Category Archives: Pie

Warm Apple Buttermilk Custard Pie

Posted on September 29, 2011 | 1 Comment

Did you get the memo?  It’s officially Fall!  That means bring on the apples and pumpkins!  I love Fall baking, it makes your house smell so great!

I recently decided to participate in a recipe swap and the ingredient challenge was “Apples/Pumpkins.”  The recipe I was matched with (for lack of a better word) is Warm Apple Buttermilk Custard Pie from Adventures in my Kitchen.  Doesn’t that just sound great??  Well it was great (as several lucky taste testers can confirm) and it was actually pretty easy.  I thought it would be involved when I saw the title but it really wasn’t, and I think it would be fantastic as a dessert for Thanksgiving dinner!  You’ve got the warm spiced apples, creamy custard and a crispy crumble topping, how can you go wrong with that?  You can’t!

P.S.  I’ll add the link to the recipe roundup when I get it!

Warm Apple Buttermilk Custard Pie

Warm Apple Buttermilk Custard Pie
Slightly adapted from Adventures in my Kitchen

Ingredients:
Apple Filling:
1/4 cup butter
2 green and 1 red apple, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the Custard:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups white granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup buttermilk

For the Crumble Topping:
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp butter

1 pie crust, either homemade or frozen

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  • Make the filling:  Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the apples, sugar and cinnamon and cook 5 minutes, or until tender.  Set aside.
  • Make the custard:  In a stand mixer bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat until creamy.  Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated.  Add the vanilla and 2 tbsp flour and mix well.  Pour in the buttermilk and beat until the mixture is smooth, then set aside.
  • For the crumble topping:  Combine the sugars, flour, chopped pecans and cinnamon in a bowl.  Add in the butter, mixing in with your fingers until it is coarse and crumbly.

Assembly:

  • Place the apples as the bottom layer in the pie crust.  Pour the custard over the apples (some may float up, just try to push them back down.  Bake 35 minutes.
  • Remove the pie, gently and carefully spoon the crumble topping over the top, making an even layer.  Return the pie to the oven for another 35 – 40 minutes.  Let stand 1 hour before serving.

Warm Apple Buttermilk Custard Pie

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Posted in Desserts, Pie, Thanksgiving

Tomatoes Coming Out of Your Ears?

Posted on July 25, 2011 | Leave a comment

It’s pretty remarkable that with the drought the South has been having, this is the first year we’ve actually had success with tomatoes!  We’ve had a consistent crop and were delighted when my husband’s grandmother brought us a box of tomatoes from a local farm.

He immediately said he wanted me to make tomato jam, but I wanted to do something else too.  I decided to make a tomato tart.  While it did taste good, I wasn’t super crazy about the crust so I haven’t decided if I’m going to post that recipe yet.  We’ll see.  In the meantime, here are some pictures to enjoy:

When life hands you tomatoes, you make...

 

Sweet and Spicy Tomato Jam

 

Roasted Tomato and Cheese Tart

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Posted in Canning, Menu Ideas, Money Savers, Pie, Vegetarian

Fresh Mini Strawberry Pies

Posted on April 26, 2011 | Leave a comment
Easter is one of my favorite holidays.  My family always had a lot of fun and cooked delicious food.  Unfortunately I couldn’t be with my family this year but we did have a nice day with some of our best friends who also couldn’t be with their families.  It was probably the most non-traditional Easter ever – we had margaritas, cheese dip and muffuletta dip, grilled burgers, hot dogs and some of my husband’s homemade boudin.  There was no shortage of desserts either, with cupcakes, cookie cake, German chocolate cake and mini strawberry pies. 

The mini strawberry pies were originally meant to be a fresh strawberry pie that I saw in the most recent Cooks Illustrated.  I worried though that it would go to waste with all of the toddlers.  Bite-size portions seemed the best idea.  It really was easy to make – probably a lot easier than if I had made a regular pie!  I planned to make homemade whipped cream to top them with, but unfortunately the heavy whipping cream seemed off so I just used whipped topping in a can.  No worries!  Judging from the leftovers, it was a success – there were no leftovers!

Fresh Mini Strawberry Pies
Recipe Adapted from Cooks Illustrated, May/June 2011 Issue

Ingredients:

Filling
2 lbs. fresh strawberries, rinsed and dried and hulled. 
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1.5 tsp Sure-Jell for low-sugar recipes (in the pink box)
large pinch of salt

Pie shells:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp cold butter, cut into slices
1/4 cup chilled vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
2 tbsp cold vodka
2 tbsp cold water

Method:
Process 3/4 cup flour, salt and sugar in the food processor until well combined, about two seconds.  Add butter and shortening and process about ten seconds.  Scrape the sides and bottom and redistribute in the processor bowl,  Add 1/2 cup more flour and pulse until evenly mixed.  Empty into a medium bowl.

Sprinkle the water and vodka over it and fold the dough into the liquid until it sticks together.  Flatten into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate at least 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 and start on the filling:  Pick about a quarter of a pound of strawberries and process them until it’s a smooth puree. You need 3/4 cup of this.  Whisk 3/4 cup sugar, the cornstarch, Sure-Jell and salt in a small saucepan.  Stir in the berries, making sure to get in all the corners of the pot.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often until it comes to a boil.  Boil, stirring for two minutes while it thickens.  Remove from heat and empty into a bowl and allow to come to room temperature.  Chop the remaining strawberries into small pieces and once the strawberry mixture has cooled, fold in the fresh strawberries.

Once the dough has chilled a while, spray a small muffin pan/mini pie pan with nonstick spray.  Break off small bits of dough and form a ball, place in each of the spaces.  Using a wooden mini-pie shaper, press down and form a pie shape in each of the ball of dough.  Use a small fork and gently prick holes in the bottom of the crusts.  Refrigerate again until firm.  Once firm, bake until golden.  Allow to cool completely before filling with strawberry pie filling.  Refrigerate 3 hours before serving topped with whipped cream.

Mini Strawberry Pie

 

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Posted in Desserts, Easter, Pie

Buttermilk Pie

Posted on December 11, 2010 | Leave a comment

Are you looking for an easy dessert to bring to a dinner party or maybe your holiday get together?  Look no further because here it is.  This pie is so simple, you just mix some stuff together and pour into a shell.  And it’s so amazingly good.  In fact, as I type this I am thinking “hmmm, there’s some left, it would be good for breakfast!!”  It’s delicious.  The blogger I got the recipe from calls it Man-Pleasing Buttermilk Pie and it’s no lie, my man was VERY pleased with it!

Buttermilk Pie
Recipe from:  Sing for Your Supper
Makes 2 9-inch pies

Ingredients:
2 9-inch pie crusts, unbaked
3 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
6 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 sticks melted butter
1 cup buttermilk

Method:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, salt and flour.  Add in the beaten eggs, vanilla, buttermilk and melted butter.  Pour into the two pie crusts and bake for an hour, testing at 50 minutes for jiggle factor.  It should not jiggle much at all.  I ended up having to bake it for about 70 minutes, just depends on your oven.  It should be golden on top, but if you have to bake it longer and it’s getting too dark, just put some foil loosely over the top.  That’s it.  Told you it was easy!

Buttermilk Pie

a peek inside of a buttermilk pie

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Posted in Desserts, Pie

Cranberry and Onion Tart with Bacon and Gorgonzola

Posted on November 2, 2010 | 1 Comment

Holy moly, doesn’t that name just grab you??  I know it grabbed me when I saw it posted on Sing for your Supper.  I couldn’t wait to try it and thought it would be fantastic for Thanksgiving, since I’m hosting again this year.  I’m sort of anal with my Turkey Day preparations.  I want to be sure everything tastes just right and if can be prepared in advance, that’s fantastic too.  So I do trial runs of recipes.

This did not disappoint at ALL!  OMG it’s so heavenly!  The crust is buttery and a little crumbly and the flavors all meld together just like magic.  Mmmmmm….. I decided that I will try to make this in mini version with my small muffin pans and try it as an appetizer.  I’m going to make that soon and freeze it and see how well it defrosts/reheats.  Also, I used craisins because my grocery store is lame and didn’t have fresh OR frozen cranberries.  It was still good! 

Cranberry and Onion Tart with Bacon and Gorgonzola
Recipe from:  Sing for Your Supper

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup flour
2/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
pinch cayenne pepper
6 tbsp butter, cubed (cold)
1 tbsp milk

Filling:
4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
2 small-med onions, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c. cranberries (I used craisins)
2 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Method:

Crust:
In a food processor, pulse the dry ingredients and add butter until the ingredients are about the size of small peas.  Add the milk and pulse just until the dough forms a ball, don’t overpulse it.  Press into a tart pan.  Prick crust with fork and freeze for 30 minutes.  Bake chilled crust at 375 for 15 minutes or until turning golden.

Filling:
Saute’ bacon in a nonstick pan.  Drain on paper towels and pour out all but 3 tbsp of the bacon grease.  In the 3 tbsp of grease, saute the onions and cook until soft and carmelized.  Add the craisins and sugar and continue to cook for another minute or so.  If using fresh or frozen cranberries, cook until they pop open.  Season with salt and pepper and return the bacon to the pan, mix well and set aside.  In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and heavy cream until smooth, set aside.  Place the onion/bacon/cranberry mixture in the bottom of the cooked tart shell, then top with crumbled gorgonzola, then pour the egg/cream mixture over the top.  Bake at 350 until golden on top and the center is set, about 25 minutes.

Cranberry and Onion Tart with Bacon and Gorgonzola

 

A little slice of heaven

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Posted in Appetizers, Holiday, Pie, Thanksgiving

Red, White and Blue Tart

Posted on July 5, 2010 | 1 Comment

So no cooking blog is complete without the post about a red, white and blue dessert, right??  Well you won’t find that jiggly jello mold stuff here, something about my food jiggling just skeeves me out.  I’m more of a tart type of person.  And this tart definitely delivered the goods.  The custard tasted somewhat like that of a tart-a-la-bouille pie.  The crust was just perfect, even if I DID forget to add the walnuts!  This was a pretty easy recipe to make, though my abnormally large tart pan did present a challenge or two!  I think a standard size one might have to be on the wish list soon!

It was so good that there is only one slice left…and it’s got my name on it!

Red,White and Blue Tart
Sources:  Tart Dough - Williams-Sonoma, Pastry Cream - Martha Stewart

Ingredients: 

Custard/Pastry Cream:
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla

Tart Dough:
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp VERY cold water
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter, cut into cubes
1 Hershey’s chocolate bar
2 tbsp nuts, ground (optional)

Fruit of your choice for topping

Method:

Custard/Pastry Cream:
Whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, yolks and salt.  Whisk in cornstarch, 1 tbsp at a time. 

Bring milk and 1/4 cup sugar to a simmer, whisk a little of the milk mixture into the egg mixture to slowly warm it up.  Slowly add in the rest, whisking the whole time.  Return to the pot and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until thickened. 

Remove from heat, whisking until very thick and cooling, about 2-3 minutes.  Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface and refrigerate until completely chilled at least 1 hour.

Tart Dough:
Preheat oven to 400.

Stir together the egg yolk, vanilla and water – set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the flat beater, stir together the flour, sugar and salt.  Add the butter and beat on med-low speed until coarse with butter no larger than small peas.  Add the egg mix until the dough pulls together. 

Transfer to a floured work surface and roll into a ball.  Flatten with a disk and gently press into a greased tart pan.  Cover with foil, pressing the foil to mimic the shape of the tart and add rice, dry beans or baking beads on top.  Bake 20 minutes, remove the foil/rice and prick with a fork all over the surface.  Continue baking another 5-10 minutes until golden brown. 

Once cooled some, melt the chocolate bar and spread lightly over the crust.  This will prevent the crust from getting soggy once the custard is on it. 

Allow to cool completely before filling with the pastry cream and topping with the fruit.  Keep refrigerated.

Red, White & Blue Tart

Red, White & Blue Tart

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Posted in 4th of July, Cakes and Cookies, Desserts, Fruit, Holiday, Pie

Brazilian Chicken Pot Pie

Posted on March 9, 2010 | 3 Comments

Ok so this recipe isn’t so much light and healthy.  It could be worse, I DID use regular whipping cream instead of heavy cream.  I’m betting you could even use something lighter than that.  I got the idea for concocting this after watching The Best Thing I Ever Ate.  One of the Food Network hosts talked about this pot pie she ate that was really creamy and had heart of palm and olives in it.  Yum!!  An interesting fact about me is that until I got pregnant with my daughter, I HATED olives!!  Then it became the #1 thing I craved and I still love them!  I couldn’t find a recipe online, so I created one myself.  I went easy on the heart of palm and olives because I didn’t want the pies to have a bitter taste, but honestly I could have used more because you really couldn’t even taste them.  I’ll know for next time.  They were fantastic though, I definitely recommend trying these for a different take on the ordinary.

Brazilian Chicken Pot Pie
By Me!

Ingredients:
shredded chicken (buy one of those rotisserie chickens, so easy!)
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1 shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced
2 ears of corn, roasted and cut from cobs
green olives without pimento, chopped (I used about 1/4 c, I’d up it to 1/2 c)
4 heart of palm stalks, cut in half then diced
2 red potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp flour
seasonings to taste:  salt, white pepper, cajun blend)
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 can crescent roll sheet (found with canned biscuits)

Method:

Roast the corn – mix 1 tbsp melted butter with some garlic salt and coat corn cobs, roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour, turning halfway through.

Heat a large nonstick pot over medium-high heat and melt butter and olive oil together.  Add the potatoes and mushrooms and cook until tender, stirring often.  Add the shallots and garlic and cook until those vegetables are tender, just a few minutes.  Add the chicken, wine, corn, thyme sprigs, olives and heart of palm, mix well and allow to simmer until the wine is almost completely cooked out.  Add the flour, mixing in and allow to cook 1 minute.  Add the cream and season to taste.  Allow to simmer about 5 minute, taste for seasonings and discard the thyme.  Remove pot from heat.  In individual ramekins, spoon in mixture and top with a round of crescent roll dough.  Press edges of the dough against the sides of the ramekin to seal.  If you’re feeling creative, you can cut little shapes to top them.  I did hearts.  Bake at 350 until the dough is golden.

Brazilian Chicken Pot Pies

Inside of the pot pies

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Posted in Casserole, Chicken, Pie, potatoes

Guest Blogger – Chicken Pot Pie

Posted on September 26, 2009 | Leave a comment

Tonight, for the first time ever, we have a guest blogger.  My dad always loved cooking while I was growing up and today I still consider him to be one of the best cooks I know!  I’ve been visiting for a couple of days and he cooked something tonight that looked so delicious, I asked him to be a guest blogger.  Here’s Gerry with recipe borrowed from close family friend Tammy!

Tammy’s Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

2 TBSP oil

1 pkg chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cans cream of potato soup

1 bag mixed veggies (corn, peas, green beans and carrots)

salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

1 box Pillsbury pie crust mix (makes 2 shells)

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spray nonstick cooking spray into the chicken fryer black iron pot.  Add oil, saute’ onions and bell peppers until soft.  Add mixed veggies and soups, stir till mixed and heat through.  Add seasoning and simmer for five minutes.

Meanwhile, make your pie crusts according to package directions (*).  Place one pie crust in the Pyrex pie dish and place dish in the oven for ten minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool.  Lower temperature to 350 degrees.  Fill the pie shell with the chicken mixture, attach top crust to the dish and put into the oven for 30 minutes or till light brown on top.  Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes or so.

*I made 2 pies with this, so I used two boxes of Great Value pie crusts, not already in the aluminum pan, the rounds that you roll out. 

DSCN4093

Hot out of the oven!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSCN4094

Beautiful Chicken Pot Pie

 

 

 

 

 

The Verdict (from Christen):  This is the best chicken pot pie I ever had!  Even my daughter loved the veggies in it!  The flavors were great and the crust was flaky and buttery – perfect!  I can’t wait to make this for my husband sometime soon!

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Posted in Chicken, Guest Blogger, Pie

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts

Posted on June 25, 2009 | 2 Comments

While flipping through the channels the other day, I noticed that the Barefoot Contessa was making tomato and goat cheese tarts on the Food Network. Intriguing. I set my DVR to record it and see how involved it was. Keep in mind, I have a 10 month old. Didn’t look very involved at all, I thought….as I kept eyeing the tomatoes my dad grew that were sitting on my counter. Fresh tomatoes, goat cheese…how can you go wrong?

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts

Ingredients:

1 package puff pastry, defrosted
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
3 large garlic cloves, I used the chopped variety
salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons white wine (I used Pinot Grigio) Edited to note:  red wine works great too!
ground thyme, to taste
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus 2 ounces shaved with a vegetable peeler
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese
1 large tomato, cut into 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices
3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves

Method

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 by 11-inch square. Using a 6-inch bowl as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry.  Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 4 circles in all. .

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft.   Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each round, staying inside the scored border.

Place 1/4 of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions. Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Tarts

The Verdict: Holy mother!! I’m going to say something in all seriousness now….this is honestly one of the most delicious things I have ever had the pleasure of eating. Not many things deserve that honored ranking but this is definitely one of them. It’s fabulous and so easy to make!! I would make sure to always use fresh, homegrown tomatoes because they just always taste better than the store-bought junk and when you’re buying things like goat cheese and wedges of parmesan, you want it to turn out great. You’ve got to try this…and you might want to keep a knife handy to stab anyone who tries to steal your tart because it’s THAT GOOD!

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Posted in Goat Cheese, Pie, Vegetarian

Asparagus and Tomato Tart

Posted on May 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

As previously stated, asparagus is the most-loved veggie in our home. We love our normal way of cooking it, but sometimes you get tired of having stuff the same all the time. The other day I saw an episode of Sandra Lee’s Money Saving Meals on the Food Network, and one of the dishes she cooked was Asparagus and Tomato Tart. She used some of the asparagus for the tart, then the rest in a soup for another meal. Economical! We’re going to try that, so tonight I made the tart and another pot of that delicious slow cooker French Onion Soup to go along with it.

Asparagus and Tomato Tart

Ingredients:

1 (9-inch) frozen pie crust
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bunch fresh asparagus tips, reserve stems for Round 2 Recipe
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained well, divided
Seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, etc)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the frozen pie crust onto a baking sheet. Poke the bottom of the crust a few times with a fork and bake for 10 minutes.

Saute the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on a paper towel. Add onion and asparagus tips to the skillet with the bacon fat and saute until tender.

In a large bowl whisk together ricotta, milk and eggs. Add parsley, bacon, half the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Make sure after the tomatoes are added to use a spoon to stir, not the whisk! Add asparagus and onion mixture and stir well. Pour egg mixture into the crust.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the tart is lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, toss the remaining tomatoes with the basil, balsamic vinegar and season with a pinch of salt and pepper and garlic powder. Serve as garnish for tart.


The Ingredients (minus the pie crust!)


It’s baked!


And ready to eat!

Verdict: This was freaking delicious! I made sure to read the comments on the recipe before trying, so I kicked the seasoning up a bit by using some Tony’s Creole seasoning, Salt, Garlic Powder and Onion Powder. Make sure to do that and you will have an awesome meal! I think this would be great as a brunch also.

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Posted in Pie