tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91350201440527717772024-03-06T01:19:45.661-05:00The Rationality of PieOne man's year-long endeavor to determine whether pie is really as good as he wants it to be.Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-34310150663528637172012-01-05T16:47:00.000-05:002012-01-05T16:47:59.860-05:00Back in the SaddleAh! A new year and a new attempt to maintain a blog. Let's see if we get past May this time...<br>
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We're off to a good start, with two pies at once (and our first savory "pie"). Friends of ours at church recently had their first child and we volunteered to bring them dinner during the first week their daughter was home. This couple was the grateful recipient of a number of our pies last year (including the disastrous <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/03/blackberry-silk-pie.html">Grimace Pie</a>), so I figured we'd take them a "pie" supper as a little wink-wink chuckle.<br>
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<a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2012/01/back-in-saddle.html#more">Read more »</a>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-21631745448537093762012-01-03T05:30:00.000-05:002012-01-03T05:30:00.610-05:002012 Pie Resolution<i>cross-posted from my personal blog <a href="http://trocreideamh.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tro Creideamh</a> - one in a series of posts about 2012 resolutions</i> <br />
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Last year, I started a project
intended to bake at least one pie a week for the year. I got through
about April or so, when a month-long illness knocked my plans awry.
After I got back into it, I decided that I liked baking pies better than
I liked blogging about baking pies, so the blog posts stopped. I didn't
make my goal of a pie a week, but I certainly did learn how to make a
pie and I've discovered some winner recipes.<br />
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I still
want to explore pies, but I think a more relaxed goal is in order. In
2012, I will bake a new pie every month and hopefully blog about the
experience. I've put together a list, primarily based on pies I didn't
get to last year.<br />
<ul>
<li>January - Nutmeg Pie</li>
<li>February - Oatmeal Butterscotch Pie</li>
<li>March - Maple Pecan Pie</li>
<li>April - All-Rhubarb Pie <i>(perhaps May based on availability)</i></li>
<li>May - Shoofly Pie</li>
<li>June - Sweet-Tart Lemon Pie</li>
<li>July - Ultimate Four-Cherry Pie</li>
<li>August - Creamsicle Pie</li>
<li>September - Black Bottom Ricotta Pie</li>
<li>October - Dried Cranberry Walnut Pie</li>
<li>November - Spiced Pumpkin Indian Pudding Pie</li>
<li>December - Eggnog Chiffon Pie</li>
</ul>
Here's to more pie in 2012! <br />
<ul>
</ul>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-14262941180388094542011-05-14T21:27:00.000-04:002011-05-14T21:27:45.160-04:00Pine Nut PieThis will be a brief post. While this week's pie is amazingly good--and amazingly, not that bad for you, relatively speaking--I have a Mississippi River bargeful of other things to get done tonight. And to top it all off, I'm nodding off at the keyboard.<br />
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Pine nut pie. It's nuts on top of a sweet, slightly gooey filling, so kinda like pecan pie, but totally different. My wife strongly dislikes pecan pie. I had to sacrifice and eat the last piece of Pine Nut Pie because her self-control (and mine too, truthfully) was stretched to the limit.<br />
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The nuts come out soft and don't carry much flavor (not that pine nuts often do, in my experience), but the texture is appealing. The filling includes brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, and flour so it comes off more solid than your standard pecan pie. "Nougat-y" was the wife's comment on the filling.<br />
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The recipe for Pine Nut Pie comes from Ken Haedrich's book <i>Pie</i> and I strongly suggest you go and look it up. Depending on your current household economy, you may want to hold off the baking, though, unless you find pine nuts for a decent price. A cup of pine nuts set me back about $11, but admittedly I didn't go hunting for a better price very diligently. I <u>will</u>, however, remember the recipe for the filling and I am looking forward to trying it with other nuts (walnuts, sunflower seeds?, pepitas?) in the future. Maybe even pecans.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcVVevuQOZ2kEG5-b1L135aklGm84AkexeeZseky2LTRf6X5uxcPw3Emn_bkACVaLYf4UDe6nFpaGVA1nI5H6VqkcDPzdEsFlxx9iQnPL3qUZTqIA4qaUnDG06YkkmjhzcmwrWPqLhCT5/s1600/100_7613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcVVevuQOZ2kEG5-b1L135aklGm84AkexeeZseky2LTRf6X5uxcPw3Emn_bkACVaLYf4UDe6nFpaGVA1nI5H6VqkcDPzdEsFlxx9iQnPL3qUZTqIA4qaUnDG06YkkmjhzcmwrWPqLhCT5/s320/100_7613.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-58130862694838246842011-05-07T03:14:00.004-04:002011-05-07T03:14:00.138-04:00Tar Heel PieI'm told that, this weekend, there's some type of <a href="http://www.kentuckyderby.com/">equine event</a> down in the Bluegrass State. And that said event has inspired a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/derby-day-food-drink-guid_n_559480.html#s86830&title=The_Ultimate_Mint">range</a> of tasty concoctions and confections. While I'm all for <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/drinking/cocktails/mint_julep">mint juleps</a>, this is a pie blog, after all.<br />
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When I started this journey, one of the things I wanted to do was to try out some of the pies I had heard of before, but which I had never seen or tasted - <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/03/homestead-chess-pie.html">Chess Pie</a>, Derby Pie, etc. Going through recipe books, though, I didn't come across any directions for Derby Pie. This week's Tar Heel Pie is apparently the North Carolina cousin of Derby Pie, however, so I'll count that as close enough.<br />
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The web abounds with <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/tar-heel-pie/">recipes</a> for this pie, which are all pretty much the same. I cribbed my recipe from Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies, but just search for "Tar Heel Pie" and you'll find the right thing. Make sure to include the pecans!<br />
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The pie is effectively a chewy brownie in a pie shell. Don't overcook it or you'll lose the delicious not-quite-cooked gooeyness that is the hallmark of an excellent brownie. This is a very rich pie - skinny slices are the order of the day. The pecans can screw up your neat slices if you're trying too hard, but just go with it - the taste doesn't change. I would recommend serving a small slice of pie, warm, with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of coffee.<br />
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On a side note, I will try my best to get back on the blogging horse. The month of April threw me a bit - allergies moved in for about three and a half weeks and took over my life. I knew I was getting better when I started getting the piemaking itch back!Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-47440763355082399672011-04-09T03:14:00.000-04:002011-04-09T03:14:00.600-04:00Like Virginia Diner's Peanut Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrmMgS3W_iam6g4gXDp6iGz0_65g8lSUeKjFX3uiXr7B-KSIIF-sFE_GXa8an5971MGVYsutZDtcWpr8Ug5ILhPhGvwsmOOTd45Do14bAjIwELN4VWA5IGAbb6UFULDgx4plGM8vvW2dS/s1600/lvdp_baked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrmMgS3W_iam6g4gXDp6iGz0_65g8lSUeKjFX3uiXr7B-KSIIF-sFE_GXa8an5971MGVYsutZDtcWpr8Ug5ILhPhGvwsmOOTd45Do14bAjIwELN4VWA5IGAbb6UFULDgx4plGM8vvW2dS/s320/lvdp_baked.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZTgti5BTxcVL0mwS_2yuc53X9ftpzFyP-S2YCtKmMOiFAHcEgMUCxXrGJYSbMKaR6rhRXqe2TD7hNQbmlU4cGC9EZlluevcd6g5U8SzQTKZMNJbHvjDpImormIa0RoHV_xdBVNS76Pxl/s1600/lvdp_chopped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZTgti5BTxcVL0mwS_2yuc53X9ftpzFyP-S2YCtKmMOiFAHcEgMUCxXrGJYSbMKaR6rhRXqe2TD7hNQbmlU4cGC9EZlluevcd6g5U8SzQTKZMNJbHvjDpImormIa0RoHV_xdBVNS76Pxl/s200/lvdp_chopped.JPG" width="200" /></a>Yes, you read that right. Peanut pie. Not peanut butter pie. Peanut pie. As described in Ken Haedrich's account of the owner of <a href="http://www.vadinerrestaurant.com/">Virginia Diner</a>, "like a pecan pie, only better." I'm not entirely sure I agree with the 'better' part, but Peanut Pie is certainly like a pecan pie made with groundnuts instead.<br />
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The story behind the name for this pie derives from that age-old practice of never revealing the secret recipe. Haedrich wanted to get the recipe for Virginia Diner's peanut pie, but was stonewalled and instead referred to a peanut promoter's <a href="http://www.aboutpeanuts.com/">website</a>, where he found this <a href="http://www.aboutpeanuts.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=410&Itemid=66">recipe</a>. Hence, this pie being "like" the Diner's version.<br />
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When putting this all together, it looks like nothing so much as liquid peanut brittle - not a bad thing at all! Chopped peanuts float in a sea of dark corn syrup, eggs, and melted butter, which all gets upended into a pie shell. I had problems with my blind-baking foil sticking to the crust, and I ended up with the filling leaking through and cementing the pie to the plate. That's why the slices are so messy, but it all tastes the same!<br />
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<i>A la fin du jour</i>, sign me up for a piece of pecan pie over peanut pie. I am certainly a fan of a good <a href="http://www.thepeanutshop.com/">Virginia peanut</a>, but in a pie, the peanutty flavor is a bit too bold for me. If you really <3 peanuts, I encourage you to try this pie. Haedrich suggests serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/03/happy-pi-day.html">Warm Mocha Sauce</a> (scroll to the end for recipe), which might just tip the scales in favor of the Peanut Pie, but then again, the mocha sauce would make file folders taste good.Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-27617279405429309142011-04-03T21:49:00.000-04:002011-04-03T21:49:50.263-04:00Double Crust Cherry-Blackberry PieJust to be clear: "double crust" is usually code for "extra calories." Especially when using a from-scratch crust. (I've found that the refrigerated crusts are fewer calories than the homemade ones). And especially when that crust is a 'Tender Cream Cheese Pastry' which includes two sticks of butter and an entire brick of full-fat cream cheese. Oof.<br />
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Inside the pie, the nutrition is pretty good - two pounds of berries sweetened with only a half-cup of sugar. The recipe calls for an even mix of sweet cherries and blackberries. The berries are frozen - the recipe calls for them to be partially thawed before baking - which is a very convenient and perfectly passable way to make berry pies in the 11 months of off-season. It would be a gut-busting shame to have to eat all your berry pies ever during the month of July.<br />
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I used tart cherries and most of a pound of blackberries, with an ounce or two of raspberries tossed in to make up the weight. I would definitely recommend you go with the sweet cherries, as the blackberries provide tartness enough for the pie.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3Azat65IKfKGSKlp5XRilKwDdhiMNS0sdaBshArQCCHf05b8d8LBtqf5JrpFu9YilDO8UspxuJDo04v7KwYQFvj4cUdaSxvjaU6oGtKwA_cvw1qbwaGYblYwz2UxMh3XC327gXLLf5Ql/s1600/dccb_filled.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3Azat65IKfKGSKlp5XRilKwDdhiMNS0sdaBshArQCCHf05b8d8LBtqf5JrpFu9YilDO8UspxuJDo04v7KwYQFvj4cUdaSxvjaU6oGtKwA_cvw1qbwaGYblYwz2UxMh3XC327gXLLf5Ql/s320/dccb_filled.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
A word of caution about the cream cheese pastry crust (which, like the pie, is also from Ken Haedrich's <i>Pie</i>): the double crust recipe makes a lot of dough, probably enough for three crusts. I didn't realize this until too late, but it rolls out very thick if just making two crusts, thick enough that I suspect it insulated the filling and prevented it from thickening properly. The crust also came out a bit on the greasy side, but it has promise.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VePKwjf2IOi3Cw_cMAsuSNa06rAadqjdXi0bJPMvQ4roeUIzWpHGe4Xtp6vu3dR75MRpUVHS2OBwEKctbE5fkmV9AQSU9zMjXKtO3bNgJkfIJ8X1kQG8FfZOpYp7P0rzpH2L31-F6kw5/s1600/dccb_slice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VePKwjf2IOi3Cw_cMAsuSNa06rAadqjdXi0bJPMvQ4roeUIzWpHGe4Xtp6vu3dR75MRpUVHS2OBwEKctbE5fkmV9AQSU9zMjXKtO3bNgJkfIJ8X1kQG8FfZOpYp7P0rzpH2L31-F6kw5/s320/dccb_slice.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Also on the subject of thickening, I would probably toss in some quick-cooking tapioca the next time. There was a significant quantity of juices inside the pie (but it helped the too-thick crust with a delicious berry juice soak!).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbBv9E8EcEr3BTxVCNrRqk6tL4YTbk7_k-XWIJaeqmCbjWpyoAUTM166LiLxtrPNEvVqvUUZsB6mZs7-E6ukGjxSNW6uy3x5qxyqQI3IqgbDrLtGoMGI41m5QT7LbuhKE4wPcPgEvOGMf/s1600/dccb_sliced.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbBv9E8EcEr3BTxVCNrRqk6tL4YTbk7_k-XWIJaeqmCbjWpyoAUTM166LiLxtrPNEvVqvUUZsB6mZs7-E6ukGjxSNW6uy3x5qxyqQI3IqgbDrLtGoMGI41m5QT7LbuhKE4wPcPgEvOGMf/s320/dccb_sliced.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This was the first pie that I've used pie shields on. I added foil strips about 10 minutes before the end of a 60-65 minute bake time and was pleased with the result.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpO3wZolivuDbuTgeBSoNJ0TIhPzz_UKp8WOMDn0Ir4ZMlJodrA7bdN3Qic9OeQBDn8ps5nHNci-4dCSe-ADWxPKqoVUHvYJtK50s9l9NGY-Jg4D10ySOiUxj8Oem5oIiTT2kEufDenRW/s1600/dccb_baked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpO3wZolivuDbuTgeBSoNJ0TIhPzz_UKp8WOMDn0Ir4ZMlJodrA7bdN3Qic9OeQBDn8ps5nHNci-4dCSe-ADWxPKqoVUHvYJtK50s9l9NGY-Jg4D10ySOiUxj8Oem5oIiTT2kEufDenRW/s320/dccb_baked.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
All in all, I don't think this is a bad pie at all; I just think I could do a few things better next time.Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-59836722928417637112011-03-28T13:32:00.000-04:002011-03-28T13:32:16.558-04:00Blackberry Silk PieFor every mountaintop, there has to be a valley, right? We've been hiking along the ridge for a few weeks now with some great pies. This week, however, I think we're off the trail.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTKFQzNHWyxlSIqhaEiWse3RBzGWmgOCWE8KpEr3D5g8_d78zxiL40kXiNL8ccFoTzMPoFznGOkMUR0g0xD4Eepz62AwBvY3c5vThpeB9fQ6D-lL09IYyPbtbAMEwqq3hHTtgp2Mr3PyU/s1600/bls_slicedsun.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTKFQzNHWyxlSIqhaEiWse3RBzGWmgOCWE8KpEr3D5g8_d78zxiL40kXiNL8ccFoTzMPoFznGOkMUR0g0xD4Eepz62AwBvY3c5vThpeB9fQ6D-lL09IYyPbtbAMEwqq3hHTtgp2Mr3PyU/s320/bls_slicedsun.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Blackberry Silk Pie sounded so promising. I was thinking French Silk - yummy, creamy chocolateness - breeded with blackberries - sweet, tart, berryness - and expecting greatness. Instead, I got a purply wobbly mass in a pie shell - essentially, blackberry custard.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyg4QU0uyKAB9RqkZmdwxhPt81UsjFYHAgT9wJqKZhxrnapg63TMsVLFfdxFo6p4S0dyzFg-JP_3QLGkKT3DMgaO2x9xtwBNrbJpupFn40H_cDE0MNbNumq_noR8sqTg9V01fUNC4A5E78/s1600/bls_cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyg4QU0uyKAB9RqkZmdwxhPt81UsjFYHAgT9wJqKZhxrnapg63TMsVLFfdxFo6p4S0dyzFg-JP_3QLGkKT3DMgaO2x9xtwBNrbJpupFn40H_cDE0MNbNumq_noR8sqTg9V01fUNC4A5E78/s320/bls_cover.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the pre-baking color</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Custard, yum. Blackberries, yum. Blackberry custard, not so much.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimk4pIuTDN8_qR7Q0wSlrAobYAC0C8Np3JUK_CDp3MmnhqXsLrjoazvLJKGr4qr6U-UUvWQ8i7JRYMb2RIh4APjDOy4OCpfTFXGuCPhw7IHuNGvmMKXEpyZMDj1MU5S07msR54AmVC9lVk/s1600/bls_custard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimk4pIuTDN8_qR7Q0wSlrAobYAC0C8Np3JUK_CDp3MmnhqXsLrjoazvLJKGr4qr6U-UUvWQ8i7JRYMb2RIh4APjDOy4OCpfTFXGuCPhw7IHuNGvmMKXEpyZMDj1MU5S07msR54AmVC9lVk/s320/bls_custard.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are we back in January?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The pie started out ominously like the sugar and cream pies I made for two months: eggs, sugar, heavy cream. The only spot of color was a blackberry purée, of which there is extra to enjoy over ice cream later.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit09ZoB9poYXy5xJ-GtC39rHPWz7rvoJY7q37lSRDmytyLuU_HJB2C1Uu3UZ5vgypakGxERt0utdxEgAYYHNLXd2hoRUQagf7Xw19dtCTfShsXKTgJvEfH-dMFkZY6rHfeGABK3cSpOVf2/s1600/bls_prebaking.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit09ZoB9poYXy5xJ-GtC39rHPWz7rvoJY7q37lSRDmytyLuU_HJB2C1Uu3UZ5vgypakGxERt0utdxEgAYYHNLXd2hoRUQagf7Xw19dtCTfShsXKTgJvEfH-dMFkZY6rHfeGABK3cSpOVf2/s320/bls_prebaking.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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The resultant mixture is an odd purple color. It would be pretty on fabric, perhaps, or an iris, but food? Not so much. The custard is poured into a par-baked crust and baked low and slow (300° for 60-75 minutes). Baking doesn't improve the color at all - the light purple inside is covered by a darkened purple puddingskin-like top layer.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR85l25_BM-HJ0cyGesbv8ptj2ooIVqx5_M6RCHgdQZZApMhng9_Kv-vHRNN8ybUSkxELf69iMgUtMnjM9TYDS-DtDo3my6mI5UT7J6XbjwvTOhhwJiHP3Ff81HF48AtYoJO10vdPAeuPs/s1600/bls_baked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR85l25_BM-HJ0cyGesbv8ptj2ooIVqx5_M6RCHgdQZZApMhng9_Kv-vHRNN8ybUSkxELf69iMgUtMnjM9TYDS-DtDo3my6mI5UT7J6XbjwvTOhhwJiHP3Ff81HF48AtYoJO10vdPAeuPs/s320/bls_baked.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-bake. It's only slightly prettier in real life.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseZEPsuoQ6lknc0GjfFNHA-Xrk3DeXIidQbGmcd_q9wEE8efiO5NugeSHJ9d9zT1Z1M_M7aS2xy_2HpPUX-JUdE8W_3b0OOTrerwZcJby6ycCN0TTudCO9LmSqIUIUj2OlBUiaSFgskzc/s1600/bls_sliced.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseZEPsuoQ6lknc0GjfFNHA-Xrk3DeXIidQbGmcd_q9wEE8efiO5NugeSHJ9d9zT1Z1M_M7aS2xy_2HpPUX-JUdE8W_3b0OOTrerwZcJby6ycCN0TTudCO9LmSqIUIUj2OlBUiaSFgskzc/s320/bls_sliced.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't help but think "Barney pie" (or Grimace, I suppose)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Flavor-wise, this pie is okay. You can definitely taste blackberries, but the egg custard matrix is somewhat odd. The texture is like a soft baked custard - I thought it was fine but Tiffany couldn't take it. After my sample slice, we hurriedly distributed the pie to friends. I'll let you know what they think of it.<br />
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To sum up, we won't be keeping Blackberry Silk Pie as part of our baking repertoire. Save the blackberries to garnish the top of your plain custard, and I think you'll be happier with the results.Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-70214143038090677432011-03-22T23:36:00.000-04:002011-03-22T23:36:49.634-04:00Wild Blueberry-Maple Pie (in a Cornmeal Crust)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhffiYM-oBUzYa98OPC3sOHmPCRN0-bGrATFkESHACzUBS1fMUfAtyFpKrti2NVu7_XgTdxqKM_QhT8qA_zWKdgtp7Ko1ad3W4iObwzaBeTjIUZpMuT-nOvFYDrrg9xABlLparMu7KYL8A4/s1600/bmccoffee.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhffiYM-oBUzYa98OPC3sOHmPCRN0-bGrATFkESHACzUBS1fMUfAtyFpKrti2NVu7_XgTdxqKM_QhT8qA_zWKdgtp7Ko1ad3W4iObwzaBeTjIUZpMuT-nOvFYDrrg9xABlLparMu7KYL8A4/s400/bmccoffee.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great pie to enjoy with coffee.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Ken Haedrich describes this pie as 'the best of New England' what with blueberries and maple syrup in it. I would think that some <a href="http://www.lobsterfrommaine.com/">lobster</a>, <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/boston-brown-bread-recipe/index.html">brown bread</a>, and sharp <a href="http://www.vtcheese.com/type/cheddar.htm">cheddar cheese</a> would be be required in addition, but that's a recipe for another day.<br />
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Aside from the lack of seafood, three things piqued my interest in this pie.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-B9S6qL3xipUeVXDLhZHSv6QYKAeKw2WETGqMU3aFFASNuKHe9IyrSfrynxrQ_1yac_Lxne8Zsn00Ove9q3x3-vVabXAh4ntx0ZTavke5_vKx4vbmdzditbGb0v2tidHM4ao3BfDgjv2V/s1600/bmcsyrup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-B9S6qL3xipUeVXDLhZHSv6QYKAeKw2WETGqMU3aFFASNuKHe9IyrSfrynxrQ_1yac_Lxne8Zsn00Ove9q3x3-vVabXAh4ntx0ZTavke5_vKx4vbmdzditbGb0v2tidHM4ao3BfDgjv2V/s200/bmcsyrup.JPG" width="146" /></a></div><ol><li><b>The cornmeal crust.</b> I've always liked cornbread, corn muffins, etc. - a cornmeal crust has got to be good, right? More on this later.</li>
<li><b>The maple syrup.</b> A wonderful flavor which does not tolerate imitation. Get the real stuff, folks.</li>
<li><b>The blueberries.</b> Not really a novelty, I know, but this is one of the simplest pies I've tackled so far, and except for a couple of basic <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/spies-are-for-pies.html">apple</a> <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/03/welcoming-committee.html">pies</a> (which I haven't officially gotten to yet), this is the first of my <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-pie.html">fateful Thanksgiving pies</a> to replicate. </li>
</ol>Haedrich warns that the cornmeal crust is challenging to work with; I found it to be relatively simple, and pretty to boot. I used plenty of flour and, despite a few cracks here and there, had no problems. I even managed to fix my double crust <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/03/breitbachs-raspberry-pie.html">problems</a> from a couple weeks back - no berry explosions (out the side at least) this time.<br />
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The partially thawed berries (yes, frozen berries are fine) are combined with maple syrup, a bit of granulated sugar, and some cornstarch, then poured into the chilled bottom crust.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqXFbuOanoCdsIKz6xeiNlZHbogEPvWnwUYIg5KdZTMc1GWTm-iA77C5OxSC-4oTCH_n-lJNCBZeIvBOXA2MOkIgdw2gb_E4a1Af_xfwnB4EsnEHPUG2eNRGLrHswOIOo4wDI791dmClq/s1600/bmcberries.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqXFbuOanoCdsIKz6xeiNlZHbogEPvWnwUYIg5KdZTMc1GWTm-iA77C5OxSC-4oTCH_n-lJNCBZeIvBOXA2MOkIgdw2gb_E4a1Af_xfwnB4EsnEHPUG2eNRGLrHswOIOo4wDI791dmClq/s400/bmcberries.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGTsghNrLNUxLYDPeufx6emrcfDof4dzjfIkPSUU3_hH6UnQIZQVuWqFBSNnCWXnWQucpcHlinlwt_ykJ2z33113M4beul_WRVrWvG7gsCZXG1X8aQLup09DPIIxo2nwR7SnaIGSdEZsA/s1600/bmcfilled.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGTsghNrLNUxLYDPeufx6emrcfDof4dzjfIkPSUU3_hH6UnQIZQVuWqFBSNnCWXnWQucpcHlinlwt_ykJ2z33113M4beul_WRVrWvG7gsCZXG1X8aQLup09DPIIxo2nwR7SnaIGSdEZsA/s400/bmcfilled.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The top crust goes on, steam vents are cut in, then into the hotbox for just under an hour. As I mentioned above, my double crust edge sealing worked this time, but I had leaks from the steam vents that resulted in my blueberry pie having a nice Glaswegian smile.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yX-291uthqIjT0nnJQ70Yl7i57vygW1lVh-0D63R8zYea_L3SyyD43CeCa09d4HG9lS_QXy1Y99S0NTjikApiS39uNdg2G-SAHkTdWUNxaXIh1be9umugAW4QLrhx-3R_WLWQxYcCHTr/s1600/bmcbaked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yX-291uthqIjT0nnJQ70Yl7i57vygW1lVh-0D63R8zYea_L3SyyD43CeCa09d4HG9lS_QXy1Y99S0NTjikApiS39uNdg2G-SAHkTdWUNxaXIh1be9umugAW4QLrhx-3R_WLWQxYcCHTr/s400/bmcbaked.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why so serious?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The original recipe for the cornmeal crust also warns that the edge browns quickly and that a pie shield or foil is advised. I used neither and I don't feel that the crust browned too much.<br />
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The biggest disappointment was the lack of strong maple flavor. If I thought about it really hard, I could perhaps convince myself that there was a hint of maple in there, but it wasn't forthcoming. I'm not sure how to amp up the flavor - perhaps add maple syrup to the crust?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbj8lOwjlEgJ3j69rEhK7x8mgq86fFQ-fRdZF2pBkUONHpFNcr0_APhTxtF_gXxvTy_G83EQXt61H2pdSnbIsQ0iiFgtabC5wHogusvigWYJyA2KfdI5oxZmDmNxEV17XeVIx1OI1-Ww6/s1600/bmcslice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbj8lOwjlEgJ3j69rEhK7x8mgq86fFQ-fRdZF2pBkUONHpFNcr0_APhTxtF_gXxvTy_G83EQXt61H2pdSnbIsQ0iiFgtabC5wHogusvigWYJyA2KfdI5oxZmDmNxEV17XeVIx1OI1-Ww6/s400/bmcslice.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Regardless, this is a really good blueberry pie and the cornmeal crust certainly adds to the overall package. I think this will be my go-to blueberry pie recipe for the future and I commend it to you with limited reservations. Just don't include 'maple' in the name and we'll get along just fine.<br />
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<u>Cornmeal Pastry Crust</u> (adapted from <i>Pie</i> by Ken Haedrich)<br />
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<i>(measurements for a double crust; halve all for a single crust)</i><br />
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<blockquote>2.25 cups all-purpose flour<br />
0.5 cups fine yellow cornmeal<br />
2 tablespoons sugar<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
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0.25 cup cold cubed unsalted butter<br />
0.5 cup cold vegetable shortening (e.g., Crisco)<br />
0.5 cup cold buttermilk (I used whole milk)<br />
<br />
Combine drys, cut in fat, moisten with milk. I used about <sup>3</sup>⁄<sub>8</sub> cup of the milk to get the dough to a good consistency. Divide dough into two balls.<br />
<br />
Knead dough a couple times, flatten and wrap, then chill at least one hour before rolling out.</blockquote><br />
This is a great crust with a definite cornmeal flavor and grittiness (in a good, rustic way). Haedrich suggests using this crust for harvest-type pies - pumpkin, cranberry, apple. I will certainly be trying some of those suggestions come the fall.Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-39782204401415424202011-03-19T15:48:00.000-04:002011-03-19T15:48:20.518-04:00Welcoming Committee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GbDR_f_4vT5GxLHHu0doRMRbuuds4y2arBkbr2jXE_mrUHY2WcW98CN9HxeYOV-d3jBquXVSaXNeVIF0Yy8rC8keLz747sqNFMxQ1dJQfQgTUljl-gqpi5TkuW2_XW8KjktK_cSInQZk/s1600/applecrumbdone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><i>We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for a brief PSA on hospitality and neighborliness:</i> <br />
<br />
This is what you get when you move into <u>my</u> neighborhood.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GbDR_f_4vT5GxLHHu0doRMRbuuds4y2arBkbr2jXE_mrUHY2WcW98CN9HxeYOV-d3jBquXVSaXNeVIF0Yy8rC8keLz747sqNFMxQ1dJQfQgTUljl-gqpi5TkuW2_XW8KjktK_cSInQZk/s1600/applecrumbdone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GbDR_f_4vT5GxLHHu0doRMRbuuds4y2arBkbr2jXE_mrUHY2WcW98CN9HxeYOV-d3jBquXVSaXNeVIF0Yy8rC8keLz747sqNFMxQ1dJQfQgTUljl-gqpi5TkuW2_XW8KjktK_cSInQZk/s400/applecrumbdone.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple Crumb Pie - still warm!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
We recently had a single mom and her son move in across the way from us, so I thought, "What better way to introduce ourselves than to take her a pie?" I had two bags of <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/spies-are-for-pies.html">apple pie filling</a> (homemade, of course!) in the freezer from the fall and a spare refrigerated crust to be used - why not?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Nlw50x5_joNpMh2h7p8BNAyBkcEWtydruKuXTd84p6PYrV2wgXI58eCZZI6LkFfozvaedZJB3lvsbpUKS1pEkXwcCu7P_uzUuQ2x2QyJicpVS7aqIpvzObW6N513FqsBGW2ZZVeu6fx2/s1600/applecrumbbase.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Nlw50x5_joNpMh2h7p8BNAyBkcEWtydruKuXTd84p6PYrV2wgXI58eCZZI6LkFfozvaedZJB3lvsbpUKS1pEkXwcCu7P_uzUuQ2x2QyJicpVS7aqIpvzObW6N513FqsBGW2ZZVeu6fx2/s400/applecrumbbase.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This bag of filling was part-Spy, part-Macintosh, with the sugar and spice according to Pillsbury's Perfect Apple Pie recipe. Seeing as I only had one crust, I looked through Ken Haedrich's <i>Pie</i> to find a crumb topping. The oatmeal crumb (page 200) looked good: 1 cup flour, <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>2</sub> cup rolled oats, <sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> cup brown sugar, a bit of salt, and cinnamon. I think the recipe calls for <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>2</sub> teaspoon of cinnamon; I just shook some in and added ground cloves. Combine with pastry cutter until crumb-y.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMSO4XHmUZrChb2OppdlUND6iJF2zsVbtLFPGFGQCA2VXgotS9UPVZLPdJASfW4_CLdFZ5rnlDXY3xsR3pV181v_sNjZKYUDT9ci7_5sGw9sXA8C3W3jKPm2rZP2tku22IRm56WFWhGiX/s1600/crumbtopping.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMSO4XHmUZrChb2OppdlUND6iJF2zsVbtLFPGFGQCA2VXgotS9UPVZLPdJASfW4_CLdFZ5rnlDXY3xsR3pV181v_sNjZKYUDT9ci7_5sGw9sXA8C3W3jKPm2rZP2tku22IRm56WFWhGiX/s400/crumbtopping.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The crust and apples cooked for 30 minutes at 400°, then I turned the oven down to 350° and spread the topping over the parbaked filling. As warned in the recipe, this makes a lot of crumb topping; I saved about a cup in the freezer for a future apple crisp. Back in the oven for 25 minutes, <i>et voila!</i><br />
<br />
I hope it tastes as good as it smells. That's the rough part about giving pies away - I don't get to taste them! At least I've still got another bag of filling in the freezer, right?<br />
<br />
P.S. - I tagged this as a pantry pie, not because I always have apples around (I've gotten to where I can't stand apples out of season), but because I had frozen pie filling that I made up in the fall sitting in my freezer. I didn't have to make any special plans or shopping trips to throw this together. Just something to think about - if you like a particular pie for which the season is brief, prepare your own filling for long-term storage. Fresh apple pie in March!<br />
<br />
<i>Next time - Let's Go Blue(berries)!</i>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-27551451650947352552011-03-14T01:59:00.002-04:002011-03-14T01:59:00.390-04:00Happy Pi Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJrhNy4ZmQTMK-rZ0JCDF5adu0Tc7R16vnURuJtOHtLR-5AT5BDwYLb5-YCyNTmNKbw63kOFh_SIgcpDTdtAWwHdwnwIMYld6i0maoJz3PWEWAnuCmb-CVGEfl9Hym5KVKzJ5hOnqe6HX/s1600/cm-chocwhip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBU_1FNKj7npedlj2Ud8z9QgOP1FMVNAp0ZiXEfMlTQl8rWPhkibVAjmTwCWi-HiuZ1Wufm_If_PzIZ0YDzIpygQ3cE5JFtfDeTUthVrW65FaTq4fcHMtrff-F8vLL-DoUcyCqkuyqzobt/s1600/cm-ganache.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBU_1FNKj7npedlj2Ud8z9QgOP1FMVNAp0ZiXEfMlTQl8rWPhkibVAjmTwCWi-HiuZ1Wufm_If_PzIZ0YDzIpygQ3cE5JFtfDeTUthVrW65FaTq4fcHMtrff-F8vLL-DoUcyCqkuyqzobt/s1600/cm-ganache.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nctm.org/uploadedImages/Lessons_and_Resources/Resource_Collections/pi_day_pie-200x300.jpg?n=5351" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.nctm.org/uploadedImages/Lessons_and_Resources/Resource_Collections/pi_day_pie-200x300.jpg?n=5351" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my pie! Maybe next year... (source: <a href="http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=2147483830">NCTM</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
In honor of <a href="http://www.exploratorium.edu/pi/">Pi Day</a> (<a href="http://www.piday.org/">3/14</a>, get it?), I resolved at the very beginning of this project to make three full-size pies and a little mini-pie meant to represent about 14/100ths of a 9-inch pie. After realizing that meant baking at least nine pies throughout the month of March, I scaled it back to just two.<br />
<br />
I also had, for some reason, made the connection between my mother (who, as a math major in <a href="http://www.psu.edu/">college</a>, earned the nickname Pi), my mother-in-law (a high school math teacher) and chocolate, so my <a href="http://www.teachpi.org/">Pi Day</a> pies were all slated to be chocolate pies.<br />
<br />
From there we get to today's entries: Chocolate Malted Pie and Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4tmpCAbdl0EOeUbP-VHVkmARnlQuuYX00d5e9MUyBB5P2vONf4-NMS7cS5b9idAIfzs-NwF95hV5GkIa8rW_mPajf2pWjpJNLcNHqhCduxjnYOs50WxIKpQcTHRGYFNRh0GoJVO_ylIF/s1600/cm-crushbag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4tmpCAbdl0EOeUbP-VHVkmARnlQuuYX00d5e9MUyBB5P2vONf4-NMS7cS5b9idAIfzs-NwF95hV5GkIa8rW_mPajf2pWjpJNLcNHqhCduxjnYOs50WxIKpQcTHRGYFNRh0GoJVO_ylIF/s200/cm-crushbag.JPG" width="134" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmm... malt balls...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><u><b>Chocolate Malted Pie</b></u><br />
<br />
I love <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malted_milk">malt powder</a>. Not just a malted milk, or a vanilla (or coffee!) malted milkshake, or a <a href="http://hungary-eyes.blogspot.com/2008/04/dusty-road-sundaes.html">dusty road sundae</a>, but dip-a-spoon-into-the-malt-powder-canister-and-eat-dry-mouthfuls is what I'm talking about. In fact, most places I order a malted, I request extra malt, because the flavor doesn't come through strongly enough.<br />
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As is the case, unfortunately, with this pie.<br />
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Don't get me wrong - this is a delicious, rich pie. Anything that includes four versions of chocolate (Oreo crust, malted <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Desaulniers">ganache</a>, chocolate whipped cream, and malt balls) has to be good. But if it's advertised as a <i>malted</i> pie, I want the sweet malty flavor to be front and center.<br />
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Basic construction is as follows:<br />
<ul><li>Pour malted <a href="http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/meet/desaulniers.html">ganache</a> (chopped chocolate, simmered heavy cream, and malted milk powder) into a previously-prepared crushed Oreo crust. Chill for two or more hours until <a href="http://www.foodguru.com/chocolate-ganache.html">ganache</a> solidifies.</li>
</ul><ol></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSIDNtarq6Qmq6Hht1nv3B9ch-Gz5EE9dFCSiCtss_xnWVgMH7Ws8udPT7iCKxPf-8g6sRPuKNGvedHvWG7WUBlWu9xUnKXZ2H1gBebZNhOZwI5loOW_GHCzZDcD4D6Kt4Yw_XZl-rVPx/s1600/cm-ganache.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSIDNtarq6Qmq6Hht1nv3B9ch-Gz5EE9dFCSiCtss_xnWVgMH7Ws8udPT7iCKxPf-8g6sRPuKNGvedHvWG7WUBlWu9xUnKXZ2H1gBebZNhOZwI5loOW_GHCzZDcD4D6Kt4Yw_XZl-rVPx/s320/cm-ganache.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><ul><li>Whip heavy cream to soft peaks, then add in reserved malted <a href="http://www.videosurf.com/marcel-desaulniers-172104">ganache</a>. Beat until fully incorporated.</li>
</ul><ol></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJrhNy4ZmQTMK-rZ0JCDF5adu0Tc7R16vnURuJtOHtLR-5AT5BDwYLb5-YCyNTmNKbw63kOFh_SIgcpDTdtAWwHdwnwIMYld6i0maoJz3PWEWAnuCmb-CVGEfl9Hym5KVKzJ5hOnqe6HX/s1600/cm-chocwhip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJrhNy4ZmQTMK-rZ0JCDF5adu0Tc7R16vnURuJtOHtLR-5AT5BDwYLb5-YCyNTmNKbw63kOFh_SIgcpDTdtAWwHdwnwIMYld6i0maoJz3PWEWAnuCmb-CVGEfl9Hym5KVKzJ5hOnqe6HX/s320/cm-chocwhip.JPG" width="286" /></a></div><ul><li>Crush malt balls, press into top of <a href="http://weblogs.dailypress.com/features/family/food/blog/DP%20Marcel%20Desaulniers%20%26%20Chocolate.jpg">ganache</a> filling, then spread chocolate whipped cream over the top. Garnish with additional whole malt balls.</li>
</ul><ol></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji23Uwelnspi5-dozDgSIjSFucELIBwfvIehJIhO6e0tj8pdFYwXjW9luDZL14NYIPuS95mzyBDuuPSmRNkI3OXfJZ7p7eF64ZVTQHFqwgfGjFqqw-l6q5K2Nw7ximEgXkuXYOYe57YaLg/s1600/cm-crushed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji23Uwelnspi5-dozDgSIjSFucELIBwfvIehJIhO6e0tj8pdFYwXjW9luDZL14NYIPuS95mzyBDuuPSmRNkI3OXfJZ7p7eF64ZVTQHFqwgfGjFqqw-l6q5K2Nw7ximEgXkuXYOYe57YaLg/s320/cm-crushed.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLJB10vRM5yrgLY3D-co638CRRyUfblaJbUasE3cQZeJH0ur0_p5bsvMfMOCBBmWwJTPRXbQCkzg0ncDKo1hCsA4xMd75i2upMmFaFeUpoDvhus8tK3PxeIs4CZ8zyjjgEYe_ljaUS8tQ/s1600/cm-completed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLJB10vRM5yrgLY3D-co638CRRyUfblaJbUasE3cQZeJH0ur0_p5bsvMfMOCBBmWwJTPRXbQCkzg0ncDKo1hCsA4xMd75i2upMmFaFeUpoDvhus8tK3PxeIs4CZ8zyjjgEYe_ljaUS8tQ/s320/cm-completed.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Sorry, no slice pictures this round. The large pie was made to be given away to a friend at church. We had to taste it though, so here comes the mini-pie! Better on the calories for us, too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDHWnOB2UL_7Aa7jt01ZuMloDRZ1vo57bTmfmEnffmiXRaZRlmwIv4Slp6hbVIibkrTzDwHW4gi6NYXxfm8V3NeC4ACIpFoMxoPN-_MZ0H-Yzz10pPb58DVWGUvYgyg1QhmxkNqpEm20_/s1600/cm-minipie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDHWnOB2UL_7Aa7jt01ZuMloDRZ1vo57bTmfmEnffmiXRaZRlmwIv4Slp6hbVIibkrTzDwHW4gi6NYXxfm8V3NeC4ACIpFoMxoPN-_MZ0H-Yzz10pPb58DVWGUvYgyg1QhmxkNqpEm20_/s320/cm-minipie.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdXPrhbt71K8ya-iW3gjQyTdfVJ6V7fJJW_4a4wTyNxoZGOlGeMMEnxjV3dmWdbNYxOltUpf_RRHjWbrCAI3NYATstGrQ4E8lkEf927wKz-ee8FnJaIbGcL3eg0XJLWUmWElma01Zti7r/s1600/cm-twopies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdXPrhbt71K8ya-iW3gjQyTdfVJ6V7fJJW_4a4wTyNxoZGOlGeMMEnxjV3dmWdbNYxOltUpf_RRHjWbrCAI3NYATstGrQ4E8lkEf927wKz-ee8FnJaIbGcL3eg0XJLWUmWElma01Zti7r/s320/cm-twopies.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pie and Mini-Pie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>If I try this again, I'll definitely up the malt powder in the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE4TFOkgQCU">ganache</a> until I can actually taste it.<br />
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<u><b>Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie</b></u><br />
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Some of you reading this might consider me insane for my next comment, but the truth of the matter is... I'm doing <a href="http://www.weightwatchers.com/">Weight Watchers</a> in the midst of this grand pie adventure. The pie plan came first and was too much fun to cancel, so here we are. I've already lost about ten pounds since the first of the year, even without getting much exercise (I'm waiting for spring to, well, <i>spring </i>so I can get out and walk more frequently).<br />
<br />
All that to say that I've been meticulously calculating WW points (<a href="http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/29/weight-watchers-overhauls-point-system/">old system</a>) for all of my pies. When I ran the numbers for the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, I nearly fell on the floor. Whereas most of the pies have been in the range of 9-12 points for a reasonable 1/8 slice (lowest so far was <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/cinnamon-sugar-pie.html">Cinnamon Sugar Pie</a> at 7 pts/eighth; highest was <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/02/vanilla-cream-pie.html">Vanilla Cream Pie</a> at 12.5 pts/eighth and the Chocolate Malted Pie above at 16 pts/eighth), CPBP blew them all away.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTEnPR66Q0vD9ri7vR8aM1M5PWPB_S1RbKLrXY5NTZTcpX5mZpzHt8hO2aE4A78KdoIvJlKvqbd38NJfKI_ooHzxDpJTedSVXQE4T3nADdwoGy9j_x4UAdQv3-nHGZqBMw3i8lRIoYuXK/s1600/cpb-toppingx.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTEnPR66Q0vD9ri7vR8aM1M5PWPB_S1RbKLrXY5NTZTcpX5mZpzHt8hO2aE4A78KdoIvJlKvqbd38NJfKI_ooHzxDpJTedSVXQE4T3nADdwoGy9j_x4UAdQv3-nHGZqBMw3i8lRIoYuXK/s320/cpb-toppingx.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The caloric perfect storm of peanut butter, cream cheese, whipped cream, and mocha ganache (not to mention the chocolate cookie crust) results in this pie topping out at a total of 181 points, or 23 points per eighth. Even cut to twelfths, that's still 15 points per slice - more than one-third of my daily total!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA82MA0EpRl9SKhpWkzYVL_Dwrpee-oIElAEWL-YfdoMmpI2UpaTFweg4ihxtqRiFJ_AiwyshZ9J5FAG2Zn54naGn54qF9BFL-8xzeAbUv20we0UYa_HvivpBnBlhrtjMYO9mMMMHZ-P4G/s1600/cpb-slicex.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA82MA0EpRl9SKhpWkzYVL_Dwrpee-oIElAEWL-YfdoMmpI2UpaTFweg4ihxtqRiFJ_AiwyshZ9J5FAG2Zn54naGn54qF9BFL-8xzeAbUv20we0UYa_HvivpBnBlhrtjMYO9mMMMHZ-P4G/s320/cpb-slicex.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
On the other hand, a single bite is sufficient, if you can restrain yourself. This is a really good pie, although I myself am not so keen on the peanut/cream cheese flavor combination (Tiffany loved it). Our strategy for not eating ourselves sick was to pawn it off on others - I think we got rid of the entire pie within a day.<br />
<br />
<i>Cooking Notes</i><br />
This pie has a few distinct steps. If you break up the steps and make the peanut butter-cream cheese mixture ahead, be sure to let it fully return to room temp before proceeding (or just re-cream it): it needs to be soft to fold in the whipped cream. Note that the recipe makes a lot of filling and it will seem like it won't fit in the crust. It will - the profile of the pie is high and rounded rather than flat.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT7r5GEMJ6QkpPhAYCeRoc6nv4MjGCuNJIpXjV7IfkYWqKZ_SmdkFYyRqzkHAQyu3PNaq5oh72g8GtNZMi0tBDo8zZWJiGJUpE9yCFjIZ43ljBHn38ypw45vUuTxGjaqk-5nn15DBf_Ci2/s1600/cpb-toppedx.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT7r5GEMJ6QkpPhAYCeRoc6nv4MjGCuNJIpXjV7IfkYWqKZ_SmdkFYyRqzkHAQyu3PNaq5oh72g8GtNZMi0tBDo8zZWJiGJUpE9yCFjIZ43ljBHn38ypw45vUuTxGjaqk-5nn15DBf_Ci2/s320/cpb-toppedx.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/vE4TFOkgQCU/default.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/vE4TFOkgQCU/default.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Did someone say "ganache"?</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The real take-home element of this pie, in my opinion, is the Warm Mocha Sauce (essentially a mocha ganache) that is poured over the chilled peanut filling. This sauce is worth making up for anything you want a topping on, including my family's Mildred's Chocolate Cake, which includes a traditional mocha frosting.<br />
<blockquote><u style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Warm Mocha Sauce, from <i>Pie </i>by Ken Haedrich</u></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Combine <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>2</sub> cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon of instant coffee or espresso granules, and 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and bring to a simmer over low heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips until smooth and glossy dark brown. Stir in 1 tablespoon of light corn syrup and <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>2</sub> teaspoon vanilla extract; pour into a heatproof container with a spout (like a 1 cup Pyrex measuring cup) and let cool.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This will set up fairly solidly when cool. If you need to loosen it up before using, microwave for 10-15 seconds, then stir - it should come right back to a pourable consistency. </span></blockquote><br />
<blockquote></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdbMo1VNby1PqxN8mFaz6H3HEEmrVUpBWYL6RI3yIYrvzBxMzt0QwV31qJiyDVwnf_HPtzg_v94R2Kz9b8ehTnKZiV2EVvrMx7whTnQGi01M1UCjHvZQ4QDfQszpRGaH79dnKw06WeBm3/s1600/cpb-ganachex.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdbMo1VNby1PqxN8mFaz6H3HEEmrVUpBWYL6RI3yIYrvzBxMzt0QwV31qJiyDVwnf_HPtzg_v94R2Kz9b8ehTnKZiV2EVvrMx7whTnQGi01M1UCjHvZQ4QDfQszpRGaH79dnKw06WeBm3/s320/cpb-ganachex.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or just drink it straight from the measuring cup.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></blockquote>---<br />
<i>Next time: Back to berries with the "best of New England"</i>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-64824519620219655872011-03-12T03:14:00.000-05:002011-03-12T03:14:00.298-05:00Breitbach's Raspberry PieI remember one summer, my sister and I wanted to make a strawberry pie. We had always seen whole-berry strawberry pies - you know, the <a href="http://fastfood.ocregister.com/files/2009/03/mc-strawberrypie_2.jpg">ones</a> with upside down raw berries covered with an ectoplasmic red fakey gel-sludge that sticks to your fork - but <u>we</u> wanted to make a strawberry pie more like an apple pie, with cooked fruit. If I remember correctly, the adults around us tried to dissuade us, but still assisted in the endeavor. I also seem to recall that it turned out okay.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOgwelLVYj3i-mqhVUvQMMByGZMjw4d9d-o0GInkstffHnukB4ribaAHEqxipBtjnWw1Ua_UIsR0RQb1ojSbcS2ASKkqI1V7dKkEcYdJ66cg6lFNeaEzomGhAiD9DJ4IQ-J_NQmtH-8jl/s1600/breit_berries.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>I share that reminiscence with you simply because of the fact that today's pie includes cooked berries of even more fragility than a ripe strawberry. Breitbach's Raspberry Pie, named for a <a href="http://www.breitbachscountrydining.com/">popular café</a> in Iowa, includes both raspberries and blackberries, but it's definitely the raspberries that come through most strongly in the flavor.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOgwelLVYj3i-mqhVUvQMMByGZMjw4d9d-o0GInkstffHnukB4ribaAHEqxipBtjnWw1Ua_UIsR0RQb1ojSbcS2ASKkqI1V7dKkEcYdJ66cg6lFNeaEzomGhAiD9DJ4IQ-J_NQmtH-8jl/s1600/breit_berries.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOgwelLVYj3i-mqhVUvQMMByGZMjw4d9d-o0GInkstffHnukB4ribaAHEqxipBtjnWw1Ua_UIsR0RQb1ojSbcS2ASKkqI1V7dKkEcYdJ66cg6lFNeaEzomGhAiD9DJ4IQ-J_NQmtH-8jl/s320/breit_berries.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This is really a simple pie: berries, sugar, and tapioca in a double crust. The filling is very firm before it is baked, and it is a refreshing shade of deep red-pink. Never mind the little white flecks - that's just the tapioca, waiting to absorb all those lovely berry juices.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_V7vqxy1CoQWcy6831rXDekmpOOvGVHRFeDnanfROjPLtVumWxfCAOlwfIkgIKwSRd37pMz10iNy4GY-Y_XrHBmebIf12qXhTZoYgZ0GU3eusp6u2EQU04X99SOHjDvYnksv9selNNehy/s1600/breit_cooked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_V7vqxy1CoQWcy6831rXDekmpOOvGVHRFeDnanfROjPLtVumWxfCAOlwfIkgIKwSRd37pMz10iNy4GY-Y_XrHBmebIf12qXhTZoYgZ0GU3eusp6u2EQU04X99SOHjDvYnksv9selNNehy/s320/breit_cooked.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
And, now it's apparent that I need work on my double crust skills. I failed to seal the edges properly and the filling exploded all over the pan, my drip tray in the oven, and the oven itself (not to mention the top of the stove after I pulled it out AND my oven mitts!).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuqo7Xz2WLAmesgTmle4rZE-ts5DI9Fe-rdDe7UxG5e34DaSuxHxZhEn6kN4dc_BhsYzSunqT8jIM-fkwortSnqDVqy1n1wETFoynUUIKNLjjmUgEGtkcArPBc-PeAg4iPku_2LOwT_ok/s1600/breit_leaked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuqo7Xz2WLAmesgTmle4rZE-ts5DI9Fe-rdDe7UxG5e34DaSuxHxZhEn6kN4dc_BhsYzSunqT8jIM-fkwortSnqDVqy1n1wETFoynUUIKNLjjmUgEGtkcArPBc-PeAg4iPku_2LOwT_ok/s320/breit_leaked.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is <u>not</u> what your pie should look like.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The proof of the pudding is in the eating, however, and nobody complained about this pie. Trust me, it tastes the same regardless of whether it leaks or not. The raspberry flavor is deliciously intense, although some of my testers found it a bit too sweet and jam-like. I will be trying this one again in the summer with fresh berries, and I may play around with reducing (or eliminating!) the sugar to see how the flavor goes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxqhk_f6iZ9H4_FBG30__Z0fqxgeAhXvI0cj2GemL2w1_h-ixj0FJ8Z2en6u0ibecq_MOfYRpDuRQPcEmBGrwMpmDDmyhvA0_JxXvfGCPKVjZb99OOsjbCZk7S9iunXVzBQecz4UK9Oj8/s1600/breit_slice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxqhk_f6iZ9H4_FBG30__Z0fqxgeAhXvI0cj2GemL2w1_h-ixj0FJ8Z2en6u0ibecq_MOfYRpDuRQPcEmBGrwMpmDDmyhvA0_JxXvfGCPKVjZb99OOsjbCZk7S9iunXVzBQecz4UK9Oj8/s320/breit_slice.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I heartily recommend this pie to you - just take your time and close up your crust properly!<br />
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<i>Next time: The pie too good to eat.</i>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-39807202643655351982011-03-09T08:08:00.001-05:002011-03-10T23:22:12.529-05:00Blueberry-Yogurt Cheese PieDo you like cheesecake? Do you like cheesecake with blueberry topping? Do you like the caloric bomb that (really good) cheesecake drops on your diet?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTiyfgWa8KBkIh-I8DfxijZNT94SO_FIhxUG-GWkAQSVeQGRAyZ2yic8_NpggvosSs-URbQnpKrYXNuGFEPHrfk2Rx-0zP-L1ObSlkLTGj0TSJ3RyklIhn4XDEn0wfUJJKfnUzhUoVihw/s1600/byc_complete.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTiyfgWa8KBkIh-I8DfxijZNT94SO_FIhxUG-GWkAQSVeQGRAyZ2yic8_NpggvosSs-URbQnpKrYXNuGFEPHrfk2Rx-0zP-L1ObSlkLTGj0TSJ3RyklIhn4XDEn0wfUJJKfnUzhUoVihw/s320/byc_complete.JPG" width="320" /></a> <br />
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If you answered, like me, 'yes', 'yes', and 'not really' to the above, you simply must try this pie. The recipe has a lot of steps, and you need to be sure to start this at least the day before you serve, but it's not really as complicated as it seems.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtz7JKNBLbEp_I9l_mrEa-6zT7iM2rq4B3wpnJKWxzB5R2Ne0S9QxarAIgci0ziBmjcXlNnnT_uyTTeFYeNpNI1-V_GEPaB6hbuaVicJM_O-Q1X2dLbCl8LfEX3L6tjdK3mDGCzs7stAz/s1600/byc_parts1and2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtz7JKNBLbEp_I9l_mrEa-6zT7iM2rq4B3wpnJKWxzB5R2Ne0S9QxarAIgci0ziBmjcXlNnnT_uyTTeFYeNpNI1-V_GEPaB6hbuaVicJM_O-Q1X2dLbCl8LfEX3L6tjdK3mDGCzs7stAz/s320/byc_parts1and2.JPG" width="222" /></a></div><blockquote style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Crust:</u> Prebake a <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/02/cinnamon-graham-crust.html">graham cracker crust</a> in a 9-inch pie plate.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Cheese Layer:</u> Drain 32 ounces of the best plain yogurt you can find (</span><span style="font-size: small;">full-fat <i>is </i>recommended - </span><span style="font-size: small;">I used <a href="http://www.stonyfield.com/">Stonyfield Farm</a>'s Whole Milk Yogurt) for at least 12 hours. Line a colander with cheesecloth, dump in the yogurt, set it over a bowl, and stick it in the back of your fridge.</span></blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Berry Layer:</u> Combine 3<sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>2</sub> cups IQF blueberries, <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>8</sub> cup orange juice, and <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> cup white sugar and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes, until the berries have released a good bit of juice. <br />
<br />
In a small bowl, stir together another <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>8</sub> cup orange juice, 2 tablespoons of white sugar, and 1</span><span style="font-size: small;"><sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>2</sub></span><span style="font-size: small;"> tablespoons of cornstarch until dissolved; stir into berries and bring to a boil until thickened (about 90 seconds). Remove from heat and stir in 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. <br />
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Turn out berry mixture into a wide container (a spare pie plate worked well for me), cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u>Assembly:</u> Transfer drained yogurt to a medium bowl and stir in </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> cup powdered sugar and </span><span style="font-size: small;"><sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>4</sub></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. Spoon sweetened yogurt cheese into the chilled pie shell, smoothing it over the bottom and up the sides. Spoon the chilled blueberry mixture over the yogurt and smooth out the top of the pie. Garnish with a dollop of the extra yogurt and long threads of lemon zest (if you're into that sort of thing). Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">-adapted from <i>Pie </i>by Ken Haedrich </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTiyfgWa8KBkIh-I8DfxijZNT94SO_FIhxUG-GWkAQSVeQGRAyZ2yic8_NpggvosSs-URbQnpKrYXNuGFEPHrfk2Rx-0zP-L1ObSlkLTGj0TSJ3RyklIhn4XDEn0wfUJJKfnUzhUoVihw/s1600/byc_complete.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
Let me just say that after two months of pies that ranged from white to cream to light yellow, working with blueberries was refreshing visually.They stained my wooden spoon, but to tell the truth, I wouldn't mind dyeing the rest of the spoon that color!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EDMqEq8vMXGsiZHuRVRoLjhNIGmp17KkrLeSC6cvbODrKyhJ1QCQcBQ2Q5cX4_wVZOEE8-yR3VLviJi15vp9v3o1cpekUzSIN4CKlaY_9UvEsrzrMD7ke1vro-p_pYgUWH6bEPI8_C4c/s1600/byc_berries.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EDMqEq8vMXGsiZHuRVRoLjhNIGmp17KkrLeSC6cvbODrKyhJ1QCQcBQ2Q5cX4_wVZOEE8-yR3VLviJi15vp9v3o1cpekUzSIN4CKlaY_9UvEsrzrMD7ke1vro-p_pYgUWH6bEPI8_C4c/s320/byc_berries.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>As I started out suggesting, this pie is reminiscent of cheesecake, only lighter. The tang of the yogurt stands in well for cream cheese, and the sweetness of the berries is sufficient to carry the entire show.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_jDQSWQ2H6TDP8lYi8mM5zzdLSGksw6JLcv2dXXHw_pPibhJTfpn8RL0NWZMd4u5f6txnrE4YUW7w6BMNjth6kUUWitAJrLfvouOJ7BmB4EAlo8eA3tgvXQJjsn8kUzi9nI3bAu4_r8i/s1600/byc_yogurt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_jDQSWQ2H6TDP8lYi8mM5zzdLSGksw6JLcv2dXXHw_pPibhJTfpn8RL0NWZMd4u5f6txnrE4YUW7w6BMNjth6kUUWitAJrLfvouOJ7BmB4EAlo8eA3tgvXQJjsn8kUzi9nI3bAu4_r8i/s320/byc_yogurt.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how your yogurt cheese should look</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I will caution you that this pie does not keep - and I'm not just being euphemistic here. I brought the pie together for a Sunday morning potluck, so it was assembled and ready to go Saturday night and stored in the fridge. The graham crust tends to get soggy and weepy after just hours, and the whole thing slumps into a glorious mess. I might try it again with a short stint in the freezer before serving to see if it holds up better and slices more cleanly.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BGyUqT-tsgsBeO7EKbcNn2V2uGxrEZ74pBBXhFvi66rR7tVcSgluEydrDC7O4DOY2_BZVsv44puCHkzH0rUpdIKbXbRBYvAZEzPgblRsTpvDooDFK135ow5V6IIRCF8sybOhUX-S-3BD/s1600/byc_mess.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BGyUqT-tsgsBeO7EKbcNn2V2uGxrEZ74pBBXhFvi66rR7tVcSgluEydrDC7O4DOY2_BZVsv44puCHkzH0rUpdIKbXbRBYvAZEzPgblRsTpvDooDFK135ow5V6IIRCF8sybOhUX-S-3BD/s320/byc_mess.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
That said, don't be afraid to scoop out a portion with a spoon - it still tastes wonderful even if it's not the prettiest thing on the plate. And the taste is what counts in the end, right?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-Fm9Nh7OvV2d7YZMcYa-hy9xzT2ABjW558FhKYSuXUPMdQ7HmVtqvw_IkS6p89sRrXEdnlBwF-M99ukI5zydYlNiTwZNgLzm9JDi5pC-U2V8YjAzk_Xzl4yJteBEdR6O03QV8fWU3kDZ/s1600/byc_jumble.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-Fm9Nh7OvV2d7YZMcYa-hy9xzT2ABjW558FhKYSuXUPMdQ7HmVtqvw_IkS6p89sRrXEdnlBwF-M99ukI5zydYlNiTwZNgLzm9JDi5pC-U2V8YjAzk_Xzl4yJteBEdR6O03QV8fWU3kDZ/s320/byc_jumble.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABGI3k3r8zhePh1lpfnU23EBLkO1hLOXNv8ZQtxOodeqnBkBHsl-DyEtgTWj_IObePPuKqZIZBqq3eaBjQUcBpFaQhPm__Tt7h1yMNsKxuOg2kSTDL0GMAqJQ3T6G2482Fp2PEc8dY5UJ/s1600/byc_slices.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABGI3k3r8zhePh1lpfnU23EBLkO1hLOXNv8ZQtxOodeqnBkBHsl-DyEtgTWj_IObePPuKqZIZBqq3eaBjQUcBpFaQhPm__Tt7h1yMNsKxuOg2kSTDL0GMAqJQ3T6G2482Fp2PEc8dY5UJ/s320/byc_slices.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the last bits. This is how it's supposed to look.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-77801903666017625592011-03-05T15:14:00.004-05:002011-03-06T15:19:43.605-05:00Homestead Chess PieI've heard of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_pie">chess pie</a> for years, but have never seen one nor had the opportunity to try a slice. I don't recall ever even having <i>seen </i>a recipe for chess pie.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4IsSUxdS1gP49M5NkpwN2NvuBWETeHhI2jtTClgR2NX960T8qzZGUk0eWbWIWf9AuqIcuD4yMotWPSsJkaFFHbN8ns4KY-AjegwXdnC8412UwNx_RXDN8YQpPTpzA-qTdaB9Pe712RLP/s1600/chess_vinegar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4IsSUxdS1gP49M5NkpwN2NvuBWETeHhI2jtTClgR2NX960T8qzZGUk0eWbWIWf9AuqIcuD4yMotWPSsJkaFFHbN8ns4KY-AjegwXdnC8412UwNx_RXDN8YQpPTpzA-qTdaB9Pe712RLP/s320/chess_vinegar.JPG" width="255" /></a></div><br />
The most intriguing ingredient is a tablespoon of vinegar (Ken Haedrich says that either cider or white vinegar would work; I had cider vinegar on hand). I've had vinegar pie before in Tennessee -- keep an eye out in May for this treat -- but other than that I've never heard of vinegar in a dessert.<br />
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Assembly of this pie was simple: the shell is unbaked before filling, and the filling is just whisked together cold and poured in to the shell. I would recommend fully softening the butter before adding. I tried to rush things, resulting in big chunks of butter (although I'm not sure if this made any difference in the result).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfwec_9ChFfUIeHT9LdGIeF44gUDyI9Qr_ZRvlT5mxsqNFF2uiZ9ug0PjdFCerpBEeH0SlPgUrG6FDblXy5n6xSVP5t2dyPG07fLd3JlEqe9nHOaC8msjCoAYJZFsRY-gwcqvP5Q0dXsq/s1600/chess_raw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfwec_9ChFfUIeHT9LdGIeF44gUDyI9Qr_ZRvlT5mxsqNFF2uiZ9ug0PjdFCerpBEeH0SlPgUrG6FDblXy5n6xSVP5t2dyPG07fLd3JlEqe9nHOaC8msjCoAYJZFsRY-gwcqvP5Q0dXsq/s320/chess_raw.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The recipe from <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pie-Tried-True-Delicious-Homemade/dp/155832254X/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1">Pie</a></i> calls for baking 30-35 minutes until a knife inserted at the center comes out clean. After 35 minutes, the pie had browned slightly, but was still very 'jiggly' and my tester came out wet. I thought the pie might set up as it cooled (and it was getting late), so I pulled it out and set it on the rack.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIENsfB63V_L1chSBd2bxEyjch4m-1Zt-8tO-G-xFzgWl26OP_-9kRZNrU7OZzRNPtb-wpQas2QISSpwUSuvODxUyku2o82Ze-IB4HJ6riMniM3z1FaDR25TZG35YQavR92at8iI3bMVty/s1600/chess_baked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIENsfB63V_L1chSBd2bxEyjch4m-1Zt-8tO-G-xFzgWl26OP_-9kRZNrU7OZzRNPtb-wpQas2QISSpwUSuvODxUyku2o82Ze-IB4HJ6riMniM3z1FaDR25TZG35YQavR92at8iI3bMVty/s320/chess_baked.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the first baking</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The next morning, I went to check on the pie. While the top 'crust' (a result of the tablespoon of cornmeal in the filling) had firmed up slightly, the filling still wobbled around underneath. I was almost ready to declare this a failure, but having nothing to lose, I stuck it back in the oven for 25 minutes. The pie browned a little more, but was still very loose. Once again, I pulled it out and let it cool.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3LzUBVuG8VYQ44Sc1Zxu-2xO12qk0mG03wqve3IvEfgHH5oU1jwF-TVAPW-_xQP730X764TUgQmOM0-S_22XYTc42NX4fykU2rxBb9A0D86W1wcvh-HVu5CtqBScyRccfHM2mDDVjarvF/s1600/chess_rebaked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3LzUBVuG8VYQ44Sc1Zxu-2xO12qk0mG03wqve3IvEfgHH5oU1jwF-TVAPW-_xQP730X764TUgQmOM0-S_22XYTc42NX4fykU2rxBb9A0D86W1wcvh-HVu5CtqBScyRccfHM2mDDVjarvF/s320/chess_rebaked.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the second baking - still wobbly!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The second time around, the pie definitely firmed up after cooling. Cutting into it, the filling was very yellow, almost like a lemon pie. The flavor of vinegar is definitely present, but it's not off-putting. This pie is thin and sweet - almost sweet for sweet's sake.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHgU3nlZwUpZQMQNidVMXo4cTDZwvoAQXciPhZuJMvxrEvU5LjmZDrf2J_ccyBWSTFfLduQ6_kjSBlCk6ohuzEgsptX524sU_LGWN3BXE_MGguhCsWDxreY6totSJz5trWNY_m0CmZiSq/s1600/chess_slice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHgU3nlZwUpZQMQNidVMXo4cTDZwvoAQXciPhZuJMvxrEvU5LjmZDrf2J_ccyBWSTFfLduQ6_kjSBlCk6ohuzEgsptX524sU_LGWN3BXE_MGguhCsWDxreY6totSJz5trWNY_m0CmZiSq/s320/chess_slice.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Chess pie - at least this recipe - isn't my favorite, but it has the definite advantage of being a quick pie to pull together from the pantry. If I try this again sometime, I think I'll swap lemon juice for the vinegar, and I'm interested to see how this compares to my collected lemon pie recipes in a couple months.<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">UPDATE: I baked this pie on a Wednesday night and Thursday morning. After having multiple samples between myself and Tiffany, and sharing with some visitors, I decided on Sunday (after a breakfast pie-binge - more on that later) to toss the remaining third of the pie.* As noted above, this is a <u>sweet</u> pie, and we didn't really need it hanging around. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I couldn't resist taking one last bite as I was throwing it out. It was surprisingly better than I recalled. After the second bake and cool, I stored it in the fridge, more out of habit than anything. Saturday morning, I moved the pie onto the counter to make room for other things. I'm not sure whether it was the three days since being baked or the full day at (cool) room temperature, but the vinegar flavor had mellowed significantly. Still sweet, no doubt, but more rounded (if that makes sense).</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If you're going to tackle this pie, I would recommend NOT refrigerating it and perhaps even waiting a day or two before serving. One <a href="http://southernfood.about.com/cs/pierecipes/a/chesspie.htm">possible etymology</a> of 'chess' pie is a corruption of 'chest' pie, as in <a href="http://antiques.lovetoknow.com/Antique_Pie_Safe">pie chest</a> (or <a href="http://www.amishoutletstore.com/page.cfm?p=2999">pie safe</a>), as in "keeps well in a pie chest" - I can certainly see why.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">*Yes, we </span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">threw away</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> pie. We are trying to lose weight, after all! I'm serious about the standing invitation - if you're in the area and know how to get a hold of me, stop by for some pie! Odds are we've got something lying around to sample.</span><br />
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<i>Next time: Fruit pies at long last!</i>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-33000634594672685842011-02-26T22:26:00.000-05:002011-02-26T22:26:18.014-05:00Coconut Cream & Coconut Custard...or "A Tough Nut To Crack."<br />
<br />
This weekend, I tackled the coconut pies again. You may remember that my <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/02/tragedy-in-three-acts.html">last outing</a> with Coconut Cream Pie ended in miserable failure. You, dear reader, deserve better, and I do have a project to complete. I figured I would give it one more shot, with some modifications.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_L26ySjAcYqGu-j2RRve2Ivvuxv7Hp7yFazFLzwFStRtt6291Ln2QfCHgi3L-hX0zeCOIUa7IuWOIcnop7RVAK4EYdileFAjq4DHeZXR8MPdKOcSZMRqP2JGd5Aol1u1tbpi-w0iaQ6zR/s1600/coconutboard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_L26ySjAcYqGu-j2RRve2Ivvuxv7Hp7yFazFLzwFStRtt6291Ln2QfCHgi3L-hX0zeCOIUa7IuWOIcnop7RVAK4EYdileFAjq4DHeZXR8MPdKOcSZMRqP2JGd5Aol1u1tbpi-w0iaQ6zR/s320/coconutboard.JPG" width="220" /></a></div><br />
It is interesting to note that the ingredients for both the Coconut Cream and Coconut Custard Pies are nearly identical. A bit less sugar in the custard, half the vanilla (though I only put one teaspoon of vanilla in the cream pie 'cause I ran out!), and less water (which was significant), but largely the same.<br />
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Ignore the crusts on both these pies. I used store-bought refrigerated crusts and rushed/shortcut them, so they turned out weird, but the pies still tasted fine! I trust that you will take more care with your flaky pastries.<br />
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<b><u>Coconut Cream Pie</u></b><br />
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The last time, I prepared the pie according to recipe (or so I thought), cooking the filling in a double boiler. It was only supposed to take 4 minutes to thicken; after 20 minutes or so, I just dumped it in the shell, floated the meringue on top, and hoped it would set up in the oven.<br />
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Or not: <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JQy0hLtIgaeR7p5s6atSx0hB1gk0vWcvlpyHBrVkW6NKcxrc-ei6ErzI9DCyFtlWQXehYAHnJJ6zYy16EgrYmgROHsSMfhl2hvdKim4f9pc9TdYqzM4w7rwSS8KSBlhXaZT3kCPTqKjj/s1600/cococremfail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JQy0hLtIgaeR7p5s6atSx0hB1gk0vWcvlpyHBrVkW6NKcxrc-ei6ErzI9DCyFtlWQXehYAHnJJ6zYy16EgrYmgROHsSMfhl2hvdKim4f9pc9TdYqzM4w7rwSS8KSBlhXaZT3kCPTqKjj/s320/cococremfail.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rest of the filling was pretending to be soup in the pie plate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This time, I cooked the filling over direct heat, just like all of the other cream pies I've done. It took about seven or eight minutes to set up, and it was still on the thin side, but the filling was definitely firm enough to appear correct. I rushed the meringue a bit, so it was thin too, although it spread nicely over the pie. A sprinkle of coconut and this very white pie was ready to bake (30 minutes @ 325°).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwMhYu2NmWOdf6f6vj5sJcGjjuQAzb2QhHlzb4Q2GiJ2_sxxeYT6iWc7Gd7Ga9J14gKXiZVBFtm9q4tVmUjCJEZOmN49S6ZPStXZVs0BRHt98r7dV3f6vW5SAj4ULuo-heW_p70j1QATp/s1600/cococremraw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwMhYu2NmWOdf6f6vj5sJcGjjuQAzb2QhHlzb4Q2GiJ2_sxxeYT6iWc7Gd7Ga9J14gKXiZVBFtm9q4tVmUjCJEZOmN49S6ZPStXZVs0BRHt98r7dV3f6vW5SAj4ULuo-heW_p70j1QATp/s320/cococremraw.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Success! The finished pie was a gorgeous golden brown, with a light texture that belies its caloric load (seems to be a <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/02/vanilla-cream-pie.html">pattern</a>). My primary caution would be to chill this pie before serving; the refrigerated slice the next day was all-around better than the counter-cooled slice.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cixpSKuyGtQmhkIS3OjZCVHHDGlTF7kehKBMOSeTv5IUszl0NbL6BFwGU5xhkjf1QY5h8Uk6TaalowEbDmSueCr7_rhddGqI-JAyhn-AS2BOACb0f4MILMs_t0mNRKv__3zzIIY2JiZY/s1600/cococrembaked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cixpSKuyGtQmhkIS3OjZCVHHDGlTF7kehKBMOSeTv5IUszl0NbL6BFwGU5xhkjf1QY5h8Uk6TaalowEbDmSueCr7_rhddGqI-JAyhn-AS2BOACb0f4MILMs_t0mNRKv__3zzIIY2JiZY/s320/cococrembaked.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">---</div><br />
<u><b>Coconut Custard</b></u><br />
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The first difference between the cream and custard pies arose when I was supposed to "combine the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and water to form a smooth paste." With only one teaspoon of water (and three yolks) to moisten a combined cup of sugar and cornstarch, the result was more like wet sand than smooth paste.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVe7gSJD6kKpn2SqSH_81i8KHjaEPy07wUleqDPZSM6yOmCLHurBc8z-nQKl1RZuP3v3vRuxDvmtFe2Qa689D_jMQUM-EV_-G4C9juE7rKeq9ARyn7qIaeHZgclqMa4jc85GzNMx3gED8/s1600/moonsand.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVe7gSJD6kKpn2SqSH_81i8KHjaEPy07wUleqDPZSM6yOmCLHurBc8z-nQKl1RZuP3v3vRuxDvmtFe2Qa689D_jMQUM-EV_-G4C9juE7rKeq9ARyn7qIaeHZgclqMa4jc85GzNMx3gED8/s320/moonsand.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
No matter. I figured I would just ladle some of the hot milk into my sand so it would incorporate better.<br />
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Right...<br />
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I've tempered eggs before and have never had a problem, but hot milk into this mixture resulted in little pebbles of something (probably cornstarch) in my filling! A quick trip through the sieve sorted that out, but I was now concerned that too much of the thickening agents had been lost to clumpage. Would the custard still come together?<br />
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It did, and five minutes early, to boot. The consistency was more like a normal pudding than the thick creams we've been making lately. Interestingly, there is no coconut in the filling itself - it's really just a plain custard base. The coconut goes in the parbaked pie shell and on top of the filling once in the shell.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQp5L9_3L3OayD_DrtUcd2mGRNDRtcBaINd8Djxr-DpZpSWIcIP7aOp79MTYo_wOmCLn_TGqoa8l4IfeNL9UQgQzdbE1F7GcKQi4k9Xeh_S_LbzLcFWBJJgy1-ySQUnrqe4Ye_QN-Gp5WH/s1600/cococustbottom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQp5L9_3L3OayD_DrtUcd2mGRNDRtcBaINd8Djxr-DpZpSWIcIP7aOp79MTYo_wOmCLn_TGqoa8l4IfeNL9UQgQzdbE1F7GcKQi4k9Xeh_S_LbzLcFWBJJgy1-ySQUnrqe4Ye_QN-Gp5WH/s320/cococustbottom.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
After the better part of an hour, the pie should be done. My hunch is that the longer cook time and the lack of a protective meringue topping helps the filling to set up more solidly - that's probably the major difference between the two coconut pies.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wdhtuE8NW0BbU8oM1zFSn8P-MG36pj7ZzJrqqy9b8fSVs2mdsNG1CB0euMwMhO6uBem1dE-WtRw3RJ82SuCtWHA-y3k6JH_R4NtjWuYKSCJMl8-otcWlbr3ct2uLJozZfWZbjDDT8uEE/s1600/cococustbaked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wdhtuE8NW0BbU8oM1zFSn8P-MG36pj7ZzJrqqy9b8fSVs2mdsNG1CB0euMwMhO6uBem1dE-WtRw3RJ82SuCtWHA-y3k6JH_R4NtjWuYKSCJMl8-otcWlbr3ct2uLJozZfWZbjDDT8uEE/s320/cococustbaked.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroctamSJsuDMW7wZfns_qSsWtg5H1mVPWkChMYUFVypGOkyjPJokz8DvHNc8VsobY3MB9uM03lve3G13pyf7bffdLKczhnfEwz34KGLvYj3qbtzFiWhENeMLUwEMhj2tswf7JXtGOUOXe/s1600/cococustslice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroctamSJsuDMW7wZfns_qSsWtg5H1mVPWkChMYUFVypGOkyjPJokz8DvHNc8VsobY3MB9uM03lve3G13pyf7bffdLKczhnfEwz34KGLvYj3qbtzFiWhENeMLUwEMhj2tswf7JXtGOUOXe/s320/cococustslice.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The flavor is good on the custard pie, but I could stand more coconut presence. This is <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/amish-milk-pie.html">another</a> <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/brown-sugar-pie-from-attic.html">thin</a> pie - if you're looking for impressive height, look elsewhere.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">---</div><br />
The verdict? I liked the Coconut Cream Pie better - more flavor, more volume, but more calories. Overall, I enjoy a good slice of coconut pie, but these were bit more trouble than they're worth. I think I'll save my coconut pie consumption for the restaurant scene.<br />
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<i>Next time: Checkmate!</i>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-51143835196659199992011-02-19T15:14:00.016-05:002011-02-19T15:14:00.842-05:00Vanilla Cream PieThey don't come much simpler or more basic than this. Vanilla cream/thickpudding, <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/02/cinnamon-graham-crust.html">graham cracker crust</a>, and sweetened whipped cream on top.<br />
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Ken Haedrich describes Vanilla Cream Pie thusly:<br />
<blockquote style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"A monument to solid, uncomplicated, middle-American cuisine, this pie should be in every cook's repertoire."</blockquote>Really, the hardest part of this pie (aside from the hours of waiting for things to cool down) was assembling the crust. This was my first press-in crumb crust - crushed graham crackers, cinnamon(!), and melted butter. It came out fine, but it was frustrating to attempt an even coverage. The crust ended up being a bit thick in the corners. No matter, because the taste and texture were great.<br />
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I might think about using a store-bought <a href="http://www.readycrust.com/pantry.aspx">graham cracker crust</a> next time, although Tiffany commented that the uneven coarseness of my crushed crackers (no food processor here) was a positive, and I love the the cinnamon flavor in the crust.<br />
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The filling is very simple to make - everything gets combined on top of the stove until thick. Keep a close eye on it, though; the cream goes from milky to appropriately stiff in a wink.<br />
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Be sure to chill this pie thoroughly - cold shell, cold filling, cold whipped cream - before serving. Skip this and chance a soupy slice.<br />
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The taste of this pie is very light, dare I say, ethereal. The calories, however, are not. I will try this pie again without the whipped cream - maybe a honey-cinnamon meringue instead? - to lighten up the caloric impact some. This is definitely a pie I want to play around with, substituting more healthy (although it's still <u>pie</u> - perhaps "less unhealthy" is more appropriate) ingredients and see what I get.<br />
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As a side note, the first slice I had was about <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>12</sub> of the pie and was almost enough. I had an eighth of the pie the next day, and it was almost too much (and left a greasy feel on my lips, probably from the whipped cream topping). I'd try tenths next time, though good luck getting even slices.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_6kcIjgGp2tJFU67a-Ju-t7ll0usa5AmrNvikDz-bzb97MX1LT4m6pM3d9iz-kBiv80KqFFQYIwESSCZhP1H0vTW7Zf92N27JV7XWWY3s_1XxrMJD6GtUMxZk_hFvjBBCGzuG1j8N8sp/s1600/slice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_6kcIjgGp2tJFU67a-Ju-t7ll0usa5AmrNvikDz-bzb97MX1LT4m6pM3d9iz-kBiv80KqFFQYIwESSCZhP1H0vTW7Zf92N27JV7XWWY3s_1XxrMJD6GtUMxZk_hFvjBBCGzuG1j8N8sp/s320/slice.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Two other notes, both of which result from my failure to read the recipe closely enough. First, the original recipe calls for the use of a 9<sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>2</sub>-inch pan; I plunged ahead with my standard 9-inch and everything worked out just fine. Second, I forgot to dust nutmeg over the top of the finished pie! I love nutmeg and regret not adding it. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make it again!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyYeSotPYaFLecIM3zMgVNvwgXeWX_AZln2TQFPLbiAYqt9bTeYv4ciOY9ZjPQPRlc1L2TH_PxMWFHsOR4Wu7U9y-NwMdU_aPvK2P3w-Duu4NfgCLOtQoMW7eU8lbRtBe23W-QLnylC4E/s1600/sliced.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyYeSotPYaFLecIM3zMgVNvwgXeWX_AZln2TQFPLbiAYqt9bTeYv4ciOY9ZjPQPRlc1L2TH_PxMWFHsOR4Wu7U9y-NwMdU_aPvK2P3w-Duu4NfgCLOtQoMW7eU8lbRtBe23W-QLnylC4E/s320/sliced.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-64023235878641763052011-02-15T23:53:00.001-05:002011-02-15T23:54:14.485-05:00Cinnamon Graham CrustThis one's too good not to share.<br />
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The first section of recipes in <i>Pie </i>is nothing but crusts - something like 30 different recipes for pastry crusts, crumb crusts, nut crusts, and even a meringue crust. One of the basic non-pastry crusts is a graham cracker crust, which I used under the Vanilla Cream Pie. At that time, I noted that the crust is bit tricky to assemble, but the flavor is great.<br />
<blockquote><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1¾ cups graham cracker crumbs (10-12 full size crackers)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 Tbs brown sugar</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">½ tsp cinnamon (or more - I just shook some in)</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">pinch of salt</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">6 Tbs butter, melted (if using salted butter, omit the pinch of salt)</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Combine dry ingredients, add melted butter, and incorporate well to form evenly dampened crumbs. Press (as evenly as possible) into a lightly buttered pie plate, using the back of a spoon to tamp down the crumbs. Refrigerate for 10 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350°. Bake the crust for 7 minutes, then cool completely before filling.</span></span></blockquote><br />
Two notable changes from the standard graham cracker crust are the <i>brown </i>sugar and cinnamon. I loved the cinnamon flavor, and Tiffany picked out honey highlights, which is probably attributable to the brown sugar.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfUlxLXk-csUH6oigyl17kopcpfsGhvJSkO0wtesoSK2MykN7Gku9pbMlTOaAvRFgTYaiE6zTyTvtHBxyyLCNK6B6KlUdMUBPUIBro7hc4R0hXB4OucqIit_Ht5Mw6Ttb-OToomPaUh0M/s1600/graham1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5G5TjSHsLGC_riqd5E78Zd5PqNT-c8a0oTctU2W2x3SQRtfENgJAfHwks0RwmX2NFV67zUj78Xx93tfb1DUUd5anUY6K7dD5ow-sO7_Nmogvb8VAiKgZYDFhZk8oHVmyuhxRABfnMUKp/s1600/sandybeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5G5TjSHsLGC_riqd5E78Zd5PqNT-c8a0oTctU2W2x3SQRtfENgJAfHwks0RwmX2NFV67zUj78Xx93tfb1DUUd5anUY6K7dD5ow-sO7_Nmogvb8VAiKgZYDFhZk8oHVmyuhxRABfnMUKp/s320/sandybeach.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Haedrich includes a variation on this - swapping out Nilla wafers for the graham crackers. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the dry ingredients, and drizzle in 1-2 teaspoons of water when blending to help things hold together. I imagine this variation would go well with a banana cream pie.Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-5735260856901559672011-02-12T15:14:00.082-05:002011-02-12T15:14:00.307-05:00Chocolate Cream PieOnly one pie ended up making it to our church's Super Bowl Party, but it was certainly well received. This week's offering comes from Mr. Haedrich: Chocolate Cream Pie with Cinnamon Meringue. I'm developing quite the fondness for meringues, and they're dead simple to whip up.<br />
<blockquote style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Combine 2.25c milk, 1.25c sugar, 0.33c cornstarch, 2oz chopped chocolate*, 3 egg yolks (save the whites!), and a quarter-teaspoon of salt in a large saucepan. Whisk constantly over medium heat until uniformly chocolate-brown and boiling, then cook for two minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour into a cooled 9-inch pie shell and top with cinnamon meringue. Bake 8-10 minutes @ 350° until meringue is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack and serve either barely warm or chilled (don't cover it in the fridge).</blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Cinnamon Meringue:</i> Beat three room-temperature egg whites and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar to soft peaks. Add in a mixture of 0.25c sugar and one half-teaspoon of cinnamon, a little at a time, beating until incorporated. The meringue should end up thick, glossy, and not dry.</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>-from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pie-Tried-True-Delicious-Homemade/dp/155832254X/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1">Pie</a> by <a href="http://www.harvardcommonpress.com/ken-haedrich/">Ken Haedrich</a></i></span></div><br />
For everything that went wrong with the <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/02/tragedy-in-three-acts.html">Coconut Cream Pie</a>, this pie was a cinch to put together. The filling cooks up in short order to create the Best. Chocolate Pudding. Ever. In fact, whenever you hear "cream pie" just substitute "pudding pie" in your brain, although "cream pie" sounds more civilized. Seriously, I think I'm going to look up this recipe for the next time I'm in a pudding mood. Forget the crust - just give me a pan of filling, a spoon, and ten minutes to myself. I wonder how it would be with butterscotch chips or <a href="http://www.candywarehouse.com/cinnamonchips.html?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&cvsfa=2200&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=4833343030302d3134363730">cinnamon chips</a> or different extracts besides vanilla (rum? almond? mint?)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anyone else thinking of Bill Cosby?</td></tr>
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Once the filling is cooked, the pie is nearly done. The shell is pre-baked, so it's a matter of dump and go - no baking of the filling. Whip up the meringue, which is <u>stunning</u> with the little flecks of cinnamon, spread it on top (so much easier when the filling sets up!), and run it into the oven just to make the meringue look irresistible.<br />
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The smell of cinnamon when this comes out is great. After cooling, slice up the pie (I suggest twelfths - plenty of pie in a portion) and enjoy the spicy foaminess of the meringue with the unctuousness of the chocolate pudding filling. Really, the crust is just there to hold it all in on this one.<br />
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I think we may have a new favorite around here, but I'll have to make it again to check. ;-) <br />
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*<i>Need I mention that the better the chocolate, the better the chocolate cream/pudding? That said, if all you have lying around the pantry are Toll House morsels, go for it! You won't be sorry.</i><br />
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<i>Next time: The "Opposite" of Chocolate</i>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-42536776852183637352011-02-09T22:02:00.000-05:002011-02-09T22:02:26.959-05:00A Tragedy in Three ActsIf you ever wondered where baking and Scots poetry intersected, look no further. This weekend's comedy of errors certainly had me thinking of old Robbie Burns:<br>
<blockquote style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men/<br>
Gang aft agley,/<br>
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain</blockquote><br>
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<a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/02/tragedy-in-three-acts.html#more">Read more »</a>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-13715685926027551092011-02-05T13:29:00.001-05:002011-02-05T13:30:04.500-05:00Shh... The Dough is RestingIt's a little crazy around here this weekend. In addition to our regular busyness, both Tiffany and I are working tonight, the kids have a sitter, and we're trying to clean house. And I'm planning to make three pies for the Super Bowl party at church tomorrow night! So, your regular pie update, gentle reader, will have to wait until Monday (probably).<br />
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To tide you over until then, here's a brief recounting of this morning's crust making:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXj9EmJO2gqpAH_lCU_vAUrkpm8k5o6sKzkU3B4ysRs50bWlziuUoccp1H8k-AMWWOF1I30sMvNSBZqExXVfuoQpX44xME_6H90zd5dPBKhAC5hiVh9Mo1FZ0BqTomjqLweuh-H596-5C/s1600/allshort_whip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXj9EmJO2gqpAH_lCU_vAUrkpm8k5o6sKzkU3B4ysRs50bWlziuUoccp1H8k-AMWWOF1I30sMvNSBZqExXVfuoQpX44xME_6H90zd5dPBKhAC5hiVh9Mo1FZ0BqTomjqLweuh-H596-5C/s320/allshort_whip.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>I'm trying a few new things this weekend. First, I made an all-shortening version of the standard pastry crust. Aside from Crisco being slightly messy to measure (and I'd rather not use the sticks), the dough seems to hold up a little better than the half-butter/half-shortening recipe.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkWGvkFWtOgQDuqdIYIbRVcvWCSjtWmv5lXK5dM36GT-mocAb21EsnY5vPxRb-nvlkA5Rk9fjtlaFFpTqpiF7WaEUtHdEjq3pVpaRXIcPrG9VnoDW8b_zGH8N9Lk-Weo9wciYzgaRQksG/s1600/basicflaky_snow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkWGvkFWtOgQDuqdIYIbRVcvWCSjtWmv5lXK5dM36GT-mocAb21EsnY5vPxRb-nvlkA5Rk9fjtlaFFpTqpiF7WaEUtHdEjq3pVpaRXIcPrG9VnoDW8b_zGH8N9Lk-Weo9wciYzgaRQksG/s320/basicflaky_snow.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How to chill pastry dough in February in Michigan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Second, I made double batches of both the all-shortening crust and the half-and-half basic flaky pastry. That translates to four dough balls: two to the fridge for this weekend's pies<a href="#footA">*</a> and two to the freezer for later.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIMGH2AH14cVKMySKNqgRzMoWiPEl8UA9YKtP0v8rWcSEP4CU_p0TFvxzn56JZjTuTxFItQrbljQZ1H2Q42PAFJiInMfFyq0p0jjDS3-c9P5saxo3i5hRZDK1gs3AVm7V2oBRP1X3RnsG/s1600/doughballs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIMGH2AH14cVKMySKNqgRzMoWiPEl8UA9YKtP0v8rWcSEP4CU_p0TFvxzn56JZjTuTxFItQrbljQZ1H2Q42PAFJiInMfFyq0p0jjDS3-c9P5saxo3i5hRZDK1gs3AVm7V2oBRP1X3RnsG/s320/doughballs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Third, as you can see in our top photo, I broke out the good ol' <a href="http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/product/KSM95ER/">KitchenAid stand mixer</a> for today's dough-making adventure. I had wanted to try the mixer method, and my pastry blender was dirty from the morning's biscuits, so there you go.<br />
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The mixer was dead simple - the only change I would make next time would be not to chill the butter as much (I cube it, then stick it in the freezer while prepping other ingredients), as frozen butter takes a long time to incorporate with the mixer.<br />
<br />
I recommend (as does <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-guidebook.html">Mr. Haedrich</a>) using the whip attachment (rather than the paddle) to more closely replicate the by-hand cutting in of the fat to the flour. Use a light hand when adding the water and stop before it completely balls up - shaggy dough can easily be brought together by hand when wrapping for storage. I'll have to let you know later how it bakes up and how the flavor compares, but the process was certainly simpler than doing it by hand.<br />
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Of course, you can always share the work with your sous-chefs:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjez-cbqpdlGpu5xGa-6mIvkHsTGW49BbxQJuJcestWY3D3Pd-RILic8SD6q-1pfpX72rfzo-dqmeTq9vtRx146AEImP7b3yiLA39JXfORzHBZi7O3RNwRxXUp5iSz3JpBmlyqMg68NQfKH/s1600/estherhelp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjez-cbqpdlGpu5xGa-6mIvkHsTGW49BbxQJuJcestWY3D3Pd-RILic8SD6q-1pfpX72rfzo-dqmeTq9vtRx146AEImP7b3yiLA39JXfORzHBZi7O3RNwRxXUp5iSz3JpBmlyqMg68NQfKH/s320/estherhelp.JPG" width="248" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCooSFOlCCZQvaI6MdVL8QEfoP6Mh-vtnH2eZtJ0UD9WaGTkuhHyWRLFYnztIj-4VqW-lct2S9D89Xca74sSZohYRciTEWkQ8EFyGSwjDkFRn2u1k-2-0QfQRFVTAPJWCqk-SPbIZZCKFK/s1600/kidshelp_crust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCooSFOlCCZQvaI6MdVL8QEfoP6Mh-vtnH2eZtJ0UD9WaGTkuhHyWRLFYnztIj-4VqW-lct2S9D89Xca74sSZohYRciTEWkQ8EFyGSwjDkFRn2u1k-2-0QfQRFVTAPJWCqk-SPbIZZCKFK/s400/kidshelp_crust.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<i>Next time: Zeb finally gets around to making an actual pie this week.</i><br />
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<blockquote><a name="footA">*</a>For those of you keeping score at home, that's only two crusts for a planned three pies. Fear not, the third pie will have a graham cracker crust (my first non-pastry crust!), but the graham crackers are still at the grocery store.</blockquote>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-11040520042253290042011-02-01T06:30:00.008-05:002011-02-01T06:30:01.184-05:00For Your Viewing PleasureHere's my new desktop photo, from the <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/cinnamon-sugar-pie.html">Cinnamon Sugar Pie</a> a couple weeks back. Remember, meringue is fat free!<br>
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<a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/for-your-viewing-pleasure.html#more">Read more »</a>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-19469606715776606572011-01-29T15:14:00.013-05:002011-01-29T15:14:00.276-05:00Brown Sugar Pie from the AtticOur <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/cinnamon-sugar-pie.html">second </a>pie from the venerable <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Rowes-Little-Book-Southern/dp/1580089801">Mrs. Rowe</a>: Brown Sugar Pie from the Attic. The name apparently refers to the location of the trove in which the recipe was found. Whose attic it was I do not know, but he or she will not see me stopping here to sample this amazingly delicious pie. (Sorry <a href="http://www.ketzle.com/frost/snowyeve.htm">Mr. Frost</a>!)<br />
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We just call it Brown Sugar Pie around here - a rose by any other name, and all that, you know. As I mentioned <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/so-sweet.html">yesterday </a>I could call it Shoe Leather Pie and Isaac would still scarf it down.<br />
<blockquote style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cream together 1c brown sugar and 1 stick butter. Stir in 3T AP flour, a pinch of salt, ¼c sweetened condensed milk, 2 eggs, and 1t vanilla extract. Blend by hand until smooth, pour into a parbaked pie shell, then bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Cool ½ hour on a wire rack; serve immediately.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>-from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Rowes-Little-Book-Southern/dp/1580089801">Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies</a> by <a href="http://www.molliecoxbryan.com/">Mollie Cox Bryan</a></i></span></div></blockquote>Upon reading this recipe, I was surprised at the first instruction. Cream butter and sugar? That's cookies, right?<br />
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In a word, yes. And the result of this step does look like cookie dough.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMK2x2ps98xmtjToWap9DQnjNvdMTol3jd9VPpe1qlvL10j-M67M9ngbssS5yngLTnJE0r3YGlhu7fT2ZPNXgbESCBl-Ke-rSGi8uXrehOkgBdItY0j6m9YgrQEXn5ZMryuKoE19SfKc-n/s1600/bs_dough.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMK2x2ps98xmtjToWap9DQnjNvdMTol3jd9VPpe1qlvL10j-M67M9ngbssS5yngLTnJE0r3YGlhu7fT2ZPNXgbESCBl-Ke-rSGi8uXrehOkgBdItY0j6m9YgrQEXn5ZMryuKoE19SfKc-n/s320/bs_dough.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add chocolate chips and stop here, if desired.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>As a side note, I was out of unsalted butter. I used salted instead, left out the pinch of salt called for, and the results seemed fine.<br />
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Next, add in everything else and combine until smooth. Have patience, and add things one at a time - they incorporate better that way.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrBPg6hLEOr9UQ6Lqu1bqlCdsFjlEWOD0AtkeS1uR7-ly0O3OL0hddQwrn8jlyiJSrd_waepX1KSHyiEWF2QZgXzMUpubxEGCN1HwlAcHAwGAPCtUWNL67fxDq3n0KJcPREflWwxHG_VP/s1600/bs_condmilk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrBPg6hLEOr9UQ6Lqu1bqlCdsFjlEWOD0AtkeS1uR7-ly0O3OL0hddQwrn8jlyiJSrd_waepX1KSHyiEWF2QZgXzMUpubxEGCN1HwlAcHAwGAPCtUWNL67fxDq3n0KJcPREflWwxHG_VP/s320/bs_condmilk.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...although mixing the milk and vanilla doesn't hurt anything</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Here's a quandary: the recipe calls for only a quarter-cup of condensed milk, but condensed milk comes in 14-ounce cans. I offer two options - either <a href="http://www.ineedcoffee.com/04/vietnamese/">Vietnamese coffee</a> (or a reasonable facsimile thereof- I wish I had a proper filter but my Keurig and a <a href="http://www.keurig.com/coffee/french-roast-extra-bold-coffee-k-cup-tullys">strong K-cup</a> are passable) or make more Brown Sugar Pies to share!<br />
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Even with the relatively small amount of milk, the completed filling has a pronounced condensed milk flavor. The filling seemed scant for my 9" pie plate, and my crust was certainly taller than it needed to be. Next time, I'll build up the crust even with the walls of the plate and let it go at that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3Wjvy_39pz4N7b-1WSuAvKlyL-b2MiJf1TUI9Kn-CGdqJYmtf2AOcy9G4cnAb2Qwa7q67BMWVPF56fVK5KO2XCruYNL8H_LD41vuShVSQthEXPeg2Gqpr5brTi9Jh8uOZZVcWYoBhd11/s1600/bs_unbaked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3Wjvy_39pz4N7b-1WSuAvKlyL-b2MiJf1TUI9Kn-CGdqJYmtf2AOcy9G4cnAb2Qwa7q67BMWVPF56fVK5KO2XCruYNL8H_LD41vuShVSQthEXPeg2Gqpr5brTi9Jh8uOZZVcWYoBhd11/s320/bs_unbaked.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
While we're on the subject of crust, I'll confess that I used a boxed crust again this week. For last week, it didn't seem to matter much, but this time, the flavor was a bit flat. Next time I make Brown Sugar Pie (because there <u>will</u> be a next time), I'll also make the crust from scratch - perhaps with a nutty pastry crust.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjIRaCjqEXVGaKjvqVYDlOAytCe3YosApQ7Wj0wS_a2a2bup0Hd4xH2X7y_Zvlxl9aJpXQCNtd_2eK-H34N7TFWc73Dt0K0E6xb5TzTNEtc_2hzRMvJHo85y_vHAQTYkytWD9Ed11GCZI/s1600/bs_baked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjIRaCjqEXVGaKjvqVYDlOAytCe3YosApQ7Wj0wS_a2a2bup0Hd4xH2X7y_Zvlxl9aJpXQCNtd_2eK-H34N7TFWc73Dt0K0E6xb5TzTNEtc_2hzRMvJHo85y_vHAQTYkytWD9Ed11GCZI/s320/bs_baked.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This pie cooks up dark, but don't worry - it tastes wonderful! Test for doneness with a pick at the center: if it's clean, pull the pie out. The flavor is very like a nutless pecan pie; Tiffany even mentioned that a handful of crushed pecans added on top just before baking would be good. She's not a pecan pie fan, but the texture of this filling is firmer than your typical pecan pie.<br />
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It's hard to wait to serve this, but a half-hour on a wire rack will firm up the center and keep your palate from being scalded by molten sugar. I think the flavor is best while it's still a little warm. Refrigeration compressed the pie and muted the richness; 30 seconds in the microwave mostly revived a slice, but it still wasn't quite there.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxM7wb7eNVHA5HZ7rQ-FlbHn3Apq9RHL9RaxzM5mDc8hkNKGHku4HjI5cHtT5kEhNFRCpFvs5JRWpe1UtJVsh4msCZmF1zWRTfL-5YR69OUha8KzfVRBxl3yQTsgGIXYs_XagLcId7njZ/s1600/bs_slice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxM7wb7eNVHA5HZ7rQ-FlbHn3Apq9RHL9RaxzM5mDc8hkNKGHku4HjI5cHtT5kEhNFRCpFvs5JRWpe1UtJVsh4msCZmF1zWRTfL-5YR69OUha8KzfVRBxl3yQTsgGIXYs_XagLcId7njZ/s320/bs_slice.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is post-fridge. Denser, but still worth eating.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I also recommend serving this in slightly smaller pieces - probably 10 or so from a 9" pie. Smaller pieces tend to lose structural integrity; larger pieces will completely wreck your diet.<br />
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<i>Next time: "A monument to middle-American cuisine"</i>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-10899019319065250452011-01-28T11:15:00.000-05:002011-01-28T11:15:17.799-05:00So SweetMy four-year-old son likes this project, because he gets to eat the results. And he can have pie pretty much whenever he wants because, unlike yours truly, he doesn't need to watch his weight right now.<br />
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This morning, as he's eating a piece of Brown Sugar Pie (it's really good - post coming tomorrow!), he looks up at me and says:<br />
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"Dad, you're a good piemaker."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtuBDc-zRPE75A3h2VVuIXF-t8uAshyphenhyphen-sR9llRijBe1S38VdtGywcv6Jk5F4JqV3trT6qeQp-aYX3MAn71b4S8dcAJrsh8R9ApkVuD9vod27hlOz1DjK3YEVAqrGmT40SbxASFG1Dlq1L/s1600/100_5714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtuBDc-zRPE75A3h2VVuIXF-t8uAshyphenhyphen-sR9llRijBe1S38VdtGywcv6Jk5F4JqV3trT6qeQp-aYX3MAn71b4S8dcAJrsh8R9ApkVuD9vod27hlOz1DjK3YEVAqrGmT40SbxASFG1Dlq1L/s320/100_5714.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's actually eating a latke here, but you get the idea.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
As my sister would say, "Awwww!"Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-26861016478614644102011-01-22T15:14:00.067-05:002011-01-22T15:14:00.809-05:00Cinnamon Sugar PieSunday is <a href="http://www.piecouncil.org/Events/NationalPieDay/">National Pie Day</a> (as proclaimed by the American Pie Council, "the only organization committed to preserving America's pie heritage and promoting American's love affair with pies"). In honor of this heritage-rich, tradition-laden holiday, I'll be making next week's pie and perhaps experimenting with crust recipes. It's my civic duty, after all.<br />
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This week's pie is a bit different from the others I've made so far. Cinnamon Sugar Pie comes from a cookbook that I stumbled across whilst on Christmas holiday in Virginia. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Rowes-Little-Book-Southern/dp/1580089801">Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies</a> catalogs some of the traditional pie recipes from a little restaurant in western Virginia. My uncle Butch, who owns the cookbook and recommends the Margarita Pie (or was it the Strawberry Daiquiri Pie?), suggested stopping by the place on our way through, but alas, schedules did not permit an in-person research session.<br />
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The recipe looks similar to the <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/indiana-buttermilk-and-ivy-house.html">Sugar Cream Pie</a> from last week, which is the current reigning champ in our household. The major differences are the addition of eggs and a boatload of spices - our first impression of the filling was 'pumpkin pie without the pumpkin'. It set up rather firm and custard-like, as one would expect from the eggs. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAkXPq8Oh33DFSU8GNJhx6FTmZN59HbcOS_Uy7v1XUYQME-eW6NHPWMIaWwkbVPjciDxCpfzoWckdp1oqnbzQAfQ5dIeD4igkgpbUncj95DP78n62-q4B_b-dInaCXDYF5Q2LqiraX4pE/s1600/cinnsugar_base.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAkXPq8Oh33DFSU8GNJhx6FTmZN59HbcOS_Uy7v1XUYQME-eW6NHPWMIaWwkbVPjciDxCpfzoWckdp1oqnbzQAfQ5dIeD4igkgpbUncj95DP78n62-q4B_b-dInaCXDYF5Q2LqiraX4pE/s320/cinnsugar_base.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
My first meringue! I decided to tackle it by hand rather than break out the KitchenAid. I don't have a copper bowl, but it seemed to go pretty easily anyhow. My arm only ached slightly upon achieving 'stiff peaks'. Further research/experimentation is needed though - the meringue pulled away slightly from the crust upon baking (maybe spread too thin at the edge?) and was <u>very</u> sticky to slice through (too much sugar?).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCEI9hY4CQd-fqgaAbGtFt-gqRxr_vQHN3fUcys34Li33i69I5Xv-OdHXE9wgZ2CChlc141Zq-Bj4t-EpPWrt7L_qkxHUjcojs_N8bZf2BUeEz-grPH-ScqZd_xzvqTErEwcL2lB63N_v/s1600/meringueunbaked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCEI9hY4CQd-fqgaAbGtFt-gqRxr_vQHN3fUcys34Li33i69I5Xv-OdHXE9wgZ2CChlc141Zq-Bj4t-EpPWrt7L_qkxHUjcojs_N8bZf2BUeEz-grPH-ScqZd_xzvqTErEwcL2lB63N_v/s320/meringueunbaked.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anyone else thinking of Ghostbusters right about now?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqe9WjLL4dO6W8QH0j3In0yk6YU__Pmegqd7DvbSwGis78183126sn7bdI8a27806oJ0mNtlmuj1ufNlwNqkvsNFaEjfZDJYIDfW1CJviTqzPPn-uEW7mPi1vw-Yv6mOpTy4XgJ57VLTrf/s1600/meringuebaked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqe9WjLL4dO6W8QH0j3In0yk6YU__Pmegqd7DvbSwGis78183126sn7bdI8a27806oJ0mNtlmuj1ufNlwNqkvsNFaEjfZDJYIDfW1CJviTqzPPn-uEW7mPi1vw-Yv6mOpTy4XgJ57VLTrf/s320/meringuebaked.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twenty minutes later, and I have suntanned Peeps on my pie.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><br />
My sous chefs approved of the meringue. And to all those grandparents following along at home, the children suffered no ill effects from consuming raw egg whites.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjos20zcMRJdpbu-OVy8iZlqzSEXJo6VBRbBdex3jQ0xRNQKs1yk5sX7qP0O2tD3SvEtEiz-wxqTQdRu0wbtnnzC2Yk6dLTIq9HHDD1bq4_Y-RQhvavpeeE9CQ1neDK7MxMSow2VbzP6y/s1600/souschefI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjos20zcMRJdpbu-OVy8iZlqzSEXJo6VBRbBdex3jQ0xRNQKs1yk5sX7qP0O2tD3SvEtEiz-wxqTQdRu0wbtnnzC2Yk6dLTIq9HHDD1bq4_Y-RQhvavpeeE9CQ1neDK7MxMSow2VbzP6y/s320/souschefI.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VqLKxP9QpBTdSbtlj_emLymUv1OmOBCw2pZoVESRuGvQfa47EhkkeuGBeMjlI11L1wWvxJT4RfGnEi2RJyF9CIknktny9f0BCtfSWNf-YUxX2tVyGAZCZScAZ-Bcl_rYTfD9ULy0XrAq/s1600/souschefE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VqLKxP9QpBTdSbtlj_emLymUv1OmOBCw2pZoVESRuGvQfa47EhkkeuGBeMjlI11L1wWvxJT4RfGnEi2RJyF9CIknktny9f0BCtfSWNf-YUxX2tVyGAZCZScAZ-Bcl_rYTfD9ULy0XrAq/s320/souschefE.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Animal prints + flowers + polka dots = chic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>As noted above, the meringue made for messy slicing - as did the unexpectedly light texture of the filling. It firmed up somewhat upon refrigeration, but the whole thing was more chiffon-y than I expected. It will be interesting to compare this pie to the chiffon pies that I have planned for the summer. The taste was good - nice and spicey from the cinnamon, allspice, and cloves - but the texture was off-putting (I'm not a big fan of chiffon pies). We only got through half the pie, then I ate the meringue off the top and pitched the rest.<br />
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Happy National Pie Day! Go make a pie, eat a pie, or stop by my place and have a piece of pie - I need to get rid of it!<br />
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<i>Next up: Cookie confusion.</i>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-33628134565063997572011-01-15T15:14:00.017-05:002011-01-15T15:14:00.300-05:00Indiana Buttermilk and Ivy House Indiana Sugar Cream PiesOur Sugar and Cream theme continues this week with two entries from the Hoosier State. I guess they must like their pies down there in Indiana. Maybe it's the Amish influence? Maybe it's just good old-fashioned Midwest hospitality?<br />
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Both of these pies, Indiana Buttermilk Pie and Ivy House Indiana Sugar Cream Pie, come from Haedrich's <i>Pie</i>, and I would classify both of these as pantry pies (all ingredients typically on hand), presuming that you live in a household that keeps buttermilk around on a fairly regular basis.<br />
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<u>Buttermilk Pie</u>: Given the questionable results of the <a href="http://pie2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/amish-milk-pie.html">Amish Milk Pie</a> last week, I was concerned about buttermilk pie, as the ingredients list is nearly similar. The buttermilk pie swaps out buttermilk (natch) for the evaporated milk and adds a generous helping of eggs. Chief among the differences, though, is that all of the ingredients are blended together before pouring into the parbaked pie shell - no oozy separation of layers here.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRK-dlmfhuGQ_L_vGwPPW9OAEJf5f3CZ-hy9K-0wn3JnsKAF9N32IsPLmhpN5M7zgXCF2YQaLtxAKzQPV0i8q9zn8u9ymkL0dKyAu-xztsgNjIJGaj0vVxtgCvWlAD0B1kWZuH5aRgVq5/s1600/buttermilk_ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRK-dlmfhuGQ_L_vGwPPW9OAEJf5f3CZ-hy9K-0wn3JnsKAF9N32IsPLmhpN5M7zgXCF2YQaLtxAKzQPV0i8q9zn8u9ymkL0dKyAu-xztsgNjIJGaj0vVxtgCvWlAD0B1kWZuH5aRgVq5/s320/buttermilk_ingredients.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buttermilk & butter; sugars, flour, & salt; eggs & vanilla</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I did find it critical to have the buttermilk <u>not </u>refrigerator cold. When I added the melted butter to the cold buttermilk, the butter set up into chunks - not the nice smooth liquid that it should be! A quick zap in the microwave took care of that and assembly continued unhindered.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsP0opjT75a4_tVpgwR6JJ-aJnJ3bMjhRNDlnbjzGMkXcZLIUYeR95DTAPp-bkR5DmXM_hrVxsIRqb99lA5LsuxKNE7PKaoprwqnr3HV7RYn-_18-0BpgdMjTmZuWEviLwbLsCgU0257R/s1600/buttermilk_unbaked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsP0opjT75a4_tVpgwR6JJ-aJnJ3bMjhRNDlnbjzGMkXcZLIUYeR95DTAPp-bkR5DmXM_hrVxsIRqb99lA5LsuxKNE7PKaoprwqnr3HV7RYn-_18-0BpgdMjTmZuWEviLwbLsCgU0257R/s320/buttermilk_unbaked.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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The crust for this pie shrank quite a bit in the process of par-baking - so much so that I was nervous that the filling wouldn't all fit. But it ended up nearly perfect. The filling doesn't expand much at the edges, and although the center puffs up quite a bit, it settles back flat when cooled.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8ZZ8GxTFOgnB1lYUA2CRNBX9z5YzjHi4BIn3XpP2cYabvQC05xaFjIuEI38nJXaM9QPsFNXO3PSvpCHRLjQNMlk1Kgdr6AKydFgxEXcUJNo8NCiDL4J2WsHYCfAFPjSpRJ0kS_NZ2JWY/s1600/puffypie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8ZZ8GxTFOgnB1lYUA2CRNBX9z5YzjHi4BIn3XpP2cYabvQC05xaFjIuEI38nJXaM9QPsFNXO3PSvpCHRLjQNMlk1Kgdr6AKydFgxEXcUJNo8NCiDL4J2WsHYCfAFPjSpRJ0kS_NZ2JWY/s320/puffypie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's one puffy pie! Soufflé, anyone?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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The recipe calls for cooking "until golden brown and set, about 40 minutes." I kept my pie in the oven almost 15 minutes past the recommended 40, waiting for golden brown. My patience was rewarded with a gorgeous looking pie. The color is strongly reminiscent of perfectly done yellow cornbread.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2R9Eh3U_3VEq5IyNTWqHZMnuJbRvIOt-KYpytPkMrQQvPDPQzW9PQp9ZXHbgK58cplYMyWlPRZQ_Gvt58lSdqjCLv19jNjvYcAhEK0nXMDkxk2Q6roYqXuBMwSsuvLLZaKY8CVKcKXYON/s1600/buttermilk_baked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2R9Eh3U_3VEq5IyNTWqHZMnuJbRvIOt-KYpytPkMrQQvPDPQzW9PQp9ZXHbgK58cplYMyWlPRZQ_Gvt58lSdqjCLv19jNjvYcAhEK0nXMDkxk2Q6roYqXuBMwSsuvLLZaKY8CVKcKXYON/s320/buttermilk_baked.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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To my tongue, the flavor of this pie was difficult to nail down. There is a definite tang from the buttermilk, but besides that, it's rather unique. Tiffany mentioned that it tastes like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Royal-Dansk-Danish-Butter-Cookies/dp/B00196P9PA">Danish butter cookies</a> (I didn't make the connection, but that's just me). Overall verdict - if offered a piece when in Shipshewana or Terre Haute, I'd probably give it a whirl, but I don't think I'll keep this one in my personal repertoire.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">< > > { - } < < ></div><br />
<u>Ivy House Indiana Sugar Cream Pie</u>: The mouthful of a name for this pie comes from a <a href="http://www.ivyhousebb.com/">bed-and-breakfast</a> just outside Indianapolis, from which Ken Haedrich collected this recipe as representative of a regional favorite dessert. I'll start out by saying this is a fabulous pie, well-received by all that sampled it, and if it weren't so darned caloric, I'd almost keep this around every week.<br />
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In reviewing the recipe, I was struck by its similarity to a <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/01/vanilla-bean-pudding/">vanilla pudding</a> I had made just the night before. I'd never made pudding from scratch and the recipe came across by blog reader - I had everything on hand, so why not? It only dawned on me later that it makes perfect sense - all those boxes of Jell-O chocolate pudding I grew up on always said (in small print) "pudding and pie filling" - we just never made it far enough to put it in a crust!<br />
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Back to the pie. I enjoyed the pie filling much more than the pudding. It came out smoother; my hunch is that mixing the sugar, cornstarch, butter, and milk together before heating (pie) left less room for grainy error than adding hot milk to the dry ingredients (pudding). In truth, the pie filling was closer to pastry cream than pudding, but give me a bowl of pastry cream any day and I'll be happy. (I may even re-purpose the cream as a cake layer filling - but that's another story).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHGxF-m0LmGSkLEnscytCxAXRecZlq0Vw_xe59446HLqMAs3NMbvYNMX1lkhPDDBoTMD9Bwi2DseVefsA8UYs58qHg40G8kznXot7kluzh1-inBSIKE9FZRyQL1LGgCUkdhRPr226jKIZ/s1600/sugarcream_sugar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHGxF-m0LmGSkLEnscytCxAXRecZlq0Vw_xe59446HLqMAs3NMbvYNMX1lkhPDDBoTMD9Bwi2DseVefsA8UYs58qHg40G8kznXot7kluzh1-inBSIKE9FZRyQL1LGgCUkdhRPr226jKIZ/s320/sugarcream_sugar.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As one might imagine, sugar is a critical ingredient.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDBeugPVSBv6mB0tXLokUytVKWi2DklSnpYkAnDulHQpQZ8gfCNr1hauw2dIORj4JpQIUZe0bolmgTrneyIvKMNQYq82TqXDV4OzYFynBHx1BEk_m1cYpabMGBznrhzen23rIvZbbXFkU/s1600/sugarcream_filling.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDBeugPVSBv6mB0tXLokUytVKWi2DklSnpYkAnDulHQpQZ8gfCNr1hauw2dIORj4JpQIUZe0bolmgTrneyIvKMNQYq82TqXDV4OzYFynBHx1BEk_m1cYpabMGBznrhzen23rIvZbbXFkU/s320/sugarcream_filling.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who needs crust?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Once filled, this pie does not go back into the oven. The pastry cream filling goes into a fully baked crust, then the whole assembly goes into the chill chest to firm up (if you can wait that long!). I made the filling while the crust was baking, but as the crust cooled, the filling set up quite a bit. Next time, I think I would hold off on cooking the filling until the crust was out of the oven and on the cooling rack.<br />
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As one might imagine, the flavor of the Sugar Cream Pie is amazing. Creamy and rich, you taste every calorie, but you don't care. I recommend serving slim slices with fresh berries (we had strawberries and blueberries in the house) and perhaps a dollop of whipped cream on top. I even had some for breakfast one morning and didn't think it all inappropriate.<br />
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<i>Next time: Sugar and spice, but is it nice?</i>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135020144052771777.post-64785883920183039352011-01-11T15:14:00.001-05:002011-01-11T19:54:35.368-05:00My GuidebookWhen I first had the idea for this year-long pie project, my plan was to come up with a list of general types of pies, then go out and find recipes for them. I had planned to use sources such as <a href="http://www.thejoykitchen.com/">The Joy of Cooking</a>, <a href="http://www.americastestkitchen.com/">America's Test Kitchen</a>, <a href="http://www.altonbrown.com/">Good Eats</a>, and others.<br />
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Just before Christmas, I was at our <a href="http://saline.lib.mi.us/">local library</a> and figured I'd see what books they had in the cooking section. That's where I came across this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41FdRV1ffsL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41FdRV1ffsL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Ken Haedrich, previously the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Pie-Perfect-Delicious-Decidedly/dp/1558322248/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0"><i>Apple Pie Perfect</i></a> (a collection of one-hundred versions of the American classic), has compiled "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pie-Tried-True-Delicious-Homemade/dp/155832254X/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1">300 tried-and-true recipes</a>" for pies (hence the apt title). Here in one (thick!) volume was the first part of my work done for me!<br />
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Or so I thought. Do you have any idea how time-consuming it is to pick 52 pies out of a possible 300? Ask my family - that's what I did during most of Christmas vacation! And I couldn't narrow it down to just one pie a week, so we'll have some double weeks (and one very special four-pie week) coming to a blog near you.<br />
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Throughout the year, I'll have a smattering of pies from other sources (including <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Rowes-Little-Book-Southern/dp/1580089801/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1294720561&sr=1-1">a skinny little book</a> I borrowed from my chainsaw-carver uncle), but for the most part, the pies you will see here are from Haedrich's <i>Pie</i>. <br />
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I say this primarily so that, if you want to try your hand at some of the pies I'm featuring here, you know where to go find the recipes. I don't want to get into copyright issues by posting the full recipes online, but I still want you to be able to try out a pie you see that looks too delicious to just read about.<br />
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<b><i>Do you have a go-to source for good pie recipes? Did your grandmother make a special pie that's been handed down through the generations? Let us know in the comments below!</i></b>Zeb Acuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16411577104615419903noreply@blogger.com0