Strawberries & Pretzels

Strawberries are on sale this week at my local grocery store – 3 pints for $5! That’s a steal! So of course I bought 3 pints, and needed to brainstorm ways to use them before they spoiled. Blender drinks came to mind, but it was only 8 in the morning (and we are out of rum…). My next thought was pie.

If pie can be healthy, this is a healthy pie. I’m not saying it’s good for you or will aid in whatever diet/weight loss plan you subscribe to. But in a dessert world full of butter, cream, and sugar, this pie is relatively low on all three. So in my humble non-scientific opinion, this pie must be healthy. To start, it has 2 pints of strawberries. They are sliced thin and piled high. You are guaranteed to eat at least 6 strawberries with every slice. Next is the crust – it’s pretzel! Pretzels are considered a “healthy” salty snack, much preferable to potato chips or french fries….and it’s lower in calories and sugar than the traditional go-to for crumb crust – the graham cracker. Finally is the topping. It may look like whip cream, but it’s actually yogurt and sour cream. So there….it’s healthy….for pie.

One quick tip before we get to the recipe. I suggest everyone invest (all of $5) in an egg slicer. It’s this cool contraption with 10 wires used to thinly and evenly slice hard boiled eggs. It can also be used to slice strawberries, kiwi, mushrooms or any other soft (and small, the cutting area is only 2 – 3 inches wide) food. I perfectly sliced 2 pints of strawberries in about 10 minutes (including the hulling part). Not too bad!

Strawberry Pie

• 2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1-1/2 cups cold water
• 1 package (.3 ounce) sugar-free strawberry gelatin
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 pretzel crumb crust
• 2 C. yogurt topping

In a medium saucepan, combine  cornstarch and water. Bring to a boil and whisk for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and add strawberry gelatin and sugar. Whisk until dissolved. Add in strawberries then pour into cooled crust. Allow pie to cool then refrigerate for 2 hours. Top with yogurt topping and serve.

Pretzel Crumb Crust

• 1 1/2 C. pretzel crumbs*
• 6 T. butter, melted
• 1 T. honey

Combine all ingredients. Press into a lightly greased pie pan. Bake at 350 for 15 – 20 minutes or until starting to brown. Allow crust to cool before adding in the strawberry filling.

*This is an estimate

Yogurt Topping

• 1 C. French vanilla yogurt
• 1 C. sour cream
• 1 T. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until needed.

Strawberry Pie recipe modified from Taste of Home.

Easiest Chocolate Mousse Ever!

Alton Brown knows what he’s talking about. Take for example, his Chocolate Mousse recipe. Not only is it light, fluffy and awesome, but the recipe is super simple and easy to follow. And in case you didn’t realize, today is Valentine’s Day – so make some silky mousse for your sweetheart!

Chocolate Mousse

• 1 3/4 cups whipping cream
• 12 ounces quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 ounces espresso or strong coffee
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon flavorless, granulated gelatin

Chill 1 1/2 cups whipping cream in refrigerator. Chill metal mixing bowl and mixer beaters in freezer.

In top of a double boiler, combine chocolate chips, coffee, rum and butter. Melt over barely simmering water, stirring constantly. Remove from heat while a couple of chunks are still visible. Cool, stirring occasionally to just above body temperature.

Pour remaining 1/4 cup whipping cream into a metal measuring cup and sprinkle in the gelatin. Allow gelatin to “bloom” for 10 minutes. Then carefully heat by swirling the measuring cup over a low gas flame or candle. Do not boil or gelatin will be damaged. Stir mixture into the cooled chocolate and set aside.

In the chilled mixing bowl, beat cream to medium peaks. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream in two doses. There may be streaks of whipped cream in the chocolate and that is fine. Do not over work the mousse.

Spoon into bowls or martini glasses and chill for at least 1 hour. Garnish with fruit and serve.

(If mousses are to be refrigerated overnight, chill for one hour and then cover each with plastic wrap)

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown

Bananas Foster Pudding Pie

Bananas Foster is a flambé dessert that was created at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans in 1951. It’s a brown sugar and butter sauce, with lightly cooked bananas, drenched in liquor and delivered to your table on fire! It’s typically served over ice cream and makes for a very impressive dessert!

But there is a drawback to this flaming favorite – it’s hard to serve a crowd. You typically don’t make more than a serving or two at a time – and no one wants to be stuck in the kitchen over a fiery pan, whipping up a dozen batches of Bananas Foster, while their guests are enjoying dessert and cocktails. Another downside to the traditional Bananas Foster? On the next day, when your mouth is watering, thinking about last night’s dessert, there is nothing left-over to satiate the craving – Bananas Foster just doesn’t keep.

So how do you feel about a Bananas Foster Pudding Pie? I feel pretty good about it! This pie combines all the flavors and fabulousness of the traditional dessert, with the ease of serving a piece of pie. Now – there is a little more work on the front end. But the resulting pie will feed a crowd and last for days in the fridge (yea right, good luck with that….)

Bananas Foster Pudding Pie

• Graham cracker crust
• 4 bananas, sliced
• Foster sauce
• 1 package instant Vanilla pudding
• 1 1/2 C. cold milk
• Stabilized whip cream

Bake graham cracker crust at 350, for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Combine milk and pudding in a medium bowl. Beat for 2 minutes, or until smooth. Gently fold stabilized whip cream into pudding.

Arrange sliced bananas into graham cracker crust – they should slightly overlap. Slowly pour Foster sauce over bananas, making sure to coat them evenly. Spoon pudding mixture over top. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Stabilized Whip Cream

• 1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
• 4 tsp. cold water
• 1 C. heavy cream
• 1/4 C. sugar

In a small sauce pan, combine gelatin and water. Stir over low heat until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool (but not set).

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip cream on high until starting to thicken. Lower speed to medium and slowly add sugar. Once combined, slowly pour in cooled gelatin. Continue to whip until cream is stiff.

Foster Sauce

• 4 T. butter
• 1 C. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 C. banana liqueur
• 1/4 C. dark rum

Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the banana liqueur, and carefully add the rum. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot and bubbly, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum*. Remove from the stove and allow flames to burn out.

*setting the rum on fire is not required – this is really for show. If you do not want to ignite the rum, just allow the sauce to cook for a few minutes longer.

Recipes courtesy of Wilton and Brennan’s Restaurant