Coconut Lime Pie

This is one of those pies that's just like, oh my goodness, so good! It's got a bit of a remembrance to a key lime pie, but the chewy, almost nutty coconut taste adds a depth of flavor that you won't believe!

Ingredients:
pastry for single pie crust
1 C granulated sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
2 T flour
5 eggs
1/3 C butter, melted
2 limes, juiced and zest
1/2 t vanilla
1 C coconut
1 C whipped cream

Roll out the pie dough for a 9" plate and carefully lay the dough in the plate. Trim the excess crust and crimp the edges as desired. Set aside.

Beat the sugars, flour, eggs, and butter in a bowl.

Measure out 2 teaspoons of lime zest and 2 tablespoons of juice. Add this and the vanilla to the mixture and beat well.

Sprinkle 3/4 C of the coconut over the prepared pie dough. 

Pour the filling over the coconut.

Beautiful, isn't it? Just wait.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 35-45 minutes. It will get nice and brown on top but should still jiggled when shook. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours (I just plan ahead and let it sit overnight).

Before serving, toast the remaining 1/4 C coconut by spreading on a baking sheet. Put in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally and checking to make sure it doesn't burn. 

Should look about like this. If it does burn, start over! you don't want burned coconut on top.

Beat the 1 cup of whipped cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Trust me here when I say you don't need sugar in this one. Just the cream.

Spread the cream in the middle of the cooled pie. You could go all the way to the edges if you wanted, but the filling underneath is so pretty. . . .

And finally, sprinkle the toasted coconut over the 

Wha-la! It is done! Serve and enjoy!

Tastefully,

Tamara 

Nutty and Buttery Pear Crumble

I had an overabundance of pears and searched vigilantly for recipes I could use my pears in. I was excited to find this nutty and buttery pear crumbled, which uses walnuts instead of oatmeal for a great crunchy flavor. And sweetened with maple syrup! It's so good!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 lb pears, cubed

2/3 C maple syrup (the real stuff!!! no cheating here!)

1 T minced crystallized ginger

1 C raisins

topping:

1 C walnuts, chopped

1 C flour

2/3 C brown sugar

1/2 C butter, cold

Mix all of the ingredients together except the topping.

Press into a 9x13 baking pan.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, and walnuts. Add the butter, pinching it with your fingers until it is well blended. Sprinkle over the top of the pears.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-55 minutes, depending on the ripeness of your pears. Mine were very underripe and took almost an hour. When you see it bubbling, it's done.

Would go fantastic with vanilla ice-cream!

Tastefully,

Tamara 

Raspberry Bread Pudding

I apologize, when I started making this recipe, I didn't realize how good it would turn out and that I would want to share it. It wasn't until afterwards that I was like, "Man, I need to blog this recipe." So I don't have very many good pictures, and I have none of the actual process.

But let me assure you, it's very very easy. You could probably make do with frozen raspberries here, but I happened to have fresh, and this was divine.

The best part? This is a crockpot dessert. Toss it in and let your slow cooker do the work!

Ingredients:

6 C diced bread (this is a the perfect time to use up the odds and ends of sliced bread in your freezer. Oh, you don't have? Start collecting them. Don't throw away the last two slices of baguette or French bread or the heels of sandwich bread. Put them in a bag and freeze them. For bread pudding.)

2 C fresh raspberries

2 C heavy cream

2 C whole milk or half and half

1 C sugar

6 eggs

1 T vanilla extract (or one vanilla bean, scraped, if you're feeling extravagant!)

Coat a medium slowcooker with non-stick spray (if you only have a large one, that's fine, but watch the cooking time, it might cook faster. Or increase the recipe by 1/2).

Layer half the bread in the bottom, followed by half the berries. Then the rest of the bread and the rest of the berries. Mix the cream, milk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together. Pour over the bread and berries. Make sure all the bread gets some of the liquid mixture. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours. Remove lid and cook another 15 minutes.

Let cool ten minutes before serving, or wait until it cools to room temperature. We ate (and loved) this just the way it was. But feel free to embellish it with whipped cream if you so desire.

Tastefully,

Tamara 

Caramelized Mango Tapioca Pudding

I may have mentioned that I love dessert. I also love pudding. And fruit. Oh, and sugar. 

So this dessert was literally right up my alley. And not only was it delicious, but it was easy to do. I also love the individual serving sizes.

Ingredients:

3 3/4 C whole milk

3/4 C sugar

1/3 C quick-cooking tapioca

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp lime zest

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large mango, peeled and diced

1/3 C packed brown sugar

Put all ingredients except the mango and the brown sugar into a large stockpot. Whisk together and let them sit in the pot for five minutes until all are fully incorporated.

Bring to a gentle boil over medium-low heat. Stir constantly for ten minutes or until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and pour into another bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface. 

Let the pudding mixture cool while you assemble the dessert plates. Grease 8 ramekins or one large souffle dish. Divide the cut mango between the ramekins (or lay it in a single layer in the big one). 

Pour the pudding evenly over the top of the mango.

Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of brown sugar over each ramekin (or all of the brown sugar over the large dish). Let sit for ten minutes while the sugar dissolves. Put all the ramekins on a rimmed baking pan and broil for four minutes, let the sugar bubble up but not burn.

Best enjoyed warm! We did toss the uneaten ones into the fridge and eat them cold the next day. Still yummy, but definitely best fresh out of the oven!

Tastefully,

Tamara