cherry strawberry pie

The other day I made a half-batch of SK's delicious butter pie crust (which I have loved since I first made it for my Thanksgiving pies). It hung out in my fridge for about a week before I got around to baking into this. I followed-ish her recipe for a sweet cherry pie, but I subbed in mostly strawberries, didn't have almond extract, and used just some splashed of lemon juice from my squeeze bottle because I didn't have a fresh lemon on hand. But the great thing about dessert is that it really hates to go wrong, and I know I'm a pretty generous judge.

I didn't cook it long enough, I think, because the crust could have been flakier and more done through. Also I don't know if I used too much sugar or not enough corn starch, but I had a lot of liquid inside that I sort of poured off (but would be delicious if I was serving it with ice cream, so it isn't the worst problem). All said, I still thought it tasted delicious and sweet and summary, and I've already had almost half of it between last night and today.

Dough for a double-crust pie [I made a 1/2 recipe because I made a smaller pie]

4 cups pitted fresh cherries (about 2 1/2 pounds unpitted) [I used about a cup plus maybe two cups of strawberries]
4 tablespoons cornstarch [I used 2 tbsp]
2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar (adjust this according to the sweetness of your cherries) [I used 1/2 cup]
1/8 teaspoon salt
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon almond extract [didn't have]
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small bits [I used 1/2 tbsp]

1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water
Coarse sugar, for decoration

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Stir together the cherries, cornstarch, sugar, salt, lemon and almond extract gently together in a large bowl.

Roll out half of chilled dough (use larger piece, if you’ve divided them unevenly) on a floured work surface to 13-inch round. Gently place it in 9-inch pie pan, either by rolling it around the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pan or by folding it into quarters and unfolding it in the pan. Trim edges to a half-inch overhang.

Spoon filling into pie crust, discarding the majority of the liquid that has pooled in the bowl. Dot the filling with the bits of cold butter.

Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface, drape it over the filling, and trim it, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under the bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it, and crimp the edge decoratively. Brush the egg wash over over pie crust, then sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Cut slits in the crust with a sharp knife, forming steam vents, and bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F. and bake the pie for 25 to 30 minutes more, or until the crust is golden. Let the pie cool on a rack. [Because mine was smaller, I watched it pretty carefully and it took about 35 minutes total.]

lime tartlets

Okay, I'll admit that these are a bit too lime and tart, but I think that is largely due to the chunks of rind in mine because I had limited food processor space/skills (I could have improved on that with more thinking and problem solving) and also maybe lime rind is just more intense than lemon. The recipe (from SK of course) calls for a whole lemon, and I can confidently assert that that would be delicious. I didn't have a lemon, though, on Sunday night at 8 pm when I decided a 4-hour baking endeavor was exactly what was going to happen, so I just used a lime. I then blended in a few strawberries into the batter to make half into strawberry-limeade-esque tarts, which toned down the limeyness a bit. All in all, I still enjoy eating them, but next time they will be better. I did learn, though, that I could substitute fruits and the overall texture and filling would still work for the tart, which I will play with more in the future.

In terms of the crust, it tasted good and worked well, but I think the doubling up on mine was too thick. Maybe I didn't roll mine out thin enough or I'm not sure what, but next time it will be more under control. That said, it wasn't a terribly difficult recipe and did taste good. I will say that I loved the pie crusts I made for my thanksgiving pies, so I might try that recipe next time and see how that works (though it did shrink a bit and this one really doesn't, if that informs your choices).

 crumbly dough - post food-processing, mixing the egg in, pre-rolling out

 above: pre-pre-baking

below: pre-baked, ready for a bit more baking without foil before putting in the filling

Pie Crust


Makes enough for one 9-inch tart crust [or 4-5 4-inch tart crusts, like mine]

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons; 4 1/2 ounces) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg

1. Pulse the flour, sugar and salt together in the bowl of a food processor. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. (You’re looking for some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas.) Stir the egg, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses–about 10 seconds each–until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change–heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. Chill the dough, wrapped in plastic, for about 2 hours before rolling.

2. To roll the dough: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll out chilled dough on floured sheet of parchment paper to 12-inch round, lifting and turning dough occasionally to free from paper. (Alternately, you can roll this out between two pieces of plastic, though flour the dough a bit anyway.) Using paper as aid, turn dough into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom; peel off paper. Seal any cracks in dough. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold overhang in, making double-thick sides. Pierce crust all over with fork.

Alternately, you can press the dough in as soon as it is processed: Press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the tart shell. You want to press hard enough that the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that it loses its crumbly texture.

3. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

4. To fully or partially bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. And here is the very best part: Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Bake the crust about 10 minutes longer to fully bake it, or until it is firm and golden brown, brown being the important word: a pale crust doesn’t have a lot of flavor. (To partially bake it, only an additional 5 minutes is needed.) Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature, and proceed with the rest of your recipe.

Do ahead: The dough can be wrapped and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. While the fully baked crust can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months, the flavor will be fresher bake it directly from the freezer, already rolled out.

Filling


1 average-sized lemon (about 4 1/2 ounces; 130 grams), rinsed and dried*
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
1 stick (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons (14 grams) cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon table salt

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven 350°F (165´C). Place the tart shell on a baking sheet, which you can line with foil or parchment paper to make any spills a breeze to clean up.

Slice the lemon into thin wheels, remove any seeds, and toss the rounds — lemon flesh and peel — sugar and chunks of butter into the container of a food processor. Process, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until the lemon is thoroughly pureed. Add the eggs, cornstarch and salt and pulse until the batter is smooth.

Pour into prepared tart shell. It will fill it completely but if due to slight variances in tart pans, egg sizes, lemon sizes or crust thickness, you have too much, do not pour it past the top of of your crust or it will become difficult to unmold later.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the filling is set. You can test this by bumping the pan a little; it should only jiggle slightly. In my oven, I find that the point at which the filling is set is also when it starts to get very light brown on top.

Let cool on rack, unmold tart pan and serve. I actually prefer this tart completely chilled, which makes it a great dessert to make in advance of a dinner or party.

* Meyer lemons are the first choice here. They’re milder with thinner skin. But if you know that you do not mind a stronger lemon and rind kick, feel free to use a regular lemon, which will have a stronger flavor and a higher proportion of skin to flesh. If your lemon is not 4 1/2 ounces (Meyers often weigh in closer to 4 ounces) go ahead and cut a wedge out of a second one to keep the lemon flavor in balance with the sweetness of the tart.

key lime pie

I saw key limes for sale at HEB the other day, and I just couldn't resist them. My boyfriend asked me not to make so many desserts (he has a point), but I just love making them so much! In spite of his desire for a slightly healthier cooking habit, he still helped me out by squeezing the limes (which probably wasn't too easy since they are so tiny) and bruléeing the meringue a bit more (that was mostly because he really likes playing with the torch).

I admit, this wasn't my best dessert. Changes? I would have cooked/toasted the crust more before filling it, I would have used a bit more butter in the crust, I would have let the pie cook a little longer, and I would let it cool all the way and then chill before serving it. That said, it still tastes good and was fun to make. I looked around the internet for recipes but decided upon three from the Joy of Cooking - graham cracker crust, key lime filling, and meringue I.

Crust:
1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs [I used my food processor]
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled [I would use just a bit more]

Stir sugar and graham cracker crumbs together (with a bit of cinnamon if desired). Pour in melted butter and mix. Shape into shell in the pie pan, distributing fairly evenly and press firmly down.

Notes from Joy: Crumb crusts do not need to be baked but you have two options:
- if using unbaked, freeze for 20 minutes or the filling will soften it
- bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees to make it crunchy and more flavorful (cool before filling)

Filling:
15 oz can sweetened condensed milk [I used fat free - it was just fat free milk + sugar, no corn syrup]
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup key lime juice (12-14 key limes)
3-4 tsp grated key lime zest [not necessary but I always like the added flavor of zest]

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Whisk milk, yolks, juice, and zest together until well blended. Pour into pie crust. If not topping with meringue, bake until the center looks set but quivers when the pie is jiggled (15-17 minutes). Let cool and then refrigerate for up to 1 day. Serve with whipped cream.

If using a meringue topping, bake the pie until it thickens just enough to support the topping, about 5-7 minutes. Spread the meringue around the edges of the filling, anchoring it to the crust at all points. Dollop the remaining meringue over the center and smooth the top. Bake for 20 minutes more. Let cool completely on a rack, then refrigerate up to 1 day.

Meringue:
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup water
4 large egg whites [conveniently the same number of egg yolks you need for the filling]
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar

Mix cornstarch and sugar in a saucepan. Gradually stir in water, making a smooth, runny paste. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring briskly all the while, then boil for 15 seconds. Remove the thick paste from heat and cover.

Beat egg whites until foamy. Add vanilla and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Very gradually beat in sugar. Beat on high speed until peaks are very stiff and glossy but not dry. Reduce speed to very low and beat in the cornstarch paste 1 tbsp at a time. When all the paste is incorporated, increase speed to medium and beat for 10 seconds. Spread over a hot pie filling and bake as directed.

Nutritional information (for 1/10 of crust + filling + meringue) [using fat-free condensed milk]
359 total calories
10g total fat
61g total carbs
7g protein

apple pie cookies

Oh yes, it is what it sounds like. Cookies is only part of the title because they are so tiny. They are really just teensy apple pies. And they are really good. I saw them on SK and then my boyfriend saw them on reddit, and when we knew we'd be hanging out in front of the TV this weekend watching playoffs, we decided it was time to make them. Luckily, I had all the ingredients on hand. That's right, just by having apples + my standard baking supplies + time, we got to have really delicious baby apple pies. There's still one left, somehow, and it's got my name on it as soon as I finish this post. Even a couple days later, they are still flaky and soft and sweet and spicy. Make them!

The little white blobs you see in the dough are butter.

This is why you get them to small pea-sized and no smaller, 

because it makes the crust oh so flaky delicious. 

It's the same recipe as the one I used from SK for my Thanksgiving pies

 So we didn't have the right cookie cutters, so I just used an overturned mug or glass

 The set up, using every inch of space in my teensy kitchen. Including the sink.

*I made 1/2 the recipe and that yielded about 14, I believe?


Crust
2 1/2 cups (313 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting surfaces, dipping fork
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar (doubled from my standard pie dough to make this more cookie-like)
1 teaspoon (4 grams) table salt
2 sticks (225 grams, 8 ounces, 16 tablespoons or 1 cup) unsalted butter, very cold
1/2 cup (118 ml) water, very cold (I pour 1 cup and add ice while I work, then measure 1/2 cup from it when I need it)

Filling
3 medium apples, whatever you like to bake with
Squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon
Few gratings fresh nutmeg
A pinch of any other spices you like in your apple pie

To finish
1 large egg
Coarse or granulated sugar for garnish

Additional stuff
A couple baking sheets covered with parchment paper
Rolling pin, pastry brush (for egg wash), fork (for crimping and dipping) and sharp knife (to make slits)
Two round cookie cutters of different sizes. I used 2 1/2-inch and 1 1/2 to 1 3/4-inch rounds. You’ll want to make sure there’s at least a 3/4-inch different in the sizes, as you’ll need the extra margin to crimp your dough.


Make your pie dough: 
Whisk together flour, sugar and salt in the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl. Using a pastry blender, two forks or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the biggest pieces of butter are the size of small peas. (You’ll want to chop your butter into small bits first, unless you’re using a very strong pastry blender in which case you can throw the sticks in whole, as I did.)
Gently stir in the ice water with a rubber spatula, mixing it until a craggy mass forms. Get your hands in the bowl and knead it just two or three times to form a ball. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and flatten a bit, like a disc.
Chill in fridge for at least an hour or up to two days.

Meanwhile, get everything else together:
Line up six small dishes. In the first one, pour some water. Leave the second one empty; you’ll use it for your apples in a bit. In the third one, mix the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and any other spices you like in your pie, such as a pinch of cloves. In the fourth one, place a little bit of flour to dust your surface and dip your fork for crimping. In the fifth one, whisk an egg with one teaspoon of water until smooth. In the last one, or in whatever container you keep it in, add some coarse or regular sugar for decorating the tops of the pies.

On a well-floured counter, roll out your pie dough pretty thin, a little shy of 1/8-inch thick. Lift and rotate your dough as you roll it, to ensure that it rolls out evenly and so you can be sure it’s not sticking in any place. Use the larger of your two cookie cutters  to cut as many rounds as you can from the dough. Transfer them to parchment-lined baking sheets and keep them in the fridge until you need them. Once you’ve finished the first packet, repeat the process with the second packet of dough.
[I didn't have round cookie cutters so we just cut the apples to fit and used a mug to make circles. It worked.]

Prepare your apples:
Peel your apples. Cut thin (1/8-inch thick) slices from one side of whole apple, stopping when you hit the core. Repeat on opposite side. I got about 10 usable slices from each side of my small-medium-ish apples. Use the smaller of your two cookie cutters (mine was about 1 2/3 inches) to cut the apples into cute little discs that will fit inside your pie cookies. Place them in your second bowl, covering them with a few drops of lemon juice if you find that they’re browning quickly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

And now, assemble away!
Grab your first disc of chilled dough and lightly dampen it on one side with the water. This is to help it seal. Take your first disc of apple and toss it in the cinnamon spice sugar. Place it on the damp side of the bottom disk. Place a second disc of dough on top; I found it easiest to seal it by picking the whole thing up (this is when you’ll be glad that your dough is cold and semi-firm; if it’s soft and getting sticky, chill it until it’s easy to pick up) and press the tops and bottoms around the apple with your fingers. Back on the floured counter, cut decorative slits in your “pies”. Dip your fork in the flour and use it to create a decorative crimp on the sealed edges. Brush your cookie with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Replace on baking sheet and chill while you prepare the others.

Bake your apple pie cookies for 25 minutes, or until puffed and bronzed and very pie-like. (If this is your first batch, peer in at them at 20 minutes, to make sure your oven doesn’t run hot.) Transfer to a cooling rack to cool before eating them.

Do ahead:
These will keep for a few days at room temperature, though not in my apartment. You could also make a larger batch of these, doing everything but brushing them with egg and sprinkling them with sugar, and keep them frozen until needed. Bake them directly from the freezer, just adding a couple minutes to the baking time.

thanksgiving: chocolate pudding pie

My second pie mainly happened because I only realized after making the pie crust recipe that I had enough for two single crust pies, not just the one (pumpkin). So I looked up another single crust recipe that sounded good and stuck with SK cause she always does me right, and I found this. It tasted pretty good, and it was overall easy to make but it does take a fair amount of time if you factor in making the pie crust dough, baking the crust, making the filling, and then letting it all chill. Is it hard? Definitely not. But do plan accordingly for the time.

Pudding filling:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk [I used reduced fat]
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not more than 60% cacao), finely chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chilled heavy cream

Bittersweet chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)

Prepare pie dough: 
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into an 11-inch round, then fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under and crimp edge decoratively. Prick bottom and side of shell all over with a fork, then chill shell 30 minutes. While shell chills, preheat oven to 375°F with a baking sheet on middle rack. Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. [For pie weights, I just poured a bag of dried beans in the foil as my grandma told me to do, as shown in the picture. It worked well as far as I can tell.]

Bake on baking sheet until pastry is set and edge is pale golden, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil, then bake shell on baking sheet until pale golden all over, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool shell.

Make pudding filling: 
Whisk together cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then gradually whisk [tips alert!] in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, then boil, whisking, two minutes (mixture will thicken). Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate and vanilla until smooth.

Pour filling into cooled shell and chill, its surface covered with wax paper (if you want to prevent a skin from forming), until cold, at least two hours.

Nutritional information (for 1/8 of filling, with reduced fat milk)
183 total calories
8g total fat
27g total carbs
4g protein

thanksgiving: pumpkin pie

As mentioned, I made the pies this year. First up was pumpkin pie, the ol' traditional. I used an SK recipe for the crust, which was heavenly (both as dough and baked), and posted it here. As for the pie filling, I just followed the recipe on the Kroger pumpkin pie can. Yes, it tasted delicious, and I loved the pie. For the whipped cream, I just whipped 1 cup of heavy whipping cream with 3 tbsp sugar, and it was perfect. You could also add a bit of vanilla to that if you wanted.

Trying to crimp the edges of my pie. 

It worked in the dough, but didn't make it through baking. Next time!

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk [I think I may have only used 1 cup since I didn't pour in the whole can]
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Combine filling ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well. Pour into pie crust.

Bake 15 minutes at 425°. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue baking 35-40 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool pie before cutting. Refrigerate any leftovers.

*you can substitute 1 (12 oz.) can Evaporated Milk plus 3/4 cup granulated sugar for the Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Nutritional Information (1/8 of filling recipe)
180 calories
4g total fat
29g total carbs
6g protein