Pies Pies Pies

I frequently use my own blog to reference pie recipes, but today I had the sudden urge to blog.

I'm currently making apple pies for a friend's birthday party (the theme is apples) but I don't think I'm actually going to stay for the party. I'm just making some pies because I can. The real challenge is that one of the pies is going to be vegan and gluten free. WHAT?! Yeah. I have probably never made anything that fits under that category other than a salad. Woops.

I'm going to keep it identical to my usual pie crust recipe, but I'm using soy butter instead of dairy butter and white rice flour instead of wheat flour. Whomp whomp. I'll let you know how it turns out.

All of the π

So one thing this summer has taught me is that I suck at blogging.

It has also taught me that pie is very easy to make, and I can say with 100% confidence that anyone can do it. Pies are daunting because they are portrayed as daunting, but I have "thrown together" enough pies with only ideas taken from recipes. I hardly look up filling instructions anymore.

Most importantly, with over 5 weeks left to finish my goal, I have made 13 types of pie. Here's the list:

1. Dutch Apple (x3)
2. Strawberry Rhubarb 
3. Key Lime (x4)
4. Lemon Meringue
5. Peach
6. Peach Pecan
7. Cream Cheese Tart
8. Blueberry
9. Mixed Berry
10. Strawberry
11. Cherry
12. Peach Blackberry
13. Peach Cobbler

The last one is going to be a pear pie with Gruyere crust.

So, yeah. There you have it. 

2*π

I didn't want to post about two different types of pie at the same time, but I feel as though the rate at which I am baking them means I'm gonna have to do it. I made a pie today and I have pie plans for tomorrow and Friday. It's the best problem anyone could have!

Today I made my first ever key lime pie. I was just going to use regular limes, but my friend Paul graciously drove me to the sweet Asian market that has bags of key limes for very cheap. Fun things about key limes: they're tiny, but they are incredibly juicy. They're awesome. I used a slightly modified version of this recipe. By "slightly" I mean I barely changed anything.

Key Lime Pie, modified from The Baked Been
The Crust:
2 c crushed ginger snap cookies (I used a 10oz bag of them and crushed them in my blender)
1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp powdered sugar
6 tbsp melted butter

The Filling:
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2-2/3 c freshly squeezed and strained key lime juice (this was about 1lb of key limes)
zest from 3 key limes
4 egg yolks

The Whipped Topping:
2 c heavy whipping cream
4 tbsp powdered sugar
freshly squeezed and strained key lime juice from 3 key limes (or however many according to taste)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the crushed gingersnap cookies, graham cracker crumbs, and powdered sugar. Add the melted butter and mix with a fork. Spray your pie pan with nonstick cooking spray and press the crust into the bottom/sides of it. Bake for 6 minutes and allow to cool.

2. While the crust is cooling, combine the 4 egg yolks and the lime zest in a bowl. Mix using a handheld mixer until they are fluffy. Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix for 3-5 minutes. Slowly add the lime juice until it is all incorporated.

3. Allow the pie crust to sit for 5 minutes in order for it to thicken.

4. Put the filling in the pie crust, making sure it spreads evenly. Put in the oven (still at 350) and bake for 15 minutes.

5. Allow pie to cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge for at least 2 hours

6. In a large bowl, combine whipped topping, powdered sugar, and the juice from 3 limes until stiff peaks form. spread evenly on top of the fully cooled pie. Garnish with lime zest and sliced limes.

On Saturday I had some people over for dinner. I made chicken fajitas in a crockpot and corn and strawberry rhubarb pie. It was a first time for everything I made, but it turned out fairly well. Plus the strawberries and rhubarb were from the farmers market and were super delicious and fresh! I made the pie a combination of pie and crisp, because I love crumble toppings. The crust was the same one I used for the dutch apple pie (from Food & Wine), and the rest was taken from this. Again, I changed it a little but it's really nbd.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, modified from Food & Wine and Honest Fare

The Crust:

1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1/4 c water

The Filling:

1 1/2 c rhubarb, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 quart strawberries, cut into fourths with stems/leaves removed

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 c sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 pinch salt

The Topping:

1 1/3 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp brown sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 stick unsalted butter, melted.
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Combine the 1 1/4 c flour and 1/4 tsp salt. With a pastry knife/2 forks/a food processor, cut in the butter until the flour is evenly moistened. Add the 1/4 c water and mix again until evenly moistened. Flatten dough into a disk and put in the refrigerator. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

2.  Combine the 1 1/3 c flour, baking powder, sugar, brown sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix until clumps have formed. Chill in the fridge while preparing the pie filling.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. After the strawberries and rhubarb are cleaned/sliced, roll out the refrigerated dough into a 13" round. Put in a 9" pie dish and set aside.

4. Combine rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. When everything is evenly mixed, spoon the filling into the pie crust. You don't want the mixture sitting out too long or it will make the pie crust soggy.

5. Remove the topping from the fridge and crumble it on top of the pie. Place the pie in the oven for 40-50 minutes. The filling should be bubbling and the topping should be golden brown. Allow to cool for about an hour before serving.

Wahhh, so many pies! It's been a delicious week. Tomorrow I'll be making a peach pecan tart! It should be delicious.

Types of Pie

I need a place where I can organize my pie thoughts. I need to consider what types of pies should be made. Suggestions welcome.

So far I'm thinking:

1. French Silk
2. Key Lime
3. Lemon Meringue 
4. Blueberry
5. Peach Cobbler
6. Cherry Cobbler
7. Pecan
8. Peach Pecan
9. Mud
10. Boston Cream
11. Mixed Berry
12. Strawberry Rhubarb

And that's all I've got. Woops. I need at least 2 more! As I make them, I'll cross them off the list.

∞ π

My roommate told me to start a blog, so I am. There are 14 weeks left of this summer, and I want to bake at least 1 pie for each of them. Of course, I might bake more than that, but who knows? The ultimate goal is to become a Pie Master. Pies are intimidating. Being good at baking pies makes you automatically a domestic goddess, which is probably one of the best things a person could be.

I already baked the pies for week one. The first was a dutch apple pie, which I've made two times in the past. I used a slightly modified this recipe from Food & Wine.

Dutch Apple Pie, modified from Food & Wine
The Crust:
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1/4 c water

The Filling:
6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly or cubed.
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger

The Topping:
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp butter, softened

1. Combine the 1 1/4 c flour and 1/4 tsp salt. With a pastry knife/2 forks/a food processor, cut in the butter until the flour is evenly moistened. Add the 1/4 c water and mix again until evenly moistened. Flatten dough into a disk and put in the refrigerator. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. In a large bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. I would recommend peeling/coring the apples after putting the dough in the fridge as that will allow it to chill long enough without making you wait.

4. Combine brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, baking soda, and 1 c flour in a bowl. mix in the butter using two forks until everything is evenly moistened.

5. Roll out the refrigerated dough into a 13" round. Put in a 9" pie dish and spoon in apple mixture. Add topping and bake for an hour. If the fruit isn't bubbling but the crumble is cooked through, cover with foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Allow the pie to cool for as long as possible, but it should be good to eat within an hour.

Notes:
I used 6 Braeburn apples because that is what I had and it was great, but I generally do 3 McIntosh and 3 Granny Smith. The pie should look really tall as the apples will reduce and the height will shrink significantly after being baked.

RIP Pie. He loved to laugh.