Cinnamon Streusel-Topped Pumpkin Pie

This was so good, it prompted Jonathan to break out in song. Specifically, the part of Sleigh Ride that talks about the coffee and pumpkin pie. I'm sure it will show up at at least one of our holiday meals this year. It's such an awesome twist on the usual pumpkin pie. The only thing I did differently was use my go-to pie crust rather than a store-bought one.

Cinnamon Streusel-Topped Pumpkin Pie
Courtesy of Cooking Light



Filling:
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

Crust:
1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury) (or one homemade pie crust)
Cooking spray

Streusel:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup regular oats
1/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 to 3 teaspoons water

Preheat oven to 375°F.

To prepare filling, combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.

To prepare crust, roll dough to an 11-inch circle. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under; flute.

To prepare streusel, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through 1/8 teaspoon ginger) in a bowl. Cut in butter with a fork or fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle with water, tossing with a fork just until lightly moistened.

Pour pumpkin mixture into crust; sprinkle with streusel. Place pie on a baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on a wire rack.

Summer Fruit Pie

Absolutely delicious. I used my go-to pie crust. And I used cornstarch instead of tapioca. But other than that, the recipe is perfectly splendid as it is. No extra spices or other flavors needed.

Summer Fruit Pie
A variation of this recipe from Real Simple



6 ripe peaches, each cut into 8 wedges
1 pint strawberries, halved
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

In a medium bowl, gently toss the peaches, strawberries, tapioca, lemon juice, and ½ cup of the sugar. Spoon the fruit mixture into the pie plate and dot with the butter.

Roll out the second disk of dough into a 14-inch circle. Drape it over the pie and trim the edge to a ½-inch overhang. Fold under, pressing to seal. Crimp the edge, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 425°F. Lightly brush the top crust with cold water and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Cut several slashes into the top crust. Bake until golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F and continue to bake until the juices bubble, 30 to 40 minutes more.

Transfer to a rack and cool for 2 hours before serving.

Cherry Pie

I was a cherry pie virgin before this pie. Yes, I popped my cherry pie cherry today. And it rocked. It also made a seriously rough day so much better. Thank you, cherry pie.

The only change I made was to use 4 tablespoons of cornstarch rather than a combination of quick-cooking tapioca and cornstarch. I feel like cornstarch helps make a much smoother pie filling. Yum.

This pie crust recipe looked a lot like the pie crust I usually make, and it was indeed very similar and very good. I also found that I was finally able to roll out the dough into proper circles by letting it sit out while the fruit sat. I was so very happy I didn't have to do a patch job. Woot.

Cherry Pie
A variation on this recipe from Gourmet



For pastry
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat-free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon sugar

For filling
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 vanilla bean or 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) pitted sour cherries (2 pounds)
Whole milk for brushing

Make dough:
Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.

Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. Do not overwork, or pastry will be tough.

Turn dough out onto a work surface, divide into 2 portions and form into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

Make filling and bake pie:
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle and put a large baking sheet on rack.

Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into a large bowl with a small knife. (If using extract, add with fruit.) Whisk in cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and sugar, then add cherries and toss well. Let stand 30 minutes.

Roll out one piece of dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim any excess dough to leave a 1/2-inch overhang.

Roll out remaining dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round.

Toss cherries well again, then add to shell and cover with top crust. Press edges of crust together, then trim, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang underneath, then crimp decoratively and brush top crust with milk. Cut out 5 (1- by 1/2-inch) teardrop-shaped steam vents 1 inch from center and sprinkle with sugar (1 tablespoon).

Bake pie on preheated baking sheet 30 minutes, then cover edge with a pie shield or foil and reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Continue to bake until crust is deep golden and filling is bubbling in center, 50 minutes to 1 hour more. Transfer pie to a rack to cool completely, 3 to 4 hours.

Combination Butter and Shortening Crust

I felt like this crust deserved its own post since I use and refer to it constantly. It's my favorite crust that I've tried so far in my crust-making adventures.

Combination Butter and Shortening Crust
Courtesy of Simply Recipes

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup (a stick and a half) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup of all-vegetable shortening (8 tablespoons)
6-8 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse 4 times. Add shortening in tablespoon sized chunks, and pulse 4 more times. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no bigger than peas. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over flour mixture. Pulse a couple times. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, keep adding water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing once after each addition, until the mixture just begins to clump together.

Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4-inch wide disks. Do not over-knead the dough! Dust the disks lightly with flour, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 2 days before rolling out.

After the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for an hour, you can take it out to roll. If it is too stiff, you may need to let it sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature before rolling. Sprinkle a little flour on a flat, clean work surface and on top of the disk of dough you intend to roll out. Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center of the dough. Every once in a while you may need to gently lift under the dough (a pastry scraper works great for this) to make sure it is not sticking. You have a big enough piece of dough when you place the pie tin or pie dish upside down on the dough and the dough extends by at least 2 inches all around.

When the dough has reached the right size, gently fold it in half. Lift up the dough and place it so that the folded edge is along the center line of the pie dish. Gently unfold. Do not stretch the dough.

Peach-Blueberry Pie

Meh. Not my favorite pie. I don't know if maybe it was because I had to use frozen fruit. Peaches aren't in season, and the blueberries I saw at the market looked pretty sad, so I went with frozen. It was also soupier than I like, and I think that's because of the addition of quick-cooking tapioca rather than cornstarch. I also made this strawberry-rhubarb pie this weekend, it uses cornstarch, and it held together so much better. So I've learned that if you like soupy pie, then go with quick-cooking tapioca. If you're into a more solid pie that holds together better when you cut it, then cornstarch is the way to go.

This was my first try doing a lattice crust. I really enjoyed it! I used this site to help me figure it out.

Peach-Blueberry Pie
Courtesy of Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine



1 1/2 cups sugar
5 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 pounds peaches, peeled and sliced (6 cups)
12 ounces blueberries (2 cups)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
All-purpose flour for rolling
1 homemade or store-bought double-crust pie dough (I used this)
1 large egg, separated, white lightly beaten
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, tapioca, and salt. Add peaches, blueberries, and lemon juice and toss to combine; let sit 15 minutes. Lightly flour a rolling rolling pin and work surface and roll out half the dough to a 12-inch round. Place in a 9-inch glass pie plate and brush with egg white. Pour in fruit filling and dot with butter.

Roll out remaining dough to a 12-inch round and place over fruit filling (or do a lattice top). Trim excess and crimp edges to seal. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolk with 1 tablespoon cold water. Brush top of dough with egg yolk mixture. With a paring knife, cut several small slits on top to vent. Set on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is deep golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 50 minutes. (Tent loosely with foil if crust browns too quickly.) Let pie cool completely on a wire rack, about 3 hours. (Store, covered, up to overnight.)

Christmas Dinner 2010 (Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta, Mushroom-Leek Stuffing Muffins, Parker House Rolls, Cranberry Sauce, and Pumpkin Maple Pie)

Christmas 2010 will not be forgotten... I bought my first fresh turkey from Wolff's Apple House. I found a wonderful recipe for it. I brined it with the tried-and-true Alton Brown's Good Eats recipe. I didn't make a mess while getting the turkey ready, like I have in the past. I was organized and ready to go. The turkey went into the oven. I used the neck and giblets to start a gravy base that smelled amazing. I had the veggies pre-chopped for the sides. The rolls had been set up ahead of time and frozen. I had a timeline up on my dry-erase board in the kitchen. I had the serving platters set out on my beautifully set table. I had all of my utensils and other preparation accouterments ready. I was on top of everything...

And then...

The electricity went out.

And stayed out.

The turkey was almost 2 hours from being done. And the gravy base was only halfway done. And I had a ton of stuff in my fridge, for the meal as well as stocked up for the week. The electric company's automated system said that we weren't due to have our electricity back on until at least 3 hours after it had shut off.

Needless to say, I was really upset. I was far more disappointed about it than they were, but I was sad to disappoint my guests. Especially my unofficially-adopted brother-in-law from Austria, who, since he isn't able to be here for Thanksgivings, had been looking forward to a traditional American holiday meal.

I had been really excited about preparing this meal. And, as I mentioned, I was feeling very organized and ready. I had spent quite a bit of money on the whole thing. And even though it was far from being done, the turkey was gorgeous. It ended up being thrown in the woods, where Jonathan said he heard very large footsteps. So presumably, we made a very nice Christmas turkey for some happy deer, while we dined on Wawa take-out.

Since our fridge/freezer supplies survived (thank goodness), I ended up making the planned sides the following evening. And I have to say that I was actually a bit disappointed in some of them. (A silver lining in this Christmas dinner disaster story? I'm certainly choosing to look at it that way.) The Brussels sprouts were not as crispy as I wanted them to be and lacked some flavor. And the stuffing muffins, while a pretty good idea, were very difficult to actually dig out of the muffin cups. I have a whole load as leftovers, so I'm interested to see if they're like other muffins and are easier to get out of the cups once they've cooled. I also wasn't happy with how mushy they were. I did end up baking off some of the stuffing mixture in a pan in order to compare texture, so I'm anxious to see if it tastes better when prepared in the more "traditional" manner.

The rolls, however, were wonderful. And the cranberry sauce was delightful. And the two together? Well, that's a recipe for a delicious post-holiday breakfast and/or snack, which I will be taking advantage of as long as the leftovers last.

I made two kinds of pumpkin pie, the apple butter pumpkin pie I made before and a pumpkin maple one. I was very excited to "pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie", but instead, the morning after our Christmas dinner disaster, I had them for breakfast. While both are delightful, the maple one was my favorite. The maple flavor really kind of sneaks up on you and gives the pie such a warm and full flavor.

So there's Christmas Dinner 2010. It's one for our family history book. I'm not quite ready to laugh about it yet, but I'm sure some day I will be.

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
A variation on this recipe from Cooking Light



2 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped pancetta (about 4 ounces)
1 shallot, diced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Cook Brussels sprouts and 1 tablespoon salt in boiling water 6 minutes or until almost tender. Drain and plunge into ice water; drain well.

Cook pancetta in a large skillet over medium-low heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove pancetta from pan, reserving drippings.

Cut Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise; place on a baking sheet. Add reserved drippings, shallots, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Bake for 15 minutes or until browned, stirring after 10 minutes. Combine Brussels sprouts, pancetta, and vinegar in a large bowl; toss well.


**********************************************************

Mushroom-Leek Stuffing Muffins
Courtesy of Food Network Magazine



1 stick unsalted butter
3 cups leeks, chopped
2 cups celery, diced
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon rosemary, minced
1 tablespoon thyme, minced
Salt
Black pepper
3 cups turkey or chicken broth
2 eggs
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
16 cups white bread, cubed and stale

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, celery, mushrooms, rosemary, and thyme; add salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Beat eggs with parsley in a large bowl; add bread, then pour in the vegetable-broth mixture and toss.

Line muffin cups with paper liners and fill with stuffing. Bake, uncovered, at 375°F until golden, about 45 minutes.

(If you would like to make "traditional" stuffing, transfer stuffing mixture to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees F; uncover and bake until golden, 30 more minutes.)

**********************************************************

Parker House Rolls
Courtesy of Alex Guarnaschelli



1 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
7 1/2 to 8 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus softened butter for brushing
2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling

Bloom the yeast: Measure out 1/2 cup warm water and check the temperature: It should be between 110°F and 120°F (comfortable bathwater temperature). Sprinkle the yeast into a large bowl, add the warm water and whisk in the sugar. Let sit 1 minute (it should bubble and froth slightly), then gently stir in 1 cup flour. Set aside near the stove while you prepare the dough.

Make the dough: Mix the melted butter and milk in a mixer with the hook attachment on low speed. Add the eggs and mix until blended. Scrape in the yeast mixture and mix until incorporated. Add 6 1/2 cups flour and 1 tablespoon salt; mix until the dough forms a ball, 2 to 3 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup more flour if the dough is too wet and sticky.

Let it rise: Brush a large bowl with softened butter. Transfer the dough to the bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place, 2 hours to 2 hours, 30 minutes. The dough should double in volume.

Shape the dough: Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust a clean flat surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Flour your hands; gently press the dough into a 16-by-8-inch rectangle, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (don't use a rolling pin).

Cut the dough: With the short side in front of you, cut the dough in half lengthwise with a floured knife. Then slice crosswise into 12 strips.

Shape the dough: One at a time, fold each strip of dough unevenly in half so the top part slightly overlaps the bottom half, then tuck the overhang underneath. Place the rolls seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet in 3 tightly packed rows. (If making in advance, wrap the baking sheet tightly in plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 weeks.)

Bake the rolls: Bake until the rolls are bursting at the seams and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. (If frozen, bake 25 minutes at 325°F, then 10 minutes at 375°F.) Remove from the oven and brush with softened butter. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

**********************************************************

Cranberry Sauce
Courtesy of Alex Guarnaschelli



1 pound fresh cranberries, washed and dried
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 orange, zested and juiced

In a medium pot, combine the cranberries, sugar and water. Stir to blend. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and add the cinnamon stick, allspice and nutmeg. Stir to blend and simmer for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Some of the cranberries will burst and some will remain whole. Add the orange juice and zest, stir and allow to cool before serving.

**********************************************************

Pumpkin Maple Pie Supreme
Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

1 small sugar pumpkin
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup real maple syrup
1 1/4 cups half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Cut up pumpkin, and remove seeds. Place in large baking pan, and cover with foil or lid. Bake for 1 hour, or until very tender. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).

Scrape pumpkin into a food processor; puree until smooth. Measure 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and salt. Stir in maple syrup, half-and-half, and flour. Mix in eggs one at a time. Pour filling into unbaked pie shell.

Bake for 1 hour, or until center is set.

Crustless Cranberry Pie

Wow. Wow. Yeah, super wow. And so so so easy.

Oh, and that dish you see is the gorgeous pottery made by Shawna Pincus. All of her stuff rocks.

Crustless Cranberry Pie
A variation on this recipe from allrecipes.com



1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cranberries
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease one 9-inch pie pan.

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in the cranberries and toss to coat. Stir in the butter, beaten eggs, and almond extract. If you are using frozen cranberries, the mixture will be very thick. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

What a fun twist for a pumpkin pie! It was so tasty and definitely pleased my mom, who isn't usually a huge fan of pumpkin.

This was also my first pumpkin pie using a homemade crust... I like to use graham cracker crusts for pumpkin pies, but I wanted this to be totally homemade since I was using fresh pumpkin and homemade apple butter, so I went with the combination butter and shortening crust that I've used in the past. I was really pleased with the results. I'll still try making a homemade graham cracker crust at some point, but until then, I'll happily use the combination crust.

You will definitely want to put a crust protector or aluminum foil or something to make sure that the crust edges don't burn.

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie
Courtesy of Paula Deen

1 cup apple butter
1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
3 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
Sweetened whipped cream, for garnish

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Combine apple butter, pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices in a bowl. Stir in eggs. Gradually add milk and mix well. Pour into pie shell. Bake for about 40 minutes or until set.

Peach Ice Cream Pie with Amaretti Cookie Crust

What a lovely way to say good-bye to summer. Fresh August peaches really can't be beat, and when you put them in an ice cream pie, they're just about perfect.

I'm not sure the proportions were exactly correct since I had a lot of leftover "pie filling". Then again, I used my vanilla ice cream recipe for 7 out of the 9 cups of vanilla ice cream called for, so I'm not sure if that threw anything off. I'm going to write down the original recipe and maybe just not add the extra store-bought ice cream next time, and we'll see what happens...

I also wanted to note that I used a coffee grinder to mash up the amaretti cookies. My food processor is pretty lame, so I knew I wouldn't have been able to get a fine crush on them that way, but I figure anyone with a non-lame food processor would have an easier time of it.

I should also note that saying that this pie serves 8-10 is assuming that you're serving Hagrid and his friends. I happily served this so that it would serve 16, and no one complained. And woohoo, more leftovers.

Peach Ice Cream Pie with Amaretti Cookie Crust
Courtesy of Bon Appétit



Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/3 cups finely ground amaretti cookies (Italian macaroons) plus 1/2 cup coarsely crushed cookies
1 tablespoon sugar
2 pinches of salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 pounds firm but ripe peaches, halved, pitted, cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges
1 cup (packed) plus 1 tablespoon golden brown sugar, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/4 quarts vanilla ice cream (9 cups)
2/3 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 9-inch glass pie dish with nonstick spray. Mix finely ground cookie crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar, and pinch of salt in medium bowl. Add lukewarm melted butter; mix to blend. Press crumbs onto bottom and up sides of dish. Bake until golden around edges, about 10 minutes. Cool completely in dish on rack.

Preheat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Coat with nonstick spray. Arrange peaches in even layer on sheet. Broil until beginning to brown, watching closely to avoid burning, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar over peaches. Broil until sugar melts and caramelizes, rotating sheet for even cooking, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer peaches and juices to bowl (leave any burned parts behind). Add 3/4 cup brown sugar, lemon juice, and pinch of salt to peaches; stir until sugar dissolves. Cover; chill until cold, about 2 hours.

Slightly soften ice cream in microwave on low power in 20-second intervals. Transfer to large bowl. Add broiled-peach mixture. Fold to incorporate peaches (peaches will break apart). Spoon about 2/3 of ice cream into cooled crust; smooth top. Cover and freeze pie and remaining peach ice cream separately until firm, about 4 hours. Using medium-size ice cream scoop, scoop remaining ice cream in bowl in level coops and arrange in concentric circles top pie. Freeze pie. DO AHEAD: Can be made days ahead. Cover and keep frozen.

Using electric mixer, beat cream and remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar in medium bowl until peaks form. Sprinkle coarsely crushed amaretti cookies over pie. Cut into wedges and serve with dollop of brown sugar whipped cream.

Peach Pie

The pie-making continues... And this one was pretty awesome. The peaches tasted wonderful and were really the star of the dish. Jonathan had a hard time not hugging the pie straight out of the oven.

I've realized during this pie-making journey that I haven't always been using the Ina Garten pie crust every time... I had looked up other recipes to see what other people suggested and tried this one. And I think I may like it better. I didn't notice a big difference in the taste, but it's much easier to work with. I'm sure I could probably add a little more water to the Ina Garten crust and make it a little easier to work with, but I think I'll stick with this other one for at least sweet pies since it has a bit more sugar than the Ina Garten one.



Peach Pie
A variation on this recipe from Food Network Magazine

2 1/2 pounds peaches, cut into wedges
3/4 cup light brown sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
Heavy cream
Granulated sugar

Place a foil-lined baking sheet on a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 450°F.

Roll out first piece of dough and put in pie pan. Combine the first 8 ingredients (through salt) in a bowl. Pour into pie shell; dot with butter.

Roll out the other piece of dough and place over the filling; press the crust edges together and trim, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Roll up or pinch the overhang to seal.

Wrap an oiled, wide band of foil around the pie edge to protect the crust. Make slashes in the top of the crust; chill for 30 minutes.

Reduce the oven to 400°F. Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Remove the foil band, brush the crust with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes; cool before slicing.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, Take 2

We were invited to the house of some of our dearest friends for dinner, and since I'm still feeling like I'm a pie kick, I offered to make pie for dessert. A strawberry-rhubarb pie was requested, so I searched out a new, possibly less sweet recipe. And I found, what was decided was, the recipe for the best strawberry-rhubarb ever. It really highlighted the strawberry flavor with a much more appropriate level of sweetness than the last one I made. And having a decent amount of cornstarch made for a thicker filling, which held together beautifully after some refrigeration.

Now on to the next pie... The kick continues... But first, here's the awesome strawberry-rhubarb pie recipe.

I used my tried-and-true pie crust recipe, so I'll just add the filling information that I found here on epicurious.com.

3 1/2 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices trimmed rhubarb (1 1/2 pounds untrimmed)
1 16-ounce container strawberries, hulled, halved (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Toss gently to blend.

Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim excess dough, leaving 3/4-inch overhang.

Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Spoon filling into crust. Arrange second dough disc atop filling. Trim excess dough of top crust even with overhang of bottom crust. Fold overhang under, pressing to seal. Crimp edges decoratively.

Brush glaze over crust and transfer pie to baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake pie until golden and filling thickens, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

I'm on a pie kick. Ever since making that awesome blueberry pie for Benjamin's birthday, I just want to try every pie recipe possible. Since we were having visitors last weekend, I thought I'd make a new pie for while they were here. It came out quite well. It was right on the edge of being too sweet for me, but I enjoyed the piece I had. I figure if I make it again, I can try balancing the sweetness of the strawberries and sugar I add more accurately.

I used the pie crust recipe that I used for the blueberry pie. And I also upped the lemon zest, lemon juice, and cinnamon amounts a bit. I liked how fresh the lemon flavors made the pie taste.

Grandma's Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
A variation on this recipe by Valarie Enters, Sanford, Florida



2 1/2 cups chopped red rhubarb, fresh
2 1/2 cups de-stemmed, washed and cut strawberries (in larger pieces)
1 1/2 cups sugar (1 1/4 cups for high altitude)
2 tablespoons minute tapioca
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter, cubed small
1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Large granule sugar

Prepare crust of your choice. Place bottom part of the crust in the pie dish and chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling. Preheat oven to 425°F.

Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, flour, zest and juice of lemon, dash of cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well in a large bowl and pour out into chilled crust. Dot the top of the filling with the butter. Brush edges of pie crust with egg white wash. Roll out the other piece of dough and place over filling. Crimp to seal edges. Brush with egg white wash and garnish with large granule sugar.

Collar with foil and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Decrease temperature to 375°F and bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling starts bubbling. (Higher altitude will take 450°F and 400°F, respectively. Also, you can use a pie bird for extra decor.) Let cool before serving.

Blueberry Pie

After tasting this pie, my grandfather-in-law told me that someone had finally learned how to make blueberry pie properly. Well done, Food Network Magazine.

Blueberry Pie
A variation on this recipe from Food Network Magazine

 

7 cups blueberries (about 3 pints), stems removed and rinsed, divided
1 cup maple syrup, divided
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, diced

Simmer 3 cups blueberries with 1/2 cup maple syrup until the mixture reduces by half, about 20 minutes. Pour into a bowl; stir in remaining blueberries, remaining maple syrup, cornstarch, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt. Cool completely, then pour into pie shell, dot with butter, and top with remaining pie crust; press the crust edges together and trim, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Roll up or pinch the overhang to seal.

Place a foil-lined baking sheet on a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 450°F. Wrap an oiled, wide band of foil around the pie edge to protect the crust. Make slashes in the top of the crust; chill for 30 minutes.

Reduce the oven to 400°F. Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Remove the foil band, brush the crust with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes; cool before slicing.

Pumpkin Pie From Scratch

In the Fall, I decided to try my hand at processing an entire pumpkin. It was messy and definitely labor-intensive, but the results were fantastic. Everything I made had a much more pronounced pumpkin flavor, which was just delicious in all of its forms.

For this pie, I used a store-bought graham cracker crust, but once I can get my hands on some graham flour, and once it's pumpkin season again, I'm going to try making a totally from-scratch pie. Of course, I could make normal pie crust, but I like graham cracker crusts better for pumpkin pies.

I'm also going to process a GIANT pumpkin next Fall and just freeze whatever I don't use right away. I can't believe how hard it is to find even canned pumpkin now that it's the winter.

I used this website as a basic guide for the whole process. But I kind of tweaked things here and there.

Preparing, cooking and pureeing the pumpkin:

Make sure you pick out a "pie pumpkin", not a "Jack-o-lantern" one. I used an heirloom pumpkin, which I was able to find very easily at Wolff's Apple House, a local farmer's market near us.

Once I got home, I peeled and cut up the pumpkin. This was the hard way to do it. No matter how you cook it (in the microwave, on the stovetop or in the oven), it's much easier just to cut it into manageable pieces and scoop out the flesh once it's done cooking.

Before you put it in to bake though, you have to make sure to scoop out all the seeds and pulp, just like you do when you're carving a pumpkin. And keep the seeds! They can be seasoned, roasted and turned into a tasty snack.

Once you've cut up and cleaned the pumpkin, choose your cooking method. I put mine in the oven on a parchment paper-lined cooking sheet. I baked it at 350ºF for 90 minutes until the flesh was very soft.

Once it's done cooking, scoop out the flesh and put it in a sieve over a bowl. This will drain some of the excess liquid. If you find that your pumpkin is still very liquidy, you can let it sit in the sieve for 30 minutes. Or if you want to make absolutely sure you won't have a liquidy pie, and if you have the time, you can let the flesh sit in either cheese cloth or wrapped in paper towels in a sieve over a bowl in the refrigerator overnight.

Once the flesh is dry enough for you, you can use either a blender or an immersion blender to puree it. Now you're ready to make a pie!

Pumpkin Pie From Scratch



1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional, I don't use any)
4 large eggs
3 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cans (12oz each) evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

*Note: You may substitute cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and ginger with 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice.

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Mix together all ingredients. Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake at 425ºF for 15 minutes, turn oven down to 350ºF, and bake for another 45 to 60 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Super Apple Pie

Super apple pie indeed! I love the flavor of it, and it smells phenomenal while it's baking. Alton Brown is a genius.

While I was fine without the pie bird thingy (I found one on Amazon, but I haven't gotten it yet), the 2-piece tart pan that the apple pie recipe calls for is truly genius, and I highly recommend getting one if you don't have one already. Beautiful and easily-cut pie slices just make the presentation that much better. And, in my opinion, vanilla ice cream is essential (I made my vanilla).

I could not find the grains of paradise or the tapioca flour that the pie recipe calls for, so I used the substitution of caraway seeds that I had seen Alton suggest on his show. And I saw that a good substitution for tapioca flour was regular flour mixed with cornstarch.

Super Apple Pie
A variation on this recipe by Alton Brown



For the crust:
6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 ounces vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
5 to 7 tablespoons applejack
12 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 2 3/4 cups, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

For the filling:
3 to 3 1/2 pounds apples, mixture of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn and Golden Delicious, about 6 large apples
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons apple jelly
1 tablespoon apple cider
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground grains of paradise (or caraway seeds)

For the crust:

Place the butter, shortening and applejack into the refrigerator for 1 hour.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar by pulsing 3 to 4 times. Add the butter and pulse 5 to 6 times until the texture looks mealy. Add the shortening and pulse another 3 to 4 times until incorporated.

Remove the lid of the food processor and sprinkle in 5 tablespoons of the applejack. Replace the lid and pulse 5 times. Add more applejack as needed, and pulse again until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Weigh the dough and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

For the filling:

Peel and core the apples. Slice into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Toss all of the apples with 1/4 cup of the sugar, place in a colander set over a large bowl and allow to drain for 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer the drained liquid to a small saucepan, place over medium heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool. Toss the apples with the remaining sugar, flour, cornstarch, jelly, cider, lime juice, salt and grains of paradise (or caraway seeds).

For assembling and baking the pie:

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Remove one disk of dough from the refrigerator. Place the dough onto a lightly floured piece of waxed paper. Lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and roll out into a 12-inch circle. Place into a 9 1/2 to 10-inch tart pan that is 2-inches deep. Gently press the dough into the sides of the pan, crimping and trimming the edges as necessary.

Place the apples into the unbaked pie shell in concentric circles starting around the edges, working towards the center and forming a slight mound in the center of the pie. Pour over any liquid that remains in the bowl. Roll out the second pie dough as the first. Place this dough over the apples, cutting a hole in the top. Press together the edges of the dough around the rim of the pie. Brush the top crust with the reduced juice everywhere except around the edge of pie. Trim any excess dough. Place the pie on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake on the floor of the oven for 30 minutes. Transfer to the lower rack of the oven and continue to bake another 20 minutes or until the apples are cooked through but not mushy. Remove to a rack and cool a minimum of 4 hours or until almost room temperature.

Vegetarian Pot Pie

In a continued effort to see if I can find delicious vegetarian dishes, I found this really good one by Aida Mollenkamp. I'm actually very excited to find a tasty dish by her since we were on her show, Ask Aida, last year. Our friend, Jenni, was a producer on her show and asked if we wouldn't mind being on, so we were! It was fun. And I've felt kind of silly for not looking into her recipes more until now.

I did fiddle a bit with the recipe since I don't like using half of things, especially vegetables. So instead of 2 small heads of fennel and half of an onion, I just used one of each. And I used a little less mushrooms than was called for (I used 8 ounces instead of 12 ounces) since I can more easily find 8 ounces prepackaged. Laziness on my part, I admit it. I also used vegetable broth rather than the called-for mushroom broth. I don't think I've actually ever seen mushroom broth in a store...

I think next time I'm going to go with the more traditional pot pie structure of dough encasing the whole thing (I used just a sheet of puffed pastry on top this time). I just like the final product a lot more when it's more like an actual pie. While this was very tasty, it was also kind of messy and definitely didn't come out from the pan very easily (hence, no picture). I'll definitely be trying this again though. Yum.

Vegetarian Pot Pie
A variation on this recipe by Aida Mollenkamp

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small head fennel, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
1 small russet potato, peeled and diced small
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup whole milk
1 cup frozen baby green peas
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives
1/4 cup parsley
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 large egg yolk
1 sheet store-bought puff pastry OR 2 sheets pie dough, defrosted if frozen

Heat the oven to 400ºF and arrange a rack in the middle.

Melt butter over medium heat in a 3- to 4-quart Dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan. When it foams, add fennel, onions, and carrots, and cook until just soft and onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms and potato, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring rarely, until mushrooms have let off water and are shrunken, about 6 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over vegetables, stir to coat, and cook until raw flavor is gone, about 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully add broth and milk, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, add peas, herbs, and vinegar, and stir to coat. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn filling into an 8 by 8-inch baking dish or pie plate. If using pie dough to make more traditional pie, place first sheet of pie dough in pie plate before adding filling.

Whisk egg together with 2 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt until evenly mixed. Set aside.

If using 1 sheet of puff pastry, place dough over filling and tuck into the edges of the dish. If making more traditional pie, place second sheet of pie dough over filling, press edges of the top layer into the edges of the bottom, and crimp the edges. Brush dough with egg wash and cut slits in the top to vent. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and mixture is bubbling, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving.