Golden Pie

This has been a hard winter. Even now that it's spring, it is hard. The weather is cold, not in a crisp, renewing way, but in an invasive, corrosive, mildewy way. Cherry trees bloomed late this year, and even their blossoms look a little washed out and tired.

Golden Pie

Pastry for single crust pie
2 T olive oil
1 small yellow onion, small dice
2 stalks celery, small dice
2 large carrots, small dice
1 sweet potato, cubed
3-4 small golden beets, cubed
2 C dry sherry
1 C vegetable stock
16 oz heavy cream
2 T kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 T Berbere or similar spice mixture
2 T vinegar, such as red wine or cherry
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Roll pastry into a 13" circle and place into a 9" pie plate. Tuck overhanging edges under and press the pastry into your desired edge. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Prick the crust with a paring knife or fork to prevent air bubbles. Line the crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until the sides begin to set, about 15 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and bake a further 10 minutes, until the entire shell is a pale golden color. Remove pie plate from oven and set on a rack to cool.
Heat a heavy bottomed pot over medium high flame. Add olive oil when the pot is hot, then saute the onions, celery, and carrots, seasoned with salt, until they have released their moisture and begun to color a bit. Deglaze the pot with sherry, and reduce by half.
Add the sweet potato, beets, and vegetable stock, and bring to a boil. Then cover the pot and place in the heated oven for 1 1/2 hours until the vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, reduce the heavy cream by half. Pour the cream into a cold, large, heavy bottomed sauce pan, and heat to a boil. The cream will foam and rise a few times during the process. Make sure it does not boil over. When the cream takes on a slightly nutty aroma, remove it from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
When the vegetables are tender, remove from oven and add the reduced cream. Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth, then pass through a food mill or press through a tamis to refine the texture. Add the Berbere, and season to taste with salt, pepper, and vinegar.
Mix the eggs together, then pour into the vegetable mixture and combine thoroughly.
Pour the filling into the crust and bake until the edges are set and the center of the pie jiggles slightly. Cool at least one hour before serving.

Banoffee Pie

I have seen my future happiness and it is a barbecue joint on the northern tip of the Orchid Isle.

On the cusp of rain forest and desert, ocean and mountain, grassland and beach, a little shack with some picnic tables and an open pit sounds just about right. One of the largest and oldest cattle ranches in the U.S. deserves a little 'que down the street. And there's already an established and fervent devotion to slow smoke of the porcine variety, why not the bovine? Hawaii even has a hardwood related to mesquite - it's kismet.

Here's the menu:
Brisket
Beans
Rice
Macaroni Salad
Sweet breads from the Punalu'u Bakery, southernmost bakery in the United States
Onions
Cucumber and Jalapeno pickles
Coconut cream pie

I seriously considered coleslaw, because cabbage is a close second to beets in my favorite vegetable category. But that would really put a damper on advertising plate lunch. The macaroni salad won out - I'd like a side of starch with my starch, please. Maybe I will have both.

In tangential honor of my huli future, here is an imperialist pie with a tropical fruit. This is not for the faint of heart, and it is probably advisable to eat a very small wedge with a cup of very strong, black tea to counteract the high chance of falling into a diabetic coma. What is with the British and their sweet tooth?

Banoffee Pie

Pastry for a single crust pie
4 oz sweet butter
1 very ripe banana, frozen and peeled
1/2 C Brown sugar
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
4-6 barely ripe bananas
Lemon juice
Good quality, unsweetened cocoa powder
Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350. Roll pastry into a 10" circle and place into an 8" tart plate with a removable bottom. Press the pastry into the edges and trim any excess. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Prick the crust with a paring knife or fork to prevent air bubbles. Line the crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until the sides begin to set, about 15 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and bake a further 10 minutes, until the entire shell is a pale golden color. Remove tart plate from oven and set on a rack to cool.
Mash the frozen banana until it becomes a smooth paste.
Melt the butter over medium high heat in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Add the banana to this and saute lightly. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the bananas and heat until the sugar melts into the mixture. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into the mixture, stirring constantly.
When this mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium, or the lowest level of heat needed to maintain the bubbling. Stir constantly with a heat resistant utensil. The mixture will steam and then begin to darken in color. When the color has changed to a light caramel, stir in the salt and vanilla, then remove from heat and immediately pour into the waiting tart shell.
Do not serve until completely cooled.
To serve, cut the bananas cross-wise into 1/4" slices and sprinkle with lemon juice to preserve color. Arrange a layer of slices over the top of the tart, then arrange another layer of bananas over this. Dust the top of the tart with unsweetened cocoa powder. Garnish conservative slices with vanilla ice cream.