Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

Not the best photo, but we weren't worried about photos at the time!

Sometimes you just have to improvise. I mean, not all rental houses are stocked as fully as we might hope them to be.

But, when you are celebrating a very important person's impending nuptials with a bachelorette party to end all bachelorette parties--in Lake Tahoe no less--there must be chocolate peanut butter pie.

And so I crushed the graham crackers for the crust in a Ziplock bag with a melon (success!), because there was no food processor. And Amber "whipped" the cream for the mousse in the blender (mostly a success!), because there was not an electric beater. Having no tablespoon measuring spoon, we dutifully counted out 3 teaspoons for each one. The fact that there was no also pie pan was also a bit of a set back. Luckily, there was a Kmart down the way, so I bought one. (When is the last time you were in a Kmart? Weird!) Pie pan doesn't fit in the freezer? Refrigerator will have to do. Sometimes you just have to be flexible.

This pie is really rich (you probably got that impression from the name), but it is super easy and very delicious--if you like peanut butter and chocolate. (If you don't like peanut butter and chocolate, you should really, really work on that.) This is a chilled pie, so it's great for summer parties. Make it ahead, then just sit back and enjoy the feather boas---er, festivities.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

~Print Recipe~

• Non-stick vegetable oil spray
• 7 whole graham crackers, coarsely broken
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick), unsalted butter, melted
• 4 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 1/3 cups bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 8 ounces)
• 2/3 plus 1 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream, divided
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
• 6 ounces (1 cup) peanut butter chips
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (like Skippy, not old-fashioned or freshly ground)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch glass pie pan with non-stick spray. Blend graham crackers, melted butter and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a food processor until moist clumps form. Press crumb mixture over bottom and up sides of prepared pie dish. Bake crust until lightly browned, around 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine chocolate chips, 2/3 cup whipping cream, corn syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium heat until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes, checking it frequently. Whisk until melted and smooth. Spread chocolate mixture over the bottom of the crust. Freeze 10 minutes.
3. Microwave peanut butter chips and 3/4 cup cream in a large microwave-safe bowl on medium heat at 15 second intervals, stirring often, until chips soften. Whisk in peanut butter and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Set aside and cool to barely lukewarm. In another medium bowl, beat remaining 1 cup cream and and 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl until very thick, but not yet holding peaks. Fold in peanut butter mixture in 3 additions. Spoon mousse evenly over chocolate layer. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Creamy Meyer Lemon Tart

Spring, 2003: A handwritten sign in a downtown Berkeley restaurant window announced, "We buy Meyer lemons." It was the first I'd heard of them and I had no idea what they were. I figured maybe they were a cross between a lemon and a lime. (Nope!) Every time I walked home I saw the sign, but I never ate at the restaurant or looked into the Meyer lemon mystery.

Fast forward to Spring, 2011: As an avid reader of food blogs and magazines, I am hearing about Meyer lemons left and right. People are raving. Desserts abound, but savory dishes do, too. I read recently that Alice Waters brought Meyer lemons from her backyard all they way to a speaking engagement in the Midwest some years back. Oh and by they way, as it turns out a Meyer lemon is more like a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. Intriguing.

Though I've been hearing much about them lately, I have yet to see them in the grocery store. Maybe fancy stores carry them, but my neighborhood store does not. Fortunately, I have relatives that live in California. My dad just brought me a big bag of Meyer lemons direct from a California backyard.

As luck would have it, I also happened upon a "creamy lemon pie" recipe. I like this recipe because it is "light" (non-fat sweetened condensed milk, reduced-fat graham crackers and the like), but it does not taste like you've cut any of those corners. It is rich and creamy, sweet and very lemony--or in this case, Meyer lemony (which is marvelously the best flavors of lemons and oranges at the same time, and not too sour either.) Anyone can make a great dessert if you put enough fat and sugar in it, but a guilt-free dessert that doesn't taste guilt-free--now that's really a find. At least in my mind it is.

I'm calling this a tart and not a pie because it just doesn't seem thick enough to be a pie. (I'm sure that's not really how one is able to tell the difference between a pie and a tart, but I'm sticking with it.) The slices look a little on the dainty side, but I swear to you, once you taste this tart you will understand. It makes up in taste what it lacks in bulk. Each bite is so flavorful that you savor it slowly. And anyway, I'd rather have a small slice of something delicious than a big slice of something lackluster.

Oh, and did I mention that this recipe is ridiculously easy? Pretty sure it doesn't get better than that. I made two and froze one for a week. (It was just as good the second time.)

Creamy Meyer Lemon Tart

 ~Print Recipe~

• 6 whole reduced-fat cinnamon graham crackers
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 11 ounces fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind graham crackers in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Place crumbs in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Melt butter on stove top or in the microwave. Pour over graham cracker crumbs, mixing with a fork until completely moistened. Press crumbs evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan (or spring-form pan, or a tart pan). Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator while preparing filling.
3. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add lemon juice and zest. Stir until incorporated. Pour into prepared crust.
4. Bake pie for 15 minutes. Cool completely. Serve chilled and topped with fat-free "whipped cream" topping. (I think a sprinkle of zest or candied peel would be a good finishing touch.)

Milnot Cheesecake: The Special Family Recipe

So here's the thing: this is a cheesecake, but it is no ordinary cheese cake. I want you to imagine a heavy, dense New York style cheesecake, the kind that sits like paste on your tongue. Now, I want you to forget everything you know about that cheesecake. Instead imagine a cheesecake unlike anything you've ever had---imagine a thick, buttery graham cracker crust topped with the fluffiest, lightest cheesecake ever. Imagine eating sweet, rich clouds of cheesecake---lemony, sun-drenched clouds. Now you are beginning to understand Milnot cheesecake.

So, what exactly is Milnot? Good question. I realized, as I was making this cake for the first time on my own, that I had absolutely no idea what Milnot was. As a child, all I knew is that it was very special and it tasted delicious in this cake. And that's really all you need to know. (For those of you who are curious, I did a little research. Milnot is evaporated milk with the animal fat removed and replaced with vegetable oil. Originally this shelf-stable "filled milk" was useful--and inexpensive to produce--before there refrigeration became widely available.)  The really interesting thing about Milnot, though, is that it whips up like whipping cream when you beat it with an electric mixer.

Whipped Milnot is the key ingredient in this fluffy-soft cake. The only problem is that Milnot is hard to find. (That is why this cake is so special!) The Milnot Company, which produces this canned miracle milk, is based in Ohio and is now owned by Smuckers. For some reason, Milnot is not widely available on the West Coast. When I was growing up, my mom resorted to having relatives from Chicago and Ohio import as many cans of Milnot as they were willing to carry.

I randomly found cans--two for a dollar!--at a Grocery Outlet near my house, so I snapped them up to make this cake. If you come across some Milnot, I suggest you do the same. (You can also order it online!) Your idea of cheesecake will change forever.

No Bake Milnot Lemon Cheesecake

~Print Recipe~

• 1 small package of lemon Jell-o
• 1 cup boiling water
• 16 oz. of cream cheese (2 packages)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 12 oz. can Milnot, chilled
• 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter

1. Dissolve Jell-o in boiling water and chill in the refrigerator until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cream the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Melt butter and stir into graham cracker crumbs, mixing until completely combined. Press crumbs into an 13x9 inch baking pan. Set aside.
4. Beat the chilled Jell-o into the cream cheese mixture until completely combined and smooth.
5. In a large bowl, whip the chilled Milnot until it forms soft peaks. Fold the whipped Milnot into the cream cheese mixture.
6. Pour Milnot filling evenly onto the graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for 8 hours.

*Note- Serve this cake cold. Top with more graham cracker crumbs and fresh fruit.