Cooking Lately

I can't say I have been most inspired in the kitchen lately...when life gets busy or hectic I tend to resort back to what I know and what I can make without a recipe and my slow-cooker.  However, I did have a few friends over for dinner last week and did a bit of a southern (USA) menu.


For starters I made hushpuppies with a spicy aioli and baked brie w/ maple syrup & walnuts.  Hushpuppies are basically fried cornbread, another southern favorite (so yummy).  I can't say they are very good for you but they sure do taste good!

The main dish was a South Carolina favorite 'shrimp and grits'.  Most Australians have never seen or tasted grits so I thought this would be fun to make.  I think they liked the taste and texture okay, but my portion sizes were a little large so I don't think anyone managed to clear their plate.  Sorry my pictures aren't great but basically it is sorta like a gumbo which you serve on top of the grits, which is like a creamy corn based porridge (savory).

I think our dessert may have been the best part...one of my absolute favorite pies - keylime pie, although I could not find 'key' limes here in Australia so I just had to use regular limes and go figured I picked now when they are extremely expensive.  I think my 5 limes cost about $10... but the pie sure was good so I figured it was worth it.  It is also one of the easiest pies to make here is the recipe for anyone interested:

Key Lime Pie Recipe

Crust:

1 pack of plain cookies/graham crackers (about 2 cups)

1/2 walnuts or pecans

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

125 grams melted butter (one stick)

Puree the first 3 ingredients until you have fine crumbs, then stir the butter into the mixture with a fork.  Mixture should be wet enough to then press into your pie dish or you can use a spring form pan.  Once you have formed the crust, bake it in the oven for 10 minutes.

Filling:

4 egg yolks

1 can condensed milk

1/2 cup lime juice (about 4 limes)

Simply whisk these ingredients together until nice and smooth and pour into the crust.  Bake for 15-20 minutes on 180C/375F until pie has set.  Let the pie cool and then refrigerate.

For the topping I think fresh whipped cream is the best option mixed with a little mascarpone cheese and a couple of teaspoons of sugar.  Or I also tried mixing lemon curd in with the cream and it was divine.  You can also serve this pie with fresh berries and sprinkle with lime zest.

Enjoy!