Pineapple Tart

Pastry Crust



In a bowl combine: 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 3 tbsp sugar, about a tsp of baking power and mix well. Then add one cup of chilled butter and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry mixture. When it's well mixed, meaning the butter is no longer in big chunks....


In a small bowl, beat 1 tsp of almond extract with one egg. Make a little well in the flour mixture adding sprinkles of water just until the dough holds together.

For the filling
1 large pineapple (4½ pounds), peeled, quartered, and cored
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp mixed essence
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
½ cup dark rum


Make the filling: Cut each pineapple quarter crosswise into ⅓-inch-thick slices. Combine sugars, mixed essence, and lemon juice in a large saute pan. Add pineapple, and cook over medium heat, stirring until sugars dissolve and mixture becomes saucy, about 3 minutes. Add rum, and simmer until pineapple has softened and almost all liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan.

Spread pineapple mixture evenly in shell. Beat egg, and brush along top edges of tart. Brush top of lattice with egg wash.

Take a little more than half for the bottom of the baking pan and roll out the dough on a well floured surface. Fill shell with fruit filling, and roll out the other half.

Use a knife to cut dough into strips for lattice pie top....or don't bother with it and just cut a hole in the top with a cookie cutter.

Place your pie on a baking sheet because mine has a tendency to bubble over on occasion when the fruit expands. I'd rather be safe than have to clean the drips after the fact.

Brush with egg yolk (I find it browns nicer than with milk or egg whites) and bake in the oven at 350F until golden brown. (about 50 minutes)

Plum Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup soft butter
1 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder

Also:
1/4 cup of Apple Jelly
4 large plums
1 + 1 tablespoons icing sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 325F .
Grease the pan.
Wash plums, cut into quarters, remove seeds.



Cream butter, sugar and salt.
Add the whole eggs, flour and baking powder - mix .


The dough is dense.



Place dough into the pan, level the top and spread with apple jelly.



Lay the plums on top lightly.



Sprinkle with powdered sugar and put into preheated oven.
Bake 30-40 minutes (check with knife or toothpick until it comes out clean).

After baking, remove from oven, cool and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Peach Cobbler

Recipe found here from Canadian Living.

The only thing I added was some vanilla to the peach mixture.

Coconut Pineapple Cake

It's this recipe, from here...with these changes:

I didn't toast the coconut because I'm lazy.
I used whipping cream instead of sour cream.
I used a cake pan instead of a loaf pan.
I cut the fresh pineapple into bigger chunks.

The result was a good, very moist cake...with almost a cheesecake quality.
definitely a keeper.

Cherry Clafouti

Made this today...dead easy.

Find the recipe here.

Spicy Shrimp

I was looking for something to try today, and this was it.

Ingredients:
1 lb Shrimp (Peeled and de-veined)
Olive Oil

Seasoning:
1 heaping tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 heaping teaspoon adobo seasoning
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground smokey paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon leaf thyme
1/2 teaspoon leaf oregano


Cute little paprika containers.


Mix the seasoning together.



dry the shrimp and use about 1 tablespoon and a half of the seasoning and coat the shrimp.



Fry in olive oil until cooked.

Done...and very delicious on a bed of white rice!

Put the rest of the seasoning in a shaker, and use it for other things.

Spicy Carrot Coconut Curry

Made it as a side tonight and it's a keeper!

Find the recipe here