passion fruit bars

you guys, these bars are killer! they are reminiscent in look, texture and concept to lemon bars so you'd think they are practically the same but passion fruit has a very distinct flavor and it. is. awesome! they are a little less tart than lemon bars but have a lot more character to them. also, i like that these aren't overly sweet. they're super easy to make and a hit at bbqs. unfortunately i think that i slightly undercooked mine, which wasn't so much a problem in mouth feel texture as it was annoyingly unpretty when i cut through them. even so, these are soooo good! make them!!...orrr you can stalk the next bbq i go to and sneak one for yourself.

*i used Goya brand passion fruit puree found in the frozen aisle at Safeway

Passion Fruit Bars  

(i got the recipe here)

ingredients:

for crust: 

- 2 sticks butter, melted and slightly cooled

- 1/2 c granulated sugar

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 c flour

for filling:

- 8 large eggs

- 2 1/3 c granulated sugar

- 1 1/2 c passion fruit puree

- 1/2 c flour

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. line a 9x13 pan with foil so that the foil extends over the sides. spray with cooking spray

3. in a bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt for the crust

4. once mixed add flour and mix until evenly incorporated

5. scrape into the foil lined pan and press into an even layer

6. bake crust for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown

7. while the crust is baking, in a large bowl whisk together eggs, sugar and passion fruit puree until the consistency is even

8. sift the flour over the filling mixture and whisk together until smooth

9. pour filling mixture over the hot crust

10. reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F

11. bake for approx. 25-30 minutes or until the center barely jiggles when you tap the pan

12. remove pan from oven and allow to cool to room temp

13. refrigerate bars until you are ready to serve

14. when ready, pull the sides of the foil up so that all contents in the pan are removed

15. with a large, sharp knife cut into bars

16. sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving

pineapple coconut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

"if you like piña coladas...." just kidding...that was lame. and that song came along well before i did so i don't know who i think i am reciting random lyrics when i don't even really know any words past those five. anyhow, if you do like the flavor combination of pineapple and coconut then you are sure to love these cupcakes as well. they are super moist and have a little chew to them from the pineapple and coconut in the cake batter. add velvety cream cheese frosting topped with crunchy toasted coconut and you've got a winner. 

totally licked the mixer afterward 

like my sports paper liners? they're all they had a the store. 

pineapple coconut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

makes about 24 cupcakes

ingredients:

for cake:

- 2 c flour

- 2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 3/4 c vegetable oil

- 3/4 c buttermilk

- 3 eggs

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 c sugar

- 1 8oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

- 1 1/2 c shredded coconut

for frosting:

- 1 c shredded coconut

- 8oz. cream cheese, softened

- 1/2 c butter, softened

- 2 c powdered sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

directions:

for cake:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F 

2. line muffin pan with paper liners 

3. in a medium bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda

4. in a large bowl whisk together oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla

5. to the wet mix, incorporate sugar, pineapple and coconut

6. mix in flour mixture until just combined

7. evenly spoon cake mix into prepared muffin pan so that the batter fills 2/3 each paper liner

8. bake for approx. 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean after insertion

9. allow cupcakes to cool before frosting

for frosting:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. line a baking sheet with foil and sprinkle the shredded coconut into a single layer

3. bake for approx 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally as the coconut browns

4. once coconut is toasted, set aside to cool

5. with an electric mixer, mix together sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and butter until completely smooth

6. frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with toasted coconut

banana cupcakes with honey cinnamon frosting

dilemma: you've got bananas that are ripening at a rate too fast for you to catch up with. bright yellow quickly turns to pale and black speckled. in an attempt to slow down this process you toss them in the fridge but in a day's time you find your bananas have practically died and they're nearly black. sure, you could toss them but you bought them with the intent of eating them. they've got a destiny to fill and because you're their purchaser you have a duty to make that happen. what to do? what to doooo? solution: banana cupcakes with honey cinnamon frosting because honey and cinnamon are staples in your household. thanks, Martha Stewart, for providing such an easy recipe and for helping my bananas fulfill their destiny.

banana cupcakes with honey cinnamon frosting

banana cupcakes

ingredients:

- 1/12 c all purpose flour

- 3/4 c sugar

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 stick butter, melted

- 1 1/2 c mashed banana (approx 3 large bananas)

- 2 large eggs

- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. line 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners

3. in a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt

4. make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients

5. to the well, add butter, bananas, eggs and vanilla and mix together

6. stir in flour mixture until ingredients are just combined evenly (do not over mix) 

7. evenly distribute batter into muffin pan

8. bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean

9. remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool on wire rack

10. frost with honey cinnamon frosting

honey cinnamon frosting

ingredients:

- 3 c powdered sugar

- 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temp.

- 2 tbs honey

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

directions:

1. with an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, honey and cinnamon for approx 4-5 minutes or until smooth and fluffy

salted caramel apple pecan cheesecake

i know i've already tried to proposition you into making that banana cream pie for Thanksgiving and i've already used up my bossy pants points, but you should really  make this pie for your next potluck. you can save it for the Christmas one mmkay? plus it's all apple-y, so it's more fall/winter worthy than bananas are. there is just so much going on in this pie that it can't not be good.

crunchy cinnamony graham cracker crust. 

oozing salted caramel.

nutty toasted pecans.

comforting luscious brown sugar apples.

creamy savory cheesecake.

not too sweet, and slightly tart.

just try not to fall in love with this pie. it's pretty impossible. 

simple. seems like a lot but really there aren't all that many ingredients

slicing away

this is when your house starts to smell like Cinnabon does at the mall

coated apples

cooked down

isn't that stunning?

it's only getting better

cheesecake layer before baking

try not to eat the whole thing

salted caramel apple pecan cheesecake

ingredients:

crust:
- 1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tbs sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/3 c unsalted butter, melted

caramel/pecan layer:
- 3/4 c salted caramel sauce
- 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

apples:
- 5 tbs unsalted butter
- 1/2 c light brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

cheesecake:
- 8 oz. cream cheese at room temp
- 1/4 c sugar
- 1 egg at room temp
- 1 tbs lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

directions:

make crust:
1. preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. in a bowl, stir to combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and ground cinnamon
3. add melted butter and stir until mixture is evenly moist
4. press evenly into pie pan
5. bake until golden brown or about 10-15 minutes
6. remove from oven and set aside to cool

decrease oven temp to 350 degrees F.

after crust has cooled drizzle caramel sauce over the entire bottom of pie crust, then layer with pecans. place pie pan in fridge to cool while you make the apples.

make apples:
1. in a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter
2. add brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and cook until melted
3. add apple slices and stir to evenly coat all slices
4. cook until apples have softened and all liquid has evaporated (approx 20 mins), stirring occasionally
5. once ready, take apples off heat and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes
6. evenly layer apples into pie crust
7. place in fridge to cool while you make the cheesecake

make cheese cake:
1. beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy
2. add egg and beat until completely mixed in. make sure to scrape sides of the bowl
3. add vanilla and lemon and beat until smooth
4. pour cheesecake into pie crust over apples and smooth with spatula
5. bake in oven for approx 30 mins or until the cheesecake loses it's jiggle
6. transfer pie to cooling rack and allow to cool to room temp
7. place pie in fridge for at least 4 hours

garnish the pie with more salted caramel and pecans

banana cream pie

banana cream pie is a dessert that works for any occasion. saaaay breakfast. or during tv time. or howsabout any time one wishes to eat at all. i suppose it would be good for Thanksgiving or potlucks as well, but that would mean you'd have to share it and i'm not sure i'm up for that. i'm only kidding, of course. i made a banana cream pie the other day for the reason that i had ripe bananas as well as a box of graham crackers that i needed to use up. it turned out to be pretty great. and in case you're wondering...yes, i did share, though i would have preferred to just eat it right out of the pan with a fork like a savage.

*this recipe calls for mashed bananas IN the crust, which i thought was weird, but i went for it anyway. the result was a chewyish type crust that was sort of hard to scrape from the bottom of the pie tin. i thought the chew was kinda odd, but everybody who tried it liked it and some even preferred it over your standard graham cracker crust. either way, it was delicious so go about it however you'd like.

for the longest time i would smash graham crackers into crumbs using a heavy bottle of olive oil until one day a light bulb lit up and i realized that that rolling pin i've had for so long would probably do the trick more efficiently. how did that not register in my brain sooner?

custard in all of it's perfection

if you don't do this the top layer will turn into a "skin" which disgusts me. correct me if i'm wrong, but i've heard that the "skin" part of homemade puddings is something that people fight over in (please excuse me...) white people households. i just can't wrap my my around that.

i followed this recipe i saw on Epicurious to a tee, except that i added whipped cream on top.

banana cream pie

ingredients:

crust

- 2 /12 c graham cracker crumbs

- 1/3 c sugar

- 1/4 c mashed banana

- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

filling

- 1/2 c sugar

- 1/3 c cornstarch

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 1/2 c whipping cream

- 1 1/2 c whole milk

- 3 large egg yolks

- 1 vanilla bean

- 2 tbs unsalted butter

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 5 ripe bananas

directions:

for crust:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. in your pie pan, mix graham crackers, sugar, and mashed banana until thoroughly mixed

3. mix in melted butter so that all elements are moist

4. evenly press into pie pan 

5. bake for until light golden brown or about 15 minutes

6. allow to cool completely

for filling:

1. in a medium saucepan stir together sugar, cornstarch and salt 

2. gradually whisk in whipping cream and whole milk

3. whisk in egg yolks 

4. cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape the seeds and add everything to the saucepan

5. whisk over medium high heat until the custard thickens or comes to a boil

6. remove from heat

7. whisk in butter and vanilla extract

8. discard the vanilla bean

9. transfer custard to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap so that it touches the surface of the custard. allow custard to cool competely

assembling the pie:

layer one cup of custard on the bottom of the pie, then a layer of sliced bananas (use 4 of the 5), and continue to alternate until you've run out of ingredients. spread a layer of whipped cream atop the pie (i whipped up 3/4 c whipping cream, 2 tbs sugar and a splash of vanilla extract, whipped until stiff). adorn with last banana, sliced and extra graham cracker crumbs if you've got them.

cookie towers make the world a better place

#yeahistagemyfoodphotos

lately i've found myself face to face with chocolate chip cookies more frequently than i've ever noticed before. the other day i ate a couple of cc cookies that were clearly of the break-and-bake or squeeze-from-plastic-sleeve variety, which i am not fond of. not that they aren't delicious, but i just can't appreciate it when people bring that sort of thing to a potluck. this then got me thinking about the last time i baked cc cookies and i couldn't recall baking cc cookies that weren't the Tollhouse recipe right on the back of their semi-sweet chocolate chips, years ago. well that's a half lie. i did make the cookie dough for the bottom layer of slutty brownies, but that doesn't quite count. anyhow, this got me wanting to bake some cookies. and what better day to bake cookies than a day in which teeth cannot be saved from a journey into rottenness, Halloween! slightly crisp, with a chewy center and loaded with chocolate and walnuts. waaay better than any snickers bar i got while trick-or-treating as a kid. now, chop up that snickers bar and throw it into a cookie and then we'll talk...

chocolate chip walnut cookies

ingredients:

- 2 1/4 c all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temp.
- 1/2 c granulated sugar
- 1 c packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 c semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 c chopped walnuts

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. in a small bowl combine flour and baking soda. set aside.
3. in a large bowl cream butter and sugars
4. add salt, vanilla and eggs to creamed ingredients and mix in
5. add flour mixture and mix until just combined
6. stir in chocolate chips and walnuts
7. roll cookie dough into 1" balls and put on baking sheets (separated by 2" between balls)
8. bake until cookies are golden around edges but soft in the center (approx 8-10 mins)
9. remove cookies from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes
10. transfer cookies to wire rack to allow cool completely

...OR just shove them in your face while they're still warm because fresh baked cookies right from the oven are theeeee best!!

Eat Real Festival / the weekend

by now you all should know that Marjie is one of my favorite foodie friends. so this past friday we went to the Eat Real Festival in Oakland. this was my third year attending, and Marjie's first. if you're unaware of what this is, it's a ton of food trucks/vendors that line Jack London Square to sell food items (everything $5). it's really awesome and a good way to try a bunch of stuff. the best method is to go with a friend or a couple of friends who you don't mind sharing germs with. everybody disperses into different lines to get some grub and then reconvene to share. that way you're not eating a whole burrito by yourself and left with no room in your tummy for the mass amounts of delicious that are offered up.

Gerard's Paella

i'm not typically a fan of paella because it ends up being too fishy more often than not but i enjoy this paella. it's creamy, flavorful and not in the slightest bit fishy.

Homeroom 

Gilroy mac n cheese. various cheeses and a ton of garlic. the noodles are cooked perfectly and the garlic is absolutely evident. would love to visit their brick and morter one day.

The Whole Beast

lamb poutine. holy shit this was good! tender bits of savory lamb with sheeps cheese and lamb gravy over deliciously thick cut fries. i want more!

The Creme Brulee Cart

the Yes, Please. nutella creme brulee with strawberries. the best part of creme brulee is breaking the shell, right? then you get to this thick, creamy, hazelnutty custard with fresh strawberries. so very good!

Sam's ChowderMobile

lobster roll bite. seems like the tiniest bite in the world, but in reality a whole sandwich at Sam's Chowderhouse is approximately three times this sandwich and costs you $22. here you get to sample it for $5. not too shabby for lobster and butter goodness. 

Frozen Kuhsterd

thai ice tea frozen custard with large tapioca balls and condensed milk. the ice cream was really good. it had a strong thai tea flavor.

Frozen Kuhsterd

bacon liege waffle with burnt caramel sauce and cinnamon toast ice cream. the concept to this is fantastic. all elements seem like they'd be perfect together. while the flavor is there, my only qualm with this is that the waffle is sort of too dense and breadlike.

Whole Foods

grilled figs with goat cheese, marcona almonds and balsamic reduction

i've had this three years in a row and it's always good. the combination of ingredients work really well together.

Forage SF

porcini grilled cheese. this sandwich was severely lacking in the cheese department, but the crusty buttery grilled bread and porcini mushrooms made up for the loss of ooey gooeiness.

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saturday after work i stopped by GG Park to partake in a picnic/bbq for the Radiology Dept. sadly half an hour after i got there the clouds decided to converge and the chilliness was unbearable for my pansy self. so i bid my crew adieu and left with a ton of brownies to indulge in at a later time. 

Sally (the coordinator!), Ruby, Steve (lookin all disheveled), myself, Joe, Uyen, Dr. Fisch, Natasha, Tan, Edgar, Joan (Dr. Fisch' wifey), and Clive

Alisa (who was visiting from Texas), Rubes, myself, Natty (ha!), and Nicole

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later on in the night i had dinner with my clearly preggers friend, Steph. she says that if you touch the belly of a pregnant woman, that fertile juju gets passed on to you. good thing i'm not superstitious.

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sunday, i got to briefly visit with Steffi who was here for a wedding. look at her all cute in her glasses.