Cherry On Top

A couple months ago I did a review for a cookbook called Sugar, Sugar. In my review, I mentioned that I had a list of recipes that I wanted to make from it. Well, this is one of them. The initial appeal to the recipe was because they were so strikingly red and beautiful. Can bars really be beautiful? I think so. The other part was that it used up a can of cherry pie filling that I had hiding in the back of my pantry.

I don't often make recipes that are made in a half-sheet pan, because there are only two of us and usually the recipe yields too much for us to eat. But I made these to take over to my in-laws for dinner. I left several bars for them, we ate several, then a couple days later I took the remaining bars to my mom's for dinner. To say that my little brother loved them was an understatement. He ate 6 of them! First he started off with one, then another, then another....you get the idea. I think he would have polished off the entire plate, but he was nice enough to leave some for my mom to enjoy as well. Had she given him the okay, he would have gladly eaten those too.

I thought these bars were going to be like bar cookies, but they really weren't. They were a cross between a cookie and a cake. Chewy and firm, but soft, gooey and moist all at the same time. My favorite part was the little buttery dumplings of dough that puffed up on the top of the glossy cherries. We ate these over the course of 4 days and as they aged, they got softer and gooier. I have plans to make these again for my brother so he can eat til his heart's content. He's young, tall and thin- he can stand to gain a few pounds :-).

Cherry Slices from Sugar, Sugar
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• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 larges eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, optional (my addition)
• 1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 11x17-inch rimmed baking sheet (or use non-stick cooking spray). Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place the butter and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on low speed until well blended. Add the vanilla and almond extract, if using. Add the flour mixture, a little at a time, and beat until smooth. Reserve 1 cup of the batter.
Spread the remaining batter in the baking sheet. Spoon the cherry pie filling over the top. Drop the reserved cup of batter by teaspoonfuls over the pie filling. It should look uneven. When baked, the batter on the bottom rises and creates reservoirs of cherry filling.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the batter begins to turn golden. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar. Cut into 2-inch squares.

Pie Party Recipes: Banana Cream Pie

Here's the Banana Cream Pie you've all been waiting for. I had to save the best for last! I think of all the pies I made for my Pie Party, this was my favorite. Though the key lime pie was a very close second. I love banana pudding, though I didn't always and I'll tell you why. I don't like artificial banana flavoring and as a kid when we had banana pudding, it was made with instant banana flavored pudding, not vanilla. I thought that was how banana pudding was supposed to be. I liked the bananas and the vanilla wafers, but not the icky banana flavored pudding.

It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized what banana pudding could/should be. For years I made Paula Deen's "Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding" until I started making my own custard. I like Paula's recipe, but when I eat it now I can taste all the chemicals and artificial flavors in the boxed pudding and Cool Whip. Now I don't eat banana pudding often, but when I do, I have to do it right and making it in pie form is right up my alley. I also made a banana pudding pie from Southern Living that was quite amazing. They're both similar in flavor, but this one was easier to make.

I made the crust and the filling the night before I needed it, that way on the day of, all I had to do was assemble it and make the fresh whipped cream. The custard was interesting in that all the ingredients go into the pot at once. You just stir, and stir and stir and just when you think it's never going to thicken- wham! It gets super thick. My pudding actually got a little too thick. I'm not sure if it's because of the recipe or because I overcooked it, but I just thinned it out the chilled pudding with a little milk before I assembled the pie. The end result was creamy, sweet and addicting pie. I was sad when it was all gone. My stepdad has even offered to pay me to make another one. Will do!

Banana Cream Pie from Simply Suppers

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For The Crust:

• 2 cups vanilla wafer cookies (about 1 1/4 cups crumbs)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For The Filling:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2-3 ripe bananas

For The Topping:

• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

To Make The Crust: In a food processor, finely grind the cookies. Add the sugar and pulse until combined. Slowly add the butter and pulse until well incorporated and moist clumps form. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Press the crust evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Bake until set, about 8-10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To Make The Filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla. Over medium-low heat, cook, whisking continuously, until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding and place in the refrigerator and cool completely, at least two hours or overnight.

Assembly: Spoon half the cooled pudding evenly over the bottom of the crust. (My pudding was very thick, so I thinned it out slightly with a little milk prior to assembling the pie). Peel the bananas and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Create a layer of banana slices, reserving some for garnish. Spoon the remaining pudding evenly over the bananas. Place the pie in the refrigerator to set while making the whipped cream topping.

To Make the Topping: In the large bowl, place the cream, sugar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form (You want the cream stiff enough to hold it's shape but not over whipped or it will curdle.) Spoon or use a pastry bag to pipe the whipped cream evenly over the pie filling. Chill the pie until set, at least 4 hours or overnight. Before serving garnish with extra vanilla wafers or bananas, if desired.

Pie Party Recipes: Chocolate Macaroon Pie

Toasted buttery coconut and chocolate ganache together in one pie. This is the second of the recipes I'm sharing that I made from my Pie Party. This recipe comes from Martha Stewart in her new Pies & Tarts book. There are several pies from that book that had me drooling, but I loved the short ingredient list and simplicity of this one. Martha called it "Crisp Coconut and Chocolate Pie", but to me it was more like a macaroon so I changed the name of the recipe. Also to say "chocolate pie" is a little misleading because it's filled with chocolate ganache, which is nothing more than heavy cream and chocolate, but tastes like a rich, deep, silky, chocolate truffle.

This pie is made up of only 4 ingredients- coconut, butter, chocolate and cream. I was a little confused by how much coconut to use though because Martha says to use 11 ounces, or about 6 cups. But the Baker's coconut package states that 14 ounces is just over 5 cups. I ended using the full 14 ounce bag, which was a bit too much. So I recommend using and weighing out 11 ounces if possible. This pie was simple and delicious, but a little sliver went a long way. To me the combination tasted like a Mounds candy bar (you know, the one you eat when you don't feel like a nut). If you like coconut and chocolate together, then this pie is a winner. It's also gluten free so if you know someone who is sensitive to gluten, this pie is perfect.

Chocolate Macaroon Pie adapted from Pies & Tarts

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For the Crust:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 11 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

For the Filling:

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a food processor, process butter and one-third of coconut until mixture forms a ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Sprinkle remaining two-thirds coconut over mixture, and combine with your fingers.

Place a 9-inch pie plate on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Press coconut mixture into bottom and up sides of pan to form crust, leaving top edges loose and fluffy. Place a foil ring over edge to prevent burning.

Bake until center begins to brown, 10 to 15 minutes, remove foil, and bake until edges are browned, 4 to 6 minutes more. Transfer crust to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the filling: Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan; pour over chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Let sit 10 minutes, then stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is just combined. Pour into coconut crust.

Refrigerate until filling is set, 1 hour or up to 1 day.