Boston Cream Pie

 

 

The last time I made Boston Cream Pie was more than a dozen years ago but I had another go recently for my Mom's birthday.  Back then I wasn't satisfied with the runny texture of the pastry cream, so for this attempt I made sure it was firm.   To assemble my cake I also went a bit off piste.  The cake was baked as three layers, instead of the traditional two, and for the chocolate ganache icing I went the simple, minimalist route. 

 

Fried Peach Hand Pies

 

My obsession with McDonald's fried apple pies is well known amongst family and friends.  You can be fairly certain that if I come across a franchise that has the fried pies on the menu I will definitely be buying them.  Unfortunately it's the baked variety that is commonly sold in the States so I have to get my fried pie fix when I'm out of the country (normally you can find them in Europe). 

I've got peaches on the brain lately because we're at the height of the season.  As I was looking up peach recipes on Cook's Illustrated I came across this recipe for Fried Peach Hand Pies.  What?  A fried pie made with peach filling?  Sold!

What I particularly love about this recipe is that you can use either fresh or frozen peaches, especially handy when it's not peak peach season.  The crust couldn't be simpler to make in the food processor and is easy to work with.  I tested the recipe using frozen peaches and, call me crazy, I actually think the peach flavor is more pronounced using frozen fruit.  Who would have known?  

 

The deep fat fryer I bought at the beginning of the pandemic made quick work of frying the pies in no time at all. Is there anything better than the sound of food frying?  Impatient to see how they tasted I had to have a taste of a fried pie while it was still hot.  One bite and I was not disappointed.  So delicious!  The golden brown crust was nice and flaky and the filling was bursting with peach flavor.  I gave some pies to my sister to taste and she said they were fantastic.   Now I want to try other fruit fillings to use with the dough.   Dare I attempt to replicate my beloved McDonald's fried apple pie?  We shall see....

Sour Cherry Pie

 

For the past few years it's been a family tradition to go cherry-picking in the month of May.  My parents literally live down the road from a u-pick farm which primarily grows the Coral Champagne and Tulare varieties.  There's nothing better than hand selecting the sweetest and firmest fruits right off the tree branches.  While the sweet cherries grown locally are perfect for snacking, when it comes to baked goods I prefer the sour variety.

 

 

 

At a springtime luncheon I hosted a few months ago a friend brought along a Sour Cherry Pie for dessert that was utterly delicious.  Unfortunately it's difficult to find fresh or fresh frozen sour cherries  in California and when I looked into having the frozen ones shipped from the Midwest or Washington state the costs were too exorbitant. 

Then I remembered seeing canned sour cherries at the supermarket, in the same location where the pie fillings were located.   I particularly like this brand because the fruit is packed in just water, no added sugar or other preservatives.  Using a Stella Parks filling recipe I added in sugar, tapioca starch, lemon juice and salt to the cherries.  When it came to the crusts of course I used my favorite one with vodka which guarantees the flakiest crust. 

I brought the pie to a recent Memorial Day barbecue and it got rave review from my family which aren't easy to come by.  Honestly, I wasn't sure how it would be received since I'd never made a sour cherry pie before but I was very happy with how much my family loved it.  Now that I know I can make cherry pie any time of the year this definitely will NOT be just a summertime dessert.

 

Freeze-Dried Berry No-Bake Cheesecake

 

I love the idea of no-bake desserts especially when it's hot outside because the last thing I want to do is turn on an oven.  When I saw this post on Serious Eats for a no-bake cheesecake that used freeze-dried fruit I was definitely intrigued.  I've made an icebox cheesecake before but I liked this recipe from Stella Parks because it used the freeze-dried fruits to infuse a fruity flavor, but sans the additional moisture that fresh fruit would bring. 

 

 

Luckily I had a bag of freeze-dried raspberries from Trader Joe's sitting in my pantry along with the other cheesecake ingredients to make half the recipe.  The recipe scaled down easily to fit a 9x5" loaf pan.  Since I'm trying to limit the number of trips I make to the grocery store it's always a plus when I have everything on hand.   

 

 

I had a taste of the filling as I was making the cheesecake and the intense raspberry flavor from the freeze-dried fruit was incredible.  It was literally a berry explosion.  Is it strange that it reminded me of fruit-flavored Starburst candies?  As a self-professed lover of the color pink this cheesecake also appealed to me aesthetically.  I could easily picture this dessert gracing the table at a baby shower or birthday party.  

Milk Bar Crack Pie

Have you been watching the fourth season of Netflix's Chef's Table like I have?  The current series focuses on pastry/dessert and the first episode profiled Christina Tosi of Milk Bar fame.  I don't know about you but after watching it I felt really inspired to make the dessert that started it all, Crack Pie. 

I'd visited the original bakery in NYC many, many years ago and didn't recall ever tasting the pie so I was really curious to see what all the hype was about.  Luckily I had all the ingredients in my pantry so it was basically a no brainer that I was going to make it.  

What's unusual about this pie is that the crust is made from oatmeal cookies.  The filling reminded me of the ones you'd find in pecan pie, i.e., very dense.  I admit I was concerned after seeing the  amount of sugar that's in the recipe because I don't care for overly sweet things.  Luckily the salt acts as a good counter balance to the sugar.   

My review?  While I personally thought the pie was too sweet for my taste I can see how people really like it because of the sweet and salty combination.  I had a scoop of coffee ice cream with my slice which I think helped offset the sugary factor.  Would I make it again?  Probably not for myself, but definitely for someone else if they asked.

Next on the docket - Milk Bar's celebrated Birthday Cake.  Stay tuned....

Dutch Apple Pie

If you've made apple pies before then you've probably encountered the same issues that I have after they're baked.  The dreaded air pocket between the filling and the top crust.  This normally happens because the apple filling shrinks as the pie cools.  Don't get me wrong, it doesn't impact the taste in the least, but the Virgo in me (aka perfectionist), is chagrined.

Dutch Apple Pie is the solution!  Don't know why I didn't think of it sooner.  It's perfect because there's no top crust to contend with, therefore no air pocket.  And who doesn't love the buttery crumb topping?  Genius!

If you were following my InstaStories then you know that this pie was actually my second attempt at making Dutch apple.  In the initial recipe I tested the filling came out too watery and the crust was a bit too gummy.  I went back to the drawing board and mashed up a few components from different recipes to get to this beauty you see here before you.

Without a doubt my favorite pie crust of all time is the foolproof one from Cook's Illustrated that contains vodka.  It is seriously no fail and bakes up crispy and flaky every single time.   For the filling I piggybacked off my Honeycrisp Apple Pie but tweaked it ever so slightly.   Everyone knows Dutch apple pie is all about the crumb topping and Cook's Country has the best version around.   

When combined, all three components were culinary magic.  I'll definitely be making this pie again for Thanksgiving.  I recommend you do too!

Honeycrisp Apple Pie

My dear friends Frank and Evelyn moved from San Francisco to Seattle several years ago.  Both had lived and worked in the Bay Area for more than a decade but actually grew up in the Pacific Northwest, so their return to the Emerald City was a homecoming of sorts.  

I try to visit them at least once a year and on my most recent trip up north I requested we go apple picking.  Honeycrisp apples in particular, known for being sweet, slightly tart and definitely crisp.  Washington state produces the majority of the apples grown in the US and apple picking is a time honored fall tradition.

We drove about 45 minutes outside of Seattle and headed to The Farm at Swan's Trail.  The weather couldn't have been better and because it was the beginning of the season there was an abundance of fruit just ripe for the picking.  Forty five minutes and about fifty pounds of apples later we went home thoroughly satisfied.   

 I ended up bringing about ten pounds of apples back to San Francisco (in my checked luggage!) and was determined to bake something with them.   Up until now I hadn't had much success with apple pies, but when I did a google search for Honeycrisp recipes I came upon this one from epicurious.com claiming it was their "favorite apple pie."  

 The filling was super easy to pull together, but rather than using the included crust recipe I instead used Cook's Illustrated's foolproof one.   It's the most buttery, flaky crust I've ever tasted, owing to the use of vodka, and knew it would be fantastic for my pie.  Golden brown and bubbling from the oven, the pie smelled heavenly.  But the real test would be once it was cooled.  Would the filling be soupy and mushy, similar to previous pies I'd made?  The verdict: NOT AT ALL!   

 

One bite of the cinnamon and nutmeg infused apple filling and I was hooked.  Epicurious was spot on, Honeycrisp apples were the perfect variety to use for pie baking - sweet and tart but still able to hold their shape.   I think I've found my very own foolproof apple pie recipe!

 

Happy Pi Day

To all the math afficionados out there, Happy Pi Day! 

In celebration of 3.14, I baked a trifecta of yummy pies from America's Test Kitchen, clockwise from top: French Silk Chocolate Pie, Blueberry Pie and North Carolina Lemon Pie  These beauties will be coming with me to the office for my colleagues to enjoy.

NPR Lemon-Lime Pie

An email a while back from my sister, "Heard this lemon pie story on NPR and it sounds delicious and easy."  For those of you who may not be fluent in "big sister", allow me to translate:  "Can you make this pie for me - because I'm lazy and besides, you love to bake anyways." Luckily for her she's right, on both counts.

I was definitely intrigued by the recipe for Atlantic Beach Pie.  The filling is similar to one for key lime pie and requires basically only three ingredients: condensed milk, egg yolks and fresh lemon or lime juice.  The twist is the crust that's made with saltine crackers.  Hmmmm...salty and sweet - definitely promising.  

Could a pie this easy to make with so few ingredients be the real deal?  I had my reservations, but when I brought it to a recent family BBQ it was unanimously given the thumbs up.  Almost unheard of from such a large group of self-appointed food critics.

The tart filling wasn't as sweet as I had thought and the salty cracker crust was the perfect counter balance to it.  I think it's an ideal dessert after a heavy meal.   I'll definitely be making it again and again!  Could this be a case of "sister knows best"?  I shudder to think...lol!

Deep Dish Apple Pie

No, no, I didn't drop off the face of the earth!  My three month absence from the blogosphere can be easily explained.  Basically, I was without a kitchen - no kitchen, therefore no baking.  See?  But now I'm back and making up for lost time.  Thanks to all of you who haven't given up on me.  

This Thanksgiving I hosted fourteen of my family.  If ever there was a reason to freak out that may have been it.  Luckily, with some pre-planning, preparation and lots of help from my mom and sisters things went as smooth as could be.  The 19-lb turkey was brined and roasted in three hours using a fantastic Cook's Illustrated recipe.  I've made it for the last few years and it always comes out absolutely delicious - so plump and juicy with super crispy skin every single time.  

As for Thanksgiving dessert, pumpkin pie is my all-time favorite but apple is definitely the runner-up.  I had been waiting to make CI's Deep Dish Apple Pie specifically for this occasion.  The recipe can be found at their online cooking school.  [You may recall that I was lucky enough to win a 1-year scholarship to the school many months ago.  I highly recommend checking it out if you're really interested in learning to cook or becoming a better cook].    

The crust uses vodka along with water to make it super flaky and pre-cooking the apples on the stove avoids the common issue of a soggy filling.  Accompanied with vanilla ice cream it was absolute bliss.

TWD Blueberry Nectarine Pie

I would have never thought to combine blueberries and nectarines but for this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe they worked so well together.  It's not often I'm pleasantly surprised.

Good thing this pie was a snap to make because I've been engrossed in the Summer Olympics on tv as I'm sure the rest of you are.  I used blueberries I froze a few months ago and also white nectarines.  To ensure that the filling thickened and set properly I added a tablespoon of finely ground minute tapioca.  It did the trick beautifully and my pie sliced like a dream.    

Everyone knows the best part of a pie is going to be the crust and this version was flaky and buttery.  My only issue was that it was almost too tender to roll out, but I could think of worse things to happen.

Head on over to Manchego’s Kitchen or That Skinny Chick Can Bake for this delicious recipe.  It's definitely Olympic medal worthy!

TWD Pizza Rustica

Looking for a savory dish to serve at your Easter brunch this Sunday?  You should definitely try Pizza Rustica, this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe.  Don't be confused by the name; it's not a pizza you normally think of.  It's actually a deep-dish pie that's similar to a quiche and packed with ricotta, mozzarella, pecorino romano and prosciutto.

The pizza rustica was easy to make because the pastry dough was extremely forgiving.  For my pie I included two more cured meats to make it super flavorful, calabrese salame and capocollo.  Next time I think I'll also add some fresh or dried herbs like basil and oregano to kick it up a notch.  While a slice can be enjoyed cold or at room temperature I preferred it warm with a side of arugula tossed in vinegar and oil.  Delizioso!

Capital Region Dining and The Place They Call Home are this week's hosts and have published the recipe on their blogs.

French Silk Chocolate Pie

This French Silk Chocolate Pie was recently featured on an episode of Cook's Country TV.   There was something so nostalgic and retro about it that, despite my apprehension about pies, I had to make it.   

In the world of baking my Achilles' heel always seems to be pies.   You know why?  The darn crust!  I could never get it right, until now!  Cook's Illustrated has a foolproof pie crust that really does live up to its name...seriously it should be called idiot-proof.  And the funny part is that it includes vodka in the recipe, yes, vodka...genius!

I'm not sure where the "French" comes in to play, but perhaps it's describing the texture.  The chocolate filling is so silky smooth, light and delicious...any chocoholic will fall in love with it.   And don't get me started on the crust!

Blueberry Pie

Given the number of years I've been baking you'd think that I'd be pretty proficient at it.  I'd like to think that for the most part that was true, but there's one thing where I definitely lack skill - pies .  I don't know why, but for some reason I've never really had much success with them; ironic considering how much I love making tarts.  Perhaps it's the double-crust that's my downfall?

  

So this summer I'm determined to conquer my pie-making fears.  To kick things off I tried  Cook's Illustrated blueberry pie recipe and had fantastic results.  

The crust is super flaky and the filling holds up beautifully with just the right amount of sweetness.  My favorite way to enjoy it?  Slightly warm with a scoop of Haagen-Dazs lemon ice cream...absolute bliss!  

Dare I be so bold as to attempt apple next?  Stay tuned and see.....