KEY LIME PIE

Long ago I used to make Nora Ephron’s key lime pie, the one she hit Carl Bernstein with. I liked it and so did everyone who tasted it, but its main downside was that it had to be frozen. It melted very fast when out of the freezer, so its practicality was limited. It does make a great summer dessert but we are here now in almost-winter.

To be honest, this is not Key Lime Pie because there is not one drop of Key Lime juice in it, just supermarket Persian limes, but let us not quibble. I found this recipe in the New York Times food section and the comments were full of quibbles, primarily over whether bottled lime juice was a good substitute for fresh-squeezed but when you’re spoiling for a fight, no detail is too minor to fight about. There were purists insisting on using only key limes (if you happen to have key limes and feel like squeezing a bunch of them, have at it) and others insisting on making a meringue with the leftover egg whites (feel free to do this, though I prefer a topping of whipped cream) and on and on.

For the record, I am squarely on the side of fresh-squeezed limes.

This can be made gluten free if you use gluten-free graham crackers.

This is extremely easy and very delicious and will prevent scurvy.

KEY LIME PIE

Graham cracker crust

• 1/3 of a box of graham crackers
• 6 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Crush the graham crackers. This can be done by placing them in a sturdy plastic bag and whacking the hell out of them with a rolling pin, or by feeding them into a blender or food processor. I like the rolling pin method because it crushes them into tiny pebble-like bits so there’s some texture and not just powder. Should have about 2-1/2 cups crushed crackers. However you do it, mix the bashed crackers with the butter and press into a 9″ pie pan. Note: this does not make a deep-dish pie so no need to press the crackers all the way up the edges of the pan.

Bake crust at 325 for 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool completely.

Filling:

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup lime juice, about 6 limes
• 1 tablespoon lime zest

When ready to bake pie:

Combine milk with egg yolks and lime zest. Whisk in lime juice until smooth. Do not make filling more than five minutes ahead since the lime juice could curdle the milk.

Pour immediately into pre-baked and cooled crust. Bake at 325 for 15 to 20 minutes until filling is set.

Cool on a rack for one hour, then cover and refrigerate. Or if it’s winter and you have a cold garage, put it in there to finish cooling.

Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Image by Dor Farber on Unsplash

I don’t really like chocolate chip cookies. I used to, and then… I dunno, my tastes changed or something. I consider them mediocre. However, many sources say they are the most popular cookie in America followed by peanut butter cookies, which I don’t much like either. So if you’re looking for an authority on what people like to eat, don’t ask me.

But I had occasion this weekend to make some gluten-free cookies for someone with celiac, and not knowing a lot about gluten-free baking I did what anyone would do, and turned to Google. That’s where I found this recipe from the New York Times. It got all 5-star reviews and I had the almond flour it called for. The only thing I didn’t have were chocolate chips, and it was easy to find gluten-free chocolate chips in the supermarket (Nestle brand; there are probably others).

The original recipe instructs you to make 10 enormous cookies, which didn’t appeal to me. Instead I scooped out what seemed to be the right amount of dough for an average-sized cookie, and baked them for less time. It also suggests flattening the cookies a little before baking and sprinkling with sea salt. Since I didn’t know how the intended recipient felt about that sort of finishing touch, I left them naked and unflattened.

The instructions assume ownership of a Kitchenaid-type mixer: “Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.” I do not have such a beast because I don’t have any counter space for one. I do have a small handheld mixer, and that worked just fine.

I have had three tasters assure me these are every bit as good as conventional chocolate chip cookies, so I am taking their word for it.

GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

• 2 ¾ cups almond flour (Bob’s Red Mill makes a good one, or get it from a health food store)
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 10 tablespoons softened butter
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 10 ounces gluten free chocolate chips

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk the almond flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and both sugars with a mixer on medium about 4 minutes. (If you have a fancy Kitchenaid mixer, use the paddle and mix the same amount of time.) Add the egg and vanilla, and mix to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl down.

Add the dry ingredients and mix on low, scraping the sides of the bowl, and then mix on low until all ingredients are incorporated.

Switch to a wooden spoon. Add the chocolate chips and mix in.

Scoop dough by heaping tablespoons onto the parchment-covered cookie sheets. Space about 1 1/2″ apart.

Bake about 12 to 14 minutes. Watch carefully toward the end of the baking time: you want them lightly browned but no more. Remove cookies to a cooling rack.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

APPLE SHARLOTKA

My husband wanted an apple crisp for Christmas dinner dessert, but I wanted something a little fancier. I toyed with the idea of an apple Charlotte which took me to Charlotte Russe, the idea of which I abandoned quickly because I really didn’t want to go to that much work. And then somehow I would up at Smitten Kitchen and Apple Sharlotka.

Turns out Apple Sharlotka is not at all related to apple Charlotte. It is a dessert found in Poland and Ukraine; there are many variations but it all comes down to chopped apples covered with a simple cake batter and baked. It’s similar to the apple pie sold in many cafes in Amsterdam, which is not like American apple pie: it’s more like a cake, but also something like a pie.

It is very simple to make and would be a good dessert for a beginning baker to try. I would not attempt this without an electric mixer unless I really wanted to build up my arm muscles, but feel free to try with a handheld egg beater or a whisk. And by electric mixer I mean just that – a small handheld mixer. If you have a Cuisinart or Kitchen Aid mixer, that’s great, but it’s certainly not necessary.

I used to always butter the inside of cake pans but butter contains milk solids, which are not fat and which can leave little non-greased spots where the cake sticks, so I now use oil instead. Clarified butter and ghee do not contain milk solids and can be used. And if oil is used, this dessert is dairy-free.

Any kind of apple can be used – I’ve made this with different combinations of Granny Smith, Fuji, Gala, and Rosalynn Daisy, and they all worked well.

I like a combination of orange and almond extracts but whatever sounds good would work; 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla, lemon, orange, almond, coconut, rum, etc.

I have adapted this slightly from Smitten Kitchen.

APPLE SHARLOTKA

• 6 apples
• mixed spice to taste, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice (optional)
• 3 large eggs
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pure orange extract
• 3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Line the bottom of a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper and the sides of the pan.

Peel, core, and cut the apples into small pieces. I cut them in half and then in quarters, slice out the core, slice each quarter in half, then cut each slice crossways into 1/4″ pieces. If using spices, toss apples with 2 teaspoons mixed spices. Pile the apples in the prepared springform pan.

Break eggs into a mixing bowl and add the sugar. Beat with mixer on high until the mixture forms a ribbon, which will take about five minutes. This video shows what forming a ribbon looks like (skip to about .40). Stir in the extracts. Then fold in the flour with a rubber spatula, just enough so that all the flour is incorporated and there are no pockets of flour. Don’t beat the mixture once the flour is added.

Pour the batter all over the apples. Press the batter down into the apples with the rubber spatula. Pick the pan up and bang it down on the counter a couple of times to further settle the batter into the fruit. Then put it in the preheated oven and bake for one hour.

Remove pan from oven and place on cooling rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the pan to loosen the cake. Remove the outer ring.

Then take either a plate or another rack, place on top of the cake, and bravely but quickly flip the cake. Remove the bottom of the pan (which will be hot; loosen it with a butter knife) and the parchment paper, then place another plate on top of the cake (which is the apple side at this moment) and flip it back so the cake is now on top.

As you can see, I flipped this one onto a rack and it has indentations. Flipping it onto a plate would eliminate that problem, or shower it with powdered sugar and cinnamon to cover the marks.

Allow to cool at least an hour before cutting. A scoop of ice cream, some plain yogurt, or sour cream go very well with this.

AMARETTI COOKIES

Image by Quin Engle on Unsplash

Sometimes in certain delis and fancy food stores you’ll see a big red tin filled with cookies wrapped in pretty colored tissue paper, the cookies tasting of almond and topped with a little pearl sugar. I wouldn’t claim these are exactly the same thing, but they taste really good, and if you were so inclined you could also wrap them in colored paper.

I had a total cookie baking disaster with the first version of these. My husband liked them but I threw half of them away. This version, adapted from the Food Network’s version, is much better.

Although the name suggests they contain amaretto liqueur, the word amaretti comes from the diminutive form of amaro, or bitter, and was possibly attached to the cookie name when originally made with bitter almonds. There are numerous amaro digestif liqueurs on the market such as Cynar (made from artichokes and botanicals) and Fernet-Branca (strong licorice with numerous botanicals), not at all to be confused with amaretto or amaretti.

A few notes:

The original recipe calls for super-fine almond flour. I made it once with regular almond flour and once with super-fine, and actually I like the non-super-fine better. The super-fine costs quite a bit more but can easily be made at home: blitz almond flour in a blender or food processor until super-fine. Almond flour is marketed by Bob’s Red Mill but can also be found in less expensive versions in health food and natural food stores, as well as supermarkets with bulk food bins.

I cut the sugar from 1 cup to 2/3 cup and next time I make them I will probably cut the sugar again. I think these are quite sweet already, but feel free to increase it back to the full cup.

To beat eggs whites successfully, it is essential that there be no residual oil or grease in the bowl. Sprinkle some salt into the bowl and rub it around with a paper towel, then discard salt.

I increased the almond extract to 1 1/4 teaspoons and feel that it could easily go up to 1 1/2 teaspoons without being overpowering.

These mix together quickly and easily but shaping them is another story, since the dough is very sticky and will hopelessly coat all your fingers. After a few false starts, I found the easiest and quickest method (assuming you don’t have a tiny cookie dough/ice cream scoop) is to scoop up the dough with one spoon, push it into the powdered sugar and roll it around with a small spoon, and then spoon-carry it to the parchment-paper-covered baking sheets.

And about that powdered sugar: the ones purchased in tissue paper usually have pearl sugar toppings. Pearl sugar is not easily found in the United States (although it can be ordered). As I said, I find these are quite sweet as is and the powdered sugar coating adds to that. Perhaps bake a few without that extra coating and see how you like those.

Recipe doubles or triples easily without loss of quality.

And – these cookies are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.

AMARETTI COOKIES

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large egg whites
• pinch of cream of tartar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons almond extract
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (NOT waxed paper).

Stir together the almond flour, granulated sugar, and salt until thoroughly combined. A whisk is helpful here.

In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar (OR substitute an additional pinch of salt) until soft peaks form. Add almond extract and beat a few seconds longer.

Fold egg whites into almond flour mixture.

Scoop out an amount of dough about the size of a pecan in the shell. Roll it in powdered sugar and place about 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. Bake until tops crack and cookies are slightly browned, about 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks.

When cool, store in airtight container. Makes about 32 cookies.

CARDAMOM-PISTACHIO RICE PUDDING

If you’ve ever had the rice pudding in an Indian restaurant, this is it. Okay, ain’t gonna lie, this was originally Aarti Sequeira’s recipe and I stole it. But I had to make an adaptation or two.

The recipe calls for ground cardamom which I was certain I had. As it turned out, I did not. But! I had cardamom pods. Should you find yourself in the same situation, substitute about 14 cardamom pods for 1 teaspoon ground cardamom. Gently crush each pod, break them open, and scrape out the black seeds. Discard the woody shells.

The original also calls for rose water, which I don’t have. If you have it and like it, add it in place of the vanilla. Or substitute almond or orange extract for vanilla.

Pistachios and cardamom are not cheap but this doesn’t require much of either one. I bought both from bulk bins which is considerably cheaper than buying pre-packaged products.

This takes up to an hour of standing around stirring, but it’s mindless work.

CARDAMOM-PISTACHIO RICE PUDDING

• 6 cups milk (I used 1%)
• 1/2 cup rice (I used jasmine but basmati works too and is probably more traditional)
• seeds from about 14 cardamom pods (described above) or 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped pistachios

Pour milk into large saucepan, add rice and cardamom, and place pan over medium-high heat. Start stirring. Keep stirring until milk begins to reduce (this will happen slowly), then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir frequently, begin sure to scrape the bottom of the pan often to prevent scorching.

The pudding will eventually thicken and reduce. Taste to make sure the rice is tender, then add the sugar and vanilla. Stir and cook another minute to ensure the sugar is completely dissolved, then pour into serving bowls. Top with chopped pistachios. Serve warm or cold.

AUNT AUDREY’S COBBLER, AS STOLEN FROM SALON

I am putting this here so I can access it. You never know when Salon Magazine will put up a paywall and prevent me from finding this again. Like all good cooking blogs, it has a backstory, but not interminable, and the recipe itself is simple.

As the author, Kirsten Scholfield, said, you can do all kinds of variations: vary the flour, vary the sugar (she suggests no liquid sweeteners, though), vary the fruit, vary the flavorings. Vegan or gluten free. Whatever. Keep the proportions the same (butter – flour – milk – sugar – fruit).

I have not actually tried this, you understand, but it looks promising. I made some simplifications to the recipe but didn’t change it.

COBBLER IN A CAST IRON FRYING PAN

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5-6 ripe peaches, chopped (this is about three cups of fruit)

Put butter in 10-inch cast iron skillet, turn the oven to 350, and put the skillet into the oven.

Mix flour, sugar, salt. Mix in the milk a little at a time, then the vanilla. Don’t obsess.

Take skillet out of oven. Butter should be melted and browned.

Pour in batter and smooth it a little.

Drop fruit on top of batter.

Bake 30-45 minutes until bubbling and golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes before serving.

It says it makes 6 to 10 servings. I suppose that depends on who’s doing the scooping. Serve with ice cream, sour cream, yogurt, or whipped cream.

EDIT:

I made this as per the recipe, with strawberries and peaches, almond extract instead of vanilla.

SO. MUCH. BUTTER.

The butter eventually sort of… I don’t know… disappears, but when you take it out of the oven it floats on top.

It’s good but I have a cholesterol test next week and I may as well prepare for bad news.

CASHEW COOKIES WITH BROWN BUTTER FROSTING

We had all new interior doors installed (which cost more than you might possibly imagine) and the guy who installed them was really nice, very efficient, and speedy (he got it done in half the estimated time).

A day later my husband noticed one of the doors didn’t latch so he called the guy back to fix it, and he came out, no questions asked, and fixed it and made some adjustments. That evening the guy texted my husband to say he left one of his tools at our house. After we found it, he said he’d come by the next afternoon. And then my husband suggested it would be a nice thing if “we” had some treats to give the installer, like cookies.

So “we” made these cookies. (My husband DID go to the store to get the cashews and sour cream.)

He stopped by, picked up the missing tools, and we gave him half a dozen cookies. That evening we got TWO texts from him saying how good they are.

Almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, or Brazil nuts would work well in this recipe. This is not low fat or low sugar.

CASHEW COOKIES

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil cookie sheets.

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup sour cream (not low-fat)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon each baking powder, baking soda and salt
• 1-3/4 cups salted cashews, coarsely chopped

Cream the butter and sugar together, then add egg, sour cream, and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix it into the butter. It will be dry-ish and not want to cooperate, but have faith. Then mix in the cashews.

Drop by large teaspoonfuls onto the oiled cookie sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. With your fingers, gently smooth out each cookie so they aren’t craggy and rough.

Bake at 375 about 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.

BROWN BUTTER FROSTING

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons half-and-half, cream, or evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• Additional chopped cashews

Melt the butter slowly in saucepan over medium low heat. It will foam up and then start to turn brown. Watch it carefully because it can burn quickly.

When it’s lightly brown and fragrant, remove from heat. Add the half-and-half and vanilla and mix well, then add in the sugar. The butter may not want to fully emulsify with the other ingredients. If this happens, transfer frosting to a bowl and put in the refrigerator about 20 minutes, then stir the butter in.

Frost cookies with about 1 teaspoon frosting each. This makes JUST enough for the cookies. Top each cookie with chopped cashews.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

RHUBARB DREAM BARS

So what happened was I was looking through a cookie cookbook, idly perusing recipes to try out for this year’s Christmas cookie baking, and left the book open on the coffee table, where my husband found it opened to a page with this recipe. He felt that was a Sign From On High for these cookies to be made.

Dream bars have been around a long time under assorted names – Vienna Dream Bars, Sweetmeats, other names that escape me right now. They are very sweet but very easy to make and only take one bowl. They were my father’s favorite cookie.

This recipe took the basic idea – thin shortbread base topped with an eggy coconut & nut streusel – and added sour rhubarb. It worked exceptionally well. I lowered the amount of sugar from the original recipe and think these bars are plenty sweet but feel free to add more. I wouldn’t call these low-fat.

Rhubarb is a late winter/spring fruit and is not always available but I could see cherries, apricots/cooked dried apricots, or pineapple working in this recipe, as well as berries.

RHUBARB DREAM BARS

Shortbread base:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 cup cold butter

Important: Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix the flour and sugar. Grate the butter into the flour-sugar, tossing the grated bits with the dry ingredients now and then, until all butter is grated. The mixture will be floury and that’s okay.

Lightly oil a baking dish about 8 X 11 and spread the shortbread mixture in the pan. It will look like this isn’t going to work but have faith.

Bake in the preheated oven 13 to 15 minutes, reversing the pan after 8 minutes. Remove from oven to a cooling rack.

Topping:

In the same bowl, combine

• 2 cups rhubarb, chopped small (about 2 stalks)
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour

Combine all ingredients.

CAREFULLY spread the topping over the shortbread, which will tear easily. I used a soup spoon and placed scoops of the topping around the pan, then carefully pushed them together.

Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned and set. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before cutting into squares.

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB CUSTARD PIE

I used to always make pie crust but decided certain pies are just as good, with a lot less fat, if I skip the crust. Custard pies are particularly good for this. As long as the crust isn’t needed to corral a filling – like a juicy berry pie – it works well and eliminates one time-consuming step.

I am not a fan of using wheat flour as a thickener in fruit pies – the texture seems odd to me and sometimes the flour leaves little uncooked pockets – hence the tapioca flour. It can be found in Asian markets and health food stores.

This is not a sweet pie as written so adjust the amount of sweetener to taste.

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB CUSTARD PIE

• 3 or 4 stalks fresh rhubarb
• 1 clamshell fresh strawberries (about 1 pound)
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• pinch salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup canned evaporated milk or half and half or cream
• 1/2 cup maple syrup or sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons orange extract or vanilla extract

Remove the roots and leaves of rhubarb and discard. Slice stalks lengthwise and then crosswise into small pieces about the size of a bean. Remove green leaves and white caps from strawberries and slice thinly. Combine rhubarb, strawberries, salt, maple syrup or sugar, and tapioca in a bowl and mix well without crushing the strawberries, and let sit about 15 minutes to draw out the juices.

Add remaining ingredients to bowl, mixing to break up the eggs and incorporate all together. Pour mixture into 10″ deep-dish pie plate and bake at 350° about 1 hour, or until a small area in the center is slightly jiggly. Remove to cooling rack. Let cool completely before scooping up to serve.

ALOHA PUDDING

Image by Ta Verwaij on Unsplash

Years ago I had a fabulous dessert called Aloha Pie. This is that sans pie crust. If you wanted to make it into pie, pour filling into a pre-baked pie crust and refrigerate until set. Otherwise, it’s a fast and easy dessert.

ALOHA PUDDING

• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup sugar or stevia to taste
• milk, 2 to 3 cups (can use nondairy milk)
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 sliced firm banana
• 2/3 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup cubed or crushed pineapple (not raw)
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Combine cornstarch and sugar in saucepan and whisk together over medium-high heat. Slowly add milk, whisking as the mixture thickens. When pudding is very thick, remove from heat. If using stevia, add now to taste along with salt. Then stir in extract and fruit and nuts.

Sometimes if I am feeling fancy, I add an egg to this: beat one egg in small bowl, then add a spoonful of the hot pudding mixture and beat like crazy. Then slowly pour the egg into the saucepan, beating or whisking like mad to thicken the pudding without scrambling the egg.

Other tropical fruits can be substituted as well as other flavors of extracts. Note: grapefruit will turn this bitter, as I found out.

Refrigerate, covered, for up to three days. After that it gets a little weird.

I also have a much more elaborate, creamier, richer version of Aloha Pie right here.