Cookies & Cream Chiffon Pie

A little bit fussy, Pie
I got out the good china for this pie – it’s a light chocolate-flecked vanilla mousse in a chocolate cookie crumb crust. It’s the devil’s food because it is so light and tasty you can end up eating the whole dang thing if you’re not careful.
  • 9″ chocolate cookie crust, baked and cooled
  • 1 tablespoon unflavored gelain
  • 1/2 cup sugar, divided
  • pinch salt
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon rum extract
  • 1/3 cup chocolate pailletés, or shaved chocolate

Combine gelatin, 1/4 cup sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Add egg yolks and milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the gelatin dissolves and the mixtures thickens slightly, just enough to coat a spoon. Chill to room temperature.

Beat heavy cream with vanilla and rum extracts until thick. Fold gently into the custard mixture.

Beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites and chocolate pailletés into the custard and cream mixture gently until thoroughly combined.

Pour into prepared chocolate crust and chill until set, at least 4 hours.

Horchata Crispy Treats

Unfussy
It’s back to school so that means keep it simple. I wanted to doctor up rice crispy treats so I added plenty of cinnamon and vanilla for Horchata-inspired treats. They taste like fall is just around the corner.
  • 4 TBSP unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 12 ounces mini marshmallows
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 6 cups Rice Krispies
  • Extra cinnamon for sprinkling on top

Line an 8″ square pan with parchment. Grease the parchment.

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add cinnamon and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and salt. Gently stir in Rice Krispies until uniformly coated in marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.

Press into prepared pan. Let sit several hours. Cut into giant squares.

Peach Crumb Cake

Breakfast, Unfussy

Cake:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 3 cups peeled, diced fresh peaches

Crumb Topping:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or line a 9×13″ pan.

Make Cake: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix well to combine. Stir in baking soda and salt. Add the flour, one third at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Stir in almond extract and half of the peaches. Spread into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle remaining half of the peaches evenly over the top of the cake.

Make Crumb: Whisk flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt together. Pour in butter and vanilla extract and stir until the mixture is evenly moistened.

Spread crumb mixture evenly over the cake batter. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Peach Pie

A little bit fussy, Pie
Nothing tastes like summer more than peach pie. I did a cost-benefit analysis to determine if turning the oven on when it’s 99°F outside is worth the pie, and the pie won.

Double Pie Crust:

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 TBSP sugar
  • 1 stick cold butter (115g), cut into pieces
  • 1/3 cup lard (70g), cup into pieces
  • 1/3 cup ice water

Peach Filling:

  • 5 cups sliced fresh peaches
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 3 TBSP cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • 1 TBSP lemon juice
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 1/2 tsp. almond extract
  • cinnamon sugar for top ( 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, stirred to combine)

Combine flour, salt and sugar in food processor. Add butter and lard and pulse until the butter pieces are no larger than peas. Add ice water and pulse until dough just comes together, about 5 times.

Divide dough in half. Form each half into a disc. Roll out each disc between two pieces of wax paper, peeling the paper and flipping the crust over to make rolling easier and uniform.

Line pie plate with bottom crust. Keep top crust between two pieces of wax paper and refrigerate both until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Dip peaches in boiling water for a few seconds. Peel and slice into bite-sized pieces. Combine peaches with sugars, cornstarch, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice and almond extract.

Pour peaches into prepared pie crust. Top with second crust (either in a lattice pattern or leave plain) and crimp edges. Cut slits in top crust if not using a lattice top.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 450°F for 20 minutes. Place foil on the bottom rack of the oven to catch drips and reduce heat to 350°F. Bake for 45 minutes more until the filling is bubbling in the center of the pie. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

My Hero Bread

Bread, Unfussy

I keep making this bread – it’s essentially Jimmy John’s bread and I often hollow out the inside like they do before I build the sandwich for a better bread-to-filling ratio. Anytime I find a bread recipe that calls for making a starter hours before, I just use sourdough starter since it’s already percolating in the refrigerator.

  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 TBSP kosher salt
  • 1 TBSP sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp. yeast
  • 4 TBSP canola oil
  • 1 1/2 cups water, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (115g) unfed sourdough starter

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low until a rough dough has formed, about 3 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes. Mix on low for another 7-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into quarters. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

Gently roll the dough into 4 uniform loaves, about 14″ long (or the length of the baking sheet). Place 2 loaves on each baking sheet about 6″ apart. Spray or brush the loaves with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour. Preheat oven to 375°F.

Bake for 30 minutes until light golden brown. Enjoy within 24 hours, or freeze until ready to use for best results.