Pie de Limon

So Pie Approximation Day came around last month and I was seriously craving something a little tart. I was also feeling rather nostalgic so I decided to whip up some pie de limon. Sadly I no longer have Jessie and Alvaro around to help me make the merengue but I have been reunited with my Kitchen aide mixer.

Crust Ingredients: 2 cups flour, pinch of salt, 1/2 cup of butter, 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp of baking powder

Crust Instructions:

1. Preheat the ovento 375 F
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl or food processor.
3. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into the flour either with your hands or using your food processor, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4. Whisk the powdered sugar, eggs together and add to the mixture to make a firm dough.
5. On a lightly floured bench or board knead the mixture until it forms a smooth ball.
6. Handle as little as possible to prevent the pastry from becoming hard when baked.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
8. On a lightly floured board or bench carefully roll out half of the pastry until it’s approximately 5 mm thickness.
9. Line a 23cm pie dish and prick the surface with a fork, line the inside of the pie shell and fill with baking beans or rice.
10. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the crust is golden and cooked through.
11. Remove the baking beans and set aside.

Lemon Filling Ingredients: 1 cup sugar, zest from 2 lemons, 3 egg yolks, 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon, 4 tbsp of butter, tbsp of cornstarch, 1.5 cup of water


Filling Instructions:

1. Place the sugar, cornflour, cold water and finely grated zest in a medium-sized saucepan.
2. Over a gentle flame heat the curd, stirring continuously until it begins to thicken.
3. Add the beaten eggs and butter and continue to heat and stir through until very thick.
4. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, adding more to taste as desired.
5. Pour the lemon curd into the cooked pastry shell and top with the following meringue.

Merengue Ingredients: tsp cream of tartar, 3 egg whites, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Merengue Instructions:

1. In a very clean and large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer place the 3 egg whites and cream of tartar.
2. Whisk until soft peaks form and then gradually add in the sugar a little at a time until the meringue is thick, smooth and glossy and all of the sugar has dissolved.
3. Spoon or pipe the meringue over the lemon curd filled pie shell and bake for a further 8 to 10 minutes until the meringue is golden.

Scallop and Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients:
1 red onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 zucchini
2 tomatoes
3 fresh basil leaves
tsp of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1 cup broth
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 pound of scallops
1/2 pound of shrimp
tbsp of butter
box of spaghetti or your pasta of choice
lemon (optional)

Instructions:
1.Cook the pasta to you desired tenderness.

2. Coarsely chop the onion and mince the garlic.

3. Heat a tablespoon of oil on medium heat and then saute the onions and garlic for about 2 minutes.

4. Add the zucchini and tomatoes and continue to saute for about 2-3 minutes.

5. Add half of the basil, the pepper flakes, wine, broth, and paste to the mixture.

6. After 5 minutes incorporate the butter, scallops and shrimps. It should take about 5 minutes or so to make sure that the shrimp and scallops are cooked. Don't overcook the seafood or it will become tough.

7. Toss the pasta in the sauce adding lemon, salt, and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the rest of the fresh basil on the pasta when you plate it.

Banana Bread

So most people know that I'm not the biggest fan of bananas. I don't really like the texture and how for me it seems to overpower every other flavor in a recipe.  But per my mother's request I made a banana bread.

Ingredients 
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
2 tablespoons heavy creme
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 drops of almond extract

Instructions
1. Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
3. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
4. Drizzle in oil.
5. Add mashed bananas, heavy creme, almond extract and vanilla.
6. Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Caramelized Ginger Shrimp

This recipe is a rather quick and easy shrimp recipe. Well it's rather quick after the brining stage. Brining is a process in which you submerge meat into a salt water mixture to give them some added flavor. It can take anywhere from a few minutes up to to hours depending on what and how much you are brining. This recipe only involves about 15 to 20 minutes of brining.

Instructions
1. In a metal bowl mix about 1/2 a cup of salt, 1/3 cup of sugar, 2 quarts warm water, 1 large chili cut up into pieces, and about a pound of shrimp. Let the shrimp sit in the brine for about 20 minutes.

2. Mince 4 garlic cloves.

3. Peel and mince about two tablespoons of ginger.

4. Heat about 4 tablespoons of canola oil in a saucepan.

5. Saute the garlic and ginger, adding a little salt. Saute the mixture until the garlic turns into a golden color. DO NOT BURN the garlic.

6. Add 3 tbsp of sugar and 2 tsps of paprika to the mixture.

7. When the sugar looks like it is mostly dissolved add in the shrimp.

8. The shrimp shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to cook.

Quick Tilapia

Ingredients

• tilapia steak 
• juice from half of a lemon
• paprika 
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper 
• cumin 

Instructions
1. Rub the lemon on both sides of the tilapia.
2. Sprinkle the different spices liberally over the fish.
3. Massage the spices so that they are evenly spread out over the fish.
4. Heat about 2 tablespoon of oil on a a pan. Make sure the oil is really hot before putting the fish onto the skillet.
5. Cook the fish for about 4-5 minutes on each side.
6. Place a top on the skillet and turn off the heat.