Strawberry Cream Pie Recipe

Strawberry Cream Pie Recipe

Crust Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoons salt

3/8 cup cold shortening or lard

3/8 cup cold butter, chopped

3-4 tablespoons cold water

Cream Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Other Ingredients:

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

red food coloring (optional; I skipped this)

mint leaves or whole strawberries for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Note on timing: There are several components of this pie, but their preparation fits together nicely. You can make the crust dough and while it’s chilling, toast your almonds and set them out to cool. While the crust is baking and cooling, make and refrigerate the cream and slice your strawberries. Assemble these things once the crust is cool, and chill your almost-completed pie while you whip up the glaze. Chill the whole concoction for a few hours before slicing for best results.

Make the crust dough: Pulse flour and salt together to combine. Add scoops of lard and pulse into the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Add in chunks of butter and pulse until butter pieces are no larger than small peas, about 10 pulses. Add minimum amount of water and pulse on low. If dough remains crumbly and doesn’t come together, add another 2 tablespoons of water. Add as little as is required to enable the dough to be rolled into a ball. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Toast your almonds: While the crust dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and spread your sliced almonds out on a baking sheet. Toast for about 4-6 minutes, using a spatula to gently flip and stir the almonds ever 2 minutes. They burn quickly, so keep a close watch on the nuts and remove them when they just start to get some color and are fragrant. Mine took about 5 minutes.

Finish making your crust: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Roll disk of dough out to around 2 inches larger than your (9-inch) pie plate and transfer it, situating it in the plate. Fold the excess dough around the edges and crimp, trimming where necessary. Cover the dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans, pressing to the edges. Bake for around 20 minutes. Remove weights and paper, egg wash crust, and bake 5-10 minutes more, until golden brown (you won’t be baking it again, so make sure it has good color — shielding edges with foil if they begin getting too dark). Let crust cool completely.

Make cream filling: While the crust bakes, prepare your cream filling. Prepare an ice water bath in a bowl big enough to accommodate your saucepan. Mix sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and cook until thickened, still stirring constantly. Spoon out about 1/4 cup of your hot mixture and gradually drizzle it into your beaten egg, whisking constantly. This will temper the egg so that when you add it back into the hot mixture, it won’t cook. Add the egg into the hot mixture, continuing to stir constantly. Bring this just to boiling.

Set the saucepan in the ice water bath and stir it periodically as it cools. Once cool enough, chill the mixture in the refrigerator. During this time, whip the cream and vanilla together to stiff peaks. Take the chilled mixture from the fridge and beat it to break it up. Stir in about 1/3 of the cream to lighten it, and then gently fold in the rest of the cream until well combined. Chill until ready to use.

Assemble the pie: Cover bottom of crust with toasted almonds, and then dollop in chilled cream mixture, spreading it smooth with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Slice about a cup of fresh strawberries and layer them in overlapping concentric circles on the top of your pie. Chill this while you make your glaze.

Make the glaze: Crush remaining 1/2 cup of strawberries and cook with water in a saucepan over medium-high heat for two minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and discard the pulp. Add the juice back to the saucepan over medium-high heat and gradually stir in sugar and cornstarch. Cook until thickened. If you want, you can tint this glaze with food coloring to desired hue, but mine was plenty bright enough! Cool the glaze slightly (I transferred mine to a heat-proof measuring cup with a pour spout to cool for a bit) and then pour over top of strawberry slices on your pie. Garnish with big mint leaves, if you’d like, or whole strawberries. Chill entire pie for at least a few hours for best results; cut with a knife held under hot water and then dried.

Honey Ginger Grilled Salmon!

Honey Ginger Grilled Salmon!

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 cup honey

1 green onion, chopped

1 1/2 lbs salmon fillets

Directions:

In a large self-closing plastic bag, combine first six ingredients; mix well.

Place salmon in bag and seal tightly.

Turn bag gently to distribute marinade.

Refrigerate 15 minutes or up to 30 minutes for stronger flavor.

Turn bag occasionally.

Lightly grease grill rack.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Remove salmon from marinade; reserve the marinade.

Grill 12-15 minutes per inch of thickness or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Brush with reserved marinade up until the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Discard leftover marinade.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Hearts!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Hearts!

Ingredients:

Red Velvet Layer:
3 1/4 cups flour
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons milk, divided 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
2 teaspoons white vinegar

Cheesecake Layer:
2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 18 jelly roll pan with butter or spray with Baker's Joy.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla extract, red food coloring, and white vinegar.

Combine the dry and wet ingredients, until completely combined. The batter will be a really thick, almost moldable texture...but don't worry, that's what you want. Remove 3/4 cup of the batter and place it in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk (into the 3/4 cup of batter you just took out). Set aside the 3/4 cup batter.

Pour the remaining batter into the prepared jelly roll pan. Using a spatula, smooth out the batter to reach all the edges.

Now, in your stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined and there are no lumps. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the red velvet layer and smooth mixture till it reaches all the edges.

Drop spoonfuls of the remaining red velvet batter (that you mixed with milk) onto the top of the cheesecake layer. Drag the tip of a knife through the red velvet and the cheesecake layers to create swirls.

5 Valentines Day Recipes to Knock His or Her Socks Off!!

5 Valentines Day Recipes to Knock His or Her Socks Off!!

Here you go here are so of my suggestions for some quick and amazing recipes for Valentines Day Edibles!

Hope you All Enjoy!

1.) Cupids Cosmo!
2.)Bang Bang Shrimp!
3.)Chocolate Covered Pretzels
4.)Cappuccino Cheesecake!
5.)Chocolate Covered Straberries!



Thanks See you Soon!

Cupids Cosmo!

Cupids Cosmo!

1 1/2 ounces vodka

1 ounce Grand Marnier

2 ounces cranberry juice

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

Directions:

Place all in a shaker with lots of ice and shake well.

Pour into a chilled martini glass.

Garnish with and orange rind.

Panera’s Black Bean Soup!

 Panera’s Black Bean Soup!

Ingredients:

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

1/4 large red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 small chicken bouillon cubes (Keep Out For Vegetarian)

1 -1 1/2 cup boiling water

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, un-drained

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 lemon, juice of

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

In a pot, combine the first six ingredients; simmer for 10 minutes.

Add half a can of beans, salt and cumin; cook for 5 minutes.

Puree soup (I use an immersion blender which makes it easy to do it right in the pot).

Add the rest of the beans to the soup.

Combine the cornstarch with 1 1/2 tablespoons of water.

Add the lemon and the cornstarch to the soup; cook until thickened.

Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang Shrimp!

Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang Shrimp!

Ingredients:

1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined smaller shrimp works best

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce

3-5 drops hot chili sauce, just a few drops

1/2-3/4 cup cornstarch, to coat the shrimp in

Directions:

Mix mayo and sauces for coating.

Bread shrimp in cornstarch

Deep fry the shrimp until lightly brown.

Drain on paper towel, put shrimp in a bowl and coat with the sauce.

Serve in a lettuce lined bowl, top with chopped scallions.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels!

Chocolate Covered Pretzels!

A Sweet and Salty Treat!

Ingredients:

6 ounces milk chocolate chips

2 tablespoons shortening (or 1/8 block paraffin wax)

24 pretzels (3 inch)

Directions:

Melt chocolate and shortening or wax over a double boiler or in the microwave.

Stir until smooth and combined.

Remove from heat, leaving mixture over hot water if using a double boiler.

If using microwave you may need to reheat if mixture gets too thick for dipping.

Dip each pretzel in chocolate, allowing excess to drip off.

Place on wax paper lined cookie sheets and chill until firm.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter over crust.

Bake cake until edges are puffed and beginning to crack and center is just set, about 1 hour 5 minutes.

Cool on rack for 30 minutes; chill, uncovered for 6 hours

Cut around cake to loosen.

Release pan sides.

Top with chocolate curls, if desired.

Cappuccino Cheesecake!

Cappuccino Cheesecake!

Ingredients:

8 whole graham crackers, crushed

5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream

4 teaspoons instant espresso powder or 4 teaspoons instant coffee powder

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate, shaved into curls (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix crackers, butter and 1/4 cup sugar in medium bowl; press onto bottom (not sides) of a 9-inch spring form pan with 2 3/4-inch high sides.

Bake crust 10 minutes.

Cool.

Maintain oven temperature.

Combine cream, espresso powder or coffee and vanilla in small bowl; set aside.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth.

Gradually beat in remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar, then eggs 1 at a time.

Beat in flour.

Stir espresso mixture until power dissolves, beat into cream cheese mixture.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

Ingredients

1 lb large ripe strawberries (long stems are best)

1/2 lb (8 oz) chopped chocolate or chocolate chips - milk, semi sweet or dark

1/4 lb (4 oz) white chocolate (optional)

1 cup chopped nuts - pecans or almonds (optional)

Directions

Keep it Simple

Melt chocolate

Dip Strawberries in chocolate

Place on wax paper

Sprinkle nuts or other decorative designs on then place in fridge to harden.

Aphrodisiacs! Blueberry Pomegranate Salad.

Aphrodisiacs! Blueberry Pomegranate Salad.

This pomegranite salad will get you movign like the god's, it was eatin by Aphrodite on a regular basis!

Salad

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

Handful fresh mint leaves, julienned

1 cup organic blueberries

1 cup pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup shredded mshalale cheese or 1/2 cup feta cheese

Directions

To make the lemon pita chips: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the pita bread with extra-virgin olive oil and the lemon juice. Sprinkle with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper. Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes, until golden and crispy.

To make the lemon dressing: In a jar combine extra-virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Shake to emulsify.

To make the salad: Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium-high heat for a few minutes until they become golden and fragrant. Place the julienned mint leaves in a bowl with the blueberries, pomegranate seeds and mshalale cheese. Crumble the lemon pita over the salad and drizzle with the lemon dressing. Sprinkle with a handful of toasted pumpkin seeds; mix to combine