Marshmallow Mermaid Pie

What pie-maker who has seen "Waitress" has not fantasized about Jenna's Marshmallow Mermaid Pie? Ever since I fist saw the movie and her pie topped with (childhood favorite!) fruit-flavored mini marshmallows, I've been looking for a recipe. I was shocked to find that the DVD includes a recipe for "Marshmallow Mermaid Pie" but it looks nothing like the one in the movie and the ingredients do not make me think mermaid. It's more like a cookies and cream kind of pie--plain white marshmallow filling mixed with chocolate wafers, I think. I didn't even bother making it. Instead, I set about imagining what Marshmallow Mermaid Pie would actually consist of. In the movie it looked like a pinkish custard with the colorful mini marshmallows. So what kind of custard is pink? Um, rose custard of course. If you know me you know I look for any excuse to use rosewater. But it needed something more and my favorite companion to rosewater is coconut extract. So this is a rosewater/coconut custard-y pie topped with the classic colorful mini marshmallows we all know and love.

Ingredients:

1 precooked pie crust (see recipe in my blog)
1 pint cream, whipped (I use an immersion blender)
1 6oz package instant vanilla pudding (and necessary ingredients to make)
2 tablespoons rosewater
2 teaspoons coconut extract
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1 package plain gelatin
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup water
Red food coloring
Flavored Mini Marshmallows

Directions:

In separate bowl mix together vanilla pudding till thick. If necessary, chill. Blend cream till thick, chill. In a saucepan mix sugar, rosewater, coconut extract, and water. Pour packet of gelatin over mixture, let sit for 1 minute. Turn stove to high heat and mix until mixture bubbles. Remove from heat and continue mixing till mixture is syrupy. Immediately blend with pudding first then add whipped cream and coconut flakes. Add food coloring at this point till desired pinkish color. Pour mixture into baked & chilled pie crust. Top with mini marshmallows till covered. Chill overnight. I would use a shallow pie pan for this one as the custard makes it difficult to remove in nice pieces, and it's rather rich.

I think Jenna would be proud.

Rosewater/Coconut Frozen Yogurt

I was inspired recently by an article on a San Francisco ice cream parlor called Humphry Slocombe. After checking out the unique flavors listed on their web site I started thinking about my recent love affair with real frozen yogurt. I have been spending way too much money every weekend at my local yogurt hot spot (cold spot?) and on top of that they only have two flavors, both of which are incredibly boring. Now, I'm a fan of toppings as much as the next person but I think frozen yogurt should be able to stand on its own two feet. I recently moved to a studio apartment and this is the first time since I began baking that I've lived alone; so I can no longer bake pies every week and have been desperate for new creative culinary outlets. My mom very sweetly offered to buy me a Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence Ice Cream Maker (~ $70) as a housewarming gift and I made my first batch last night. I don't usually prefer standard fruit flavors and I wanted to try something different, so this recipe is a frozen yogurt take on my Rose/Coconut Cake (which you should try, by the way). I was so excited I actually started eating it while it was still churning. I am in love. I think Trader Joe's Greek Style Yogurt really made all the difference; if you use regular yogurt you're supposed to strain out the water with cheesecloth for a day or so.

Ingredients:

1 cup organic sugar

1/4 cup milk or soy milk (or water)

2 tablespoons rosewater

2 teaspoons coconut extract

1/3 cup coconut flakes (optional)

2 containers of Trader Joe's Greek Style Yogurt (about 4 cups)
Red Food Coloring

Directions:

In a saucepan mix sugar, milk, rosewater, and coconut extract. Stir with whisk till boiling and mixture bubbles. Turn off heat and remove from stove. Continue stirring till mixture stops bubbling and you're left with a simple syrup. Mix together yogurt and syrup and enough red food coloring to make the mixture pink. Add mixture to ice cream maker and churn for half an hour. Transfer to airtight container and store in freezer.

Coconut Rosewater Cake

I stole a recipe from NPR, who stole it from "The California Cook" (and we both made adjustments). So here is my version of the rosewater cake:






Ingredients:
*1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (2 sticks)
*1 cup sugar
*3 large eggs at room temperature
*2 teaspoons coconut extract
*1 tablespoon rosewater 
*1 cup vanilla or lemon yogurt (I used both)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. Sift
the flour, baking soda and baking powder together in a medium mixing
bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the
butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about four minutes.
Beat in the eggs, rosewater, and coconut extract, and mix for two
minutes.

Reduce the mixer to the lowest speed, add half the flour mixture, and
mix until combined. Add half the yogurt, mixing slowly yet constantly,
and then add the rest of the flour and yogurt.

Pour the mixture into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 35-40
minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the thickest
part of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then
invert onto a cake rack.

I know the original recipe called for a glaze but the cake does very
well on its own, especially with tea!

Piña Colada Ricotta Pie

Totally love this one! Even my housemates who don't like pineapple liked this one.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 can crushed pineapple

* 2 tablespoons cornstarch (or 4 tablespoons flour)

* 1/2 cup sugar

* 1 3 0z. pkg. cream cheese

* 1/2 pint Ricotta cheese (I used more)

* Unsweetened coconut flakes

* Coconut extract

* 1 tablespoon dark rum (optional, but you totally should use it)

* 1 egg

* 1/4 cup sugar

* 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

* 1 9 inch pie crust cut into lattice strips

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch with 1/2 cup sugar and pineapple. Heat until mixture reaches a boil and has thickened slightly. Add rum. Remove from heat and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer on low speed, beat Ricotta cheese, coconut flakes, coconut extract, cream cheese with the egg and 1/4 cup sugar until mixture is smooth. Pour into pie shell. Spread pineapple mixture over top of Ricotta mixture in pie. Cut the second pie crust into strips 1 1/2 inches wide and arrange strips over the top of pie in a lattice fashion. Brush the top of the crust with a tablespoon of milk which has been beaten with the yolk of 1 egg to make a golden and shiny crust. If you want to. Not necessary. Bake pie at 425°F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F and bake for another 25 minutes. I baked mine a little longer.

Chill pie for several hours before serving. You kind of have to.

Pink Princess Delight Pie

I call this my Pink Princess Delight pie because your average six year old girl would be totally in love with it. I was mostly just playing around and I've since tweaked the recipe so the filling solidifies better. At the time I thought the apples added something but now I think they may not be necessary. It's up to personal taste, I guess.

Ingredients:

* Mom's pie dough
* 3 apples peeled and sliced
* 1 can light coconut milk
* 1 tablespoon coconut extract
* 1/2 cup sweetened shaved coconut
* 1 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, thawed and mashed
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 cup corn starch
* 1/4 water

Directions:

Prepare pie crust (see recipe). Arrange apple slices in a decorative manor on bottom of pie crust (unlike the above picture). In a saucepan mix together coconut extract, raspberries, sugar, vanilla, water, and corn starch. Turn on high heat and whisk until bubbling. Remove from heat and continue stirring until bubbles settle and mixture is syrupy. Pour packet of gelatin over coconut milk and let sit for 1 minute. Mix coconut milk and raspberry mixture together, pour over apples into crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, cover with foil and continue baking at 350 degrees for another 40 minutes. Remove from oven and place on towel in freezer. Let sit for 2 hours. Remove to fridge. Serve when filling has solidified.