Cranberry Custard Pie

Seems like these days The Chef is spending more time rockin' the Gibson Flying V and less time rockin' the kitchen, and that means I get more "stove time" so yay!! I'm baking!! Seriously, as he is putting together a new band there is a lot of work to do. Working with other musicians can be as challenging as it is rewarding. You already know about his musical background, so let's talk about the future- still no solid band name, lots of ideas being tossed around. The lineup is complete with Mike, Steve and Dave rounding out the talent. The set list is mostly classic rock, not as heavy as I usually like, but its solid, has a great variety or eras and a lot of songs people are going to want to sing along with. 

The Chef is a big fan of Uncle Ted so Stranglehold is one he is particularly excited to play. He's got some Tom Petty in there, and the Buckethead/Alien Ant Farm version of Smooth Criminal, and of course, true classics from Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. He is a HUGE fan of Chicago so 25 or 6 to 4 is in the mix too. I tried to get him to add some Damn Yankees, to no avail, but a couple other suggestions might actually make the set list. I haven't given up on the Damn Yankees though. A girl can always hope, right?

The guys have been at this for a while now, sometimes derailed by the unpredictable Iowa winter weather. Schedule a practice on Monday and by Friday you're knee deep in heavy wet snow. Reschedule for Sunday but now it's 65 degrees and at least one guy is sopping up water in his basement. Plan on next weekend, but hey, ice storm!

As springtime reluctantly begins to shine here in Iowa, many of us, myself included, are thinking of all the beautiful spring berries that are starting to pop up in stores. Raspberries are by far my favorite of all berries, but there is a close second that you might find surprising. I mean, on one hand, we have plump, juicy and so sweet raspberries, and on the other we have kind of waxy textured, definitely not juicy and absolutely NOT sweet, and not in season in spring, cranberries. I love those guys! So much so that when they are in season, I will grab several bags of fresh crans and toss them in the freezer for later. When the holidays roll around I can always whip out a bag of cranberries and make homemade sauce, but I also like using them in other recipes, and outside of the normal cranberry season they are fun and unexpected. Which brings us to this pie. In all honesty I DID make this for Christmas dinner, but.... since I still have four bags of cranberries in the freezer this is something easy and inexpensive that I can whip up in a minute.

I make my own pastry usually but you absolutely can use purchased pastry- just roll it out and fit it into your pan, or use frozen in a disposable pan. I won't judge. Another pantry item I always have on hand is heavy whipping cream. I say pantry because I buy shelf stable heavy whipping cream at Trader Joe's. It's in the baking aisle and it comes in little boxes like juice boxes. No refrigeration is needed until you open the package. It's the best invention ever.

Cranberry Custard Pie

Adapted from Country Living

1 recipe single crust pie pastry

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries*

1 cup sugar, divided

1 tablespoon flour

1 egg white

1 cup heavy whipping cream

*If using frozen cranberries, allow the thaw at room temperature for an hour or so. I spread them out on a sheet pan to help them thaw quickly.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare the pastry, roll out and fit into 9 inch pie plate. Flute and crimp edge. Set aside.

Stir together 2/3 cups of sugar with the flour. In a separate bowl, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form. Fold into the flour mixture, stirring in the cream as well.

Pour the cranberries into the pie shell. Sprinkle the 1/3 cup sugar over the cranberries, then pour the cream mixture over all. 

Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then lower the temp to 350 and bake for 40 minutes. Cool completely before serving. 

This pie is the perfect combination of sweet and tart and is absolutely wonderful with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Try it!!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

No Recipe Baking? Yes you can!

It's my one week anniversary and yes, I'm still feeling a little loved-up and in the bubble. I can't help it! Whenever I feel this happy and homey and surrounded with happy, I of course want to show that in the kitchen. What better way on the eve of October then to bake a pie? Autumn is apple season and the markets are loaded with beautiful apple varieties. Honey crisp is one of the first fall varieties of apples available in Iowa. If you've never had this type before, you need to find some. They are the perfect fresh eating apple. Juicy and sweet, the skin is a blushing red and yellow. They can be pretty big too. Also readily available right now are Granny Smith apples, the perfect pie apple.

Now we all know that generally speaking, baking is an exact science and it's not easy to "wing it." Finding the right balance of dry to liquid ingredients, the right leavening agent, the perfect balance of sugar and tart, these take a carefully followed recipe. However....... I am going to show you how to make a delicious, juicy and just right sweet apple pie from fresh apples- no gross sloppy canned pie filling here- and flaky crust. If you want, you can cheat and buy a pre-made pie crust- which honestly, I do quite a lot of times, or you can whip up a super fast crust if you're good at eyeballing ingredients. Spoon about 2 cups flour into a bowl and add a good pinch of salt. Grab a stick of cold butter and slice most of it, about 2/3 of the stick, into pats right into the flour. Cut it in with a fork until it looks like fine crumbs then toss with a couple tablespoons ice water just until the mixture holds together. Gather into a ball- DON'T KNEAD it, wrap in plastic and chill about an hour before cutting in two and rolling out for your pie.

Fruit pies are a favorite and are so much easier to make than you think! You don't need all the goo and saucy stuff common in prepared pie fillings, in fact that usually makes a soggy pie. Yuck. Fresh fruit needs only a few adjustments to be perfect in pies- a little sugar, a pinch of salt, a splash of lemon to make everything taste awesome, sometimes a little spice like cinnamon, ginger, gloves, and some kind of thickener. I prefer using flour or cornstarch in my fruit pies. I use flour for the less juicy fruits and cornstarch for berries and very ripe peaches. Once you have this basic recipe figured out, you can whip up a homemade fruit pie any time just off the top of your head!

For the filling you want 4 or 5 fresh apples. Granny Smith apples make the best apple pie, trust me on this. We are making an 8 inch pie so 4 to 5 apples is plenty. Grab a large bowl, peel, core and slice the apples into bite sized pieces. Add about a tablespoon of lemon juice, some sugar to taste (I keep a tablespoon in my sugar canister and I just spooned 4 or 5 heaping tablespoons into the bowl), a few dashes of cinnamon and any other spices you like- nutmeg and ginger go great with apple, and a bit of flour. Experience tells me a couple tablespoons is plenty for apples. Toss it all together to mix it thoroughly.

Roll out your pastry, and fit the bottom into an eight inch pie pan. Pile the fruit in the crust and dot with butter all over. Roll out and fix the top crust on top, seal the edges, crimp and flute. Decorate your pie however you like, and be sure to cut some vents in the top crust. You can do a traditional full top crust or something fancy like lattice or pastry cut outs. Brush the pastry with milk and sprinkle with additional sugar for a sparkly crisp crust, if you like. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and slide that pie into the hot oven. Bake for 50 minutes until the crust s golden brown and apples are tender. Let cool slightly before serving with whipped cream or ice cream.

Wasn't that simple? And just think, you did it without following a written recipe! Like I said, this basic fruit pie recipe works great with just about any fruit. Apples and pears need just a couple tablespoons of flour to thicken the juices, but some berries will need more, or use about the same amount of cornstarch, which is roughly twice the thickening power. Adjust your sugar as needed- if working with something really tart like rhubarb or gooseberries, you want to bump up that sugar a bit. Don't be afraid to experiment and have fun!

It's All About The Pie

Country folks really do love pie. Seems like every small town cafe we stop in for a quick bite has a pretty impressive selection of homemade pies. You can't argue the simple deliciousness of this classic dessert, and small town folks are pretty down to earth and usually pass on the froofy stuff.

So they love pie.

Naturally as a baker I am drawn to this phenomenon. I think of myself as more of a cake person but really, I love making pastry. I love the idea of the homemaker spending the afternoon cutting up fresh apples or sorting berries, piling it all into a flaky crust and baking it until a perfect golden brown. In a different time it might have been me in that kitchen, wearing a pretty apron, flour sprinkled on my shoes, rolling out the pastry to the perfect thickness. Maybe I picked the apples or peaches just that morning, from a tree in my own yard, or maybe I stopped at the market in town and bought a basket full.

Life has moved on from those simpler times, but even in the midst of our busier lives, there is something so special about a perfectly baked pie. Maybe it reminds us of our grandmothers, or Mom's homemade chocolate cream pie, or family time over the holidays with pumpkin and mince pies. Whatever our individual connections to those memories might be, the fact is, we all need to make time for pie, and while the era of the homemaker spending hours in the kitchen making homemade desserts all the time may be gone, but the generosity and friendship you find in America's small towns remains. A neighbor with an apple tree means everyone has fresh apples. 

I love hearing my friends' stories about their mothers and grandmothers and the different pies that were popular in their families. My friend Tina has a wonderful story of her mom's award-winning- and drop dead gorgeous- apple pie. Seriously, this pie looks like a giant sunflower and every time I see Tina make it and share pictures I can just imagine her mom in the kitchen peeling apples, rolling dough, crimping edges.

Almost everyone loves apple pie, but a very very special lady who was once a huge part of my life taught me to make an old fashioned creamy apple pie that her mother used to make, and I loved it, and when I make it now it reminds of her and all the time we spent together. She taught me so much about life and strength and how to always be gracious. It just seems fitting that I would make "her" pie and share it with you.

Evelyn's Sour Cream Apple Pie

pastry for one pie shell

6 or 7 apples*

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

several grinds freshly grated nutmeg

big pinch of salt

1 egg

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Crumb Topping (recipe follows)

*Choose apples that are good for baking, but not too tart. I like to mix up a couple kinds of apples.

Peel, core and cut up the apples into small pieces. Toss with lemon juice in a large bowl. Sprinkle with flour, spices, sugar and salt and toss to coat apples completely. 

In a small bowl combine the egg, sour cream and vanilla. Pour over apples and mix to coat well.

The velvety sour cream mixture coats the apples and
makes this pie so extra special.

 Roll out the pastry and fit into 9 inch pie plate. Crimp the edges. Pour the apples in the crust and place in a 350 degree oven. Bake the apples in the crust for 45 minutes. Watch the edges of the pastry closely and cover with foil if it's getting too browned.

While pie is baking, make the topping. After 45 minutes, remove from oven, sprinkle with crumb topping, and return to oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. 

Serve slightly warm or cool.

Crumb Topping

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup sliced almonds

Combine everything except almonds and pulse in food processor to make crumbs (use a whisk or pastry blender to make by hand). Stir in the almonds. Sprinkle over the pie and continue baking.

Just the aroma of this amazing apple pie makes me smile and think of Evelyn. She taught me all about babies, when I knew absolutely NOTHING about how to care for a baby, all about canning (although she did things the "old" way and I don't), all about saving money and always making sure to have a secret grocery stash- a "squirrel cupboard" as she called it, and to always put my children first. She was a great role model, a hardworking strong woman, a cancer survivor, a volunteer, a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She helped me through some very difficult times over the years and told me to always hold my head up high. She was my mother in law, and I miss her every single day.

Irish Beef Pot Pie

Ya, so I am avoiding that whole corned beef and cabbage thing. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the meal. I love corned beef,  and love cabbage. I just don't follow the herd when it comes to so called traditional holiday food and certainly not corned beef and cabbage on St. Paddy's Day. In an homage to the Irish I would much rather crack open a Guinness and whip up a rich and delicious meat pie brimming with onions and mushrooms.

Spring in the Midwest is a weird weather situation. It might be warm and sunny one day, and 4 inches of snow falling the next. Those last lingering cold days are great for recipes like this. Slow simmered beef and vegetables in a rich gravy, topped with flaky pastry and baked to golden perfection, it warms the house and warms the soul.

Whoever thought to try cooking with Guinness is a genius. We're all familiar with the classical French technique of cooking with wine, but swapping the wine for a beer and you're venturing into new and uncharted territory. But honestly, this is territory you simply MUST explore. Dark beers, in my opinion, translate the best into cooking, but cook with what you like. 

Let's talk about this recipe a bit. This is one for those cold and crummy weather stay home days. You need to have plenty of time to cook the beef. I suppose you could cook it in the crockpot but for me there is nothing better than starting a pot in the Dutch oven and letting it slow simmer for a few hours and fragrance the whole house. A book, a blanket and a little music in the background and I can get up and check on the pot every once in a while. Sounds like a perfect lazy day to me. I like to use the leaner, cheaper cuts of meat for recipes like this. Round or chuck is perfect. Buy a roast or a big hunk of steak and trim and cube it yourself.

I chose not to add potatoes to this recipe and just bulk up on the root vegetables and mushrooms. The carrots are sweet by nature and go beautifully with the sugars and caramel notes in the beer. I chose red onion for it's bright onion bite and cremini mushrooms because I love their earthiness. While I was picking up mushrooms the store just happened to have some fresh oyster mushrooms as well so.... into the cart they went, and of course- into the pot! Herbes de Provence was a natural choice as well and was the perfect herbal note.

Pastry for this pie- now that's where I had more difficulty making a decision. I have made so much pastry over the years I can whip up a flaky perfect crust in my sleep......... but did I want to go that route or did I want to really make it special with puff pastry? Hmmmm............

Irish Beef Pot Pie

1 1/2 to 2 lbs lean boneless beef
flour

cooking oil

12 oz bottle Guinness
1/4 cup Jameson Irish whiskey
1 tablespoon good quality beef base
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon tomato paste
salt and pepper

1 package fresh cremini mushrooms

1 medium red onion

4-5 cloves garlic

1 pound carrots

pastry for one crust or frozen puff pastry

Trim the beef and cut into good sized cubes. In a shallow plate combine about half a cup of flour with salt and pepper to taste. 

Trim the stem ends and slice the mushrooms. I like to keep the slices pretty thick. Peel and cut the carrots into thick coins. I used baby carrots and cut them in quarters. Cut the onion into chunks, chop the garlic. 

Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. 

Add a tablespoon of oil to the pot and add the mushrooms. Cook and stir occasionally until the mushrooms soften and brown. Remove to a bowl. If additional oil is needed, add a tablespoon to the pot.

Dredge the beef cubes in the seasoned flour and brown in the hot oil. Do this in batches so the beef sears and doesn't steam. Add more oil as needed. Remove the cubes as they brown and put in the bowl with the mushrooms. 

Look at all that amazing flavor building up in the pot.

When all beef is browned add another tablespoon of oil to pot and add the onion, garlic, carrots and Herbes de Provence. I also add a couple grinds of black pepper as well. Cook and stir for a minute, then stir in the tomato paste. 

Deglaze the pot with the Guinness and stir in the beef base and whiskey. 

Add the beef and vegetables to the pot. Cover your pot and turn heat to low. Simmer for an hour or two, stirring once in a while.  

When the meat and vegetables are tender and sauce has thickened, crank up the heat in the oven to 400 degrees. If using traditional pastry, you will want to transfer the filling to a baking dish and cover with pastry. Flute the edges as desired, cut slits in the top to let steam escape. Brush with egg wash if you like and pop in the oven. Bake until deep golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.

If you decide to go with puff pastry, like I did, just grab a package of frozen puff pastry. We CAN make it ourselves but why the heck would we? Thaw according to package directions, cut the pastry into portions and bake as directed on package. It takes 15 minutes in the oven to get perfect squares of flaky pastry.

Spoon a serving of the meat mixture into a bowl and top with a portion of the baked pastry. Easy as....pie!

Happy Hour Small Plates- Rustic Zucchini Tart

In the summer months I'm all about entertaining. I love the idea of a few friends over, drinks on the patio, a selection of appetizer style foods and small plates to share. Savory and sweet, light and lush. Chilled Riesling, cold craft beers, icy cocktails, laughing and enjoying the waning days of summer.

The baker in me also loves baking. Not the best idea in the summer so much, but sometimes late at night when The Chef is at work I will get out the baking supplies and create something new and delicious. I love anything with a European flair. French foods. Rustic Italian foods. Pastry. Cheesecakes. New recipes and old favorites I've made a million times. Like this one- I make galettes (rustic, freeform tarts) all the time. With all the access I have to fruit trees and generous friends, I always have several made ahead and frozen, ready to pop in the oven at the last minute. So as I'm sitting here, surrounded by piles of zucchini, I'm thinking quiche.... but easier, lighter, fresher. 

Pastry-making is one of the more basic cooking skills everyone should master. I learned to make pastry years ago the old way- with a pastry blender. These days the food processor makes it a snap to have homemade flaky pastry in minutes,  but if you dread the pastry part, it is okay to cheat and buy the ready-made kind for this recipe. Make sure you buy the refrigerated rolled pastry and let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before using. Don't use the frozen pastry in the tin pans- that will not work with this recipe. If you are up to making your own though, PLEASE, I beg of you, use butter, shortening or lard to make the crust. DO NOT use margarine. You will be most unhappy if you do! I only use very cold butter cut into cubes.

I love this tart for lots of reasons. It uses up zucchini. It's easy to make and doesn't require half the kitchen in ingredients. It's perfect for a small plates dinner, sharing with friends over cocktails. It pairs beautifully with a glass of champagne. It's the perfect picnic food, individually wrap wedges and you're good to go. It goes beautifully with an icy cold Pinot Grigio. It makes a great breakfast the next day with some fresh fruit. It's very quiche-y without having $100 worth of cheese in there (I totally made that word up). It has that rustic look that I love so much- it looks so gourmet when in reality it's almost effortless to make. And most of all, it's delicious!

So let's get started on our Rustic Summer Zucchini Tart.  You will need:

• pastry for one crust
• 1 small  zucchini
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 2-3 tb cream cheese
• salt and pepper
• chopped fresh thyme
• chopped fresh Italian parsley
• a little lemon zest

Make your pastry and set aside, covered.

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, then slice zucchini VERY thinly, set aside. You can use a mandolin if you have one but honestly, I am scared to death of mine. Bad, bad experience. I am in love with my trusty ceramic knife and used that.

Heat a couple TB olive oil in skillet, add onions, cook over medium heat until softened. Add garlic and saute for 2-3 additional minutes. Set aside to cool.

Add the goat cheese and cream cheese to the onion mixture. Using a wooden spoon mix and "smash" everything together until you have a mixture that's spreadable. Add a pinch of salt, a teaspoon or so of lemon zest, a couple nice pinches of fresh thyme and parsley, minced and some freshly ground black pepper. It's much easier to mix together if you bring the cheeses to room temperature. Set aside.

Roll the pastry out into large circle, doesn't have to be perfect. Transfer pastry to large baking sheet that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray. The easiest way to do this is fold in half, fold in half and move, centering the "point". Next gently spread cheese mixture over, leaving about a 2 inch "rim".  Layer the zucchini slices in overlapping rows to completely cover the cheese. Fold the edge of the tart over, pleating as necessary, to tuck everything in and get that rustic look. Drizzle with additional olive oil and sprinkle lightly with shredded cheese such as mozzarella, if you like. Use just a TOUCH. Don't think pizza here. I really like the shredded parm as opposed to the usual grated stuff, it looks very nice melted and browned on the top but a little bit of mozzarella will do in a pinch.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes until crust is beautifully golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand at least 10-15 minutes before slicing. Sprinkle with more chopped fresh thyme and lemon zest. Can be served warm or at room temperature. Slice in thin wedges for appetizers or larger wedges for lunch servings. A nice mixed baby greens salad with a Dijon vinaigrette is the perfect accompaniment, or a fruit salad- fresh fruit, not the fluffy whipped topping kind. 

This is such a wonderful dish to experiment with too- try bumping up the flavor with a quick sprinkle of fresh lemon zest right before serving. Sun dried tomatoes would make a pretty addition too- chopped up and added after baking. A handful of toasted pine nuts, or walnuts. No thyme? Use whatever herb you have on hand- in this case though you really do need to go with fresh. You can add sun dried tomatoes to the softened cheese too, sprinkle on chopped sauteed mushrooms, jalapeno pepper, even seafood like crab or shrimp. Once you get started, your imagination will just go to work and you will create up a storm! Now all you need to do is set the table on the patio or pack that picnic basket.