The Return to Pie

Aw yeah, a new pie for the blog!!  I'm  feeling pretty proud of myself right now!  After such a LONG hiatus it feels good to be baking and writing again.

It was a dark and stormy day yesterday and I had no intention of leaving the house so I wanted to make a pie using stuff I already had.  Among those items was a container of strawberries that were pretty disappointing in flavor.  However, I also still had a frozen bag of road-side stand strawberries from my trip to California last year, which were nice and sweet.  But after suffering the natural effects of being frozen, I knew I'd have to use them in a cooked format so I thought a crumble pie would work nicely.  

I used to make a cream cheese crust for tarts back when I was a pastry chef and since I had a block in the fridge, I decided it was meant to be.  Cream cheese crust is rich and tender with a nice flavor and if you haven't tried making one before I insist that you do so with the quickness.  It is SO easy to throw together and the extra fat makes for a dough that is difficult to ruin and easy to work with.  My one regret with this recipe is that I didn't blind bake the crust first, as I mistakenly thought the long cooking time and my stand-by trick of cooking pies on a pre-heated sheet pan would be enough.  Alas, it was not and the bottom of the crust was a touch soggy.  So for the recipe below I include instructions on blind baking the crust, to ensure you don't the same problem.  

If you hadn't already noticed, I'm a big fan of crumble toppings on pies.  Using one on top of the strawberry filling makes this tart essentially a berry crisp baked inside a cream cheese crust.  And since when is that ever a bad thing?  It's not, in case you weren't sure.  Try it out, you'll see.

Strawberry Crumble Tart with Cream Cheese Crust

Makes one 9-inch deep dish tart

Crust

Williams-Sonoma Cream Cheese Pie Dough

Filling

2 lbs. strawberries, rinsed, hulled and quartered (I used half fresh and half frozen)

2 to 3 Tb. cornstarch, depending on the juiciness of your berries and if any are frozen (I use Instant Clearjel  by King Arthur Flour for thickening my fruit pies)

Sugar, depending on the sweetness of your berries - I used 1/2 a cup

Juice and zest of one lemon

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out

Crumble Topping

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup rolled oats

6 Tb. butter, melted

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place a sheet tray on the rack in the bottom third of your oven and let it heat up along with the oven.

Roll out the dough and press into a 9-inch tart pan.  I used a ceramic deep-dish tart pan, commonly known as a quiche pan.  You could also use a removable bottom tart pan, but since they are about half as deep, you'll need at least a 10-inch pan. Line the crust with foil or a sheet of parchment and fill with dry beans or pie weights.  Be sure you have enough to cover the bottom of the dish evenly and to go all the way up the sides.  This is important so that your crust does not shrink.  Set the pan on the pre-heated pan in the oven and bake until set and firm, but not too brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Use the foil or parchment to lift out the beans and allow the crust to cool.

To make the crumble topping, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Stir in the melted flour and mix until the ingredients are moistened and crumbly.  Put in the refrigerator to cool while making the filling.

To make the filling, dissolve the cornstarch in a few tablespoons of water.  In a small pot over medium heat, add the rest of the filling ingredients and dissolved cornstarch.   Heat the filling, stirring frequently, just until the juices simmer and thicken.  Spread the filling into pre-baked crust and then cover with the crumble topping.  Bake in the 350 degree oven until the filling bubbles and top is golden brown, about 50 to 60 minutes.  The filling will firm up and slice cleaner when the pie is cool.  It is delicious when warm but your slices may be a little messy if you care about that sort of thing.  Serve with ice cream to take it over the top.

The filling ingredients.  I happened to have a vanilla bean, but you could substitute extract or my new favorite product,  vanilla bean paste.

The crust fitted into the pan.  At this point I should have filled with with beans for blind baking.

Spread the filling into the crust, which you blind baked.

 

Topped and ready for the oven.

You'll get a cleaner slice like this if you let the filling cool.  Not that I know because I dug into mine too soon.

Just Where The Hell Have You Been Young Lady?!

I know, I know, it's been a ridiculously long time.  No, longer than ridiculously long.  Whatever that is, it's been that long.  I've been here, I've even been baking and cooking.  I just haven't been blogging.  You know how it is when you ignore something (or someone) and you know you shouldn't be, but the more you ignore it the more you feel like you have to keep ignoring it because it just gets harder and harder to face it?  Well, that is me and the blog I guess.  And a ton of other things in life for like the past 10 to 20 years, for that matter.  But that is a whole different blog, I guess.

Let's see, when we last left off I was in the midst of a big transition in my life.  I was about to start a new job and feeling really positive about where I was going.  So that all got shot to hell.  The job, the transition, my planned re-invention, my positive outlook, my happiness and well-being, all of it blown to smithereens.  And so I once again made a big change in attempt to get back to the place where I wanted to be before.  I'm a very self-aware person.  One might say almost painfully self-aware.  I know what my demons are, I know why I do the shit that I do.  I endeavor to do better and be better but it is a slow process and I don't always move forward.  Sometimes I stand still for a long time and sometimes I take a step or two back.  But I'm not afraid to change.  If something in my life doesn't work I change it.  And then I'll change it again, and again, and again.  I still haven't found that balance I've been seeking, but I'll keep trying.  Lately I've realized that I keep changing situations and circumstances, but what really needs the most changing is me.  And that is the really, really hard part.  I'll keep trying.

So, what the hell does all this inner-reflection nonsense have to do with pie, you ask?  Nothing.  I was just rambling.  Anyway, I have been making pies in the last year, just not posting them.  So I've put some photos below to show you what I've been up to.  Not all of them have recipes yet, but I'll get there someday.  I'll keep trying.

I sold pies during Thanksgiving and Christmas to make a little extra cash. These two are sweet potato with Italian meringue, one my my most favorites. Get the recipe here.

Salted caramel apple, one of the most popular pies that I sold this holiday season. Get the recipe here and prepare for your friends to swoon.

This is a turtle pie.  Turtle as in caramel, pecans and chocolate.  Not the slow reptile with a shell. This was a special request pie I made for a good friend.  Her world was rocked.

This is a pavlova topped with fresh whipped cream, lemon curd and strawberries.  I made it when my dear friend Chef Mindy came to town for a visit.  Pavlova is probably in my top three favorite desserts.   It's kind of like a pie but instead of crust you make a delicious baked meringue that is all gooey and marshmallow-like on the inside.  Sweet, sweet heaven.

Chocolate peppermint mousse pie that I sold at Christmas. 

Bananas foster cream pies that I sold for Mardi Gras. Vanilla pastry cream, rum caramel, fresh bananas, oh my!!

Semi what??

I have been ignoring my blog for a VERY long time.  Almost 3 months, to be exact.  You may be wondering what the hell happened to me.  Well, nothing tremendously earth shattering, just life, I guess.  It has been three months of work stress, job hunting, job landing (a GREAT new, BETTER job!!), visiting family, and sweating in the oppressive summer heat!!  To make a long story short, I'm re-inventing myself.  I have a new job that starts tomorrow, I adopted a wonderful, loving dog from my sister, and moving forward in my life I'm going to dedicate more time to my physical and  mental well-being.  Sounds easy enough, right?

So, back to the blog.  It has been way too long since I've posted.  We've had record-breaking heat in Denver so the last thing I've wanted to do is turn on the oven.  Instead I made a frozen pie!  A semifreddo pie, to be exact.  Semifreddo is a "half frozen" Italian mousse.  It is usually frozen in some kind of loaf pan or other shape and served in slices.  I used to love making semifreddo when I was a pastry chef and hadn't made it in years.  The possibilities are pretty endless with semifreddo, you can flavor the mousse however you like or fold in whatever kinds of ingredients that strike your fancy.  While I was visiting friends and family in California I picked up a flat of fresh strawberries.  As soon as I got home I froze some for later use (pie!) and made the rest into jam.  One batch of jam was a little thinner than the other, I think because I lost track while measuring the sugar and probably ended up with an extra cup.  Or two.  No matter, the jam is delicious and I thought it would be perfect for a summery semifreddo pie.  You'll be seeing more of my friend freddo over the summer, don't you worry.

If you have a potluck or BBQ to attend this summer, think about bringing this delicious, frozen pie that is easy to put together and won't heat up your house!


Strawberry Semifreddo Pie

1 9-inch graham cracker crust
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup strawberry jam
3 egg whites (reserve yolks for another use)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar

Using an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.  Add the strawberry jam and  whip again to evenly distribute the jam and break up the chunks.  Scrape this mixture into a clean bowl and set aside in the refrigerator.  Wash out the bowl and mixer.  Add the egg whites into the clean bowl along with the salt.  Whip on high speed until the mixture is thick and foamy.  With the mixer still running, add the sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time.  Whip until the whites are shiny and hold stiff peaks.  Fold the whites into the strawberry mixture, being careful not the over-mix and deflate the mousse.  Pile the mousse into the prepared crust and smooth the top.  Very gently press plastic wrap onto the surface of the pie and place in the freezer for at least 8 hours, or overnight.  To serve, garnish with softly whipped cream and fresh strawberries, if desired.

The whipped cream and strawberry jam mixture. 

Whipped egg whites hold a stiff peak.

Sweet, frozen deliciousness!

Italian Easter Pie

I've been feeling like I'm long past overdue for a meat pie.  Easter brings quiche to my mind, but I wanted to do something a little more exciting.  My mind wandered to the Pizza Rustica recipe from Giada De Laurentiis I had made many years ago.  This is a thick, two-crust pie filled with Italian meats and cheeses, also called Italian Easter Pie.  Her recipe includes a delicious, rich crust that I used in my Aussie meat pies.

I don't  know if Italians really eat this pie on Easter, but it is so delicious I'd recommend it any day of the week.  With the ricotta based filling studded with sausage and spinach tucked inside the flaky crust, this pie is a home run!  It goes perfectly with a salad for lunch or dinner, which is how we ate it at my house for 3 days!  It's a hearty pie and the filling possibilities are endless.  I would enjoy asparagus and artichokes in this pie, grilled vegetables, tiny meatballs, Italian cold cuts, grilled chicken...anything!

I made just a few modifications to the original recipe, including using half water and half vodka for a foolproof, tender crust.  A springform pan is necessary to accommodate the copious amounts of filling and allows for easy removal of the pie from the pan.  But I think a large, deep-dish pie pan could work as well.

Italian Easter Pie (Pizza Rustica)
Makes one 9-inch pie in a springform pan
Slightly modified version of a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis
Crust
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup cold solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 Tb. ice cold vodka
2 Tb. ice water, more may be needed

Blend the flour, the butter, the shortening and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in the eggs, pulsing the machine to incorporate them. Add the vodka and pulse again a few times.  Add the water and process just until the dough starts to come together. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, with 1 piece twice as large as the second piece. Flatten the dough pieces into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.

Filling

8 ounce bulk Italian sausage

1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed and drained

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

3 large eggs

2 tsp. garlic seasoning, I used Jane’s Crazy Mixed up Salt

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

a few dashes hot sauce

2 Tb. heavy cream

In a saute pan cook the sausage, breaking up into small crumbles.  Add the spinach and saute briefly to evaporate any excess moisture.  Set aside to cool slightly.  In a large bowl beat the eggs and seasonings.  Add the ricotta cheese and whisk well to combine.  Add the cheeses, sausage and spinach and stir well  to combine.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a sheet pan on the lowest rack.  Roll the largest piece of dough out into a circle and press into a 9-inch springform pan that has been sprayed well with cooking spray.  Be sure to press firmly all around so the crust is flat against the pan and there are no air bubbles.  Pour the filling into the pie shell and smooth the top.  Roll out the smaller piece of dough and place over the top of the pie.  If your filling did not come up to the top of the pan, be sure to press the dough down on top of the filling, so there is not a big gap between the top crust and the filling. Press the edges together to seal well and flute the edges if desired.  Cut 3 vents on top and brush the crust with heavy cream.  Sprinkle the top with a little garlic seasoning if you like.  Bake until the crust is well browned and you can see the filling bubbling slightly out of the vents, about an hour to 1 1/2 hours.  Cool for 15 to 20 minutes and remove the sides of the pan.  Slice wedges and serve.  This is great, hot, warm, room temperature or cold.

The filled pie.

Crimped, brushed and ready for the oven.

Golden brown and delicious!

A beautiful slice of Easter pie.

My passion for fruit

I'm crazy about passion fruit.  I find the sweet-tart flavor and intoxicating tropical perfume to be the most delicious and intriguing combination around.  When I was a pastry chef I often used passion fruit to make a rich curd, which I would put inside mini tart shells.  Even in small doses, passion fruit packs quite a punch.  I've been dreaming of a passion fruit meringue pie for quite a while now.  I finally decided to make it happen when my friend/co-worker left our store recently.  I made pie for her and wanted something totally different from the chocolate cashew butter mousse pie also on the roster.  The tartness of passion fruit makes it a great substitute for lemon in a meringue pie.  And of course with a fluffy, dreamy Italian meringue on top, how could I go wrong?  I think this is the perfect pie to usher in Spring time and would make a delicious addition to your Easter table.

Passion Fruit Meringue Pie
Makes one 9-inch pie
Adapted from Lemon-Passion Fruit Meringue Pie by Grace Parisi on the Food and Wine website

1 9-inch pie shell of your choice, I used graham cracker
2/3 cup passion fruit puree, I used Goya brand frozen pulp
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup cornstarch
pinch of salt
2 Tb. butter
1 recipe Italian meringue

Combine the passion fruit puree, eggs and salt in a bowl and whisk well to combine.  In a small, heavy pot combine the sugar and cornstarch and slowly whisk in the water to dissolve.  Cook over medium-high heat until thickened.  Whisk some of this hot mixture into the passion fruit mixture to temper the eggs.  Add this back to the pot and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture has come to a boil and is very thick.  Add the butter and whisk until melted.  Pour the filling through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps of eggs and cornstarch.  Scrape the strained filling into the pie crust.  Press plastic wrap directly to the surface to keep a skin from forming.  Refrigerate until set and completely cooled, about 6 hours or overnight.

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Make the Italian meringue.  Remove the plastic wrap from the top of the pie and pile on the meringue, smoothing it out to the edge of the crust.  Make decorative swirls and peaks in the meringue.  Place in the hot oven and toast until it is browned to your liking.  This should only take a few minutes and don't walk away from the oven, as it will burn quickly.  Enjoy your delicious taste of paradise!

Topping the pie with meringue.

Pretty and spiky, ready for the oven!

Post-browning and ready to be devoured!

Oh look, there's my beautiful orchid again!

A Nutty Twist!

If you've been reading my blog you know that I gave up my "famous" Peanut Butter Pie recipe for my first blog post.  I was planning on making some pies for a good friend/co-worker who transferred to another store and was trying to come up with something delicious but not too time consuming.  Upon finding a chocolate pie crust and cashew butter in my cupboards, I had a crazy thought.  What if I turn my peanut butter pie into CASHEW BUTTER PIE?? Why the hell not?  All I did was substitute roasted cashew butter for the peanut butter in the original recipe and the results were fantastic!  Just be sure your cashew butter is room temperature when you mix up the filling.  The cashew flavor is a little more delicate than peanut butter, but the resulting pie was rich and creamy!  I decorated the top with a smooth layer of chocolate ganache and salted cashews, which provided a perfect compliment to the sweetness.  Who knew that just a slight change in the recipe would result in something so unique and delicious!

The salted cashews on top were perfection!

I had to get my orchid in the picture because I'm just so proud of it!

S'mores, please!

I've been seeing S'mores Pie around the internet for quite a while now and have had it on my "to do" list.  Twice I bought a bag of those Jet-Puffed Jumbo Marshmallows.  The first bag ended up being snack food.  Seriously, once you eat those giant, puffy, white wonders you'll never go back to the puny regular marshmallows again! The second bag remained unopened for several months until I finally got around to making this delightful pie.  Who doesn't love s'mores, the tasty, nostalgic treat?  Nobody, I say, NOBODY!  There is something about the crunchy graham cracker, sweet chocolate and toasty marshmallow that instantly transports me back to childhood.  I can almost smell the campfire smoke and hear the crackle.  Back to simpler times, when life was an adventure to be enjoyed, free of bills and responsibilities.  Oh, how I long for those days!  Sadly, those days are gone, but at least I can enjoy S'mores Pie!

S'mores Pie
1 9-inch graham cracker pie crust
12 Jumbo marshmallows (or however many mini or regular sized marshmallows you need)
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbs. cornstarch
4 oz. high-quality dark chocolate, chopped
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tb. unsalted butter
pinch of salt

To make the chocolate filling, heat 1 1/2 cups of the half and half, sugar and salt in a small, heavy pot until simmering.  Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/2 cup half and half with the cornstarch and whisk to combine well.  Whisk in the eggs.  Add some of the hot half and half to the egg mixture to temper it, then whisk everything back into the pot.  Cook until the mixture comes to a boil, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.  Take the pudding off the heat and add the butter, vanilla and chocolate.  Let sit for a few minutes to melt the chocolate and then whisk well to combine everything.  Pour through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the pie crust.  Smooth the top then press plastic wrap directly onto the pudding to keep a skin from forming.  Refrigerate until completely cold and set, at least 6 hours.

Heat your oven to broil.  Arrange the marshmallows on the top of the pie.  Place the pie on the oven rack so it is about 3 to 4 inches away from the element.  DO NOT walk away!  I kept the oven door open and rotated the pie around constantly to brown the marshmallows evenly.  Do this until they are puffy and browned to your liking.  Enjoy immediately!

Get these.  NOW.

Line them all up on your pie.  If you like, you can cut some up to fill in the gaps.

Toast carefully under the broiler.

I'm eight years old all over again!