Thursday, March 4, 2010

Crack Pie

 
A friend of mine at work turned me onto this thing called Crack Pie.  A Pie made at Momofuku's Bakery and Milk Bar in Manhattan.  You can order them and have them shipped to your home for a whopping $44 plus shipping, or you can just make your own. There is a reason it's called Crack Pie, they're over the top good and a very addictive.  Here's the recipe if you dare to make one:

Cookie for crust:
2/3 cup plus 1 tbsp (3oz) flour
Scant 1/8 tsp baking powder
Scant 1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick ) softened butter
1/3 cup ( 2 1/2 oz) light brown sugar
3 tbsp ( 1 1/4 oz ) sugar
1 egg
Scant 1 cup (3 1/2 oz) rolled oats

Heat oven to 375 degrees

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat teh butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy.

Whisk the egg into the butter mixture until fully incorporated

Whit the mixer running, beat in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until fully combined.  Stir in the oats until incorporated.

Spread teh mixture onto a 9 x 13 inch baking sheet and bake until golden brown and set, about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool to the touch on a rack.  Crumble the cooled cookie to use in the crust. 

Crust
1 recipe crumbled cookie, above

1/4 cup (half stick) butter
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar (3/4 oz)
1/8 tsp salt

Combine the crumbled cookie, butter, brown sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until evenly combined and blended ( a little of the mixture clumped between your fingers should hold together).  Divide the crust between 2 (10 inch) pie tins.  Press the crust into each shell to form a thin, even layer along the bottom and sides of the tins.  Set the prepared crusts aside while you prepare the filling. 

Filling
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz) sugar
3/4 cup plus a scant 3 tbsp (7 oz) light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tsp (3/4 oz) milk powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
3/4 cup plus a scant 2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 egg yolks
2 prepared crusts 
powdered sugar, garnish

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder.  Whisk in the melted butter, then whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla.

Gently whisk in the egg yolks, being careful not to add too much air

Divide teh filling evenly between the 2 prepared pie shells

Bake the pies, one at a time, for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake until the filling is slightly jiggly and golden brown (similar to pecan pie), about 10 minutes.  Remoe the pies and cool on a rack.

Refrigerate the cooled pies until well chilled.  The pies are meant to be served cold, and the filling will be gooey.  Dust with powdered sugar before serving (very unnecessary
in my opinion and the pie is good slightly warm - not just good, but orgasmic kind of good.)

OK!  Enjoy your Crack! 

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Emmalee's Chicken Soup

My dear Oakie friend has a sweet 6 year old Oakie daughter who likes to cook. Here's her very special chicken Soup Recipe:

Chicken (no bones) (do not boil a chicken down)
Extra wide egg noodles
Carrots (chopped the Emmy way) (as opposed to "any" way)
Lots of water
Season to Daddy’s taste
1 cup shredded cheese

Add all ingredients together, boil, serve in a bowl topped with cheese.

Delicious!

This is what Emmalee made last night with her dad.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Halogen Cooking?

My husband was flipping through the channels and ran across this infommercial for Mr. T's FlavorWave Oven. This boggles me. Cooking with halogen light? Just so you don't have to use the evil substance called fat? One of their selling points is that the fats and oils are cooked out of the food. What? But that's where the flavor is. I couldn't help but laugh at the audience as they all wrinkled up their noses at the word fat. I can't see what is so wrong about fried chicken. OK maybe not Kentucky Fried Chicken, but chicken you cook at home, and yes in oil. It's one of the best comfort foods on the planet, and I guarantee my fried chicken, fried in oil, is better then any fake fried chicken that's had the fat nuked out of it with a halogen bulb. That just goes against the rules of the universe, at least my universe. And I also make generous use of butter, because it tastes good, and it makes my food taste good. I don't use fake fat, I use the real deal, and I'm never going to use an oven that sucks the fat out of my food. That's just they way it is.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Bar Keepers Friend is truly my friend


Several years ago my husband bought me a complete set of All Clad cookwear for Valentines Day. I loved this gift, still do, even more then a diamond ring ( and I do like diamond rings!). I'm so happy I listened to the sales lady when she told me to get some Bar Keepers Friend to keep my pots as shiny and new as I could.

Here's my skillet before:


Here it is after a minimal scrub with Bar Keepers Friend.  Amazing!


If you have some good stainless Steel Pots, I hightly recommend Bar Keepers Friend to keep them clean and shiny.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Funny Picture for the day

We had an earthquake here a week ago Saturday, and I just haven't been able to get back into my routine since, which means I haven't had anything to post lately.  So, I ran onto this funny picture and decided to post this for now until I can get back on track.  Enjoy!