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By Request

By Betty Shimabukuro

Wednesday, January 31, 2001

Douglas Peebles photo
Key Lime Pie blends rich and sweet with light and tart flavors.

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Three sweet temptations

THIS being the last day of January, and willpower being what it is, by now you're probably tired of that New Year's diet. So today, we do desserts.

Russ Meyer of Omaha, Neb., is after the recipe for Key Lime Pie he enjoyed at Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch and Crab during a recent visit to Hawaii. "It is the best any of us had ever eaten," he said.

Julie Haruki, meanwhile, is looking for the bread pudding and apple tart recipes from Kincaid's Fish, Chop and Steak House. She describe the bread pudding as "heaven on a plate."

Some of these recipes are a bit involved, so enough with the small talk.

Pear-Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

1 1-pound loaf stale French bread, in 6-inch pieces
2 cups 2 percent milk
1 Bartlett pear, peeled, cored and cut in 1/8-inch wedges
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 ounce butter
1 pint whipping cream
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon

Sauce:
2 eggs
7 ounces (about 1 cup) sugar
4 ounces butter
1/2 cup cream
3 tablespoons bourbon

Soak bread in milk. Squeeze out milk, then tear into 1-inch pieces. Mix with pears and raisins.

Line a 9-inch springform pan (3 inches high) with foil, then butter the foil. Turn the bread mixture into the pan. Dot with butter.

Heat cream over low heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Remove from heat.

Beat yolks and sugar together until thick, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat cream into yolks. Stir in vanilla. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and bourbon. When sugar is dissolved, pour batter over bread mixture, filling pan 1/2 inch from the top.

Place pan on sheet tray and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees (depending on your oven this could take up to an additional 15 minutes). Top should be light brown and pudding should be set in the center. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Refrigerate overnight before serving. Serves 10.

To make sauce: Mix eggs and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Bring butter and cream to a simmer over low heat, then pour gradually into sugar mixture, stirring constantly.

Heat mixture in a double boiler until smooth and thick. Temperature should be 160 degrees. Cool. Stir in bourbon. Makes 1-1/2 cups. Serve with bread pudding.

Note: This pudding should be very dense. Your results will depend on the dryness of your bread. To be exact, the weight of the moistened bread and fruit should equal the volume of the remaining ingredients. So if you have 2 pounds (32 ounces) of bread and fruit, you should have 32 fluid ounces of the custard.

Apple Tart

1-1/2 ounces salted butter
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, quartered and in 1/8-inch lengthwise slices
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon applejack (apple brandy)
6 tablespoons cream
1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 prepared 9-inch pie crusts
2 teaspoons macadamia nuts, lightly toasted and finely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon coarse sugar crystals

To make filling: Melt the butter, add apples and sauté 60 to 90 seconds. Add cinnamon and 3/4 cup sugar; sauté 4-5 minutes until caramelized and sugar glaze is thick. Add applejack. Combine cream and cornstarch; add to apple mixture. Cook to thicken. Pour into a shallow baking pan and refrigerate until cool.

To assemble: Cut pie crusts into four 8-inch circles, 1/8 inch thick. Sprinkle with nuts and 1 teaspoon sugar to 3/4 inch from edge. Pile filling high in the center of the circle. Brush the inside edge of each circle with beaten egg.

Fold up three sides of the dough to form a triangular tart, leaving a 3-inch area in the center uncovered. Pinch corners together. Brush more of egg over the tart. Sprinkle coarse sugar over the tart. Chill.

Bake in at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden. Serve with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and sprinkle of mac nuts. Makes 4 tarts.

Key Lime Pie

"The Choy of Seafood," by Sam Choy (Mutual Publishing, 1998)

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
14 ounces condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup Key lime juice (try Strawberry Connection if your local market doesn't carry it)

To make crust, combine all ingredients and press into a greased pie pan. Back at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool.

Combine filling ingredients. Pour into crust and bake at 325 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, until set in the middle. Cool pie.

Garnish each piece with a scoop of whipped cream and a lime rind curl.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Food Stuffs: Morsels

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
By Request, Honolulu Star-Bulletin Food Section,
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.