Three Berry Pie

Ingredients:
4 & 1/2 cups berries (even amounts blackberries, blueberries and sliced strawberries)
4 or 5 additional fresh strawberries for slicing on top
3/4 cup unrefined golden cane sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 ready rolled pie crusts (I use Jus-Rol)
several knobs of butter
milk for brushing
more sugar to sprinkle on crust

This is my off the cuff method for making a quick 3 berry pie.  It was created when my son and his friends picked wild blackberries and wanted me to make a pie, but there simply weren't enough berries to fill the pie.  I threw in some store-bought blueberries and strawberries that I'd washed and had in the freezer and used some fresh strawberries from my fridge on top.  I just used some basic fruit pie methods and ended up with this.  Apologies for the photos.  I've never been known for the aesthetic beauty of my pies and making food look pretty is not my forte, but I promise they do taste good!  If you had the time and didn't have 4 kids helping you in a tiny kitchen, you could of course make a from scratch crust to make it even fresher.  I also like to make Chantilly cream (whipped cream with vanilla and sugar added) to serve with my pies.


Method:
Take the ready rolled crusts and roll them both out a little more to allow for use in a 10 inch pie dish. Make sure that you make ventilation holes in the one that you want to use as a top crust.  You can do this in whatever shape you like and 3 or 4 holes should be enough.  I often use a small cookie cutter or apple corer to make the holes - anything with a pretty shape.  Line the dish with the first crust and make sure you have a little excess hanging over the edges to help seal it to the top crust.  Mix all of the berries (except the 4 or 5 strawberries) with the 1/2 cup of flour, the 3/4 cup of sugar, the cinnamon and the nutmeg.  Pour this filling into the bottom crust.  Slice 4 to 5 fresh strawberries and place on top of the filling.  On top of this, place several knobs of butter dotted around evenly.  Next, place the top crust on.  Pinch around the edges to join the overlapping bottom crust with the top crust.  When this is done, press around the edges with the back side of a fork to neaten it up and give it a better look and texture.  Brush the top with a little milk and sprinkle with a small amount of sugar.  Place into a 220 C (430F) oven for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 190C (375F) and bake for a further 40 minutes or until it is golden brown, looks well cooked and the filling is bubbling out of the vents.
Serve hot with cold Chantilly whipped cream on top and enjoy!

Scrumptious Banoffee Pie

Ingredients:
160g (5.6 oz) of Digestive Biscuits (These are thick sweetmeal wheat cookies here-you can use Graham Crackers in the States, but should reduce the sugar to 1 Tbsp, as they're sweeter.)
1 & 1/2 Tbsp. soft light brown sugar
80g (2.8 oz) real butter
a 397g (14 oz) can of Nestle Carnation Caramel (same shelf as condensed milk) or a jar of Dulce de Leche (if you can't get the pre-made caramel, you can make it by submerging a can of condensed milk in simmering water for a couple of hours-see online for instructions to avoid an exploding can!)
3 to 4 bananas, depending on size - start with 3
500ml (just under 17 oz) single (whipping) cream
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract or essence
cocoa powder for garnish
a 9" or 10" round springform pan (I use 10")  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springform_pan

Banoffee has become a very common dessert in the UK & Ireland over the last two decades & when I first tasted it around 15 years ago, I honestly thought it was an American dessert that had made its way over here along with things like Mississippi Mud Pie, etc.  It turns out that it's a UK invention & every time I mention it, my American friends & family ask what it is.  When I describe it to them, they're very interested.  I've decided to post it here, mainly for the benefit of those friends & family who have never had the chance to try it.  I called it 'Family Banoffee' because it's so much fun to make & really very easy.  Everyone in the family can get hands-on & pitch in & there's no actual cooking or baking involved, unless you count melting the butter!  My hubby & son helped me make this one. It's a great dessert to make if you're short on time or don't enjoy baking & it also tastes & looks impressive.  Once you've tasted Banoffee, you'll never forget it.  When I have a choice of desserts in a restaurant & Banoffee is one of them, I always choose it.  It is very sweet & filling (but not quite sickly), so it's perfect if you want to get one slice & share it with your partner or child.  Everyone makes it pretty much the same way, with the only real variations being size of pan (which alters the thickness of the caramel layer - I like the thinner layer because it's strong in taste & doesn't require a thick layer to leave its mark), whether to put cocoa powder or chocolate syrup on top & how much banana to use. For my version, I like lots of banana, I prefer cocoa powder on top & I add a little vanilla to the cream.  There is no need to sweeten the cream, as the base & the filling are so sweet, making the lighter cream layer a nice contrast.  I hope you enjoy this delicious treat!

Method:
Firstly, you'll need to prepare the crumb base.  Break up the digestives (or graham crackers) into rough chunks, then place in a food processor & blitz until finely ground.  Place in a bowl & add the brown sugar, stirring until well blended.  Melt the butter in a pan & pour the melted butter into the crumb mixture.  Quickly toss around until all of the crumb mixture is fully coated.  Making sure the springform pan is closed & locked with the base in place, transfer the crumb mixture into the pan & press out with clean hands until you have a nice flat, even layer of crumb crust covering the bottom.  Place this in the fridge for around an hour to set firmly.  After an hour, open the can of caramel & pour all onto the crumb base.  Spread out with a rubber spatula until a nice smooth layer is covering the crumb.  Next, slice up 3 or 4 bananas into thin rounds.  Cover the caramel layer in concentric circles until you have the coverage you desire (kids love helping with this part!).  When this is done, whip the cream with a whipper attachment in a food processor or kitchen mixer until it is very thickly whipped, making sure to add the vanilla while it's whipping.  Transfer all of the thickly whipped cream onto the pie & spread out with a rubber spatula once it's all on.  This will make it easier to spread around without gouging the banana & caramel layers beneath.  Finally, sprinkle cocoa powder on top of the cream & put the pie back in the fridge for an hour or two.  When you're ready to serve, gently unlatch the springform pan & carefully lift off.  You may sometimes get parts of it that want to cling, but you can easily push them away with a knife or spatula & still maintain a smooth & set edge.  Slice like a pie, serve & enjoy.

The crumb base in the tin

Add a caramel layer.

Add bananas.

Add stiffly whipped cream & cocoa powder.

Serve...

... and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked & mashed sweet potatoes
2 medium eggs
1 & 1/4 cups evaporated milk
85g (3 oz.) white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground Ginger
1/8 tsp. ground Cloves
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. Vanilla extract or essence
4 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine
1 unbaked Jus-rol shortcrust sheet
A deep 9 inch pie dish

This is a very popular dessert in our house & it's not sickly sweet.  It's very similar to pumpkin pie, but I think it's even better & you don't have to wait for that 2 month window of the year when pumpkins are available.  Since we get great sweet potatoes year round over here, I make this quite often.  It goes so quickly in our house & visiting friends & family always want to take an extra piece with them, so I usually double the recipe & make 2 pies at once.  

Method:
Preheat oven to 220 Celsius (425 F).  After you've peeled, cubed & boiled your sweet potatoes, mash them well.  Into a large bowl, put the sweet potatoes, evaporated milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, lemon juice, vanilla, eggs & melted butter or margarine.  Blend by hand until smooth.  Roll out the shortcrust pastry to fit a deep 9 inch pie dish & line the dish with the pastry.  Pour the mixture into the unbaked crust.  Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 150 Celsius (300 F) & bake for about 50 minutes more or until the filling is firm.  Serve with whipped cream. 

Yum!

Ginger's Peach Gobbler Cobbler

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup (4 oz.) butter
820g (28 oz.) canned peaches in juice or light syrup
2 Tbsp. white sugar
1 cup self-raising (all-purpose) flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup of milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 more Tbsp. white sugar 

This a favourite dessert in our house.  I didn't have my mother's peach cobbler recipe & couldn't get any decent fresh peaches (which I knew hers required), so I looked a recipe that used tinned peaches so I could do it year round.  Over the years, I made a few changes to get it how I wanted it.   I've literally made this hundreds of times.  The prep time is mere minutes & it's so easy to do.  It's great for barbecues, get-togethers & occasions like pot luck when you're bringing something to someone's house.  It's always a huge hit & it's always gone within minutes when other people are around.  They always want the recipe, so here it finally is!

Method:
Preheat oven to 165 Celsius (325 F). Put the butter in an 8x10 or 9x9 inch baking dish & place in oven to melt while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Bring the peaches with juice & 2 tablespoons. of sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low & simmer for 10 minutes.  Set aside. Whisk together the flour, 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, vanilla & nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the milk until the mixture is just moistened. Pour into the hot baking dish over the butter.  Spoon the peach slices & most, but not all, of the juice over the batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove briefly, to sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Return to the oven and bake until the top is golden brown - about 30 to 45 minutes longer.

This serves quite a few & is best served hot with cold vanilla ice cream on top! If you're all out of ice cream, custard makes a pretty topping too.

M-m-m-m-m!