Sweet Mary

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie II

OK, this is the last strawberry post for a while.  As you can tell, I was super busy last weekend with all of those freshly picked strawberries.  Before the weekend was over, I had 12 jars of jam, three containers of frozen strawberries, shortcakes, and a strawberry rhubarb pie.  I am now on sugar/butter detox after eating so many desserts in such a short time frame!

I certainly do look forward to my annual strawberry rhubarb pie, though.  You can read about the pie I made last year around this time HERE.  That pie was a beauty with it's lovely lattice top.  It had a different kind of sweet taste due to the use of brown sugar in the filling.  I liked it very much; however, this is the recipe I adore more than any other I have tried.  If you can get perfect strawberries and perfect rhubarb, this pie is absolutely incredible and will garner over-the-top reactions from even the most critical pie enthusiast.  The combination of cornstarch and quick-cooking tapioca ensure that the filling will set up amazingly well.  And, quite frankly, the fruit will speak for itself.  There is nothing like the combination of strawberries and rhubarb for a powerfully evocative sweet-tart taste that you will look forward to all year long, as I do.

Now, I'm not going to lie.  I had some complications last Sunday when I went to make my pie dough.  We had a wave of humidity that descended upon East Providence in one nasty swoop.  And, of course, my third floor apartment sucked in the humidity of the whole house and it made it damn near impossible to roll my dough because the butter was melting faster than I could work.  Mind you, I thought I was going to beat any potential heat because it was only 9:30 a.m.  But, what can you do?   Weather (especially heat and humidity) can really affect baking.  I was determined to make this pie, so I made some more dough and downsized to a smaller pie pan so I wouldn't have to stretch the dough any further than necessary.  Then, I threw every ingredient and piece of equipment into my freezer for a spell to keep things cold at least for a few minutes.  The only other problem I encountered was crimping the edges.  The dough and butter were just too soft for any shape to form properly.  So, this pie came out a tad ugly and misshapen around the edges by my standards; however, it did not affect the taste at all. 

 

I brought this pie to work to eat after lunch with my team and, unfortunately, forgot my camera.  Therefore, I didn't catch an image of a nice slice.  Oh well.  You can just imagine the vibrancy of the strawberry and rhubarb melded together in a nice flaky buttery crust.  I snagged the last piece, which didn't last very long after I returned home.  Man, was that pie delicious!

For the Pie Crust recipe, click HERE.  This is the one I always used.  So, it's tried and true.  Don't forget to double the recipe because you need a double crust.  This recipe is from my 2003 Williams & Sonoma Pie and Tart book (which has never let me down).

For the Filling

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca

pinch of salt

3 cups strawberries, hulled and halved

3 cups rhubarb, trimmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

After rolling out the bottom pie crust and laying it into a pie dish, make sure you remember to brush the bottom with a little whisked egg. This cooks a bit while baking and prevents a soggy bottom crust.  Store the pie crust in the fridge while you get the filling ready, especially if it is hot.

In a small bowl, stir the sugar, cornstarch, tapioca, and salt together.  Place the strawberries and rhubarb in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with the sugar mixture and toss to distribute evenly.  Immediately transfer to the dough-lined pan.  Dot with butter.

Roll the top crust out.  Lay over fruit.  Do this by rolling half of the dough around your rolling pin.  Lift it up off your work surface and position it over the pie.  Unfold.  Trim the edge neatly.  Leave 1 inch of over hang.  Then, fold the edge of the top round under the bottom round.  Crimp edges to seal.  Brush the top of the crust with water.  Sprinkle sugar over the top crust.  Then, cut your vents however you wish.  You can also make vents by using small cookie cutters when rolling the dough out.  Just be careful when you lay the dough over the fruit, as it will stretch a bit and you want to keep your cut out shapes in tact.  

Put the finished pie into the fridge for 20-30 minutes until it firms up.  Place an oven rack in the bottom third of your oven.  Preheat to 350 F.  Place the pie on a baking sheet lined with foil (in case it bubbles over). Bake the pie until the crust is golden and the filling is thick and bubbling, about 50-60 minutes.  Cool completely on a rack so the pie will set up.  Serve at room temperature or rewarm.

Sugar High Friday: Mary's I Hate Winter Where the Hell is Spring Pie

Ah, yes. I am finally participating in a Sugar High Friday. To elaborate a bit, Sugar High Friday was created by The Domestic Goddess, a blogger who loves sweets. Essentially, it's a round up of themed dessert recipes from bloggers around the world. It's also hosted by a different blogger each month. Pretty cool, right?

The other day, I accidentally came across this month's Sugar High Friday call out when I was doing some research on a site called Idealist in the article, "Bake Sale in the Blogosphere." A woman named Rachel who runs the site Vampituity is hosting this month's Sugar High Friday and, my oh my, she has a great idea that I just couldn't pass up.

Click HERE to read about the "Pies that Evoke Dreams" project. The purpose of this month's pies (inspired by the movie Waitress) is to raise awareness and hopefully money for the Pie Ranch, an educational center for kids that teaches them about the food cycle. They grow produce and make pies from what they grow. And, they sell their pies in a shop in the Mission District in San Francisco. Thanks to my friend Jennifer, who lives in San Francisco, I already knew about the Pie Ranch and, of course, think it's fantastic.

Now, about my pie. It's STILL the dead of winter here in New England. Although it is now light when I leave work at 5:15pm every evening, the air is cold, cold, cold. We've had seemingly endless gray days. As of right now, we're expecting three to eight inches of snow which will turn into sleet. There is not one little yellow sun in the forcast for the next seven days. It's rather gloomy.

Therefore, my inspiration for the pie was the thought of spring. Something light. Something refreshing. Something that will make you say "YUM" and infuse a little energy into your step. Because, lord knows, all of us here in Providence are utterly fatigued from winter and anxiously (OK, desperately), awaiting spring. The super creamy and luscious filling of my pie is made from fresh tart lemons. I've used a good old fashioned buttery flaky crust and topped the pie off with the freshest berries I could find. My colleagues at work are in for a treat.

Sound delicious? Make a contribution to a nonprofit helping to transform the world through pie - Pie Ranch. Please specify "Pie Ranch/Green Oaks Fund" in the "Designation" field of the online donation form (Pie Ranch is fiscally sponsored by the Rudolph Steiner Foundation) at http://tinyurl.com/3bmn4c.

Crust (From Williams and Sonoma Pie and Tart)

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
3 tablespoons very cold water

Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut butter into small pieces. Make sure it is very cold. Add butter to flour mixture and toss to coat. Mix on low till the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. The butter should be pea-sized. Then, add water one tablespoon at a time. Keep mixer running on low. Mix just until dough pulls together. Form it into a four-inch disc.

At this point, you can roll the dough out to 12-inches and lay it in a pie dish. Then, refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

You will have to blind bake it (i.e. bake it off). Heat oven to 375 F. Line pie crust with foil. Fill with pie weights. Put on a sheet pan. Put in oven and bake for 25 minutes or so. Check it to see if it looks wet. If it still looks wet, keep it in with the foil until it doesn't. Then, remove foil and weights. Continue baking for another 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack.

Lemon Pastry Cream (Adapted from a site called Big Oven)

*Please read the note at the bottom before making.

3 cups half and half
zest of one lemon
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons butter

Put half and half, half of the sugar, and lemon zest in a saucepan. Then, in a bowl, combine egg yolks, the rest of the sugar, and the cornstarch. Heat half and half mixture until it almost boils (just under a boil). Temper the eggs (i.e. pour some of the hot half and half into the eggs, whisk, and then return the yolk mix to the saucepan). Continue whisking over medium high heat for roughly five minutes. You want the mixture to thicken, but you do not want it to boil. Don't stop whisking. Then, take it off the heat. Add the lemon juice and butter. Mix thoroughly. Pour into the cooled pie crust while hot. Place a piece of plastic over it directly against the cream to make sure a skin doesn't form. Refrigerate for a few hours. Then, you can arrange whatever fruit you wish on top. I would also recommend a glaze of heated apricot or apple jam over the fruit. Just brush it on. I didn't have time to do this , but it looks nicer and preserves the fruit a bit.

Note: This pastry cream recipe could use a little tweaking. It needs to be a bit thicker. The taste was good; however, a bit heavy on the yolks. I would reduce the yolks by one or two, decrease the half and half by half a cup, and add (maybe) 1/2 teaspoon more of cornstarch. That just might do the trick.

Also, the actual Sugar High Friday is next Friday. And, sorry, for the dark photos, but there is a snow storm going on outside and no light to be had today (and my flash stinks).

Pear, Rum, and Pecan Tart

Since Sunday afternoon, I have cranked out two batches of holiday cookies and a very tasty tart for a small party at work. Yep, I thought that a taste of something sweet would be a good way for my new colleagues to become better acquainted with me. After all, they're going to be eating the stuff I bake for the next few months! And, well, more time in the kitchen is always a good thing in December to ward off the long stretch of cold that lies ahead.

So, what to bake for a holiday lunch? I chose a Pear, Rum, and Pecan Tart from Room for Dessert by David Lebovitz (p. 76). Pardon the photos. They were taken in house at my job before I sliced and plated the tart.

This tart was lovely. Toasted pecans in a rum custard. Very nice. I even made the suggested chocolate sauce to go along with it. The only thing that would have made it better was a nice strong cup of good coffee.

Brown Butter and Rum Custard

3 eggs
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 cup pecans, toasted
10 tablespoons butter
2 medium pears
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon dark rum

1 prebaked 9-inch tart shell

To make custard: Whisk together eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons dark rum.
Coarsely chop pecans after toasting.
Cut butter into chunks. Melt it slowly over low heat in a saucepan. Be careful when it bubbles up. The recipe said it calms down and, indeed, it did. When the butter gets dark and looks like the color of maple syrup, remove from heat. Don't let it burn. Quickly pour it into the egg mixture. I poured it through a strainer because there is some "stuff" left from the butter. When you pour it, make sure you whisk the egg mixture rapidly so the eggs don't cook. Stir in the pecans. Put this in the fridge to thicken for an hour.

For the pears: Peel them. Quarter them. Core them. Cut lengthwise 1/4 inch thick. Put them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of dark rum and the brown sugar. Macerate them for 15 minutes. Be sure to toss them often to coat.

To bake the tart: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put the rack in the center of the oven. Arrange pears concentrically in the prebaked tart shell. Pour custard over pears and fill to rim. Set the tart on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Cool before serving. Pair with chocolate sauce and/or homemade whipped cream.

Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie

Yes, it's October. It's 80 degrees. But, we can still pretend it's fall, right? Look at that apple pie. Can't you just see the apple orchard? Feel the chilly fall air? Taste the juiciest sweetest apples ever? Well, I had a blast picking apples in Old Lyme, Connecticut with a friend, her son, and two of her neighbor's daughters. First, we went through the corn maze. Then, we picked our apples. And, then, we had cider and fresh donuts that were delicious.

On Sunday, to use my apples, I made a big batch of applesauce to go with some roasted pork loin. In addition, I made one of my all time favorite pies, a Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie. Let me tell you, the apples were amazing and made this pie even better than it normally is. This recipe is from my tried and true Williams and Sonoma Pie and Tart Book (page 44) that I love and use so much.

To make a Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie, make one basic pie dough. You can find this recipe in the Pie/Tart Category to the right. Roll it out. Place it in the pie dish. Trim the edge with some kitchen scissors and leave about 3/4 inch of overhang. Fold this overhang under itself and pinch it together to create a edge on the pan's rim. You can flute the edge or create another design if you want. Put the pie pan in the fridge while you prepare the filling and crumb topping.

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

In a small bowl, stir the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter in till the mix is crumbly. You can also do this with your hands or a mixer. Cover and chill till ready to use.

Filling

7 large, tart apples (peeled, halved lengthwise, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch of salt

Place apples in a bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss evenly to coat. In a small bowl, stir the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Sprinkle this mix over the apples and toss to distribute evenly.

Place the apples in the prepared dough-lined pan. Sprinkle evenly with crumb topping. Put the pie in the fridge till the dough is firm, about 20-30 minutes. Then, place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat to 375 F.

Bake the pie until the crust is golden and the filling is thick and bubbling, 50-60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and let cool completely to set. Serve at room temperature or rewarm in a 350 F oven for 10-15 minutes before you serve it.

Chocolate Truffle Tart

Yes, it's hard to believe I even have the will to cook for myself now that I am working in a culinary environment full time. However, I don't want to neglect the site....so, here you go, a recipe for Chocolate Truffle Tarts. I took some extra chocolate tart dough home after making a few similar tarts on the job this week. Mind you, I can't divulge the secrets of all the great recipes going into the Test Kitchen's dessert book that is in the works. In fact, when it comes out, I will probably shamelessly promote it and encourage you to go buy it! Consequently, what I've done is find some similar (but not the exactly the same) recipes that will do the trick and help you make a rich and delicious tart.

The first thing you will want to do is make a chocolate tart dough and bake it off. You can do ahead and make the tart dough I have listed in the pie/tart section of this site. To make it chocolate, replace 1/4 cup of the flour with a nice Dutch process cocoa powder like Droste. If you make a regular sized tart, make sure you blind bake it. Make your dough. Chill till firm (about 20-30 minutes). Roll it out. Put it in the tart pan. Chill till firm (about 20-30 minutes). Cover tightly with foil. Weigh down with pie weights or baking beans. Bake at 375 F for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Remove weights and foil. Finish baking till browned, roughly 6-10 minutes. Let cool completely.

Chocolate Filling

This recipe from the Martha Stewart site is a good one. The filling is a ganache which is perfect.

12 oz semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (depending on what you like)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

Place chopped chocolate in a bowl. Put cream in small saucepan and bring to just under a boil. Pour over chocolate. Stir till creamy. Mix in vanilla. Pour into cooled tart shell. Smooth top. If you want you can sprinkle caramlized nuts on top. I had some hazlenuts on hand that I used. Let set.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

By far, pie is my favorite dessert.  For me, there really is nothing better than a slice of home baked pie with fruit that is in season.  Many of the desserts I make in culinary school are too rich and sweet for me.  A bite is typically all I can handle.  One of my all time favorite pies is Strawberry Rhubarb.

Rhubarb is known for it's tart taste that adds an intense zing to fruits like strawberries, apples, peaches, and raspberries.  I always get excited when it starts showing up in the markets during spring looking so vibrant and healthy because I love pies, crisps, cobblers and coffee cakes make with rhubarb.  In fact, I think a few of my Baltimore friends will remember one evening two years ago in late May when I made a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for a friend from South Africa who had never eaten pie, let alone rhubarb.  Still to this day, that pie was the most delicious pie I've ever made.  Not because I did anything different, but because the berries and rhubarb were absolutely perfect. 

So, each spring, I always make at least one Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and hope it's half as good as the one we had in Baltimore.  For this pie, I used my same old butter crust recipe (which can be found in the recipe section).  Then, I tried a new filling recipe from Epicurious.   I brought this pie to a cookout and everyone really loved it, including me.  I really enjoyed the taste of golden brown sugar and cinnamon in it.  So, I'd say it was a success.  I didn't bake it as long as the recipe stated.  I had it in on 400 for about 30 minutes, then 375 for about 40 or so.  I really go by the look of the pie, rather than what recipes call for.  Look for a nice golden brown color.  And, the filling should be bubbling.  The photo above is the pie before baking.

I seemed to have a lot of filling from this recipe.  So, after filling the pie as high as I could, I made a few small crisps in ramekins with the extra. 

For the filling:

3 1/2 cups of 1/2 inch thick slices of trimmed rhubarb

1 16-ounce container of strawberries, hulled and halved (about 3 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Combine first 7 ingredients in bowl.  Toss gently to blend.  Roll out one dough disk on floured surface to the size of your pie pan.  Place in pie pan and trim the excess around the edges.   Egg wash the bottom of the crust with beaten egg.  Pour the filling into the crust.  Roll out the second disk of dough.  Cut into strips about 3/4" wide.  Arrange one set of strips on the pie.  Space them out evenly.  Then form a lattice with the remaining strips.  To form a lattice, it is just like weaving.  There should be an over-under pattern.  I should have really taken photos of the whole process and written my own steps.  I will keep that in mind for a future lattice pie.  For now, take a look at the Food Network's directions.

Once the lattice is  finished and placed on top of the pie, trim and crimp the edges.  Then, egg wash the whole top.  Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes.  Reduce temp to 375 and bake till golden and bubbling.  Perhaps, this will take about another  45-60 minutes.  Cool completely to let set.

Dark Chocolate Tartelettes

This weekend was truly beautiful in New England.  Lots of warm golden sun.  Blue skies.  It seemed as though everyone who had been hibernating throughout the long winter, was out walking, running, biking, or leisurely sipping on some iced coffee outside of a cafe.  Despite a Saturday mid-term and class, I found the time to sit outside on my stoop and let the sun do its magic on my weary brain.  While sitting outside, I began looking through my baking books and favorite websites for recipes I'd like to try.  So, I now have a long list to conquer this summer to keep my hands nimble and my baking skills sharp. 

I also had the opportunity to make some dessert for a dinner party this weekend.  Because I didn't want to spend too much time indoors, I decided to whip up some Dark Chocolate Tartelettes.  For this recipe, you can use the same tart dough that is found in my last recipe posting, the Lemon Meringue Tart.  Trust me, once you get the hang of it, you can crank it out in no time.  I have a set of mini tart pans and it takes even less time to roll the dough out for these.  You really don't have to concern yourself with making a perfect circle.  Just roll the dough out and be sure to place the mini tart pan on the dough and then cut out a piece of dough that is about 1/8 of an inch or so larger. Dock  (i.e poke it with a fork) the dough before putting it into the  Press the dough into the pans.   Press the edges with your thumb or a bench scraper if you have one.  Try to get the edges smooth so the pattern bakes up all nice.  You will bake these off at about 375 F and bake them until a nice golden brown.  Let them cool in the pans on a cooling rack for about five minutes.  Then, flip them out onto the rack.  As they continue to cool, you can make the chocolate pastry cream for the filling.

Chocolate Pastry Cream

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/3 cup of milk

2 eggs

1/4 cup granulated sugar

pinch of salt

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

vanilla extract - to taste

1/4 cup dark semi-sweet chocolate chopped coarsely(about 2 ounces of a Valrhona bar)

*this recipe is adapted from Williams & Sonoma Fruit Desserts and JWU.  At Johnson & Wales, we used whole eggs.  Many recipes use egg yolks. 

Put half of the sugar in a pot and half in a bowl.  Add the cornstarch, eggs, and half of the milk to the bowl.  Whisk this to mix.  Put the salt in the pot with the sugar and the rest of the milk.  Keep the butter, vanilla, and chocolate out and separate.  You will use them at the end.

Boil everything in the pot.  Actually, just under a boil is good.  You do not want to burn the milk.   Then, pour half of what is in the pot into the bowl with the eggs, cornstarch, and milk.  Whisk to temper and bring the temperature of the eggs up to that of the boiling pot of milk.  Don't stop whisking.  Pour the mix in the bowl back into the pot.  Turn the heat back on.  Medium high is good.  Constantly whisk.  Do not let the mix boil. Remember, don't stop whisking!  You're waiting for the cornstarch to take action and thicken the mix into a shiny cream.  You also don't want chunks or curdles. When it is shiny and smooth, take it off the heat.  Add the butter and vanilla and chocolate.  Whisk to incorporate and melt butter and chocolate. 

Then,  you can spoon the hot pastry cream right into the mini tart shells.  This should make about 6-8 mini tarts.  Don't overfill.  Place plastic over them and make sure the plastic touches all the pastry cream so you don't get skins on the cream. Put in the fridge covered to cool. 

When they are cool, you can whip up some whipped cream.  Use heavy whipping cream (maybe 3 oz) and a little confectioner's sugar in a bowl.  Whisk to a medium peak.  If you over whip, the cream will start to curdle.  Also, feel free to flavor the whipped cream with anything from vanilla to Kahlua.  Start with a little and adjust to your taste.

You can spread or pipe (use a small star tip) the whipped cream onto the pies.  Add some berries or mandarin orange slices for color.  Store in fridge.  Take them out about 15-20 minutes before serving to let them get room temperature.

If you get the pastry cream right and use a nice chocolate, you'll wow your audience.  Trust me.  Silky, rich bite-sized desserts.  You can't go wrong. 

Lemon Meringue Tart

I snapped a really quick shot of this Lemon Meringue Tart at my Mom's house on Easter Sunday.  I didn't bother making it look all pretty because it was about to go down to our fridge in the garage until dinner time.  I'm talking about the extra fridge.  The fridge typically only used around holidays because there's so much food upstairs, we need more space!  A few of us had to hit the road after dessert to drive back to our homes in other states, so I really didn't have time to start taking glamour shots of lemon meringue pie slices.  I like this photo, though.  It just looks like a good old fashioned home baked dessert.

It's funny.  Sometimes, when you mention Lemon Meringue, people have reactions.  Some people love it.  Some people hate it.  Some people just don't get too excited about it.  I think I was definitely one of those people who never got very excited.  Or, honestly, would pass it up if it was ever offered to me.  However, after making my own lemon curd in school this year, I gained a whole new appreciation for this classic dessert and it's now one of my favorites.  I'm happy to report my family felt the same way.

The tart dough recipe below is from my tried and true Williams and Sonoma Pie & Tart book.  The lemon was pretty much from memory.  And, the meringue is just egg whites and sugar, as usual.  I would like to mention that my 7 year old nephew helped me make the meringue and made all the little spikes when we put it on top of the lemon curd.  He was a natural.

Tart Dough

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons very cold water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into 1/4 inch pieces

In a small bowl, stir yolk, water, and vanilla together.  Set aside.  In a mixer with a paddle, stir flour, salt, sugar in the bowl. Add the butter and mix on medium-low until texture looks like course meal.  Butter should look like peas.  Add the egg mixture and mix just until dough pulls together.   Transfer dough to work surface.  Pat into a ball.  Flatten into a disk.  Wrap with plastic and put in fridge to chill for 30 minutes.  Then, roll out the dough and put it into a tart pan with a removeable ring.   Blind bake crust.  To do this, line the crust with aluminum foil.  Make sure the foil is right against the crust.  Press into corners.  Fold foil over the edge of the tart pan 1/2 inch or so.  Weigh the foil down with pie weights or baking beans.  Bake in oven for roughly 30 minutes on 375.  Take a peek.  When the pie crust no longer looks wet, remove the foil and beans.  Continue baking till golden brown, usually another 10 minutes.  Let the crust cool completely before making the lemon curd.

Lemon Curd

3 large eggs

pinch of salt

3/4 cup of sugar

one pound (16 oz) water

3 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch

Lemon zest from 1-2 lemons

Lemon juice from 3 1/2 to 4 lemons

Add cornstarch to a bowl and mix with half of the water.   This is called a slurry.  You can also add the eggs.  Set aside.  Put the rest of the water in the pot with the salt and lemon zest.  Bring to a boil.  Pour part of the boiling liquid into the bowl with the eggs, water, and cornstarch.  Put the pot aside, but not back on the flame.  Use a whisk and whisk quickly.  This is called tempering. You essentially do this so you will bring the eggs to the same temperature as the boiling liquid.  Consequently, you will not have cooked eggs in your curd.  You also want to dissolve the cornstarch, which is your thickener for the curd.  Whisk quickly just till smooth and incorporated.  Pour the contents from the boil into the rest of the hot liquid iin the pot.  Put on high heat.  Whisk all the while.  Whisk quickly.  And, keep whisking and whisking.  Don't let the liquid boil again.  Keep the  mixture smooth. You don't want lumps.  And, you definitely don't want it to start curdling!  In a few minutes, the mixture will begin to thicken and look shiney.  Take off the heat.  Add the butter and lemon juice and whisk till melted/incorporated.

Pour the hot lemon curd directly into the cooled crust.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Make sure the plastic wrap is smack against the lemon curd all the way to the edges so a skin doesn't form on the curd.  Place in fridge.

When cooled, you can make the meringue.  Meringues can be tricky.  Use fresh or pasteurized egg whites that are room temperature.  Clean your bowl with some white vinegar to make sure all impurities are removed, as impurities can prevent your whites from whipping.  You will need whites from 2 eggs and about 1/4 cup of sugar.  Place your whites in your mixing bowl.  Mix on high speed until frothy.  Then, slowy stream in the sugar while whipping.  Keep whipping until stiff peaks form.  Add meringue to the top of the lemon curd.  You can pipe it on in any design you want or spread it on.  If you spread it on, you can take an offset spatula and stipple/spike the top for a design.   

Put the tart into a 500 degree oven for a few minutes.  Watch it.  Take it out when it starts to brown.  This will set the merginue and add some color.   

Tarte Tatin

This picture doesn't do my mini Tarte Tatin justice.  The lighting and glare from the bench just kind of wreck it.  I had fun making this one because you get to caramelize the sugar, butter, and apples in a pan  and then bake the whole pan in the oven.  Then, you get to flip it out onto a plate when you're done (because it's upside down in the pan when it's baking).

I realized while making this that I haven't done any "fall recipes" with apples.  And, it's apple season.  Perhaps tomorrow I will crank out some pumpkin apple muffins (kill two birds with one stone and get pumpkin in on a recipe as Halloween and Thanksgiving approach) and deliver them to my fantastic temp agency who has helped keep me employed for almost six months at a great company.  They keep joking with me and asking where the samples are.

Also, while I was caramelizing my Tarte Tatin ingredients, I felt some serious nostalgia for days gone past.  Smelling the apples cooking reminded me of the first time I ever made pie, which was only six years ago.  I learned in my Baking Formula Technology class that the reason smells evoke emotions and memories is because the olfactory bulb (where we detect smells)  is close to the limbic area (where we store memory) in the brain.  Signals can get crossed and thus, associated.

You know, I used to be a Vegan in my twenties; therefore, didn't eat any animal products.  In addition, as I've mentioned, I am lactose intolerant and have bad allergies, which dairy products seem to aggravate, so I really stayed away from all of that stuff for about a decade.  I tried baking vegan things, but they never seemed quite right.  And, occasionally, I would bake for my students when I taught, even though I really wouldn't eat what I baked.

However, when I met my ex-husband six years ago, I had given up the Veganism and relaxed a bit on the dairy when it came to things like cookies and cakes.  After all, a few bites or one piece wouldn't really affect me.  And, sometimes, you really just need a good cookie, so why deprive yourself?  Anyway, we were always cooking together.  And, only two months into our relationship, he took a trip to New York with me to meet the family, as my brother and sister-in-law were hosting a cider making party at their house, which is surrounded by apple orchards.   It was an incredibly fun time.  Lots of laughter and bonding.  My ex and I picked our apples, brought them back to Baltimore, and decided to make some pie despite the fact that neither of us had ever made pie before.

So, the smell of apples cooking brings me back to that deliriously happy time in my life.  I had a small apartment on the second floor of a row house in Hampden, a funky neighborhood in the city.  My kitchen was tiny and had a distinctly 1940s feel to it (enamel and chrome).  I loved it.  Those pies came out fantastic.  It was truly a team effort.  Rolling out the dough and getting it into the pans evenly and neatly.  Baking them to perfection.  My little apartment smelled like heaven.  And, honestly, it was that experience that kind of pushed me to keep baking.  I certainly had forgotten how much I loved it and just how good a piece of apple pie could be.  Here I am six years later, by myself, but nevertheless, damn happy to be baking every day. 

My mini Tarte Tatin was a hit at work, although it could only feed a few of us!  Next time, I'll super-size it.

Summer Berry Pie

Although summer is just about over, this pie is always a big hit if you can find ripe berries.  I typically use blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.  If you don't get a chance to make it this year, then file it away for next year! Again, this recipe is from that Williams-Sonoma book I love so much.

2 rolled-out pie dough rounds (now you know how to do that!)

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

6 cups mixed berries

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Make your bottom pie round, place it in the pie dish, cut the overhang off, and brush the bottom with beaten egg (read the last post for instructions).  In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, tapioca, cinnamon, and salt.  Place clean berries (don't water log them when washing or the pie won't set well) in a large bowl, sprinkle with sugar mixture and toss to mix evenly.  Put the mixture in the dough-lined pan.  Dot with butter pieces.

Roll out the top crust and position it over the filled pie.  Now is the time to cut any designs into the top crust if you are so inclined.  I have tiny cookie cutters that I use sometimes.  Be creative.  Have fun.  Any way you look at it, you will have to cut some vents into the top of the crust to let the steam out.  So, have at it!  Trim the edge and leave about 1 inch of overhang.  Fold the top edge under the bottom round and crimp edges to seal so the filling won't bubble and ooze out when baking.  You can crimp by pressing the tines of a fork on the edges.  Or, you can crimp/flute using your fingers (pinch the folded edge of dough between your index finger of one hand with the index finger and thumb of your other hand every few inches to form a scalloped edge).

At this point, I brush the top of the crust with some water (just a little...you don't want it soggy!).  Then, I sprinkle sugar over the top.  It makes the pie look sparkly.  Cut steam vents with a sharp knife if you didn't already make designs. 

Put the pie in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until it sets.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350. 

Bake pie in the lower third of the oven for 50-60 minutes until the crust is nice and golden and the filling is thick and bubbling.  Transfer to a wire rack.  Cool completely and let set.  Serve however you like your pie. 

Here is a photo of the pie I made last weekend for a get together at my apartment.  That was after we ate half of it.  YUM!