Words & images by Divian Connor
As I have shared many times before, my mother was a big holiday fanatic. Every single holiday was commemorated in the most magnifying way, she did not hold back. Father’s Day was no exception. From the moment we children lifted our heads from our pillows, wiped the sleep from our eyes with the back of our hands and slowly crawled out of bed, Father’s Day was an event.
It started with breakfast. Walking into the kitchen on Father’s Day meant coming through the door and seeing my dad sitting at the head of the table as always but surrounded by brightly colored wrapped gifts that started on the table and cascaded downward to the floor. It meant muffins, scrambled eggs or the occasional specialty omelet, sausages, bacon, and grits. Saying it seemed like Christmas is no exaggeration—except this day, the gifts were not for us kids. Seeing the smile on my dad’s face as we presented our own handmade cards and trinkets holds so much positive emotion. By the time we were all stuffed full of good food, my dad had opened all the ties, socks, sweater vests and shoes. As a teen, I went through a sweater phase and Father’s Day became somewhat of a “ohhh look what I get to wear!” day.
At dinner, my mom would whip up some fancy dinner. Back then, every Saturday, as a family, we would dine at Morrison’s Cafeteria, and I would always get shrimp. To me, that was super fancy. On Father’s Day, my mom would always make steak and shrimp, so my child self would be in heaven. Along with dinner usually came with a second round of gifts for my dad, but this time, they were something fancier, just as the dinner and were usually watches or some type of cufflinks (nothing he was at risk of me “borrowing”). Dessert was always just as fancy as the dinner. Food has always been a way to express love in my family. Growing up seeing just how much thought, preparation and love my mom put into each meal she prepared for us shaped my thoughts on food today.
To this day, I love making fancy desserts. Simplified fancy is more like it. These pie crust tacos are just the right amount of fancy and fun. Bite sized pieces that you can finish in one to two bites make for a quick satisfaction of sweet perfection. And the cuteness—overload! These days, I am all about mini desserts. Mini cuts down on waste and one eats as much as one desires without being overwhelmed with a full piece or slice. They are also perfect for parties and entertaining. Imagine the presentations you can create with these gorgeous refreshing mini taco pies. So this Father’s Day, why not treat dad to a ‘fancy’ dessert with Italian pastry cream and fresh fruit!
Assemble the ingredients:
Refrigerated Pie Dough Italian Pastry Cream
5 egg yolks
1/3 cup white sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
2 ½ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Assorted chopped fruit
Maple Syrup
Method:
Roll out the pie dough and cut into circles. (I used the top of a wine glass to create the perfect mini size.) Cut each circle in half. Brush each piece with maple syrup and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.
Allow the crusts to cool after removing from oven.
Make Italian Pastry Cream.
Start by warming the milk and vanilla in a saucepan and set aside (should be warm and not hot). Mix sugar and egg yolks in separate bowl and then add cornstarch. Mix well.
Off the heat, slowly add the milk mixture to the sugar and egg yolks, stirring continuously to avoid creating lumps.
Over low heat, stir until mixture thickens – be careful not to scramble the eggs by turning up the heat too high! Stir on low heat for ten minutes continuously. Once thick in consistency, remove from heat and place into a bowl, wrapping with plastic and allow it to cool. Place in refrigerator until use.
To assemble the pie tacos, spread cream on half of a pie crust add chopped fruit on top. Serve with garnish of mint and a drizzle of maple syrup. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.