Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Simple (dairy-free) Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream

I don't eat tropical fruit often because of issues with sustainability.  I never buy bananas, but I do pick up bruised ones from the co-op free bin (perks of working at an organic grocery store) and if I get really lucky, I trade with a neighbor for lovely locally grown ones!

2 ripe bananas, frozen
1 can coconut milk
1/4-1/3 cup agave or local honey, to taste
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pineapple, finely diced

Peel bananas, chop into several pieces, and blend in a food processor for a couple minutes, until creamy.  Add the coconut milk, honey and vanilla; blend until smooth.  Pour into an ice cream maker add the pineapple and let it do it's thing until the consistency of soft serve.  Transfer to a container to freeze.  Enjoy when it's firm enough for you.

Friday, October 9, 2015

Not-Mooncakes, Not-Pumpkin Buttercup Pie

Okay, so originally this was an attempt to make super-blood-harvest-eclipsed mooncakes, but that turned out to be too ambitious for that already busy weekend.  So then I had copious amounts of filling sitting in the fridge for over a week, which turned out to be great, cuz some of the liquid evaporated out leaving a very thick puree.  Also, buttercups tend to be dense and more dry, and this one was a bit sweet. As for the rest of the puree, I'm freezing it for Thanksgiving.  Forever searching for the best pumpkin pie recipe, here's my latest:

Make the pie crust.  This would also be good with a graham cracker or ginger cookie pie crust.

1 & 1/4 lbs Buttercup squash from Solidarity Farm (will make about 1&1/2 cups roasted puree)
2/3 cups evaporated cane sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream

Make the filling:
Cut the squash in half, remove seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast at 400 degrees until they are tender and can be easily pierced with knife, about an hour. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin.  Add butter, sugar, spices & salt and puree. Cook to thicken or keep in your fridge for a few days with a slightly askew lids for the liquid to evaporate.

Stir in the eggs and sour cream.  Pour into a partially baked pie crust.

In an oven pre-heated to 350, bake until the center is not wobbly, about 45 minutes.

Of course, I'm serving it with heavy cream whipped up with a bit of maple syrup.