Summer nectarine and vanilla pie

Not sure why, but I’ve realized that as I get older very simple things make me really happy; do you feel the same way?

You wouldn’t believe how pleased I was by making a pie that looked like the ones I saw in cartoons when I was little – those pies put by the window to cool down. It really made me smile. :)

Summer nectarine and vanilla pie
adapted from Bon Appetit

Crust:
2 ½ cups (350g) unbleached all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick/113g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1.25cm (½in) cubes
½ cup (113g) chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1.25cm (½in) cubes
5 tablespoons (or more) ice water
2 tablespoons whipping cream

Filling:
2/3 cup (133g) + 2 teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar
½ vanilla bean, cut crosswise into 1.25cm (½in) pieces
3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
1.680g (3 ¾ pounds) firm but ripe nectarines, halved, pitted, each half cut into 4 slices (about 10 cups)
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Start with the crust: blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening; using on/off turns, blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, add the ice water and process until dough begins to clump together, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough together. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into disk. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour (can be made 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. If necessary, soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out).

Preheat to 200°C/400°F; lightly butter a 23cm (9in)-diameter glass pie dish.
Combine 2/3 cup of the sugar and the vanilla bean in processor; blend until vanilla bean is very finely minced. Sift vanilla sugar through strainer into large bowl; discard any large bits in strainer. Mix flour into vanilla sugar. Add nectarines to flour-sugar mixture and toss gently to coat.
Roll out 1 pie crust disk on floured surface to 30cm (12in) round. Transfer to prepared dish. Trim dough overhang to 1.25cm (½in). Spoon peach mixture into crust; dot with butter. Roll out second pie crust disk on lightly floured surface to 30cm (12in) round. Drape dough over peach filling; trim overhang to 4cm (1½in). Fold top and bottom edges under, pressing together to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. Using small sharp knife, cut 5cm (2in)-long X in center of top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush crust lightly with whipping cream; sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar.
Place pie on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden, nectarines are tender, and juices bubble thickly through cut in top crust, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool until lukewarm, about 2 hours.
Serve pie lukewarm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 8

Spiced banana breakfast loaf

Sometimes when I’m going through my cookbooks I say things out loud: things like “I am so making this”, or “I’ll make this next weekend”, and so on; just so you know it, the hubby doesn't find it weird. :)

A couple of weeks ago I was “talking” to my books again when I said I was going to make a banana cake. “Another one?” Joao asked. I smiled back at him and said nothing, but thought “hey, don’t you know me at all?” – there’s no such thing as too many banana cakes. ;)

Spiced banana breakfast loaf
from Baking by Flavor

2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons (157g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup (83g) pecans, lightly toasted and cooled completely, chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter and flour a 22.5x12.5x7.5cm (19x5x3in) loaf pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves into a large bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the butter, granulated sugar, eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla. Pour the egg-banana mixture over the dry ingredients, add the pecans and mix until the particles of flour are absorbed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes, or until golden and rise and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the loaf in the pan on a rack for 5-8 minutes, then carefully unmold onto another rack. Cool completely.

Makes 12 slices – I made 2/3 of the recipe above and used a 8x19x5cm loaf pan; the cake did not rise much, and the texture was a bit on the dense side, but it tasted delicious

Pebbly beach fruit squares - and a lovely friend

I’ve “met” great people since starting this blog back in 2006, and there are a few that became part of my days, despite the fact that in some cases we’re half a planet apart. :)

I know that she lives miles and miles away from here, but I would certainly love having the lovely Susan as my neighbor: I absolutely adore her (even though we haven’t met personally), I crave the yummy food she makes and sometimes I wish I could “borrow” her adorable little helpers. ;)
I’ve always wanted to bake with her and we’ve decided not to let distance get in our way: a recipe from Alice Medrich’s new book is the start of our little baking project.

I am a huge fan of Medrich’s recipes – they work and taste great – but these cookies disappointed me: the pastry is too soft and almost impossible to work with (even after several trips to the fridge); the cookies were delicious, but I would definitely go for this recipe next time I make these.

Click here to see Susan’s beautiful take on this recipe – her filling choice is fabulous!

Pebbly beach fruit squares
from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich

1 ¾ cups (245g) all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons/113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 cup (110g) dried cranberries
¼ cup (50g) demerara sugar

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix together thoroughly. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until smooth but not fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and lemon zest and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated. Divide the dough in half and form each into a rectangle. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let sit for 15 minutes to soften slightly. On a sheet of parchment paper, roll one piece of dough into a rectangle (21x42cm/8½x16½in). With the short side facing you, scatter half of the cranberries on the bottom half of the rectangle. Fold the top half over the fruit, using the paper as a handle. Peel the paper from the top of the dough, scatter with the demerara sugar, pressing to make sure the sugar adheres. Freeze for 10 minutes, then trim the edges and cut into 16 squares. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Place the cookies onto the prepared sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden. Slide the paper out of the pan and let cool completely.

Makes 32 – I halved the recipe above and got only 10 squares

Linguine with peas and lemon - and our 6th anniversary

Joao and I celebrated our sixth anniversary last Saturday with a magnificent dinner – great food, some wine... Just beautiful. But all that indulgence called for a simple lunch on the following day – and this recipe instantly popped in to my mind: it’s so good – and quick – I’ve made it three times already.

Linguine with peas and lemon
from Holiday

1½ tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons (28g) butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¾ cup (180ml) white wine
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
400g linguine
2 cups fresh shelled peas – I used frozen
freshly grated parmesan, to serve

Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
Pour in the white wine and simmer until reduced by half. Stir in the lemon zest and cream and simmer for a further 3-4 minutes until slightly reduced; season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of slightly boiling water according to the packet instructions or until al dente, adding the peas for the last 3 minutes of the cooking time. Drain well and toss the hot pasta with the sauce.
Serve immediately with grated parmesan.

Serves 4

White chocolate mousse with passion fruit

When I was a teenager I had this big dream of going to Australia to learn English; unfortunately, $$ was an issue then and I had to study the language here.

My love for Australia hasn’t changed – Joao and I plan to go there for vacation someday; while that doesn’t happen, I go on listening to Aussie bands and cooking recipes from Aussie mags and fabulous foodies. :)

White chocolate mousse with passion fruit
from here

250g good quality white chocolate chopped
1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, separated
1 ½ cups + 1 tablespoon (375ml) heavy cream
6 tablespoons passion fruit pulp

Place the white chocolate, milk and vanilla in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Heat until the chocolate is just melted, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Add the egg yolks to the chocolate mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Set aside.
Whip the cream in a bowl until soft peaks form then fold through the chocolate mixture until just combined.
Whisk the egg whites in a large, dry, clean stainless steel bowl until soft peaks form. Using a large metal spoon, fold through the chocolate mixture in two batches.
Divide the mousse between six 1 cup (240ml) capacity serving dishes/bowls.
Cover and chill for 3 to 4 hours, or until set.
Spoon passion fruit on top of the mousse just before serving.

Serves 6