Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week we make banoffee pie and try new dishes. Check out past posts here, and please follow my Instagram @fivethingsiate. Â
Tiny Banoffee Pie at home
Hereâs the cute little pie pans.
Banoffee pie is one of those wonderful creations that is absolutely greater than the sum of its parts. All it is is a cookie crumb crust, dulce de leche, sliced bananas and whipped cream but something magical happens when you chill those ingredients together overnight in the fridge. Similar to last weekâs banana pudding, each ingredient melds into the next and the result is a pie that is even better than banana cream pie (I said what I said!) while being infinitely easier to make. You think that it would all be Too Sweet, because the filling is just dulce de leche and bananas, but it is not. If you use firm bananas and VERY lightly sweetened fresh whipped cream itâs perfectly seasoned. You barely need a recipe for this so Iâm not giving you one; I made an easy cookie crust by blitzing leftover Chessman cookies with melted butter, a pinch of cinnamon and a few spoonfuls of sugar, but you should look one up online. Make sure to press the cookie crust on thickly and have it come up all the way to the lip of the mini pie pans. Spread the dulce the leche thickly, and add enough bananas so that they overlap, and most importantly, spread very lightly sweetened freshly whipped cream (did you know you can just whip it in a blender? Thatâs what I do!) all the way to the edge of the crust so it seals the bananas in and prevents them from browning. Need more guidance? Hereâs a recipe from the NYT Cooking app, but if youâre not a subscriber, Google will do.
Raspberry Macaron Grandioso at Amorino Gelato
Several locations, check online.
I feel like macarons are like human cat treats. Basically, if I see a macaron, particularly a pink macaron, I must try to obtain it and you can also give me one to reinforce positive behavior. So when I saw the Extra Large (Grandioso) gelato macarons at Amorino gelato, I obviously had to get one. I did not have high hopes for these macarons because they were looking extra chilly sitting next to all those heaps of frozen gelato, and I was afraid they would be dry. But the macaron was actually surprisingly good â very moist and tender. Even though it broke my aesthetic heart a little when I saw it got dented in the cup, a good macaron is indeed delicate. Unfortunately, I wasnât a fan of the raspberry filling, which was sorbet and not gelato :(, and I found it too sweet and tart. That being said, I would absolutely try one of the other flavors next time.Â
BĂĄnh Cuá»n HĂ Ná»i at BĂĄnh
942 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025
BĂĄnh, one of my favorite restaurants uptown, serves all of Vietnamese foodâs Greatest Hits (it has excellent phá» and bĂĄnh mĂŹ), but where it really excels is in its rotating cast of appetizers and specials. One of my favorite experiences is trying a dish Iâve never had before in a cuisine I like, which is why I keep coming back to BĂĄnh. This week, I tried out bĂĄnh cuá»n, which was casually described as âsteamed pork and mushroom dumplingsâ on the menu, but came out looking more like rice rolls (as you can see here). The rice batter was much thinner and more delicate than in cheung fun, and the savory, crumbly pork and mushroom filling came spilling out onto the plate with each bite. It was so delicious that I didnât want to waste a single crumb, and scraped up the leftovers on the plate with a spoon.
20 Minute Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pasta at home
Recipe from Budget Bytes.
Budget Bytes is one of those OG food blogs that Iâve been following since I made my very first food blog in high school, and it continues to deliver. The nerdy part of me really loves this blog because they provide a cost-per-serving estimate and something about having extra numbers in a recipe makes me happy. This creamy spinach artichoke pasta is very similar to a one-pot mac and cheese recipe if youâve ever made one â you boil pasta in milk and broth instead of water, for a sort of built in roux. For extra flavor, I tossed a handful of sliced baby bella mushrooms with the garlic and butter, and let it simmer with the pasta for a sort of impromptu broth (I didnât have any chicken broth on hand, and I will never, because I walk my groceries home and itâs a caulk-the-wagon and throw heavy items overboard situation every time). I also used macaroni noodles because I like the shape, and threw in some mozzarella pearls at the end. The result was simple, comforting and delicious â Iâll definitely make it again.
Iced strawberry matcha latte with almond milk at Boba Guys
145 Greene St, New York, NY 10012
I am a Swamp Girl. I love humid weather. I donât know when this internal shift happened in me. I grew up complaining about the New York humidity like everybody else, but one morning I woke up a Lizard person. Now I embrace the soggy weather for my dry skin and achy joints. Anyways, swamp weather is also the perfect opportunity to get a Fancy Cold Drink. Something about the water in the air makes me want to have ice in my cup. Boba guys has been trendy for nearly a whole decade now, but (just like Budget Bytes) it keeps churning out bangers. I ordered the iced strawberry matcha because it was beautiful, a bright red and dark green, but it also turned out to be really cravable. The strawberry puree is so good and sweet and fresh tasting; and it pairs perfectly with the unsweetened iced matcha latte. I am not usually an almond milk fan at all but somehow it works really well in this drink. Anyways, I tried to recreate the strawberry puree at home but it was not even close, so if youâve cracked the recipe, let me know!
Have a good weekend,
Soph
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