The sooner you develop your child's pie-baking skills, the sooner she will make pie for you! Stacy and Chris, who are about to have their own pie baby any day now, sent in this photo. Can't wait to meet the soon-to-be baker!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Pie For Baby
The sooner you develop your child's pie-baking skills, the sooner she will make pie for you! Stacy and Chris, who are about to have their own pie baby any day now, sent in this photo. Can't wait to meet the soon-to-be baker!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Shaker Lemon Pie by Mom and Dad
pie by my parentsFriday, February 04, 2011
Apple Persimmon Pie
Friends and I, huddled round pie. Photo by StokesI still had a plethora of Fuyu persimmons that I had collected from that aforementioned tree of undisclosed location, and from my friend Aaron, who had given me a whole bag-full when I ran into him a week or so before. I didn't have quite enough for a pie, though, so I combined it with just as many apples for an apple-persimmon pie. The recipe:
Apple-Persimmon Pie
Ingredients
Nothing-in-the-House Pie Crust
4-6 medium-sized baking apples (I used Granny Smith), cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
4-6 medium-sized ripe but still firm Fuyu persimmons, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to taste
3 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Turbinado sugar, for dusting
Directions
1. Prepare the pie crust as per the directions. Roll out half of the pie crust into an 11-inch cirlce and fit into a greased and floured 9-inch pie pan.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients and stir until well combined. Pour filling into the bottom crust.
3. Roll out the remaining crust into an 11-inch circle. Place over the filling and flute edges decoratively. Brush on an egg wash (the leftover half of a beaten egg from the crust) and sprinkle Turbinado sugar on top. Put the pie in the oven, 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 35 to 40 minutes longer. Filling will bubble and crust will be golden brown when finished.
We enjoyed ours with maple whipped cream, which we took turns whipping with a hand-crank blender-- a fun party activity!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Michael Hurley Illustrates the Piebird
After I heard back from Michael Hurley about my post on his pie-themed songs and art, I asked him if he might be interested in contributing a post to the blog. He sent in this photo he took in Richmond, Virginia, circa 1995:
and included this note:
and included this note:He said that he ordered them from a Tennessee general store catalog, and was glad that I was a piebird keeper. I must admit, though I own two pie birds, a black bird (like the one pictured at right) and a sparrow, I've never actually used them in a pie, always thinking that I'd rather keep in the steam and juice as much as possible. I think the bottom of my oven has suffered as a result; I might need to try my piebird soon...hi Emily,here's a pic for the pie blog. it illustrates the use of the piebird, a ceramic inserted in the pie which spouts the juices as a venting function. we used to do pies with these piebirds and here is one cooling from the oven.allamichael
Sunday, January 30, 2011
It's An Old New England Custom...
...To eat pie for breakfast. Tay from Winooski, Vermont sent in these photos from the Rotary Pie For Breakfast at the Cambridge Winter Fest in the Lamoille Valley of Vermont. Here's what she had to say:
It was delicious, I had elderberry/apple, raspberry, pizza, and part of a slice of peanut butter pie.Thanks for the photos Tay and for keeping the tradition alive!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Mincemeat Pie by Julie Shepherd-Powell
I was put in touch with Julie via my friend Lora, after she came back from her New Year's celebration, raving about Julie's mincemeat pie. Several people have asked me when I would start posting about meat pies, but I don't eat meat, so I thought this the perfect opportunity to bring in an expert. I asked Julie if she would be interested in writing a post about it here, and she graciously agreed.
A little about Julie Shepherd-Powell...she is a mom, wife, home cook, banjo player, flat-footer, and PhD student galore from North Carolina, currently living in Nonesuch, KY. Her and her family's ultimate goal is to become homesteaders in the mountains of Virginia and open a business called Happy Hog Lard featuring organic, free range, lovable pork, and, of course, lard.
Here's what she has to say about mincemeat pie...
Mincemeat Pie: How did I ever live without you?
I never gave mincemeat, or mincemeat pie, much thought until a couple of years ago when I was browsing through my King Arthur Flour 20th Anniversary cookbook that my mother-in-law had picked up for me at a yard sale. I’m not even sure what I thought mincemeat was before I came across this recipe—perhaps in my subconscious I had linked it to some sort of weird English dish that involved livers and other parts of the animals that were not in favor with my conservatively raised Southern palate. In recent years, though, I’ve expanded my culinary horizon and am always excited to try new, different recipes. And well, I’m a sucker for Christmassy things, especially when it comes to recipes with long traditions, and frankly, I’m a sucker for the old world and like to think people eating these traditional foods for hundreds of years. Maybe Jane Austin herself ate mincemeat, and who doesn’t love a good classic novel set in the English countryside?
So when I first came across this recipe for mincemeat around Christmastime in 2009, I knew I wanted to try it—but I was unable to find the time I needed to do it. So this past year when I came across the recipe for a second time, I decided I would be sure to make room in my busy schedule for it--it takes a few hours to put together (most of it is not “active”), and after cooking the filling, you need to let it set for at least 2 weeks in the fridge to let the flavors meld.
When I speak of mincemeat pie now, I am always trying to convey the amazing sweet, Yuletide goodness that it embodies—it basically combines tons of delicious dried fruits, spices, apple cider, maple syrup, butter (or suet- a type of beef fat that you can get from your butcher with a little advance notice), wine, and yes beef into a delicious filling that melts in your mouth. Made with a rustic cornmeal crust, and topped with a homemade bourbon whipped cream, it’s a tradition that will definitely be part of my family’s holiday cuisine for years to come. And be assured--despite the fact that I have gone on and on about Christmas, this pie is one to try in any of the cooler/cold months—plan ahead, and when you finally bake it and take your first bite, you’ll know why it was worth the wait.
Mincemeat Pie in a Rustic Cornmeal Crust with Bourbon Whipped Cream
The Mincemeat: (Make two weeks in advance)
Note: This recipe makes enough mincemeat for 2 pies, so if you want to make 2, you'll need to make the crust recipe twice
1 pound lean beef
1 quart apple cider
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon mace
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ cup (1 stick) butter or ¼ pound ground suet (I used butter, see note below about suet*)
½ pound dried currants (1 1/2 cups firmly packed)
½ pound golden raisins (1 1/2 cups firmly packed)
¼ pound fresh cranberries, cut in half (about 2 cups)
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup "spirits" (I used wine, but brandy or bourbon would work well too!)
Trim the meat if necessary and dice it into small cubes. Pour the cider into a large saucepan and add the sweeteners and spices. Add the meat and bring this mixture to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Skim any foam that comes to the top during the first hour of cooking.
After 2 hours, turn off the heat and remove the meat with a slotted spoon. Add the currants, raisins, cranberries and lemon rind and juice to the hot cider/broth mixture. Let these steep while you mince the meat.
Return the meat to the fruit mixture, bring back to a boil and then down to a simmer for about 1/2 hour. Boil off enough liquid so the mixture is thick. Melt and blend in the butter at this point. After the mixture has cooled, add 1/4 cup of "spirits." This adds flavor and helps preserve the mincemeat. Cover and store mincemeat in a cool place (the fridge) for 2 or more weeks.
A word about suet: You can find suet, a special kind of beef fat, at your local butcher shop/market. Often he or she just needs to know in advance to put some aside for you when they are butchering beef. Don’t order the suet online—this is the kind that is used for bird feeders—it has other additives and is not safe for human consumption. OKAY, so what to do if you are using suet instead of butter—you will want to “mince” it up WITH the beef—and add it back into the broth/spice mixture when you add the beef back, and of course, skip the butter. Pretty simple. I plan to try it with suet next year.
Rustic Cornmeal Crust: (and preparing/baking the pie)
Makes a single crust for one mincemeat pie, this is a rustic crust—so you only need a single crust per pie
1 ¾ cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup cornmeal
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick butter (cold and cut into ½ inch cubes)
1/3 cup buttermilk
PLUS:
2 tablespoons milk
1 egg white
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
Preparation:
To prepare pastry, combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a food processor; pulse a few times. Add butter to flour mixture; pulse 4-5 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, slowly add buttermilk through food chute; process just until dough forms a ball.** Gently press dough into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator for an hour. (Be sure to get the dough VERY chilled, but not so hard you can’t roll it out)
Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap and place dough on a sheet of parchment paper, sprinkled with flour. Roll dough into a 12 or 13-inch circle. Your dough should be about 1/8 inch thick when rolled out. Place dough and parchment on a baking sheet (this is how it will bake—read on).
Arrange ½ of the mincemeat mixture (enough for one pie) in center of dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal (dough will only partially cover the mincemeat mixture—try to make sure there are no holes in the edges, or you might have some juice spillage while the pie is baking).
Combine milk and egg white in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Brush dough with milk mixture; sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over dough. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes- 1 hour or until pastry is golden brown. Let stand 30 minutes; cut into wedges, and serve with Bourbon Whipped Cream (recipe follows).
** Note: If you don't have a food processor, combine flour, sugar, cornmeal, and salt and cut in butter using a pastry knife, until the dough resembles coarse meal. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add buttermilk. Stir until dough forms a ball. Continue with instructions from here!
Bourbon Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1-2 Tablespoons powdered sugar (to taste)
1 Tablespoon (or more) good-quality Bourbon
In a medium bowl whisk/whip the heavy until soft peaks are just about to form. Beat in bourbon and sugar until soft peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, or cream will become lumpy and butter-like.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, Julie!
A little about Julie Shepherd-Powell...she is a mom, wife, home cook, banjo player, flat-footer, and PhD student galore from North Carolina, currently living in Nonesuch, KY. Her and her family's ultimate goal is to become homesteaders in the mountains of Virginia and open a business called Happy Hog Lard featuring organic, free range, lovable pork, and, of course, lard.
Here's what she has to say about mincemeat pie...
Mincemeat Pie: How did I ever live without you?I never gave mincemeat, or mincemeat pie, much thought until a couple of years ago when I was browsing through my King Arthur Flour 20th Anniversary cookbook that my mother-in-law had picked up for me at a yard sale. I’m not even sure what I thought mincemeat was before I came across this recipe—perhaps in my subconscious I had linked it to some sort of weird English dish that involved livers and other parts of the animals that were not in favor with my conservatively raised Southern palate. In recent years, though, I’ve expanded my culinary horizon and am always excited to try new, different recipes. And well, I’m a sucker for Christmassy things, especially when it comes to recipes with long traditions, and frankly, I’m a sucker for the old world and like to think people eating these traditional foods for hundreds of years. Maybe Jane Austin herself ate mincemeat, and who doesn’t love a good classic novel set in the English countryside?
So when I first came across this recipe for mincemeat around Christmastime in 2009, I knew I wanted to try it—but I was unable to find the time I needed to do it. So this past year when I came across the recipe for a second time, I decided I would be sure to make room in my busy schedule for it--it takes a few hours to put together (most of it is not “active”), and after cooking the filling, you need to let it set for at least 2 weeks in the fridge to let the flavors meld.
When I speak of mincemeat pie now, I am always trying to convey the amazing sweet, Yuletide goodness that it embodies—it basically combines tons of delicious dried fruits, spices, apple cider, maple syrup, butter (or suet- a type of beef fat that you can get from your butcher with a little advance notice), wine, and yes beef into a delicious filling that melts in your mouth. Made with a rustic cornmeal crust, and topped with a homemade bourbon whipped cream, it’s a tradition that will definitely be part of my family’s holiday cuisine for years to come. And be assured--despite the fact that I have gone on and on about Christmas, this pie is one to try in any of the cooler/cold months—plan ahead, and when you finally bake it and take your first bite, you’ll know why it was worth the wait.
Mincemeat Pie in a Rustic Cornmeal Crust with Bourbon Whipped Cream
The Mincemeat: (Make two weeks in advance)
Note: This recipe makes enough mincemeat for 2 pies, so if you want to make 2, you'll need to make the crust recipe twice
1 pound lean beef
1 quart apple cider
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon mace
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ cup (1 stick) butter or ¼ pound ground suet (I used butter, see note below about suet*)
½ pound dried currants (1 1/2 cups firmly packed)
½ pound golden raisins (1 1/2 cups firmly packed)
¼ pound fresh cranberries, cut in half (about 2 cups)
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup "spirits" (I used wine, but brandy or bourbon would work well too!)
Trim the meat if necessary and dice it into small cubes. Pour the cider into a large saucepan and add the sweeteners and spices. Add the meat and bring this mixture to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Skim any foam that comes to the top during the first hour of cooking.
After 2 hours, turn off the heat and remove the meat with a slotted spoon. Add the currants, raisins, cranberries and lemon rind and juice to the hot cider/broth mixture. Let these steep while you mince the meat.
Return the meat to the fruit mixture, bring back to a boil and then down to a simmer for about 1/2 hour. Boil off enough liquid so the mixture is thick. Melt and blend in the butter at this point. After the mixture has cooled, add 1/4 cup of "spirits." This adds flavor and helps preserve the mincemeat. Cover and store mincemeat in a cool place (the fridge) for 2 or more weeks.
A word about suet: You can find suet, a special kind of beef fat, at your local butcher shop/market. Often he or she just needs to know in advance to put some aside for you when they are butchering beef. Don’t order the suet online—this is the kind that is used for bird feeders—it has other additives and is not safe for human consumption. OKAY, so what to do if you are using suet instead of butter—you will want to “mince” it up WITH the beef—and add it back into the broth/spice mixture when you add the beef back, and of course, skip the butter. Pretty simple. I plan to try it with suet next year.
Rustic Cornmeal Crust: (and preparing/baking the pie)
Makes a single crust for one mincemeat pie, this is a rustic crust—so you only need a single crust per pie
1 ¾ cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup cornmeal
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick butter (cold and cut into ½ inch cubes)
1/3 cup buttermilk
PLUS:
2 tablespoons milk
1 egg white
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
Preparation:
To prepare pastry, combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a food processor; pulse a few times. Add butter to flour mixture; pulse 4-5 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, slowly add buttermilk through food chute; process just until dough forms a ball.** Gently press dough into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator for an hour. (Be sure to get the dough VERY chilled, but not so hard you can’t roll it out)
Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap and place dough on a sheet of parchment paper, sprinkled with flour. Roll dough into a 12 or 13-inch circle. Your dough should be about 1/8 inch thick when rolled out. Place dough and parchment on a baking sheet (this is how it will bake—read on).
Arrange ½ of the mincemeat mixture (enough for one pie) in center of dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal (dough will only partially cover the mincemeat mixture—try to make sure there are no holes in the edges, or you might have some juice spillage while the pie is baking).
Combine milk and egg white in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Brush dough with milk mixture; sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over dough. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes- 1 hour or until pastry is golden brown. Let stand 30 minutes; cut into wedges, and serve with Bourbon Whipped Cream (recipe follows).
** Note: If you don't have a food processor, combine flour, sugar, cornmeal, and salt and cut in butter using a pastry knife, until the dough resembles coarse meal. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add buttermilk. Stir until dough forms a ball. Continue with instructions from here!
Bourbon Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1-2 Tablespoons powdered sugar (to taste)
1 Tablespoon (or more) good-quality Bourbon
In a medium bowl whisk/whip the heavy until soft peaks are just about to form. Beat in bourbon and sugar until soft peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, or cream will become lumpy and butter-like.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, Julie!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Pie of By-and-By
Michael Hurley is one of my favorite musicians in the world. His songs have that perfect balance of rawness and beauty that makes for real musical honesty that I can't get enough of. He has been putting out records since his release First Songs on Folkways in 1964, but has successfully avoided getting popular (though I'd definitely call him famous, at least among music nerds). Another thing I like about his music is that he often sings about pies (and paints them too). I could go on for quite a while about his music and art, but since this is a pie blog, I'll cut to the chase.
Here is one of his album covers from Wolf Ways released in 1994:
It depicts his werewolf alter-ego, chowing down on what appear to be whoopie pies (?), with some double-crust pies on deck. Here is one of the pie-themed songs (and one of my favorites) on this album, though a different version, this one from his 1998 LP Long Journey:
Check out some more of his pie songs, Water Train and Hoot Owls on Hi-Fi Snock Uptown (1972, and re-issued on Mississippi last year), as well as the rest of his catalog as soon as you get the chance.
Oh that pie, the pie of by-and-by...
** ADDENDUM**
Just received this great message from Mr. Hurley himself about this post...
Here is one of his album covers from Wolf Ways released in 1994:
It depicts his werewolf alter-ego, chowing down on what appear to be whoopie pies (?), with some double-crust pies on deck. Here is one of the pie-themed songs (and one of my favorites) on this album, though a different version, this one from his 1998 LP Long Journey:Check out some more of his pie songs, Water Train and Hoot Owls on Hi-Fi Snock Uptown (1972, and re-issued on Mississippi last year), as well as the rest of his catalog as soon as you get the chance.
Oh that pie, the pie of by-and-by...
** ADDENDUM**
Just received this great message from Mr. Hurley himself about this post...
dear Emily;
thanks for having me on the pie blog. I remain a huge fan of pie. it and tea are about the only consumable vices left to my options. a apple, pear, strawberry, blueberry, pies with no sugar but with honey and a whole wheat crust, they can't kill ya in moderation. I go into this place...my most frequented restaurant in portland, an americanized burrito joint, and they always have two pies they are selling slices out of, baked elsewhere, last time it was the ginger/pear, I order my burrito to eat there and get a slice of pie to go for late night when all the restaurants are closed and I'm hungry again.
cheers
MichaelThursday, January 20, 2011
The Mystery of Motherlike Pies
My friend Lora recently gave me an old pie tin she found at a junk shop. The tin is a little too rusty to be used for pie baking now, but it makes for a nice kitchen ornament and addition to my collection of pie paraphernalia. Engraved in the tin are the words "Motherlike Pies C.P. CO."
I hadn't heard of the Motherlike Pie company and was curious about what, where, and when it was in operation, so I went to the trusty ol' internet, looking for answers. Some searching for "Motherlike Pies" didn't yield much. All I really got was a snippet of a website I couldn't actually access. It read,
I did another search for "Camp Travis & pies" and found this letter, from a soldier stationed there, writing to his family about his Thanksgiving dinner.
He writes,
Please let me know if you have any more information about this... for now it will remain a Motherlike mystery.
I hadn't heard of the Motherlike Pie company and was curious about what, where, and when it was in operation, so I went to the trusty ol' internet, looking for answers. Some searching for "Motherlike Pies" didn't yield much. All I really got was a snippet of a website I couldn't actually access. It read,
What soldier of Camp Travis will ever forget those motherlike pies with their tooth- some crusts cov- ered with delicious ice cream, or those tarts and ...Camp Tavis, eh? I did an additional search for Camp Travis, which was apparently a military training camp in San Antonio, Texas during World War I. Many of the men were from Texas and Oklahoma, though once they were shipped out, troops started arriving from other states.
I did another search for "Camp Travis & pies" and found this letter, from a soldier stationed there, writing to his family about his Thanksgiving dinner.
He writes, Well the big feed is over and I’m back at the stables again, always when I get Guard Duty I can find time to write you a letter. I sure am as full as a tick……..I wasn’t hungry at all only ate 3 turkeys and dressing, 3 cakes, 2 pies, and a few side dishes.Interesting stuff, though I couldn't find any more information connecting Motherlike Pies with Camp Travis. We know there were pies there (at least on Thanksgiving), but were they Motherlike? Did the government issued pies to be served on miltary bases and training camps?
Please let me know if you have any more information about this... for now it will remain a Motherlike mystery.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Scenes from Pie Kills Cupcake
NPR, newspapers, even Betty Crocker herself all seem to be calling pie "the new cupcake". What?! I suppose that I am wary of "food trends" in general, and though I know they are just saying "cupcakes were hip, but now pie is the in thing," and might even agree that the cupcake obsession has gone a bit over the top, the two treats are very different, aren't mutually exclusive, and sorry, according to the all-knowing Wikipedia, pie is like thousands of years older.
In any case, inspired (and amused) by all this hub-bub as well as by the subversive quilt The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue, my friend and talented illustrator Emily Wallace decided to depict scenes of pie killing the cupcake, speculating all the ways this showdown might take place. Here are two.
Amazing. Hoping to see some more scenarios of pie offing cupcake soon. In the meantime, try to enjoy both while you can, will ya?
In any case, inspired (and amused) by all this hub-bub as well as by the subversive quilt The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue, my friend and talented illustrator Emily Wallace decided to depict scenes of pie killing the cupcake, speculating all the ways this showdown might take place. Here are two.
Amazing. Hoping to see some more scenarios of pie offing cupcake soon. In the meantime, try to enjoy both while you can, will ya?
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Christmas Shaker Lemon Pie
Lemon slices macerating As I previously mentioned, I had an absolutely amazing slice of Shaker lemon pie at Scratch in Durham, North Carolina, so I wanted to try to make it for my family's Christmas dinner at my parent's house in Indiana. I found this recipe from smitten kitchen, and stuck to it fairly closely. Here it is:
Shaker Lemon Pie
adapted from smitten kitchen
Ingredients
Nothing-in-the-House double-crust pie dough (recipe at right)
2 large lemons, preferably Meyers
2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs
4 Tblsp. melted butter
3 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
1 egg white
Turbinado sugar
Directions
1. Wash and dry lemons. Finely grate lemon zest into a bowl. Slice lemons as paper thin as you can get them; removing seeds. Add slices to zest and toss with sugar and salt. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 24 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Roll out half the dough and fit it into a 9-inch greased and floured pie plate. Mix the macerated lemon-sugar mixture with eggs, melted butter and flour until combined. Pour in to prepared pie shell.
3. Roll out the remaining dough, drape it over the filling, and flute the edge decoratively. Beat one egg white until frothy and brush over pie crust, then sprinkle with sugar. Cut vents in the crust and bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F. and bake the pie for 20-25 minutes more, or until the crust is golden. Let the pie cool on a rack and serve at room temperature with a dollop of honey-whipped cream.
Pie pre-baking. My grandma added the lemon crust design!
I ended up forgetting to macerate the lemons overnight, so they only sat for a few hours. This ended up being fine, but I think the rind would be softer if they had sat for the prescribed 24 hours. I also didn't have a mandoline, so my lemon slices were a little thick. This was also okay, but I think the thinner you can get them, the better.
Gracing the Christmas table
My family really loved this pie (as did I!) and called it a new favorite! It also was a great unexpected companion to the chocolate cake made by my aunt.
A wee slice with a dollop of honey whipped cream!
I hope you had lovely holidays, with plenty of delicious pies baked and shared with loved ones!
Sunday, January 02, 2011
Damn Fine Pie
Heather got me this print from Chicago's Slow Industries for Christmas. Smiling coffee and cherry pie-- damn fine!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
The Blueberry Pie Elf
For Christmas my mom gave me a copy of a re-print of the 1959 children's classic The Blueberry Pie Elf, by Jane Thayer and with pictures by Seymour Fleishman. It is the story of a little elf, Elmer, who loves blueberry pie so much that he tries to convince the family (whose house he lives in) to make him one by helping them out with household chores. Apple and cherry pies just won't do for little Elmer--only blueberry! I won't reveal how he finally communicates this message to the family, but I will share some of my favorite illustrations from the book...
I hope you also received some lovely little treasures (or lovely little pies) this holiday season!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Shaker Lemon Pie at Scratch
At Scratch Bakery In DurhamOn Tuesday my friend Lora took me out to lunch at Durham's new favorite bakery, Scratch. The place, run by "pie queen" Phoebe Lawless, has been getting a lot of props lately, from the New York Times, Travel and Leisure, and Bon Appetit. Plus our friends Emily and Whitney work there, and we've been fans of Scratch's stand at the Durham Farmers' Market for a while now.
The cafe is bright and clean, with mustard yellow and aquamarine walls, and cute chalkboard signs penned by Emily. The pie case is extensive, and the lunch menu, which features numerous savory pies, as well as soup, salad and sandwiches, is just as tempting. Lora and I both ordered the pepper and hominy soup-- she had hers with a fried baloney sandwich, and I went for the hot pimento cheese sandwich.
Shaker Lemon PieBy the time we were finished, we were both really full, so we decided to split a piece of the Shaker Lemon pie. It was a double crust number, with real lemon rinds inside. And WOW, it might just be my new favorite. The lemon rinds give the filling a bitter, almost marmalade taste, along with the tartness of lemon and sweetness of sugar, all encased in a butter crust. I haven't tried my hand at baking one yet, but I think I might have to make it for my family's Christmas dinner this year. This recipe from smitten kitchen seems close to the one we tried.
I can't wait for my next trip to Scratch to try the turnip crostada, chocolate sea salt tart, or chess pie. This is not the last you will hear about the place here, I'm sure!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Pie For Your Tree
Check out these adorable felt pie ornaments made by Amy Evans Streeter. Streeter is an artist living in Oxford, Mississippi who has a great love for pie, as evidenced by her paintings and numerous pie-themed posts on her blog, Made In Mississippi. She is also making these ornaments with red and lavender backgrounds, and if you contact her, she might just sell you some!
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Potomac Thanksgiving Pies
"soup and grace in the library?"
I spent this Thanksgiving with my friend Jamie's family (as well as Jamie himself, Anna, Bob, Monique, and more pals) in Potomac, Maryland. I arrived to a bustling house of dough rolling, sweet potato blending, and dog show watching. As dinner approached, we were given "task cards" to help prepare for the feast. I joined John on the "water team," whose task, I must say, was rather delayed, waiting for the "ice team" to finish theirs! Michael was put on "device box," which was meant to collect everyone's cell phones and lock them away during dinner (how NELPy), but I don't think that really happened. Bob, pictured above, was on "soup serving", which meant serving little espresso cups full of sweet potato soup on a silver tray, for the soup toast in the library. He was quite the perfect butler.
Dinner was SO delicious and plentiful--highlights for me were the spicy mac and cheese, mashed rutabaga (sorry Leslie), green beans, and sweet potato casserole but I'm sure I am forgetting something because everything was amazing. Now let's get on to the pies.
In addition to various Thanksgiving cookies, there was a delicious apple cranberry pie, two pumpkin pies, and I made a bittersweet chocolate pecan pie. I adapted the recipe from Gourmet. It is as follows:
Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Pie
Ingredients
PEZ and WEZ
Many thanks to Leslie and James for hosting and welcoming me to a delicious and lovely Thanksgiving feast.
Dinner was SO delicious and plentiful--highlights for me were the spicy mac and cheese, mashed rutabaga (sorry Leslie), green beans, and sweet potato casserole but I'm sure I am forgetting something because everything was amazing. Now let's get on to the pies.
In addition to various Thanksgiving cookies, there was a delicious apple cranberry pie, two pumpkin pies, and I made a bittersweet chocolate pecan pie. I adapted the recipe from Gourmet. It is as follows:
Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Pie
Ingredients
Nothing-in-the-house pie crust, halved
1 4-oz, 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate bar, chopped
2 cups pecan halves, toasted and cooled
3 large eggs
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup agave-maple syrup blend
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt chocolate in a metal bowl over simmering water. Stir. Remove from heat when melted.
2. Roll out chilled dough and place in a greased and floured pie pan, fluting the crust.
3. Spread chocolate in the bottom of pie shell and let set a bit, then cover with pecans. Whisk eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and agave-maple blend in a bowl. Pour over pecans.
4. Bake pie until filling is puffed and crust is golden brown, 40-50 minutes. Serve with bourbon whipped cream and enjoy!
I am pretty into this combination. Usually I think that pecan pie is too sweet, so using maple-agave blend (you could also just use maple syrup or brown rice syrup) instead of corn syrup helps with that, as does the bittersweet chocolate. When I made this a second time, for the WXYC Sinterklaas Party, I sprinkled some sea salt crystals on top. Yum.
We topped ours off with Bourbon whipped cream, as Michael is demonstrating here.
We topped ours off with Bourbon whipped cream, as Michael is demonstrating here.
PEZ and WEZ Many thanks to Leslie and James for hosting and welcoming me to a delicious and lovely Thanksgiving feast.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Pennsylvannia Diner Fights Pie Waste
...a serious problem.
Another proven method for combating pie waste is to use your mouth.
Thanks Diane and Jorge for sending.
Another proven method for combating pie waste is to use your mouth.
Thanks Diane and Jorge for sending.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Indiana Thanksgiving Pies
I unfortunately haven't been unable to spend Thanksgiving with my family for the past five years or so. North Carolina to northern Indiana is a long trek, and Vermont to Indiana even farther, especially with the Christmas trip home just a few weeks away.
But my mom sent me some photos of our family's Thanksgiving pies, enjoyed at my aunt and uncle's house in South Bend, IN. Here is my mom's pumpkin pie, with turkeys trotting around the perimeter. You can surely see where I got my love of pies, and my penchant for crust design.
Here is the pie board at their dinner, with the above pumpkin pie made by my mom, an apple cranberry with an oak leaf crust design made by my aunt Chantelle, and a blueberry pie made by another dinner guest.
Check back here soon for more Thanksgiving pie re-caps. What pies did you enjoy this holiday?
But my mom sent me some photos of our family's Thanksgiving pies, enjoyed at my aunt and uncle's house in South Bend, IN. Here is my mom's pumpkin pie, with turkeys trotting around the perimeter. You can surely see where I got my love of pies, and my penchant for crust design.
Here is the pie board at their dinner, with the above pumpkin pie made by my mom, an apple cranberry with an oak leaf crust design made by my aunt Chantelle, and a blueberry pie made by another dinner guest.
Check back here soon for more Thanksgiving pie re-caps. What pies did you enjoy this holiday?
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Apple Galette at MAV's
For the past five years I have gone to Portland, Maine for Thanksgiving. This year, though, my friends Diane & Jorge got married there in late-October, so I made my trek a month early.
I stayed with my friend Maria (MAV) who writes the beautiful 3191 blog. After she picked me up from the airport, we hit the Rosemont Market for some lunch and ingredients, and then both settled into her apt/studio and got to work. She was printing cards on her letterpress and I was set up in the kitchen to make a galette.
See this and more of her photos here She recommended a recipe from David Tanis' cookbook "A Platter of Figs" for a rectangular apple tart. I followed his recipe, with some adaptations, like using half whole wheat pastry flour and leaving the apple skins on. My recipe is as follows:
Apple Galette
Ingredients
Nothing-in-the-House pie crust, with 1 c. all-purpose flour and 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
Nothing-in-the-House pie crust, with 1 c. all-purpose flour and 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
8 medium apples of similar size but various varieties
1 c. sugar + extra for sprinkling
1 c. water
Directions
1. Make crust as per the directions and refrigerate. Meanwhile, core and slice apples as thin as possible. Reserve the cores for the glaze.
2. For the glaze, combine cores, sugar and water in saucepan and simmer until thickened. Strain and reserve. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. When the glaze is finished, roll out the dough in a rectangle on parchment paper. Transfer the parchment paper and dough to a rectangular baking sheet, and place apple slices in 5 rows over the crust. Leave a little crust around the edges to fold over the sides. Sprinkle sugar over the apples and bake for 45 min. Before serving, reheat the glaze and brush over the apples.
1. Make crust as per the directions and refrigerate. Meanwhile, core and slice apples as thin as possible. Reserve the cores for the glaze.
2. For the glaze, combine cores, sugar and water in saucepan and simmer until thickened. Strain and reserve. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. When the glaze is finished, roll out the dough in a rectangle on parchment paper. Transfer the parchment paper and dough to a rectangular baking sheet, and place apple slices in 5 rows over the crust. Leave a little crust around the edges to fold over the sides. Sprinkle sugar over the apples and bake for 45 min. Before serving, reheat the glaze and brush over the apples.
After we finished our work for the day, Maria and I had ours with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, but we thought it would also be delicious with a slice of aged, grainy gouda! This recipe is super simple and really showcases the fruit.
Though I am already missing Thanksgiving deliciousness, outdoor fires, and folk-freestying with the Portland crew, our October reunion in Maine was pretty spectacular. It was peak fall color time, I witnessed and celebrated the marriage of two favorite people, with even more favorite people, and just at the moment that the galette came out of the oven, there was a double rainbow, visible from Maria's apartment! For real no joke!
Maine (& MAV) = Magic. Miss you guys.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Pie Town, New Mexico
Main St, Pie Town, NM, 1940 During spurts of boredom or procrastination, I like to browse the Library of Congress photos on Flickr. Especially those commissioned by the Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression and World War I. One day I naturally searched the photostream for "pie" and came up with these Kodachrome photographs from Pie Town, New Mexico.
Apparently, Pie Town was named as such because it was the home of a dried apple pie company established in the 1920s. In 1940, on New Deal money from the Farm Security Association, photographer Russell Lee traveled to this New Mexico homesteading community to document how its residents were coping with the economic struggles of the Great Depression.
Homesteader feeding his daughter at the Pie Town Fair From the photographs and this Smithsonian article from 2005, Lee indeed found a depressed town, though this is in fact, what he was charged to do. Aside from giving "starving artists" jobs, the FSA and WPA writers and photographers work served as "proof" of America's poor living conditions and served as evidence in the push for more New Deal relief legislation.
I can't profess that it's not the dirt roads, dusty dresses, and weathered faces that lure me in to these photographs. But another reason why I like them is because they show that despite failing crops and empty pocket books, the residents of Pie Town were still living life, a life that could still be joyful at times. And one of the main way Lee shows this, is through food.
At the free barbeque dinner in Pie Town-- my favorite photo from the series Just look at these women, serving up pies and cakes at the free barbeque dinner...laughing, maybe at a joke or over the awkwardness of being photographed by a stranger. And those aren't just any old flat, sloppy desserts they're slicing...they are clearly dishes that were prepared and presented with thought, love, and style.
And this was one of the perhaps unforeseen benefits of the WPA and FSA documentation efforts. It was maybe the first documentary project that drew attention to how Americans actually live-- how they live, what they eat, and who sits around their tables.
Serving up the barbeque Food (and of course, pie) can say a lot.
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