Pear Pie with Red Wine and Rosemary

It's been a while folks! But we have not forgotten to eat, don't worry. I've tried to give the blog a fresh look for our fresh start, and here is a little something to serve as evidence that we've been cooking: a pie so delicious I made it twice in one month:  Pear Pie with Red Wine and Rosemary - discovered in Bon Appétit this last fall.

The crust technique was a revelation, and the filling was amazing. Seriously let's be honest, reduced red wine is never a bad idea for a dessert, and it's particularly delicious with pears.

This pie helped me survive the winter. 

I love this pie.

xo, ~Shauna

Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart

We had a very lovely Thanksgiving meal this year (as always), and for dessert I made this Pumpkin tart.  I have made it before and it is quite tasty and more exciting than your generic pumpkin pie.  It requires only 10 minutes of baking for the crust, otherwise the rest is done on the stove top and chilling in the refrigerator.  The orange zest, banana and spices in the mousse are quintessential fall flavors, and they go so nicely with the pumpkin.  This tart is definitely something you could make for dessert after any meal since the pumpkin isn't overwhelming and it's much lighter than the dense pumpkin pies we are used to.  Try it while it's fall out there!  I promise you will love it!

We passed on the whipped cream topping - and I don't think it really needs it.

Apple Cider Cream Pie

For Thanksgiving I volunteered to make a pie after I saw this recipe in the November Food & Wine.  I couldn't resist!  It is really quite easy to make as far as pies go.  The only trouble I had was with stretching the dough to fit my pie dish.  So it shrank a little while cooking.  But the combination of the buttery dough, with the slightly tart apple cider custard, and the sweet cinnamon-y whipped cream on top was a nice combination.