Pumpkin Pie

Tags

Christmas, cinnamon, cream, evaporated milk, pie, Pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, Thanksgiving

I had a very fun and successful day of holiday baking with my mom yesterday! We made our traditional array of cookies and goodies, including some new ones that we added this year. We made sugar cookies, cinnamon swirls, chocolate cherry thumbprints, melting moments, and pumpkin oatmeal cookies with cranberries and white chocolate. I have a list of cookies and candies I want to try this year, and hopefully they’ll be good enough to make the list for next year!

In the meantime, I wanted to share my favorite pumpkin pie recipe. I don’t know about the rest of you, but my family has pumpkin pie for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m not a big pumpkin pie fan, unless it’s this pie. I discovered this recipe a few years ago, and have been making it ever since. It’s pumpkin-y, lightly spiced, and creamy, all of which makes for a delicious and perfect pie! The random amount of sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are kind of inconvenient, but just save the leftovers for fudge or another pumpkin pie!Pumpkin Pie

1½ cups pumpkin puree
½ cup brown sugar
⅔ cup heavy cream
7 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
6½ tablespoons evaporated milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch ground clove
Pinch salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
Pastry for 1 pie dough, or 1 prebaked pie crust

To prepare pie crust: Place rolled out pie crust in pie dish, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Ease dough into the plate by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand while pressing into the plate bottom with the other hand, making sure to not stretch the dough. Trim overhang to ½-inch beyond the plate rim. Fold overhang under itself onto the flat rim of the plate, and use a thumb and two index fingers to flute the crust. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove pie pan from the refrigerator and prick with a fork. Line the crust with 2 pieces of foil, and fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for 5 to 10 minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp.

To make the filling: Lower the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, combine the pumpkin and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the majority of the water has evaporated and the mixture has thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream, milks, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and salt. Add eggs and yolk, and whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake until set, about 45 to 55 minutes. Cool and serve.

Source: Adapted from Food Network

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Tourtière

Tags

carrot, celery, onion, pie, pork, potato

So as of my last post, I wasn’t in the Christmas spirit, and I hadn’t started shopping. I went on a shopping spree yesterday, both online and in the stores, and got most of it done! And I am now feeling much more in the spirit. The decorations in the store, the music on the radio. It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas now! 🙂If you’re looking for a new holiday tradition, consider tourtière. It’s a French-Canadian meat pie served traditionally on Christmas Eve, Christmas, or New Years. It originated in Quebec but has since spread in popularity throughout Canada and bordering states in the United States. The recipe I found uses ground pork along with potatoes, carrots, celery and onion to make it a well rounded dish. The cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg provide a unique and delicious flavor that is both warming and comforting. Traditionally, tourtière is served in a full sized pie dish with both a top and bottom crust. This Cooking Light version makes individual portions with only a top crust, which cuts calories and makes for adorable presentation! Bon appetit!Tourtière

½ tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup finely chopped onion
½ cup finely chopped carrot
⅓ cup finely chopped celery
1 (1-pound) russet potato, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups chicken broth
Pastry for 1 pie crust

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the olive oil until shimmering, then add pork. Sprinkle pork with salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, red pepper, and cloves; sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion, carrot, celery, potato, and garlic; toss to combine and sauté for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in flour, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick.

Place 1 cup pork mixture into each of 6 (8-ounce) ramekins. Roll pie dough to an 11-inch circle. Cut dough into 6 (5-inch) circles, re-rolling dough as needed. Place 1 dough circle on each ramekin, tucking edges inside. Cut 4 slits in the top of each circle. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

Apple Pie

Tags

apple, cinnamon, pastry, pie

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I went to the store yesterday to pick up some stuff for Thanksgiving, and some stuff just because I needed it. I went to 2 different stores, and they were both out of normal whipping cream! I just wanted to be able to make whipped cream to top pies!!But if you’re fortunate to already have your whipping cream, whip some up to top this delicious apple pie! Or serve it with ice cream, or just eat it plain. This pie is the perfect treat for Thanksgiving, or any occasion. It’s sooo good! Part of what makes this pie so good is the variety of apples. The different apples provide different textures and flavors. Feel free to use any apples you like, of course.It was so fun to be able to make this using some of the apples I still have from the orchards. And I still have a lot more, so get ready for more apple recipes in the near future! It’s a good thing apples last so well in the frig, because at the rate I’m going, these apples might be around a while more! 🙂Apple Pie

Pastry for 2 pie crusts
2 cups thinly sliced, peeled Granny Smith or other tart apple (about 1 pound)
1 cup thinly sliced, peeled Pink Lady or other sweet apple (about ½ pound)
2 cups thinly sliced, peeled Rome or other firm baking apple (about 1 pound)
1 cup thinly sliced, peeled McIntosh or other tender apple (about ½ pound)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
¼ cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons milk

Roll half of dough into a 12-inch circle; place in pie dish and chill while filling is prepared. Roll other half of dough into an 11-inch circle; cover with plastic wrap and chill.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

To prepare filling: In a large bowl, combine apples and lemon juice. In a separate small bowl, combine ½ cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, spices, and salt. Sprinkle over apple mixture, tossing well to combine.

To assemble the pie: Remove pie crusts from the refrigerator. Spoon apple mixture into crust and top with the 11-inch crust. Trim the dough to have a 1-inch border around the rim on the dish. Press edges of dough together; fold edges under, and flute. Cut 6 (1-inch) slits into top of pastry using a sharp knife. Brush top and edges of pie with milk and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Place pie on a baking sheet; Bake for 15 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake an additional 45 minutes or until golden; shield crust with aluminum foil if it gets too brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

Basic Pie Dough

Tags

how-to, pie

I’ve been on a mini quest for the perfect pie crust. I love when they’re flaky, but I want a buttery crust. I’ve tried a couple different recipes, with some different combos of all butter and part butter-part shortening. Out of principle, I refuse to make an all shortening crust. It just seems too artificial, even if it means it’s flakier. Well, I think I found it. Combining 2 different recipes made for a delicious, buttery crust and it’s now my go-to pie crust recipe.I found that I prefer making mine in the food processor. Maybe because it’s still kind of new to me… But anyways, combine the dry ingredients… Then pull out your frozen butter. The colder the better. One of the biggest rules for pie crusts is to keep everything cold. Pulse it, beat it, or cut it into the flour to leave chunks no larger than small lima beans. I like my butter larger than the normal pea size called for in pie crust recipes because I found that it helps with the flakiness. Mmmm flaky crust. 🙂 You can just see the butter running in through the dough! Chill and then you’re ready to roll! Go for about ⅛-inch thick. Plate it up, and make a pretty crust… Prick it with a fork, too.Then it’s time to weight it. I like to use rice, and I save it in a bag so I can keep reusing it. Not all recipes need to be weighted, but I’ve had some bad experiences with shrinking and puffing, so I weight whenever I blind bake. Bake it up with the weights, then remove the weights and finish baking. A trick I learned to prevent leaking and soggy crusts is to brush the bottom with egg white.

If you’ve been looking for the perfect all-butter crust, you must give this a try!

Basic Pie Dough
Note: If making a custard or fruit pie, brush the bottom of the pie crust with egg white after removing the foil and finish baking. This will help prevent leaks and soggy crust.

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen and cut into ¼-inch cubes
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

To make the dough in a food processor: In the workbowl fitted with the blade attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt; pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small lima beans. Pour the flour-butter mixture into a medium bowl and add 3 tablespoons water. Fold together with a rubber spatula, slightly pushing down while stirring until dough starts to stick together, adding up to 2 more tablespoons of water if needed. Flatten dough into a 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

To make the dough by hand: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small lima beans. Add 3 tablespoons water. Fold together with a rubber spatula, slightly pushing down while stirring until dough starts to stick together, adding up to 2 more tablespoons of water if needed. Flatten dough into a 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

To make the dough in a stand mixer: Stir together the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small lima beans. Add 3 tablespoons water and mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together, adding up to 2 more tablespoons of water if needed. Flatten dough into a 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Lightly flour a work surface. Place chilled dough on the prepared surface and lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed. Roll it out into a 12-inch circle about ⅛-inch thick. Lift the dough with a bench scraper as needed to make sure it doesn’t stick. Roll dough loosely around the rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Ease dough into the plate by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand while pressing into the plate bottom with the other hand, making sure to not stretch the dough. Trim overhang to ½-inch beyond the plate rim. Fold overhang under itself onto the flat rim of the plate, and use a thumb and two index fingers to flute the crust. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.

To blind bake the crust: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove pie pan from the refrigerator and prick with a fork. Line the crust with 2 pieces of foil, and fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for 5 to 10 minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp.

Source: Adapted from Williams-Sonoma and Cook’s Illustrated

Strawberry Lemonade Icebox Pie

Tags

lemon, meringue, pie, strawberry

Whenever I bake stuff, at least some of it inevitably ends up at work. I need to get it out of my apartment, or else I’ll eat it all, and as tasty as that may be I don’t think my waistline would appreciate it. 🙂 But I think my coworkers have become spoiled. One of my coworkers actually commented that I hadn’t made him anything in a while, and he almost seemed hurt and neglected! That day he was looking through a Martha Stewart Living magazine and he found a section with pies. It had a full page picture of each pie, and he apparently found one he liked because when I came in to work the next morning, the page with the pie picture was sitting in my work cubby. Subtle hint, huh?

I was nice, and I made him the pie. And he was a happy camper! The pie was super lemony, but the meringue topping counteracted the tartness perfectly. And strawberries, they go perfectly with everything! The pie was a huge success and now I have all my coworkers asking for more goodies. 🙂Strawberry Lemonade Icebox Pie
Note: Strawberries and meringue should be placed on pie right before serving. Also, whipped cream can be used in place of the meringue.

Crust:
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1⅓ cup graham cracker crumbs (9 to 10 graham crackers)
¼ cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
⅔ cup strained fresh lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)
2 large egg yolks, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten (reserve egg whites for topping)
¼ teaspoon salt

Topping:
12 ounces strawberries, sliced (2 cups)
¾ cup sugar, divided
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 large egg whites, room temperature

To make the crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar, mixing thoroughly. Drizzle butter over graham cracker mixture and stir until mixture is moist and holds together when pressed between 2 fingers.

Press crust evenly into bottom and up sides of pie plate using your fingers or the bottom of a dry measuring cup, making sure all areas are pressed firmly so the crust wont crumble when baked. Bake crust until firm and turning darker around edges, 10 to 11 minutes. Remove from oven, and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

To make the filling: While the crust is in the oven, whisk together condensed milk, lemon juice, salt, egg yolks, and egg.

Pour filling into warm pie crust. Bake until center is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

To make the topping: Sprinkle strawberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and the lemon juice. Let stand for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat egg whites and remaining ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar in the heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to mixer, and whisk on high speed until medium peaks form, 8 to 9 minutes.

Spoon berries over pie. Spoon meringue over top. Place pie under broiler, with rack in lowest position, until meringue is just browned. Make sure to keep a close eye on it. Alternatively, use a kitchen torch to brown the top.

Source: Martha Stewart Living