Banana and Toffee Ice Cream Pie

prep: 1 hour
cook: 30 minutes
bake: 10 minutes
freeze: 4-5 hours

makes one 9-inch pie

for the ice cream you’ll need…
3 ripe bananas
2 cups whole milk, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon conrnstarch
3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
1¼ cups heavy cream
⅔ cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces chopped English toffee, divided

for the pie crust you’ll need…
1¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch slices
1/4 cup cold solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
2 tablespoons cold vodka
2 tablespoons cold water

let’s get to it…
Puree the bananas in a food processor or blender until smooth; set aside.
Whisk 2 tablespoons milk and the cornstarch in small bowl; set aside. In medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese and salt until smooth; set aside. Fill a large bowl ice and water.
Boil the remaining milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup and vanilla in a large saucepan on medium high heat for 4-minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the milk and cornstarch mixture. Return to heat and boil for 1 minute until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
Whisk the hot mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Whisk in the pureed bananas. Pour mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and seal tightly. Submerge into the ice and water and chill 30 minutes to 45 minutes.
Pour the chilled mixture into a frozen ice cream canister or machine and spin until thick and creamy. When thick and creamy, stir in half of the chopped English toffee. Spoon ice cream into a storage container, press a piece of parchment paper directly on the ice cream and freeze for at least 4 hours.
Mix half the flour and salt in a food processor for 2-seconds. Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 to 15 times or until dough looks like cottage cheese and there is no loose flour; scrape bowl. Add remaining flour and pulse 5 or 6 times.
Remove dough from food processor and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle vodka and water over dough and fold until dough sticks together and all liquid is absorbed. Flatten dough into a 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. (You’ll still be able to see little pieces of butter in the dough).
Move oven rack to the second lowest position. Heat oven to 450°F.
Dust rolling pin and work surface with flour. Remove dough disk from refrigerator. Roll dough in a circle to a uniform thickness (about ⅛-to-¼-inch thick), about 1-inch larger than an upside down 9-inch pie pan (or individual pie plates if using). Place rolled-out dough into pan and press gently into form of plate. Use excess dough to mend any sports or holes in dough. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough so you can “blind bake” the crust.*
Bake for 1o minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes.
Spoon ice cream onto cooled pie crust. Top with remaining chopped English Toffee. Return to freezer for 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

*Blind baking, also called pre-baking, is baking a crust without the filling. You do this when the filling has a shorter bake time than the crust. Also helps the crust from becoming soggy. You can prick the bottom and sides of the crust so it keeps its shape during baking. A better idea is to line the unbaked pie crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie-weights. Dried beans or lentils work well, too.

Live Lobster Cooking Directions
prep: 5 minutes
cook: depends on the weight of the lobster

you’ll need…
4 live lobsters
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt for each quart of water

serves 8, 1½ lobster each

let’s get to it…
Fill a large stock pot with enough water to cover the lobsters;  add the spices to the water. (If you don’t have a pot large enough to cook them all at the same time, you’ll have to cook them in batches.) Bring the water to a boil.
Hold the upper body of the lobster firmly and clip the rubber bands off the claws. Place it (don’t throw it!) in the boiling seasoned water, head first. Cover. Make sure the water returns to a boil.
Cook according to the weight of the lobster. The lobsters are cooked when the shell turns red, the tail is curled and an antenna comes out easily. Don’t overcook or they’ll be chewy!

• 1 lb. – 5 to 7 minutes
• 1¼ lb. – 8 to 10 minutes
• 1½ lb. – 10 to 12 minutes
• 2 lbs. – 12 to 15 minutes

Lift the cooked lobsters out of the water and cool enough to handle.
Twist off the claws and crack with a hammer or nutcracker to remove the meat.
Gently pull the tail from the body. Cut the cartilage on the tail with scissors and remove the meat.
Cut down the center of the body with a sharp knife or scissors and pick through to remove any remaining meat.
Serve with lemon and melted butter.

Fabio Viviani’s Seafood Cioppino

prep: 30 minutes
cook: 40 minutes

you’ll need…
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
4 leeks, rinsed well and sliced into thin rounds
salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
20 mussels, scrubbed
20 clams, scrubbed
¼ cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, hot
1 cup squid, whole or cut in half
1 cup large shrimp (about 8), shelled and deveined, tails on, heads on or off
1 15-oz. can whole tomatoes, diced
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup parsley, minced

let’s get to it…
Heat the butter in a large stockpot and sauté the onions and leeks with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add the red pepper flakes, bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
Place the mussels and clams in the pot, give them a stir, then add the wine. Cook until the wine has disappeared, then add the stock.
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for about 10-minutes until all the shells have opened (discard any that have not). Add the squid, shrimp, tomatoes and cream and let the soup simmer for 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove from heat, adjust seasoning, and ladle soup into one large bowl to serve family style, or individual bowls. Serve with minced parsley.

Decadently Delicious Chocolate Dippers

prep: 10 minutes
cook: 10 minutes

you’ll need…

2 cups (16 ounces) chopped chocolate (semi-sweet, milk or dark)
fresh and dried fruit, candy, cookies, pretzels or nuts

on top of the stove:
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place the chocolate into a heatproof glass or metal medium-size mixing bowl.
Fill a medium saucepan half full with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat.
Place the bowl of chocolate over the water to melt.
 Stir until completely melted and smooth.
Remove the bowl from the saucepan and place on a cutting board or trivet.
 Dip the fruit, candy, cookies, pretzels or nuts into the chocolate and place on the lined sheet pan. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until set.

in the microwave:
Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe container.
Heat on medium power (50%) for 1-minute. Stir chocolate.
Continue heating on medium power (50%) for 1-minute intervals, stirring afterwards each time.
Repeat as directed until completely melted and smooth.
 Dip the fruit, candy, cookies, pretzels or nuts into the chocolate. Place on the sheet pan. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until set.

cooking know-how:
 Make sure your bowl is completely free of moisture before beginning… and don’t let water as it boils get in the melting chocolate.