The Friday Pie Slice: First Week of Spring Edition

1st slice. We celebrated Pi(e) Day in great style last Friday, with a plentiful pie potluck, live music from The Keezletown Strutters, and some living room dancing. More on that soon, but for now, peep Elizabeth's sketch from the evening.

2nd slice. St. Patrick's Day has come and gone (and hopefully the snow with it), but Colcannon Pie remains. Thanks Food52 for including it in their 8 Food Blog Links We Love last week.

3rd slice. My professor and mentor Marcie Cohen Ferris is in the lastest issue of Guernica and has important things to say on the legacy of Southern food and the importance of studying foodways. Recommended weekend reading.

The tasty crumbs. My new favorite nerdy food/folklore/anthropology/macabre blog is Nourishing Death, which explores the "relationship between food and death in rituals, culture, religion, and society." Go get you some funeral biscuits.

Photo from last year's Meyer Lemon Honey Marmalade Linzer Torte

Lemon-Lavender Meringue Pie Cookies

It's mid-March and I'm looking out to icicles dripping from my roof and the sounds of the neighbor kids having a snow ball fight on their snow day. Signs of spring have been showing themselves--I've spotted crocuses about town, rhubarb is claiming its place at grocery stores and farmers' markets, and spring cookbook review copies have started to appear on my doorstep-- but they've so far been slow and sparse. 

We had so much fun working on our Design*Sponge piece that Morgan and Elizabeth and I vowed to do more collaborations. All feeling the onslaught of the cold, we wanted to do something floral and springy, that might inspire daffodils and bike rides and short sleeves, if only in our minds.



I've been keen on lavender-lemon combinations, and a recipe for Tiny Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies from April Carter's beautiful book trEATs: Delicious Food Gifts To Make At Home (more on the book soon) had recently caught my eye. Morgan added a cocktail of Hendrick's gin, grapefruit juice, and rosewater, which we dubbed The Petal Pusher, and Elizabeth contributed a bright and sunny handpainted table runner. What could beckon spring better than that trio?

For The Petal Pusher recipe, visit Morgan's Panda Head Blog here and to learn how to make your own hand painted table runner, check out the tutorial on Elizabeth's tumblr. For the cookie recipe, read on!

I adapted April Carter's recipe by making the cookies a little bigger (mostly because I didn't have a smaller cookie cutter) and adding lavender buds to the dough. April calls for using Instant Royal Icing Sugar, which I had to go to a specialty cake shop to get, but you could also just make it from scratch. I didn't make my icing stiff enough to begin with, which is why the icing is a little more globby than "meringue peaked," but it still tasted good!

Lemon-Lavender Meringue Pie Cookies
Adapted from TrEATs by April Carter

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients
For the cookies:
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 large egg yolks
grated zest of 2 small lemons
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons lavender buds + additional to decorate, if desired

For the "meringue" icing:
200g (7 oz.) Instant Royal Icing Sugar (also called Royal Icing Mix)
2-3 Tablespoons water
Yellow nonpareils or sprinkles to decorate, if desired

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 340 degrees F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment, mix the butter and sugar until the mixture pale and fluffy. Add the yolks and mix well to combine, then add the lemon zest.

3. In another medium-size bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir to combine. Gradually add the flower mixture to the butter mixture, mixing until just combined. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the lavender buds until incorporated.

4. Turn the dough out on floured surface parchment paper and knead until smooth (it can be a bit crumbly, so add a little sprinkle of water if it's too dry to work with). Roll out onto the parchment until it is about 1/4 inch thick (you may have to do this in 2 rounds, depending on the size of your surface). Place another sheet of parchment on top of dough, transfer to the baking sheets, and chill in the freezer about 10 minutes.

5. Remove the dough from the freezer and cut into 2'' circles using a fluted biscuit cutter (or cookie cutter of your choice). Transfer to the lined baking sheet and chill in the freezer another 10 minutes before baking.

6. Bake cookies in the oven for 3-5 minutes until firm yet still pale. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

7. Meanwhile prepare the filling. Mix the Instant Royal Icing Sugar (or make your own royal icing from scratch) with the water to form a smooth paste for piping. Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with the 1M star icing tip. Ice a single peak on each cookie and sprinkle with non pareils and lavender buds to decorate. Allow to set hard before packaging.



Related recipes:
Dark Chocolate Lavender Tart with a Lemon Cardamom Crust
Lemon-Ginger Meringue Tartlets
Lemon Meringue Pie

Photos by Morgan Hungerford West

The Friday Pi(e) Slice: Pi(e) Day Edition

1st slice. Happy Pi(e) Day! It's that time of year when nerdy mathematicians and nerdy pie bakers get to geek out together. For more history on the holiday, check out American Food Roots feature, which includes two Nothing in the House recipes & a video of our 2011 celebration by Ashley Melzer. More Pi(e) Day parties past here.

2nd slice. Looking for a good pie to make on this pie holiday? Check out our recipe index. I'm working up 9 or 10, including S'more Pie, Coconut Custard Pie, and a Grapefruit version of this Atlantic Beach Pie. I'll share some photos later here and throughout the day on Instagram.

3rd slice. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) 3-D edible printers are not yet a reality (or maybe they are?), so I had to make Elena's Skillet Tarheel Pie for myself. It'll also be on the pie party table tonight.

The tasty crumbs. Yossy's Lemon Meringue Pie for Food52 is inspirational.

Photo of Teeny Pies' Bourbon Bacon Pecan Pie from last year's DC Pi(e) Day

Colcannon Pie

When my friend Abra was studying at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland, we maintained a regular pen pal correspondence. In her letters, she told tales of living in a cottage on the farm while excitedly learning new culinary skills that were often Irish in flavor but upheld broader values of farm-to-table, seasonal, traditional yet creative, and fresh. We also bounced around dreams of future collaborative farms and restaurants, schools and artist collectives.

Abra has since set forth on those aspirations. She works as a chef in Chicago and is part-owner of Michigan's Bare Knuckle Farm, where she runs beautiful farm dinners (she also just shared this fantastic Celery Ham Tart recipe on the blog!). Recently, I was asked to contribute St. Patrick's Day-related recipes to Domicile DC's spring issue, and was browsing through The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie, where I remembered I'd seen a recipe for Colcannon Pie. Then upon reading the headnote, I discovered that the recipe was inspired by Ms. Abra Berens herself. Of course!

Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish made of mashed potatoes with kale or cabbage, combined with leeks or scallions and butter or cream (as most traditional dishes go, there are many different regional variations). In Ireland, colcannon is historically associated with Halloween--charms hidden inside the colcannon bowl were a game of marriage divination for young girls. Here in the United States, the dish is affiliated with St. Patrick's Day, like many Irish and pseudo-Irish things.

This recipe uses colcannon as a double crust pie filling and adds a few extra ingredients like pickles, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar. Abra uses spicy pickled ramps in her colcannon and Paula Haney of Hoosier Mama calls for celery and shallot pickles in hers, but this time I used Hot Chili Spears from DC locals Gordy's Pickle Jar. The added spice was superb, though you could really use any type of savory pickle you have on hand. Since making it for Domicile and the blog, I also prepared it with friends on a snowy weekend in the Hudson Valley--the perfect context for it, as this is a hearty pie that really sticks to your ribs (I could insert some nerdy potato famine joke here, but I shall refrain). And as a warning, this recipe has a lot of steps and takes some time to make. It's best made when you have some time on your hands, have prepared some items--like the mashed potatoes-- in advance, or have extra hands to help out.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie

Ingredients

2 heads roasted garlic

Approximately 2 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 ½ inch cubes

Kosher salt

1 cup sour cream

1 stick unsalted butter

¼ cup whole milk

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Add a few pinches of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat.

2. Continue to boil the potatoes at medium-high heat until they are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a colander and set aside until the water is drained.

3. Add the sour cream and butter to the still warm pot and warm over medium heat until the butter is melted.

4. Mash the potatoes (I used a standing mixer) and stir them together with cream mixture. Squeeze the roasted garlic from the heads. Add the whole milk and fold in the roasted garlic. Season to taste with salt.

Colcannon Pie

Adapted from The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie

Ingredients

Nothing in the House pie crust

¼ head green cabbage, shredded

2 Tablespoon olive oil

Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and finely chopped

¼ cup hard cider

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoon maple syrup

2 Tablespoon water

½ cup sour cream

3 Tablespoons buttermilk

4 cups roasted garlic mashed potatoes (recipe below)

¼ cup Gordy’s Pickle Jar Hot Chili Spears, diced (or your favorite pickle variety)

1 large egg, beaten

Directions

1. Prepare Nothing in the House pie crust as per the directions. After chilling the dough for at least 1 hour, roll and fit half the crust into a greased and floured pie pan. Return pan and top crust (rolled or unrolled) to the refrigerator while you prepare the filling. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Toss the cabbage with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast the cabbage for 25-30 minutes, turning the pan halfway through, until leaves are soft and starting to brown.

3. Meanwhile, toss the chopped kale with hard cider, vinegar, maple syrup and water in an ovenproof baking dish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and braise in the oven for 25-30 minutes (it can go in while the cabbage is still roasting).  Halfway through, stir and add a bit more water and hard cider if the bottom of the baking dish is dry.

4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir the sour cream and buttermilk into the mashed potatoes. Set aside.

5. Once the cabbage and kale are cooled, combine them, discarding any remaining liquid. Fold the diced pickles and greens into the mashed potatoes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, if needed. Pour the filling into the pie shell, spreading evenly with a spatula.

6. Remove crust from refrigerator. Position the top crust over filling and flute and seal the edges. Be sure to add vents so the steam can escape. Freeze the pie at least 1 hour before baking.

7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the frozen pie on a baking sheet and brush the beaten egg over the pie crust and sprinkle with salt, if desired.

8. Bake from frozen for 50-60 minutes, rotating 180 degrees halfway through, until the crust is golden brown and filling is heated through and bubbling out of the vents slightly. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm.

Related recipes:

Abra Berens' Celery Ham Tart aka Pissaladière

Gordy's Cherry Pepper Spread Galette

Hoosier Mama's Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie

Tri-color potato, Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese, and Rosemary Galette

Update: Thank you to Food52 for featuring this in their "8 Food Blog Links We Love"!

Joulutorttu or Finnish Jam Tarts

I have a bad habit of putting away food for the winter--frozen berries, jams, pickles, and butters-- only to find them still lodged in the back of my freezer/pantry/fridge when their respective season rolls around again. Some of this is because I've in fact forgotten about said items as they inevitably find their way further and further to the dark corners of the shelves, and some of it is because I always think I need to save those precious jams/berries/pickles for something really special; apparently some impossible badge that no birthday, going away party, or worst snow day can ever merit.



I didn't put up much this year, but I'm more determined to use up what I've got, and as I've said before, I'm also always looking for a way to combine my love for baking with my penchant for preserving. I came across these Joulutorttu (pronounced YO-loo-TOR-too and translating as "Christmas tarts") or Finnish Jam Tarts on Pinterest, via Sweet Paul. The 4-pointed star tarts/cookies are typically enjoyed at Christmas, but I thought they were a delightful vehicle for a little spring cleaning for forgotten jams. Traditionally made with ricotta in the pastry, this recipe replaces it with cream cheese, resulting in a fluffy and flaky crust due to the high fat ratio. While prune jam is standard, you can use whatever flavor preserves you have on hand. I used a variety of cranberry, persimmon, and strawberry.

Joulutorttu

Adapted from Sweet Paul

Makes 3-4 dozen, depending on size

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into chunks

8 oz. cream cheese (ricotta is traditional), softened and cut into chunks

2 Tablespoons heavy cream

1 egg yolk + 1 egg for sealing tarts

1 cup jam of your choice (I used cranberry, strawberry, and persimmon though prune is traditional)

Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter and cream cheese, pulsing to combine. Add heavy cream and yolk of one egg. Pulse until well combined then bring dough together in a ball with your hands. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2-3 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. One a clean, floured surface, roll out dough until thin, about 1/8-inch. Cut into 2-3-inch squares. Cut a 1-inch diagonal slice in the center of each corner. Spoon 1 teaspoon of jam in the center of the square, then fold down alternating corners of the square over the jam, using an egg wash to seal.

3. Place tarts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden, about 12-13 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack and dust with confectioner's sugar once cooled. Serve at room temperature.

Related recipes:

Almond and Grapefruit Ginger Marmalade Crostata

Bakewell Tart with Apple Rosemary Jelly

Blueberry-Basil Jam

Cranberry Hand Pies

Meyer Lemon Honey Marmalade Linzer Torte

Grasshopper Pie

Grasshopper Pie is a 1950s chiffon-style diner pie in full, unabashed glory, complete with an Oreo crust, gelatin, and a shockingly bright hue not readily found in nature (it also happens to be a very 50s shade of green). According to Jean Anderson's The American Century Cookbook, the recipe may have been developed by the Knox Gelatine and Heublein Cordial companies as a way to promote their products. Though there is a mention of "grasshopper pie" in the New York Times, dating back to 1904, that one is made from real grasshoppers and is said to have originated in the Philippines. Food historians date the creme de menthe version to the late 1950s and early 1960s. The grasshopper name comes from the similarly flavored green cocktail-- made from cream, creme de menthe, and white creme de cacao--that had its heyday in that era.

I whipped up this version, adapted from Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts, for the new local magazine Domicile DC's spring issue. The green color makes it a natural pick for St. Patrick's Day, and the mint-chocolate combination paired with an icebox treatment allows it to be a refreshing choice for both winter, summer, or the dawning of spring.

Grasshopper Pie

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s New Pies & Tarts

Ingredients

For the crust:

¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut

1 ½ cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (about 25 cookies)

1/4 cup sugar

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

1 ½ cups whole milk

1 cup loosely packed fresh spearmint leaves

1 cup heavy cream, cold

3 Tablespoons green crème de menthe

2 ¼ teaspoons (1 envelope) unflavored powdered gelatin

5 large egg yolks

½ cup sugar

For the topping (optional):

Whipped cream

3 chocolate sandwich cookies

Chocolate shavings

Shredded coconut

Directions

For the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch pie plate. In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut, cookie crumbs, and sugar. Add melted butter and stir until well combined. 

2. Press crumb mixture into the pie plate, forming a crust. Bake until firm for 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

For the filling:

1. In a medium size bowl, prepare an ice water bath and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring milk and mint just to a boil. Remove from heat and cover. Let steep 15 minutes, then pour mixture through a fine sieve into a glass measuring cup or bowl. Discard the mint leaves and set aside milk. 

2. Beat cream in a chilled medium-sized mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Cover the bowl and refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the filling.

3. Pour the crème de menthe into a medium heatproof bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. In another medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Add the steeped milk to the softened gelatin, whisking until well-mixed.

4. Set the bowl with the milk mixture over (not in) a pan of simmering water. A double boiler works well for this if you have one. Whisk continuously until the gelatin is dissolved, about 1 minute. While whisking, pour the hot milk mixture in a slow, steady stream into the yolk mixture. Return the combined mixture to the heatproof bowl and set over the simmering water. Cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture is slightly thickened and reaches 150 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 8-10 minutes.

5. Transfer the bowl to the ice water bath, whisking until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mousse or pudding (about 2-5 minutes). Remove the bowl from the bath and whisk in 1/3 of the reserved whipped cream until combined. Gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream using a rubber spatula. Spoon the mixture into the pie crust, then refrigerate until set for 6 hours or up to 1 day.

For topping:

1. Scoop whipped cream onto the center of the pie and sprinkle with chocolate shavings and shredded coconut. Top with sandwich cookies, if desired. Serve chilled.

Related recipes:
Bourbon Icebox Pie
Lemon Icebox Pie
Nutella Icebox Pie
Peppermint Pattie Tart

Photos by Kelly Alfaro for DomiCile Magazine

Vote Nothing-in-the-House in the Kitchn Homie Awards!

Late last week, just before The Kitchn's Homie Award nominations closed, I tossed the pie blog's name into the Best Sweets & Baking Blog category and asked some friends to vote. I didn't think anything would come of it, but figured it might be a nice way to get some new readers. So I was completely surprised when on Sunday morning, my friend Morgan texted me, "HEY HOMIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (At first I thought she was just saying hi). Then when I caught her drift, I loaded The Kitchn to find that Nothing-in-the-House had been named a finalist--one of ten and a judges' pick!! So unexpected but such a delightful honor.

The judges say, "Nothing in the House: A Pie Blog: A lot of talk about pies focuses on Grandma’s favorite recipe or a pie that won a blue ribbon at some county or state fair. It’s about the past. In her prettily photographed and smartly written Nothing in the House, Emily Hilliard gives us lots of brilliant ideas, both sweet and savory, like Chocolate Orange Pie with Mascarpone Cream and Buffalo Chicken Fried Pies, that nod to the past but prove that the pie category has lots of room to grow." How nice.

So if you have a moment, please head over to the ballot here and cast your vote for Nothing-in-the-House and if you have an extra minute, help spread the word to your friends. It's a bit of an underdog (or underblog), but every little bit helps! I'd so appreciate it and as I do your support and readership in general. THANK YOU, ALL!

The Friday Pie Slice

1st slice. It was so much fun to be a part of the DREAM TEAM with Elizabeth Graeber and Morgan Hungerford West to put together this Design*Sponge guide to 24 Hours in D.C. Big thanks to the Design*Sponge gals, and to Refinery29 for sharing it.

2nd slice. My friend, talented writer and fellow "pie lady" Kate Lebo has her smart and provocative "The Pie Lady's Manifesto" up at The Rumpus. Bakers, feminists, everyone should read it.

3rd slice. I've been getting in on the Food52 #f52grams fun lately (here and here). Look out for their new theme each week and post a corresponding instagram with hasthtag #f52grams. They might just share your photo.

The tasty crumbs. And speaking of instagram, my pal Jess of Witchin' in the Kitchen was recently featured on the instagram blog. Check out the lovely post and her beautiful and serene photos here.

Past Friday Pie Slices.

Photo by Kate Lebo via The Rumpus

Dark Chocolate Lavender Tart with a Lemon Cardamom Crust

Late last year, my friend Alison Baitz put out a zine entitled ON FLORA. It is a stylish little collection of photographs of flowers and plants, with no words (though there are some photographs of print) that convey humor and camp and craftiness while still managing to be beautifully shot, designed, and printed.

Just before Valentine's Day, Alison had an ON FLORA release celebration in the form of a Galentine's Day party at Meeps. There was an activity table--flower crown and corsage crafting and valentine making, a treats table with edible flower-infused punch and cupcakes and sweets, and all the floral print you can imagine.  To add to the treats table, Alison commissioned me to make two floral-inspired pies. This was an exciting challenge--I love when I'm given a framework for a creative project-- baking or otherwise. I did a lot of recipe browsing and brainstorming, and settled on a Hibiscus-Poached Pear & Cranberry Pie and this Dark Chocolate Lavender Tart, adapted only slightly from Desserts for Breakfast. I was tempted to make more floral-infused treats-- with jasmine or orange flower water, or this Chamomile Buttermilk Pie, but they'll have to wait until ON FLORA's second issue.

This Dark Chocolate Lavender Tart with a Lemon Cardamom Crust is a dream. It's not too sweet, and in my opinion you can never go wrong with a chocolate and cardamom combination. For those who don't like the taste of lavender, this one's definitely not for you, but I love it.

Dark Chocolate Lavender Tart with a Lemon Cardamom Crust
Adapted only slightly from Desserts for Breakfast

Makes 1 9-inch tart

Ingredients
For the crust:
260 grams all-purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon ground cardamom
1 Tablespoon Meyer lemon zest
1/4 cup sugar
7 Tablespoons salted butter, cold and cut into pieces (if using unsalted, salt to taste)
1 egg yolk
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons water, cold

For the filling:
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dried lavender buds, plus more for dusting
12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
3 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Coarse salt and fine sugar, for dusting

Directions
For crust:
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, cardamom, lemon zest, and sugar until combined. Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles cornmeal and peas.

2. Add the egg yolk and gradually add the lemon juice and water until a dough begins to form. Do not overmix. Form the pastry into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Remove pastry ball from fridge and press the dough into the greased and floured 9-inch tart pan. Prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork, cover with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. If dough has softened, return to the freezer for a few additional (10-15) minutes.

4. Bake for 13-15 minutes until the edges begin to turn golden. Remove the beans and parchment paper and continue to bake for 3-5 minutes more, until the crust has turned completely golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the filling:
1. In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the cream and dried lavender buds just until simmering. Cover and remove from heat. Let steep for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place the chocolate and honey in a heat-proof bowl and place a fine wire mesh strainer on top. Set aside.

3. Add the butter to the cream and lavender mixture and return to a simmer. Once it simmers, remove from heat and pour the mixture through the strainer onto the prepared chocolate, making sure to press all the liquid from the lavender buds. Discard the lavender buds.

4. Let the chocolate sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until it is completely melted and the mixture is homogeneous. Immediately pour the mixture into the cooled tart crust. Let tart sit at room temperature until completely cool, about 1-2 hours. Then store in the fridge. When ready to serve, sprinkle with additional dried lavender buds, coarse salt, and fine sugar. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Related recipes:

Chocolate Orange Pie with Mascarpone Cream

Chocolate & Strawberry Pocky Pie

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Tart with Candied Pecans

Plum & Orange Flower Custard Galette

Abra Berens' Celery Ham Tart aka Pissaladière

I'm very excited to have this guest post and recipe from my friend Abra Berens, a talented chef and farmer who splits her time between Chicago (where she's worked in some of the city's top bakeries like Floriole and Hoosier Mama Pie Company) and Bare Knuckle Farm in Michigan's Leelanau Penninsula. I've always loved being a guest at Abra's dinner table ever since we became friends in college, so I'm glad to be able to share some of her work here with this Celery Ham Tart. From Abra...

Years ago I worked at Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I have a vague recollection of Rodger Bowser making these tarts for a daily special. When I asked him why he made it, he said, "Celery is really good right now and it is what I wanted for lunch."

When our friends Matt and Carissa showed up next to us at the Sutton's Bay market with beautiful, dark green celery, I knew what I wanted for dinner. Then work got busy, I forgot I had tomatoes that needed to be roasted that day and I never made my tart. Luckily that Sunday, our neighbors Gene and Kathy Garthe were having a party and asked me to bring an appetizer. "Aha, I'll make the tart and cut it smaller!" I thought. There was also an avid mushroom forager at this party, so I made one tart vegetarian, substituting our recently harvested wine cap mushrooms for the ham. Any sort of rich mushroom would work.

I like taking regular pie dough, which I try to keep in the freezer at all times, and treat it like puff dough to make a slightly different texture. It won't puff like true puff pastry, but it is nice and makes me feel like I'm doing something extra for my friends.

The only nerve-racking part of this recipe is inverting the tart onto the platter. The tart is usually greased enough with lard to avoid sticking, but if some sticks, just scrape it out and add it back. No one will be able to see the difference.

Celery Ham Tart aka Pissaladière
From Abra Berens of Bare Knuckle Farm

Ingredients
Nothing in the House pie dough, halved
1 head celery*
1 long leek
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 cup white wine
5 strips unsmoked ham of bacon**, smoked is okay but can overpower the delicate leeks
2 Tablespoons lard or butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Prepare half of Nothing in the House pie crust as per the directions (freeze the other half for a future pie, or make two tarts!). Once chilled, roll the pie dough into a rectangle and fold into thirds like a letter. Roll it to the same size as the original rectangle and fold into thirds again. Repeat one more time to mimic puff pastry. You could also use puff pastry if you like making your own.

2. For the final rolling, roll pie crust into a circle about the same size as your cast iron skillet (slightly larger is okay, but you don't want it smaller). Chill the dough for at least 20 minutes after all the rolling.

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Thinly slice the celery and leeks and wash them in cold water. I like to slice them on a long bias so that the leeks are in long ovals and the celery doesn't look like it came out of a can.

4. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the lard or butter until melted. Add the leeks, celery, and thyme with a hefty pinch of salt and black pepper. Let sweat until the celery is softening. Add the white wine and allow to reduce until syrupy.

5. Lay the ham strips over the leek mixture. Then lay the dough circle over the whole lot and bake until the dough is golden brown and crispy, about 25 minutes.

6. Remove the pan from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Now your ready for the flip. Place your serving platter over the skillet and invert, flipping the tart out of the pan. Scrape any clinging celery bits from the pan and place on top of the tart. Slice and serve warm.

Recipe notes: *Abra recommends using local celery for this recipe, available in late summer/early fall in most places of the country. But I made mine in winter with grocery store celery and it was still delicious. **To make this tart vegetarian, substitute any rich mushroom for the ham.

Related posts:
Floriole's Milk Chocolate and Salted Caramel Hazelnut Tart
Hoosier Mama's Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie
Peach Apricot Raspberry Wedding Pie

Cranberry Hand Pies

As I've said before, I don't really believe in Valentine's Day. I do, however, always believe in telling the people you care for that you love them. I also believe in heart-shaped sweet treats. February 14th then, does present a good opportunity for both of those things to occur. Growing up, my grandma and mom always made heart-shaped sugar cookies this time of year, decorated with pink and red frosting. I still take guilty pleasure in that childhood treat, and decided to re-envision it in pie-form. 

These cranberry hand pies use a quick homemade cranberry-orange jam filling. If you don't favor cranberries or have any on hand, you could substitute them with your favorite jam. The heart-shaped pies are all cranberry-filled, but for the circular pies, I spread a thin layer of goat cheese on half for a bit of savory flavor. Those cran-goat cheese pockets would make wonderful snacks or appetizers, while the pure cranberry hand pies are better suited for breakfast or dessert. No matter the time of day, slip these little pies in your pocket and pass them out to the ones you love-- a Valentine's Day celebration I can believe in.

Cranberry Hand Pies

Makes about 1-2 dozen, depending on size

Ingredients
Nothing in the House pie crust
12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
Juice of 1 medium naval orange
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier, if desired
1 egg, whisked with 1 Tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk (for egg wash)
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
4 oz. goat cheese (for savory pies, if desired)

Directions
1. Prepare Nothing-in-the-House pie crust as per the directions. Once chilled, roll out dough onto a floured surface and cut into circles or hearts of equal size. Place cut crust on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and return to chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, stir and simmer cranberries, orange juice, zest, sugar, and Grand Marnier, if using. Stir occasionally until cranberries begin to burst, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5-7 minutes more, until a thick sauce is formed. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool. 

3. Remove cut dough from fridge and mound cranberry mixture into the center of half of the circles or heart. If using goat cheese, spread it on the other half of the pie. Brush edges of dough with water and place a matching piece of dough on top. Press the edges with a fork to seal. Brush hand pies with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and cut a steam vent in the top of each.

3. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, bake hand pies for 35-45 minutes, rotating cookie sheet half-way through. Filling will be bubbling and crust will be golden brown when done. Transfer pies to a wire rack and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thanks to Food52 for featuring these in their #F52grams!

Related Recipes:

Apple Fried Pies

Blueberry Hand Pies

Cranberry Sage Pie

Peach-Bourbon-Ginger Hand Pies

Illustrations by Elizabeth Graeber

Blood Orange Chess Pie

I'm writing this from a lake house in Michigan. The lake is frozen over, the high today is 18, the low is -6, and there's over 2 feet of snow on the ground. I'm loving it now while it's novel (though wishing I had my cross-country skis), but remember those college-era long Michigan winters when long underwear was obligatory, causing us to move across campus like marshmallows and making dance party dressing a conundrum. We were all hoping for spring-- because classes would be over, yes, but more so because it meant our bodies would be warm again. 

The first time I ever ate a blood orange was on an escape from one such Michigan winter. On my senior year spring break (which for the University of Michigan is in February), my friend and I took a trip to Southern California-- to visit her sister in Santa Barbara and some of my high school friends at Caltech. When my pals were in class or solving complicated mathematical proofs, my friend and I roamed the campus, pillaging citrus from the trees that surrounded the lecture halls and libraries. I was surprised when I plucked an orange from a tree and peeled it to reveal a bright red interior, with dripping juice that made me wonder if I'd unknowingly gotten a paper cut.  I didn't know what to expect flavor-wise, but I bit in and found it tarter than I'd imagined, in a good way--a classic navel orange's more interesting yet slightly sinister step-sister.

This tartness and vivid hue make blood oranges a fruit well-suited for baking, lending more complexity than standard oranges. The brilliant pop of color and flavor are also ideal for mitigating winter's doldrums.

Ever since I made Hoosier Mama's Cranberry Chess Pie, I've been wanting to "chess" everything (more on what Chess Pie is here). This recipe is adapted from the Lee Brothers' Grapefruit Chess Pie. This time I used my standard pie crust, but you could also use the sweet rye crust which is in their original recipe.

Blood Orange Chess Pie

Adapted from The Lee Brothers' Charleston Kitchen

Ingredients
Nothing in the House pie crust, halved
4 blood oranges
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3 large egg whites
2 large egg yolks
1/2 c. heavy cream, room temperature
4 Tblsp. (half stick) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 c. granulated sugar
3 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tblsp. fine cornmeal, plus more for sprinkling.

Directions
1. Prepare half of Nothing in the House pie crust as per the directions, reserving the leftover egg for an egg wash. Chill dough at least one hour before rolling and fitting into a greased and floured 9-inch pie pan. Let chill for 15 more minutes in the freezer.. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Place a sheet of parchment paper inside the pie crust and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and take out the parchment and weights. Brush crust with the egg yolk, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

3. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, finely grate the zest of 1 of the blood oranges (it will yield about 1 tsp.) and set aside. Segment 2 of the blood oranges by trimming off the top and bottom so each end is flat. Then peel the fruit by placing a sharp knife at the point where the pith meets the fruit and cut with the curvature of the fruit.  

4. Over a medium bowl to catch the juice, cut along the segment membranes of the oranges to separate each segment. Strain the segments and reserve the juice and segments separately (you'll have about 1 c. segments and 1/3 c. juice). Whisk the zest and salt into the blood orange juice.

5. Whisk the egg yolks and egg whites together in a large bowl (I used a standing mixer) until they are light and cream-colored, then whisk in the cream and melted butter. 

6. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, and cornmeal. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in thirds, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the orange juice mixture until incorporated.

5. Pour the filling into the pie crust and arrange the blood orange segments in the custard (they will float to the surface as they bake). Place the pie in the oven and bake 35-45 minutes until the top has browned and the center jiggles stiffly. Cool on a wire rack at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Related Recipes:

Cranberry Chess Pie

Grapefruit Chess Pie

Lemon Chess Pie

Rustic Blood Orange Tart with Cream Cheese Crust