I bake pies... and cinnamon rolls!

On last night's Colbert Report, one of my favorite people Anthony Bourdain said something that really made me want to bake:

"People ask all the time 'what's the most exotic or unusual or grotesque food you've ever eaten?' and I still maintain, it's pretty hard to beat, for sheer grotesqueness and bizarreness, a Cinnabon."

Homemade is always better.

Apple

I looked around for awhile to find the perfect apple pie. I found this recipe by Grandma Opal. I don't know her, but she made one hell of a pie.

8 Granny Smith Apples
1/2 cup butter
3 T. flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

One of the  best tools I have in my kitchen: the apple slicer!

I melted the butter and added the flour. Then I added the water and sugars. This recipe didn't call for cinnamon, but I added some because it just seemed right.

After peeling and slicing six of the apples, the pie was full. I probably could have done seven since they shrink down a little in the oven.

I added a lattice top and crimped the edges. Now the delicious part...

The caramely mixture was poured over the crust very slowly.

I made sure to get it all over the top crust.

After 15 minutes at 425°F and 40 more at 350°F I had a beautiful apple pie! The sugar mixture browned the top and made it crispy and delicious. A warm slice and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and I'm in heaven...

Shaker Lemon

There are only three ingredients in this pie:

3 lemons

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten

All the lemons I could find for this recipe were HUGE! Unfortunately, this meant thick rinds. Since the entire lemon is used, the pie was slightly too bitter, but still delicious. 

 I stole this zester from my last job. I'm very glad I did. Last time I needed to zest, I used a cheese grater. Not so great.

I sliced 2 1/2 of the lemons and thinly as possible. The last half was juiced. Luckily, I found a juicer while looking through my grandmother's old baking supplies. Thanks Grandma Holt!

This was my first double pie crust that uses one solid piece to cover the top.

After letting the lemons sit in the sugar for a few hours, I mixed in the eggs and poured the mixture into the bottom crust.

I placed the top on and crimped the edges. Then I used a knife to make air vents.

Bake for 15 minutes at 450°F then 30-40 more at 375°F and it's done!

A perfect slice. 

*slice and photo by Patrick Boye

Fresh Strawberry

Tried out a different pie crust this time around. The "Basic All-American Pie Dough" from my wonderful pie book. This crust was a lot easier and quicker than my buttery flakey crust, but not as delicious. Still totally good though and I will definitely use it again for certain pies (or if I'm in a hurry).

Preheat oven to 425°F and hope that it's not a hot summer day like it was for me...

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 to 4 (or a few more for mine) T. cold water







Blend flour and salt with hands in large bowl. Drop in shortening, and then with your fingers, rub the flour into the shortening until it resembles coarse and fine bread crumbs. Add cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until you can form a ball of dough. Roll dough out and fit into pie pan.

Fold and flute the rim and prick the dough all over to prevent puffing. Bake for 8 minutes covered with heavy foil and then an additional 6-10 (or until dry and lightly browned) uncovered.

Now the filling! 

2 pounds fresh strawberries (6-8 cups)

1/4 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

2 T. fresh lemon juice

Rinse and drain berries. Remove stems. Set a couple aside for garnish, then cut half of the remaining berries into thick slices. 

Put the remaining whole berries into a sauce pan and crush them with a potato masher. Add. cornstarch, sugar, and salt and stir until cornstarch has dissolved. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture boils and thickens. 

Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Stir in sliced berries and then pour into cooled pie shell. 

Now the hard part... refrigerate 2-3 hours! 

When it's finally time to eat, cover the pie in whipped cream and garnish with the left over strawberries. Delicious!

Fresh Lime

Ray bought me a pie book! I think I'm going to try to make every recipe in it, starting with a custard pie.

First, dress up!

I used vanilla wafers for the crumb crust. I should probably invest in a food processor. Potato mashers don't work very well...

I mixed the crumbs with sugar, salt and melted butter until everything was moistened.

1 1/2 cups crumbs

2 T sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

Then I used my fingers to press the mixture into the pie pan. There were a few crumb pieces that were a little too big, but it should be fine.

Bake at 325ºF for about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Custard! I mixed everything together in a saucepan and whisked over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

5 egg yolks
2 t. cornstarch
2/3 cup fresh lime juice (I used 5 limes)
1/4 t. salt
1 T lime zest
1 1/4 cups sugar

I should probably also invest in a juice squeezer... and a zester.












I removed the custard from the heat, added the butter and continued to whisk for about another minute. I let it cool for about 20 minutes and then poured it into the crust.

1 T unsalted butter

Now for the meringue, something I've never done before. Ahhhhhhhh!!!

I have another kitchen need: glass bowls. I needed to warm the egg whites to dissolve the sugar by setting it in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Instead, I used a pan in a pan. After mixing for about a minute, the sugar was completely dissolved and the mixture was just slightly warm.

2/3 cup egg whites (about 5 eggs)

1/2 cup sugar

I removed the pan from the heat and added cream of tarter and salt. Oh, guess what else I need a HAND MIXER!

I used my milk shake mixer until I thought it was going to melt, then I tried the blender...

Ray was determined to make the meringue work with a whisk. He beat the mixture forever and got it really close, but I needed a mixer.

 My friend Amanda saved the day! It's working!

I beat the meringue on high for a few minutes until it was stiff and forming peaks when I lifted the mixer. I then beat in the vanilla.

1/2 t. vanilla extract

I did it! I smoothed the meringue over the pie and used the back of the spoon to make peaks.

It was really beautiful. I cried a little.

I browned the tips of the meringue in the oven under the broiler for a couple minutes (about 4 inches from the heat). Cool and serve!







I personally didn't really like this pie. Ray, Jake and  Patrick seemed to love it. I guess I don't like meringue. Next time I'm making a fruit pie!

Chocolate Cream

Another new pie for me, chocolate cream!

I couldn't find chocolate graham crackers or chocolate nilla wafers, so I went with a box of chocolate graham animal cookies for my crust. 

1 1/3 cup chocolate cookie crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

5 T. melted butter

I stirred until moistened, pressed into the pie pan and baked at 350ºF for about 10 minutes.

I didn't smooth my crust thin enough to completely cover the sides, but the little lip I had worked out just fine.

Now time to start the pudding! 

My favorite part is separating the yolks.

I combined the yolks with sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan and whisked until moistened. I then added the milk and brought the mixture to a boil while constantly whisking. I reduced heat and whisked until thick.

4 egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 t. salt

3 cups whole milk

Chocolate!

I melted chocolate and butter and then added the vanilla and chocolate to the pudding in saucepan. I whisked the pudding until smooth.

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

5 oz. bittersweet chocolate

2 T butter

1 t. vanilla extract

I poured the pudding into a bowl and covered it with foil to avoid a skin while cooling in the fridge. Now to wait for 2 hours.

I hate waiting...

Once the pudding was cool, I smoothed it over the crust.

I'm so excited to eat this pie!!! I'm gonna be so fat!!!

I placed some of my leftover animal cookies around the edge to make up for my lack of crust. They got a little soggy after a day or two, but they were totally awesome at first.

I lightly covered and chilled the pie overnight.

I think I ate about half of this pie myself. I still can't believe I'm not fat. Every piece was covered in whipped cream too...

Sweet Cherry

My mom and I were driving back from a day hike with the dog and decided to stop at a family orchard to pick up some cherries. I brought home four pounds of Rainier cherries. It's time for another pie.

Poole Family Farms

This was the first pie I've made that needed a top. I had to double my crust recipe and make two balls of dough.

My mom told me it was easy to pit and halve cherries... she either lied or has super powers. I guess it wasn't necessarily hard, but it was very time consuming. I discovered it was easiest if I sliced each cherry longways so the pit was more exposed and easier to remove.

Two pounds of cherries later and my fingers were stained orange.

Pitting is the pits.

I rolled out the dough for the bottom crust and set it in the pan.

Then I added a little sugar, some cornstarch and lemon juice to the cherries and gently mixed them until they were evenly coated.

I poured them into the bottom crust.

I rolled out the second ball of dough and sliced it into eight strips. Adding a lattice top to my pie made me feel really special.

After crimping the edges with a fork, I brushed on an egg wash and sprinkled the top with a little powdered sugar.

70 minutes in a 400 degree oven later and I have a beautiful cherry pie! Add a little vanilla bean gelato and it's perfection.








 I feel like such a grandma...