Cranberry Key Lime Pie

Key lime pie is a well-known Florida dessert.  It’s on almost every decent Florida/seafood restaurant's menu. Its tart, sweet, creamy, delicious – and similar to a pina colada, evokes memories of being on vacation. I made this amazing key lime pie 5 years ago, and have made it several times since, to great praise from family and friends.

So where am I going with this? Well, Thanksgiving was a few weeks ago, and I had bought fresh cranberries to make a homemade cranberry chutney that did not end up getting made.  Turns out, they last a while in the fridge, so when I was rooting around the veggie drawer and found the bag of cranberries, I realized I needed to find a recipe to highlight them. Naturally I opened Pinterest and searched for Cranberry recipes. And I came across this Cranberry Pie recipe, and realized it was similar to Key Lime Pie, but with a holiday twist... and thus PERFECT for a Florida-fied Christmas. 

Late last night, I baked the pie crust and made the filling, and tonight, my family and I feasted on an amazing (early) Christmas dinner, complete with Cranberry Key lime Pie for dessert.

It is sweet…tarte…festive…and just the right mix of Christmas/cranberry and Florida/Key West Key Lime Pie. It was the perfect Florida-fied recipe for a festive holiday dinner!

It wasn’t that hard to make, either.  It did take time, as several steps required cooling before proceeding, so definitely plan on down time while making this recipe. I made this the night before, and then let it chill in the fridge all day, and it worked out great, but the recipe says you only need to let the filling chill for 2 hours, so theoretically you can also make it the morning of/afternoon of.

So without further ado, here is how I made this lovely Florida-style Cranberry Key Lime pie!

First, make the pie crust. In a food processor, pulse the graham cracker cookies until very finely ground.  Add pecans to food processor (or if you are like me and have a mini food processor, remove graham cracker, place in a bowl, and then add pecans). Pulse until finely ground. 

Add melted butter and brown sugar and pulse to combine. (This is the step where I then removed half the pecans, put back half the cookies, and added half the butter and brown sugar to pulse all together… and then removed that and added the other half to be even).

Transfer mixture to 9" pie dish. Press the cookie mixture firmly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish using a measuring cup. 

Bake until firm and slightly darkened in color, 10–15 minutes. Let cool.

Meanwhile, start making the pie filling. Take a large saucepan and add 12 oz. cranberries, 1 cup sugar, and ¼ cup water over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil . Reduce heat to the “simmer” setting, and simmer for another 12-15 minutes until cranberries burst and most of the liquid evaporates. Let cool for 15 minutes minimum.

Take out a large glass, heat proof bowl.  Start juicing your key limes (or limes).  About 12 minutes into the cranberries cooling, add 3 eggs, 2 egg yolks, lemon zest, salt, and 1 tsp lime zest to the bowl.

Purée the cranberry in a blender until very smooth, and add to the bowl, mixing it well enough.

Take a large saucepan with simmering (not boiling) water, and place the heatproof bowl over it (do not let it touch the water, so the bowl should be bigger than the pan).  

Continue stirring the mixture with a spatula, scraping down sides of bowl often, for about 8-10 minutes. Cool for 7 minutes or so, until no longer hot but still slightly warm.

Take an electric mixer  and start beating the curd.  Add 1 Tablespoon of butter at a time to the curd, continue beating, until well incorporated. This should take about 5 minutes.
Add the finished mixture into the pie crust, and place in refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours. 

Next, make the topping.  Place 1-2TBSP of granulated sugar, ½ cup water, and remaining 4 oz of cranberries in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to the “simmer” setting, and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until cranberries are bursting. Scoop mixture onto a plate and let chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Sprinkle with another 1 TBSP of granulated sugar and 1 tsp lime zest, and add to the center of the pie.  Add thin slices of fresh lime if you want additional decoration. 

Voila!!

Continue reading for the full recipe or click here for a printable version!

Cranberry Key Lime Pie

Ingredients:

4 ounces gingersnap cookies (about 16 if using Nabisco)

1 cup pecans

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

16 ounces fresh cranberries

2½ cups granulated sugar, divided

3 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest, divided

½ cup fresh key lime juice (from ~24 key limes or ~3 limes)

Pinch of kosher salt

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

 

Directions:

1.     Make the crust. Preheat oven to 350°.

2.     In a food processor, pulse the graham cracker cookies until very finely ground.  Add pecans to food processor (or if you are like me and have a mini food processor, remove graham cracker, place in a bowl, and then add pecans). Pulse until finely ground. Add melted butter and brown sugar and pulse to combine. (This is the step where I then removed half the pecans, put back half the cookies, and added half the butter and brown sugar to pulse all together… and then removed that and added the other half to be even).

3.     Transfer mixture to 9" pie dish. Press the cookie mixture firmly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish using a measuring cup.

4.     Bake until firm and slightly darkened in color, 10–15 minutes. Let cool.

5.     Meanwhile, start making the pie filling. Take a large saucepan and add 12 oz. cranberries, 1 cup sugar, and ¼ cup water over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil . Reduce heat to the “simmer” setting, and simmer for another 12-15 minutes until cranberries burst and most of the liquid evaporates. Let cool for 15 minutes minimum.

6.     Take out a large glass, heat proof bowl.  Start juicing your key limes (or limes).  About 12 minutes into the cranberries cooling, add 3 eggs, 2 egg yolks, lemon zest, salt, and 1 tsp lime zest to the bowl.

7.     Purée the cranberry in a blender until very smooth, and add to the bowl, mixing it well enough.

8.     Take a large saucepan with simmering (not boiling) water, and place the heatproof bowl over it (do not let it touch the water, so the bowl should be bigger than the pan). 

9.     Continue stiring the mixture with a spatula, scraping down sides of bowl often, for about 8-10 minutes. Cool for 7 minutes or so, until no longer hot but still slightly warm.

10.   Take an electric mixer  and start beating the curd.  Add 1 Tablespoon of butter at a time to the curd, continue beating, until well incorporated. This should take about 5 minutes.

11.   Add the finished mixture into the pie crust, and place in refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours.

12.   Next, make the topping.  Place 1-2TBSP of granulated sugar, ½ cup water, and remaining 4 oz of cranberries in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to the “simmer” setting, and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until cranberries are bursting. Scoop mixture onto a plate and let chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Sprinkle with another 1 TBSP of granulated sugar and 1 tsp lime zest, and add to the center of the pie.  Add thin slices of fresh lime if you want additional decoration.

Sweet Onion Soufflé

Looking to expend minimal effort yet WOW your holiday dinner guests?  We have the perfect solution: Sweet Onion Soufflé from the Junior League of Tampa's Capture theCoast cookbook.  

It sounds fancy, and complicated – but don’t let it scare you – it’s surprisingly easy! Just a few ingredients, 10 minutes of prep, and 30 minutes of baking, and voila! You have a fabulous rich, sweet, savory side dish that is the perfect complement to your holiday feast.

 All you need to make it are:

·       2 large Florida sweet onions (about 4 cups when sliced)

·       ½ loaf of white bread, crust removed and cubed (about 4-5 cups)

·       2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

·       1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

·       3 eggs

·       1 cup light or low-fat buttermilk

·       2 teaspoons salt

·       1 Tablespoon brown sugar

Start by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees. Then slice your onions. Cut each in half, then in thirds and slice into thin slices.

Next, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat, add onions, and cook for about 15 minutes until translucent, but do not let them brown.  Once cooked, remove from heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cube your bread (only cut 1-2 slices of bread at a time, as you want the bread cubes to be fluffy and not smushed), add to large bowl with ¾ cup of the cheddar cheese, and once slightly cooled, add the cooked onions.  Mix well, then transfer to a greased soufflé dish or baking dish (I used 8x8 square Pyrex).

 

Next, whisk eggs. Add buttermilk and salt, and continue whisking until well combined and smooth. Pour egg mixture over onion/bread mixture. 

Top with remaining ¼ cup of cheese and lightly sprinkle the brown sugar on top.

Bake for 30 minutes. Serve to your guests, and bask in the compliments. 

Happy Holidays!

Click here for the recipe in a printable version.

Asparagus Citrus Salad

Happy December!  It may be getting cold in your neck of the woods, but here in sunny Florida, the weather is cooling off and it’s the perfect time of year for outdoor picnics!  In a quest to take something tasty yet healthy to a Sunday afternoon gathering of friends at an outdoor concert, I stumbled across the Asparagus and Citrus Salad from the Junior League of Tampa’s “Capture the Coast” cookbook.  And it got rave reviews, even from my pickiest (and vegetable-hating) friends!

If you’re looking for a tangy, crunchy, citrusy, and smooth salad, all wrapped into one?  This is it! It is multi-dimensional, and yet the flavors complement each other perfectly.

Here’s what you’ll need:

¼ cup red wine

¼ cup orange juice (from ½ large orange)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon grated orange zest

½ cup peanut or olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 pounds small/thin asparagus spears, trimmed

2 large oranges

½ cup thinly sliced red onion

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

Here’s how I made it:

1. Place a large pot on the stove at high heat, and salt the water well.  Bring to a boil.

2. Trim the asparagus by breaking the ends off.  Once the water is boiling, add the asparagus to it and cook for 3-5 minutes (I did 3 ½ minutes so I had a few extra seconds to transfer the asparagus to the ice bath).

3. Place ice in a large bowl, and cover with cold water. Once the asparagus are finished cooking, drain the hot water and transfer to the ice bath, and let cool.  Once cooled completely, drain, and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Add to a large bowl.

4. Meanwhile, take ½ a red onion and slice it thinly. Add to the same large bowl. 

5. Next, prepare the oranges.  Start by creating a flat base for the orange to stand on – take about ¼’ of the top and bottom off (see step 1 below).  Next cut from the top of the orange to the bottom in a curved angle to remove the orange rind, but leave most of the orange flesh.  You can go back and trim any excess off.  Once the peel has been removed, then hold the orange in your hand, and using your knife, cut along the membranes to remove a lovely orange wedge. Add to the same large bowl.

6. Add the blue cheese to the bowl with the asparagus, oranges, and onion.

7. Make the vinaigrette by whisking vinegar, orange juice (I love fresh squeezed!), Dijon mustard, orange zest, and salt and pepper to taste. Once well combined, whisk in the oil (note: the recipe calls for ½ cup oil – I only needed to use ¼ cup).

 

8.  Add the vinaigrette to the salad and toss well to coat.

 

Click here for a printable version of the recipe.

Enjoy!!!  Savor the flavors of this fresh salad – tangy, crunchy, tart, citrusy, and bright.  

Pumpkin shiitake risotto with fried sage

Oh my.

Normally I don't jump on the pumpkin-everything bandwagon when Fall hits, but I fell into the trap this time. And it was GLORIOUS. I have two giant 3-ring binders filled with recipes I've cut out of magazines or printed off the Internet.com. One binder is filled with recipes I want to make, and one is filled with recipes I have made, and I note the date I made the recipe and comments/changes I've made. The binders are stuffed full mainly because I've been collecting since I first started cooking "real" food for myself in 2003 when I moved into a dorm room my senior year in college that had a kitchen. (Coming soon: the first non-baking recipe I ever made).

But I digress. So pumpkin, and fall. Anyway, I was flipping through the binder of food I've made, because I was going to cook dinner for my family (Side note: I've been living with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew for a few months while I figure out my career and living situation after moving to Tampa in March. I try to contribute to the household by cooking dinner once or twice a week. I have previously been testing new recipes on them, but decided that maybe I should showcase some of my favorite recipes that I've already made!). Back to the story - I was flipping through the binder of food I've made, and since it's fall and everyone is talking about pumpkin, my eyes gravitated to a page from Women's Health magazine October 2011 edition.  I had made this recipe in 2013, and the note I wrote was "AMAZING". And the rest is history.

If you are looking for the perfect hint-of-pumpkin and fall flavors that is creamy, meaty and cheesy, then this Pumpkin shiitake risotto with fried sage is it. Plus, because it was featured in Women's Health magazine, it is actually healthy!! My family loved it, I loved it, and I know you will love it too!

Here is how I made it:

1. Start by frying the sage leaves in olive oil.  Heat the pan, add the oil, and wait until it gets hot hot hot.  Then add the sage leaves, and fry 10-15 seconds per side until crispy.

 

Remove from the pan, and let drain on a plate with a paper towel, but reserve the oil-infused-with-sage...

 

2. Slice your shiitake mushrooms into long strips. Finely dice the shallot.
3. Now we can begin to cook the risotto! Make sure the broth (chicken or veggie) stays warm - either through the microwave, or by warming it on the stove top.
4. Place a medium-sized pot on medium-high heat.  Add 1 TBSP of the sage oil to the pot, warm up, and then add the shallot, and cook until translucent.
5. Add the arborio rice, all of it, to the pan, and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until the rice is glistening and coated in the oil.

6. Add mushrooms and white wine, stirring for another 2-3 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.

7.  Now start adding the warmed broth. Start with 1 cup of broth, and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2-3 minutes. Continue to add 1/2 cup every 2-3 minutes (or until liquid has mostly evaporated) for the next 18 minutes.

8. Rice should be almost cooked, but not fully, as rice will continue to cook over the next few minutes, as you will add the pumpkin puree, 3/4 cup of cheese, and salt/pepper to taste, and stir until fully incorporated and cheese has melted.

9. Now you can plate! Top each serving with 2-3 fried sage leaves and another 1-2 teaspoon of cheese.  Inhale, both the food, and the praise from your fellow diners.

Click here for the recipe!

Grilled Cod with Brown Butter-Citrus-au Poivre Vinaigrette and Veggies

As you likely know by now, I have a love affair with Food Network and in particular, with Bobby Flay. As a lover of Mexican flavors, my taste buds dance with happiness. whenever I try one of his recipes.  Also, side note, I visited the beach yesterday, and whenever I go to the beach, I crave seafood.

So I decided to revisit an old flame (Bobby!) and find a seafood recipe from his extensive collection... and I found this gem.

It's got the perfect Florida flavors - fish and citrus!  So armed with my shopping list, I went to the store (Publix, of course), and started gathering ingredients. I went to the seafood counter, and saw that halibut was NOT on sale, and in fact, is pretty pricy... so, instead of giving up before I had even started, I asked the seafood counter guy what would be a good substitute that was less expensive.  He suggested cod, and let me tell you - bless you, knowledgeable kind man!!! The tag said this cod was wild caught from Iceland, and it was SO FRIGGIN FABULOUS.

I decided to pair my fish with freshly steamed green beans and pan-seared tomatoes, but you can also add carbs if you like - mashed potatoes would be great!

Here is how I made this easy, quick, fresh, and delicious Grilled cod with Brown Butter-Citrus-au Poivre Vinaigrette and Veggies!

1. Prep your ingredients. Zest your orange and lemon, juice your lemon and orange, chop your onion, finely dice your thyme, and finally, prep your fish by washing in water, drying thoroughly with a paper towel, brushing on both sides with olive oil (DO NOT SKIP THIS - SEE NOTE) and seasoning on both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Heat your pan to medium high/high.
3. Start making your sauce. Plop 2 TBSPs of butter and the chopped onion in a medium pot at medium heat. Cook for about 3 minutes until the onion softens, and make sure to stir often.

 
4. Around this time, you can start steaming your green beans (I just did mine in the microwave) for about 6 minutes.

5. Start cooking the fish. The pan should be hot so that when you place the fish down, it sizzles.  Don't move the fish until it's time to flip (after 2-3 minutes), as this will help ensure the fish gets nice and brown.  Flip and let the other side cook for another 2 minutes.  I also cooked the sliced tomatoes in the same pan, and pan seared them for about 2-3 minutes on each side as well until they got a bit brown.

6. While fish is cooking, finish off the sauce by adding the remaining butter and swirl the pot. You want the butter to cook until it gets a nut brown color, similar to the below...

 .. And then add the orange and lemon juice and zest, as well as the thyme, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and salt to taste.

 7. Add green beans, tomatoes, and fish to a plate, and top with 2-3 TBSP of the citrus sauce, and sprinkle with extra zest and chopped thyme.  Serve!

Note: I try to eliminate calories sometimes by using Pam spray versus olive oil.  DO NOT DO THAT WHEN COOKING FISH IN A PAN.  You will end up with the browned crust sticking to the pan, and not to the fish, which is super disappointing (see below):

Sad fish cooked with spray. Don't be like Kim!  Use Olive Oil instead!

Luckily, I was cooking four pieces of fish, two at a time, and so I learned the lesson on the first two, but was able to make a gorgeous plate for the second two (and in a new pan!)

Click here for a printable version of the recipe, or continue reading!

Grilled Cod with Brown Butter-Citrus-au Poivre Vinaigrette and Veggies
Slightly  Adapted from Bobby Flay  

Ingredients

·       Four 6-ounce cod fillets

·       2 tablespoons olive oil

·       1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

·       ½ white onion, diced

·       1 orange

·       1 lemon

·       1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, plus sprigs for garnish

·       2 cups of green beans, trimmed

·       4-6 Campari or Roma tomatoes, sliced into rounds

Directions

1. Prep your ingredients. Zest your orange and lemon (about 1 TBSP zest for each), juice your lemon and orange, dice your onion, finely chop your thyme, and finally, prep your fish by washing in water, drying thoroughly with a paper towel, brushing on both sides with olive oil and seasoning on both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Heat your pan to medium high/high.

3. Start making your sauce. Plop 2 TBSPs of butter and the chopped onion in a medium pot at medium heat. Cook for about 3 minutes until the onion softens, and make sure to stir often. 

4. Around this time, you can start steaming your green beans (I just did mine in the microwave) for about 6 minutes.

5. Start cooking the fish. The pan should be hot so that when you place the fish down, it sizzles.  Don't move the fish until it's time to flip (after 2-3 minutes), as this will help ensure the fish gets nice and brown.  Flip and let the other side cook for another 2 minutes.  I also cooked the tomatoes in the same pan, and pan seared them for about 2-3 minutes on each side as well until they got a bit brown.

6. While fish is cooking, finish off the sauce by adding the remaining butter and swirl the pot. You want the butter to cook until it gets a nut brown color, and then add the orange and lemon juice and zest, as well as the thyme, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and salt to taste.

 7. Add green beans, tomatoes, and fish to a plate, and top with 2-3 TBSP of the citrus sauce, and sprinkle with extra zest and chopped thyme.  Serve!

Note:

I try to eliminate calories sometimes by using Pam spray versus olive oil.  DO NOT DO THAT WHEN COOKING FISH IN A PAN.  You will end up with the browned crust sticking to the pan, and not to the fish, which is disappointing.