Baked Banana Tart

The freezer seems to always have ripe banana's in these days. Just between you and I - I'm beginning to think someone in the house buys them just so they'll get too ripe to eat and I'll bake them into something! I usually make a loaf of healthy banana bread, no sugar, eggs, white flour or butter. When I pulled out all of the banana's from the freezer on Sunday, it was clear there were simply too many for banana bread.

I remembered a recipe I'd seen for baked banana pie, so went through my recipe collection and found it. This pie was a very nice way to use up bananas, the original recipe calls for you to slice banana's and lay them on the pie base before pouring the mix over, as frozen ripe bananas don't slice well I mashed them and added them to the mix.

Ingredients

1 x Pie Shell, pre-baked

Dark Chocolate

100g Coconut, shredded and toasted

60g Raw Sugar

50g Butter, melted

40g Flour

4 x Eggs

200ml Milk

3 x Bananas, mashed

Melt enough chocolate to brush over pie base.

Mix coconut, sugar, butter, flour, eggs, milk and bananas.

Pour banana filling in pie shell.

Bake at 160C for 55min.

Sad Red Strawberry Pie Re-visited

Firstly, apologies for the complete lack of blogging last month, it was a very hectic month to say the least.

The Sad Red Strawberry Pie got created when I got back from a visit to Sydney at the beginning of the year after spending some time with a wonderful and very lovely man who lives there. Life being what it is I have spent this year in New Zealand and he has spent this year in Sydney.

Visiting Sydney last week I ended up going for an unexpected job interview, and then being offered the job in Sydney, so I have decided to take it! Which means a lot of things to sort out before moving overseas in less then a month.

Last Sunday we had a wonderful lunch at the new house with a lovely bunch of folks, to finish I couldn't think of a more appropriate dessert then to make the Sad Red Strawberry Pie - to celebrate the end of sad strawberry farewells :)

Simple Chocolate Fruit Tart

A tart that the children would like... I have so many idea's when it comes to tarts and pies for adult taste buds, it is so easy to forget the simple taste buds children have. It was nice to think in plain uncomplicated flavours again, and what is more simple and delicious then a simple chocolate and fruit tart.

1x Pie Shell, parbaked.
200g Chocolate
200ml Cream
Fruit/berries to decorate.

Melt the chocolate and cream for the ganache in a saucepan, chill.
When ganache is firm beat until fluffy.
Spread into cold pie shell.
Decorate with fruit/berries, chill until ready to eat.

White Chocolate and Berry Tart.

I wanted to take a couple of tarts with me to the snow this weekend, so I thought a nice frangipane tart is always a crowd pleaser. White chocolate and red berries is a natural match and would also go superbly with the frangipane mix.

1x Pie shell (21cmx2.5), par-baked

2Cups Berries (I used Raspberries and Boysenberries)
60g White chocolate
2Tbs Cream
1tsp Rosewater
150g Butter, unsalted
150g Caster Sugar
175g Blanched Almonds, ground
2x Eggs, lightly beaten

Melt chocolate and cream in a bain-marie until combined, remove from heat and add rosewater.
Brush over tart shell. Chill until set.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Fold in almonds and eggs.
Spread frangipane mix over the chocolate in tart shell.
Place berries on frangipane mix.
Bake at 180C for 60min.

Cinnamon Cherry and Ginger Mousse Tart

Another delightfully winter pie, delicious dark chocolate pie case with tangy spiced cinnamon cherries topped with an intense ginger infused mousse. Perfect for a cosy night in with a chilled glass of mead.

There may look to be quite a few ingredients but it creates a earthy, tangy slightly sweet cherry mix which compliments the lightly sweet, creamy ginger mousse beautifully.

1x Chocolate pie shell, 20x5cm, baked and brushed with melted dark chocolate.

3 Cups Cherries (Sweet)
3Tbs Port
3Tbs Water
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Star Anise
2 Cloves
Pinch Salt
6 Twists Pepper (from grinder)
1Tbs Treacle
1tsp Red wine Vinegar
1tsp Rosewater
1tsp gelatin/agar

4cm piece Ginger root, peeled and grated.
300ml Cream
1tsp Ginger powder
1Cinnamon Stick
2Tbs Sugar
2 Eggs, separated

Day One
Combine cherries, port, water, cinnamon, star anise and cloves in a saucepan, simmer gently for 10min.
Add salt, pepper, treacle and vinegar, simmer for a further 5min.
Whisk in rosewater and chill over night.

Combine cream, ginger root and ginger powder in a saucepan and heat very gently for 20min.
Pour into a glass jar with a cinnamon stick and chill overnight to infuse.

Day Two
Drain the liquid from the cherries into a saucepan and heat gently, dissolve gelatin and then add cherries. Leave to cool.
When cool pour into pie shell and chill for an hour.

Pour the ginger infused cream through a sieve, add egg yolks and beat until light and fluffy.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form, add one tablespoon of sugar at a time and beat until smooth and glossy.
Fold egg whites through ginger cream 1/3 at a time.
Pour onto chilled cherry mix and chill for a further few hours or overnight.

Classic Bakewell tart with Cherries - Daring Bakers

"The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England."

After much experimenting lately I wanted to do a fairly classic tart. Sometimes we spend so much time looking for new and exciting things, it becomes comforting to have something familiar and traditional. We crave something reliable, something habitual. I made a Bakewell Tart with Black Doris Plum Jam and Sweet Red Cherries pushed into the frangipane filling.

1x Pie Shell (21cm x 2.5cm)
1 Cup Black Doris Plum jam
150g Butter, unsalted
150g Caster Sugar
175g Blanched Almonds, ground
2x Eggs, lightly beaten
12 Cherries

Par-bake pie shell for 12min.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Fold in almonds and eggs.
Heat jam slightly and spread over the base of the pie shell.
Top with frangipane mix.
Push cherries lightly into frangipane mix.
Bake for 60min at 180C.

Enjoy with a nice cup of tea, while thinking about your next adventure.

Blackcurrant and Tamarillo Frangipane Tart

Such a mixed week has gone by, just when you think your starting to untangle the giant ball of wool that is life, you look around and realise you have simply gotten tangled in the mess...

Tomorrow is another wonderful 'Whisky, Wine, Sugar and Spice and all things Delicious' evening at work, where the idea is to bring along a bottle of your favourite drink and food to accompany. I decided on wine and of course pie, now what pie to bring.... As my heart is a bit heavy this week I have a winter version of the Sad Red Strawberry Pie. Blood red blackcurrants and blood red tamarillo mixed with a comforting frangipane filling. The base is lined with chocolate to protect the delicate pastry and contain all the wonderful red juice...

1x Pie Shell, par-cooked, 21cm
60g Chocolate, melted
1 Cup Blackcurrants
2Tbs Corn Flour
2Tbs Sugar
150g Butter, unsalted
150g Caster Sugar
175g Blanched Almonds, ground
2x Eggs
Ix Tamarillo, peeled and segmented

Brush the melted chocolate into the pie shell.
In a bowl mix the blackcurrants, cornflour and first measure of sugar, tip into pie shell.
Whisk butter and second measure of sugar until light and fluffy.
Fold in almonds and eggs until smooth.
Lightly press frangipane mix over blackcurrants until the berries are covered.
Decorate with tamarillo segments.
Bake for 45min at 180C or until golden on top.

Enjoy with a cold, sweet glass of wine while listening to the winter rain falling on the roof and thinking of those that you cherish but can't be with.

Feijoa and Rosewater Custard Pie

This delicious little pie has been in the pie book waiting for two things, firstly for Feijoa's to be in season, and secondly for me to overcome my fear of making custard from scratch! The last few times I attempted custard, I seemed to somehow end up with sweet scrambled eggs, not ideal.

While spending a wonderful long Queens Birthday weekend in Martinborough, I discovered a Feijoa tree hiding in the back garden. This brought back delightful memories of my grandparents Feijoa tree by the vegetable garden and eating feijoas until I felt ill. I made sure to pop enough fruit for a pie in a bag and took them home with me.

What could be a more wonderful comforting pie for the first day of winter then Feijoa and Rosewater Custard Pie.

1x Pie Shell, par-cooked, 21cm
1/4 Lemon, juiced
1 Cup Feijoa pulp, diced
1Tbs Honey
1Tbs Rosewater
2Tbs Cornflour

300ml Cream
150ml Milk
2 Eggs
2 Egg Yolks
100g Sugar
55g Flour
1tsp Vanilla Extract
3Tbs Rosewater

Squeeze lemon into a bowl to toss the feijoa pulp in as you are scooping it out to stop it going brown.
Mix in honey, rosewater and cornflour.
Spread mix onto pie shell.
Heat cream and milk in a saucepan, do not allow to boil. Beat eggs, yolks and sugar until sugar has dissolved and mix is light and lemon coloured. Mix in flour, then whisk in the hot cream. Tip mix back into saucepan. Heat gently, still stirring.
Heat for 2-3min until mix begins to thicken, stirring all the time.
Remove from heat and add vanilla and rosewater.
Tip custard onto feijoa mix and spread evenly.
Bake at 180C for 45min.

If you can not get hold of Feijoa's I suppose this would work with apples, but the fragrant feijoa and aromatic rosewater compliment each other beautifully, this is one of my most delicious pies of the year, I will be making it again very soon...

Sour Cherry Pie with Pistachio Crumb - Sweet Melissa Sundays

How wonderful that my first week taking part in Sweet Melissa Sundays was a pie recipe! Sour cherries are not very easy to get hold of in NZ at the best of times (unless you are lucky enough to have a tree) so I used some lovely Morello cherries for this pie, I also added some sliced fresh rhubarb as I thought it would be lovely with the other flavours in this pie, I only used half oat flour and half whole oats, as I prefer the texture of whole oats in crumble. Since I was taking it into work with me for Quiz and Pie Mondays I also pre-baked the pie shell and brushed it with melted dark chocolate to prevent the pastry getting soggy from the fruit filling.

I can't post the recipe for this one, but if you want to bake along then keep an eye out for 'The Sweet Melissa Baking Book - by Melissa Murphy'

This pie was lovely, and got some very nice comments from those who got a piece at quiz - there were an unusual number of work folks at the quiz so I may need to start baking larger pies...

The tartness of the Rhubarb went wonderfully with the sour cherries and the chocolate lining the shell complimented the fruit filling nicely. The whole oats I left in the crumble added a lovely crunchy texture to the soft filling, this is one I'll be making again.

Chocolate Hazelnut Pavlova Pie

The Pavlova pie has been in the pie notebook for a little while, and was yet to inspire me to do anything further then a quick idea on a page. However this week when I got sent some secret family recipes by my mother, one of which was for pavlova I was suddenly fill of new idea's around the Pavlova pie. I have come up with two versions, a luxurious chocolate hazelnut pavlova pie and also a traditional kiwi inspired pie, the latter will need to wait until kiwifruit and strawberries are back in season!

1x Pie Shell, par-baked (28 x 5cm - I used chocolate sweet short pastry)

Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache
160ml Cream
200gm Dark Chocolate, in small pieces

Cherry Filling
1/2 C Dried Cherries, soaked overnight in 1/4C Kirsch Liqueur
1/2 C Morello Cherries
1tsp Gelatin/Agar
1tsp Vanilla Essence

Pavlova
8 Egg Whites
12Tbs Castor Sugar
2tsp Vinegar
2Dsp Warm Water
140g Hazelnuts, roasted and crushed in mortar and pestle

Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache

Heat cream gently until small bubbles appear on the outside of the pan, do not boil. Pour over chocolate pieces and Frangelico and whisk until melted. Chill.

When cool whip ganache for three minutes, until light and fluffy. Chill.

Cherry Filling
Put dried cherries and Kirsch into a small saucepan with morello cherries and 1/4C water, heat until liquid looks syrupy. Put gelatin/agar into a small bowl and tip out some cherry juice from the pan to dissolve gelatin/agar, tip back into pan with vanilla. Chill.

Pavlova
Beat egg whites till stiff (90sec) add vinegar and water, beat till mixed in. Add sugar 1Tbs at a time, beat for 2min. Fold in hazelnuts.

Tip Pavlova mix into par-baked pie shell, spread evenly leaving a hollow for the filling when cooked. Bake at 150C for 10min, then turn stove off completely for 1hr.
When cool spread Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache around the inside of the pavlova, leaving a pavlova border and a hollow for the Cherry Filling. Chill for 2hrs. Pour Cherry Filling into the centre of the pie. Chill.

The pie didn't have enough pavlova for my liking , as I wanted a layer on the sides and base, so I have doubled the quantity of pavlova. I made a rather large pie, so feel free to adjust the quantity for smaller pies!

Delicious Citron Tart

I love citron tart, so tangy and fresh and simply delicious. I have been trying to find a recipe for the perfect mix of sweet, and tangy and amazing citrus flavour. Last time I attempted a citron tart, the filling did not set and I was left with a delicious but sloppy tart, after this I have been put off trying a citron tart again! However, I was given a most wonderful recipe book this week - French Lessons by Justin North. It has inspired me to try another citron tart, and as you can see the filling set beautifully!

5 Whole Eggs
1 Egg Yolk
100g Sugar
200ml Cream
130ml Citrus Juice
2Tbs Zest

Combine eggs, yolk and sugar in a bowl until well combined.
Stir in the cream, citrus juice and zest.
Cover and refridgerate overnight.
Pour filling into a par-baked pie shell and bake for 35min at 180C.

Rest for at least 30min before serving

Apple, Walnut & Frangipane Tart

What is more Autumn then juicy apples and fresh walnuts. Every day when I walk outside there are walnuts everywhere to be collected from my wonderful walnut tree, what a better use for walnuts then adding them to a lovely frangipane mix and topping with tasty apples.

1x Pie Shell, biscuit shell below or sweet short.
1/2 cup dates, chopped
1tsp baking soda
350g Blanched Almonds, ground
300g Butter, Unsalted
300g Caster Sugar
3x Eggs
1/2 Cup Walnuts, chopped
1x Apple, sliced thinly

Soak dates in baking soda and 1 cup boiling water for 30min.
Whisk butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Fold in almonds and eggs until smooth, stir in the walnuts.
Freeze half of the frangipane mix for another pie.
Spread drained dates over pie base.
Fill pie shell with frangipane mix and decorate with apple slices.
Bake for 1hr at 180C, or until golden.
Remove from oven and brush apple slices with apricot jam or honey.
(If using biscuit pie shell, bake with a tray underneath as you will get butter leaking out of the pie)

Biscuit Pie Shell
220g plain biscuits, crushed (I used girl guide)
75g Butter, softened
1x Egg
1 tsp Cinnamon
Zest 1 Lemon

Mix biscuits, butter, egg, cinnamon and zest together.
Press evenly into 21cm pie dish, bake at 180C for 6min.

Chocolate, Banana Meringue Pie

A twist on the traditional banoffee pie, my love of chocolate combined with banana's, strawberries and topped with luscious meringue.

1x Pie Shell
100g Cream
200g dark Chocolate, broken into pieces.
2x Bananas, sliced
1 handful of Strawberries, sliced
Cinnamon
Brown Sugar
4x Egg whites
4 Tbs Sugar

Heat cream and pour over chocolate in a bowl, stir until chocolate is melted, cool.
Whip chocolate ganache until light, spread in pie shell.
Place sliced banana and strawberries on chocolate ganache, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
Whip egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks, spread over pie.
Bake for 10min at 220C or until meringue is golden.

Tropical Pie

A fruity little number that is refreshing on a light summers evening.

1x Pie Shell
3Tbs Passionfruit Curd
2 cups Fruit, chopped (Plums, Nectarines, Berries, Peaches, Bananas, Melon)
4x Egg Whites
2 Tbs Sugar
1/2 cup coconut, thread

Mix fruit with passionfruit curd, spread in pre-baked pie shell.
Whip egg whites with sugar until stiff peaks form, fold in coconut thread.
Spread onto pie and bake for 10min at 200C or until golden.

Plum & Chocolate Mousse Pie

The weather has chilled this week, Autumn is well on the way. Plums are ample and I thought 5-spice would work wonderfully with plums and apples paired with dark chocolate mousse.

1 x Pie Shell
8 x Plums (I used Omega), chopped
1 x Apple, chopped
1 tsp 5-spice powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Sugar (any type)
1 x Vanilla Pod, seeds
200g 70%+ Chocolate, broken into pieces
2 x Egg Yolks
Pinch Salt
4 x Egg Whites
2 tsp Castor Sugar

Mix plums, apples, 5-spice, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla in an oven dish. Bake at 180C until soft (20min)
Melt chocolate in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water, remove when 80% melted and stir till all chocolate is melted.
Whisk egg whites, when stiff add sugar and whisk until smooth.
Whisk in egg yolks and salt to melted chocolate. Add 1/3 egg whites and mix well.
Carefully fold in remaining egg whites.
Spread cooled plum mix into base of pie. Top with chocolate mousse and grate lemon zest/chocolate over pie! Chill for an hour or overnight to set mousse.

Feel free to vary the amount of fruit and mousse depending on the size of your pie, I used a 21cm pie shell.

Sad Red Strawberry Tart

After spending a weekend with a lovely man in Sydney I was returning home to Wellington, feeling rather bewildered and sad. I started thinking of strawberries, so fresh and romantic - crushed with the sadness of being apart....

1 x Pie Shell
150g Dark Chocolate
100g Cream
2 Cups Fresh Strawberries, chopped
1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbs Fresh Mint, chopped
1 Tbs Icing Sugar
2 Tbs Kirsch Liquor

Bake the pie shell for 15min at 180 C
Crush strawberries, balsamic, mint, icing sugar, and kirsch together.
Leave to mingle for 30min.
Melt chocolate and cream together. Smooth into pie shell to cover base and sides, refrigerate until set.
Drain strawberry mix in a sieve, retain liquid.
Spread strawberries over the pie base.
Reduce liquid to a syrup. Drizzle over tart.
Grate dark chocolate and sprinkle fresh mint over top of tart.

Enjoy with friends and a nice glass of wine!