Category: pies

it’s 3/14!!! happy pi(e) day!!! #15 of 52, peanut butter & chocolate pie

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forget the math, eat pie!!!  it’s like i have a holiday of my own just to celebrate this blog challenge!!!  so in honor of the day, i pulled out all the stops anad relived a vintage tv commercial.  and for those of you who do not remember: 

now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s make a pie…around my house, pie is not something that gets eaten quickly unless it is ice cream or something chocolate.  add peanut butter to that and it will be gone in a flash.

chocolate cookie crumb crust

peanut butter and chocolate fillings are poured into the dish and then swirled together with a skewer

the finished pie before baking

the pie after baking

peanut butter and chocolate pie

1 (10″) deep dish pie that serves 8-10

preheat the oven to 325.  make the crust and then the two fillings.  pour each of the fillings into a measuring cup or pitcher with a 2 cup capacity.  alternately pour 1 cup of each filling into the center of the crust.  you will have a series of rings, see photo above.  swirl the two together gently.  bake for about an hour or until the pie is slightly puffed around the edges and a little firm in the center.  cool completely and chill before cutting and serving.  serve with whipped cream if desired.

crust
1 1/3 cup cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
combine the cookie crumbs and sugar.  pour in the butter and mix.  press evenly up the sides and across the bottom of the pie plate.  for the best consistency, use cookies that are not high in fat.  graham crackers, wafers or undipped biscotti will be lower in fat.  high fat cookies will make a crust that is greasy and hard to press into the pan smoothly.

peanut butter filling
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup-light
1/3 cup half and half
1/3 cup peanut butter-homogenized!
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
place all ingredients in a bowl and use that elbo grease to whisk it together until it is smooth!

chocolate filling
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup half and half
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
melt the chocolate and half and half in a microwave using the lowest heat setting.  the goal is to melt but not overheat so use short intervals of 30-45 seconds.  whisk the chocolate with the brown sugar.  whisk in the eggs, one at a time.  whisk in the corn syrup and the vanilla.  to get a smooth and emulsified filling, follow the order as listed and do not try to take shortcuts-the chocolate can separate and it will not taste good or have a creamy texture.

this week’s round up!!!
many thanks to gwen daniels for sending photos of the maple pecan tart with butternut squash.  she also posted it up on her blog and you can read the full post here.  

well done gwen!  thanks for sharing photos and your blog page!   now for the rest of you out there-bake one, send me photos and see it here.  bakinbabe116@aol.com is the address and have a happy pi(e) day, y’all…

14 and counting; banana creme brulee tart

Published on by alisahuntsman1 Comment

what a week it has been…construction, or rather reconstruction, of my house is well underway.  despite the torrential rain of last week, they are almost finished.  the repair of the small section of the foundation required jacking up that part of the house.  luckily, it is an addition and the rest of the house was not affected.  they warned me that walls could crack and that windows could pop out and shater the glass.  no windows shattered but the cracking was unbelievable-every wall is cracked and will need patching.  in the wall just above the repair, it will need new sheetrock since it looks like a road map now.  the good thing, mr. kenmore has recovered and i am baking again-happily!

faced with an ugly bunch of bananas, i decided to try something new.  first i pureed them and then i mixed them into a rich and creamy custard filling. 

the filling was poured into a partially baked tart shell and then it was baked until set.  the results-banana creme brulee tart.

since creme brulee means burned custard, i needed to burn the top of mine.  a thin layer of sugar was sprinkled over the top of the tart.

mr. kenmore assisted by burning the sugar to make a thin and crispy caramelized crust on the top

banana creme brulee tart
1 (9″) tart to serve 8

1 partially baked (9″) tart shell, use any type of crust except one made from crumbs.  my suggestion is to use a dough specifically formulated for tarts.  they usually contain some egg and sugar to make them easier to work with.  for hints on partially baking tart and pie shells, read this previous post.

4 egg yolks

1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon chinese five spice powder (or cinnamon)

3/4 cup banana puree, about 2-3 bananas-make sure they are ripe for the best flavor
3/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup sugar

preheat the oven to 325.  place the tart shell, still in the tart pan, on a sturdy baking tray that will not warp in the oven.  whisk the yolks with the dark brown sugar and the spices.  whisk in the puree and the half and half.  only mix to incorporate, the more you whisk, the more air you incorporate and the less creamy the final texture of the custard will be.  pour into the tart shell and  bake until set, about 20 minutes.  leave the tart in the pan and cool completely.

to make the caramel crust, spread the sugar evenly over the top of the tart so that it is almost a single layer of crystals.  using the broiler or a propane torch (if you have one, which i do not) and carefully melt the sugar.  it will bubble as it gets hot and then will quickly begin to burn.  be careful not to let it burn black or it will be very bitter tasting.  serve immediately, once it sits, for a while, especially in the fridge, the sugar crust melts. 

by the way garrett, i seem to have lost my marbles again…really, i did.  they hit the counter and bounced around the kitchen.  a couple landed in the living room and the cat got at least one.  i also found one in the basement, never a dull moment!

and as always, bake one, take a photo and send it to me-bakinbabe116@aol.com, and you will see it here.  happy baking!

back in business with pie #13, potato knish pie

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this has by far been the longest two weeks of my life!  never in my wildest dreams would i have thought that i could miss having my oven.  when the heating element in my oven burned out, my first thought was that it was time for a new oven.  we had already spent a lot of money to have the burners repaired/rewired due to the excessive workouts our cheap electric range gets.  the visions of a new range, a gas range, a gas range with a convection oven…pick one, they all danced around my head like sugar plums at christmas.  then was the realization that i would need to hire a plumber to run the gas lines, buy a not so cheap range and i’m sure i don’t need to explain.  we then thought about just replacing the electric box with another and still, it was more than we wanted to spend right now.  after a quick internet search for elements and youtube how to videos, we went the cheapest route and ordered parts.

the parts arrived and my husband set about installing the new element.  it all went well and i am back in the business of baking.  with the oven out of action for two weeks, i had to use up a big bag of potatoes in a hurry.  normally, i cut the potatoes into wedges, toss them in olive oil and seasoned salt and then bake up oven fries.  but for some reason, i wanted to make a more substantial dish with them-a pommes anna or a gratin/scalloped potato dish and since my in house repair man has a thing for knishes, a knish pie was the solution to my abundance of potatoes.  the nice thing about this dish, it doesn’t really require a recipe.  it can be made in any size dish and with any kind of potatoes.

while my potatoes for the filling boiled, i used my mandoline to slice some potatoes into thin rounds.  they were layered into a greased glass pie dish and brushed with some olive oil.

the boiled potatoes were mashed and mixed with caramelized onions and garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper and combined with some freshly grated asiago cheese.  this was carefully packed into the “crust”.

a final layer of potatoes was arranged over the filling and also was brushed with some olive oil.  into the oven it went!

 an hour and 15 minutes at 400 and my pie was ready.  this pie is so versatile.  the filling could be made with any potatoes you like-how about purple potatoes?  mix in some parsnips or other root vegetables or maybe some of your favorite herbs.  want a vegan dish-leave out the cheese or for you meat lovers, add some crumbled bacon, chives and cheddar for a loaded potato pie.

potato knish pie
1 (9″) pie serving 8

potato crust
6 medium baking potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
wash the potatoes and using a mandolin or similar slicer, slice the potatoes no thicker than 1/16″ thick.  grease the pie dish and layer the slices in the bottom and up the sides of the dish.  brush carefully with the olive oil using a soft bristle brush.  save the remaining slices to decorate the top of the pie.

knish filling
6 cups diced potatoes
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups 1/4″diced onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely shredded asiago cheese
salt and pepper to taste
preheat the oven to 400.  place the potatoes in a pot, cover them with water and gently boil until soft.  heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the onions until translucent-3-4 minutes.  add the garlic and continue to saute until a golden brown color, stir frequently to prevent burning.  drain the potatoes and using a ricer or a food mill (if you have one, otherwise just use what you have) mash the potatoes to remove the lumps.  add the onions/garlic and cheese and mix well.  season them to taste with the salt and pepper.  when finished, carefully fill the crust with the mashed potatoes and smooth it out.  use the remaining sliced potatoes to cover the top of the pie.  bake the pie until the potatoes are a nice golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes for a 9″ dish.  cut into wedges to serve.

this dish can be served with gravy of any kind if you have to eat your mashers with gravy.  a dollop of sour cream may also be a good garnish.  for those knish fans out there, you know that nothing else is necessary!

and as always, make one, send me the photo and see it here!  bakinbabe116@aol.com

welcome back mr. kenmore!

mini fried cherry pies, #8 of 52 pies

Published on by alisahuntsman1 Comment
it seems that winter has decided to stay here for a while.  we have had another round of snow and it gave me a chance to play in my own kitchen for a change.  when i was working on my book last year, i developed this recipe.  since there were more recipes than needed, it was cut from the list of recipes to be included and it has been lurking in the background ever since.  normally, i wouldn’t make something like this-i do try to behave on occasion.  but something about cold, snowy days made me think of fried cherry pies.  and as a result, i just had to pull out that recipe and make them.   enough time had passed that i was completely unfamiliar with the recipe and any of it’s quirks.  the beauty of it all is that there aren’t any quirks and no corrections needed to be made to the recipe meaning that i done good the first time!   tart red cherries can be hard to find.  if you are the sort who doesn’t mind buying large quantities, they can be found online in quantities of 5-10 pounds but they are frozen and the extra expense of the shipping made them undesirable to me; i decided to use the canned cherries i found at the supermarket.  honestly, you could use any fruit you like here-just adjust the flavorings and the sugar as needed and if you are short on time, you could use a premade fruit pie filling.

i made my dough the day before and then took it out to soften.  when it was ready to be rolled, i grabbed my high dollar cutter (an empty family size soup can) and the biggin (my favorite big rolling pin) and i rolled out all of the dough circles.  i also made the filling in advance so i was able to then start filling and sealing the pies.  in the mean time, the oil was heating on the stove in my cast iron skillet.


***a note of caution to all who dare to make these pies, never walk away and leave a pan of oil heating on its own!  it is very easy to overheat and a fire could easily be started!!!  if you do not have a fire extinguisher, consider adding one to your kitchen***

use a thermometer and a cast iron skillet for the best heat management-the thermometer will let you know if the oil is too hot or too cold and the skillet holds the heat making regulating the heat easier.  have your pies ready and near by and also have a place to put the cooked pies close by too.  i used a cooling rack on a sheet pan.  a pair of tongs will be very helpful-the ones like they use in restaurants are a good choice and easy to find.

after you have fried all of the pies, make the glaze and drizzle it over the pies with a spoon.   then stand back and watch them disappear!

mini fried cherry pies
makes about 18 small pies

fried pie dough
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1/3 cup buttermilk (you may need a little extra)
1 egg yolk
place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk them to combine.  using a dough cutter,  two knives or your hands, cut the butter into the flour mix until you have small pieces and the flour resembles coarse meal.  combine the buttermilk and the egg yolk and pour it over the butter/flour mix.  stir it together to form a firm dough adding additional buttermilk if it is too dry and crumbly.  shape it into a patty, wrap it in plastic and allow it to rest in the fridge for at least an hour and up to 3 days or you can freeze it for as long as a month.
tart red cherry filling 
2 (14.5oz) cans tart cherries in water
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon red food color-optional
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
place the cherries and the juice into a sauté pan with the sugar, extract, cinnamon and the food color if you are using it.  bring it to a gentle boil over medium-low heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by 2/3.  sprinkle the flour over the mixture, stir it in and return it to the boil for at least 1 minute to cook the flour.  place the filling in a heat proof dish, cover and chill completely before using it.

assembling and frying the pies
flour for rolling the dough
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water
enough oil to fill a  10” cast iron skillet 1-1 ½”  deep, (i used 3 cups canola oil)
1 cup powder sugar
2-3 tablespoons water
cut the dough into 2 equal pieces.  roll out the dough a bit thinner than you would for a pie, somewhere between an eighth and a sixteenth of an inch.  using a 4” cutter, cut as many circles as possible by positioning the cuts close together.  do not worry if some of the circles overlap slightly or if you have imperfections, it is not crucial to have perfect circles.  repeat this with the other half of the dough.  there should be about 12 circles at this point.  gather the scraps, pat them together and roll the dough out again.  you should get about 6 more circles.    place the oil in the skillet, attach a thermometer to the side of the  pan and heat to 350 over medium low heat.  while the oil heats, place a few circles of dough onto your work area, brush off the excess flour and place a scant tablespoon(almost a full #50 scoop) of filling in the center of each circle.  brush half of each circles edge with the egg wash.  fold over the dough and seal it shut with your fingertips first and then with the tines of a fork to be certain the seal is firm.  when the oil is at temperature, carefully lower 3 to 4 pies into the oil with out splashing.  allow the pies to fry on each side for 2-3 minutes or until a nice golden brown color is achieved.  turn them carefully so that you do not splash oil.  lift the pies out of the oil and place them on a rack to drain.  fry the remaining pies in the same manner.  to make the glaze, sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and whisk in the water to make a smooth icing.  drizzle the icing over the pies with a spoon.

any of you adventurous sorts out there that want to try this at home, please do and then send me a picture(bakinbabe116@aol.com) and i will post it here, a round up if you will for anyone who dares…

round up #2, chocolate mousse pie with banana caramel sauce

Published on by alisahuntsman2 Comments

when benni rienzo first tweeted that she would be making this pie, i was excited.  not many of you reading this blog have been adventurous enough to make the pies and send me photos.  needless to say, i have been waiting to see how the pie turned out.  and it looks to me that despite the challenges that having twin boys and a husband out of town can impose on a baker, benni done good!

thanks so much for baking with me benni!!!  hope you can do it again some time, soon.  and to all of you reading this blog, bake along with me, i promise to post the photos if you send them to me!!!

lime margarita pie, #6 of 52

Published on by alisahuntsman3 Comments

nothing brightens your mood like a sunny day in the middle of winter. a tart citrus pie is just what you need to bring a little of that sunshine to your palate and chase the doldrums away. a little tequila wouldn’t hurt either… i found myself with a bag of limes that had been forgotten in the fridge. a quick trip to the corner liquor store and i had a small bottle of silver tequila to go with the triple sec lurking in the cupboard. after pondering the plan for a day, i decided to make this a no bake pie; the filling is a mousse.

first i made a lime curd base with a little added lemon juice. it seems that limes are more bitter than sour and i wanted this to be a little on the tart side. i did a little research and discovered an article on art of drink all about margaritas and what the taste balance of one should be, it was very informative and it can be found here. as i let the base cool, i got to work on the crust.
for a margarita to be balanced in flavor, it must have some salt. what better to bring salt to a pie than a bag of pretzels? we live on pretzels here and there is always at least one bag in the closet. for this recipe, i chose the classic thin twists simply because they had the most salt on them. after grinding them, mixing them with sugar and melted butter, i pressed the mixture into a glass pie plate and moved on to the mousse.
for mousse to be mousse, it requires adding whipped ingredients-whipped cream and egg whites. since i was using my hand mixer, i whipped the whites first and then the cream so i would not have to wash the beaters. yes folks, i can say it, i’m a lazy baker…the whites were whipped with sugar to them to keep them from becoming sudsy and dry which will also make folding them in a little easier. be sure you do not whip them as stiff as they will go-let them droop a little like in the photo. the cream needs to be whipped until stiff but not so stiff that it is almost butter-you want that to be a little soft too or it could break during the folding process. since there is gelatin involved, pour the mousse into the pie shell and let it set in the fridge for a few hours or it will be too loose to cut into pretty slices. garnish with additional whipped cream and pretzels if you wish.
lime margarita mousse pie with pretzel crust-serves 8-10
zest of one lime
4 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice-about 6-8 persian limes (regular green ones)
2 ounces fresh squeezed lemon juice-about 2 lemons
1/2 cup sugar
6 egg yolks (use large eggs and save the whites)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 ounces tequila, preferably silver (clear, colorless)
1 ounce triple sec or curacao
1 package gelatin
3 cups pretzel twists
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 egg whites
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
zest the lime, set this aside. juice the limes and lemons. measure the juice and place it in a non reactive sauce pot with the 1/2 cup sugar; set it over medium heat. stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. pour the tequila and triple sec into a microwavable cup and sprinkle the gelatin over the top to soften it. in a heat proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the cornstarch until no lumps remain. when the juice comes to a slow boil, pour it into the egg yolks while whisking them. pour this mixture back into the sauce pot and over medium low heat, return to a slow boil while whisking continuously. allow to boil gently for 1 minute and immediately pour through a strainer into a heat proof bowl (use a clean one, never mix raw and cooked eggs!). stir in the zest. heat the gelatin in the microwave on low or defrost for about 20 seconds to liquefy it. pour the gelatin into the lime curd and whisk until smooth. press plastic wrap over the surface and leave it at room temperature to cool. it should be cool to the touch with no trace of heat-this also prevents the gelatin from setting hard at this point.
to make the pretzel crumb crust, grind the pretzels in a food processor until fine, this should yield 1 cup of crumbs; be sure to measure the crumbs-1 full cup is needed. mix the crumbs with the sugar and butter and toss to combine. press the mixture to the sides and bottom of a 9″ pie plate. set aside until the mousse is complete.
in a mixing bowl on high, whip the egg whites until foamy. add the sugar and whip until almost completely stiff but they still droop slightly when the beater is raised. set the whites aside and in a separate bowl, whip the cream until almost stiff as well. when the base is completely cooled, pour it into a large but shallow mixing bowl. fold in the whites and then fold in the whipped cream and only fold until combined with no streaks visible. scrape the mixture into the prepared pie shell and cover with plastic. refrigerate for several hours to set the gelatin.
to serve, use a knife dipped in hot water to slice and be sure to clean it after each cut. pie can be garnished with additional whipped cream and pretzels if desired. to anyone that cares to bake along, send me photos and i will post them. email me at bakinbabe116@aol.com and your photos will be added to the next entry.

ringing in the new year with a chocolate mousse pie, #5 of 52

Published on by alisahuntsman1 Comment
this last week has been a bit of a blur. time flew and before i knew it, it was new year’s day. we have had a bunch of rain-something not in short supply here and the weather has made it a bit gloomy. darry decided to make a nice dinner for the girls and me to celebrate the new year. for dessert, i made a chocolate mousse pie in a coconut crust with a drunken banana caramel sauce. just what we needed to warm up the cold and gloomy day.
chocolate mousse pie in a coconut crust with a drunken banana caramel sauce-serves 10
as always, i pulled out the biggin-my favorite rolling pin and i found my marbles. the dough was made in the food processor, pressed into a thick disk and chilled for a few hours. when it was time to roll it out, i let it come to room temp and lined a glass pie dish-this one is a big pyrex dish and it is deeper than most. the crust is allowed to rest in the fridge for an hour to minimize shrinkage when baked. the crust must be completely baked since the pie filling is a mousse and will not be baked.
coconut crust-1 (9-10 inch) pie crust
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
3-4 tablespoons coconut milk (unsweetened)
place the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor. pulse a few times to combine. sprinkle the butter cubes over the mixture and pulse until it resembles coarse meal. add 3 tablespoons of coconut milk and pulse until the mixture comes together and forms a soft dough-only add the extra tablespoon of coconut milk if it seems dry and does not come together. form the dough into a disk and chill it for a few hours or overnight. can also be made in advance and frozen for up to a month. allow the dough to come to room temp before rolling out
preheat the oven to 350. roll out the crust, carefully transfer to a pie plate and flute the edges if desired. line the crust with coffee filters or parchment paper and fill with weights. bake until lightly browned around the edges and the bottom (on the inside of the shell) is no longer shiny. remove the weights and prick the bottom a few times, return to the oven and allow the bottom to bake a little longer.
chocolate mousse pie filling
to make the mousse filling, plan on at least 2 hours. the base for the filling must cool before the whipped cream can be added. it is possible to make the filling base and while it cools, tackle the task of rolling and baking the crust.
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 package unflavored gelatin
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups half and half
1 cup+ 2 tablespoons sugar
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 cups heavy cream
have a heat proof bowl with a mesh strainer over it handy-you will need it for the custard. place the rum in a microwavable dish and sprinkle the gelatin over it, set aside. place the egg yolks and cornstarch in a heat proof bowl and add a small amount of half and half. whisk until all of the cornstarch is dissolved. pour the remaining half and half and 1 cup of the sugar into a sauce pot. place over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. bring to a gentle boil and temper the yolks by pouring a small amount of the hot half and half into the yolks while you whisk them-you must whisk them or you will scramble them. continue whisking the mixture as you pour half of the hot mixture into the yolks. place the remaining hot half and half back onto the stove at medium heat and begin whisking the milk. while you whisk the half and half, pour the tempered yolks into the pot. continue whisking the custard in the pot until it comes to a boil. allow it to boil gently for a minute to cook the starch. place the gelatin mixture in the microwave and on the lowest setting, heat the mixture to bring it to a liquid state in 10-15 second intervals. add the chocolate to the hot custard and whisk until it is melted. add the liquid gelatin and stir to combine. pour the custard base through the strainer into the heat proof dish. press plastic wrap to the surface(to prevent a skin from forming) and place in the fridge. do not allow the mixture to get completely chilled or the gelatin will set, you just want it to get cooled enough to add the whipped cream without melting it. it will take a while and you may have to stir it to keep it from setting around the edges.
when the custard base has cooled, beat 1 cup of heavy cream until almost stiff and gently fold it into the base. place the base into the cooled pie crust and smooth out the top. beat the remaining cup of heavy cream with the 2 tablespoons of sugar until stiff and spread over the chocolate mousse in the pie dish. chill the pie while you make the drunken banana caramel sauce.
drunken banana caramel sauce, makes about 1-1/4 cups
use a ripe banana for the most flavor-one that is nice and spotted and very fragrant. caramel is one of those recipes that requires attention-do not walk away or allow yourself to become distracted while the sugar cooks or you could end up with lots of smoke and a burned pot to clean!
1/4 cup banana puree-use a blender, food processor or a food mill to get a smooth puree
1/4 cup half and half
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1″ piece of a vanilla bean pod (use a piece that has been scraped out if you have it)
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons dark rum
place the banana puree, half and half, butter, vanilla bean and cinnamon stick in a small sauce pan over very low heat to melt the butter and infuse the flavors. in a separate pot with high sides, place the sugar, water and corn syrup. over medium heat, stir to dissolve the sugar. when it is dissolved, use a brush dipped in water to wash the sugar crystals from the sides of the pot-a crucial step to prevent the mixture from crystallizing. allow the sugar to boil until it begins to caramelize. when it starts to color, gently swirl the pan to keep it evenly colored. allow it to become a nice amber color. remove from the heat and carefully pour in the banana mixture. it will foam violently so use caution when doing this and combine the two mixtures slowly. return the pot to the stove over low heat and whisk to melt any caramel that may have settled to the bottom-2-3 minutes. remove from the heat and add the rum, whisk to combine and pour the mixture into a heat proof bowl. remove the vanilla bean pod and the cinnamon stick and allow the mixture to cool. serving it hot will melt the whipped cream.
to serve, place slices of the pie on plates and drizzle with the caramel. to anyone that cares to bake along, send me photos and i will post them. email me at bakinbabe116@aol.com and your photos will be added to the next entry.

sawdust pie, #4 of 52 and the first round up photos

Published on by alisahuntsman1 Comment
this last week was one big bake-a-thon. cookies, cookies and more cookies…cranberry sauce, gingerbread trees, pie shells and of course, a pie for the weekly challenge. two pies, actually and they came out tastier than i would have thought possible.
gingerbread stars, chocolate cherry cha-chas and peanut butter granola cookies with chocolate chips were only a few of the cookies i baked. the gingerbread stars were stacked to form a tree and all were used to make cookie trays for friends and neighbors.
each year we travel to my cousin’s house in paducah, ky to celebrate christmas with his family. as we drive up i24, we pass a brown tourist sign for a place called patti’s 1880’s settlement…whatever, mumbo jumbo. it doesn’t matter, we don’t stop on this trip since it is only 2 hours and from what i have heard, it is a touristy place. anyway, i was curious about what it was one day a long time ago (we have been making this drive for 10 years) and i looked them up to see if maybe it might be a place to visit and in the process, i discovered that they are famous for sawdust pie. my capacity for remembering useless information sometimes helps me out and it was because of this talent that i remembered sawdust pie and thought i would try it for this week’s challenge.
virtually every recipe i encountered was the same-egg whites, sugar, graham cracker crumbs, pecans and coconut. can i just say that i am not a fan of graham cracker crumbs, at all. in the cafe, i have buckets of biscotti crumbs in several flavors that i make myself from biscotti that i make so i do not have to use graham cracker crumbs, ever. well, i decided to go ahead and follow the recipe, kinda sorta in my own fashion. we always have cinnamon graham crackers in the closet because you never know when it might be a smores night so i used them instead of the plain kind. the other changes i made were to toast the pecans and the coconut and add a little vanilla extract to the list. i followed the directions and was surprised that the outcome was a lot better than i expected. then i went on and made a chocolate version to test my theory that this pie can be made with many different combinations of crumbs, nuts and coconut.
for the chocolate version, i used chocolate graham crackers and sliced, natural almonds which were first toasted and then pulsed in the food processor to make them more like sawdust.

chocolate and vanilla sawdust pies
the original recipe i used is here. the intro to the recipe mentioned whipping the egg whites but the directions said nothing about that. i looked at half a dozen recipes and none of them mentioned whipping the egg whites so i eliminated that and just whisked things together. we also did not bother with the suggestion of serving this with whipped cream and bananas-it was plenty sweet without that.
sawdust pie-1 (9″) pie serving about 8, adapted from allrecipes.com
if you use purchased whites rather than separating your own, use no more than 1 liquid cup, regardless of what the chart on the carton tells you-the pie will be dry with more than a cup. when you buy graham crackers, they have several packages in each box and one package will be enough to make the pie-grind that one package and measure out what is needed.
1 prebaked 9″ pie shell (refer to pie #2 for hints on this)
7 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs-any flavor
1 1/2 cups toasted nuts, pulse them in the food processor if they are large pieces
1 1/2 cups toasted flake coconut
preheat the oven to 350. partially bake the pie crust and toast the nuts and coconut if you haven’t done so already. place the pie pan on a sturdy baking sheet. in a mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites, sugar and vanilla until thoroughly mixed. fold in the crumbs, nuts and coconut and pour into the pie crust. bake until set, it will be slightly glossy on top and it will puff up and feel firm to the touch around the sides but the middle will be a little soft, about 45 minutes. allow the pie to cool before cutting.
my first pie round up!!!

imagine my surprise when i checked my email and found photos from a baker that had used my tamale pie recipe. it was a nice christmas present, even better was the fact that her family enjoyed the pie.

jennifer maier and her daughter made the pie together and it was well received by the family.

looks delicious, by the way, my family devoured it too! great job jennifer, i look forward to more photos, hint hint…
to anyone that cares to bake along, send me photos and i will post them. email me at bakinbabe116@aol.com and your photos will be added to the next entry. have a safe and happy new year!

tamale pie, 3 down, 49 to go

Published on by alisahuntsman2 Comments
since i like to try new things, i thought i would go savory this week with my third pie. for some time now, i have wanted to try a tamale pie. tamales are one of my favorite latin american foods and i was hoping to get that combination of flavors and textures and transfer it to a pie. maybe next time, this(my second of two attempts) is more like a combination of a burrito and a tamale but even so, the flavor was very good and i even caught my husband going back for seconds, something he didn’t do on the first attempt.
since a tamale pie was a new dish for me, i started off by using a recipe i found on about.com and you can look at the original recipe here. after looking at several recipes, i settled on this one because it did not use cornbread as the topping. this one used a cooked cornmeal mixture-like polenta but thinner as the crust and the topping. somehow, the amount called for seemed to be very short and hardly enough to do the job of a bottom and top crust. my solution was to take a small stack of corn tortillas and use them to line the pie plate. turns out that using tortillas was a good idea. they are lower in fat than a traditional pie crust and worked out pretty well. i definitely plan to try using them again in a similar recipe but keep in mind, they are not nearly as sturdy as a pie crust and will not offer any support to a warm dish-i just about had to use a spoon to scoop out the servings. to get the photo, i had to wait until it sat in the fridge over night.
if anyone out there bakes a pie using this recipe, send me a photo and i will post it here in a round up. so go ahead, bake one of the pies in the challenge-i dare you, double dare you, pretty please with sugar on it…okay, no more pleading but i promise that if you send me a photo of one of the pies, i will post it. happy baking!
beef tamale pie-serves 6
adapted from about.com
8 corn tortillas
1 cup cooked rice-a great use for leftover rice (something i always seem to have)
6 ounces mexican crumbling cheese, i used one called panela
1 pound lean ground beef-you can use any type of ground meat for this including soy crumbles
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onions
2 tablespoons finely diced fresh chilis-i used 3 red serranos (less if you use habaneros!)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 can (14.5 ounces) roasted diced tomatoes with the juice
1 cup corn kernels-frozen or fresh
1 small can diced green chilis
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups cold water
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
lightly grease the pie plate and line it with 7 of the tortillas by placing them around the side in a circle. there will be a small area in the middle where the tortillas will slightly overlap, place the final tortilla in the center and this will give the bottom a little more thickness. sprinkle the rice evenly over the bottom of the pie shell. crumble the cheese evenly over the rice and set this aside for now.
in a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground meat in up to 2 tablespoons of olive oil (if using a nonstick pan, the oil will not be necessary). keep stirring and breaking up the meat as it cooks so it will be free flowing and not in large clumps. when cooked, pour into a strainer set over a bowl to drain off any of the rendered fat that has collected in the pan. heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet and saute the onions, chilis and garlic until the onions are translucent. add the drained meat, the tomatoes with their juice, corn, green chilis, chili powder, cumin and salt and allow this mixture to simmer over medium low heat for about 10 minutes. the moisture should be reduced a bit but it will not be dry, and will appear a little saucy. preheat the oven to 375. pour this mixture over the rice and cheese in the pie plate and level it out.
in a small pan, combine the water, cornmeal, oil and salt and cook over medium low heat until it thickens to a mush-like consistency. spread this mixture over the top of the pie and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the internal temperature is 170 degrees for most ground meats. allow the pie to sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

if it’s pies you that you want…

Published on by alisahuntsman4 Comments

have you heard the news? pie is the new big thing, the “it” girl of the dessert world for the new year. according to the folks who predict food trends, pie will be the number one food trend in 2011. honestly, where have they been keeping their heads? here in the south, pie is always a big thing! can you imagine a meat and three or a country market without pies? how about a potluck dinner? or a family get together? in little mom and pop businesses all over the south, whether they are restaurants or gas stations, if there is food sold, there is most likely some sort of pie-mainly a chess pie or some variation of one and if you are really lucky, fried pies. at the cafe, we generally have anywhere from 6 to 9 different types of pie to choose from daily. stop by today and you will find a house specialty-turtle pie. pictured above as it is being dressed for display, i start out with a homemade cookie crumb crust with nuts in it, fill it with a homemade caramel filling (sweetened condensed milk that is slowly cooked in the oven until it is a dark golden color) and topped with a semisweet chocolate glaze and pecan pieces.
here is a glimpse of the finished pies, all dressed and ready to party! don’t hesitate on this one, it really sells fast and since it can take a whole day to make them, i only make a batch when i can spare half of the oven for at least 4 hours-no joke, large quantities take a lot longer than you think!

this brings me to my next project. since the powers that be, you know the movers and the shakers of the prediction realm say that 2011 is the year of the pie, i am going to make pies. ooohhhhhh, something that i don’t do everyday…canning the sarcasm for a moment, i plan to make one pie each week for the next 52 weeks. each one will be an original pie and i will post recipes-something i very rarely do. the exciting part is that my final pie will land here during the week of thanksgiving. hopefully, you will bake along with me and share photos of your efforts. to anyone that does, i will post the photos here as well. just to get things moving, i baked a pie. a very special pie. pumpkin pie is one of my favorite pies. but that whole turtle pie experience (see above) had me thinking. what if i took a pumpkin pie and combined it with a turtle pie…
rich and gooey…spicy and creamy…too good to be true, but it is. first, i made a crust using gingerbread biscotti crumbs (homemade of course). i mixed up half of a batch of pumpkin pie filling and baked it in the crust. as it cooled in the fridge, i caramelized some sweetened condensed milk in the oven (using a water bath!). when it was done, i spread it over the top of the pumpkin filling. i let that cool over night and then this afternoon, i made a glaze using some semisweet chocolate. after spreading the glaze over the pie, i sprinkled on some toasted pecan pieces. sounds like a bit of work but sometimes, you just gotta do it!

pumpkin turtle pie

makes 1 (9″) deep dish pie

2 cups cookie crumbs-gingersnaps or gingerbread cookies
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 tablespoons sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
2/3 cup half and half
1/4 cup pecan pieces
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup half and half

preheat the oven to 350. combine the cookie crumbs, melted butter and sugar in a bowl and using your fingers, mix well to combine. press the mixture into a pie plate so that the sides and bottom are all evenly covered. in a mixing bowl, whisk the pumpkin with the brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, whole egg and egg yolk. scrape the bowl, add the half and half and mix thoroughly to combine. pour the filling into the pie shell and bake until set, about 30 minutes. remove the pie from the oven (but leave the oven on) and allow it to cool a bit at room temperature. when the pie has cooled enough to handle it (just to make it easier to move around) place it in the fridge to get cold. place the pecan pieces in an oven safe pan and toast them for 5-7 minutes, allow them to cool and reserve them for decorating the pie.

pour the sweetened condensed milk into a 1 quart baking dish, preferably one with a cover. place this dish in a pan of water to make a water bath and bake. every 20 minutes, carefully open the dish and using a heat proof spatula, scrape the dish well and stir the mixture. this ensures that the caramel cooks evenly. it will take about an hour and a half for the caramel to reach a nice dark amber color. when it is finished, carefully pour the mixture over the top of the pumpkin pie and return the pie to the fridge to cool over night.

to make the glaze, place the chocolate and the half and half in a microwave safe bowl. using the lowest setting or the defrost cycle, heat in 30 second intervals until the chocolate is completely melted. whisk the glaze until it is smooth and spread it evenly over the caramel. sprinkle the pecans over the top and allow the glaze to set completely before cutting, about an hour at room temperature, sooner in the fridge. for clean cuts on your slices, dip your knife in hot water after each cut and be sure to wipe it clean before making the next cut. serves 8-10.