Lemon Meringue Pie Bundt Cake ~ #BundtBakers

You know how everything old is new again?  Well this month's theme for #BundtBakers is Retro Desserts Recreated as Bundts - how fun is that?  We were all asked to pick a dessert from a bygone era and turn it into a bundt cake.

Bailey's Sugar Cream Pie - Happy Pi(e) Day

The best way to celebrate Pi Day - π = 3.14 - is with pie! This is definitely true for me since I am not exactly a math genius, but I can bake. I also love eating pie, so for me it is a win-win situation, although I doubt a piece of pie on my plate will last longer than 3.14 minutes.

To Try Tuesday - Bill's Berry Tart

Math never was my strong point so it is no big surprise that I missed Pi Day.  I had this great idea that I would make Bill Granger's Cherry Tart to celebrate Pi Day (even though it is, technically, a tart not a pie) but I ended up having 3.14159265 other things to do, so it became a To Try recipe instead.

I planned on using cherries but Costco did not have any and I didn't want to be stuck with a big bag of frozen cherries.  So I went with blueberries instead, using about 2 cups of whole berries to make a single layer in the tart shell.  It therefore became Bill's Berry Tart.





There is not one thing about this tart that I would change - it was amazing.  If you are looking for a easy-to-make dessert that will impress your family and friends then this is your dessert.  Cherries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or even a mix of berries would be great in the filling.  I loved that the crust was a cinch to make and it did not have to be rolled out.  You know how the crust can shrink sometimes when you are pre-baking? Not with this one.  Also, those pie weights that you use to stop air pockets forming in the crust? Well, you will not need them for this crust. Simply make crust in less than 5 minutes, pre-bake, fill with fruit, pour custard over the top, and bake once more.  Mine baked for 35 minutes, so realistically you could have this pie ready in about an hour.  I sprinkled mine with a little powdered sugar after it cooled, but this is optional.  Ice cream or whipped cream would be a nice addition too.  Lastly, the original recipe was in metric, so if you prefer these measurements you can find the recipe here.

Bill’s Berry Tart

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Ingredients

Pastry

• ½ cup (1 stick) + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled 
• ⅓ cup sugar 
• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour 
• a pinch of salt 
• 2 tablespoons of ground almonds 

Filling 

• ⅔ cup cream 
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 3 tablespoons sugar 
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
• 16 oz cherries, halved and pitted 

 Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease a 9-inch round loose-bottomed tart tin. 

To make the pastry:

1. Stir together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the flour and salt and stir to make a soft dough.
3. Press dough evenly into base and side of tart tin with fingertips.
4. Put the tin on a baking tray and bake for 12-15 mins, until pastry is slightly puffy.
5. Remove from oven and sprinkle almond meal over base.

To make filling:

1. Whisk together cream, eggs, vanilla, sugar. 
2. Add flour and whisk until well mixed.
3. Arrange cherries over pastry base and pour cream filling over cherries.
4. Bake for 40-50 minutes until filling is firm.
5. Leave to cool and serve with cream or ice-cream.

Serves 8-10.  Original recipe appears in Holiday by Bill Granger.

Pie Day becomes Tart Day

Today,  January 23, is National Pie Day. It was created by the American Pie Council. The American Pie Celebration began in 1986 to commemorate Crisco's 75th anniversary of "serving foods to families everywhere." I had every intention of baking a mile-high pie today.  My time management skills were severely lacking today so a pie became a simple tart.

Once I realized that the pie was a no-go I quickly thawed out a couple of sheets of puff pastry.  I don't know why Pepperidge Farm doesn't package their pastry sheets in flat package because it is a total pain to unfold them, and they are always getting stuck together.  Out came the rolling pin and I quickly repaired the damage.  To make the little tarts I simply used a circle cutter and made 6 circles out of each sheet.  I placed then on a Silpat so that they would be not stick to the pan.


I then layered apples over the top in a circular pattern.  I decided to use a spice that I picked up in Australia called Mixed Spice.  It is a blend of cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.  After sprinkling a little of the spice on each tart I put them in the oven for about 20 minutes.  The pastry puffs up and cooks to golden brown, and the apples soften slightly.  Once they came out of the oven I heated up a little marmalade in the microwave and brushed it over the top as a glaze.  You could also use apricot or pineapple preserves with similar results.


This is such a quick and easy dessert to make.  Little effort and big reward.  I topped it off with a scoop of Salted Caramel Ice Cream and we were all very happy campers.

Spiced Apple Tarts

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Ingredients

• 1 box of puff pastry (containing 2 sheets), thawed
• 2 apples, peeled and quartered, and cut in thin slices
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice (or cinnamon)
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cut puff pastry sheets into 12 circles and place on baking sheets.
3. Layer apples on pastry in a circular pattern.
4. Sprinkle the tops of the tarts with a small amount of spice.
5. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until pastry is golden and apples are tender.
6. Place marmalade in a bowl and heat for 20 seconds in the microwave.
7. Brush marmalade over the tops of the apple tarts.
8. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

To Try Tuesday - Banana Cream Pie

Sorry, I missed the last two Tuesdays but I had a good excuse.  I was in Australia.  It was so nice to catch up with family and eat some good Aussie tucker.  Of course I get back home and two days later I am fighting a head cold.  Right before Thanksgiving.

I wanted to have more than one dessert for Thanksgiving and it is a given there there will be pumpkin pie.  I asked the family what their second choice is and they all chose banana cream pie.  You know, that oh so traditional dessert for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is all about family and being thankful for what you have, so if my family wants to be thankful for banana cream pie, then I am happy to make it our tradition.

I couldn't find my usual recipe so I went with this one that I found in my binder.  Since I am still fighting the above-mentioned cold, and given I am not a big fan of graham cracker crusts, I decided to go with a store-bought pie crust.

I found the custard to be way to sweet but when I got my girls to try a bit of it with some left over banana slices their eyes rolled in delight.  I aim to please.  Next time I would also make my own pie crust because I really think that this needs a nice deep crust so that you can layer lots of bananas and custard.  Of course the whipped cream on top adds a little more sweetness.  You might as well go the whole hog by this stage.

Of course as I was typing up this post and looking for recipe on the internet I found my original recipe.  Here is a link to it.  Below is the recipe I sort of followed this time minus the cracker crumb crust and the coconut caramel sauce. I just baked the pre-made pie crust, cooled it for 10 minutes, then layered sliced bananas with the custard, and topped it with whipped cream and sliced bananas.

Banana Cream Pie with Coconut Caramel Sauce

Original recipe found here

Ingredients: Crust 

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup finely ground macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon sugar 

Ingredients: Sauce  

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk 

 Ingredients: Custard   

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups cold whole milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla 

Ingredients: Topping 

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 ripe but firm bananas, peeled and sliced

Preparation: To make the crust 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a large baking sheet. Arrange eight 3-inch-diameter hinged ring molds on the baking sheet.
2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, nuts, melted butter and sugar in a bowl; mix until well blended. Pat the crumb mixture into the ring molds. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool, leaving the ring molds in place.

Preparation: To make the sauce

1. Place the sugar in a small heavy-bottom saucepan over medium-high heat and stir constantly until it melts and turns golden brown. Do not let the sugar burn.
2. Carefully add the coconut milk, stirring vigorously. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. Set aside.

Preparation: To make the custard

1. Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large saucepan. Whisk in the milk until the mixture is completely smooth. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until the mixture is warm.
2. Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl until blended. Stir a small amount of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks. Then pour the egg mixture back into the milk mixture. Cook for about 10 minutes, whisking vigorously, until the custard is quite thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
3. Pour the custard into a bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Let cool completely.

Preparation: To make the topping

1. Beat the cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Fold 1/3 cup of the whipped cream into the cooled custard. 
2. Beat the powdered sugar into the remaining whipped cream. 

To Serve:

1. Slide a spatula under each ring mold and move each to a serving plate.  Inside the rings, alternate layers of banana and custard, finishing with custard on the top.
2. Carefully unhinge and remove the rings.  Spoon the coconut caramel sauce around and over each custard.
3. Garnish with the sweetened whipped cream.

Serves 8. 

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