This pie instantly takes me back to Maui, Hawaii, where I celebrated my 40th birthday. After I arrived on Maui, the first place I went to was a little restaurant called Waikapu on 30. It's a quaint little place just south of Kahului, run by a local woman who makes everything from scratch. You order from the counter and take your food to-go or enjoy it outside on one of their picnic tables. From what I've heard, and from what I've experienced, it's one of the best home-cooking style restaurants on Maui. It was so good that I ended up going there three times during my week-long trip. And one of the main reasons I kept going back was for their haupia sweet potato pie. It was sooooo good! Their's had three layers - a shortbread crust, mashed Okinawan (purple) sweet potatoes, and a thick coconut pudding. After I returned home from my vacation, I was still craving it almost daily! I had to know how to make it, so I reached out to Waikapu on 30 via Facebook and asked if they would be willing to share their recipe. To my surprise, they did! This haupia pie recipe is my slightly sweetened, sans sweet potato take on their version. Honestly, I would've added the purple sweet potatoes, but I found them impossible to find in Alaska, and still very difficult to find in Nebraska. But this simple version is still fantastic and captures all the sweet and nutty deliciousness that I loved in the original. HAUPIA PIE WITH MACADAMIA SHORTBREAD CRUST Makes 8-10 servings INGREDIENTS:
Crust: 3/4 cup flour 2 tbsp. sugar 6 tbsp. butter, softened or coconut oil 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and finely ground Filling: 1 cup water 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. cornstarch 1 cup sugar 2 cans of coconut milk (full fat) INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a deep dish pie pan, tart pan, or 9" springform pan. In a large bowl, mix together the flour and sugar for the crust. Using a fork, mix in the butter or coconut oil until well blended, then mix in the macadamia nuts. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for about 25 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before you start working on the filling. For the filling, in a large saucepan, mix together the cornstarch and water until dissolved. Place over medium heat and mix in the coconut milk and sugar. Stir the mixture constantly with a whisk until it thickens to a pudding consistency, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour the mixture on top of the cooled crust. Refrigerate the pie uncovered for at least 3 hours before serving. Serve as is or topped with toasted coconut, toasted macadamia nuts, or coconut whipped cream.
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Ever since I first made this pie about 5 years ago, I’ve been dying to make it again. This time I added a little extra banana flavor to the pie by incorporating puréed banana into the whipped cream. The end result is absolutely delightful! Banoffee pie is an English dessert made by combining bananas and toffee, hence the name! Often you will see the recipes for this pie using dulce de leche, which is made from slowly heating and caramelized going sweetened condensed milk, which can take hours. For this recipe, I wanted something similar in flavor, but quicker to produce, so I made the toffee base using more of a traditional caramel method. It still gives you a thick, rich toffee flavored base, only in less than 10 minutes. BANOFFEE PIE WITH BANANA WHIPPED CREAM Makes (1) 9-inch pie, about 6-8 servings INGREDIENTS:
Crust: 60 Nilla Wafers 1/2 cup butter, melted 1/2 cup brown sugar Pie: 1/2 cup butter 2/3 cup brown sugar 1 can sweetened condensed milk Pinch of salt 2 ripe bananas Banana Whipped Cream: 1 ripe banana 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold 1/2 cup powdered sugar INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 350° F. Using a food processor, chop the Nilla Wafers until the crumbs are small and smooth. Add in the melted butter and brown sugar and process until well combined. Press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9” pie pan. Bake the crust for 7 minutes, then remove from oven. Allow the crust to cool at room temp for 5 minutes, then place in the freezer for 15-30 minutes. In a large saucepan, melt the butter for the pie over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir constantly for about 4-5 minutes. During that time, the brown sugar and butter should combine and come to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the sweetened condensed milk and pinch of salt, and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Pour the caramel into the prepared pie crust, and return to the freezer for 1 hour. Remove the pie from the freezer. Slice the 2 bananas into thin slices and spread the slices evenly over the caramel. Set aside. Using a food processor or blender, purée the banana for the whipped cream until completely smooth. Set aside. Pour the heavy whipping cream into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or into a large bowl of using a hand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk the cream on high until soft peaks form. (When you pull the whisk out of the whipped cream, a peak should form but then quickly fall down.) Gradually add in the powdered sugar and continue whisking until stiff peaks form. (When you pull the whisk out of the whipped cream, the peak that forms will not fall.) Gently fold in the puréed banana, then whisk for another 30 seconds. Top the pie with the banana whipped cream. Serve immediately or place the pie in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Ever since I made my first galette, I've been a little obsessed with them. I love how easy they are, and how beautiful and rustic they look. I think it's because their beauty is in their imperfections. These free-form pies aren't meant to be perfectly shaped, so they're a great no muss no fuss dessert. INGREDEINTS: Crust: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 cup butter, cold, cut into cubes 10-12 tbsp. ice cold water Galettes: 3 Gala apples, cored and thinly sliced 2 tbsp. sugar 2 tbsp. brown sugar 2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves 2 tbsp. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled 1/4 cup butter, melted 2 tbsp. honey Egg Wash: 1 large egg 1 tsp. water INSTRUCTIONS: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt for the crust. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the cold butter until the mixture is crumbly. Add 10 tbsp. of ice cold water and using your fingertips, mix quickly and gently. If needed, add more water 1 tbsp. at a time until all the flour is moistened. Form the dough into a ball, then flatten into a disc and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. While the dough is chilling, prep your other ingredients. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and brown sugar and set aside. In a separate small bowl, mix together the egg and water for the egg wash and set aside. Take the dough out of the fridge and allow to sit at room temp for a couple minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out until it's no more than 1/4 inch thick. Cut large circles out of the dough, about 6-7 inches in diameter. (I used a bowl turned upside down as a guide.) Transfer each circle to the prepared baking sheet. In the center of each circle, arrange the sliced apples, leaving a 1-2 inch border around the edges. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the apples, then the Gorgonzola, then the thyme. Fold the edges of each circle up over the apples, overlapping the dough occasionally and pressing it until it holds. Evenly distribute and drizzle the melted butter over the apples in each galette. Brush the dough of each galette with the egg wash. Bake at 375° F for about 25-35 minutes, until the crust and cheese turns golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Heat honey for 20 seconds and drizzle 1 tsp. over each galette. Garnish with a little more Gorgonzola and fresh thyme, then serve. NOTE: You could also use these same ingredients to make one large galette, rather than individual sized galettes. When assembling, leave a 2-3 inch border around the edges. And when baking, bake for 35-40 minutes.
This twist on a classic deep dish pumpkin pie is nothing short of amazing! Pumpkin is still the highlight of this recipe, but the occasional swirls of Nutella and the deep caramelized flavor of the Biscoff cookie crust really add to the richness of this pie and create a little intrigue. It is perfect for the holidays if you're looking to shake things up a bit! CRUST:
2 1/2 cups Biscoff cookie crumbs, finely ground 1/2 cup hazelnuts, finely ground (optional) 1/4 cup butter, melted 2 tbsp. dark brown sugar 1/2 tsp. cinnamon FILLING: 2 1/2 cups canned pumpkin 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. allspice 1/4 tsp. ground ginger 1/8 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. salt 1 12oz. can of evaporated milk 1 tsp. vanilla extract 4 eggs 1/2 cup Nutella INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients for the crust. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch deep dish pie pan. Bake the the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine the pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves, and salt until well blended. Slowly add the evaporated milk, followed by the vanilla. Add one egg at a time, mixing until well blended after each egg. Reserve 1 cup of the filling. Pour the remaining filling into the prepared crust. Whisk the Nutella into the reserved filling until smooth. Pour the Nutella mixture over the pumpkin mixture. Drag a knife throughout the pie to create a swirl pattern. Be careful not to disrupt the crust. Bake the pie for about 75-80 minutes, or until the center slightly jiggles. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then move to the refrigerator to finish cooling. Chill the pie for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve cold with whipped cream. INGREDIENTS
Graham Cracker Crust: 20 full sheets of graham crackers 1/2 cup butter, melted 1/4 cup brown sugar Chocolate Custard Filling: 1 package (8 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips 4 tbsp. butter, cut into 1 tbsp. pieces 1 tsp. vanilla 2 1/2 cups heavy cream 1 cup whole milk 1 cup sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 cup cornstarch 6 egg yolks Marshmallow Meringue: 4 egg whites, room temperature 1 tsp. vanilla Pinch of salt 1/4 cup sugar 7 oz. jar of marshmallow creme INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 350°. In a food processor, pulse graham crackers until finely crushed. Add melted butter and brown sugar and process until well combined. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom and along the sides of a 9" deep dish pie pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. In a large bowl, add chocolate chips, butter, and vanilla and set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 2 cups of the cream, milk, sugar, and salt to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup cream, cornstarch, and egg yolks. Once the cream/milk mixture comes to a soft simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low. Slowly pour 1 cup of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly to temper the egg mixture. Then, slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the hot cream while whisking constantly. Return the pan to the heat and whisk constantly until the custard thickens to the consistency of a pudding. This may take anywhere from 3-6 minutes. Keep whisking to avoid curdling the eggs. Pour the hot custard into the bowl with the chocolate chips and butter. Continue to whisk until the chocolate chips and butter are melted and the custard is smooth. Pour the custard into the prepared pie crust. Cover the pie with plastic wrap pressed onto the chocolate custard. Refrigerate until fully set, about 4-5 hours. Once the pie is set, continue on to make the meringue. Preheat broiler to 500°. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, whisk the egg whites on high until soft peaks form. While mixing, add the vanilla and salt. Very slowly add the sugar. Once stiff peaks form, add the marshmallow creme a little at a time, whisking in between until well blended. Top the chilled pie with the marshmallow meringue. Place under the broiler for a few minutes until the peaks begin to brown. Watch the pie closely, as the meringue can burn quickly. Remove from oven and refrigerate for 10 minutes or until ready to serve. |