After the Pie Challenge....

A different pie of the week is not as extensive as you would think....there are still pies that were undiscovered!

Whew! What a year!
I learned much about pies, and even much more about myself. I really need to learn to say "no" to myself. I have lots and lots of ideas that go through my head, but I need to limit myself to projects that are more short-term and not such a commitment.  During the year, I found myself burdened with the fact there was always a pie that needed shopped for, prepared, pictured, and blogged.  I love baking, photographing, creating, and even sharing my thoughts; just not on a schedule. 

Red Hot Apple Pie - Week 10 (Pi Day)

It's that time of the year when nerdy mathematicians and nerdy pie bakers get to geek out together.  

Emily Hilliard from nothinginthehouse.com, a pie blog

The calendar said 3-14, and we celebrated with a great PIE!

I chose the Red Hot Apple Pie to fix. This pie reminded me of my mother-in-law's Cinnamon Rings that she cans from cucumbers, which are definitely a favorite at holiday dinners! If you haven't had a chance to try these delicious pickles then you've been missing out.

I actually love math, and my middle son is a Math major at FHSU on track to be a Math teacher in just a few years.  Surprisingly, he is the only person I know that doesn't like pie. Yes, you heard that right! However, he has been home a couple times this year and he has tried some of my pies with an open mind; so he may change his mind before this year is over. I plan on giving it my best shot before the year is over to find a favorite pie for him.

6 cups of sliced "Pink Lady" apples.
This variety held its shape and had a nice tart flavor
along with the sweet red hots.

I actually made two of these pies. One to keep at home, and one that I shared with my co-workers. One of my co-workers had secretly told another co-worker before he tried the pie that he probably wouldn't eat more than a bite or two because he had never ate a slice of apple pie before because he doesn't like the taste. After he ate his entire slice of pie, he declared that he "had never ate a slice of apple pie before", and that this was pretty good. What we found out, he must have never tried homemade pie from fresh apples, and pies made from canned pie filling were the real reason he didn't think he liked apple pie. I think if this pie could make him decide that he like apple pie, we can find a pie for my son that he will enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 deep dish Double Pastry Pie crust

6 cups, peeled, sliced tart apples

1 cup Sugar

3 T. Flour

2 T. Butter

1/4 cup cinnamon candies

1 T. lemon juice

Directions:

Mix apples, sugar, and flour. Turn apple mixture into bottom crust. Dot with butter and cinnamon candies. Drizzle on lemon juice. Top with remaining pastry with a standard top crust or lattice top. Make large slits in the crust to allow steam to escape while baking. Bake for 45 minutes at 425 degrees, or until apples are tender. Place cookie sheet underneath to catch any bubbling liquid from pie.

I believe this pie is a game-changer. It was unbelievably tasty and far-exceeded my expectations. I have a feeling that this will stay in my recipe box for years to come and may be just the pie to get others to be an apple pie fan.

Margaritaville Pie - Week 8

The taste of lime reminds us of the fresh taste of summer.

It is no coincidence that Margaritaville trademarked the phrase "It's Five O'clock somewhere" to help market their margaritas.  After a long day at work, you can't wait to escape to a sunny retreat that promises relaxation. And, the taste of lime puts you on the fast track to unwind after a hard day's work. 

I can remember as a child, tasting a fresh limeade and thinking that it was truly the first refreshment that I'd ever swallowed on a hot summer's day.

The day that Americans celebrate the Margarita is February 22nd. It is placed on the calendar at the time of year where most of us are tired of the being stuck inside during daylight hours only to have our escape from work greeted by the quickly setting sun into darkness.  I think most of us are ready for summer with its warmer temperatures and more sun. 

For National Margarita Day, I fixed up two pies for our family. One which is a non-alcoholic version for the whole family.  It is named Margaritaville Pie, but is really a Key Lime Pie under a different name.

The other pie is simple and should be stored in the freezer for a treat in the evening later in the week. It actually contains only 4 tablespoons of alcohol and could be modified to include less. Several other websites cautioned to avoid the temptation to add more alcohol to make it more boozy. And after tasting it, I agree it has a nice blend.

Both pie recipes included a can of sweetened condensed milk. I had always wondered how this strange thick goo would taste when made from scratch. I looked it up and found this blog: dontwastethecrumbs.com that tried out the process. I figured it sounded simple enough; so I tried it out. It was a good thing that I had the time available in between loads of laundry because it took 3 hours to simmer/condense on the stove. I had to let it condense even more because I used 1% milk rather than the whole milk that it recommended (I ended up using 2 cups vs 1 - 1/2 cups per the recipe). The end result was good because it didn't have the canned taste; however, I will probably stick to the premade canned version in the future because of the time commitment required. I do recommend that if your diet recommends an alternative to the store-bought kind that this is a must-try.

I would recommend squeezing your own limes. I managed to get 3/4 cups of lime juice from 4 limes, however I used a standard size. If you use a smaller key lime it will take more limes to get the required amount of juice. Now to the recipes, so you can enjoy your taste of summer too! Also, buy the name brand vanilla wafers because this brand was not good at all.

Margaritaville Pie (Non-alcoholic)

Ingredients:

2 c. crushed vanilla wafers

2 T. sugar

2 T. melted butter

8 oz. cream cheese

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1-1/2 t. lime zest

3/4 c. lime juice

3/4 c. cream of coconut

1-1/2 c. (4 oz) whipped topping

Lime wedges and/or lime zest curls

Directions:

Combine wafer crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press into a 9" pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, add eggs and egg yolk (one at a time, beating well after each addition).  Add condensed milk and beat well. Add lime zest, lime juice, cream of coconut. Beat well. Pour into prepared crust. Bake 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until center is set (pie may still quiver). Cool pie and garnish with whipped topping and lime.

Margarita Pie (with alcohol)

Ingredients:

1-1/4 c. crushed pretzels

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. melted butter

15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1-1/2 t. lime zest

1/2 c. lime juice

2 T. tequila

2 T. triple sec

1 drop green food coloring (optional)

1-1/2 c. (4 oz.) whipped topping

Lime wedges and/or lime zest curls

Directions:

Combine crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter. Press into a buttered small pie plate. Chill for 1 hour. In a bowl, mix sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, tequila, triple sec, and food coloring (optional). Fold in 1 cup whipped topping. Pour into cold pretzel pie crust and freeze for minimum 4 hours. When ready to serve, garnish with 1/2 cup whipped topping and limes. Store in freezer.

We enjoyed the fresh lime taste and I hope you have a chance to escape from the "sick of winter" blues and have a slice of pie to remind you that summer is just around the corner.

Rose Apple Pie - Week 7

Rose Apple Pie is the perfect Valentine's pie...

some love flowers, more love pie, and this is both!

I remember the first time that I got a rose for Valentine's. I was in high school, and heard my name announced on the intercom to come to the office. As I was making my way to the office, the anticipation was building because everyone knew that if your name was called on Valentine's Day that a special delivery was waiting for you in the office.  I received a single red rose in a vase from my future husband and it truly was a special moment.

I've tried to return the favor by giving him flowers, but men just don't appreciate the gift of flowers like women do. However, I think I've found flowers that everyone can appreciate. My husband enjoyed this pie and ranks it at the top right below the bacon apple pie.

Pictures of the rose apple pie have been all over the internet in the last year. But the original post is Bulgarian, and some of the ingredients/directions didn't translate well. In my continued research, I found that others had failed at trying this pie, so I was a little nervous trying this out.  The pie exceeded my expectations other than the fact that I would have prepared more apples so I would have been able to fill the entire top. I had only prepared 3 gigantic Jonagold apples, where I think 5 average size apple would be sufficient to fill the top; so I've adjusted the final recipe.

I also chose a simple cream cheese filling rather than take a chance with the Bulgarian recipe. When it was time to roll the roses, I was pleasantly surprised at the ease that I was able to put them together. After rolling the roses, I was able to place them in the cream cheese filling and it stayed together and didn't unravel while I worked on the rest.

Ingredients:

1 Deep dish Pastry Pie Crust

3 cups Water

1-1/2 cups Sugar

5 Apples, thinly sliced

1- 8 oz. pkg Cream Cheese

1/4 cup Sugar

1 Egg

1/2 t. Vanilla

1/3 cup Sugar

1 t. Cinnamon

Directions:

Blind bake crust for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. 

Boil water and 1-1/2 cups sugar in large pan. Add apples and return to boil and continue to boil for 2-3 minutes or until slices are transparent (cooking time depends on variety of apples). Drain the apple slices in a colander. After the apples have cooled some, arrange slices on paper towel.

Mix cream cheese and sugar well. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Place cream cheese mixture in baked shell.

To make apple roses, take a small slice of apple and roll it into a tube, and add slices to the tube until you get the desire size. Arrange roses on top of the cream cheese mixture. Before baking, sprinkle apples with cinnamon sugar. Bake 50 minutes at 350 degrees or until cream cheese is set.

During my pie-search, I have found other people that have also made a pie per week and blogged about it. My favorite blog so far has been Pie Love You. I enjoyed reading about Kimberly's pies and thought it was fascinating that she was making pies for her husband as newlyweds where I'm making them for my husband after 20 plus years of marriage. I discovered her blog just a few weeks ago, and was amazed at many of the similar recipes we had chose for our pie challenge. 

I encourage you to make a special pie for your family, friends, or yourself and capture that special moment that only flowers or pie can create. Have a great Valentine's and remember that even though this day is set aside to commercialize love, every day is a great day to share love by doing something special for someone else! 

Shaker Lemon Pie - Week 6

For all you Lemon Lovers out there, this is your pie!

This is a perfect pie for winter when large tasty lemons are available in the markets.  This pie seems to have originated from the Shaker communities in Ohio and is about as simple and straightforward as you can get in a pie as compared to a traditional more complex lemon cream pies. 

Since you include the rinds in the pie, it does have a marmalade quality. 

You do have to plan ahead and slice your lemons the night before paper-thin. (I wish I could have sliced them even thinner than what I did; maybe, a slicer could have worked better) And then, let them soak overnight in 2 cups of sugar.  

Ingredients:
1 Double Pastry Pie Crust
2 Large Lemons
2 cups Sugar
1 t. Salt
4 Eggs, well beaten
1 t. Vanilla

Directions:

Slice lemons paper thin, leaving rind on and removing seeds. Add sugar & salt and let stand overnight. Stir the beaten eggs and vanilla into lemon mixture and pour into bottom shell. Place top crust on and cut several vents. Bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes until knife comes out clean.

This pie was tasty, however if you don't LOVE your lemons; you may want to leave it for the lemon lovers. It is very strong; so one small slice will satisfy you. My husband actually thought it would be good to use oranges in it rather than the lemons. Let me know if you try that instead.

Have a pie-tastic time making this pie!

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?

Vinegar Pie - Week 5

"When the cares o' day are done, on the plains o' Kansas, 

And the kids begin to yawn, sleepy like in Kansas, 

Farmer wipes his glasses blurred, 

Reads a chapter o' the Word, 

Then kneels down and thanks the Lord that he lives in Kansas.

 -LITTLE RIVER MONITOR, November 1, 1906

As the years go by, I love the state of Kansas more and more. We have some great people living here, communities to grow a family, and many opportunities available.

I remember every year while I was a student, we would celebrate Kansas Day on January 29th by learning history, making crafts, and learning the statistics of our state. I enjoyed it when someone would bring their family's heirlooms and share stories of hard work but a simpler time. 

As a girl, I read the Little House on the Prairie book series, and enjoyed every little bit.  Laura Ingalls Wilder's family would have been in Kansas in 1869-1870 when the state was just a few years old.  I remember that food and meals were a large part of the stories that were told. When I found the book that featured frontier foods from the book series, I was excited to find some pie recipes.  I chose a vinegar pie to fix because I can just imagine that at the end of January their supplies were starting to dwindle and that this would have been a real treat for the typical family in the pre-1900's Kansas family.  

The vinegar pie was used as substitute for a lemon pie, and sometimes referred to as the "Poor Man's Pie" because lemons were considered a luxury for people on the prairie.  

When Daniel saw me put this pie on the Pie Board, he begged me not to make it. However, he warmed up to the idea and by the time I made it, he was ready to try it with an open mind.  We decided that it is actually very good. The first taste does taste vinegary, but with the second taste it starts to grow on you, but then after the third bite, you start to taste the apples. While you are finishing up the slice, you can just imagine that you are eating a pie that is made from fresh fruit. It is an experience that everyone should experience and encourage you to try it out! It is definitely an economical way to enjoy a slice of pie with a fruity taste without using actual fruit.

Ingredients:

1 Pastry Pie Crust

1/4 cup Butter

2 Eggs

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose Flour

1/2 t. Nutmeg

3 T. Apple Cider Vinegar

1 cup water

Directions:

Melt butter. Beat eggs in small bowl. In large bowl blend both sugars, flour, and nutmeg with fingers until no lumps remain. Stir in vinegar, eggs, butter, and water until well mixed. Pour into pie shell and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove and cool until the filling is firm enough for cutting.

You may be able to tell that I didn't get the eggs mixed the best; so I did have some spots in the pie that looked egg-y, but I don't feel that it affected the taste.  I had also found some recipes that called for a teaspoon of lemon extract, and that would be good too. (edit: You may blind bake the crust if you want to ensure a crisp crust)

I also found another series of books entitled the Butter in the Well at the public library featuring stories of a Swedish immigrant to the Assaria written by Linda Hubalek.  She also had a book, Egg Gravy, that featured recipes from the same time period. One of the pie recipes, "Oh-So-Good Pie", is basically a variant of the vinegar pie with an addition of 1 cup of raisins.  One of the facts that Linda points out, recipes from this era are typically non-existent because they were in the cook's head, or the instructions too vague that the recipes don't turn out with our modern equipment.

Butterscotch Pie - Week 4

In honor of National Pie Day, I wanted to choose a pie that was traditional, but yet something that would be a treat. This pie does not disappoint.  

I remember sometime in my childhood having this pie, but I know that it must be 25 years since I've tasted homemade butterscotch w/meringue.  So, I looked in one of my grandma's cookbooks to find an original recipe for the classic homemade butterscotch pie. Then, since I was inexperienced with meringue, I chose a recipe with a name that promised that it couldn't fail.

Ingredients - Butterscotch Filling:
1 Pastry Pie Crust, baked
¾ cup Brown Sugar
¼ cup Sugar
1/3 cup Flour
2 c. Scalded Milk
1/8 t. Salt
3 Egg Yolks, beaten
1 ½ T. Butter
1 t. Vanilla
Meringue

Directions:

In double boiler, combine sugars, flour and add hot milk (1). Add salt. Stirring constantly to make a smooth mixture. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened (2). Pour part of hot mixture slowly onto egg yolks, stirring constantly (3). Pour back into double mixture. Mix well and cook no more than 3 minutes, stirring almost constantly. Add butter, stir until melted. Cool (4). Add vanilla, and pour into shell. Cover with meringue and proceed as directed.

(Scalded Milk Note: You may heat the milk for 3-4 minutes in a glass container in a microwave with a bamboo or chopstick breaking through the surface.  This prevents the milk from super-heating and scorching)

Ingredients – Never Fail Meringue:

2 T. Sugar

1 T. Corn Starch
1/2 cup water

3 Egg whites

1/8 t. salt

1 t. Vanilla

1/3 c. Sugar

Directions – Meringue:

In small sauce pan, combine sugar and corn starch. Add water; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thick and clear. Cool. In mixer bowl, combine egg whites, salt and vanilla. Beat at high speed until foamy. Add sugar gradually, beating after each addition. Add cornstarch mixture. Continue beating until meringue stands in stiff peaks. Place on top of filling sealing to edges of baked pastry. Bake 12-15 minute at 350 degrees until browned.

I actually made two pies as I wanted to compare the homemade to a cheater instant pudding pie. Here are the prep ingredients:

And then compared the two, slice by slice:

And, the comparison is a difficult task because they're just not the same.  It is like comparing a Nacho plate complete with meat, salsa, and melted cheese to Nacho flavored Doritos. The homemade is so good with it's creamy goodness. This was my 11-year old son's first experience with homemade butterscotch and meringue. Afterwards, he just couldn't stop thinking about it. However, we still admitted that we enjoyed the cheater pie. Yes, it has a definite manufactured taste (similar to those Doritos), but it is still enjoyable. 

How did you celebrate National Pie Day?

And how do you like your Butterscotch Pie? 

Have you indulged in a cheater pie recently?