All-American Pie - Week 25

Celebrating Freedom!

I cannot adequately express how I feel about the privileges that I have received from being an American. Every summer, our country celebrates our independence by setting aside a day during the summer where we gather with friends and family and have some fun. Picnic favorites are generally the menu of choice where we are spending the day outside with plenty of noise from laughter, and the pops & booms of fireworks. 

I took this picture of these girls releasing their toads for the race. I can only imagine these little guys relief when they were finally released from the clutches of the girls gloved hands. Every morning we wake up in America, we experience the same relief of freedom. Yes, we may bear burdens, but we are blessed to have a great nation.

Pinterest Inspiration...not mine.

This pie first called out to me on Pinterest before I had decided to challenge myself by making pie this year. When the time came to find the recipe, I clicked on the pin, and it took me to an old link with no pie. Thankfully, it appears to be simply cherries and blueberries; so I could improvise. And, like many over the top pins, my attempt fell a little short. It could be the fact that my sweet cherries were not bright red like the ones in the picture...or the fact that I had to transform my stars from the "Star of David" Christmas cookie cutter into the 5 point star. It was fun, and I think your attempt may be more successful. I recommend finding tart cherries to make your fresh pie, and possibly keeping the tin foil divider between the blueberries, and strawberries/cherries. 

Also, plan on a few extra minutes if you need to pit your cherries; it can be a little consuming for your patience and timewise.

Ingredients:

1 Double-Crust Pastry

4 cups fresh, rinsed and pitted cherries

3/4 cups sliced fresh strawberries

2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed

3/4 + 1/2 cups sugar

3 T .+ 2 T. flour

2 T. + 1 T. lemon juice

1/2 t. + 1/2 t. salt

Directions:

In large mixing bowl,mix cherries, strawberries, ¾ cup sugar, 3 T. flour, 2 T. lemon juice, and ½ t. salt.

In medium mixing bowl, mix blueberries, ½ cup sugar, 2 T. flour, 1 T. lemon juice and ½ t. salt.

Spoon cherries in ¾ of the pie leaving one quadrant open, use tin foil barrier as needed. Spoon blueberries in remaining quadrant of the pie.

For top crust, cut small stars and stripes out of crust. Place stars over blueberries and stripes over cherries to resemble the flag of the United States of America.

Place pie shields around crust to prevent burning.

Bake on bottom rack for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Reduce heat and move to middle rack and bake for additional 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

I am hoping that next Independence Day,

 I will find that some of my friends try this one out for themselves.

What is your favorite thing to do during Independence festivities? 

Rhubarb Pie - Week 19

Rhubarb Pie... the sign that summer is close.

 Rhubarb is a prized crop in Kansas as families have passed the root from family garden to family garden. And because of our wild temperatures, the crop is not always a guarantee. It has to be cool enough to keep it from burning up, but warm enough to keep it from freezing. 

There are usually favorite family recipes that are cherished by families. However, that doesn't mean there is success in recreating the rhubarb treat. My husband's Grandma was well-known for her rhubarb rolls (like a cinnamon roll). I remember using her recipe and spending hours kneading the dough, cutting the rhubarb, raising the dough, baking, and glazing only to hear "It's just not like Grandma's". 

Many times, the combination of strawberries and rhubarb are a popular blend in a pie. However, I chose to fix the rhubarb straight up. Many recipes also call for red food coloring to change the color of the rhubarb that is commonly grown in Kansas gardens because you use the whole stalk, not just the red part. The leaves are known to be poisonous.

I was fortunate to be able to fix my pie this week with my son that was visiting on his summer break. I knew that this would be a pie that he would appreciate with the tart filling.

Michael and I getting ready to make rhubarb goodness!

Ingredients:

1 Double Crust Pastry

4 cups chopped rhubarb

1 cup sugar + 1 T.

6 T. flour

Direction:

Place rhubarb in bottom pastry. Sprinkle sugar and flour over rhubarb.

Cover with top crust and place vent holes and sprinkle 1 T. sugar over top. 

Bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees.

Reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes.

But can he survive making pie with his mom?

Our pie before it went into the oven...
Unfortunately we had a crust crisis,
but we just pieced it together as nice as we could.
It happens!

But it still tasted great!

I know how difficult it might be to find the fresh rhubarb, 

so I scoped out the frozen rhubarb from Dillons:

During piesearch, I had found a recipe for Rhubarb Pie Martini that required "rhubarb syrup". So I made up a batch of the sticky syrup.

The drink was okay, I think I'll use the rest of my syrup for ice cream instead...

What is your favorite rhubarb memory?

I will have to say my favorite rhubarb memory will have to be 

helping my son make his first pie (hopefully not his last).

The Crust Edition - Week 5 Bonus Pie Fries

My favorite part of the pie is the crust! And I always love when there is extra crust to sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on to bake up to make some pie fries.

When I would tell people about the Pie Challenge, the most common question was "Are you going to make your own crust?" Since this is a Pie Challenge, I've committed myself to making homemade crust for every pie this year. In the past, I have been known to use a frozen crust and will continue to occasionally do so after this year. In fact, I will encourage you to use a frozen crust if it means the difference between making a pie or not making a pie. 

Years ago, I was a fan of the Crisco pie crust; however as I've matured, my tastes have changed. It may be the fact that after years of cooking for quantity; I'm finally ready to move on to quality. First, I tried a lard crust, and it was just okay with the lard that was available in the store. I've been told that a high-quality lard makes a better crust; so I will keep my eye out for that because I'm not planning on rendering my own lard to produce a fine lard. Then I made the all butter recipe, and it was good.  And, I still have a few other recipes that I plan on trying, but this recipe is "the one" for now with a blend of Crisco and butter.

The key to a good flaky crust is to keep the fat in small intact pieces. To achieve this, you'll want to use super cold ingredients. I actually stick my Crisco in the freezer a couple hours ahead of time and place ice cubes in my water and get a tablespoon out of my glass as I need it.  Also, the key is to work quickly; so your dough doesn't get overworked.

I used some Kansas flour, Hudson Cream, which is located just south of me. Yes, that is a big 25 lb. bag; I can't imagine that people used to buy it in 100 lb. bags. I also prefer the salted butter; however, I know that many bakers prefer unsalted butter. So, keep that in mind when you're deciding between salted and unsalted; and then adding salt to your dough.










Never Fail Crust (Yield 1 Double Crust or 2 Single Crusts)

Ingredients:
2 cups Flour
1 t. Salt (less if using salted butter)
1/2 cup Butter, cubed and cold
1/2 cup Crisco, cold
1 Egg, beaten
1 t. Vinegar
5 T. Ice Cold Water

Directions:

Mix flour and salt. Cut in butter and Crisco until it resembles coarse sand. Lightly toss egg, vinegar, and 2 T. water into the flour mixture. Add 1 T. water at a time just until dough is held together, but not sticky. Divide dough into two. Shape each dough into a flat disk with your hands. Roll out on flour-covered surface quickly with as little contact as possible. 

You may prepare these ahead of time and store each disk tightly wrapped in refrigerator for a few hours or day; or in the freezer for a little longer.

I actually quadrupled this recipe to see what happens when you freeze the dough. I found out even in this frigid weather that if you set it out an hour ahead of time, it is a perfect consistency to roll out for your crust. It is so nice to be able to pull out a disk of dough out of the freezer and not have to make the crust from the beginning. I'll be disappointed when my stash is gone.



Many people roll their dough out on waxed paper, but I found that my kitchen table sprinkled with flour is my preference. I have multiple rolling pins (wood, teflon-covered metal, and marble); the marble is my hands-down favorite. I found that a kitchen stainless steel scraper works great to get under the crust to help lift it and transfer the pastry into the pie plate. I usually leave about an inch of crust overhang and crimp the crust with the thumb & forefinger of one hand and push with my forefinger of my other hand working around the pie to make a standard crimped edge.

And the best part of making your own crust is the leftovers! I actually made a batch just for my pie fries, and it was a treat. I used a fluted pastry cutter to get that fancy shape, but typically it gets thrown onto a baking sheet just the way it gets trimmed off of the pie crust.





What is your favorite crust? And your favorite tip and trick?

Blood Orange Curd Pie - Week 3

Blood Oranges to brighten your January in a pie produces a different result.

Did you know that blood oranges are in season?

Blood oranges w/a lemon on the
lower left and a handy-dandy squeezer. 

The availability is from January to March and they keep best refrigerated rather than in the fruit bowl. Pick ones that are firm and not spongy to the touch. They are smaller than a a typical orange and have a tart, almost berry taste.

I wanted the pie selection for each week to match what was in season, and when I saw an older recipe for orange pie, which I never recall having, I decided that would be a perfect way to brighten the month of January.

However, even with the best intentions this uncommon pie just turned out unusual. I do feel that it does have some redeeming qualities; so follow through with me.

The crust was definitely our favorite part of this pie. It is a simple shortbread crust that would fit well with other pie filling. I'm definitely going to hang on to it for another time. It is even a pat-in crust that may be a good fit for bakers that don't care to use a rolling pin. 


Ingredients – Shortbread Crust:

1 cup Flour

1/3 cup Powdered sugar

½ t. Salt

½ cup Butter

½ t. Almond Flavoring

1 Egg Yolk

Directions – Shortbread Crust:

Mix ingredients well and press into pie plate. Bake empty shell 8 minutes at 375 degrees just until puffed slightly. Let cool while making curd.

When you are patting it in, it tends to be extremely sticky; so I used a little bit of cooking spray on my fingertips to help with that. After that you will want to stick it in a freezer for a few minutes to have it set up nice before baking it.

Ingredients – Orange Curd:
2 t. blood orange zest
1 cup Fresh Blood Orange juice, (about 4 oranges)
1/4 cup Lemon juice
1 cup sugar

4 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup Butter,

cut into 1/2” cubes

Directions – Orange Curd:
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high to high heat, whisk together the orange zest, blood orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and egg yolk. Cook the curd, stirring constantly with spatula, for about 10 minutes until it starts to thicken and coats the spatula being careful for it not to curdle. If it does curdle, you can remove the curdled bits after wards if needed. Set aside and let cool for 10 minutes. Pour the cooled curd into the shell, and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until filling is set on edges, but inside filling is not. Let cool and then refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

I had some difficulty with the filling. In fact, it was not at all like I thought it would turn out the first time; so I tried it a second time. And, it produced 2 completely different results.

The first try, I was too cautious about burning or curdling my filling; so I took my time and cooked it over medium-low heat, and it would never set up. But, I figured it would finish in the oven and it remained soupy and I kept on baking it and eventually burnt the crust and it was still runny. However after a night in the fridge it was setup the next day. With the overbaked (burnt) crust, it was a disappointment.

The second attempt, I made in a personal size pie dish and halved the recipe; so that is why it looks like a miniature piece of pie.

I wanted to make sure I did not have a runny filling; so I cranked up the heat to high (I used a double-boiler, since my saucepans are very thin and not the heavy saucepan as the recipe recommends.) And I made sure I cooked it for the full 10 minutes. This time, it was almost too set, and was hard to spread in my crust. It had the curd look and taste that the first attempt did not have.