by TheLastWonton | Sep 12, 2010 | Baking & Desserts, Pies, Treats
When the little kid in you is craving something sweet at the same time as the much more sophisticado foodie in you, it's time for peanut butter pie. Creamy, cheese-cakey, moussey filling shot through and through with the glorious nutty smoothness of peanut butter and tiny bits of bubbly chocolate treasure all piled into a classic graham cracker crust. Yes. YES. YESSS! Please.
This recipe is a combination of one of Mom's old recipes schmucked together with one of Paula Deen's delectable concoctions that's easy peasy to whip up and always promises divinely sweet results.
While I was making this nuttily delicious dessert Paul McCartney's Admiral Halsey kept repeating in my mind, for obvious 'butter pie' reasons. Soon I was humming and singing to myself, "I had another look and I had a cup of tea and a butter pie. The butter wouldn't melt so I put it in the pie." Peanut butter pie!
The next time I turned around that music gremlin that dwells so happily in my mind led me on to Ob-la-di Ob-la-da. That one stuck with me in all the right ways as I tootled about the kitchen pressing buttery graham crumbs into a crust. "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da life goes on,brah!"
And maybe because I was already in touch with my inner kid, chopping up chocolate bars and cooking with peanut butter, AND singing out of tune with complete abandon, I remembered a version of Ob-la-di that made me smile instantly. Oh you've just gotta' see this!! There's an impossibly cute little boy on youtube that plays the ukulele and sings and I double-dog dare ya' not to be charmed into giggles or chuckles watching his Ob-la-di. See!!
This peanut butter pie is already fun and you haven't even started yet!
And that's what it's all about, having fun in the kitchen. So throw on some great tunes and get into making a gloriously rich, nutty, candy kissed dessert that will make everyone go mm..mm….mmm.
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Here we go………………..Make your graham crust either in a 10-inch pie plate or 9 or 10-inch springform pan. Chill. Chop the Aero bars. Beat whipping cream til stiff. Keep chilled. Plop cream cheese, peanut butter and icing sugar in large bowl of electric mixer and whip 'til gorgeously light and fluffy. Fold whipped cream into cheese mixture.
Fold in chocolate bits and scoop filling into prepared crust.
Chill for at least 4 hours. Garnish with sweetened, vanilla scented whipped cream, slice into small wedges and serve.
CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER PIE
1 1/3 cups graham wafer crumbs
About 1/3 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup smoothy peanut butter
1 cup icing sugar
2 regular size (42g) Aero chocolate bars, chopped into little pieces
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
More chopped Aero bar for garnish
Combine graham crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom and up sides of 10-inch pie plate or 9 or 10-inch springform pan. Chill. Whip 1 1/2 cups whipped cream until stiff peaks just form. Chill.
Plop cream cheese, peanut butter and icing sugar into large bowl of electric mixer and beat until light, fluffy and smooth. Fold in whipped cream until blended. Fold in chocolate pieces. Scoop filling into prepared crust and chill for at least 4 hours.
Beat 1/2 cup whipping cream with sugar and vanilla until fairly stiff peaks form. Pipe or spread on top of pie. Sprinkle a few more chopped Aero pieces on whipped cream. Slice into small wedges and serve.
by TheLastWonton | Sep 12, 2010 | Appetizers & Snacks, Asian, Chicken & Poultry, Hawaiian, Main Dishes, Sauces, Dips & Condiments
My HAWAIIAN KITCHEN
Delectable memoirs of living on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai high above the famed Kona Coast on the beguiling Big Island of Hawaii.
Even posting this one makes my mouth water. And wonder of wonders it’s equally as delicious with fresh or canned pineapple. Bonus!
Dear Journal – It rained all day. Poured. A steady rat-a-tat-tat on the metal roof. Heavy gray mists clung to the hillside. The Kona Coast far below was shrouded in stormy darkness. The ocean looked downright menacing. Gloomy. Old movies might help. I broke the chilly somberness snuggling into the couch with Harrison Ford in Witness and Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr. in Home for the Holidays. That was good, but didn’t quite do it. I need comfort food. Of course. Everything about this blustery, shivery day on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai screamed comfort food. Macaroni and cheese. Nope. A hearty, homey beef stew. Nope. Wait a minute……… M O M ‘ S P I N E A P P L E C H I C K E N. Absolutely! So that’s what I made. Divinely scrumptious and of course having something mom made from when I was a little girl filled up my heart and my tummy. Mission accomplie.
Serves 6.
5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves cut into bite-size pieces, about 1-inch cube-ish
3-4 tablespoons dark shoyu (soy sauce)
Combine the above and let laze in the fridge for 2-8 hours.
½ medium onion, chopped fine
1/3 cup vinegar
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons shoyu
2 green onions, chopped
1 ½ cups fresh pineapple, cut into small bite-size chunks or 1 tin (14 ounces) pineapple tidbits (use the juice from the can as part of the pineapple juice)
Combine all ingredients except pineapple chunks, in a small saucepan, whisk to combine and slowly bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Turn heat to medium and stir until thickened and clear. Can be made ahead and reheated. Pour over hot battered chicken.
Batter:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon sea, kosher or table salt
About 1 1/3 cups cold gingerale, beer or water
Put flour and salt into a medium bowl. Pour in most of the liquid and whisk gently. Check the consistency – you want it to be the thickness of heavy cream. If it’s too thick, whisk in the rest of the liquid. (and as Jamie Oliver has been known to say, “Don’t worry too much about having little lumps in the batter, as they’ll just become nice crunchy bits when you start frying.”)
Dip chicken chunks into batter. Deep fry in hot oil (365F) in batches, do not overcrowd, until golden and cooked through, about 4-7 minutes. Keep first batches warm in oven (250F) while frying the rest of the chicken, if necessary. Pour pineapple sauce over chicken and serve.
by TheLastWonton | Sep 11, 2010 | Appetizers & Snacks, Baking & Desserts, Breakfast & Brunch, Fruits, Muffins
There's just so many delicious reasons for me to thank the ladies that wrote The Best of Bridge cookbooks. I can't even begin to name all the recipes from The Best of Bridge that I've claimed as my own over the years.
If I'm ever stuck on what to make for just about any occasion, or just wanting to fall back on the tried and true, I open my Red, Green, Yellow, Black, Blue or that other Green Best and Bridge and dive in with confidence.
Which brings me to probably the best blueberry muffins I've ever made. Everybody, seriously, everybody, loves these muffins. Thanks Best of Bridge ladies!
BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Topping:
1/4 cup melted butter
Juice from 1 lemon
1/3 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 425F. Line 12 large-ish muffin cups with paper liners. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest in large bowl. Beat egg in medium sized bowl, add milk and butter. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients. Stir until just mixed. Carefully stir in blueberries. Fill muffin pans about 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Top topping: Combine melted butter and lemon juice. Measure sugar in separate dish. Take slightly cooled muffins and dunk the top into the lemon butter, then sugar. Makes 12 large muffins.
by TheLastWonton | Sep 5, 2010 | Appetizers & Snacks, Baking & Desserts, Cookies, Treats
I love nieces and nephews. They're some of the coolest people on the planet. I've been so lucky, 'cuz I was already an auntie by the time I was 6 years old. So these days, given I got an early start, I'm now blessed with bunches of great nieces and nephews too. What fun it is to be an auntie!
This summer I was bathed in pure, blissful niece and nephew love and laughter as all ages came from all directions to gather and celebrate summer. Some of the older nieces and I bobbed joyfully, never for long enough, in the lake together and shared some of the best chick-chatter ever. Long, lazy moments were spent with nephews with our beach chairs side-by-side in the gently lapping lake waters solving all the problems of the world in a single dog day afternoon.
And then there's the little ones. The new crop. Seeing the world again through new eyes. The holders of energy and charisma. Soooo engagingly charming, each in their own way. I would like to stop here and post a pic and a little story about every single one of them. All in good time, all in good time………….
But just now I have a recipe for Crimson. The great niece that inherited the family foodie gene, big time. Crimson just gets it, and she's only 8. (say I beaming with pride!) She understands what's involved to make a recipe good or how special it is to find something yummy at a restaurant. She understands mmmmmm, in ways un-foodies don't. On top of all that she's a little cherry bomb of love and charm. And just like these addictive squares I cannot get enough of her.
So my little sweetie pie, this one is for you with all it's chocolatey, peanut buttery, crispy, chewy, soft delicious goodness. Wo tanoshinde kudasai.
And many thanks to How Sweet It Is food blog where I first found these incredibly delicious and yes I know I mentioned it before, but totally addictive sweet treats.
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CRIMSON'S INCREDIBLES
1 box Duncan Hines or other fudge brownie mix
3/4 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 3/4 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
Mix brownies according to directions, bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9×13" buttered baking dish. Remove and sprinkle peanuts and chopped peanut butter cups evenly over brownies and bake for 6 minutes more.
While brownies are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in bowl set over pot of simmering water. Stir in cereal. Remove brownies from oven and evenly pour chocolate mixture over top. Let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving Cut into squares and serve.
by TheLastWonton | Sep 5, 2010 | Baking & Desserts, Breakfast & Brunch, Fruits, Pies, Treats
As soon as I finished lovingly painting the berries with the mixture of melted Robertson’s Silver Shred marmalade mixed with a couple of splashes of Amaretto is when it all started.
♪♫ ♪♫ Do, do, doo, doo……..I recognized the tune right away…..
♪♫ ♪♫ Do, do, do, do, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, dooo……. Those first few unmistakable notes, that make you want to sing along every time.
My dessert was doing a number from West Side Story!! I know you know the one!
♪♫ ♪♫ I feel pretty, oh so pretty! ♪♫ ♪♫
Well look at it. You can hardly blame it! If a simple, easy peasy dessert, should ever sing, ‘I’m so pretty!” This is the one.
And not only pretty, scrumptious too. That crispy, crumbly, buttery shortbread crust. That lightly sweetened, velvety soft, whipped cream cheese filling. Those plump, eat-me-now, glistening, fresh picked berries. Put’em all together and you’ve got crispy, soft, densely fruity, sweet explosions with every munch.
I’m making your summer dinner menu dessert planning a snap, right here, right now. You can thank me later. Don’t forget to have fun with fruit combinations too – pineapple, grapes, kiwi……play with your fruit! All combinations look and taste wonderful on this pizza.
And I can pretty much guarantee after you charm your family and friends with this yummy dessert, you’ll be singing your own praises……♪♫ ♪♫ I feel charming, oh so charming……..♪♫ ♪♫
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Here we go…………………
FRUIT PIZZA
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 – 8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract, good quality vanilla or a wee splash of Amaretto or rum
A mixture of fresh strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries, washed and gently patted dry
1/3 cup Robertson’s Silver Shred marmalade or apple jelly
Splash of Amaretto
Preheat oven to 350F. In medium bowl, mix flour, butter and icing sugar until well combined. Mixture will be crumbly. Press evenly onto round pizza pan. Bake 8 – 10 minutes until beautifully golden brown. Set aside to cool.
In small bowl of electric mixer beat together cream cheese, sugar and extract or liqueur until velvety smooth and fluffy. Spread evenly over cooled crust. Arrange berries in a pretty pattern on top of cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate.
In a small pot, melt marmalade and Amaretto over medium low heat, stirring until completely melted. Let cool a bit. With pastry brush gently glisten all the berries with the marmalade mixture. Refrigerate pizza at least one hour and up to 6 hours.
Cut into wedges and serve with a song and a smile.
(ps. Thanks for this one Jenn!)
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