Category Archives: Pies!

“In the Garden” Triple Berry Pie

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Triple Berry Pie from The Rowdy BakerMother’s Day is next month, and I was trying to come up with a motherly theme for a pie crust. If my daughter was making this for me, she’d probably put a wine glass on the crust…but I went with a more traditional garden theme. Figured it was a little more classy.

Playing with dough is my favorite thing to do. The pie crust recipe I use is SO forgiving. You can re-roll it, form little shapes with your fingers, let it stand at room temperature (within reason), and abuse it thoroughly….and it stays flaky. Good stuff!

I will admit that the details on the crust took me a while, so the crust got a little too warm. If I’d thought to chill the pie for a little bit before baking it, the pretty fluted edges would probably have stayed perky, instead of bailing on me. Meh.

If you’d like a similar idea that is less work, here’s a pie I made with just a trellis on it. I made little flowers using gum paste cutters, but you could create them with a sharp knife too.Trellis on pie crust

Use whatever combination of berries you have, fresh or frozen. (Don’t use frozen berries packed in juice or sauce, though!) I had lots of frozen raspberries, maybe a cup of sliced strawberries, and a two cups of frozen blueberries. The combination of flavors is amazing!

Triple Berry Pie - The Rowdy Baker

I like to use instant tapioca as a thickener. It’s clear, tasteless, and never fails me. I grind mine in a clean coffee grinder to avoid chewy spots in the pie. tapiocaThe recipe below has enough dough for a normal two-crust pie. If you plan on adding decorations, double the recipe. (Any extra can be baked and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar…mmmmmm.) I often double the recipe anyhow, since I like a fairly thick crust and find it a lot more manageable than paper-thin pastry. I’m also fairly casual about discarding decorations that don’t please me, so a generous amount of dough is a good thing in my kitchen.

Ready to make some pie? I’ll show you how to make a Triple Berry Pie, then add photos of the decorations, if you’re interested.

Triple Berry Pie
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This recipe is for a two-crust deep dish pie. If you plan to create pie art, you'll need to double the crust recipe for a generous amount of dough. (You can always freeze some if you don't use it all.)
Ingredients
  • FILLING:
  • 5 cups mixed berries - fresh or frozen (I used raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup instant tapioca, ground finely if possible
  • PIE CRUST:
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chilled shortening
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon vodka (or you may use vinegar)
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 400 F
  2. FILLING:
  3. In a large bowl, combine the berries, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and tapioca. Stir well and allow mixture to sit while you work on the crust. This will give the tapioca time to soften.
  4. CRUST:
  5. In large bowl, combine flour and salt. Work in shortening with fingers or a pastry blender until there are no large lumps. (Anything the size of a pea or smaller is fine.)
  6. Combine milk and vodka and pour into flour mixture all at once.
  7. Toss the mixture with fork or fingers until it holds together.
  8. Divide into two pieces, with one piece a little bit larger than the other.
  9. Put the larger ball of dough on a floured piece of parchment and flatten into a disk. Dust with flour and lay a second piece of parchment over the dough. Roll out until large enough to cut a circle that is at least 1 inch larger than your pie pan. Remove top parchment and cut dough into circle.
  10. Slide a flat baking sheet under the bottom parchment. Put your pie pan upside down in the center of the dough circle. With one hand under the baking sheet and one hand on the pie pan, flip both over. Remove baking sheet and carefully peel back parchment. Ease dough into the pan.
  11. Fill the pie crust with filling.
  12. Roll out the smaller piece and cut a circle a little bigger than the pie pan. Gently roll onto a rolling pin and lay over the filling. Press the edges together, fold them under, and flute the edges.
  13. Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes, then - without opening the oven door - turn the temperature down to 350 F. Bake for additional 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
  14. Move pie to a rack and allow it to cool. If served warm, it will be a little runny. If cooled (or chilled) it will hold its shape when cut.
  15. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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Roll between parchment. See how smooth it is when you pull the paper back?

Roll between parchment. See how smooth it is when you pull the paper back?

Cut first crust at least 1 inch larger than the pie pan

Cut first crust at least 1 inch larger than the pie pan

Slide a flat baking sheet under parchment. Center upside down pie pan on dough.

Slide a flat baking sheet under parchment. Center upside down pie pan on dough.

With one hand under baking sheet and one on the pie pan...flip!

With one hand under baking sheet and one on the pie pan (don’t press too hard)…flip!

Without stretching, ease dough into pan.

Without stretching, ease dough into pan.

filling

Add filling

Cut top crust a little bigger than the pie pan. Lift with rolling pin and place over filling. Crimp edges and bake.

Cut top crust a little bigger than the pie pan. Lift with rolling pin and place over filling. Crimp edges and bake.

AND NOW…

If you’re in the mood to play with pie crust, here are a few photos of the construction of the garden crust. Press each piece of dough down lightly as you work. You don’t need liquid – they’ll pretty much stay put. Well, except for the fence rails. I kept bumping the darn things.

Also, don’t get too close to the edge. In retrospect, I should have given myself a little more space for fluting the edge of the pie.

Set your top crust on a generously floured baking sheet or piece of parchment. You will need to slide it off onto the pie when it’s finished. If it gets too soft and warm and won’t slide, pop it in the freezer for a couple of minutes and try again, or if you’re coordinated, slip your hands underneath the crust and move it quickly.

Make the fence. Cut a strip, divide it into "slats", and trim each to a point.

Make the fence. Cut a strip, divide it into “slats”, and trim each to a point.

Birdbath: I cut a shapely pedestal, then two identical ovals.

Birdbath: I cut a shapely pedestal, then two identical ovals.

Lay one oval down, cut center out of second oval, and lay the "rim" over the oval to give it depth.

Lay one oval down, cut center out of second oval, and lay the “rim” over the oval to give it depth.

I added a bird, made by pressing and shaping the dough like clay. Mine may look more like a small turkey…hopefully you have more artistic skills!

I added an arbor, then some thin pieces of dough for vines, and little leaves.

I added an arbor, then some thin pieces of dough for vines, and little leaves.

A toothpick is your friend. It will make a nice crease in the leaves, and help place them.

At this point, I stopped taking photos while I struggled with the teeny tiny roses. I finally just took narrow strips of thin dough about an inch long and rolled them up. Good enough!

Add details. A tree on the right, then I added some clouds in the upper left (use your thumb to press all over so they aren't flat)

Add details. A tree on the right, a birdhouse, then I added some clouds in the upper left (use your thumb to press all over so they aren’t flat)

Use a thin spatula or knife to chop up some grass. It looks best if you place it in little "bunches".

Use a thin spatula or knife to chop up some grass. It looks best if you place it in little “bunches”.

Make little balls of dough and then press down with fingers to flatten them.

Make little balls of dough and then press down with fingers to flatten them.

Lay top crust on filling. Pinch layers together and flute the edges.

Lay top crust on filling. Pinch layers together and flute the edges.

Ready for the oven

Ready for the oven

Triple Berry Pie -The Rowdy Baker

 

I know it will hurt to actually take a knife and STAB your masterpiece, but remember: there’s no crying in pie art! It’s just a beginning – there will be many more dough canvases in your future. Think of all the scenic pies you can make for holidays throughout the year.

Have fun with this!

Lorinda

Corned Beef Pot Pie

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March Madness is here! Six of us bloggers are posting our favorite recipes to brighten up a gloomy month. I brought comfort food, but if you scroll down to the bottom (after you’ve read my post of course) you’ll find the links to the rest of the sweet, delicious desserts.11059508_921719024545139_911407867225079426_n

 



Corned Beef Pie and plate editedWe never, EVER have enough corned beef left after indulging in our St. Patrick’s Day feast. We love to nibble on it, make huge sandwiches, cook corned beef hash, and (provided I was smart and cooked two pieces) we adore Corned Beef Pot Pie. I’m guessing you will too, so hit those sales after St. Patrick’s Day and put a couple of extra packages of corned beef in your freezer!

Logic would tell you that a beef pie needs beef gravy, but corned beef is different – definitely not your traditional beef flavor. So I use chicken broth in my white sauce, which is delicate enough to allow the amazing flavor of the corned beef shine through.

If you have lots of leftover carrots and potatoes from your dinner, you could certainly use those instead of cooking more; they’d add even more flavor. Aim for 4 cups of veggies, and don’t worry about getting even amounts of each.

For this recipe, I’ll assume you only have leftover corned beef. Need a pie crust recipe? Here’s my favorite:

Never Fail Pie Crust
(makes 2 crusts)

1 cup chilled shortening
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vodka (or vinegar)
1/4 cup milk

  1. Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in the shortening until it looks like coarse crumbs.
  2. Mix vodka (or vinegar) into milk. Combine all at once into flour mixture.
  3. This can be rolled into crusts immediately, or flattened into disks and placed between sheets of plastic wrap and chilled first in the refrigerator.

Since I like big, thick top crusts, I usually double the recipe and freeze leftover dough. Just sayin’.

Corned Beef Pot Pie
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Ingredients
  • 2 cups carrots, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 cups cubed potatoes
  • 2 cups (or whatever you can spare) cooked corn beef, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 cup chopped cabbage
  • 2 thin slices onion, chopped finely
  • 1 small can mushrooms (optional)
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth (I use low sodium)
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup milk (more if necessary)
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • pepper and garlic salt to taste
  • Pastry for 2 crust pie
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375 F.
  2. In a large pot, boil carrots for 4 minutes
  3. Add potatoes and boil for an additional 5 minutes
  4. Strain carrots and potatoes and put in a large bowl.
  5. Stir in corned beef, cabbage, onions and mushrooms (if using).
  6. In a large pot on medium heat, melt the butter.
  7. Gradually whisk in the flour, and continue to whisk and heat for 2-3 minutes.
  8. Slowly add the chicken broth, and then the cream, whisking continuously.
  9. Add the sugar, pepper, and garlic salt.
  10. Bring to a simmer and gradually add milk until the mixture is thick but pourable.
  11. Turn to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Mixture may thicken...add more milk as needed.
  12. Pour into bowl with the meat and vegetables, and stir to coat.
  13. Place pie crust into a deep pie pan and fill with the mixture, pressing down firmly.
  14. Place a top crust over the filling. Crimp the edges and cut vents in the crust.
  15. Put the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the crust is a rich golden brown.
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Adding the cream sauce to the meat and veggies.

Adding the cream sauce to the meat and veggies.

Fill and top with upper crust.

Fill and top with upper crust.

Bake it until it's rich golden brown

Bake it until it’s rich golden brown



and....eat!

and….eat!

This rich pie will serve six people easily. If you let it sit for twenty to thirty minutes after it comes out of the oven, it will be easier to serve, and won’t burn any tongues. (Ahem.)

After the pie you’ll be ready for dessert, and there are some lovely choices in the links below!
Lorinda

From Tampa Cake Girl: Going Ape Over Banana Pudding Cake

From Hun, What’s For Dinner?: Chocolate Mousse Cake

From Crumbs in my Mustachio: Chocolate Raspberry Roll

From Cooking from a SAHM: Lemon Blueberry Puffs with Lemon Whipped Cream

From Moore or Less Cooking Blog: Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

Cloud Nine Berry Pie

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CLOUD NINE BERRY PIE horiz2 watermarkedWe picked 8 pounds of raspberries yesterday from our garden, and there is no end in sight. This isn’t a complaint, of course…just an observation. The grandkids picked last week – even the baby! Daisy our black lab even learned to pick them. And yet they are getting ahead of me, and the bees are beginning to take more than their share.

Child labor.

Child labor.

So…a raspberry dessert was just what I needed to make for the blog. I played around with a meringue crust, and it was a huge hit here in my home. You could put the filling in a pre-baked pie crust too, of course, but we all loved the melty, crunchy, slightly-chewy-on-the-bottom crust.

The meringue piecrust can be made a day ahead if you’d like, stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Add the filling and give the pie an hour in the fridge to set up nicely before serving. The pie filling is very light and mousse-like, so cut generous portions! The meringue won’t be crispy after a night in the fridge, so you might as well eat it while it’s in its prime.

Baked meringue crusts. Don't worry about cracks - they just add to the charm.

Baked meringue crusts. Don’t worry about cracks – they just add to the charm.

I doubled the recipe and tried a couple of different pans. Here’s what I learned:

  • You must spray the pie pans with a non-stick spray! (Next time I might try greasing the pan and lining it with parchment.) Mine stuck a bit and was difficult to cut into neat pieces. But even if the meringue is a little crumbly, it’s delicious and you can just heap little pieces on each spoonful on its way to your mouth!
  • Don’t try to rush the crusts. They need to dry out slowly and completely in the oven.
  • Use clean utensils when making meringue, and be careful not to get any egg yolk in with the whites.

This recipe would work very well with other juicy berries too, like blackberries or huckleberries. A lemon curd layer on top would be heavenly – a little tartness to cut the sweet filling. But this has become my husband’s new favorite pie, so I won’t mess with a good thing!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need. (Remember, I made 2 pies…you won’t need as many eggs, berries, etc.)Cloud Nine Berry Pie ingredients

Cloud Nine Berry Pie
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Author:
Serves 8
Ingredients
  • MERINGUE:
  • 4 egg whites, room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 cup superfine sugar
  • grated peel of one small lemon
  • a few drops of lemon extract (optional)
  • PIE FILLING:
  • 2 cups fresh raspberries (plus a few for decorating, if desired)
  • juice from one small lemon
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, divided
  • 1½ cups heavy cream
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 250 F.
  2. In a small bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy. Sprinkle with cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.
  3. Add 1 cup of superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well between each addition. When all sugar has been added, beat until stiff peaks form.
  4. Gently fold in the grated lemon peel and extract.
  5. Spray a deep-dish pie pan with non-stick spray. Spread (or pipe) the meringue evenly over entire inside surface.
  6. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and leave the pie crust in the oven until it cools (or at least 1 hour).
  7. While the crust is baking, begin cooking the berry portion of the filling: Place berries into a small saucepan with the lemon juice. Cover and cook on medium-low for about ½ hour, stirring occasionally.
  8. Place the cooked berries in a fine strainer over a small bowl and press the juice out, discarding the seeds and pulp. You should have about ½ cup of juice. If necessary, add a little water.
  9. Put the juice back in the small saucepan and bring to a boil.
  10. Combine ¼ cup sugar and cornstarch and whisk into boiling juice. Turn down to medium-low, cooking and stirring for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. If you are in a hurry, the pan can be set into a cold water bath to cool.
  11. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and 1½ cups powdered sugar together well, until creamy.
  12. Add half of the berry mixture (reserving the rest for drizzling over the dessert) and mix until combined.
  13. In a medium bowl, beat the whipping cream until thickened. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold into cream cheese mixture.
  14. Spoon the filling into cooled meringue crust. Chill for 1 hour. Decorate with whipped cream and raspberries and serve.
  15. Store in refrigerator. The meringue crust will soften during refrigeration, but the flavor will still be amazing.
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Fold lemon zest in gently to avoid deflating those pretty stiff peaks.

Fold lemon zest in gently to avoid deflating those pretty stiff peaks.

 

Spread (or pipe) meringue in pan

Spread (or pipe) meringue in pan

Pour cooked berries into strainer and press out juice.

Pour cooked berries into strainer and press out juice.

Folding whipped cream into cream cheese/berry mixture

Folding whipped cream into cream cheese/berry mixture

Add filling and chill for 1 hour.

Add filling and chill for 1 hour.

CLOUD NINE BERRY PIE heart shape watermark

CLOUD NINE BERRY PIE vertical watermarked

Cool and sweet, light and creamy. How perfect is this for a summer treat? The meringue crust has given me so many ideas. One will involve pumpkin…but I’m not quite ready to go THERE yet. For now, I’m on a mission to use up some berries. If you come my way this summer, bring your bucket!

Lorinda

Chicken Pot Pie

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Chicken Pot Pie!

Chicken Pot Pie!

We’re at that awkward time between winter and spring, where I don’t know whether to cook hearty meals or start pretending the weather is nice and the green foods I find at the grocery store are fresh and wholesome. A hearty meal won today!

I’ve given you a link to one of my pot pie recipes before, but I changed it up a little (I try never to use canned soup now) and like this version much, much more. Hope you’ll agree.

If you’ve followed any of my posts, you know that my unofficial motto is: “If it’s worth making, it’s worth doubling.” Seriously – if it’s worth the time to make something, make a LOT of it and freeze it. You’ll be glad when you’re caught with unexpected company or just don’t feel like entering your kitchen.

This pot pie recipe makes two generous pies. Freeze one and inhale the other! Click on this link for my favorite pie crust recipe. You’ll have to double it, of course.

One to eat...

One to eat…

and one for the freezer!

and one for the freezer!

Here’s my version, but as always, feel free to customize it to your tastes. Add mushrooms, celery, herbs, bacon, broccoli, green beans, cheese…well, you get the idea. Anything goes!

Chicken Pot Pie
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Serves: 6
A rich chicken pot pie with a flaky crust - a hearty meal that is good enough to serve to company!
Ingredients
  • 4 large chicken breast halves (about 5 pounds)
  • 3 cups sliced carrots
  • 3 cups cubed potatoes
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • ½ cup chicken grease
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ⅔ cup flour
  • 1½ cup chicken broth
  • 2½ cups milk
  • salt, pepper to taste
  • Pie crust - enough for 2 deep-dish shells and 2 top crusts
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350 F.
  2. Place chicken breasts in baking dish and bake until done - about 1 hour. Remove from heat and reserve ½ cup of the grease.
  3. While chicken cools, peel carrots and slice. Peel potatoes and cut into small cubes. Cover potatoes with cold water until ready to use.
  4. In large saucepan or deep fry pan on high heat, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the carrots. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 3 minutes.
  5. Drain the potatoes and add them to the carrots. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 3 minutes.
  6. Add the chopped onions and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
  7. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine the chicken grease, butter, and garlic. Stir until butter melts and the mixture is bubbly.
  8. Add the flour gradually, stirring constantly. It will turn into a thick ball of dough. Stir and cook for one minute, turning heat down a little if it begins to brown.
  9. Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring well. You may want to switch to a whisk here.
  10. Add the milk gradually, Whisk continuously! The mixture should slowly thicken.
  11. Reduce heat to low and allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The goal is to make a design on the top of the sauce with the whisk or spoon, and watch it disappear quickly. In other words, not too thick, not too thin. Add more liquid if it's too thick. You may use cream if you want a richer sauce.
  12. Remove sauce from heat and set aside.
  13. Heat oven to 400 F.
  14. Remove the meat from the chicken and chop into generous bite-size pieces.
  15. Drain the cooked vegetables and add the chicken. Add the frozen peas and stir to combine.
  16. Divide between the two pie crusts, just to the top of the pan. Refrigerate any extra filling for another use.
  17. Pour half of the sauce over the filling in each pie.
  18. Cover with top crust. Cut vent holes in the top crust.
  19. Bake at 400 F. for 45 minutes, or until the crust is a rich light brown.
  20. Allow the pie to sit for 15 minutes before cutting.
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Pot pie ingredients. Um...except I forgot garlic, chicken broth, and peas :)

Pot pie ingredients. Um…except I forgot garlic, chicken broth, and peas 🙂

Cook carrots 3 minutes (they take longer than potatoes) then add 'taters.

Cook carrots 3 minutes (they take longer than potatoes) then add ‘taters.

Cooking the fats and flour.

Cooking the fats and flour.

Pour sauce over meat and veggies.

Pour sauce over meat and veggies.

Dig in!

Dig in!

This is the ultimate comfort food. I remember loving those nasty little frozen pot pies from the grocery store, even though they always were so hot they burned my mouth and accidentally finding meat in them was a real bonus. This pie…THIS PIE…is so much better than those. It’s packed full of chunks of chicken and vegetables that are easily identifiable. No comparison! Make a couple of them this weekend and you will never even pause in the freezer section again.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Pie

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feb group postFor the month of February, nine bloggers got together for a group post called “Love and Food”. That pretty much says it all! I guess it’s true that I tend to show my love by nurturing – especially through cooking and baking.

chocolate covered cherry pieMy husband loves cherry pie. I don’t! (I picked cherries one summer long, long ago and have never felt the same about them since) At least, I didn’t like cherry pie.

But I found that an unbaked cherry pie is pretty darn good, especially when the cherries are enrobed in chocolate! The cherry filling sits in a rich chocolate pie crust and is covered with a layer of chocolate cream, then is topped with cherry liqueur-spiked whipping cream. Now that, I love! And I really love it frozen, too. I guess you can say I’m a convert.

The chocolate crust isn’t sweet like a cookie crumb crust. It’s basically a regular crust with a deep cocoa flavor. The cherry filling is canned. Yes, you heard me! I didn’t grow, pick, pit, and can these cherries, I went to the grocery store and bought two cans of cherry pie filling. Surprised you, didn’t I? You’ll need a deep-dish pie pan to hold all of this goodness. If you don’t have one, just use one can of pie filling, otherwise there won’t be enough room for the chocolate, and we can’t have that!

The chocolate topping is one-half of my filling recipe for Sumptuous Chocolate Cream Pie.

I bought a bottle of “Cherry Pie” liqueur this year and feel honor-bound to use up as much of it as possible (it’s been showing up in lots of recipes), so I flavored the whipping cream with some. It’s slightly tart, so it adds a wonderful touch to the cream. You can use a little cherry flavoring and food coloring or some maraschino cherry juice if you’d prefer.

I wanted the whipping cream to last for a day or two (there are only two of us eating this) so I stabilized it. If you’re serving this to a group of diners, you won’t need to bother; it’ll get demolished right away.

If you’re thinking this recipe looks hideously long, that’s because it really should be separated into three recipes…one for the crust, one for the chocolate layer, and one for the whipping cream. But the recipe widget will only let me create one recipe per post, and I want you to be able to print it out easily. It’s really not as complicated as it looks!

Here’s how the whole thing gets created:

Chocolate Covered Cherry Pie
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A cherry pie, enrobed with chocolate! Chocolate crust, a chocolate cream top layer, and flavored whipping cream.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup shortening, chilled
  • ⅓ cup buttermilk
  • 2 cans (21 oz each) cherry pie filling
  • ¾ cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups bilk
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped coarsely
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin (if you are stabilizing your whipped cream)
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup cherry liqueur (or substitution...see below**)
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375 F.
  2. You will need a deep-dish pie pan. If using a regular pie pan, reduce the cherry filling to one can.
  3. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, and sugar. Work shortening into dry mixture with pastry blender or two knives, until the size of small peas.
  4. Add the buttermilk slowly, stirring lightly with a fork. If the dough isn't coming together into a rough ball shape, add cold water 1 teaspoon at a time. You just want it to stick together and not be crumbly.
  5. Roll out approximately ⅔ of the dough between sheets of lightly floured parchment paper. This should be a little thicker than a normal pie crust.
  6. Remove the top layer of parchment and cut a circle larger than your pie pan, with an extra 1" all the way around.
  7. Slide a flat baking pan under parchment beneath the circle of dough. Place your pan upside down on the dough, centering it, and flip the pan, dough, and baking sheet over. Remove the baking sheet and carefully peel off the parchment.
  8. Ease the dough into the pan and fold the excess dough under. Flute the edge and poke a fork evenly all over the pie crust. To help keep the dough from collapsing, place in freezer for 10 minutes.
  9. Carefully line the crust with foil and fill at least one third full with beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully take out the foil and beans, and return to the oven to bake for an additional 10 minutes.
  10. Allow the crust to cool completely.
  11. Fill the baked shell with 2 cans of cherry pie filling. (One can for a standard pan.)
  12. Place the pie in the refrigerator while you make the chocolate layer:
  13. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly.
  14. In a medium pot combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk, and unsweetened chocolate. Turn burner to medium-high and stir until it reaches a low boil. Turn the temperature down to medium and continue to cook and stir with a whisk for 2 minutes.
  15. Pour about ¼ cup of the hot mixture into the eggs, stirring well, and then add the egg mixture to the pan, whisking well. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, whisking continuously.
  16. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and butter.
  17. Allow it to cool slightly, then pour over the cherry mixture in the pie.
  18. Chill the pie until you are ready to add the whipping cream. For best results, let the pie chill for 5 or 6 hours.
  19. To make stabilized whipping cream, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over water in a small dish. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. (If you aren't using stabilized cream, just skip the gelatin and water step.)
  20. In a medium bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Slowly whip in the powdered sugar. Place the dish of softened gelatin in the microwave for 5-7 seconds, just until it starts to foam. While whipping, slowly drizzle the melted gelatin over the whipped cream. Whip until firm peaks form, and then add the liqueur.
  21. **If you don't wish to use liqueur, maraschino cherry juice will work well. Or you can add 1 teaspoon of cherry flavoring and a drop of red or pink food coloring, if desired.
  22. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the pie and serve!
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And, because I know that many of you have limited free time, I like to give you shortcuts. You could:

  • Use a pre-made chocolate cookie crust.
  • Use instant chocolate pudding for the chocolate layer
  • Spray on your whipping cream from a can.

The idea will be the same, though you will sacrifice a little of the flavor and texture.

making the pie crust

making the pie crust

Cut at least 1 inch larger all the way around pan

Cut at least 1 inch larger all the way around pan.

Flute edges, poke holes evenly around crust, add weights and bake.

Flute edges, poke holes evenly around crust.

Add foil and beans (or pie weights) and bake

Add foil and beans (or pie weights) and bake.

Add cherry pie filling.

Add cherry pie filling.

Adding butter and vanilla, then ready to spread on cherries.

Adding butter and vanilla, then ready to spread on cherries.

spread hot chocolate mixture on cherries.

spread hot chocolate mixture on cherries.

You've got to try a slice of this!

You’ve got to try a slice of this!

To see what the other passion-inspired bloggers have made, just click on the following links. Please show them some love back, and leave a comment. We all just live for comments.Well…nice ones.

Limoncello Cream Dream Cake by Crumbs in my Mustachio

Nutella Frangelico Love Cheesecake by Tampa Cake Girl

Cherry Blossom Chocolates by Hun, What’s for Dinner?

Cookie Cutter Chocolate Bark by Lemony Thyme

Chocolate Pound Cake with a Chocolate Glaze by Moore or Less Cooking Blog

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Fudge by Baking in a Tornado

Sex and Candy Cake by Cooking from a SAHM
 

Strawberry Cream Cheese Dessert

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for blogIt’s February, and every breathing moment (including those times in the middle of the night when I have a stroke of genius that I can never remember the next day) is spent thinking about Valentine’s Day goodies. I spend a lot of time mentally creating and baking…thinking up new twists and embellishments. My grandfather was a professor of engineering and a woodworking genius who was a huge believer in the “measure twice, cut once” practice. I’ve learned that actually imagining myself making a new creation, step by step, helps me avoid a lot of mistakes. Not all…but a lot.

One of these ideas has actually come to fruition! And boy, do I have an easy dessert for you!

Seriously easy, not just easy compared to my usual fussing and experimenting and generally doing everything the hardest way possible. This is a “dump cake”, but it’s actually more like a pie, with a layer of cream cheese, a layer of strawberry, and a crunchy-buttery topping. I will give you the recipe for the topping, but if you want to use a boxed white cake mix, go for it. Personally, I like avoiding the preservatives, and it’s so easy to make the mix that I don’t mess with boxed mixes at all.

Eat this warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sheer bliss!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Dessert
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Author:
This is a "dump cake", but it's really more like a pie with 3 layers: Cream cheese, strawberry, and crunchy topping. Serves 9.
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 can (21 oz.) strawberry pie filling
  • 1 white cake mix (or see easy instructions below the recipe)
  • ¾ cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350 F.
  2. Prepare a 9-inch pan or casserole dish. (or a 10-inch heart-shaped pan) by greasing and flouring it or using an oil/flour spray like Baker's Joy.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg, vanilla, and flour and mix at medium speed until well combined and creamy. Spread into prepared pan.
  4. Spread the strawberry pie filling over the cream cheese mixture. It's easiest if you evenly distribute dollops of pie filling and then spread with a rubber spatula.
  5. Cover the strawberry layer with all of the dry cake mix.
  6. Drizzle melted butter over the cake mix and sprinkle with walnuts.
  7. Bake for approximately 50 minutes. The top should be golden brown. It will continue to darken a little while it is cooling.
  8. Cool on a rack and serve warm with a little vanilla ice cream.
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To make the cake topping instead of using a boxed cake mix, simply sift together the following ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/4 cup powdered milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Spread the cream ch.eese mixture

Spread the cream cheese mixture

Add the strawberry pie filling.

Add the strawberry pie filling.

Cover with cake mix and drizzle with butter.

Cover with dry cake mix and drizzle with butter. Add walnuts.

Don’t let the photo deceive you; by the time you drizzle on all the butter, it will resemble a lake of butter with a few tiny white islands poking through. Don’t worry…the butter will soak in and turn that cake mix into a delectable, crunchy topping.

Right out of the oven

Right out of the oven

It will darken and sink in a bit...that's OK!

It will darken and sink in a bit…that’s OK!

Have a bite...or two!

Have a bite…or two!

This recipe is very similar to one I posted this fall, which became one of my most viewed posts. It’s funny – I’ll spend days working on what I consider a great recipe, and yet a simple dessert gets all the action on Pinterest! If you like this recipe, you’ll want to check out my Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dessert too.

Now…chocolate! I need chocolate! Let’s see what I can dream up this time.

Sumptuous Chocolate Cream Pie

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Blog6 051It’s only October and already I need a break from pumpkin. I never thought I’d say that, but I follow a lot of food blogs and can say with authority that pumpkin dominates this time of year. Yes, I’m guilty of adding to the craziness, and I know I’ll be trying out more pumpkin recipes between now and Christmas, but for now I’m leaning on my faithful backup: chocolate!

I was craving chocolate cream pie, and since I can easily use my blog as an excuse for making sinful goodies, I made a rich, dark, creamy version…for my wonderful readers, of course. I even tested it thoroughly for you.

I usually use a chocolate cookie crust with chocolate cream pie, but in this case I had my heart set on decorating the pie with pie crust leaves, so I baked a regular pie crust and brushed the bottom of it with chocolate before I added the filling, which helped keep the bottom crust flaky. Since I made enough pastry for a two-crust pie, I had plenty of dough for some pretty autumn leaves.

Just for grins I tried two different “looks”. Some of the leaves I baked and outlined with dark chocolate. Some I painted with food coloring and sprinkled with sugar before baking. I love the fall look of the pastry leaves, but if you’re in a hurry you can just slather the pie with whipped cream, shave a little chocolate over it, and call it good. Believe me, no one will complain!
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One pie will easily serve eight people, because a thin slice of this rich dessert is more than satisfying. It’s a dessert to be savored slowly and appreciated deeply.  Even though pumpkin pie is the traditional dessert for a Thanksgiving meal, some people just don’t like pumpkin. If you’re thinking about having a couple of different dessert options, this would be a great choice, because I haven’t met too many people who don’t like chocolate!

You can make this the day before if you have room in the refrigerator. Put the whipping cream on just before serving, or if you’re using non-dairy whipped topping or stabilized whipped cream, you can decorate the pie a couple of hours before serving.

Here’s the pie recipe. I’ve given you a crust recipe and instructions below.

Sumptuous Chocolate Cream Pie
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Author:
This rich pie will easily serve 8 people.
Ingredients
  • 1 baked pie crust
  • 1 ounce of dark chocolate for coating the crust (optional)
  • 1¼ cups sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon powdered espresso
  • 3 cups milk
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • ¼ cup butter
Instructions
  1. Melt 1 ounce of chocolate in a small cup in the microwave, using 15 second intervals and stirring often. With a pastry brush or spoon, spread the chocolate over the crust bottom. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, lightly mix the egg yolks. Set aside.
  3. In a large saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, espresso powder, milk, and chocolate.
  4. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches a low boil.
  5. Turn heat down to medium and continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Remove from heat.
  6. Add about ½ cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and stir briefly. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, whisk to combine, and return to a low boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
  7. Stir in the vanilla and butter until the filling is smooth and completely combined. Pour into the pie shell and allow pie to cool before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating.
  8. Chill for 4-6 hours. Serve with whipped cream and chocolate curls.
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Filling the pie.

Filling the pie.

You can find the recipe for my favorite pie crust right here: Never Fail Pie Crust.
I find that the dough is easier to work with if I don’t refrigerate it before rolling it out. I just need to be generous with the flour.

I use a little more than half the dough for the crust because I don’t have to roll it so thin and it’s easier to handle. Roll out the dough and cut it into a circle that’s large enough to leave an inch of excess all the way around the pan. Place the dough in the pan, fold under and flute the edge, and poke holes evenly in the crust with a fork.

Poke the crust all over with a fork.

Poke the crust all over with a fork.

Carefully lay a sheet of foil over the pie crust and fill at least one-third of the way up with beans (or use pie weights.) Bake at 375 F. for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and gently lift the foil and weights out of the pan. (If you’re using beans, wrap them up in the foil and save for the next time you bake a pie crust. You can’t eat them after they’ve been baked.)

Weighing down the crust to keep it from collapsing as it bakes.

Weighing down the crust to keep it from collapsing as it bakes.

Return the crust to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until it turns golden. Since the crust is hot when it first comes out of the oven, if you want to shave a little chocolate over it, it will melt and you can spread it easily, saving the step of melting the chocolate in the microwave. You can see I got a little carried away here with my pastry brush, and splattered the crust with chocolate. I kind of liked the look, and may do it more thoroughly next time!

Spreading chocolate on the bottom of the crust.

Spreading chocolate on the bottom of the crust.

While the pie crust is baking, roll the remaining crust out between 1/8″ and 1/4″ thick. Cut with leaf shaped cookie cutters.
For colored leaves: Using an artists paintbrush (or even a damp paper towel, in a pinch) paint each leaf with food coloring. For muted colors, water down the food coloring a little. Sprinkle with sugar, and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Leaves fresh from the oven.

Leaves fresh from the oven.

For chocolate leaves, cut out leaves and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden brown. When cool, pipe “veins” on the leaves with dark chocolate, using a pastry bag and small writing tip or a plastic zipper bag with the tip snipped off.
chocolate pieA cup of coffee and a slice of this pie is pure bliss. It will never replace pumpkin pie in the hearts of America, but it’s got to be a close second. Enjoy…I know I did!

Caramel Apple Pandowdy

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Blog6 014Autumn is wafting out of my oven right now. More telling than the fragrance of damp leaves, bales of hay, or chrysanthemums, my kitchen heralds the season. Cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel, apples – these are Fall.

A trip to our local orchard proved too tempting for me, and I came home with twenty pounds of Honeycrisp apples. These are my absolute favorite for fresh eating, but also made a delectable apple pandowdy. An apple pandowdy is similar to a cobbler, lacking a bottom crust but boasting a thick top crust. In the old days dough was dropped on the top like a cobbler, but I wanted it to scream “Fall”, so I cut leaf and acorn shapes out of a cream cheese pie dough and sprinkled the whole thing with cinnamon sugar to give it a little crunch..

Because that just wasn’t enough (eyeroll) I added some homemade caramel sauce to the apple mixture. Somewhere along the way I emotionally stalled out at about four years old; I like to do things myself! It makes The Man crazy to watch me struggle with something that he could set to rights in a minute, but I want to do it myself!  Opening a jar of caramel sauce would have been the easy way to go, of course, but…

Pffft.

If you choose to use jarred caramel sauce in this recipe I will totally understand. No judgements from me, honest. I just get a real kick out of making everything from scratch, which for this recipe meant homemade sauce. The recipe I’m going to give you makes about a cup of sauce, which is more than you’ll need for the pandowdy, but I’m pretty sure you’ll find a good use for the leftovers. I dipped apple slices in it, but there are so many other options besides dip. I’m going to try drizzling it over oatmeal in place of brown sugar. I’ll bet that will be wonderful, especially with toasted pecans on top. Blog6 001

If you’re making the caramel sauce, you’ll need to do that first so it will have a chance to cool a bit.

To make the Caramel Sauce:

1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Measure the cream, slice the butter into 8 pieces, and set both aside.
In a medium size pan with a heavy bottom, put the sugar and water and turn the heat to medium-high.
Stir constantly until the sugar melts (it will go through some strange looking stages…don’t worry… and turns a molten, deep golden brown.
Add the butter and stir until melted, then remove the pan from the burner.
Stir in the cream and vanilla. This will steam a lot – you may want to use a long handled wooden spoon. Stir or whisk until the mixture comes together into a creamy sauce. It will thicken as it cools.

 

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Combining the sugar and water.

An awkward, crumbly stage - almost ready to melt!

An awkward, crumbly stage – almost ready to melt!

This is what you want. Now add the butter!

This is what you want. Now add the butter!

Add the butter and stir until melted.

Add the butter and stir until melted.

Stirring in the cream.

Stirring in the cream.

Caramel Apple Pandowdy
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Author:
One recipe is just right for an 8"x8" casserole or deep-dish pie pan. Honestly? I'd double it and put it in a 9"x13" casserole. It's that yummy! Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream to take it over the top.
Ingredients
  • 3 large apples, thinly sliced (approximately 6 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ cup caramel sauce
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ******
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon milk
  • 1 egg white
  • cinnamon sugar
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350 F.
  2. Prepare an 8"x8" casserole dish (2 quart) or deep-dish pie pan by greasing generously. (I use Baker's Joy)
  3. Place sliced apples into a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice.
  4. Add the caramel sauce, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir together well and pour into pan.
  5. Make the pastry by combining the cream cheese, butter, flour, and milk, mixing well into a smooth dough. Gather into a ball and put on a piece of floured parchment. Turn to coat the dough with flour. Place another piece of parchment over the dough and roll out approximately ¼" thick. This will be much thicker than a normal pie crust.
  6. Cut into designs and place over the apple mixture.
  7. Mix the egg white with one teaspoon of water and brush on the pastry.
  8. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.
  9. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Let the dessert cool - it's best eaten warm, not hot.
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Slice those apples!

Slice those apples!

Toss the apples in sugar and spice.

Toss the apples in sugar and spice.

Brush the pastry with egg whites.

Brush the pastry with egg whites, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bubbling hot from the oven.

Bubbling hot from the oven.

A little scoop of vanilla ice cream takes this over the top.

Now go work off the calories by raking leaves or cleaning gutters so that I don’t get blamed if you can’t fit into your fancy duds for the office Christmas party!

Fly on the Wall – September

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Fly on the Wall

Places, everyone! Um…watch out for that spider! I recommend staying up high on the wall, out of swatting reach but not in the corners where you’ll get tangled in the cobwebs. Now stop buzzing for a minute and listen!

Every month a group of bloggers gives you a glimpse of what you would see and hear if you were a fly on the wall in their homes. You’ll hear things that most people aren’t privy to, either because they aren’t important enough to be blog-worthy or because they’re inappropriate and potentially embarrassing. Don’t turn your little fly nose up at that; we KNOW what you like to eat outside! After you’ve skimmed through read my post, please click on the links at the bottom and check out the other 13 bloggers. See what they’ve been up to! fly1gifcropped September is my very favorite month. Would you care to guess why? Nope – I’m past the kids-back-to-school stuff. Huh uh, I don’t wear yoga pants. Nah, it’s too early for hot buttered rums! Give up? THE MAN GOES HUNTING!

For the small price of a two-day baking and cooking marathon, I get to send him and all the goodies out the door (buh bye!) for a week or more. Blessed silence! The whole bed! No cooking! This.Is.My.Time.

In theory. In reality, I actually got 4 days because my youngest son (“Lord Voldemort”) showed up, with a U-haul trailing behind him. He’s decided to move over to our side of the mountains. I love him dearly, but chaos sort of has a way of following him. You’ve been hanging out on the wall, so you know what I mean!

He settled in and then went out elk hunting with his beautiful big traditional bow that his brother made for him. Packing and driving over here had left him seriously tired. I’m pretty sure there was a hangover involved there, too. He scorns tree stands, just puts on a lot of camoflage and tries to blend in. Luckily he doesn’t scorn revolvers, becaue lying on the ground in a peaceful forest made him groggy, and he started dozing. He woke up just in time to see a pair of furry brown ears coming his way over a fallen tree and had a few seconds to abandon the big bow and draw his 44. He shot the bear at 8 feet.

Now, maybe he could have scared it off – but there sure wouldn’t have been time for a Plan B! So…he tagged the bear and brought it home. Don’t worry – I won’t post pictures. Except, here I am rendering bear fat.

Eeeeeuw. Rendering the bear fat.

Eeeeeuw. Rendering the bear fat.

It’s not a fun process, but it’s worth it to me. I use it in all kinds of things. The next night I made a chicken pot pie with a bear fat crust. Here’s a link to my Chicken Pot Pie recipe. I’m guessing you’ll be using shortening!

Chicken pot pie with bear fat crust!

Chicken pot pie with bear fat crust!

fly1gifcropped Did you know that bears have penis bones (or baculums)? It’s okay, I didn’t know that either. They do, and here’s the picture of one to prove it:

Lucky bears (well not this one!) have penis bones.

Lucky bears (well not this one!) have penis bones.

Here’s how the whole bear penis bone thing went:
Lord V: “Mom, would you boil this down while I’m butchering?”
Me: What is it?
Lord V: “It’s the penis bone.”
Me: “And you want me to put that thing in one of my pots and boil it on my stove? Not happening.”
Lord V (in his best wheedling tone): “Please? I’m really busy.”
Me: “So am I, and HELL NO!”
Lord V: “But it’s hollow. You can use it as a straw.”

Here is a guy who can argue the crutches away from a one-legged man, and this was his best argument??? Bleh.

I have researched this baculum thing and find that monogamous creatures are less inclined to have these bones. Who the heck thought THAT was a good idea? Rotten deal, if you ask me. Just sayin’. fly1gifcropped I’d never eaten bear, and was understandably leery. I’m now a fan. It was delicious – just like a very tender beef pot roast. Honest! We had bear stew the next night. (So much for my no-cooking-eat-M&Ms-in-bed-ME-TIME!) Then The Man got home from hunting and the guys had bear fat biscuits and gravy for breakfast and bear stroganoff for dinner. And there is now double the chaos and noise. fly1gifcropped Chickens are molting so the eggs are getting scarce. But HOLY COW, some of them are doing their best to show me they’re not ready for the stew pot yet. Would you look at this?

Um....OW?

Um….OW?

fly1gifcropped In a moment of self-indulgence after The Man went hunting and before Lord V showed up, I may have sampled this – in the name of research, of course.

Apple Syrup Martinis

Apple Syrup Martinis

My Yummy Northwest column for September was all about apples, and the apple syrup recipe is one I got from the gal who cuts my hair. I’m finding all kinds of wonderful uses for it. In this case, just put a little syrup in the martini glass, add vodka, and stir. Or, yes, you could put it in one of those shakers with some ice and shake. Either way – delightful!fly1gifcropped And because I can’t end any Fly on the Wall post without poking fun at my husband, and because I can NOT resist telling tales that I’ve been forbidden to tell, I will spill my guts about something that happened in the shop.I wasn’t actually in the shop (thank goodness) when this moment occurrred. The Man and his friend Greg were out there sitting in their chairs and talking like a couple of old coots. Lord V and I were in the kitchen. There was a very loud, weird-sounding gunshot and I jumped and possibly said something very bad.

Mr. Cautious was showing his friend the new gun Lord V bought and somehow forgot the first rule of gun safety. CONSIDER EVERY GUN LOADED!!! He shot a hole through the roof of the metal building. It’s a small hole, easily patched, but scary nonetheless. The Man was horrified and sheepish at the same time, because he is always so careful!

I will be using this scenario frequently, trust me. Can’t you hear it? He’ll be saying something like “You parked the car too close to the garage door” and I’ll say “At least I didn’t shoot a hole through the roof.” Oh yes, this is my ace in the hole. fly1gifcropped Buzz over to these awesome blogs!
Baking In a Tornado
Stacy Sews and Schools
Just a Little Nutty
Menopausal Mother
The Sadder But Wiser Girl
The Momisodes
Follow Me Home
Moore Organized Mayhem
Hypnotic Bard
Spatulas on Parade
Sorry Kid, Your Mom Doesn’t Play Well With Others
Searching for Sanity
Writer B is Me

Humble Pie

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I have so many things (and people) to be thankful for, I don’t know where to begin. So in keeping with my personal philosophy, dessert should come first! There will be a flurry of posts with Thanksgiving ideas, but nothing is as important as “Humble Pie!”

Dancing around this pumpkin pie are little pie crust figures that represent the things I am most grateful for. In the picture above, starting at 12 o’clock and going clockwise, you will see my cats, gardening, Granddaughter #1, my chickens, our new grandson that will be born in February, warm clothes, food, Granddaughter #2, our dogs, warmth, sunshine, and family and friends. In the center is our cozy house. There is more – so much more that it would probably take three pies to even come close to naming all of the wonderful things in my life – but this covers the big stuff.

Your pie would look different, so I can’t tell you what to put on it, but I can give you instructions for creating your own humble pie. It’s time-consuming, but if you consider it a labor of love (and possibly a work of art) it is totally worth it. And if you opt for pre-made pie crusts or decide not to bother with the leaves around the edge, I promise I won’t tell.

Here’s my basic recipe for pumpkin pie. Instructions for the dough bling are below. Spend some time in reflection, list the things that are important to you, and have fun with this!

Pumpkin Pie
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Author:
Serves: 8
This was adapted from the recipe on the label of Libbey's Pure Pumpkin to make it a little spicier and fluffier.
Ingredients
  • 1 unbaked deep-dish pie crust
  • ¾ cups sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 tablespoons whiskey or brandy (Optional. Replace with milk if preferred)
  • 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
  • 1 5-ounce can evaporated milk
  • 5 ounces heavy whipping cream
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 425 F.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, and spices.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and whiskey together. (Or omit the whiskey)
  4. Add the spice mixture and the pumpkin to the egg mixture and stir.
  5. Add the evaporated milk and cream and whisk until it is thoroughly combined.
  6. Pour into pie crust and bake on center rack for 15 minutes.
  7. Reduce heat to 350 F and bake for about 45 more minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when it is inserted in the center of the pie.
  8. Cool on a rack.
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The best pie crust recipe I’ve ever tried is one that’s been around forever, sometimes called “Never Fail Pie Crust.” I love this recipe because even if you mess up and (gasp!) have to re-roll it, it still turns out flaky. I have substituted lard with great results, and today I used part lard, part shortening, and part butter, and it was perfect. Here’s the original version:

Never Fail Pie Crust
(makes 2 crusts)

1 cup chilled shortening
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 cup milk

  • Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in the shortening until it looks like coarse crumbs.
  • Mix vinegar into milk. Combine all at once into flour mixture.

    Cutting the shortening into the flour.

This can be rolled into crusts immediately, or flattened into disks and placed between sheets of plastic wrap and chilled first in the refrigerator. If you chill it for more than an hour, let it warm up a little before rolling it out.

Here’s how I first envisioned the pie (things are always so much more beautiful in my imagination), but I learned that the little cutouts don’t stay on the edge of the pie. They sort of dive into the filling or fall over the side, or just curl up in a manner that is very painful to see. The concept is the same with the leaves, though…brush on an egg wash and place the cutouts where you want them.

Okay, this didn’t work very well.  See? I mess up a LOT!

If you’re game, here are the instructions for humble pie:

On card stock (or paper, if that’s all you have) draw the shapes you want for the center of the pie. I took some of my shapes from pictures on the Internet, some from clip art, and drew some. Cut them out neatly. For the leaves, cookie cutters are the easiest, but you can draw or trace a few onto card stock and hand cut them. It’s fun to cut them freestyle, too.

If you’re going all out and putting the leaves around the edge of the pie, you probably should make a double batch of pie crust, because you’ll be making a bottom crust, leaves, and little cutouts of things you’re thankful for. You won’t need it all, but it’s better to have too much than too little. You can always put any extra in a zipper bag and freeze it for another time.

If you are doubling the recipe, after you blend the shortening into the flour mixture, divide the mixture in half and put into two bowls. If you have a kitchen scale, weigh the dough to get the amounts as even as possible. Now, add approximately 1/4 cup of the milk/vinegar mixture to one of the bowls. Toss with a fork until blended. Using your hands, form two balls of dough. Flatten them each on a piece of plastic wrap, cover, and put in the refrigerator.

Divide the mixture in the other bowl and put half into the empty bowl. Add half of the remaining liquid to the ingredients in one bowl, form into a ball, and set aside. Add orange or red food coloring to the remaining liquid, and mix into the remaining dough. Don’t try to blend it thoroughly – it looks better when it’s marbled.

If you’re only making a single batch of pie crust, separate the flour and shortening mixture in half. Add half the liquids to one bowl, form a ball, and refrigerate it. Split the other mixture into two parts. Add half of the liquid into one part and form into a ball, and put food color into the remaining liquid and add to the other part and form a ball. The refrigerated dough is for the crust, and the two small balls of dough are for the cutouts and the leaves.

Form colored dough into a ball and place on a well floured board. Roll out a fairly thick dough – almost 1/4 inch. With cookie cutters or a sharp paring knife, cut out out as many leaves as you can, re-rolling as necessary. (To give the leaves a serrated edge, use a large serrated bread knife and cut at an angle.) Put plastic wrap on a plate and lay the leaves flat, not letting them overlap. If necessary, put another sheet of plastic wrap over them and start another layer. Make big leaves and small leaves. If you want to get crazy, you can even “paint” them with an egg wash with food coloring mixed in. Put in the refrigerator until needed.

Cutting out pie crust leaves.

Using a serrated knife to put a pretty edge around a leaf.

Roll out the disk of plain pie crust and with your templates and sharp knife, cut out your chosen objects. There will be some that don’t cooperate…just shove the rejects into a pile and try again! This dough is really forgiving and will let you re-roll it several times. Move slowly, and flour the knife if you need to. Think of this as fragile play doh; you can add fun details after they’re cut out. Use a thin, flat spatula to set each finished piece onto a cookie sheet. From experience, I recommend that you make extras in case some break when you’re decorating the pie. Set this cookie sheet aside.

Cutting shapes out of pie crust. Time consuming, but satisfying!

Preheat your oven to 425 F.

Now…time to make your pie crust! Use lots of flour on the board and roll out one of the remaining crust discs at least 1 inch wider than your pie pan all the way around. It may help to put a piece of plastic wrap on the crust while you’re rolling it out. Gently roll it up with the rolling pin and lay it in the pan. Fold the edge under and flute. (If you’re adding the leaves, you could get away without fluting it.)

Make an egg wash by beating an egg with 2 teaspoons of water in a small bowl. With a pastry brush, paint the edge of the pie and lay the leaves in different directions all the way around, pressing lightly as you go. Carefully move your pie pan onto a cookie sheet so the leaves won’t get broken off when you remove the pan from the oven.

Mix up the pumpkin pie filling and pour it into the pie crust. Put it (on the cookie sheet) on the middle rack of the oven, and put the pan with the little figures on the top rack. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the little pie crust figures are a light golden color. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack. Leave the pie in the oven and turn the temperature down to 350 F.

Allow the pie to cook for 40 minutes. Carefully remove (cookie sheet and all) and set on a heat-safe surface. Place your cutouts on the pie and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Move to a rack to cool. Admire it and take some pictures, because after all the “oohs” and “ahhhhs” it will disappear before your eyes.

Pie crust leaves, flaky and warm. Yummmm.

For another (easier) option, try a “Friendship Pie”.  You will need a double batch of crust because this pie has a top and bottom crust, and you’ll still need a crust to roll out and cut into little men and women. This is an apple pie – because I wanted something that would mound up well without bubbling out of the top of the pie. Use a paper template and put the people on the pie at the beginning instead of pre-cooking them and adding them later. My crust looked better in real life, honest! But I’m guessing I was a little generous with the shortening, because it didn’t hold the fluted edge well. That’s what happens when I’m slam-dunking too many things at once.

This project has put me in a reflective mood, and I can’t think of a snarky thing to say; my heart is full of gratitude. If this lasts too long, I’ll have to pull myself out of it by thinking of all the things I’m NOT thankful for. Let’s see – dog hair on my pillow, chicken poop on my shoes, dirty towels on the floor, flour everywhere…pffft!

She’s baaaack.