Nurturing my inner... slice of heaven

One word when spoken softly can generate an immediate sense of warm comfort, evoke sweet memories of days gone by and generally delight a person with endless possibility.  That word... is... pie.  Mmm, yes, pie.  What?  You thought I was going to be all sentimental or something?  Who doesn't like pie?  I'll tell you who - heartless, cold weirdos.  That's who!  I've seen grandparents to toddlers enjoy pie.  An American delight.  So let's make one.

Oddly, after that bit of patriotic long windedness from me, this is an English pie.  I was going to be getting together with some friends and saw a recipe for a peanut butter, banana, something else pie.  But as I perused the Internet for some recipes to compare, I stumbled across this pie.  And in an unbelievable coinkydink, I happened to see someone make a version of it on a cooking show the next day.  Clandestined!!

Banoffee Pie

1 box of Nilla wafers (or graham crackers if you prefer)
1 stick of butter
1 can of dulce de leche (more on this to come)
4 ripe bananas, sliced
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Just under 1/4 cup confectionery sugar
Chocolate shavings (optional)

Banoffee - Combination of banana and toffee.  I say, Merriam-Webster, please add this to your dictionary.  I mean, if the made up, incorrect, completely annoying "irregardless" can be in there and it's not even a real word, then banoffee surely can.

I prefer Nilla wafers, but others like graham crackers or crumbled English biscuits.  Anything will do.  I'm sure you have a host of cookie options at your hands. 

I like the Target brand, but was at the
regular grocery store at the time.

You can do this with a rolling pin and a plastic bag, which I have as well, but I found I could get a finer grind with a food processor.  And could do it a heck of a like quicker.  Plus, my arms didn't get so tired.

I only have a small one, so I had to do the
whole box in two batches.

Then I melted the butter in the microwave for about a minute.  And poured it into the crumbs.

You can buy a premade crust instead, but
this is pretty simple. So just do it.

Mix it up with a spoon until it's a crumbly sand mixture.

Soft and moldable.

I went back and forth: pie plate or springform.  Springform won!  (This time.)

I used a 9 inch pan.

Into the bottom of the pan went the mixture.  And then I pressed it with the back of a spoon until flat.

The spoon - a practical kitchen tool.

I went back over it later with with the palm of my hand to really press it down super flat.  It needs to be refrigerated for at least 15 minutes, but more is okay too.

See, why buy premade when you can
make it yourself in a flash?!

Here's where it starts to get good.  But before I get into it, let me take you to the beginning.  The recipes I saw said to take sweetened condensed milk and make it into caramel by doing one of five things:

1.) Boil can(s) for 4 hours in a pan well covered with water.  This presented a certain safety hazard I was not willing to take a chance on.  And that was the knowledge that you had to keep the water level over the cans or else they could explode.  The last thing I needed to do was blow up my kitchen, so I nixed this from the get go.  You may be braver than me.  (I've had too many years of worst case scenario mom's words in my ears.)

2.) Boil can(s) for 8 hours in a crock pot.  Again, covered with water.  And again, I didn't want the pressure of the water evaporation issue/potential blowing up thing, though I think the likelihood of that is less with the lower temperature.

3.) Open the can(s) and pour into a 9" x 12" glass dish inside a roasting pan that you filled with water halfway up (a poaching pan) and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 300 degrees.  I wanted to do it this way, but didn't have the roasting pan.  So not this time.

4.) Open the can(s) and pour into a double boiler glass bowl set up for 1 1/2 hours.  I tried this.  And failed miserably.  I stirred it occasionally and nothing much changed for 2 hours.  So I tried to microwave it, another side option I read about, but it seemed to zap the moisture out of it and turn it into a hard caramel that was virtually unusable.  (Unless you wanted to cement bricks together.)  Granted, this may have been because I double boiled too much moisture out of it for the two hours, but I'll never know.  Because I found the PERFECT solution instead.

5.) Buy premade dulce de leche already made for you in a can!  Yippee!!!  This was the best (and safest) option of them all.  And saved me lots of time.  Sure, I realize I may seem unauthentic (or lazy) to you, but mostly, I'm willing to take a reasonable shortcut that doesn't compromise the end product.  And heck, saves me like 1 1/2 to 2 hours of prep work!  Do I really need to make my own caramel to live a fulfilling life?  Ah no.

So head over to the Mexican/Hispanic/Spanish food section of your local grocery store/specialty food shop and look for dulce de leche.  Read the label carefully so you get the correct product.  It may cost a little more than regular sweetened condensed milk, but it's worth saving the effort you don't have to expend trying to conjure up some magic canned culinary chemistry.

$4.00 a can is totally worth it, trust me (and my
wasted 2 hours with a double boiler) on this!

Open a can and spread a layer of the caramel on top of the pie crust with a small, flexible spatula.

Has the consistency of thick pudding.

Wait until you're ready to put the pie together to slice the banana, because it turns brown quickly.

I don't like my bananas too ripe.

On top of the caramel, put a layer of sliced banana and then a second layer that overlaps the first.

Two layers is best.

Some people say to put another layer of caramel on top of the bananas, but I thought that was too much.  The base layer was enough sweetness for me.  So it was time for the whipped topping.  Into a bowl went the heavy whipping cream, vanilla and confectionery sugar.  Some might like it sweeter and 1/4 cup would be perfect.  I like it a little less sweet, so I did less than 1/4 cup.  Beat with hand mixer until stiff peaks.

Don't beat too long though or you'll have butter.

Spoon the whipped cream, generously, on top of the bananas.

Helps to stop the bananas from turning brown.

Smooth the top with a flexible spatula.  Go right to the edges and seal out the air from the fruit.

Hides all the good stuff.

It's really done at this point, but you can put some chocolate shavings on it if you'd like.  I liked, so I did.  I love the chocolate/banana combo thing as is evident from previous postings.

The finishing touch of sweetness.

Chill for 2 - 3 hours or more in the fridge.  Run a knife along the inside edge to release.  And then unspring the springform.

As good as any fancy dancy bakery.

Take a sharp knife and slice off a generous piece.  Can't go too small or it will fall apart.  (Sure, that's the excuse I'll use.)

A view of each and every layer.

It's such a lovely combination, I can see why the Brits enjoy it so.  Crispy cookie, creamy caramel, fresh fruit and fluffy topping.  One bite and you'll be hooked too.  And if you're lucky, you won't have to risk your safety making sweetened condensed milk into caramel.  If you can't find dulce de leche in your local store, you really should ask your friends to mail you some!  Unless you're particularly brave.  If you have a real desire to make everything from scratch, I would still suggest you go with the baking dish technique.  If you do, let me know how it goes!  In the meantime, I'll be eating my second slice.

Nurturing my inner... local paris in the springtime

Since I went on a couple of small vacations, you're going to notice more restaurants and treats in my blogs than my home cooking. Just for a bit, while I catch up.  Not that there won't be any made from scratch meals, because I have a few particularly yummy things I did manage to whip up here and there.  But I have also been to some wonderful places this spring and summer, so I wouldn't want you to miss out on them.  One of them is in Culpepper, Va, in the Spotsylvania area. It's About Thyme Cafe.

French bistro - ooh la la!

The exterior had a cute, Parisian like cafe feel.  Small awning.  Little table and chairs.

Not sure if the neon is authentic.

Now for credentials of the chef: cooking education at Le Cordon Bleu.  How's that for hoity toity.  (The good kind, of course.)

This is some serious education.

Enter... the doilies again.  What is with them?  They are only cut paper, but I guess they evoke a feeling of class.  Eh, I care more about what is on them.  Even a paper bag presentation is okay by me as long as the food is this good.  We started with rosemary focaccia.  Some of the best I've ever tasted.

Warm and aromatic.

Next up was one of the best wedge salads I've ever had.  Creamy, garlic blue cheese dressing and crumbled bacon.

Crisp, cold iceberg lettuce in a sea of dressing.

And now, a mural on the wall.  There were more around the place.  I like when restaurants take the time to create a one of a kind atmosphere.

Such unique feel.

I wanted everything on the menu, but landed on the lobster ravioli.  The top of it was made with black, squid ink pasta.  In the center was jumbo lump crab and it was all on a pool of delicate saffron cream sauce.  Hurt me, it was so good.  I've got to learn to make that at home.  (Don't think I won't try.)

I got the half portion (3) and really
should have gotten the full portion (6)!
Outrageously delicious.

I also decided to take pictures of everyone else's entree.  For your sake.  Mom's friend had nut encrusted salmon over potatoes au gratin and wilted spinach.

Fresh dill on top.

The man at the table got some giant steak.  Over broccoli rabe and french fries.  A small salad on the side with walnuts.

Could feed a family of four.

Mom got a tomato-based pot roast with penne pasta.  I tried a bite and it was delicious.  (Okay, maybe I had two bites.  This is what happens when you only got the half order of the ravioli!  You go dipping into other people's plates.)

Ginormous portion. Good for sharing. (Or so
I told my mom as my fork dipped into her dish.)

Dinner was a cannoli drizzled with chocolate, which people got into before my camera could get pulled out, but we went by the bakery on the side street and saw the amazing treats they had.  So you can get a picture of those.

And I'll have one of those and one of those.

There were also tables in that side alley for adventurous outside diners. Romantic hanging lights, wrought iron gate, the works!

Mom and her friend from fifth grade with
her husband.

I also took a shot of the street at night.  Culpepper has a bunch of cute stores!  I'd like to go back in the daytime soon and meander about the town.

Street lights and lots of windows.

After full bellies, we all waddled back to the car.  But I took a quick pic outside of a couple of happy patrons.

Me and mom.

I hear there are other great places to try in Spotsylvania which come highly recommended by mom's friends.  (Who are people of great taste.  They made me a cappuccino with their schmancy machine when we stayed over at their house.  Who wouldn't love that kind of first class treatment!  My mom has wonderful friends.)  I plan to find all the best restaurants there.  What a great idea!  Find a gorgeous weekend day, enjoy a scenic hour and a half drive into the country and dine at a unique establishment.  I have no problem driving a little distance for great food.  Not a bad way to spend a sunny day.  (If you're a foodie like me.)

Nurturing my inner... proved me wrong

You've heard me say for the hundredth time that to my disappointment, I can't get good Italian food around here.  I have been at a loss to report really fine Mediterranean fare south of New England.  But I enjoy being proved wrong.  (Um, well, only in some cases.)

It's a tiny place that you may have seen and never paid any mind to.  At first, I walked right by it and didn't see it.  (Seeing as it was 100 degrees out that day, it was particularly unfortunate for me to have dragged my mom up and down the hill until it caught my eye.  To my defense, a truck was parked in front of it.)  Located straight across from the shops at Georgetown, where I recommend you park - Filomena Ristorante.

Quaint exterior.

It looks very small, from the elevation.

Seemed so tiny from the outside.

But once you enter, you walk down the stairs and it's a good-sized place.  I will admit it's a bit dark for my taste, but that's because it's underground.  There are some windows that do let in a bit of natural light, but they had plants in front of them that I wish they'd relocate.  However, I didn't come here for the winning decor.

Typical restaurant interior, nothing fancy
to report.

Oh, but the food!  Again I let my mom choose and we went with a meat dish and a pasta dish.  The chicken parmesan was fantastic!  I mean, really.  Right there in Georgetown.  Thin pieces of chicken breast, lightly breaded and covered in authentic tasting sauce and as seen below, gooey mozzarella.  Killer.

Yep, looks like the real deal I'm used to.

The other dish was their signature lasagna.  Layers of noodles, meat sauce and ricotta.  Topped with, once again, melted mozzarella cheese.  (And fresh basil.)  This thing was the size of a brick!  By the way, they make their own pasta.

Doilies always crack me up!

Mom and I split one piece of the chicken parm, so each had a quarter of it, and we also quartered the lasagna.  I mean, who can eat these portions?  Pro wrestlers?  I took the remaining half of the two dishes home and froze them both.  They heated up perfectly later that week.  I will admit part of our motivation for not over stuffing ourselves, as tempting as it was, was to save room for dessert.  They make homemade cheesecake on their premises.  Several varieties.  Very light and creamy.

And they took the time to do creme anglaise
art with chocolate and raspberry!

I guess I can no longer say there is no authentically good Italian food in the DC metro area.  Filomena's has proved me so very wrong!  And it's in a great location.  Because after we stuffed ourselves at lunch, we needed to walk around the shops right across the street to digest and work off some of the (no, I'm not going to venture a guess that will shock me) calories.  In an air conditioned place!  Phew!  I might not recommend that you go on a day that it's 100 degrees outside, but other than that, I have no real complaints.  I'll always choose a place that focuses on making amazing food and spends less time worrying about the decor than the reverse.

Nurturing my inner... 99 year old treat

So here are a few more pics from Cape May.

Mom having a little rest.

Stone church.  Look at that gorgeous architecture!

Not a cloud in the sky.

Another shot of some quaint shops downtown and a fountain.

And me.

In one of the shops in New Jersey, I found this old time taffy that has been around since 1912.

Classic!

It comes with three step instructions on how to eat it.  Never knew taffy needed an owner's manual.

I suggest you follow each step carefully to
get the full experience.

Flavor choice = vanilla.  And I did just what it said.  First for a bit into the fridge.  After all, it was hot out.  Then flat in my hand and *BANG* - on to the granite.  (Which was at my mom's friend's house, so I hope she didn't mind that I was abusing her counter tops.  I must admit, it was quite satisfactory to slam it down with some brute force.  Good for relieving pent up anger.)  Just as promised, it cracked into smaller pieces.

Small bits and not as small bits.

Not a fancy candy, but chewy and delicious.  Vanilla is an underappreciated flavor these days.

Also comes in chocolate, strawberry and
banana.

I really enjoyed having a treat that people who lived long before me (perhaps even my great aunts and uncles) also delighted in. Made exactly the same way as it has been for nearly 100 years. How about that!

Nurturing my inner... discover for yourself

When my mom came to visit me in late May as she does every year, we took on a bit of traveling.  This year it was to visit longtime friends of hers.  One of them, she met when she was 12 and on vacation in middle Virgina with her family.  As little girls, they wrote each other and later in life, my mom's friend and her husband became my brother's Godparents.  How sweet to have such long lasting friendships.

We spent the few days there mostly at their house not far from the Jersey shore.  It was very nice.  Mom and I stayed in their sun/sitting room and had a lovely view of their backyard garden.  Talk about green thumbs, they are botanical geniuses.  The last night before we left, they took us to the Ocean City boardwalk.  I had never been to this particular one.

View from boardwalk of water. No bad
storms for erosion yet this year.

Of course, I had to get some ice cream.  Gelato was calling my name.  Pistachio and chocolate/hazelnut.  (We also went to Shrivers to get salt water taffy and it was some of the best I've ever had.  It was in rope form, instead of disc, and was soft and flavorful.  Go there if you get the chance!)

What's with the pretzel?

The very last day we were in for an interesting treat.  My mom's friend's son is a chef and his good friend opened up a restaurant in a historic area of New Jersey called Cape May.  (I think certain people on TV give Jersey a bad name, but it has lots of really wonderful areas that should not be overlooked.)  In this historic village of Cold Spring, they probably have a dozen buildings or so.  And they set up demos for the visitors.  Blacksmith, baker, banker.  (And other ones that don't begin with 'B'.)  I'm always so glad to see the preservation of old buildings and reenactments of colonial ways of life.  It reminds us not to forget the dear people who came before us.

It's much bigger than most buildings in the
area. Wrap around porch.

At the very back of the village there is a building called "The Old Grange." Which is now a restaurant.  (I believe it has been other restaurants at times in the past.)

Old fashioned signs.

Something that makes this story even more interesting is that the new owners had only a month to get the building ready.  It had been in a state of disrepair and needed a lot of work.

What a fresh coat of paint won't do.

They refinished the place in authentic design and color.  He even had his mother sew the chair covers.  (What moms won't do to support their sons.)



Wine racks and other the other side was
the kitchen.


The menu is growing, but was off to a good start with the recent opening.  We began with what was similar to the Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish Grill, only my mom doesn't like anything hot, so we had them put the spicy remoulade sauce on the side.  Which I devoured with the lightly fried, tender shrimp.  They were all gone before I got a picture.  Man, my mom is fast with a fork when she wants something.

Creative creations.

Normally I only get water with my meals, I just prefer it, but the mango tea sounded too good to pass up.  I was right!  It came with a simple syrup on the side to sweeten it.

It hardly needed the syrup. Just a splash.
The tea was incredible.

Mom and I decided to split an entree.  (Thank goodness.)  I let her choose.  So we shared the chicken cheese steak.  This was half a portion!  Toasted bread, sliced chicken, melted cheese and mushrooms.  I only made my way through half of my half!

Also has some pickles and lots of fries.

I never would have thought to come to a restaurant in a historic area, but since mom's friend knew the owner, we were lucky enough to get to check it out.  The portions are generous and you just might get to see how an old barrel or a horse shoe was made as you saunter down the road to the Old Grange.

If you're ever in the Cape May area, I recommend first dropping into the quaint downtown area with its darling storefronts and then driving over to this historic area for lunch.

Sweet little shops in downtown Cape May.

Discover New Jersey for yourself.  You'll be pleasantly surprised.