Tag Archives: Pi Day

CUCUMBER WITH DILL CREAM AND SMOKED SALMON and VANILLA RICH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

14 Monday Mar 2016

Posted by in Appetizers, bars and cookies, Recipes

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The students in my Sons accelerated Math class were encouraged to bring round snacks to celebrate Pi Day. Joe carefully measured, mixed, fried and dusted his “Joe-nuts” to take and share during the lesson (and cleaned up the kitchen afterward).

joe-nuts– My Son cooking his “Joe-nuts”

I loved the idea so much, I searched for ideas for circular shaped treats to enjoy at  home.

CUCUMBER WITH DILL CREAM AND SMOKED SALMON

cucumber with dill cream and smoked salmon

1 seedless cucumber, sliced crosswise

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

smoked salmon, cut into circles with a cookie cutter

dill leaves to garnish

Drain cucumbers on paper towels for 15 minutes.

Stir together cream cheese, chopped dill, lemon zest, lemon juice and pepper. Spoon about a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture onto each cucumber slice, top with salmon and a dill sprig.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from All Recipes, April/May 2015

allrecipes.com/

VANILLA RICH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

vanilla rich chocolate chip cookies

3 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 (12-ounce) packages chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375F.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt, set aside. Beat butter and sugars with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.

Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoons, 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 1 minute.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Mc Cormick

www.mccormick.com/Recipes

PEAR VANILLA CROSTATA WITH ALMONDS

15 Sunday Mar 2015

Posted by in Dessert, Recipes

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My husbands own personal pie day was March 12th. He celebrated 23 years in the pizza business, and we honored the occasion with a pie of our own.

eureka pizza 23 birthday

PEAR VANILLA CROSTATA WITH ALMONDS

pear vanilla crostata

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

1 1/2 pounds pears, halved, cored and thinly sliced lengthwise

store bought piecrust

cream for brushing

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Heat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, combine 1/3 cup sugar, the cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the mixture and rub with fingertips to evenly distribute. Add the pears, toss to coat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the crust to a 14-inch round. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Arrange the pear slices in concentric circles, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the border over the fruit. Brush the border with cream, sprinkle with almonds and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake the crostata until the crust is a deep golden brown color and the fruit filling is bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes.

Transfer the crostata, on the parchment paper, to a rack. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine, November 2014

www.rachaelraymag.com/

COCONUT CREAM PIE

14 Saturday Mar 2015

Posted by in Dessert, Recipes

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Pi Day was first celebrated in 1988 at the San Francisco Exploratorium, and continues to be recognized and commemorated the world over, not only by math enthusiasts, but by many people who simply want an excuse to eat pie, and enjoy the day consuming  the delicious edible orbs – from savory to sweet.

Our family observed the occasion with my daughters third favorite flavor of pie – Coconut Cream.

COCONUT CREAM PIE

coconut cream pieFILLING

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin

2 cups cream

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened cream of coconut

CRUST

1 cup crushed Nilla Wafer cookies

1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (I added a couple of extra)

Toasted coconut flakes, for garnish

MAKE THE FILLING

In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the coconut milk with the gelatin. In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 1 1/4 cups of coconut milk with 1/2 cup of the cream. Add the sugar, corn syrup, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the vanilla bean and seeds; bring just to a simmer over moderately high heat. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, then simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture until dissolved, then whisk in the butter and 1/4 cup of the cream of coconut. Strain the filling through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl; discard the vanilla bean. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling and let cool, then refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.

MAKE THE CRUST

Heat oven to 325F. In a food processor, pulse the cookies with all of the remaining ingredients except the toasted coconut. Transfer the crumbs to a 9-inch pie plate. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the side of the pie plate. Bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating half-way through baking, until dry and lightly browned. Let cool.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream, 2 tablespoons of cream of coconut and 1/4 teaspoon of salt until firm. Fold one-third of the whipped cream into the filling until no streaks remain. Spread the filling in the crust. Mound the whipped cream on top and refrigerate the pie for at least 2 hours. Garnish with toasted coconut before serving.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine, March 2015

www.foodandwine.com/