All right. So I guess it's inevitable that I'll always be behind schedule on either baking or blogging.
Anyway, this pie was for Monday, August 8th. It's a Peach Cream Tart.
The crust is a sweet pastry, flavored with sour cream. I think it was a nice touch, but the sour cream made it a bit stickier than a normal crust, so it clumped up and made it tougher to press into the tart pan. The sides of the crust ended up a bit thicker than the bottom.
1 1/4 cups flour
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons sour cream
I made this one just like the normal pie crusts, substituting the sour cream for the water step. So cube up the butter and freeze it for about fifteen minutes. Pulse it into the flour in three additions, then add the sour cream and pulse a few times until incorporated. Then press the clumps into the tart pan, starting on the sides. Chill for half an hour, and preheat the oven to 375F. Then bake for fifteen minutes and reduce the oven to 350F.
6 peaches, peeled and sliced thin
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
While you're slicing the peaches, toss them in the lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Then arrange the slices in overlapping circles in the crust. They might stack up higher than the crust in places, but they'll cook down a little so don't fret.
Mix the other stuff in a separate bowl until smooth, then pour over the peaches. Pour extremely slowly. It's pretty viscous and the cracks between the peaches are pretty small. If you have to, pour some in and just let it settle down for a few minutes before adding more. Once you get it all in there, pop the pie into the oven for an hour or so. It may be difficult to tell if the custard is set, with all those peaches in there. Mine hadn't set entirely when I took it out, but I didn't know it until I sliced the pie. Still delicious, though!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
quiiiiiiiiicccccccchhhhhhhhhheee
I baked this quiche a week late, but it has been rolling around in my head for a while.
Because I love me a Reuben sandwich.
Good ol' pie crust, blind baked just like the rest of the quiches. Then I laid down a nice bed of sauerkraut, then corned beef, and some Swiss cheese to top it off. The usual egg base was modified to include a bit of my homemade Russian dressing. I reduced the half and half to about 3/4 cup, and finished it off with the Russian dressing. I used about two thirds of a 25oz jar of sauerkraut, and 8oz of the corned beef. There was prolly about half a cup or so of cheese on top, and I might consider adding some inside as well.
Reuben Quiche 2.0 hopefully will include a rye crust. I might try using either rye chips or some rye bread crumbs in place of some of the flour. Oughta be delish.
Because I love me a Reuben sandwich.
Good ol' pie crust, blind baked just like the rest of the quiches. Then I laid down a nice bed of sauerkraut, then corned beef, and some Swiss cheese to top it off. The usual egg base was modified to include a bit of my homemade Russian dressing. I reduced the half and half to about 3/4 cup, and finished it off with the Russian dressing. I used about two thirds of a 25oz jar of sauerkraut, and 8oz of the corned beef. There was prolly about half a cup or so of cheese on top, and I might consider adding some inside as well.
Reuben Quiche 2.0 hopefully will include a rye crust. I might try using either rye chips or some rye bread crumbs in place of some of the flour. Oughta be delish.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
WINNER
So I've been doing all these crazy things with fruit curds, right? And I made one that reminded me vaguely of blueberry, right? Well I decided to see how blueberry would work out in this recipe.
I tried puréeing blueberries to strain the mush for some juice. No dice. It turned out way too thick.
So I just used the purée. Pow.
Half a cup plus about a tablespoon to replace the lemon juice and zest in the Lemon Meringue Pie makes a Blueberry Meringue Pie.
If there should be a winner of the Fruit Curd and Meringue Experiments, this is the one. Shit it's tasty.
I tried puréeing blueberries to strain the mush for some juice. No dice. It turned out way too thick.
So I just used the purée. Pow.
Half a cup plus about a tablespoon to replace the lemon juice and zest in the Lemon Meringue Pie makes a Blueberry Meringue Pie.
If there should be a winner of the Fruit Curd and Meringue Experiments, this is the one. Shit it's tasty.
The Marty
I was bothering everyone I know about pie ideas, as usual, and Marty gave me a good one. He told me to make something with custard and graham crackers. He said I had to call it The Marty. It was such a simple idea, and one I'm a big fan of. I had to make it different from the straight-up custard pie I made earlier, so I decided to make an Eggnog Custard Pie.
I made the graham cracker crust with the same recipe as many before, and I put it in my new tart pan. It worked quite nicely, I think, but the very wet filling soaked through it. I think it worked pretty well anyhow.
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup bourbon
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix the eggs and sugar together, perhaps with an electric beater. Then add the rest of the ingredients, reserving a bit of nutmeg to sprinkle on top. Mix to fully combine, then pour very slowly into the crust. It's quite wet, so you'll want to put it on a cookie sheet or sheet of foil with the edges turned up; some of the filling oozed out of the pan as it cooked. Bake at 350F for 55 minutes, until mostly set.
As Emily says, it tastes like Christmas. One thing I might try next time is to separate the eggs and beat the whites to soft peaks, whisking them back in at the end. It should make the pie fluffier and a bit less wet in the end. Additionally, I'm not entirely certain why there's water in the recipe. I might try to fudge that out with something much more delicious.
I made the graham cracker crust with the same recipe as many before, and I put it in my new tart pan. It worked quite nicely, I think, but the very wet filling soaked through it. I think it worked pretty well anyhow.
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup bourbon
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix the eggs and sugar together, perhaps with an electric beater. Then add the rest of the ingredients, reserving a bit of nutmeg to sprinkle on top. Mix to fully combine, then pour very slowly into the crust. It's quite wet, so you'll want to put it on a cookie sheet or sheet of foil with the edges turned up; some of the filling oozed out of the pan as it cooked. Bake at 350F for 55 minutes, until mostly set.
As Emily says, it tastes like Christmas. One thing I might try next time is to separate the eggs and beat the whites to soft peaks, whisking them back in at the end. It should make the pie fluffier and a bit less wet in the end. Additionally, I'm not entirely certain why there's water in the recipe. I might try to fudge that out with something much more delicious.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
About a month left...
A month of Pies!! That's just about 16 pies. I did the math tonight; it turns out I'll have baked sixty one pies on Labor Day. That means a nice round sixty pies from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but you'll remember I started the Saturday prior to Memorial Day. Pretty classy.
Anyway, I'm pretty behind on the blog (as usual). This pie was Monday, August first, but you'll recall that I was at a Brewer's game with Ian's; it was actually baked that Wednesday. Anyway, it's one that was also made last year but after the blog went poopy.
It's a Creamy Watermelon Pie. Pretty tasty and among the easiest pies ever.
I used the same, good ol' pie crust, though the recipe I used called for a graham cracker crust. I think it would be quite tasty with either. If you use the regular one, bake at 425F for ten minutes with weights and ten minutes without. A graham cracker crust should be baked at 350F for about ten minutes.
1 cup sugar
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups balled or cubed watermelon, small pieces
Blend everything but the watermelon together, then fold in the fruit. Then put it in the baked pie crust and chill for at least two hours. I cut the chill short and it was pretty soupy.
We brought it up to the capitol lawn for Concerts on the Square. Always a nice time, made better by pie.
Anyway, I'm pretty behind on the blog (as usual). This pie was Monday, August first, but you'll recall that I was at a Brewer's game with Ian's; it was actually baked that Wednesday. Anyway, it's one that was also made last year but after the blog went poopy.
It's a Creamy Watermelon Pie. Pretty tasty and among the easiest pies ever.
I used the same, good ol' pie crust, though the recipe I used called for a graham cracker crust. I think it would be quite tasty with either. If you use the regular one, bake at 425F for ten minutes with weights and ten minutes without. A graham cracker crust should be baked at 350F for about ten minutes.
1 cup sugar
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups balled or cubed watermelon, small pieces
Blend everything but the watermelon together, then fold in the fruit. Then put it in the baked pie crust and chill for at least two hours. I cut the chill short and it was pretty soupy.
We brought it up to the capitol lawn for Concerts on the Square. Always a nice time, made better by pie.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Staff meeting Quiche
The fourth and final pie that I baked all at once for our staff meeting/party at Ian's: Roasted Poblano and Corn Quiche.
As with most quiches of late, I used the standard crust, baked at 375F for ten minutes with pie weights and ten more without. I also used the same eggy stuff I've used quite a few times; you'll find the ratio on the Quiche Lorraine recipe (and each one since, I think).
On to the good stuff: I also roasted up a couple of Poblano Peppers, an ear of sweet corn, and sautéed some onions and mushrooms. I used Fontiago Cheese I got at the Farmer's Market.
It turned out really well, though I burnt one of the peppers and had to discard about half of it. This meant that there was less pepper in it overall, and I think I would even go so far as to increase to three or four peppers.
It didn't take long to make this quiche disappear during the staff meeting. I would say it was a hit.
As with most quiches of late, I used the standard crust, baked at 375F for ten minutes with pie weights and ten more without. I also used the same eggy stuff I've used quite a few times; you'll find the ratio on the Quiche Lorraine recipe (and each one since, I think).
On to the good stuff: I also roasted up a couple of Poblano Peppers, an ear of sweet corn, and sautéed some onions and mushrooms. I used Fontiago Cheese I got at the Farmer's Market.
It turned out really well, though I burnt one of the peppers and had to discard about half of it. This meant that there was less pepper in it overall, and I think I would even go so far as to increase to three or four peppers.
It didn't take long to make this quiche disappear during the staff meeting. I would say it was a hit.
More pie for our trip
This is the third dessert pie I brought to Milwaukee, a Blueberry Bavarian Cream Pie. Quite yummy.
I finally picked up a tart pan with a removable bottom. A bunch of recipes use them for crusts that have a crumblier crust that wouldn't be very easy to ball up and roll out. I've attempted them before and tried squishing their bits into my glass pie plates, but they usually end up stuck to the pan. It also has sides that come up very near perpendicular, so it's easier to get the crust even around the corners. The lower angle of the pie plates tends to create thick corners. Of course, the removable bottom makes it super easy to get the pie out of the pan entirely, which makes serving easier. Overall, I like the pan a lot. I might try getting two or three more so I can use them exclusively.
So yeah, this crust is a bit different; it's a sweet pastry and is put together differently.
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter, slightly softened
1 egg yolk
Mix the sugar and flour in a bowl, then make an indent in the center. Mix the butter and egg yolk together in the indent with your fingers. Once it's combined, mix the flour and sugar into it. Once it reaches that crumbly-but-sticks-together-if-you-squeeze-some-of-it stage, sprinkle it into the tart pan. Squish it against the pan, starting on the sides and making the corner a nice 90 degrees. I used a fork. Then chill the crust for thirty minutes. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or so, until golden brown.
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
4 cups blueberries (I actually had some extra that didn't fit. Snack!)
Heat the milk and vanilla on medium heat just until it boils. Let cool for ten minutes. In a small bowl, bloom the gelatin with the water. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a mixing bowl and, while whisking, slowly add the warm milk. Return to saucepan on medium heat. Stirring constantly, heat to 180 degrees or until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Fill a bowl with ice water in the sink. Divide the contents of the saucepan (known as Crème Anglaise), taking one cup to become the Bavarian Cream. The remainder will be served as a topping or side for each slice. Cool it in the ice water, whisking occasionally.
Meanwhile, combine the one cup of hot Anglaise with the bloomed gelatin. Mix well, until gelatin is completely dissolved. Fold in as many of the berries as will fit, then pour into the pie crust, spreading to make it even. Chill until fully set, about two hours.
The Bavarian Cream was surprisingly stiff. I had never had it before, so I had no concept of it. To explore this, I've been preparing Bavarian Creams separately. The first batch followed a similar recipe exactly, which used whipped cream to lighten the consistency. These were also quite stiff, so I'm experimenting a bit. I used less gelatin, which resulted in a softer cream. I quite like it. I also want to try using brandy to spike the desserts.
All in all, this was a fun pie that opened new avenues for me. I am excited.
And it was delicious.
I finally picked up a tart pan with a removable bottom. A bunch of recipes use them for crusts that have a crumblier crust that wouldn't be very easy to ball up and roll out. I've attempted them before and tried squishing their bits into my glass pie plates, but they usually end up stuck to the pan. It also has sides that come up very near perpendicular, so it's easier to get the crust even around the corners. The lower angle of the pie plates tends to create thick corners. Of course, the removable bottom makes it super easy to get the pie out of the pan entirely, which makes serving easier. Overall, I like the pan a lot. I might try getting two or three more so I can use them exclusively.
So yeah, this crust is a bit different; it's a sweet pastry and is put together differently.
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter, slightly softened
1 egg yolk
Mix the sugar and flour in a bowl, then make an indent in the center. Mix the butter and egg yolk together in the indent with your fingers. Once it's combined, mix the flour and sugar into it. Once it reaches that crumbly-but-sticks-together-if-you-squeeze-some-of-it stage, sprinkle it into the tart pan. Squish it against the pan, starting on the sides and making the corner a nice 90 degrees. I used a fork. Then chill the crust for thirty minutes. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or so, until golden brown.
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
4 cups blueberries (I actually had some extra that didn't fit. Snack!)
Heat the milk and vanilla on medium heat just until it boils. Let cool for ten minutes. In a small bowl, bloom the gelatin with the water. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a mixing bowl and, while whisking, slowly add the warm milk. Return to saucepan on medium heat. Stirring constantly, heat to 180 degrees or until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Fill a bowl with ice water in the sink. Divide the contents of the saucepan (known as Crème Anglaise), taking one cup to become the Bavarian Cream. The remainder will be served as a topping or side for each slice. Cool it in the ice water, whisking occasionally.
Meanwhile, combine the one cup of hot Anglaise with the bloomed gelatin. Mix well, until gelatin is completely dissolved. Fold in as many of the berries as will fit, then pour into the pie crust, spreading to make it even. Chill until fully set, about two hours.
The Bavarian Cream was surprisingly stiff. I had never had it before, so I had no concept of it. To explore this, I've been preparing Bavarian Creams separately. The first batch followed a similar recipe exactly, which used whipped cream to lighten the consistency. These were also quite stiff, so I'm experimenting a bit. I used less gelatin, which resulted in a softer cream. I quite like it. I also want to try using brandy to spike the desserts.
All in all, this was a fun pie that opened new avenues for me. I am excited.
And it was delicious.
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