup flour
1 stick butter
1 bottle Harp Beer
3 cups chicken stock
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
16 oz. Sharp cheddar, shredded (Tillamook is what I used)
8 oz. extra sharp cheddar, shredded (Cabot Vintage Choice)
2 cups cream
Cooked bacon for garnish
Green onions (tops only), thinly sliced

In a stock pot over medium heat add butter, onions and celery sauté until softened.  Add flour, whisk and cook for about 3 minutes, whisking often.  Whisk in beer slowly and same with the chicken broth, bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 – 20 minutes.  Then add dry mustard and Worcestershire then add cream while whisking and then cheese a good handful at time until all added keep whisking until smooth and cheese has melted.  Cook for about 10 minutes more. Taste, season with salt and pepper etc., if too thick add more broth, beer or cream, too thin add more cheese.  But nothing extra was needed; garnish each bowl with bacon and green onions.

Let me say the bacon really put this soup over the top, serve with the Harp Beer Bread and your good to go…Enjoy!!! Cheers!!