Banoffee Pie....

Ah, Edinburgh. Suddenly it was winter, although the calendar claimed to be August. Lies. I wore a coat and scarf. Boots every day. 

One pub night in Montpellier, Georgia and I randomly decided that we were going to go to Fringe for a week in August. I think my flight was seven pounds. (Why don't we have Ryanair-or something similar- in the States? It boggles the mind.) 

 My strongest memory of Edinburgh is the night we arrived. Georgia and I were little bundles of excitement. We went to the pub where Georgia's friend Floss was working, so we could pick up her keys to drop our luggage off. A man came out of the pub, saw us outside with our cases and handed us £10. 
"Welcome to Edinburgh! Enjoy your time in my beautiful city."
We tried to give it back to him, saying we couldn't take it, but he waved us off, and disappeared back into the pub with a smile.
And what a magnificent city it is. I am sure I didn't see the "real" Edinburgh, as it is an entirely different place the other eleven months of the year, but I got a wonderful taste. I also was lucky enough to be staying with Floss, who lives there year round and brought us to plenty of fantastic places off the festival track. 
The morning after we arrived, Georgia and I set out to see some shows, but decided to get lunch first. We found a great deal- lunch for £10 a piece, with a free beer thrown in too! For dessert, we each had a slice of Banoffee pie. I'd heard of it, but barely. Georgia, who's English, and therefore familiar with how incredible it is, urged me to try it and...sigh. Banoffee pie. 
The version I made the other night was absolute perfection. It came from BBC Food, and I wouldn't change a damn thing. 
It is almost entirely sugar and butter, so not exactly something I'd recommend making on the regular, but next time you're going to a party and need to bring a dessert, give this a go. It takes under an hour, no baking is required (although you do make two kinds of caramel) and everybody will go crazy for it. 

 Banoffee Pie

BBC Food

Ingredients

Caramel Filling:

100g/31/2 oz. butter

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

100g/31/2 oz. caster sugar

Pie:

150g/5 oz. English digestive biscuits (you can find these in  a number of import or gourmet markets, Whole Foods,  or sometimes just your local grocery store. Or you can substitute Graham crackers, but try for the digestives! They're great!)

230g/8 oz. pecans

75g/3 oz butter, melted

3 large bananas, chopped

250 ml/101/2oz. double cream, whipped until relatively stiff (again, you can find double cream at gourmet or import stores- I got mine at Whole Foods- and it really is different from our heavy whipping cream, so if you can, use it!)

Cocoa Powder, for dusting

Caramel Sauce:

125g/4 oz. butter

124g/4 oz. light brown sugar

125ml/4 fl oz coconut milk 

Preparation 

Crush together your digestives and half of your pecans. Pour over melted butter and pack into a pie dish. This will be your crust.
Make your filling: in a large, preferably nonstick pan, melt your butter and sugar over low heat. Once melted, add your condensed milk and stir constantly, slowly bringing to a boil. Eventually, after boiling, the mixture will thicken, be a light golden and will smell sweet. Remove from heat, taste to make sure, and let cool slightly.
Stir your bananas into the caramel and pour into your crust.
Cover and refrigerate for about a half an hour.
Meanwhile, make your caramel sauce. Pour your coconut milk, butter and brown sugar into a small, heavy bottomed pan, and stir constantly over medium heat. It will come to a boil, keep stirring for a couple minutes, until it is slightly thick (but still saucy) and a beautiful caramel. Never stop stirring, and be sure the heat isn't too high. Caramel can turn on a dime.  The coconut milk is great- lovely touch, BBC. When it's just right, remove from heat. Set aside.
Remove your pie from the fridge. Spread your whipped double cream over, then cover with remaining pecans (or to taste.) Dust with some cocoa powder, if you'd like. You can either pour the sauce all over (I did) or keep on the side and pour over individual slices.


Enjoy every bite....

Steak Pie: A Tale of Two Countries

I first tried steak and ale pie at the Jubilee market in Covent Garden, London. It was early December, and there were many outdoor food stands to choose from. (I'll be honest here and say I have no idea if this was for Christmas, or just a regular occurrence.) I was visiting American friends who were studying in London for the semester, and while they were in class I decided it was in my best interest to take the tube, get off somewhere random, and wander around, hopefully finding something interesting. My tube stop happened to be Covent Garden, probably because I am a theatre dork and recognized it as where Eliza Doolittle sold flowers in My Fair Lady. 

I bought myself an individual steak and ale pie, and it came in a little box that said "warning, tasty!" I took a bite and was suddenly warm and happy. Savory beef stew surrounded in pastry? Genius. Why is this not popular in the USA??? We have chicken pot pies, which are awesome, but steak. Steak pie. I ended up buying myself a cup of mulled wine to celebrate, which made the afternoon even more successful.
England both bid me farewell and then re-welcomed me to cold weather. A few days after my jaunt in Covent Gardens, I got on a plane to Israel. Once I got down to my kibbutz in the desert, winter was a faint memory.  I spent a very hot summer in western Europe, and then landed in northern England in August. I was shocked. The air was crisp, woodsy, autumnal. I needed a sweater. I couldn't believe it! Just that morning, I'd been sweating in Barcelona. I was also shocked to be hearing English spoken all around me for the first time in eight months. It was a thrill to understand every word. I eavesdropped with sheer pleasure. The Campbells are picking you up from the airport? Great!  Furious that the Ryanair people wouldn't just let the extra kilo on your checked luggage slide? I've been there! And yes, I agree that 35 euros for a Hannah Montana doll is ridiculous, no matter how much your five year old seems to disagree. ("It isn't 35, it's 34.99!")

Anyway, at this particular time, England was just a layover for me. I met up with Anna, and the next morning, we flew to Dublin, Ireland and immediately after landing, got a bus to a tiny village called Durrow.

We spent two incredible weeks staying in Durrow. Not only was it beautiful, so green and fresh, but the people we met were amazing. We stayed with a lovely family, originally from Dublin, who own a bakery and cafe called the Gallic Kitchen in Abbyleix.  Anna and I were so lucky, because we were able to help out in every step of a farm-to-table process. We harvested fruits and vegetables (lots of spinach and blackberries, but also zucchini, rocket, and the sweetest green peas I have ever tasted). We also got to help bake, cook, and run the shop. And did I mention how welcoming and fun the family was? 

The evening we arrived, exhausted from a long day of traveling and still unused to the cold, we were thrilled to see a fire roaring in the hearth, glasses of red wine being poured for us, and a steaming lasagne being put on the table. For a backpacker, this is a dream come true. A warm and smiling couple welcoming us into their home, two adorable children excitedly showing us their brand new school uniforms, and a year old golden retriever at my feet. I could have stayed in Durrow forever.
The Gallic Kitchen serves so much delicious food. Really out of this world desserts (the raspberry nectarine crumble, pictured below, still tantalizes my thoughts), wonderful lunch items and snacks, good quality coffee...

pieeeeesssss!

Seriously, if you ever find yourself passing through Abbyleix, check out The Gallic Kitchen. You will be greeted with a smiling face, good food, and a nice little glimpse into the Irish countryside.
I was very excited to be reunited with my beloved steak pie in Ireland. The steak and Guinness pie was wonderful and I definitely enjoyed it a few times while in Durrow! 
So anyway, last night I decided, in the spirit of keeping warm (we are now having weekly enormous blizzards in Massachusetts), to make a steak and Guinness pie. I used a Jamie Oliver recipe  (more on how much I l admire and respect Jamie Oliver in another, future post) that I found online, and made a few small alterations (and for all I know, the recipe I found online also altered it, so perhaps it's a  far cry from Mr. Oliver's original recipe). It was spectacular. I was so happy with how it turned out. 

Steak and Guinness Pie 

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs stewing beef (I used chuck), chopped into cubes

2 tbsp flour

Butter or oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

2 parsnips, peeled and chopped

4 ribs celery, chopped

Fresh rosemary, bay and thyme  

28 oz can chopped tomatoes

2 1/2 cups Guinness

Puff pastry 

1 egg, beaten

 

 Preparation  

 Season the beef with salt and pepper. Be generous! Coat in the flour so it's no longer sticky. In a large pot (I would suggest a braising dish or a large casserole, such as Le Creuset), heat your fat of choice. (I tend to go for butter in a dish like this, and add a little bit of an innocous oil such as sunflower or grapeseed to make sure it doesn't burn) Toss the meat in and brown it.

Add a liiiiiittle more fat if the beef hasn't rendered anything, just so the vegetables won't stick.  Add the onions first, and cook for about a minute. Then add the other veggies. Throw the herbs in there too. (Obviously if you don't have fresh, use dried, but I am literally obsessed with the smell and flavor departed by fresh bay leaves, and I recommend that if  you see that in the store, that  buy you it.)

Let everything soften up for a few minutes, and then add the liquids. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and let simmer. Meanwhile, take your puff pastry out of the freezer so it can defrost. 

The recipe I read said to let the beef simmer for two hours, but after a little over an hour it was really reduced and I took it off the stove. Perhaps my heat was a little too high? Anyway, taste it and if it's thick and savory, you're good to go. Remove the bay leaf, and season once again if you please, although I found that it had loads of flavor on it's own. (But I still added a little salt and pepper for the principle of the thing) 

Heat your oven to 375 (190 celcius). Transfer your beef stew to a large, ovenproof dish of your choice, or into mini pie tins.

Sprinkle some flour over your counter and put your pastry dough down. Sprinkle with a little flour and roll out so it will fit over your dish. Press the dough over the top (or tops, for mini pies) and squeeze the edges. Brush with the beaten egg. Gently score the middle of the dough, and pop in the oven. Cook for roughly 45 minutes.

Lucky you!