Pi day

You know Pi, 3.14. well here are a couple of pi(es) for you.

SOUR CREAM LEMON TART

Filling:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cup Splenda Granular
1 cup milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped (whip after measuring) OR 1 cup Cool Whip

Crust:
One pkg sf Vanilla Wafers or sf Pecan Shortbread cookies, crushed into fine crumbs (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 cup butter, melted

In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine cornstarch, Splenda Granular, and milk. Whisk continually until thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Rapidly whisk the tempered egg yolks into the cornstarch mixture. This will be very thick.

Return to medium heat and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil. This will be very thick and will have big bubbles popping on the surface. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the cold butter until incorporated. Whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Cover and cool completely. (This will be VERY thick when cooled.) Beat with a whisk to loosen up and gently stir in sour cream and whipped cream OR Cool Whip. Pour into prepared, cooled crust. Chill. Garnish with whipped cream and thin lemon slices, if desired.

While filling is cooling prepare crust. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a fork combine the cookie crumbs, almond flour, and lemon zest. Stir in melted butter until incorporated. Pat mixture into a 9 or 10-inch tart shell or a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes or until just golden. Allow to cool on wire rack completely. Makes 10 servings.

Per Serving: Calories 182; Protein 3 g; Fat 10 g; Carbs 9 g; Sugar 2 g; Sodium 56 mg

Now for my hubby: his idea of Pi(e) like in having a slice
Cheese Crust Pizza

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1 ounce (I used the kind in a can)
1/4 teaspoon oregano or Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
8 ounces Italian cheese blend or mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup pizza sauce
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
Assorted toppings: pepperoni, ham, sausage, 4 ounce can mushrooms, green peppers, bacon, ground beef, etc.
Dash of garlic pepper or garlic powder and some Italian seasoning for top of pizza

In a medium bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Whisk in eggs until mixture is well-blended and smooth. Add the parmesan and seasonings, then stir in the 8 ounces of mozzarella until completely moistened. Spread cheese mixture evenly in a well-greased 9x13" glass baking dish or lightly greased and lined with parchment paper (see note below). Bake at 375º 20-25 minutes or until evenly browned, but not too dark. Let cool completely on a wire rack. When nearly cooled, take a metal spatula and carefully pry up the edges to loosen from pan. Ease the spatula under the whole crust to loosen. Keep crust in the pan. This makes it easier to remove the finished pizza later. Refrigerate, uncovered, until shortly before serving time.


Spread chilled crust with pizza sauce, then cheese and toppings of your choice. Lightly sprinkle with seasonings of your choice. Bake at 375º about 15-20 minutes or until toppings are bubbly. Let stand a few minutes before cutting.


I don't recommend making this in a metal baking pan as it will stick making the pizza very difficult to remove and the pan very hard to clean.

I think I may have discovered the secret to a crispy crust. I left the baked crust uncovered in the refrigerator for several hours. I think that allowed it to dry out a bit so that it became crisp during the second baking with the toppings. I was able to pick the pizza up in my hands.


NOTE: If you lightly grease the pan and line it with parchment paper, you'll have no trouble removing the pizza from the pan later. Greasing the pan makes the parchment stick to it so you can easily spread the crust batter.
Number of Servings: Makes 8 servings
Carbs per serving - include all nutritional information if known: Per Serving: 304 Calories; 25g Fat; 17g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Effort (Easy, Average, Difficult): Average
Source: www.genaw.com/lowcarb