Key Lime Pie

Hey, everyone! Hope you had a wonderful weekend and thank you so much for awesome feedback on last Friday's post. It was so refreshing to hear that I'm not the only one who struggles with feeling the pressure to do things perfectly. Sometimes we just need one another to remember how normal (or crazy!) we all truly are.

Moving on to lighter, but still important, matters, like pie. When we were in Salt Lake City a couple weeks back, we enjoyed an amazing meal. One of those lengthy eating experiences where you order appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts. Call me crazy, but I don't usually get all that excited about desserts at restaurants. Unless the restaurant is known for something specific, I find restaurant desserts to be overrated and overpriced.

But our dessert that night was different. Our server brought out the most amazing slice of key lime pie I've ever tasted. In fact, I forgot that I ever even liked key lime pie until a week and a half ago. Now, I feel quite differently. Something about the smooth simplicity, cutting tang of the limes and the almost-frozen chilled temperature was to die for.

When I searched the internet for the perfect recipe to recreate my experience at home, I knew it needed to be simple and classic. Naturally, I went to Gourmet, still my first true magazine love, for the recipe. Simply put, Gourmet never steers me wrong.

Why have I never made key lime pie before? (If you haven't made it before, either, you should be asking yourself the same question) It's ultra-simple, quick to pull together, and killer-good. Oh, and in other news, we've got over half a pie left. Someone help me before I eat it all myself!

Key Lime Pie
Recipe from Gourmet magazine, 2003
Ingredients
Crust
*5 tablespoons butter, melted
*1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
*2 tablespoons sugar

Filling
*1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
*1/2 cup key lime juice (or, if you can't find key lime juice sub freshly squeezed non-key lime juice)
*4 egg yolks

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 350°F.
*In a small bowl, combine the butter, graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir until well combined. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of one 9" pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes.
*Meanwhile, in a second bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and egg yolks. Stir until well combined. Pour mixture into baked pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
*Once pie is cooled, place in the fridge and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Cut into slices to serve. Makes 8 servings

Happy Baking!
Madison

Caramel Pumpkin Pie

This weekend Joey and I got together with a group of young couples at our church on Saturday night to share what we are thankful for, what God is doing in our lives and eat pie. Pretty awesome, right?

Since we are still pretty new to our town and church, I knew I couldn't bring just any old pie. I needed a pie that pulled out all the stops. And when I want a recipe that is sure to impress and go above and beyond without being complicated or overly fussy, I go to Gourmet Today. It a monster of a cookbook, coming in at just over 1,000 pages, and one that I'm realizing I don't use nearly enough.

But before you think that this pie is just like a hundred other pumpkin pies, let me assure you it isn't. The sugar and water are cooked until the mixture caramelizes, then gets infused with a hefty dose of heavy cream and spices that are substantial but not overpowering.

Edited on Monday to Add: The pie was a hit! There was only one slice left, and Joey took that problem off my hands on the way home from church.

Caramel Pumpkin Pie
Adapted slightly from Gourmet Today

Crust
*1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
*4 tablespoons butter, melted
*3 tablespoons sugar
*1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Filling
*2/3 cup sugar
*1/4 cup water
*1 1/2 cups heavy cream
*1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
*1 teaspoon ground ginger
*1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
*1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*3 large eggs, lightly beaten

*Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar and ground cinnamon until well combine. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch pie plate and press into the plate and up the sides to form a shell. Set aside.
*In a large heavy saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring, washing down sides of pan occasionally with a pastry brush dipped in cold water and gently swirling pan for even cooking until mixture is a deep golden carmel, about 10 minutes.
*Reduce heat to moderate and carefully add half of the cream (mixture will bubble vigorously), stirring until caramel is dissolved, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in remaining crema and bring just to a simmer. Remove from heat.
*Whisk together pumpkin, spices and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in hot cream mixutre, then eggs, whisking until well combined and smooth.
*Pour filling into prepared pie shell. Bake until filling is firm and just slightly wiggles in the center when the pie plate is touched, about 40 minutes.
*Cool pie compltely on a rack, about 2 hours.

Happy Baking!
Madison

Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey

I don't personaly know Jennifer Perillo, nor did I know her husband, Mikey. But like thousands of others across the web, I was brought to tears after reading her touching post in the wake of her husband's sudden and premature death.

When I first heard the news, I thought immediately to what we as a blogging community could do to offer love and support. Jennifer herself provided the answer: make Mikey's favorite peanut butter pie on Friday and enjoy it with loved ones. Such a simple, meaningful and delicious call to action that hundreds of bloggers are answering today.

Joey and I will be enjoying this pie at home with a couple of friends who are staying with us tonight, counting our blessings and being thankful for each and every day we have with one another. Life is such a precious gift, and I hate thinking about how much time we waste being angry over petty things or how busy we get with superficial details.

And the pie? It's as good as it gets. Quite similar to a giant peanut butter cup spooned into a chocolate cookie crust. I can't imagine a better way to celebrate loved ones.

I hope you make time to eat peanut butter pie soon, too.

Peanut Butter Pie
Adapted from In Jennie's Kitchen: Creamy Peanut Butter Pie 

Ingredients
*1 purchased chocolate cookie crust
*4 ounces milk chocolate chips
*1/4 cup chopped pecans
*1 cup heavy cream
*8 ounces cream cheese, softened
*1 cup creamy peanut butter
*1 cup confectioner's sugar
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions
*Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth. Spoon mixture into the bottom of the prepared pie crust. Top with the chopped pecans. Refrigerate until ready to use. 
*In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
*Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar.  Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.
*Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream).  Fold in the remaining whipped cream.  Pour the filling into pie crust. Refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving. Top with additional chopped pecans, if desired.

Happy Baking!

Madison

Coffee Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie

Sorry for the delay in posting, friends. I was excited to share this recipe on Friday before I left to celebrate my best friend's wedding in Minneapolis for the weekend. But blog host site issues kept me from posting before I left and the weekend was 100% computer-free.

Last week was unbelievably hot for Iowa in May. On more than one day, temperatures reached far into the 90's, turning my thoughts to ice pops and ice cream pie. This ice cream pie in particular will be making an appearance many times this summer, I can already tell.

It's unbelievably simple, rich, smooth and creamy. The perfect blend of sweet ice cream and tangy cheesecake frozen into a single no-bake pie. I could continue to wax on about this pie, but really, with a name like Coffee Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie, do I really need to?

Didn't think so.

Coffee Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie

Ingredients
*1 pre-packaged graham cracker crust
*2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
*2/3 cup powdered sugar
*1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
*1/3 cup milk (I used 2%)
*1 pint coffee-flavored ice cream (I used Starbucks), softened
*1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted (optional)

Instructions
*With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk and beat until creamy. Add in the ice cream and beat until smooth. Pour mixture into graham cracker crust and freeze in the freezer for at least 3 to 4 hours, or until completely firm and frozen.
*Before serving, drizzle with melted chocolate, if desired.

Happy Baking!

Madison  

No-Roll Pie Dough

Good morning and happy Wednesday, friends!

I want to introduce you to someone. Her name is Alice, and she is as sweet and real as they come. Her blog, Savory Sweet Life, is packed with family-friendly recipes and tempting goodies. But what really caught my eye a few months back was the pie dough recipe Alice shared.

Well, it wasn't so much the recipe itself but the concept. A no-roll pie dough? Did such a thing really exist all these years? And was it possible that for all these years I could have been making pie shells without all the grief of rolling and fluting? It appears so.

Of course for a fancy, finished feel, rolling dough still has its place, but for everyday, this method has become my go-to.

Over the past few weeks, I've been testing out pie dough recipes, looking for a favorite. When I opened up the June issue of Martha Stewart Living, I knew I had a winner. Her Pate Brisee, the French version of pie dough, was chock full of butter - a great sign of you're looking for light, flaky crust. And when it came out of the oven it didn't disappoint!

Pate Brisee
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, June 2011

Ingredients
*2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon sugar
*2 sticks butter, cold and cut into cubes
*1/4 to 1/3 cup ice cold water

Instructions
*In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
*With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
*With your hands, press pie dough into a lightly-greased pie plate, working to be sure the dough is pressed into an even layer of thickness on the bottom and up the sides of the plate. Bake per recipe instructions.

Happy Baking!
Madison

Pie Bites

One of my earliest food memories is of baking pies with my mom. Thinking about it now, I'm not sure my mom made that many pies, but the times she did burn bright in my memory. Not of the actual pie, but of the scraps. My mom would brush the scraps of pie crust with cinnamon sugar and put them in the oven with the pie as a special treat for me to eat. Flaky, delicious finger-food. Perfect for little hands that couldn't wait for a pie to bake and cool.

So last week, instead of baking a whole pie, I put together a batch of flaky pie crust and cut it out like cookies. And you know what I realized? It's a whole lot more fun than a whole pie. A perfect sweet bite at the end of a meal, and great for people like me who like to mix it up. Smears of Nutella, fruit preserves, and yes, peanut butter, keep things interesting.

And this pie crust? To die for. Flaky, light and, most importantly, easy. For anyone who has struggled with flaky pie crust, I know your pain. My grandmother makes the world's best pies, and my mom knows it. So growing up, her standards for the pie crusts I made were very high. In fact, it wasn't until this year that I felt I was getting closer to pie crust perfection. With this crust, you, too, can get there.

So here's to pie and desserts to get you thought the week!

Pie Bites
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients
*1 1/4 cups flour
*8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
*1/4 tsp. kosher salt
*1/4 cup ice water
*1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
*2 Tbsp. sugar
*1 tsp. ground cinnamon
*1/2 cup Nutella or Fruit Preserves

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. (I recently got a Silpat for Christmas and can't say enough good things about it!)
*In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, butter and salt. Pulse 5 to 10 times, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Be careful not to pulse too many times. The butter should still be slightly clumpy.
*Combine the water and egg yolk. Add in the water and egg yolk mixture and pulse until dough starts to come together. Press the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour.
*Roll dough into 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into circles with a cookie cutter of the top of a drinking glass. Transfer to baking sheet. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over circles.
*Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, until edges are just slightly browned. Remove from oven and cool slightly. While circles are still warm, spread with Nutella.

Happy Baking!

Madison

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

After this past weekend, are you in need of something to lighten you up?

Would you rather just be eating pumpkin pie?

Yeah, I'm with you on that one. I don't care how many times I've had it, I love pumpkin pie and I wish it stuck around longer than just two months.

What keeps my cravings at bay these days? Pumpkin Pie Smoothies.

If you follow any health blogs, you've probably seen a recipe or two similar to this sometime in the last couple of months, for good reason.

Though it may sound a little strange, it tastes totally delicious and is completely healthy and safe for every day consumption. One of these smoothies has less than 300 calories per serving, over 1,000 mg of potassium, 388% vitamin A, 40% vitamin B6, and over 25% vitamin C. Of course, this depends on the type of protein powder you use, but it's a nutrient powerhouse no matter what type of protein you choose.

Give it a try. You won't be sorry.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
(Printable Recipe)
Ingredients

*1 medium banana
*1/2 cup milk
*1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
*2 tsp. Stevia, Splenda, or honey
*1/2 cup canned pumpkin
*5-7 ice cubes
*1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions
*Place all the above ingredients in a blender and blend or process until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Happy Cooking

Madison

Holiday Fruit Pie

The emotional connection I have with this pie is a little bit ridiculous. Perhaps it's borderline obsessive.

It was part of the November 2009 "Easy Holiday Baking" feature in Better Homes and Gardens - the first project I worked on while I was an intern at the magazine. And while I wasn't the creator of the recipe, I did see it through from conceptualization to testing to photography and finally, I wrote the copy to accompany this amazing dessert.

Last December, Joey and I had plans to go on our first real date. And then a snowstorm hit and our plans to go somewhere were squashed. Instead, we ate a dinner I made at home, and for dessert I made this pie. I like to think it was what sealed the deal on our relationship.

I'm pretty sure this pie has magic powers. It's made with both fresh and dried cranberries, and some golden raisins thrown in for good measure. It pops in your mouth with bright, tangy flavor
that's just tart enough to keep it interesting. And because it's tangy and tart, it doesn't leave you with that sickeningly sweet feeling. Meaning you can eat two slices. Or three.

Holiday Fruit Pie
Straight from Better Homes and Gardens magazine | November, 2009 
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients
*1 Recipe Butter Pastry, recipe below
*1 (12-oz.) bag  fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries
*2 to 3 tsp.  finely shredded orange peel
*1 cup  orange juice
*1/2 cup  golden raisins
*1/2 cup  dried cranberries
*1 cup  sugar
*1/4 cup  all-purpose flour
*1 egg, lightly beaten
*2 to 3 tsp.  sugar

Instructions
* Prepare Butter Pastry.
*In saucepan combine cranberries, orange peel, orange juice, raisins, and dried cranberries; bring to boiling over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, 3 minutes. In bowl combine sugar and flour; add to saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat.
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On floured surface, roll one dough portion to 12-inch circle. Wrap pastry around the rolling pin. Unroll into 9-inch pie plate. Pour in filling. Trim bottom pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge.
*On floured surface, roll remaining dough to 13-inch circle; cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Weave strips over fruit filling in lattice pattern. Press strips into bottom pastry rim. Seal and crimp edge, if desired. Brush with egg and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
*Cover edge with foil. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 20 minutes more or until top is nicely browned and filling is bubbly. Let stand at least 1 hour. Makes 8 servings.

*Butter Pastry: In a large mixing bowl combine 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Using fork, cut in 1/3 cup chilled shortening and 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces until crumbly. Using fork, stir in 8 to 9 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough just starts for form. Knead 2 or 3 times in bowl. Divide in half. Form halves into 2 discs. Wrap with plastic wrap; chill at least 30 minutes.

Happy Baking!

Madison

Bluberry Galette

Whew! I feel as if I've been out of touch with the outside world for months when it's only been a week. I've been spending time with family and friends and celebrating a milestone birthday for my dad. And now the list of blogs I have to catch up on reading is a mile long, the laundry is piling up as I write this post, and I don't even want to think about the state of my eyebrows. I'm not sure what the connection is, but I'm pretty positive good-looking eyebrows and technology go hand in hand.

I've taken a brief reprieve from this lack of technology to share with you something I made just before I left. J. and his family stopped by my apartment last Thursday and while they were here, I shared a good portion of this Blueberry Galette. Though I've said it before, a galette is probably the easiest variation on a pie. Flaky crust? Check. Fruit filling? Check. The only thing that is missing is the fuss and frustration of rolling out a perfect pie crust with a beautiful, fluted edge.

Every pie crust I've ever made, before this one, has contained butter. Buttery, flaky crust is what it's all about, right? Well Ree, aka The Pioneer Woman, has changed my mind about it all. She provided this recipe for perfect pie crust, made with shortening in place of butter, and boy is it divine. Flaky and light, this crust has it all. And the blueberry filling tops it off, with bright citrus, a touch of sugar, and a little flour to pull it all together, this is pie at its very best and easiest.  

I'm off to continue my vacation, but I'll be back soon with lots of exciting news!

Blueberry Galette 
(Printable Recipe) 

Perfect Pie Crust
Courtesy of the Pioneer Woman Cooks 
Ingredients:
*1 1/2 cups Crisco
*3 cups all-purpose flour
*1 whole egg
*5 Tbsp. cold water
*1 tsp. salt

Instructions:
*Preheat oven to 400*F. 
*In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.*Form the dough into a ball, then flatten slightly into a disc. Put the dough into a zip-top bag and place in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes.
*On a large sheet of parchment paper roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out into a 12 to 14 inch circle. This circle doesn't have to be perfect, just in a fairly circular shape. Transfer the dough circle, on the parchment paper, to a baking sheet. Prepare the blueberry filling.

Blueberry Filling
Ingredients:
*2 pints bluberries
*3 Tbsp. sugar
*2 Tbsp. flour
*2 tsp. lemon zest
*Juice from half a lemon

*1 egg, lightly beaten
*1 Tbsp. sugar

Instructions:
*In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, flour, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Toss to coat evenly. Spoon the mixture into the center of the dough circle, leaving a 2 to 3 inch dough border around the filling. Turn dough up around the filling, pinching the edges of the crust together as needed. Brush the crust with the lightly beaten egg, sprinkle with sugar.
*Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until crust is golden brown and filling begins to bubble slightly. Remove from oven and cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges to serve.

Happy Baking!

Madison

 

 

Gluten-free Cranberry-Pear Crumble Pie

Rainy days and nights. We seem to be having a lot of rainy days in Central Iowa and lately all I've wanted to do when it's raining is to sit inside and hole up under a pile of blankets. I've found my happy place. Rainy night and howling wind, I'm hiding under the covers while watching Gossip Girl, drinking coffee, and blogging about pie. Gluten-free Cranberry-Pear Crumble Pie at that.

Disclaimer: I have very little practical knowledge of gluten-free anything. The number of times I have attempted to bake anything gluten free could be counted on one finger. Since so many people have been following a gluten-free diet lately for various health reasons, I figured I would jump on board...at least every once in a while.

If I could, I would give you the recipe for this pie, but since I was just throwing and tossing a bit of this and a bit of that into the filling, I'm afraid I don't have one. It amounted to something like 5 sliced pears, 1 cup dried cranberries, 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of gluten-free flour, and 2 tablespoons of butter dotted on top of the filling. The crumble on top was 1/4 cup gluten-free flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons butter blended with a pastry cutter or fork until crumbly.


But the filling really isn't the most difficult part when it comes to gluten-free baking. My nemesis? The crust! I picked up a package of Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Mix, but I know there are a lot of other gluten-free flours suitable for baking. I followed a basic butter pastry recipe, but substituted my new flour.

The pie baked at 375F for around 40 minutes, or until the pears felt crisp-tender. During the last 10 minutes of baking, I covered the top of the pie with foil to prevent the crust from over-browning. After letting it cool, it was time for the taste test.....


Not bad. Not bad at all. Actually, it was pretty good! The pear-cranberry combination was delicious, as was the crumble on top. The crust was noticeably different in texture and taste. It was a bit more challenging to work with, because it pulled apart easier, and was a bit more cracker-like once baked. Heather Morgan Shott, Senior Food Editor of Better Homes and Gardens online, lives gluten-free and told me the secret to gluten-free pastry is Xanthan Gum, and after looking at a few websites, it seems as if a teaspoon is all it takes to help the pastry roll out better withouth falling apart.

Do any of you follow a gluten-free diet or have you ever done any gluten-free baking?

Happy cooking!
Madison