Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Ultimate Walnut Pie Crust with Pumpkin Filling

Ingredients:
  • 2 1/2 cups walnuts
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions:
Blend walnuts, baking soda and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter and pulse until butter is mixed in.


Scrape the batter into a 9-inch tart pan. You can use a rubber spatula to smooth the batter over the bottom and up the sides, but ultimately your fingers will be the best tool. Take your time smoothing and patting the batter out evenly. It’s better to spread the batter thinner across the bottom of the pan and thicker around the edges of the crust.

 
Place the pie on a cookie sheet (helps to keep the bottom from burning) and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the crust from the oven and pour your filling of choice inside. Bake again until filling is done.

Pumpkin Filling: 

 
Ingredients:
  • One 15-ounce can of pumpkin
  • 1 cup canned coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (found the spice section of grocery stores)
  • 3 eggs, whisked
Instructions:
Mix together all ingredients. Pour into the pre-baked crust. Don’t overfill the crust – you might have a little batter leftover.

 
Bake for 50 minutes. The center of the pie should be fairly firm and only jiggle a tiny bit if you shake the pan. Let the pie cool completely before cutting into it. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.




Sunday, December 4, 2011

Roasted Broccolini with Fried Duck Egg

Doesn't it look delicious?


Broccolini1















1/2 bunch (8 spears or so) broccolini
Olive oil
Butter
1 duck egg
salt and pepper
Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 450.  Lightly coat the broccolini with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast for 8-10 minutes, or until it reaches desired "doneness."  In the meantime, heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and add the butter.  Cook the duck egg for 2 minutes on one side, then flip and cook briefly on the other - you want runny yolks, folks!  Place the broccolini on a plate and top with the duck egg.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a little freshly grated parmesan.