Whaddya Want?

I'm doing an open call for pie suggestions. What should I make next Wednesday? Skies the limit, so put on your thinking caps -- knitted or otherwise -- and lemmeno what sounds good.

French Apple Tart-lets

First, let me note that I didn't wuss out this week. I didn't pull the ol' I-made-a-shload-of-pies-last-week-therefore-I-can-skip-about-eight-Wednesdays. No, I pulled on my big girl panties and got in the kitchen. This week I am using some of my new wares from Xmas. Go figure that I got a ton of pie-related gifts. Couldn't be happier, as I was using some interesting utensils to get the job done. Whatevs. Now I'm all professional-like.

So, I used my new French mini-tart pie pans and made two of these cute French Apple Tarts, which I turned into tartlets. I somewhat followed Sara Moulton's recipe in the latest Saveur. Here's a video if you are interested in making it yourself. It is surprisingly easy. Yum...I'm eating this now with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It's damn good. The apricot jam makes this a huge winner. HUGE! And, I'm agreeing with Ms. Moulton that Golden Delicious apples are the best to bake with. Much better than Granny Smith. Come over and have a bite! ;)

All the Energy I Can Muster

It's taking every ounce of energy I have to write this blog post. Pardon the grammatical errors, etc. The holidays are awesome, but like everyone else preparing for Christmas, I'm completely exhausted and it's not even Christmas Eve. Wow. I'll hit a wall on Christmas and just start babbling and drooling...and not because I'm toasted. This isn't a pity party. Promise. I'm being empathetic.

So, last night was a pie-palooza. In total, I made six pies, so I think that makes up for the Wednesdays I've missed. I still have two or three to make, though, before Christmas. The pies in the picture are: chocolate meringue, two cherry pies, two pumpkin pecans and one chocolate peanut butter, which will definitely add an inch to the waistline.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Be safe and, if you can, spend it with the ones you love.

S.N.B.

The 12 Hours of Pie Baking (Slammed into 5 Hours)

Everyone! Sing along!!!!

12 Beads of forehead sweat
11 Cups of flour
10 Sticks of butter
9 Cracked eggs
8 Scoops of sugar
7 Rolls of dough
6 Pies baking
5 Hours to goooooooo
4 Interruptions
3 G-dammits
2 Hugs from the husband AND
1 Totally frickin' tired baker (snarky, at that)

Six pies to bake tonight: 2 cherry, 2 pumpkin pecan, 1 chocolate meringue and 1 chocolate peanut butter. Worth it and having fun, plus cursing just a little. To spice up things.

Chocolate Hazelnut...Do You Like-a the Nuts?

Hello, hello, hello. I'm promptly on time with my thoughts on the chocolate hazelnut pie and deserve no heckling. Although, you guys are pretty nice and don't heckle me when I blow a deadline. Get mean, people. Come on!

I took a whack at chocolate hazelnut by quadrupling this recipe for chocolate custard (using semi-sweet chocolate instead), reducing the sugar by a third, adding in a cup of coarsely chopped hazelnuts (or filberts, if you wanna giggle) and sprinkling sea salt on the top.

My thoughts...I don't like nuts in my pies, people. Keep your darn nuts out of my pies. I had to say that. I'm laughing pretty hard right now. OK...get serious. So, I don't like the texture. I like my chocolate smooooooooth, with maybe some nuts on top. Next time, I'll just sprinkle the hazelnuts on top and mix hazelnut oil into the chocolate. I really liked this chocolate custard recipe in terms of how it set. I do want to work on the taste. Because I only had semi-sweet chocolate in the pantry, my custard came out a bit too sweet. Should've peeled back on the sugar more.

I am not a huge fan of salt on chocolate or salt on caramel or whatever the big kick is now. I feel my blood pressure rising. For some, the salt may be great. For me, I'd prefer not to have it. So, that's how I feel about this chocolate hazelnut pie.

Next Wednesday, give me a challenge. What would you like me to make?

Tonight's Pie Will Be...

A chocolate hazelnut custard with fleur de sel.

Need More Chocolate

I'm really, REALLY in the mood for chocolate. In honor of my craving (no, I'm not pregnant), I will do one of the following three pies next Wednesday:

Chocolate chess pie,
Chocolate mint pie, or
Chocolate orange pie

Whaddaya think??

If I don't make a pie next Wednesday, you have the right to give me a wedgie.

Again????

Yeah, I'm blowing off tonight's pie making. The reason? Can't tell you...yet. Got something brewing and putting my focus there. More to come.

I think I'll make a pie this Friday and I'll post the creation then. Tell we meet again, tell a pie you love it. :)

My Tomorrow is Really Today

Yeah, I said I would post a review on Thursday, but, well, hmmmmm. No excuses.

The chocolate peppermint pie. A YIPPEE! pie. I'd say this pie is a lot like Katy Perry. In the right context, this pie is reallllllly good, but we aren't looking for any awards here folks, just mindless entertainment.

From a looks point-of-view, the chocolate on top needs to be darker. I would half the amount of custard that I mixed into the melted semi-sweet chocolate chips.

I did like the smooth and fluffy consistency of both layers of the pie, so a thicker layer really isn't necessary. I would consider (and thanks to the advice of my royal tasters Ryan and David) a different crust. Maybe Oreo or chocolate wafer? Who knows, but I'm making this pie again for Christmas.

-- SPB

P.S. I thought my little guy would like this pie, but he simply said, "Mom, I'm not a fan." The peppermint is probably too strong for kidlets. Peppermint is an acquired taste. Remember sneaking a swig of your parents' Peppermint Schnapps when you were younger and thinking, "Oh holy sh*t, what the hell did I just drink?!?!" Wait, you never did that? Oh, and I was probably more like 12 and not 3. And, well, alcohol is definitely an acquired taste. I don't know why I wrote this, but, well, hmmmmm.

Licking the Spatula...

But not reusing it, mind you. I'm not that gross. I've made the chocolate peppermint pie (recipe found here) and I think that this might (just might) rival the DELICIOUS! chocolate peanut butter pie. I have to wait for the pie to cool (it's a non-cook pie) for three hours, but I am already thinking of ways to change it up. I think the pie will taste really damn good, but aesthetically, I think the chocolate on top should be darker...like a chocolate ganache. The peppermint garnish would really pop then.

And, while I'm changing things up, I think this pie may just be too, well, custardy. The ganache would be a perfect contrast to the white chocolate custard-like filling. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. A full review will be posted tomorrow. 'Til then, I'll tease you with a picture. Wait...all I do is tease with pictures.

Tonight It Will Be...

A chocolate peppermint pie! That just screams Christmas to me, and I need help shifting gears.

For the lovely person who suggested I whip up a Dulce de Leche pie, I appreciate your faith in me. It takes three hours to create just the dulce de leche alone! Holy snikes. This pie will be on my to-do list. I think I need to be a little more prepared to tackle this one. Thanks to all who offer recommendations!!! 

Any Ideas Out There?

Not that you all really want to think about pies...or food for that matter...but I'm all about pushing the limits. Give a girl a hand and tell me what pie I should make on Wednesday. No vote this time, just plain ol' recommendations. Use that comment box down below. Do you see it? Good! Start typing!

If all I hear (or, actually, see) are crickets (I wouldn't actually see crickets), then I might have to make you all suffer through another apple pie. Yep, that's a threat.

Turkey Day is All About Pie

If there ever was a holiday that is all about pies, it's Thanksgiving. Cupcakes, you are not invited. Step off.

Tuesday and Wednesday was a complete wingding-tacular bakefest. I've whipped up eight pies for the holidays...three for family, five for other peeps who just plain ol' love pies and didn't want to bake them. (Again, that's where I come in.)

So, I knocked out:
3 pumpkin pecan pies (Side note: I added a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and a 1/4 teaspoon for nutmeg to this recipe. Makes it a WHOLE lot better for those of us who like it spicy.)
2 chocolate peanut butter pies
1 buttermilk pie
1 pecan pie
1 pumpkin pie

No fails. 

Oops...one more...a mini-pumpkin pie for my littlest pumpkin who will be turning one on Nov. 30. Celebrating early and often. Don't worry folks, I won't deprive him of cake. He'll get one later to faceplant in.

Here's a pic of some of the pies I made...boxed up and ready to go! And, here are the yummy pies for tonight's family feast. Nosh, nosh, nosh. Wishing you a HAPPY THANKSGIVING...ya bunch of turkeys.

Apple Pie Be Damned

I'm not in love with this apple pie recipe from Good Housekeeping either. Hmmmm.

What was wrong with this recipe? Well, first, I can no longer taste the apple. The filling is too lemony and the combo of nutmeg and cinnamon is just weird with apple pie. Not digging. The apples cooked great, though, but shrank so much that there is a lot of air between the filling and the upper crust. No bueno, again. So, I'm going commando a.k.a. I'm going without a recipe and making up my own. I'm going to follow the advice of my husband and precook the apples before baking that way I can get the taste and texture perfect, chill, and then put it in the oven for about 30-35 minutes to heat and bake the crust. I'm going to do sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Alas, I'm going to put this off, though, as next week is Thanksgiving, and I have a feeling I'm gonna be baking a shload of pies, and not apple pies. Sorry Tiffany.

Brevity of post and lack of humor due to child waking up from nap. Cheers!

Not Appropriate

Often, I can be inappropriate, and this will be one of those times. I have to tell you guys about "Chicken Bingo." This "game" was played at the fundraiser I went to over the weekend. So, there is a chicken, and she is in a cage that has a bingo card for the flooring. You buy tickets with bingo card numbers on them and pray that the chicken poops on your number for prizes. Wow. Think of the pressure that chicken must be under to go to the bano. Seriously. Awesome. Can we get some prunes over here? I know, food blog and potty humor do not go hand-in-hand.

OK, now back to being more appropriate. I made four delicious pies for the fundraiser. Yes, I said four, because I had an apple pie fail. The apples didn't soften and then liquid started to pour out of the pie pan. I need to seal the crust better for one thing. This was also my first foray into freezing pie filling. That may have played into it. I did freeze some crusts and they turned out great! I digress. So, I think it is time for me to divorce my apple pie recipe and come up with something more non-fail oriented. I'll let you know what I come up with.

Anywho, the chocolate peanut butter pie was the hit and GONE in a flash. The cherry pie and pumpkin pecan went shortly thereafter. I did have a whole cherry pie left, only because it was hidden under the table. Ooops.

I learned a few things from this event: 1) Pre-cut the pies, because people will butcher the hell out of them. Please see photo; 2) Have contact information ready to hand out, because people want to eat pies, but don't want to bake them (see, that's where I come in); 3) Don't hide pies; 4) Chickens like pie crust.

This Wednesday I will get back on my regularly scheduled program. Maybe I will find a new apple pie to date.

Dear Santa

I would like a commercial kitchen. I think I've been reasonably good. Think about it.

Love,
Snarky Pie Baker

P.S. Four pies down for weekend fundraiser; one to go.

Bulk Order, Kind Of

I have my first bulk order. Ok, kind of. I'll be donating five pies to a fundraising event this weekend, and my anal-retentive, semi-organized mind is trying to figure out how to do this. I can do this, I can do this, and raise two boys at the same time...it can be done.

Tonight, in lieu of pie-making, I'm going to be preparing crusts ahead of time to freeze. I'm also going to freeze an unbaked apple pie and bake it on the day of. We'll see how that goes.

I'll be making:
Granny Smith Apple Pie
Two Cherry Pies
Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

If you're interested in having free pie, come on out to the Georgetown Gives Fall Festival on Nov. 13 from 2-4 p.m. at 1020 Highway 195 in Georgetown, Texas.

*** And, if any of you Austinites are in a bind and would like a homemade pie for Thanksgiving, let me do it for you! I've got killer pumpkin, pecan, pumpkin pecan, buttermilk, sweet potato, chocolate meringue and cherry pies. Or, I'd be happy to whip up something you are jones-ing for! Give me a shout, and I'll hook you up for $12 a pie. ***

Yet Another Thanksgiving Option

Some folks like pumpkin. Some like pecan. This is the smoosh pie -- pumpkin pecan or pumpcan or pepkin or... Since I don't really like nuts in, well, anything, I've asked my hubby to tell me why he likes it. These are his words (so serious) and I quote:

"It's the perfect Thanksgiving pie. I like pumpkin and pecan, but I feel like a piglet when I have one slice of each during the holiday. It has enough pumpkin without being overly pumpkin-y. There is something artificial about a pumpkin pie, especially when it comes out of a can. And, then, there is something overly syrupy about a pecan pie. This pie doesn't have either of those problems."

Thank you, dear hubby, for your thoughts. This seems like a really awkward blog entry, but I'm going with it.

Anyway, I used this Paula Deen recipe, if you are eager to condense your own Thanksgiving pie making. I'm all about helping you cut corners. My version looks a little different, because I'm a hasty baker and quickly poured the pumpkin filling on top of the pecans, and the pecans floated to the top. Yep, I had floaters. Whatevs. I think it looks lovely. And, next time I think I will add a very small amount of nutmeg, too.

I have one thing left to say...I have beef with my three-year-old. Yup. He's on my list. He had the raging audacity to turn down eating a piece of this delicious homemade pie, and, instead, wanted a piece of his Halloween candy. Mike and Ike's no less. Turncoat.

Huh? Whaddya say?

I'm not a slacker this week! The pumpkin pecan pie is in the oven, and I'm woo-hoo-ing like the Housewives of fill in the blank.

So, I'm gonna kick back and watch TV while it bakes. Too bad my gas oven and vent sound like an airplane landing in my house. Now my TV is screaming at me. It's a wonder my kids can sleep through all this racket.

Sweet Po-Tater

I have a bunch of fall pies in my pie line-up now. My family better watch out or I might deviate from the typical pumpkin or pecan pie this Thanksgiving...kind of like when my sister went free-wheeling with the Thanksgiving dressing and added cranberries, nuts and stuff. I owe her for that. 

So, here is the sweet potato pie. I followed this recipe to the tee. Next time I think I'll cut back on the sugar to 3/4 cup. Sweet potatoes are already, well, sweet. Hence the name, folks. That's the only pooh-pooh I'll have about this recipe. That, and the fact that it takes a LOOOOOOOOOONG friggin' time to make. I started at 8 p.m. and was done by 11 p.m. Fifty minutes for the sweet potatoes to boil and get soft for making the filling and then another 60-80 minutes for the pie to bake (my oven is a bit off on its temp), and then add in another 60 minutes of my dorking around and watching the finale to Project Runway. I guess that's not part of the recipe. It should be.

Have a spooky Halloween, y'all. I can't wait to see all the pictures on Facebook. Make it good, folks, make it good.

Treacle Treat...NOT

I was pumped to make a treacle pie. Not only does this pie have a major connection with Harry Potter, and I'm a big Harry Potter fan...okay not super huge, like I'm going to dress up like Hermione for Halloween, but I did have children so I can go to the new Harry Potter theme park without looking like a desperate thirty-something trying to escape reality. But also, this pie was recommended to me by my Brit-tastic friend, Lara.

This pie -- treacle pie -- has one sneaky ass ingredient that is hard to find. All over the Interwebs it said, go to Whole Foods, it's at Whole Foods, you'll find it at Whole Foods. I'm at Whole Foods this evening, and it is not here. It is not there. It's nowhere. One WF employee said he works the baking area and has never heard of golden syrup. Well, crap. So, it's 8:18 p.m., and I really, really don't feel like figuring out what pie to bake (did I tell you I was snarky?) and then baking it tonight. I will work up a recipe for tomorrow and have, yet another, Thursday Night Pie. Dippity doh.

My Treacle Treat pie (so punny) will have to be wait-listed until I can find that silly syrup. Someday, someday. We can all dream.

Is This Cheesecake?

No, honey, it's not cheesecake. It's buttermilk pie. This pie, to me, is like a non-pumpkiny take of a pumpkin pie. A very fall pie with nutmeg and lemon flavors. The texture is so creamy, yet firm (those last four words just made me giggle) you'd think it was cheesecake...but it's not. I could eat another slice or two. Yeah, I could. Go HERE for the recipe.

If you would like to tell me what to do...here is your chance! Vote for the pie you'd like me to make! Look on your screen. To the right. A little higher. Yup, right there. Take your pick and click.

Dooooooooood

This key lime pie kicks my other key lime pie's ass. Up and down the hallway. I'm so in love with the flavor of this pie. The key limes really come through and aren't overshadowed by the egg and condensed milk. The key limes need to be the star, and in this pie, they are. Tart goodness. Oh, and I used a graham cracker crust...much better than my ol' stand-in for this pie.

I was "not a fan" (as my three-year-old would say) of key lime pie. I would really just tolerate it...probably because I've just had mediocre key lime pies all my life, including the one I made in August. This one is de-lush-ious.

I used a Martha Stewart recipe. (Bitch, respectfully, knows what she's doing.) I didn't, however, use any key lime zest in the pie. I wanted to keep it smooth, people. Keep it smooth.

Here's a photo. I haven't applied the whipped cream decor (imagine me saying that in a really snobby voice...makes it funny). I'll do that a little later, as this pie is going to my friend Tpon, and the other one (I MADE TWO!) will be devoured by my fam and other friends.

Love,
Key Lime Pie Convert

Key Lime Redemption

Tonight, I will be redeeming myself for that sorry ass Key Lime Pie I created a while back. This one is for you, Tiffany. I can deliver it to your work on Friday, if you are around.

Postponed

Tonight's pie will just have to wait until tomorrow for a very good reason. So, for this week it will be a Thursday Night Pie! Stay tuned for the update on Friday.

Whoa...

Whoa, as in overkill. So, my fantabulous pear pie with raspberry coulis and a gorgonzola-stuffed crust was a little more frightening than fabulous all because of the gorgonzola cheese. Note to self: Pears and gorgonzola cheese...good on a fruit and cheese plate, not in a pie. Well, at least to my tastebuds. What I did like was the raspberry coulis in the pie and the pears were downright awesome. Not mushy, not crisp, just right with the sweet pear taste we all love. Another thing I liked is that I can taste the pear. I was reading that pear pie often ends up tasting like apple. Not this one. The raspberry compliments the pear taste, doesn't in any way overpower it, and the pie isn't too sweet.

Here's what I did (meshing up my own ideas with a couple of recipes I found: this one and this one):

Crust
See my recipe here. But I made a big change, which I probably won't do in the future for this pear pie, but I'll do the technique again soon. 

-- Preheat oven to 475. Double the recipe. Get a 1/2 cup of gorgonzola cheese ready.
-- Use a third of the dough to roll out a 9-inch pie crust and press firmly into pie pan. Do not flute edges (yet). Prick the crust thoroughly on the bottom and the inside edges with a fork. Distribute evenly the gorgonzola cheese on the bottom crust. Take half of the remaining dough and roll out another 9-inch pie crust. Place that crust firmly in the pie pan. Pinch together the edges of the bottom crust and the top crust. Flute as usual and make sure to prick the top of the crust and edges, so it won't bubble up. Cook for 10 minutes or until golden.
-- Roll out remaining dough to use for top of pie.

Although I may not have liked the taste, I did like the idea of a sneaky surprise in the bottom crust that you got a taste of every time you shovel in a bite of pie.

Filling
I followed this recipe, but did not include the ground cloves (which would have been awesome, but I didn't have any in the spice rack, so whatevs) or the butter (because I forgot...lordy). The filling tasted great, and I think with the cloves and the butter, it would have been awesome. Because I did not have cloves, I poured a raspberry coulis on top of the filling once it was in the pie crust; covered it with the top pie crust; and put it in the oven at 350 for 1 hr 40 mins. Yeah, that long.

When the crust was golden brown, I took it out of the oven and let it cool overnight. It held up great...see pic.

Again, need tasters (who live in Austin). This gorgonzola thing may not be up my alley, but it may be up someone else's. It sure looks pretty, though.

It's a Pear Pie for Tonight

Alrighty, the screaming 10-month-old is down for a nap. I may now blog.

For tonight, I'm going to whip up a pear pie. I was thinking about that berry pie, but I'll put that on the back burner (bad cooking pun) for now. I'm looking at some recipes and feel like being a bit more adventurous than the recipes I'm seeing. I'm going to go for a pear and raspberry coulis pie with a gorgonzola-filled crust. Who's in? ME! I've been jonesing for a pie and think this will fill my hankerin'.

Marshmellow Madness

First of all, I'm so glad I made a Moon Pie Pie, because now I know how to make marshmellow. How fun. My family better watch out. I just might put marshmellow into everything I make. Or, I can make my very own Stay Puft Marshmellow Man. The options are limitless.

So, my neighbor sent over a few suggestions for a pie, and one of them was Moon Pie. Because I'm not into making just any dessert, a.k.a. I'm a pie snob, I had to figure out how to make said Moon Pie into a Moon Pie Pie. This is what I did...

I used this recipe to make the dough and the marshmellow innards. Yeah, I said innards. For the dough, instead of putting it in plastic wrap and placing it in the refrigerator, I molded the dough into a pie pan and then stuck it in the fridge to chill. Also, I never baked the dough. Then I moved on to making the marshmellow, which was a slight comedy of errors. My husband/sous chef went to the store twice due to my, um, mistakes. Sorry, babe. Love you. After the marshmellow was ready, I dumped it into the chilled pie crust and then made a chocolate ganache for the topping. 

The recipe for chocolate ganache:
6 oz semi-sweetened chocolate (coarsely chopped)
1 tbsp butter (unsalted)
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tspn vanilla

Place chopped chocolate and butter in a double boiler, or in a glass or metal bowl over simmering water, and stir occasionally as it begins to melt. Once chocolate is almost melted, slowly add the cream and vanilla. Stir over heat until smooth and completely melted.

Then I poured the ganache on top of the marshmellow, decorated (ever so crappily) the top of the pie, and then let it set over night.

I needed a taster for this, so I thought my three-year-old would be perfect. This seems like the type of pie a kid would go goo-goo over. He LOVED it. Now, I need to hide the pie. For me, I like all the elements -- great chocolate dough/crust, yummy marshmellow creme, and a thick, sweet layer of chocolate -- but maybe a pie version is overkill. I don't know...who wants to try it? Critics needed/wanted.

Just Desserts or Just a Heart Attack

I've been watching Top Chef Just Desserts. This show is going to give me a coronary. These people...where did they come from? It's stressful to watch, truly. I definitely need a glass of wine to enjoy. It made me think about the personalities of those chefs who compete on Top Chef versus those on Top Chef Just Desserts. Do you have to be a completely anal control freak to want to do desserts and then all the laid back folks go to the savory side? Just wondering. I would love to do a Myers-Briggs test on these people.

So, today, besides thinking about silly reality cooking shows, I'm going to try and tackle a Moon Pie Pie. Yeah, confusing. But, I'm going to try. I think this might be one of those spectacular fail moments that will make for a great blog tomorrow. We'll see what tonight brings.

An Oldie But Goodie

So, I had a request for a pie, and I HAD to make it, because it's not-so-secretly my favorite. If people want to request this pie over and over again, I guess I'll have to make it. Twist my arm, folks, really...twist it. The pie I made on Wednesday was...Chocolate Meringue Pie. Nom, nom, nom, nom. Snarf.

Sorry to be blogging about it so late. My fantastic neighbor made this glorious request, and we all gathered in our neighbor's backyard yesterday to eat said pie and drink wine until 11 at night. And, well, I need my beauty rest.

I made my usual crust and then my usual pudding recipe, but did the following to make it chocolatey:


1 cup sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 oz unsweetened chocolate (chopped)
4 cups milk
4 slightly beaten eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla


Mix sugar, flour, salt in sauce pan. Chop chocolate and add to milk; slowly stir in milk to sugar/flour/salt mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture boils and thickens; cook 2 minutes longer. Stir a little of hot mixture into eggs; stir into remaining hot mixture. Stirring constantly, bring just to boiling. Add vanilla. Makes a full filling for a 9" pie. 

This pudding calls for more sugar, but I backed it out, and it tastes MUCH, MUCH better.  

I also tried something new with the meringue, but it was a stellar fail (did I tell y'all I failed chemistry in college?). I wanted to make chocolate meringue to put on top of the chocolate pudding. Doesn't that sound good? I think it would look good, too. All I had was Nesquik in the pantry, so I put a couple of tablespoons in the egg whites while I was beating them and phhhhhhbbbbbbtttttt, the meringue melted. Oh well. I'm going to keep working on a recipe for that. Just sounds yummy.

Have a good weekend everyone and throw a cupcake in trash for me...it's pie's time to shine!

AAACK!!!!

I'll post about my pie tomorrow!  Crazy day, crazy day.  I know everyone is waiting with baited breath...yeah, that's it.

Banana Cream Pie

This pie is ridicky-donkulous! If I could marry a pie, this one would be it, but it would also have to take out the trash and mow the lawn. Just sayin.

So, I messed with the crust this time. I felt like going all Domino's on this pie and stuffed the crust with peanut butter. Oh yeah. It's sinful and what's better than a banana/peanut butter combo? It was easy to do. When I tucked under the extra dough that hangs over the pie pan's edge, I just added dabs of peanut butter and then wrapped under. After I finished that, I fluted the edges as usual. Maybe I should do a video on this. Hmmmm...it's better to show than tell. In the meantime, this site shows how to flute a pie crust. Good place to start.

For the filling, I used the same recipe as the coconut cream pie, but sans the coconut, and I lined the pie crust with three bananas (sliced) and then poured the vanilla pudding on top. And the meringue!!! Oh the fluffy goodness. Here's my recipe (passed down to me from my Momma J):

1 tbspn cornstarch
2 tbspns cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
4 egg whites
6 tbspns sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

Blend cornstarch and cold water in a saucepan. Add boiling water and cook, stirring until clear and thickened. Let stand until COMPLETELY cold. With mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until foamy (do NOT get any yolk, water or egg shell in the whites or the meringue will fail. trust me, I know). Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Turn mixer to low speed; add salt and vanilla. Gradually beat in cold cornstarch mixture. Turn mixer again to high and beat well. Spread meringue over cooled pie filling. Bake at 350 for 10 mins or until top is lightly browned.

This recipe took me a long time to perfect (and my mom used to make slight fun of me for my numerous fails), but I've got it now!! 

(Happy birthday, baby.)

P.S. Sorry about the silly pie pan. My nice glass ones keep disappearing like socks in a dryer or sippy cup lids in...well, hell...I have no idea where those lids go.

P.S.S. Oh, and I lied about doing a vanilla wafer crust (per my earlier post). I forgot the wafers at the store, and there was no way I was dragging my ass, and the asses of my two sons, to the store just for that.

For My Hubby's B-day...

He requested a banana cream pie. So, there's no vote this week. I'll whip up this recipe based on the cream pies I know how to make. No problem, right? Riiiiiight. To go with it, I'll make a vanilla wafer pie crust. Yuh to the mmmmmm.

Banana pudding reminds me of elementary school and the day we were learning about the five food groups. I picked out banana pudding for my fruit and Cheetos for cheese. Trying my best to work the system.

Pie

3.141593...

Sorry, just a little dork humor.

Alrighty, I can dig it

At first, I thought I was going to have a major meltdown about this pie. I was getting downright bitchy and that's never good. I've had a problem in the past with getting pies to set, but this time I wasn't going to let it happen...no matter what. I essentially made this pie twice last night (soab). But, the second time around was a charm. Good, or else there was going to be peanut brittle pie guts on the walls.

I started with one recipe and then had to ditch it for another because the measurements were off. Hmmm...that's why my darn pie wouldn't settle. Case solved.

Here's the recipe I followed and a link to it:

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

Dash salt

1/3 cup water

2 slightly beaten egg yolks

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 cup crushed peanut brittle

1/2 cup whipping cream

Combine brown sugar, gelatin, and salt. Stir in water and egg yolks. Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Add butter, stirring till melted. Stir in milk and vanilla. Chill to the consistency of corn syrup, stirring occasionally. Immediately beat egg whites till soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating till stiff peaks form. When gelatin is the consistency of unbeaten egg whites (partially set), fold in stiff-beaten egg whites and crushed peanut brittle. Whip cream till soft peaks form. Fold into gelatin mixture. Chill till mixture mounds when spooned. Turn mixture into baked pastry shell.* Chill several hours or overnight till set.

*One thing I did change was throw it in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 to make sure the egg whites were cooked. I did this after the mixture was chilled and poured into the pastry shell. I just couldn't stop thinking about the raw eggs. Sorry, I just can't eat raw eggs nor ask other people to do so, especially since my husband plans to take this pie to work. Never a good idea to poison the coworkers. I put it in the fridge overnight to set. Because of the heat, the pie's layers separated. Looks beautiful when cut. Agree?

This pie is silky good on top, a little rubbery in the middle and sweet at the bottom with a crunch here or there from the melted peanut brittle in the pie and the extra sprinkle of brittle I added to the top. I'm assuming the semi-rubbery layer is a result of cooking the gelatin. Just my guess, but it's still delicious. I'll work to tweak this pie. I think it can be edited.

Tonight's Pie Will Be...

Avocado! Psych. It's Peanut Brittle! There were some last-minute votes. I think those votes might be my husband stacking the deck. Yeah, it is. He buys my ingredients on the way home from work, and I sent him the list for avocado pie. Shortly thereafter, peanut brittle took the lead. I'm on to you, babe. Doesn't take a rocket scientist.

So, I'll make peanut brittle pie (how the hell am I going to do that?) and I'll post pics on Thursday. Do know that I'm baking it on Wednesday night...hence the name of the blog, "Wednesday Night Pies." A girl can only do so much in one night, and baking will be it, plus cleaning up after dinner, getting the kids ready for bed and in bed, laundry, showering, scrubbing the bathroom floors with a toothbrush, spackling and painting over the cracks in our walls, moving furniture, waxing my legs...you name it.

In the meantime, here's a picture of the cake I made for my son's third birthday. I probably shouldn't put a cake photo up on a pie blog. That's so wrong. The world may come out of alignment. It's like buying bananas and tampons at the grocery store. But pie, don't worry...you are my first love.

She's My Cherry Pie!

Back in high school, I did go to a Warrant concert. I can't believe I just typed that. Anyway, I was forced to go...yeah, that's it...because it was a friend's birthday. She knows who she is. So, this week I tackled the cherry pie, because one person voted and said I should. I'm easily persuaded.  Matt C. -- if you read this, the rest of the pie is YOURS! (I had to taste it for quality purposes.) I love cherry pies and making them. Here's the recipe I used:

1 20 oz can pitted SOUR* cherries
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tspn salt
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tspn almond extract
1/4 red food coloring (so the color will pop)
1 egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 425. Drain cherries, reserving 1 cup of liquid. In saucepan, combine sugar, flour and salt. Stir in cherry liquid and bring to boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Mixture will thicken. When thickened, add butter, almond extract, food coloring and cherries. Cover and refrigerate. Make pastry strips for top of pie. Brush strips w/ egg yolk and add sugar, if desired. Pour cooled cherry filling into prebaked crust. Make lattice w/ pastry strips. Be sure to cover prebaked crust edge w/ aluminum foil. Bake 30 to 35 minutes.

*My husband did not pick up sour cherries, but the sweet ones. To offset, I added some key lime juice (from the numerous key limes I had left over from the key lime debacle) to restore the sour in the cherries. It worked swimmingly. The pie filling was so scrumdillyumptious and slightly tart, as I like it. I made sure to add sugar to the top of the crust for that extra sweet punch.

Things I'd change/do better: 1) the crust. Next time I'm going to forgo prebaking the crust. I want the edge and the topping to look cohesive. (And, I will also try not to almost burn the crust...oops.) 2) the crust, again...I need to make more pastry strips so I can have a prettier lattice on top.

And, I leave you with this...it's hard to find time to blog when your three-year-old decides to drop his nap. Damn. Mourning the loss of a nap.

Coconut Cream Pie

Yuuuuuummmmmy. I love coconut.

Anyway, last night I made a coconut cream pie with the help of my three-year-old sous-chef. He is fantastic in the kitchen, although the flour started to mysteriously appear in the weirdest of places. Hmmm.

This pie is a favorite of mine and one my mom used to make time and time again.  I used my same crust recipe (although I almost screwed it up, as my sous chef was, again, going a little nut-tastic with the flour) and this recipe for the coconut cream filling:

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
4 slightly beaten eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup of shredded coconut

Mix sugar, flour, salt; slowly stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture boils and thickens; cook 2 minutes longer. Stir a little of hot mixture into eggs; stir into remaining hot mixture. Stirring constantly, bring just to boiling. Add vanilla and coconut; cool. Makes a full filling for a 9" pie.

We had friends over tonight, and I was told this pie is restaurant quality. I'll take that compliment.

Key Lime Silliness

I'm still dragging from my vacation, but I managed to complete a key lime pie on Wednesday. I did not, however, get to the blog. I consider myself half successful! Ha!

Because I only threw half a brain cell at this undertaking, my pie suffered a bit. What I did well:  the filling, according to a couple of tasters, was great!  What I didn't do well:  I forgot to get whipping cream at the store, so that was problem No. 1; I decided to do a regular ol' pie crust instead of the graham cracker kind...problem No. 2; and I put meringue on top because the pie is fugly without something...problem No. 3. Oh, and I made the meringue too early, so it went a bit south. BTW...don't put meringue on a key lime pie, per my humble opinion. Live and learn.

So, the filling was darn tasty, and I don't even like key lime pie. It was tart and made my cheeks tingle and pucker (which would have benefited from a graham cracker crust).  The consistency was perfecto. I could have done without juicing 20 tiny key limes with my hands, though. I'll do this one again, but definitely get my ducks in order, so I don't mess up how the pie looks. I think I'll try some decorative whipped cream and maybe a bit of raspberry glaze or shredded coconut on top. Who knows. I'm a little embarrassed to post a photo, but, again, this blog is to show the good, the bad and the ugly.

Here's the link to the recipe I "tried:" http://cook-eat-love.com/2010/04/key-lime-pie/.  Next Wednesday, I promise not to be a half-asser.

Forgive Me

Yes, I know I missed a Wednesday. I also know that no one really cares at this point, except me and maybe my husband. My reason for skipping a Wednesday...I was on vacation. I thought about baking a pie on vacation, but we were up in the Rockies, and I didn't really feel the need to battle an environmental hurdle like high altitude. Tomorrow, I will be back in action with the making of a key lime pie.

Crust Makes the Pie

I LOVE my crust recipe.  It's damn easy.  Thanks to my mom for passing this recipe on to me.  I've added a small change or two, but it's tried and true for a flaky, tasty crust that goes well with any pie.

1/2 cup of shortening
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 to 7 tablespoons of COLD water

Makes 1 9-inch pie crust.  Double the recipe for two pie crusts or to have crust left over for lattice work.

In a mixing bowl, combine the shortening, flour and salt until the mixture is crumbly. Add the water tablespoon by tablespoon, mixing it with a fork until the dough clumps and sticks together (usually 6 to 7 tablespoons total). Don't overwork the dough. Pat the dough into a ball, add a little flour to the top of the dough, so the rolling pin won't stick, and on a lightly floured, smooth surface, roll out the dough evenly into a circle. Roll out the dough so it is larger than the circumference of the pie pan by an inch. As a trick, I roll the dough around a floured rolling pin and then unroll it onto the pie pan. Press the dough firmly into the pie pan. I choose to tuck the extra inch of dough hanging over the edge of the pie pan under, so I can make a fluted edge. If you are going to prebake the crust, prick the crust thoroughly on the bottom and the inside edges, so the crust won't bubble up. Cook at 475 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden.  If you have prebaked the crust and are ready to put a pie in the oven for baking, add foil to the exposed, already baked crust, so it won't get overcooked.

If you use this crust recipe, let me know how it goes!

I'll Give Shoofly a Break

Ok, ok. I should try to make up with the Shoofly pie and not be so harsh. I had another taster try the pie and this person said if you like molasses, this is a good pie. For me, I taste metal. Molasses is a source of iron and magnesium, so maybe my metal-detecting tastebuds are turned up too high.

Is molasses like cilantro? You either love or hate?

Ummm...Shoofly Pie Sucks

Made a Shoofly pie and my husband is currently spitting and yakking it into the kitchen sink. On top of that, he also needed a chaser of several sour cherry jellybeans. I managed to swallow my piece, but ugh, yeck, blech, kack...I'm not a fan. I guess you really, really need to like the taste of molasses, and both my hubby and I don't dig. Never have been a fan of gingerbread cookies and the like. If you're into the molasses kind of thing, go here for the recipe I used. I know this post is such a glowing recommendation. I need a molasses lover to taste this. Seriously...did I screw this up (likely) or do I just hate, hate, hate molasses?

10 Weeks and Counting

I've been baking a pie every Wednesday night for 10 weeks already. I can't believe it.  Here's what I've made so far and how I've rated the final product:

• Granny Smith Apple Pie -- Yum! Needed more apples, though
• Jalapeno Fudge Meringue Pie -- Uh, kind of yum! Like the concept of jalapeno in the fudge, but the fudge is too darn thick. The meringue was overkill
• Pecan Pie -- Yum! This was an all-around winner
• Chocolate Meringue Pie -- Yum! Seriously good
• Pina Colada Pie -- Yuck! Actually, the taste was good, but the texture was not
• Fresh Strawberry Pie -- Yum! If you like a lot of strawberries
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie -- Yum!! So far, this has been the favorite
• Blackberry Pie -- Yum! Again, if you like blackberries. Need to work on the consistency, though
• The First Chocolate Espresso Pie -- Yuck! The consistency failed, and I just didn't like the recipe
• The Real Chocolate Espresso Pie with Chocolate Raspberry Ganache -- Yum! Really good, really good

If you are interested in any of the recipes, let me know. Otherwise, I'll include the recipes from here on out. 

Shoofly Pie

Today, at the suggestion of my friend Viki, I'm going to tackle the Shoofly Pie. Some say this Pennsylvania Dutch pie got its name because it attracts flies. I sure hope so. I have a pesky fly in the house that has escaped my ninja-like fly-swatting capabilities. I will use a slice of this pie as bait and then WHAMO!

Wednesday Night Pies

I seriously can't believe I'm doing a blog about this, but what the hell, really. Here goes. I like making pies. I'd like to make pies for a living. I need more practice. So, while I'm busy raising my two urchin squirts (ages 3 and 8 mos), I'm going to find the time to do this. It can be done. Therefore, I'm making a pie every single Wednesday night (if humanly possible) for what I call "Wednesday Night Pies" and blogging about what went down, what went in the trash and what went in my belly. I hope to have some supremely delicious pies (and some pretty hilarious fails) to talk about, and have a good time just bitching about it all.