When the water boils, pour it into the baking pan to come three-quarters of the way up the sides of the custard cups. Carefully place the baking pan in the oven and bake the custards for about 35 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of a custard comes out clean. Remove the custards from the water bath so they won’t continue to cook. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
serving & menu ideas
This custard is a perfect end to a Mexican, Latin American, or Caribbean-style meal, such as Nachos Grandes, Black Beans with Pickled Red Onions, or West Indian Red Beans & Coconut Rice.
banana cupcakes
Sweet-smelling, dense, and moist, these cupcakes don’t really need a frosting—it’s just icing on the cake! And yes, they really do taste good made with olive oil. These cupcakes are good keepers; they stay moist for up to a week.
YIELDS ABOUT 20 CUPCAKES
HANDS-ON TIME: CAKE: 15 MINUTES FROSTING: 10 MINUTES
BAKING TIME: 20 TO 25 MINUTES
COOLING TIME: AT LEAST 15 MINUTES
WET INGREDIENTS
1½ cups mashed ripe bananas (3 or 4 bananas)
½ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
1⅓ cups packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup plain yogurt
DRY INGREDIENTS
1½ cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
COFFEE OR CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons brewed coffee or 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare two standard cupcake pans with liners, cooking spray, or butter.
With an electric mixer on medium speed, mix the wet ingredients until smooth and creamy, a minute or two. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix at low speed until smooth. Spoon the batter into the cupcake pans, filling each cup about three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix all of the frosting ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed until creamy and smooth. Cool the cupcakes for at least 15 minutes and then frost.
planning tip
If you have bananas that are overripe and you don’t have time to bake, pop them unpeeled into the freezer. Later, thaw the bananas for use in a recipe.
lemon coconut tapioca pudding
This creamy (yet vegan) dessert can follow a meal from just about any cuisine: Caribbean, Indian, Mediterranean, West African, Asian, North American.…
SERVES 4
TIME: 25 MINUTES
¼ cup quick-cooking tapioca
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons sugar
1 14-ounce can of coconut milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Place the tapioca, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan, stir in ½ cup of cool water, and set aside for 5 minutes. Then stir in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer on high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often to prevent sticking, until thick and creamy, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the lemon peel. Pour into dessert dishes and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
serving & menu ideas
Just before serving, top with sliced fresh fruit—our favorite is mango. Ripe, fresh mango can’t be beat, but good canned mango is available, too. Strawberries, peaches, cherries, or pineapple are also delicious as a topping.
new england squash pie
This pie is lighter in flavor and texture than its pumpkin cousins. If you’ve got a pie shell waiting, it’s a snap to get this treat into the oven.
SERVES 8
HANDS-ON TIME: 10 MINUTES
BAKING TIME: 30 TO 40 MINUTES
1 11-ounce package of frozen cooked winter squash
1¼ cups milk
3 eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1 unbaked 9- or 10-inch pie shell (thawed, if frozen)
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Warm the squash in a microwave oven or in a pot on top of the stove. Place it in a blender or mixing bowl with the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and spices and whirl, or whisk by hand, until smooth.
Place the pie shell on a baking tray and pour the filling into it. (Purchased pie crusts vary in depth, so if you have too much filling for your crust, put the extra in a custard cup or ramekin and follow the directions in the note below.)
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the the filling is set but there is still a little jiggle in the center. Cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.
INGREDIENT NOTES Good frozen pie shells, including wheat-free ones, are available in natural foods stores and large supermarkets.
For custard instead of pie, bake the filling in unbuttered custard cups set in a hot water bath. Depending on the size of your cups, this recipe will make 4 to 8 custards. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until just set. Cool at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving.
butterscotch icebox cookies
This cookie dough can be kept in the freezer for up to at least two months, so whenever you want warm, freshly baked cookies (with none of the additives found in commercially prepared frozen cookie dough), just slice it and pop it in the oven.
YIELDS ABOUT 6 DOZEN COOKIES
HANDS-ON TIME: 15 MINUTES
FREEZING TIME: AT LEAST 1 HOUR
BAKING TIME: 8 TO 12 MINUTES PER BATCH
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups unbleached white flour
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and salt. Mix in the flour until well blended.
Divide the dough into 3 parts. Shape each third into a log about 1½ inches in diameter and 8 inches long. Wrap the logs with waxed paper or
