Peach Hand Pies

My husband LOVES hand pies! It is a good thing I know how to make them or I would fear he loved them more than me! There is just something so amazing about being able to eat pie with your hands! If you haven't done that, you haven't lived! These are a breakfast food as well as dessert in my house!  I found the recipe for the peaches (the best!) here. I always use my favorite pie crust (see below). Now, get going!

Peach Hand Pies
(about 20)

Pie Crust

(adapted from Bon Appetite)

2 1/2 cups flour

2 t sugar

1/4 t salt

1 cup (2 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

6 T ice water (or more)

1 egg

1 T milk 

whisk this together

(this is for brushing on the dough)

Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Add butter, rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles course meal.  Add 6 T ice water and toss with a fork until moist clumps form, add more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time if the mixture is too dry.  Gather dough into a ball and flatten into two disks.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Roll out one disk at a time on a lightly floured surface until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out as many 4 inch circles as you can. Repeat with other disk.  While the dough disks are in the fridge, make the peach filling. 

Peach Filling

5 medium to large peaches
1/2 cup sugar
2 T corn starch
1/2 t cinnamon
dash of salt
juice of 1/2 a lemon
a few drops of almond extract (this enhances the peach flavor!)

Peel and dice the peaching into 1/2" pieces. Place the diced peaches in a bowl and sprinkle with the sugar. Toss to combine.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for an hour. After an hour, drain the juice into a medium sauce pan.  Set aside the diced peaches. Whisk in the cinnamon, cornstarch and salt.  Cook over medium heat until the syrup boils. Whisking constantly, cook for about 2 minutes or until the syrup thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and the almond extract.  Gently fold in the diced peaches and any extra juice.  Set aside to cool while you roll out the dough.

Icing
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 T milk
a few drops vanilla extract
a few drops almond extract


Putting it all together:

Preheat oven to 350. Take a 4 inch dough round to a lightly floured surface and brush it with the egg and milk mixture.  Place a Tablespoon of peaches in the middle and fold the sides up like a taco. Gently pinch the sides together starting at one end and working to the middle. Lay the hand pie on its side and seal the edges using the tines of a fork.  Poke a couple of holes in the top, using your fork, to vent it.  Place the hand pie on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper and repeat with the remaining dough circles.  Bake the pies for 30 minutes or until golden at 350.  While they are baking, whisk together the icing.  When they are hot out of the oven, gently brush the pies with the icing.  Cool as long as you can!  They are so yummy warm!

** If you have left over peach filling (I always do) place the peaches in a small oven safe dish.  Mix together a couple tablespoons oats, a couple tablespoons melted butter, a dash of cinnamon and a couple tablespoons brown sugar.  Put this onto of the peaches and bake at 350 until bubbly and lightly browned!

Apple Crisp Pie

I don't usually make pie. Not because I don't like it, I am just not very good at it. But this recipe has given me new hope! I LOVE this pie, it is probably the only one I will ever make again, it is that good! I can't for the life of me remember where I got the recipe, so please forgive me for not giving credit where credit is due, especially with such an amazing recipe! 

Apple Crisp Pie

(makes one pie)

1 homemade or store bought pie crust (I use this recipe)

5 1/2 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples (my fav is honey crisp)

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

3 T flour

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

Topping

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 375.  Fit pie crust into the pie plate.  

In a large bowl, gently mix sliced apples, lemon juice, both sugars, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Once it is blended well, pour into the pie crust.

Prepare topping by mixing all the ingredients for the topping in a medium bowl with a pastry cutter or a fork until coarsely crumbled and all the dry ingredients are incorporated.  Sprinkle the topping over the apple mixture in the prepared pie crust.

Bake at 375 for 50 minutes. (If your crust starts to get too brown, cover just the crust with foil and continue baking.  The pie will be bubbly around the edges when it is done.  Let the pie cool (if you can).  It will set up as it cools! Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if you so desire, but why wouldn't you?!?

PW's Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is my husband's favorite pie.  So, of course, I had to make one for Thanksgiving!  I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman, she never lets me down (especially when it comes to dessert!)  And I have to say, it was mighty tasty!  I did add chocolate chips because, lets be honest, you can't go wrong with pecans and chocolate!

PW's Pecan Pie

1 whole unbaked pie crust (I used the recipe below)*

1 cup sugar

3 T brown sugar

1/2 t salt

1 cup light corn syrup

3/4 t vanilla

1/3 cup melted butter

3 whole eggs, beaten

1 heaping cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Make your pie crust (recipe below) and set aside. Next, mix your sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs and vanilla all together in a bowl.  Pour chopped pecans and chocolate chips into the unbaked pie crust.  Pour the syrup mixture over the nuts and chocolate chips. Cover the top and crust of the pie lightly with foil.  Bake the pie at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue baking for 20 more minutes, being careful not to burn the crust or pecans.  The pie should NOT be overly jiggly when you remove it from the oven.  If it shakes a lot, cover with the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes (checking the pie every few minutes) or until it is set.  Allow to cool for several hours or overnight.

*Pie Crust

(adapted from Bon Appetite)

1 1/4 cups flour

1 t sugar

1/8 t salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

3 T ice water (or more)

Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Add butter, rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles course meal.  Add 3 T ice water and toss with a fork until moist clumps form, add more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time if the mixture is too dry.  Gather dough into a ball and flatten into a disk.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface until about 12 inches across.  Gently settle into a 9 inch pie pan, being careful not to stretch the dough (this will cause your pie crust to shrink when it bakes).  Fold overhang under and crimp edges.

Day 89 - Best-Of-All Pecan Pie

     I had to stick my hand into the garbage disposal this morning.  The other day it made a funny sound, like a piece of metal was jumping around in there. 
     And yes.
     I admit it.
     I put it off because I just don't like to deal with things of that sort.  Yes, I could have asked my husband to (using my very deepest man voice) do a manly job and "fix" the disposal (GRAWRRRRRRR).  I'm sure he would have readily accepted the challenge knowing how he likes to "fix" problems even though sometimes when he "fixes" he likes to takes things completely apart and then they cannot be fixed for good unless we pay to have them repaired.  If you know my husband, a mechanic he is not, but he is extremely gifted in his profession.  He has and continues to help many people and I am very grateful and very proud of what he does.  He's awesome.
     To be honest, I truly don't know if his hand would have fit into the mouth of the disposal anyway.  Forgetting that that mystery piece of whatever it was was still in there, I put something down this drain this morning, flipped on the switch and heard it again. 
Doggone it!! 
Son of a gun!!
Oh, ALRIGHT ALREADY!!!
I actually started whining in my head, "oh, I don't want to do this...why do I have to be the one to do it?  Who was it that put this thing down here anyway and why can't THEY get it out??!!  WHY ME??!!"  My husband wasn't home to ask even if I had wanted to.
I don't have a fear of the thing turning on and shredding my hand to bits although the thought has crossed my mind.  No, what really scares me is reaching in there and touching all things SLIMY and DISGUSTING and not being able to SEE what they are.  EEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!!!  It grosses me out just thinking about it!  I can handle mice, rats, creepy crawly things and snakes, but touching yucky stuff?  Unh Uh!
No gloves to be had, so I unplugged the thing, closed my eyes ('cause I can always feel things better with my eyes closed, especially if I can't see what it is I'm touching to begin with!) and ever so gently emerged my hand into the abyss.  Ok, it was a very small abyss, but that's the word that comes to mind. 
Abyss. 
Going into the...
Unknown.
Feeling around I could feel the culprit!  A piece of metal something or other.  Wait, no.  That's attached to this other piece of metal which rotates, slices and dices.  Hmmm...wait, what's this?  Something that feels small and it could be...AHA! (as I pull my hand out to view the little devil)

This isn't the actual piece, the real one was chopped up.

Ok, I admit it.  I'm the one who is at fault for this one.  It must have fallen in when I was cleaning up from the Easter Egg Hunt Cookies the other day.  I knew there was a cake decorating piece missing!

You know what?  I'm tired of indenting and I'm not going to do it anymore and it's wasting precious blogging space.  So, I apologize to any English teachers out there who may now have a problem reading this because it's not in correct form.  But hey, isn't that what blogs are about anyway, literary freedom?
I used my trusty Fannie Farmer Cookbook for this one, pages 639 (crust) and 648; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.
Best-Of-All Pecan Pie

Pastry Shell - 9-inch pie shell
     1½ cup flour
     ¼ teaspoon salt
     ½ cup shortening
     3-4 tablespoons cold water (I ended up using about 7)
  
Mix the flour and salt.  Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or two knives.  Combine lightly only until the mixture resembles coarse meal or very tiny peas:  its texture will be uniform, but will contain crumbs and small bits and pieces.  Sprinkle water over the flour mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and mix lightly with a fork, using only enough water so that the pastry will hold together when pressed gently together.  Roll the dough out 2 inches larger than the pie pan.  Fit it loosely, but firmly into the pan.  Crimp or flute the edges.

Pie Filling

3 eggs
1 cup dark corn syrup (I used light - didn't have dark)
½ cup dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1¼ cups pecan halves or coarsely chopped pecans

Topping

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Set aside the prepared, unbaked pie shell.
Beat the eggs in a bowl with a fork or wire whisk until the yolks and whites are well blended.
Add the corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter and vanilla, and blend well.

Stir in the pecans, then pour the mixture into the pie shell.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center quivers slightly.  Don't overbake!



Let the pie cool a bit, and just before serving whip the cream, then spread it over the pie or pass it separately.

I've only ever had Pecan Pie once before and thought it was good.  This one was equally as good and earns a rating of 3½ rolling pins.  My rating system is on a scale of 1-4 with 1 being the worst and not worth the money or effort.  I'm enjoying the process of making the pie crusts!  I'm thinking after I'm done with 365 that I will maybe do a 365 of Pies.  I'm kidding.  I really don't know if I could bake a pie every day for 365 days straight.  Wow, that would be a big undertaking.  Haha.  Yeah, listen to me, as if this isn't.  I don't know.  We'll see.  I'm open to suggestions.

This pie was good.  The crust collapsed a little as you can see in the picture.  I have no idea what that was about.  I also left it in the oven an extra 7 minutes because it wasn't set and when I went to cut it, it still wasn't set, so make sure you keep an eye on it at the end.  Do I have any friends nearby who would like to share some Pecan Pie?  I have plenty!  Help me eat it!

Happy baking!

 



Day 84 - Gluten-Free Strawberry Pie

     After I dropped my son off at school this morning, I decided to go to Starbucks and order a cup of coffee.  On the way over there I remembered that a local grocery store was having a sale on strawberries for 97¢ / lb!  Woo Hoo!  Hence the Strawberry Pie.  So, I decided before I stopped at Starbucks, I'd hop (Easter Bunny reference) on over to the store first.  I was walking into the store when I realized I had my slippers on.  Now, they aren't just solid colored slippers and no, they aren't big fluffy slippers with bunny ears either, but a person can definitely tell that they are slippers.  They're stripped with pink, maroon, tan and brown and they aren't the most attractive things.   But when I bought them I thought, "Heck, they're comfortable and I'll only be wearing them around the house, so who cares what they look like?  It's not like anyone's going to see them on me anyway."  HA! 
     Yeah.  They are so comfortable I didn't even realize I had them on my feet.  I went into the store anyway.  I have never done this before.  I'm thinking it must be a sign of old age and that I'm really moving into an era of my life where I don't care what people think.  I have now become "one of those people" who I always looked at funny when they wore their slippers into the store.  Today's occurrence made me a little more compassionate.  Don't judge us by what we wear on our feet, who knows what the circumstances are or what life is like for us right now.  Actually, if people walked around in their slippers there might just be happier people in the world.
     This is a long one tonight - I'm making up for the last two days, so I'm much obliged for your patience.  So, I'm at the check-out and I also bought a light bulb.  I said to the supervisor checking me out that I'll finally now be able to replace the bulb.  He said, "Yeah, it's like when our oven was out and I wouldn't fix that for the longest time.  Finally, I did it myself; $47 dollars for the part and half an hours worth of work." 
I asked, "How long were you without it?"
You ready?     
"A year," he says.
A YEAR???!!!!!  Now how the heck can anyone go without their oven for a WHOLE year??!!!  I just can't put my head around THAT one!  Ok, I know it's because I'm using mine EVERY DAY, but c'mon, seriously?  He went on to say that they only ever really used it for "warming up the kids' chicken nuggets", so that was when it was really an issue.  And what about Thanksgiving?  Maybe they went to Grandma's or had really nice neighbors and they only had to bring drinks.  I know, not everybody cooks or bakes, but I'm just, just...speechless.
     Wow, this is going to be the longest post in the history of blogs.  I'm still not done yet. hee hee.
     I'm sure people saw me in my slippers, but I really didn't care (BIG step for me!).  So, off I went to Starbucks to get my coffee, feeling pretty good and quite content with the day I had planned.  I decided while sitting in that long drive-thru line that I would pay for the person behind me.  It's something I've done occasionally and just like to make someone's day a little brighter.  The way I see it is, if I'm happy darn it, why can't somebody else be, too?  Hopefully it inspired others to "pay it forward" and helped others, too.  Think about something you can do today to help someone else, even if it's just offering a stranger a smile (though be careful which stranger you pick).  You might just make someone's day.
     So, busy day of baking pie crusts; one for today's recipe and one for the lemon meringue pie I'm making in the morning.  That one's for the teachers' luncheon at my son's school. 
     Today was a good day.  I love days like today!
     Now on to business.  I used The Gluten-Free Kitchen today, pages 228-229, 232; author, Roben Ryberg; publisher, Three Rivers Press, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-7615-2272-7.  The only thing you need to change to make it, I don't know, non-diet friendly (haha), is the pie crust.  You could use a refrigerated one or make it from scratch.

     Strawberry Pie

     Traditional Piecrust
     ½ cup shortening
     ½ cup potato starch
     3/4 cup cornstarch
     1 teaspoon sugar
     1½ teaspoons baking powder
     3 teaspoons xanthan gum
     ¼ teaspoon baking soda
     ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

     Preheat oven to 400ºF.
     In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.  Mix very well to remove all lumps.
     If dough will not stay together, blend in an extra tablespoon of milk. 

     Roll out the dough on floured surface or between two sheets of wax paper.  Circle of dough should be about 1½ inches larger in diameter than the pie plate.

     Remove top sheet of wax paper (if using) and place piecrust into pan.  Trim excess dough and pinch edges at top of pie pan to form a pretty border.  Prick piecrust all around with a fork. 

Bake 10-14 minutes until crust is golden brown.  Allow to cool.


     Strawberry Pie

     Fresh whipped cream for topping (optional)

     For 1st layer of filling
     1 cup milk
     3 eggs
     ¼ cup sugar
     ½ teaspoon vanilla
     1 tablespoon cornstarch

     In small bowl, add ¼ cup of the milk to the cornstarch.  Stir until dissolved.  In a medium saucepan, cream together cornstarch mixture, remaining 3/4 cup milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla. 

Heat over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken, whisking constantly to avoid curdling  Spread evenly on bottom of piecrust.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

     For 2nd layer of filling
     3 cups fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

     Arrange fresh whole strawberries, tops down, in pleasing manner on top of 1st layer.  Set aside.

     For 3rd layer of filling
     1 cup fresh strawberries, smashed or puréed
     3/4 cup water
     2 tablespoons cornstarch
     2 tablespoons sugar

     Put cornstarch into small bowl, add water and stir until dissolved.
     In a small saucepan, combine ingredients for 3rd layer.  Stir well.
     Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. 

     Spoon evenly over berries.  Refrigerate at least two hours to chill.

     Top with fresh whipped cream before serving, if desired.

     It definitely was not the crust that we are used to when eating a pie, but I thought it was ok.  I really liked the cream on the bottom and the sweetness of the third layer.  The whipped cream on top was a nice balance, too.  My husband and my daughter didn't like the crust, but thought the pie itself was ok.  My son absolutely loved it, but remember, he is a teenage boy, and at this point will practically devour anything you put in front of him. 
     I use a rating system of 1-4 with 4 being the best and we unanimously decided that this Strawberry Pie earned 3 rolling pins.
     Happy baking!

Day 79 - Lemon Meringue Pie

     Ok, it's 11:00 at night and I just finished tasting the pie.  I started making it at 4:00 this afternoon, had many interruptions, and watched the movie, 'Black Swan'.  Natalie Portman SO deserved that Oscar she was awarded.  I loved it, but at the same time, it was so very disturbing.  My review at the end of the recipe.
     I used my Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition for today's pie.  Recipe for the crust was on page 639, meringue topping on page 642, and the pie on page 653.  Marion Cunningham is the author, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House, and the ISBN is 0-394-56788-9.

     Lemon Meringue Pie

     Pastry Shell - 9-inch pie shell
     1½ cup flour
     ¼ teaspoon salt
     ½ cup shortening
     3-4 tablespoons cold water (I ended up using about 7)
    
     Mix the flour and salt.  Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or two knives.  Combine lightly only until the mixture resembles coarse meal or very tiny peas:  its texture will be uniform, but will contain crumbs and small bits and pieces.  Sprinkle water over the flour mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and mix lightly with a fork, using only enough water so that the pastry will hold together when pressed gently together.  Roll the dough out 2 inches larger than the pie pan. 

Fit it loosely but firmly into the pan.  Prick the dough all over and crimp or flute the edges.

     Preheat the oven to 425ºF.  bake for 16-18 minutes, until lightly browned.

     Meringue Topping - for 9-inch pie
     5 egg whites, at room temperature
     ½ cup sugar
     ¼ teaspoon salt

     Put the egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl and place the bowl in a pan of hot water.  Stir constantly until the egg whites feel warm, then add the salt. 

Remove the bowl from the hot water and beat with an electric beater until the meringue is stiff and shiny. 

     Pie
     4 tablespoons cornstarch
     4 tablespoons flour
     ¼ teaspoon salt
     1¼ cups sugar
     1½ cup water
     Grated rind of 1 lemon
     ½ cup lemon juice
     2 tablespoons butter
     4 egg yolks, slightly beaten

     Mix the cornstarch, flour, salt, sugar, and water in a saucepan.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the lemon rind, lemon juice, and butter.  Stir ½ cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, then stir the yolks into the remaining hot mixture and cook, stirring for another 3 minutes.  Let cool a bit.  Spread the lemon mixture in the baked pie shell.

Spread the meringue over the filling.  Be sure that the meringue touches the inner edge of the crust; this will keep it from shrinking.  Run under the broiler until the meringue peaks are delicately browned, taking care not to burn them; it will only take a minute or two.  This particular meringue will hold up as long as two days without weeping and shrinking.  Refrigerate for storage, but serve at room temperature.

     Oh.  MY.  UNBELIEVABLE.  GOODNESS!  I actually think this recipe is better than what my grandmother used to make and hers was good.  I had two recipes to choose from and I am SO VERY glad I chose this one!  I just cannot put into words how delicious this pie was.  I kind of feel like I cheated today and didn't bake, but technically the crust was baked, so we'll count that.  I am so glad I made this.  I was talking to our neighbor/friend, Wayne, the other day and he asked if I was planning to make a Lemon Meringue Pie during my 365.  He had said that it was his favorite and that his mother's were the best.  Unfortunately, Wayne won't be around for a few days, but I'll be sure to save him a piece.  We'll see what he thinks.  My husband thought everything about it was perfect, and to quote him, "restaurant quality".  So, if any of you own a restaurant and want me to start making Lemon Meringue Pies, I'm for hire.  That is of course after this year is up. Haha.  Needless to say, this dessert earns 4 rolling pins on my scale of 1-4 with 4 being something I highly recommend you bake.  The meringue was delicious, tall and thick, the lemon filling had just the right amount of tartness balanced with the perfect amount of sweet and the crust was flaky and not dry.  I think it could have been rolled just a little thinner though.  Oh, and I put it under the broiler, but it just seemed to be taking too long, so I used my mini torch on it - worked like a charm. 
     People will shower you with compliments after they try this wonderful creation.  Go for it.  Happy baking!

Day 63 - Gluten-Free Ham and Cheese Pocket Pies

         Today was an absolutely wonderful day!  We were blessed with a new addition to our extended family; a new nephew/cousin.  I'm very excited!  We are waiting on pictures, but I'm sure he is just as beautiful as his older brother.  A HUGE congratulations to the new mommy and daddy!!  Babies are always so exciting, and sometimes I wouldn't mind being pregnant again.  I do miss those days.  But, that phase of my life is over.  I don't know if I could tolerate waking in the middle of the night every few hours anyway.
     I also received a most wonderful phone call from my very dear friend, Mary.  I shared her Spanikopita recipe on Day 48.  And just as I thought it would be, we picked up right where we'd left off.  It's been a couple years since we've spoken on the phone, but it was as if no time had passed.  And we talked for 2 hours; I'm sure we could have stayed on longer.  It was great to catch up, but it was even better to hear her voice, and especially her laugh.  Mary will always have a very special place in my heart. 
     If you have a friend like that or a friend who you haven't spoken with in a while, call or e-mail them.  You never know what they might be going through and you may be contacting them at the perfect time.  Why wait?  I'm sure it would do you both good to reconnect. 

          In honor of Pi (pie) Day, it is only fitting that today's recipe should be a pie.  I didn't even know until last week that there was such a thing; pi day, not pie, silly (that I'm well aware of!).  My son came home with a field trip form saying his 8th grade class was going to the park to celebrate it last Friday.  A math field trip of course, and that they would be eating pizza (pies), and different kinds of pie.  They were also going to do some different pi type events, such as finding the circumference of the park.  Needless to say, the boy wasn't that excited about it, but it turned out to be a beautiful day and he was outside instead of inside a classroom which I'm sure was a plus. 
I did a little research on good ol' Wikipedia to find more about March 14.  Gee, Pi Day today, the Ides of March tomorrow, St. Patrick's Day on the 17th and Poultry Day on the 19th, who can handle it?

Pi Day is a holiday commemorating the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 (or 3/14 in month/day date format), since 3, 1 and 4 are the three most significant digits of π in the decimal form. In 2009, the United States House of Representatives supported the designation of Pi Day.^[2]

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I wonder if Hallmark sells cards for Pi Day, too?

    

     I made a lemon chess pie and also made the crust from scratch.  This one comes from The New Doubleday Cookbook, p.766, 783; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House; ISBN 0-385-19577-X.

     Lemon Chess Pie

    

     1 recipe Flaky Pastry I

     Flaky Pastry I

     1¼ cups sifted flour

     ½ teaspoon salt

     1/3 cup vegetable shortening or lard, chilled

     ¼ cup ice water

      Place flour and salt in a shallow mixing bowl and cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Sprinkle water over surface, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix in lightly and quickly with a fork, just until the pastry holds together.  Shape gently into a ball on a lightly floured pastry cloth, then flatten into a circle about 1" thick, evening up the rough edges.  Using a lightly floured, stockinette-covered rolling pin, and short, firm strokes, roll into a circle about 3" larger than the pan you plan to use.  To transfer pastry to pan, lay rolling pin across center of pastry circle, fold half of pastry over pin and ease into pan; press lightly.  Seal any cracks or holes by pressing dampened scraps of pastry on top.  Trim pastry so it hangs evenly 1" over rim, roll overhang under even with rim and crimp or flute.

    

                                         

     Filling

     1½ cups sugar

     2 tablespoons flour

     Finely grated rind of 2 lemons

     5 eggs

     Juice of 2 lemons

     1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

    

     Preheat oven to 325ºF.  Make pastry as directed and fit into a 9" pie pan; do not bake.  Mix sugar, flour, and rind.

Then beat in eggs, one at a time.  Stir in lemon juice and finally the melted butter, adding a bit at a time and beating well after each addition.  Pour filling into pie shell and bake about 1 hour until puffy and golden (filling will seem unset). 

Cool pie to room temperature (filling will settle and thicken).  Serve at room temperature.

     I have to say that everybody loved this!  My rating system is from 1-4 with 4 being the best and this lemon chess pie earned a rating of 3½ rolling pins.  It was deliciously lemony.  It had just the right amount of tartness to go with the perfect amount of sweetness and reminded me of lemon meringue pie without the meringue.  Oh, and by the way,  I didn't use the stockinette-covered rolling pin.  My regular lightly floured one worked just fine.

     Happy baking!

Day 42 - Blueberry Pie

     Really this post is for Wednesday, March 9, 2011, I just wasn't able to post it before midnight.  I don't want anyone thinking I skipped a day!      Blueberries have been on sale at our favorite grocery stores this week.  Can you tell?  Today's post and the one Sunday with Blueberry Muffins, and the blueberry pancakes I made for dinner on Monday have officially made it Blueberry Week here at 365.  I don't think I'll do another blueberry recipe before Sunday though - my family may revolt.
     I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself.  I've been nervous about making a lattice topped pie crust, but have always wanted to do it.  Today was the day and since the pie crust needed to be vented anyway I figured why not give it a shot.  It was a success!  Remember, it's good to try new things and take a risk because you never know how it will turn out or what fun you'll have in the process!
     Blueberry Pie

     Filling:
     3/4 cup sugar
     2 tablespoons cornstarch
     ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
     ½ cup water
     3 cups blueberries
     1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

     Pie Crust
     2 cups all-purpose
     1 tablespoon sugar
     1 teaspoon salt
     3/4 cup shortening
     1 egg
     2 tablespoons water
     ½ tablespoon vinegar
    
     Flour for dusting
     Sugar for sprinkling on the top

     For the filling, combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and water in a medium saucepan.  Heat rapidly until thickened. 

Set aside to cool as you make the pie crusts.  When the mixture is cooled, add the blueberries and the lemon juice.
     Preheat oven to 425ºF.
     Combine flour, sugar, and salt.  Cut in shortening.  Whisk together egg, water and vinegar.  Add to flour mixture and toss lightly with a fork.  Turn out onto a lightly floured board and combine dough using your hands.  Separate into 2 single crusts. 

Line the bottom of a pie plate with 1 of the crusts.

     Pour filling into dough-lined pie plate. 

Place second crust over top, cut vents, and flute the edges.  Sprinkle a small amount of sugar on top.  Place the pie on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350ºF and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes.

      I really think the recipe could've have used 4 cups instead of the 3 cups of blueberries.  There seemed as if there wasn't quite enough and it may have cut down on the sweetness just a tad.  As I said before, I really wanted to attempt the lattice crust, so I found this video on youtube.  It really wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.  I did mess up in the beginning, but after a while got the hang of it and didn't have any problems (except for a couple of end crust pieces breaking off as I lifted them, but it didn't make a difference).  I think I'm hooked now and will have to do more of these.  It was very pretty and fun to do.  I also took quite a bit of time rolling out both crusts so that they were pretty evenly rounded.  I wanted to make sure this pie was just right!  AND I finally figured out how to get the crust off the board and into the pie plate!  That was a huge accomplishment in itself.  I know I've seen it done on cooking shows, but I've had problems in the past.  I just rolled it right onto the rolling pin and unrolled it over the dish.  Voila!  There are definitely more pies in my future.

     I have a rating system of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  Both my husband and son thought it was a little too sweet, but my neighbor said it was the best blueberry pie he's ever had (and no, I'm not making that up and I didn't pay him to say that).  I really, really liked it, too!  So, I'm giving this baby a rating of 4 rolling pins!  I think the lattice crust was what sealed the deal and I really like the fact that because of the lattice there wasn't too much crust.
     I'm starting to feel sore because of my workout today.  If you haven't checked the weigh-in page, take a look, I updated it today.  So if my arms are as sore as I think they'll be tomorrow, it might be a challenge putting something in the oven. Ha Ha.  I guess I'll just have to make sure the dish or pan isn't too heavy.
     Happy baking!

Day 4 - Apple Cream Pie

     Funny, it's only day 4 and I'm feeling that I've been baking and blogging for months (haha)!  I realized this morning that I omitted a very important part of my post last night - taste.  How can a person be blogging about what they're cooking, baking, or even frying if they aren't going to add how it tastes?  The Pepperoni bread was good, but it wasn't one of those times that it was "to die for" because I have made those.  My son loved it, but I may have thought that because I wasn't feeling all that well yesterday and had very little appetite, too.  I was disappointed that the dough was so bread-like, especially towards one side of the loaf.  The Pepperoni and cheese wasn't evenly distributed.  It was certainly edible, but I am my own worst critic as I'm sure you'll discover.  I'm not going to pretend that I'm the world's greatest baker and I deserve to have my own show on the Food Network because I definitely am not, far from it.  I enjoy being in the kitchen and feeding my family and one of my goals for this is to improve my baking.

     An aside, my scale says I lost two pounds. I haven't exercised, but I'm thinking "thin", so maybe I'm wishing the weight away.  Ok, more honestly, it's probably that I've lost that wonderful monthly water retention.

     Ok, I typed the beginning of this blog this morning at 8:44 a.m., and it is now 11:06 p.m.  Life happened - breakfast had to be made, piles of laundry needed to be done, a daughter went back to college, groceries needed to be gotten, and a son requested assistance with homework and a science project which ended up regressing because of the parental input.  I'm aggravated.  There just wasn't enough time in the day today.  I know sometimes that happens and usually I can deal with it, but maybe it's because I now have superglue on 6 of my ten fingers, that I can't upload pictures to this particular computer because I can't figure out how, that it took me 4 hours to make a pie crust (really wasn't difficult I just had so many interruptions), or that the pie is in the oven and will be done at the stroke of midnight.  I didn't even make dinner!  It was a fend-for-yourself-eat-leftovers night.

     I made my first pie crust from scratch.  We'll see how it turns out.  As I said, it really wasn't difficult and if you are uninterrupted, should not take very long maybe an hour and a half including chill time.  I used the recipe from one of my Julia Child cookbooks thinking that her's would be one of the best.  My only concern, well, two actually was that I trimmed the edges right at the top of the pie plate and that I didn't roll it thin enough.  When I pre-baked it there was shrinkage and some of the crust is below the plate edge, and I just think the thing is too darn thick.  We'll see.

     This Apple Cream Pie recipe hails from my mother's sister, Jeanne.  She is a wonderful cook, too, just like her mother.  My mother, not so much.  She inherited the creative genes, not the culinary ones.  She wasn't bad, just...ok.  I've mostly made this pie for Thanksgiving, but it's been quite a few years.  It felt weird to not make it for a special occasion.  I'm glad I did though.  It smells delicious!

     Apple Cream Pie

     One Pie Crust (HAHA, I just noticed that I didn't read the directions and that the pie crust is supposed to be UNBAKED.  I'm thinking that it may be better that I did because it was especially thick.)

 

    

      5 or 6 Medium Apples (I used Macintosh, just because we prefer those.)

     1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
     1 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar
     1/4 cup Flour
     1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
     1/8 tsp. Salt
     1 cup Cream

     Pare and quarter apples.  Place in unbaked pie shell.  Sprinkle lemon juice over apples.  Combine dry ingredients.    Sprinkle 3/4 dry ingredients over apples.  Pour cream over apples.  Sprinkle with remaining dry ingredients (sugar mixture).

     Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, then at 350 for 45-60 minutes until apples are tender.
     (Add 1/4 tsp. cinnamon when mixing pie dough) - which I neglected to do.  I've used pre-packaged pie crusts in the past and it tasted just fine without cinnamon in the crust.

     So, it's coming out of the oven in 1 minute!  I will take a picture which along with the other ones I've taken will be posted tomorrow.  I will taste it in the morning  - BREAKFAST with a nice cup of coffee, and let you know how the crust came out.  It is best served chilled anyway, not like a warm apple pie.  Time for bed.  I also need to discuss tomorrow my shopping trip and how I saved 48% at checkout!  I still need to get this glue off my fingers...

     You're probably already in bed, but Happy Baking!