Sunday, December 23, 2012

Maple-Bourbonéd Bread Pudding


MAKES 12 MINI RAMEKINS 
I absolutely f*#&ing LOVE bread pudding, so I’ve been working with different ways of doing bread pudding for years. I also like eating out of little cups. And, I love booze. Put all of those together and you have this recipe. THIS WILL BLOW YOUR MIND GRAPES! It’s very good with the regular whipped cream recipe I have on the blog. This is probably the highest fat/calorie recipe I have ever made. You’re welcome.

TOOLS

Small sauce pan
Wooden spoon
2 baking sheets [rimmed is helpful]
Large bowl
Whisk
12 mini ramekins
Non-stick cooking spray [or butter if you don’t have]
Silicone brush
[bread]


INGREDIENTS

1 cup walnuts, chopped [optional]
cup raisins
5 tbsp bourbon
1 loaf crusty white bread [I use french loaf] cut into ½ inch cubes about 10 cups
9 egg yolks
¼ tsp ground cinnamon 
½ cup light brown sugar + 1 tbsp
4 tsp vanilla extract
¾ table salt
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup maple syrup + ¼ cup maple syrup


INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. On a cookie sheet spread out the walnuts in an even layer and bake for 5-8 minutes until aromatic. Let cool.
  2. In the small saucepan, combine the bourbon and raisins over medium heat. Let them gently simmer until the raisins are plump, about 5 minutes. Take off heat and let cool.
  3. On the two cookie treys, evenly spread the bread cubes. Bake, stirring the cubes around every couple of minutes. About 15 minutes, or until the bread is dry [not toasted]. Let cool. 
  4. Whisk the yokes in a large bowl, add the cinnimon, ½ cup brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Combine. Whisk in the cream and milk. Stir in the bourbon-raisin mixture. Fold in most of the bread cubes [leave about 2 cups out].
  5. Spray down the 12 ramekins with the non-stick cooking spray. Alternatively you can use 6 larger ramekins or 9’ x 13’ baking pan, but add about 15 minutes to your bake time. Gently spoon the bread mixture to fill the ramekins half way. Sprinkle with half the walnuts, evenly distributing between all the ramekins.  Add the remaining bread mixture. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts on top of each ramekin. Drizzle with the remaining ¼ cup of maple syrup. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap. Place on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
  6. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In the small sauce pan, melt the butter. After taking the plastic wrap off [yes, I have to put that in there...some of you need it….] divide the remaining bread between the ramekins. Brush the melted butter on top with the silicone brush. Drizzle each ramekin with the one ¼ cup of maple syrup and sprinkle with 1 tbsp of light brown sugar. Place the cookie sheet into the oven and bake for 30 minutes [until interior reaches 170 degrees].
  7. Let cool before serving. About 30 minutes. Serve with some sort of whipped cream [my recipe is the best]. To reheat leftovers, bake at 450 degrees for about 6 minutes.
  8. Eat the s%*t out of these most tasty treats!




Thursday, November 22, 2012

Gluten-Free Fried Banana Bread


MAKES 1 9 INCH LOAF
This bread f*@&ing rocks. It’s gluten-free but you can substitute with normal flour if you’re into that. Also the fried bananas on the top are optional but they make it SOOOO delicious and moist. You don’t need butter for this bad boy! I ended up making this for my dad Thanksgiving morning because he was cranky. After he ate it, he wasn’t cranky anymore.



TOOLS

Large bowl
Medium bowl
Small bowl
Medium sauce pan
Wooden spoon
Whisk
Potato masher
9” loaf pan
Non-stick baking spray [I use canola oil]
Small frying pan [optional] + fork
Paper towel 

INGREDIENTS

½ cup walnuts pieces
¾ cup brown rice flour
¾ cup potato starch [or corn starch]
¼ cup tapioca flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
5 very ripe bananas, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices plus 1 banana, cut into ½ inch slices [optional -- for frying later]
8 tbsp unsalted butter plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter [optional -- for frying later, you can also use coconut oil]
2 large eggs
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, move rack to the middle position. In 9” loaf pan, roast the walnuts in the preheating oven about 5-8 minutes until aromatic. Let cool.
  2. In large bowl, whisk flours, baking soda and salt. Melt the 8 tbsp of butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. When completely melted, turn up heat [but make sure not to brown/burn the butter] and add the sliced pieces from 5 bananas. Gently fold pieces until all pieces are coated. Allow to cook for about 8 minutes, gently stirring every minute or so. The mixture should resemble chunky pudding -- allow the liquid to cook off, but careful not to let the mixture burn. Take off heat and transfer to medium bowl, mash with potato masher. In small bowl, whisk eggs. Into the banana mixture, whisk in brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs, making sure not to cook them. 
  3. Pour the banana mixture into the large bowl of flour. Mix until just incorporated. Fold in walnut pieces. 
  4. [OPTIONAL} In small frying pan, melt remaining 2 tbsp of butter [or coconut oil] on medium heat. When melted, turn up heat until bubbling and gently place each slice of remaining banana into the pan. Fry until just caramelized on one size. Flip and caramelize the other side. Take off each slice with a fork onto paper towel and let cook. 
  5. Using baking spray, grease down loaf pan. Pour batter into pan. Line slices of fried banana on either side of the loaf [leave the middle free for loaf expansion]. Sprinkle the top with granulated sugar.
  6. Bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and cool on wire rack until room temp. Serve. For warm bread, slice loaf, place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes. You can serve with butter or coconut oil [but it’s pretty damn delicious on it’s own].


Rum Whipped Cream


MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
This can be made with whiskey or bourbon instead of the rum. Here is an alcoholic version and a non alcoholic version [if you're into that...which is weird to me...]

TOOLS

Medium bowl
Hand mixer or hand whisker

INGREDIENTS [ALCOHOLIC VERSION]

1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp dark rum
2 tbsp packed light brown sugar




INGREDIENTS [NON-ALCOHOLIC VERSION]

½ cup heavy cream
½ cup full-fat sour cream
tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp packed light brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla




INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Combine all the ingredients in bowl. Mix or Whisk on high until stiff, about 2 minutes. Can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 hours.
you can download/print the PDF here

Pear-Cranberry Pieletts


MAKES 12 MINI PIES
These make great little holiday treats. Not too big, they’re perfect for dessert because you can share one or have one on your own and not feel too full. They’re delicious with vanilla ice cream, vanilla whipped cream or bourbon whipped cream {recipe to follow}




TOOLS

Food Processor
Non-stick fry pan
Small sauce pan
Mesh strainer
Large bowl
Small bowl
Muffin/cupcake pan
Wooden spoon
Whisk 
Non-stick cooking spray [I use canola oil]
Butter knife

INGREDIENTS

½ cup dried, sweetened cranberries
2 slices of hearty white sandwich bread
1 tbsp of unsalted butter plus 4 tbsp of unsalted butter
3 Bartlett pears, cored, cut into 8th and then chopped finely
3 tsp plus 2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp plus ½ cup flour
½ brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
tsp nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp sour cream
½ cup whole milk [approx]



INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Heat oven to 325 degrees and place rack in the middle position. In small sauce pan, place cranberries and cover with just enough water. On medium heat, cook until the cranberries start to plump, about 5 min. Remove from heat and drain with mesh strainer.
  2. Tear bread into food processor and pulse until small crumbs are created. Melt 1 tbsp of butter into non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and gently toss to cover. Let toast for a couple minutes, making sure to stir every once in a while. Set aside in small bowl to cool.
  3. In Large bowl, combine pear and cranberries with 3 tsp granulated sugar and 1 tbsp flour. Gently toss to cover. In small sauce pan melt the remaining 4 tbsp butter. Take off heat.
  4. Grease muffin pan with cooking spray, evenly distribute the toasted crumbs evenly amongst the cups and press down into the bottom. Spoon the fruit mixture into each cup. 
  5. In large bowl, combine brown sugar, remaining ½ cup flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, nutmeg. Whisk in melted butter, egg and sour cream. Slowly add the milk while whisking until the consistency is pourable but not too thin.
  6. Pour batter evenly into all the cups. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tsp of sugar evenly over all the cups. Wipe up any spillage from the top of the try. Bake for about 40 min [the edges will be golden brown and the top will be solid to the touch]. Place on wire rack until cool. Allow to completely cool before removing the pies from the dish. Use butter knife to separate the sides. Serve with either ice cream or whipped cream. To serve warm, place pies on cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Walnuts and Cranberries

The story behind these is that I love pumpkin and my mom loves scones. I thought cranberries would be good with toasted walnuts, all autumny and such. I also thought that toasting walnuts with cinnamon and maple would make them ridiculous. BOOM!


MAKES 8 SCONES
Pumpkin. Scones. ‘Nuf Said. 

TOOLS

2 Baking Sheets
Small bowl x 2
Medium bowl
Silicone brush
Food Processor [Optional]


INGREDIENTS

cup walnuts, chopped
½ tsp oil [canola, coconut, etc.]
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp maple syrup 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp table salt
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch slices, chilled
½ cup buttermilk [or, ½ tbsp white vinegar in a liquid measuring cup, fill up to the ½ cup mark with 2% milk, let it stand]
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup canned pumpkin
cup dried cranberries
1 large egg, beaten
Maple syrup 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In the small bowl, mix the oil, cinnamon, and maple syrup until combined. Add the walnuts and toss until evenly coated.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Evenly distribute walnut pieces onto baking sheet. Place in preheating oven until aromatic, from 5 - 8 minutes. Take out and let cool. 
  3. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger into a medium bowl. If using a food processor, there is no need to sift [just pulse a few times until combined]. Cut the butter into the mixture. If mixing by hand, break the butter apart with your hands and combine with the flour until evenly distributed. If using a processor, pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. 
  4. If mixing by hand, make a well in the center of the bowl and add buttermilk, vanilla extract and pumpkin. Mix together using folding motion. If using a processor, combine the wet ingredients in a small bowl, then pour down the feed tube. Process until just combined. Do not over mix. 
  5. Fold in cranberries and walnuts. On a floured surface, transfer dough and kneed gently 4 - 5 times. Pat dough into a 7” round [about 1 ½” thick]. Cut the circle in half, then quarters, then cut each slice again until there are 8 pieces. 
  6. Place the slices onto a baking sheet. Brush the tops of all the scones with the egg wash, then drizzle with maple syrup. Place baking sheet on top of the other baking sheet [this will help keep the bottoms of the scones from burning] and place in the oven. Bake about 20 minutes until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer onto wire rack and let cool completely. 


If you want more kick-assery, bring 8 tbsp of butter to room temp in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp of maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Mix together until throughly combined. Reheat the scones in the oven, then serve with the maple butter. Eat and have your head-grapes blown!

Drunk Blondies :. blondie bars with bourboned-cherries, toasted pecans and dark chocolate

I've been racking my brain as to how I can take this "Infinitely Adaptable Blondies" recipe and make it rad, and by rad I mean alcoholic. So, I took my favorite spirit, Maker's Mark, and drank some. That really has nothing to do with this, but eventually I figured that bourbon and cherries go together. The rest wrote itself. Bourbon, cherries, dark chocolate, toasted pecans. Don't ask, just bake and put it in your mouth-hole.


MAKES ABOUT 24 BARS
You can make this without alcohol, but why? If you don’t want to use booze you can do them without. 

TOOLS

Baking sheet
1 small bowl
Small sauce pan
1 large mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
8 x 8 pan

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dried sour cherries
¼ cup bourbon
½ cup pecans, chopped
8 tbsp unsalted butter [one stick], cut into ½ inch slices
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
½ cup dark chocolate, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Place cherries into small bowl, cover with the bourbon. Let soak 5 hours to overnight. 
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Evenly distribute pecan pieces onto baking sheet. Place in preheating oven until aromatic, about 8 minutes. Take out and let cool. 
  3. Meanwhile, butter an 8x8 pan [or use cooking spray] and set aside. 
  4. On the stovetop over medium heat, melt the butter until just liquified. Don’t overcook. While this is melting, take cherries out of bourbon mixture by squeezing out extra liquid. Reserve the liquid. Chop roughly until you have ½ a cup of chopped cherries. Save the leftover liquid and cherries for a cocktail [at the bottom] because we all know it is a sin to waste alcohol.
  5. Put brown sugar into medium bowl, add the butter, combine. Add egg and vanilla, mix until incorporated. Add salt and flour, mix. Finally, mix in chocolate pieces, pecans and cherries. Mix until incorporated.
  6. Pour into prepared baking pan. Spread out with your hand until it is even. Bake for 20-25 min until the edges are set and browned. The middle will not be set, but don’t overbake - it’s better to have gooey blondies than dry ones. 
  7. Let cook on rack before cutting them. 

DRUNK BLONDIE MANHATTAN
Because I believe in baking and drinking, here's a cocktail to go with your Drunk Blondie baking experience. You can use the left over Bourbon and cherries from the above recipe. 


TOOLS

Metal shaker [with strainer]
Low-ball glass
Muddler

INGREDIENTS 



1x cherry-infused Bourbon
2x Rye
½x Sweet Vermouth
½x Green Chartreuse
Ice
Dash of Angostura bitters
Left over bourbon-infused cherries
Lemon or Orange rind [optional]

  1. In a metal shaker, combine all the liquid with a scoop of ice. Shake. 
  2. In a low-ball, muddle the cherries at the bottom of the glass [they're strong so just use a few. 
  3. Strain the cocktail into the glass. Rub the rim with citrus rind and drop into glass.
  4. Drink that shit and don't forget to check on your blondies: you don't want them to burn!





Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Brandied Raisins

I invented this recipe for my sister-in-law's birthday. I asked my brother what she liked as far as deserts and he said "pumpkin". Good F*$%ing answer!! Pumpkin is my FAVORITE. They were going on a road trip so I had to make a cookie, you know, for travel. Their trip consisted of driving from SoCal through the deserts of Utah, Arizona and Colorado stopping to hike and white-water raft along the way. Sounds amazing, right?! [they're a pretty rad-ass couple]. So, I wanted to make something that they could take on their hikes as well, like an energy cookie. Thus I slammed Oatmeal Raisin cookies with pumpkin. I added the brandied raisins because I like alcohol in baking, and it was her birthday, so you need booze. It bakes out so it still works for the whole energy cookie thing. You have to soak the raisins, or they'll dry out in the cookie, and who wants a crispy hard thing inside their delicious moist cookie thing?? No one. That is the correct answer. 

Make. Eat. Smile.


MAKES ABOUT 24 LARGE COOKIES
If you want a less sweet cookie, you can reduce the white sugar by one-quarter cup. These are very hearty cookies, so if you make them less sweet, they’re a good energy cookie for hikes, picnics, sporting events.

TOOLS

2 large baking sheets
Parchment paper [optional]
Electric mixer [either hand or standing]
1 large mixing bowl [if using a hand mixer]
1 medium mixing bowl
Small bowl
Rubber spatula and/or wooden spoon
Ice cream scoop [optional]

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups raisins
½ cup brandy
½ cup pecan or walnut pieces, toasted [optional]
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened but still firm
1 cup packed, light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ tsp table salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 can pumpkin puree [not pumpkin pie filling]
3 cups quick cook oats

INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Adjust oven racks to low and middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees. On a baking sheet, spread out nuts into a single layer, place in heating oven for about 10 min until aromatic. Combine the raisins and brandy in a bowl and let soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. If you don’t want to use brandy, soak the raisins in warm water.
  2. In bowl of electric mixer or by hand, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and beat until just combined.
  3. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice together in medium bowl, then stir them into butter-sugar mixture with wooden spoon or large rubber spatula. Mix in pumpkin puree until just combined. Either strain the raisins with a fine mesh shiv or scoop onto a paper towel and pat dry [try to save the brandy for a tasty libation for later -- it is a sin to waste alcohol]. Stir oats, nuts and raisins into batter. 
  4. Using the optional ice cream scoop, form dough into about 24 2-inch balls, placing each dough round onto one of two parchment paper–covered, large cookie sheets. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. (Halfway during baking, turn cookie sheets from front to back and also switch them from top to bottom.) Slide cookies on parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving. If not using parchment, allow cookies to cook on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Babootie Pie


So, I didn't win the KCRW summer pie contest. But everyone loved my pies. I made "Babootie Pie" which is actually based on a traditional South African curried meat dish that I grew up on. 
This dish is usually made with leftover lamb or goat from the weekend celebrations, ground up and curried with raisins and almonds and then baked with a custard on top. You would eat it with saffron rice, bananas, chutney and sometimes roasted coconut shreds. 
I took this idea and made it into a pie, because everything is better with pie. 
Here, I replaced the saffron rice with a saffron and tumeric crust. I also made the custard thicker so that the pie stays together. For the contest I decorated it with chutney and sliced bananas, but I suggest having them on the side, because it's fun to load up on these "sambals". 

Ukonwabele ukutya kwakho!! [bon appite in Xhosa]!


CRUST


¼ cup cold water
⅛ teaspoon saffron
2 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon turmeric 
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch slices
½ cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
¼ cup vodka, cold

INSTRUCTIONS
  1. In a small bowl soak the saffron with the ¼ cup water. Place in the refrigerator until needed [about 10 min]
  2. Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, sugar and turmeric in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
  3. Take the saffron water from the refrigerator and ether pick out the saffron stems or use a small strainer. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

PREBAKE THE PIE DOUGH
  1. Remove dough from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly, about 10 minutes if dough has chilled for 30 minutes or 20 minutes if it has chilled overnight. (The dough should be pliable. Use your hands to squeeze the dough; if you can squeeze it without applying too much pressure, it is ready to roll.) Roll dough on lightly floured work surface to a 12-inch disk about 1/8-inch thick. Taking your rolling pin, gently grab one end of the dough and roll the pin towards the other side of the dough so that it gently rolls up around the pin. Grab your pie dish and place the end of the pie dough at the edge of the dish closest to you. Then slowly unroll the dough into the dish. 
  2. Working around circumference of pan, press dough carefully into pan corners by gently lifting dough edges with one hand while pressing around pan bottom with other hand . Trim edge to 1/2-inch beyond pan lip. Tuck this rim of dough underneath itself so that folded edge is about 1/4-inch beyond pan lip; flute dough in your own fashion.  Next use your forefinger and thumb, press the dough evenly up the sides from the bottom to increase the height of the rim. Refrigerate pie shell for 40 minutes and then freeze for 20 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Press doubled 12-inch square of aluminum foil inside dough shell; evenly distribute 1 cup or 12 ounces ceramic or metal pie weights over foil. Bake, leaving foil and weights in place, until dough dries out, about 17 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights by gathering sides of foil and pulling up and out. Continue baking until lightly golden brown, about 9 minutes more. If your meat isn’t ready, pull the pie shell out - do not let it overcook. 

[my first attempt at the pie: I baked it with the bay leaves sticking out and I fried the bananas, which ended up being too overpowering]


BABOOTIE

2 slices white bread, crusts cut off
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon oil [Coconut, Olive Oil, etc.]
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
2 lbs Ground Beef [Traditioanlly it’s Lamb, but it works with all sorts of meat: Turkey, Buffalo, I’ve even used Quorn for vegetarian Babootie]
1 teaspoon salt
½ green apple, chopped finely
2 cloves
¼ cup slivered almonds
½ cup raisins [either black or white]
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons apricot jam
1 lemon, juiced
6 bay leaves
3 eggs
Pinch of salt
Fresh ground pepper

[I would start cooking this when you put the pie dough in the oven to start pre-baking it]

  1. Take the 2 pieces of bread and place in a small caserol dish, cover with the milk and let soak
  2. Place the Oil in a large Skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook until the onion starts turning translucent. Don’t caramelize the onion! Add the ground meat and salt. Let it cook all the way through, using a potato masher to break up the meet. While this is cooking, prepare all the remaining ingredients except the eggs and pepper in medium bowl. 
  3. When the meat is cooked all the way through for poultry, or until a very light pink for red meat, take the pan off the heat and drain ALL the liquid off the mixture using a lid as a strainer. 
  4. Return the pan to the stove but do not return to heat. Combine the remaining ingredients into the meat. Take the slices of bread out of the milk but do not throw the milk out. Wring out the bread as much as you can and crumble the bread into the meat mixture, combine. 
  5. You can make this meat the night before - like all curries, it gets better the longer it sits. If you do make it the night before, set it out on the kitchen counter at least 10 min before you bake it, so that it isn’t cold. 
  6. Take ¾ cup of the reserved milk and wisk with the 3 eggs and a pinch of salt. 
  7. If using a pre-baked pie dough, after the 9 min browning of the shell is completed, spoon the meat mixture into the shell, and gently pack down [be careful not to break the shell]. You should be able to fit almost all the mixture into the shell - you want to make it compact so that it holds together. Do not fill past the ridge of the shell. 
[depending on who you are serving it to, remove the bay leaves and cloves before baking. If it’s among friends I suggest you leave it in for more flavor and warn them not to eat it:)]
  1. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the top. Take a fork and gently stab the top of the pie to allow for the custard to penetrate the meat. Do this until there is a thin layer of custard on the top that will not soak. Do not fill higher than the rim of the pie. Grind some fresh pepper on the top. 
  2. Place pie into the oven at 375 degrees for about 40 min. When the custard starts turning a golden brown you know your babootie is done. 
  3. Take out of the oven and let cool for about 10 min before you serve it.

SAMBALS

These are the “sides” that you put on your babootie when you serve it. 

3 bananas, sliced thinly
Apricot chutney [either mild or spicy - this is the BEST chutney to eat with it. You can get it at some high-end grocery stores and at Cost Plus]
½ cup dried coconut flakes, toasted

Prepare these ingredients in different bowls and place on table with the babootie. The coconut is not as important as the other two. 


TRADITIONAL RECIPE

Babootie is traditionally served with rice. If you don’t want to make it as a pie, which is not as good :) follow the babootie meat recipe and bake without the custard for ½ hour at 350 degrees. Then place the custard on top and bake for an additional 10 min. Prepare some saffron rice [you can get the instant saffron rice in the “ethnic” isle of most grocery stores] and serve with the meat and sambals. Although, like I said, not as good as the pie. Everything tastes better in pie form. 

[my beautiful non-award winning pie!!]