Pies by Jordan: Shoo-Fly Pie

Last month, I mentioned that Nick's daughter Jordan will be carrying on my teaching legacy at Kitchen Conservatory. As of now, she has two pie classes on the summer schedule with a third one (featuring boozy pies and cocktails!) being planned for June 30.

A year ago last fall, Jordan and I made an apple pie together from scratch in her college apartment. Since then, she has exceeded my own pie-baking abilities. She's been experimenting with all kinds of  recipes and decorative crusts. She's damn near perfected the lattice (over-achiever!). Last fall, she even made FIVE different pies for a bridal shower in one night of pie-baking frenzy. Here are some of her creations:

Treacle Tart

Apple Rose Pie

Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie with Peanut Brittle Shards

Chai-Spice Pumpkin Pie

Sour Cherry Pie

Concord Grape Pie

Bridal Shower Pie

You can follow Jordan's pie-making adventures on Instagram @fillyerpiehole

Shoo-Fly Pie

recipe from First Prize Pies by Allison Kave 

Triple Cherry Pie

Updated: This is damn near the best pie I've ever made. Seriously perfect.

Last week, I thawed out the remaining sour cherries from last summer's harvest. I had a couple bags of fresh cherries in the fridge, and I wanted to make a quick pie with all three varieties.

Yes, it's near 100-degree temps in St. Louis right now...I know it's crazy to turn on the oven in my 115-year-old house that only has central AC upstairs.

But...but...pie-baking always makes me feel better (and with the world as it is now, we could all use something to feel better about...if even it's something small for just a few moments). #peacebypiece

Besides, I can fit a full-sized pie plate in my toaster oven. ;-)

So, I said this was the best pie I've ever made. It's true. The filling was the perfect consistency, thick and "gooey" (for lack of a better word). The cherry pies I've made in the past were always too liquidy inside. This time, however, I used quick tapioca instead of flour or cornstarch. It thickens the juice better and doesn't taste so pasty. If you haven't tried this ingredient before, I highly recommend it. I will do this from now on in all my berry pies.

Triple Cherry Pie

adapted from Art of the Pie

Brown Sugar Pie

I made this brown sugar pie, a traditional French-Canadian recipe, last fall when I wanted to bake something for school but didn't have much in the way of ingredients at home. The brown sugar melts into a caramel-like filling. Think pecan pie without the pecans. It's rich and sweet, almost too sweet.

But, I'm thinking this would be a lovely dessert topped with summer berries...something fresh and tart to balance the sweetness. I can also see lining the bottom crust with big juicy blackberries and pouring the filling over them. 

Yes. That.

Brown Sugar Pie (aka Tarte au Sucre Brun)

recipe from Pizzazzerie

1 pound light brown sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract

1 pie crust 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
• Prepare pie pan with a bottom crust of dough, crimp edges.
• Whisk together eggs and add in sugar, butter, and vanilla.
• Whisk together until combined well and smooth.
• Pour into pie pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. (It might need longer. Check to see that pie is baked through; it will be gooey but it should be set all the way through.)

Pumpkin Pie from Scratch

Last weekend, we visited Nick's daughter at Eastern Illinois University. It was fun to spend a couple days at my alma mater. It was even more fun to spend time cooking with Jordan. She wanted to make a pumpkin pie from scratch, so we did that on Sunday before driving home.

While it's not difficult to do, I'm not sure that roasting a pumpkin is all that much better than using canned pumpkin puree. Still, it feels good to start with this:

Only the smallest of those pumpkins was harmed in the making of pie.

and end up with this:

Mmmmmm, pie...

Shaker Lemon Pie

Summer may finally be releasing its hold. After near-100 degree temps the past couple weeks, this weekend is cool, breezy, blue-skied, and lovely. The temperature always affects my mood, and I've been sweaty and crabby since school started three weeks ago. Right now, however, I am perfectly content as I sit outside drinking coffee and soaking up 60 degree sunshine.

I love the fall so hard...and all I can think about is wanting to pick apples and make pies, spending the afternoon at a winery near the river, and having picnics of crusty breads and cured sausages and pungent cheeses. I want to make hearty pastas and soups and stews. I want to curl up in a blanket next to a campfire with a glass of red wine or a dark beer. You know...all the stereotypical autumny stuff. BRING ON THE PUMPKIN SPICE EVERYTHING!

But, if you're more of a summer person and are lamenting the dying light and warmth, you should make this pie...it's the ultimate bright, sunshiny dessert.

* * *

I was so excited to try this recipe a few months ago, a treat I was taking to our annual Shakespeare in the Park outing. I love tart lemon desserts, and this one sounded so easy...you slice whole lemons, let them candy in sugar overnight, mix with eggs & flour, then bake in a pie crust. 

While it was simple to make, I thought it was too tart and chewy for my taste. The lemons didn't soften as much as I'd hoped, and the texture was just....weird. 

Such is the nature of Shaker Lemon Pie, however, with a filling that is a cross between lemon curd and marmalade. 

Epicurious suggests coarsely chopping the sliced lemons so that the smaller pieces will soften more.

I'll try this recipe again, but next time I'll peel the lemons first to remove the bitter rind and pith. I'm thinking this would work beautifully with winter citrus as well. In fact, I may have to try it with blood oranges in the upcoming months!

Shaker Lemon Pie

recipe from Beth Howard

S'mores Pie

I love all things s'mores. But, that's face it...nothing "s'mores inspired" (like cupcakes, tarts, cookies, etc.) come close to the real thing.

Except for this pie.

This pie is easy to make and is decadently delicious. It's a very sophisticated way to cure your s'mores craving...especially when it's too rainy (like it was here last month) or too damn hot & humid (like it is now) to build a campfire.

This award-winning recipe comes from Butter & Scotch, a New York bar and bakery, and I made in in a Girls' Night Out class recently at Kitchen Conservatory. It was a hit.

Be sure to use a good quality MILK chocolate; semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate just doesn't replicate the s'mores taste me all know and love. Don't be intimidated by the homemade marshmallow creme. It's very easy to make...and so much better than the jarred version. Trust me.

S'mores Pie

Maple Cornflake Pie

Today is our seventh snow day so far in 2014, and most likely we'll have another day off tomorrow. To pass all these days stuck inside, I taught myself how to knit (working on my third scarf now) and have been cooking a lot.

This pie was baked strictly out of necessity (another night snowed in, another night with a finicky boiler, another night trying to ward off unwanted anxiety) and with whatever ingredients I had on-hand. The original recipe calls for 2/3 cup of dark corn syrup, but since I didn't have any I improvised with brown sugar and maple syrup.

This kind of old-fashioned cereal pie creates a two-layer dessert...a sweet, sticky bottom layer (hubba) with a chewing, crunchy top layer.

Blueberry Lime Pie

Last Friday, we went to the St. Louis Art Museum's outdoor concert & film series for an evening picnic on Art Hill. The museum hosts this event every Friday in July, with music starting at 7:00 and a film starting at 9:00. My friends and I brought quite a spread, as usual...eggplant caponata, cheese, salami, chicken salad, hummus, olive tapenade, veggies & guacamole, and lots of wine.

For dessert, I baked a blueberry pie. I found an awesome-sounding recipe with lime zest & juice added to the berries and decided to give it a try...my first blueberry pie! (I'm rhyming. It's not easy. Sure, I make it look easy.)

Instead of rolling out a top crust, I rolled the dough bigger than I needed and folded the edges over the filling. Easy!

Strawberry Pie with Basil & Mint

Ahhhh....summer break. I've been out of school for two weeks now. So far, it's been a pretty happy-inducing/heart-mending vacation (which I desperately needed). I got the initial tattoo on my finger redesigned into a lotus flower ("Even amidst fierce flames the golden lotus can be planted"), saw Shakespeare's Twelfth Night performed in Forest Park (my favorite St. Louis summertime event), and bought a new VW Beetle (an early 40th birthday present to myself).

 

I've been spending my time enjoying leisurely breakfasts on the front porch, reading (finished two new novels about Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald), and cooking...working my way through the ever-growing stack of books on my nightstand and the never-ending list of recipes I want to try. This list includes most of the recipes on my new favorite food blog Yummy Books, where author/butcher/voracious reader Cara recreates dishes from various books. Food + literature = heaven!

I read through all of the posts on Yummy Books last week and decided to try the strawberry pie inspired by Steinbeck's East of Eden (one of my favorite authors). Cara's recipe is unique because she adds basil and mint to the strawberries. Brilliant. 

This isn't one of those strawberry pies in which the fruit is drowning in a thick, cloying syrup or gelatin. The fresh berries are simply mixed with sugar and herbs (I added some flour to thicken the juice as it baked instead of letting the berries macerate & then straining the juice out before filling the pie).

This is the first strawberry pie I've ever made AND the first time I've attempted a lattice top. The crust is way easier than I expected...and so pretty.

photo by Corey Woodruff

Strawberry Pie with Basil & Mint

adapted from Yummy Books

For the crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter (cut into tablespoons)
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup ice water

For the filling:
2 pounds ripe strawberries, hulled & quartered
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
zest of a small orange
5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 fresh mint leaves, chopped

1 egg, separated

• Preheat oven to 350.
• To make the crust: Mix the flour & sugar in a large bowl. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut the butter & shortening into the flour until you have pea-sized pieces. Mix in the water, one tablespoon at a time, just until the dough holds together. Cut the dough into two equal pieces & form each into a disk. Wrap one in plastic wrap & chill. Roll the other disk out & fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Brush bottom crust with beaten egg white. Chill while you make the filling.
• To make the filling: Mix everything together. Pour into chilled pie plate, then return it to the refrigerator.
• To assemble the pie: Roll out the chilled disk of dough bigger than your pie plate. Cut into 12 strips. Place 6 strips, evenly spaced apart, on top of your pie. Fold every other strip in half over itself. Add another strip of dough across the top, folding the strips back into place. Repeat, alternating strips of dough, to form a lattice weave (see pictures below). Trim the strips & press the edges into the rim of the bottom crust. Brush top dough with beaten egg yolk.
• Bake for about 1 hour, until the crust is golden brown.

More fruity desserts:

Blackberry Sorbet

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Red Berries

Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler 

Clementine Bars

Ginger Peach Galette

Lemon & Raspberry Cup Custards

No-bake Cherry Mascarpone Tart

Strawberry Fool

Rhubarb Pie

I started a post Monday night with these words:

I just...

I mean...

I don't even...

Boston.

I have no words. 

Then, instead of writing, I made pie. Chopping jewel-hued stalks of rhubarb and rolling out butter-dotted dough took my mind off the heavy things. It didn't cure our society's evils. But it helped to cure my mounting blues. A little. Once again.

And then...I got to hear author David Sedaris speak last night at a local university. As always, he was hilarious--witty and raw. I laugh so hard; it was such a release.

On the way home from the reading, I thought about laughter...about how good it felt to chuckle and guffaw. I need to do that more often. Laughter is just as healing--even more so--than my favorite comfort foods.

When I got home, I settled down with one of David's books (I own nearly all of them)...and a piece of pie. And in that moment, life was pretty good.

Rhubarb Pie

For the filling:

4-5 cups sliced rhubarb

1 cup sugar

4-5 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon almond (or vanilla) extract

For the crust:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoons salt

1 cup cold butter, sliced

ice water

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• To make the filling: Mix all the ingredients & set aside.
• To make the crust: Mix the flour, sugar, & salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or rub it through your fingertips until you have pea-sized pieces. Add the water, 2 tablespoons at a time, "fluffing" the dough with your fingers after each addition, just until the dough comes together. Gather into a ball & cut in half. 
• Roll out half of the dough & place into the bottom of a pie plate. Add the filling. Roll out the other half of the dough & place on top of the pie, folding & crimping the edges. 
• Brush the pie evenly with the egg/water mixture. 
• Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 degrees and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the crust is deep, golden brown.
• Remove from the oven & let cool before slicing.

More pies:
Coconut Key Lime Pie
Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie
Cherry Streusel Pie
Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Crumb Crust
French Silk Pie
American Apple Pie

Apple Pie, American Gothic Style

Remember when I mentioned that I was reading Making Piece back in September? Well, there's more to that story...

At the end of the summer, Corey and I took a roadtrip to Des Moines for the Iowa State Fair (foods on sticks!). On the way there, we saw one of those brown tourist attraction roadside signs in the middle of Iowa for the American Gothic House. Here's how it went in my head:

Does that mean what I think it means? I dunno, what do you think it means? That's the house in Grant Wood's American Gothic painting? Could be, look it up. OH MY GOD, it IS the house. Go, go, take the next exit!!

Sure enough...there is was:

Just like in Wood's iconic painting:

At the little visitors' center across from the house, we got dressed up and took our own American Gothic photo:

We also learned that a woman named Beth Howard actually LIVES there. We were told that she rents the house from the state, runs a pie stand out of the house on the weekends (summers only), and writes a blog. It sounded vaguely familiar, so when we got back into the car I looked up her blog. Beth wrote the memoir Making Piece, which the Novel Cuisine book club class at Kitchen Conservatory had just read. I hadn't read the book yet myself, so I decided to get a copy as soon as I got home.

When I finished the book, I emailed the author about scheduling a pie-baking class. So, yesterday we drove 4 hours (one way) to Eldon, Iowa, with a group of our foodie/blogger friends to bake apple pies with Beth IN THE HOUSE.

Better-Than-Sex French Silk Pie

In the middle of a rather trying work week, as I was reading the last 100 pages of Beth Howard’s memoir Making Piece, I was overwhelmed with a pie craving. All of Howard’s talk of the healing powers of pie finally got to me: I NEEDED to make pie. I was feeling a little sad (and angry) that evening, so I raided the kitchen for pie ingredients. A small bag of frozen strawberries wasn’t going to cut it, but I did have a can of pumpkin puree in the pantry...mixed with a couple eggs, some milk, sugar, and spices...and a pumpkin pie was in the oven in less than 30 minutes. The pie was an homage to the approaching autumn, which I am looking forward to after a miserably hot and dry summer. The golden pumpkin pie came out of the oven at 8:30 that night. I stayed up reading until it was cool enough to slice and eat.

And you know what? I felt better. There is definitely something to this pie therapy. As Howard says, "Pie may not cure cancer, but it could cure the blues."

But, I’ve always been smitten with pie. Even though I learned to make pie crust several years ago, I am still so happy every time I make a pie...to start off with a bunch of individual ingredients and end up with something that I made from scratch with my own hands, something that is an entity in and of itself, that is completely different from the pile of things I started out with. Flour, salt, butter, and water become a tender, flaky, golden crust. Fruit, sugar, and cornstarch become a sweet, sticky filling. It's a comfort to create something that makes people happy. The fact that it tastes good doesn't hurt either.

I get it, Beth. I really do. (And yes, we are on a first name basis now. More on that in a couple months. *wink*)

In fact, I get a lot of what Beth was feeling about life and love and loss. And sex. She talks about sex pretty frequently. Of course, sex and food are often closely linked in terms of satisfaction. Pie really is quite sexy (the words itself is sexy.....say it soft and slow..... p i e ). Also, ALL THE PUNS. See...?

Cherry Streusel Pie

It's almost cherry season. Well, I hope it's almost cherry season...I read recently that Michigan's cherry crops suffered through some strange spring weather this year & farmers may lose 90% of their fruit. This makes me very sad.

Awaiting the arrival of Montmorency tart cherries is something I look forward to every year. Sour cherry pie is probably my favorite dessert of all time. 

Luckily, I still had a few pounds of last year's cherries in the freezer. So, last week I tried a new pie recipe that I found on Bon Appetit's website. 

It's made with a traditional pie crust on the bottom (I used my favorite crust recipe), a sour cherry filling (no gooey canned stuff, please!), and a crispy, cinnamony struesel topping...perfect for those of use who can't seem to get that top pie crust to look pretty!

Cherry Streusel Pie

 recipe from Bon Appetit

For the streusel:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
6 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 

For the filling:

1 cup (scant) sugar *
3 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 pounds sour cherries, pitted **

* I like a tarter (more tart?) pie, so I cut back to 1/2 cup of sugar.

** Look for fresh sour cherries at farmers' markets or use Bing cherries instead and add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice to the filling.  

1. Roll out pie crust disk on floured surface to 13 1/2-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold edges under. Crimp, forming high rim (about 1/2 inch above sides of dish). Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.  
2. For the streusel: Mix first 5 ingredients in bowl. Add melted butter and vanilla; rub in with fingertips until small clumps form. Cover & let stand at room temperature. (Can be made 4 hours ahead.)
3. For the filling:  Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 375°F. Place foil-lined baking sheet in bottom of oven to catch spills. Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add cherries; toss to coat. Let stand until cherries begin to release juice, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer filling to chilled crust, mounding in center. Sprinkle streusel over, covering completely and pressing to adhere.
4. Bake pie 20 minutes. Tent loosely with foil. Bake until filling bubbles thickly and streusel is golden, about 1 hour 10 minutes longer. Cool on rack.

Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie

I've been slightly obsessed with banana cream pie ever since I made my first one in January. It's just so easy...and a great way to use up those bananas that are expiring on the countertop. And this filling recipe, which I adapted slightly from the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook, is now my "go to" recipe.

This version was a spontaneous dessert that I concocted with ingredients I had in my pantry. I wanted a quick crust, so I used some gingersnaps to make a simple crumb crust (since I had no graham crackers). I had only very ripe bananas, so I didn't include a layer of sliced bananas. Instead, I added a layer of peanut butter. Bananas + peanut butter = YUM.

 Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie with Gingersnap Crust

Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Crumb Crust

Here is another recipe from the Momfuku Milk Bar cookbook: a luscious, intense banana custard in a bittersweet chocolate crumb crust. It's the first banana cream pie I've ever made.

The easy part is that this pie doesn't need to be baked. The slightly difficult part is that it takes several steps to complete: making the crumb for the crust, mixing the actual crust, mixing & cooking the banana custard, whipping cream to fold into the cooled custard, THEN assembling the pie. But it was worth it.

Next time, I would make individual parfaits by layering the cooled chocolate crumbs with the banana filling & sliced bananas in small ramekins, topping each off with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

 

A Rant at Ruhlman & A Sour Cherry Clafouti

I'm miffed at Michael Ruhlman.

It all began with this tweet by Ruhlman:

what summer looks like to me, photo by donna: http://blog.ruhlman.com/
10:07 AM Jun 25th from TweetDeck

The link to his blog featured a post titled Cherries Are Here! with a close-up picture of cherries on a tree and the caption "One of my favorite times of year, sour cherries are here! Thanks for gorgeous shots Donna. Time to make pie!"

Five minutes later, my friend Steph (aka Iron Stef) replied to Ruhlman's tweet with a link to my recent sour cherry cocktail recipe:

@ruhlman here's an idea! RT @barbaricgulp Sour cherry cocktail: Delightfully tart! http://tinyurl.com/n5sfs3 (via @chzmongerswife)
10:12 AM Jun 25th from web in reply to ruhlman

A couple hours later, Ruhlman posted this tweet:

cherries from a neighbors tree, pits pop right out, love the sour cherry cocktail idea. think i may need to come down with some writers bloc11:24 AM Jun 25th from TweetDeck

Noticed that he used the words the and idea--"love the sour cherry cocktail idea--as if he had read Steph's reply. I then replied to Ruhlman:

@ruhlman: Sour Cherry Limonade Cocktail http://tinyurl.com/m2j4xn
12:09 PM Jun 25th from web in reply to ruhlman

Later that afternoon, Ruhlman wrote:

it's writer's block time! have posted a sour cherry cocktail to confound those who insist on being productive! http://blog.ruhlman.com/
4:02 PM Jun 25th from TweetDeck

His previous "Cherries Are Here!" blog post now included a cocktail recipe similar to a mojito made with muddled cherries, rum, & simple syrup.

While it's not EXACTLY my recipe--which was inspired by Annie's recipe and which I clearly credited in my post--I think it's fairly clear from the Twitter updates that Ruhlman got the idea for a sour cherry cocktail from the link Steph sent.

So, I'm a little miffed that he didn't have the courtesy to credit either Annie or me for the inspiration. Did he plagiarize? No, of course not. But it IS nice to at least include a link to where you got an idea for a recipe even when you adapt that recipe.

I know that there are numerous websites out there that blatantly steal blog posts, pictures and all. I know that Ruhlman posted a different recipe, but it just seems to me that he got the idea from us. I would just like a shout-out from him, since he's a big guy and we're just wee little guys. Some blog love would be much appreciated.

ANYWAY...I still had cherries left and since I can't live on cocktails alone, I finally made a clafouti. Clafouti (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) is a French dessert of fruit--traditionally cherries--baked in a custard-like batter.

Sour Cherry Clafouti
(adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris)
[See how I gave credit to my source?]

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1 /2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
zest of one lemon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons amaretto
2 cups pitted sour cherries, mixed with 2 tablespoons sugar
powdered sugar

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10 x 11 1/2-inch round baking dish and sprinkle the bottom & sides with 1 tablespoon of the sugar.
• Beat the eggs and the 1/3 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light & fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• On low speed, mix in the flour, cream, vanilla, zest, salt, & amaretto. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Arrange the cherries (without any of their juices) in the baking dish in a single layer. Pour the batter over the fruit & bake until the top is golden brown and the custard is firm, 35-40 minutes.
• Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Parisian Apple (also Nectarine & Blueberry) Tartlets

What a simple, delicious recipe for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie! Jessica from My Baking Heart chose Parisian Apple Tartlets, a simple recipe that calls for only four ingredients: puff pastry, apples, brown sugar, and butter.

I made three different tarts: apple, nectarine, and blueberry. The recipe suggests peeling & quartering the apple, which is baked on a round piece of puff pastry like Jessica did...

(Image from My Baking Heart)

However, I sliced the apple & nectarine and layered them on rectangular pieces of pastry (I just cut a sheet of pastry into 6 pieces). I tossed the blueberries with agave nectar and the apples with brown sugar & cinnamon (and dotted with a bit of butter). I topped the nectarine with sugar & ground ginger.

Tartlets before baking.

Overall, I thought the tartlets were good...but they needed something more. Next time, I'll brush the pastry with some ginger jam before adding the nectarines, and I'll slice the apple into smaller pieces so that the pastry will puff around it. Oh, and, I'll make caramel to drizzle over the top or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Tartlets after baking.

Tuesdays with Dorie: French Pear Tart

The first recipe of 2009 for Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by....Dorie Greenspan herself! You can see the full recipe on her website.

This was my second time making Dorie's tart dough; the first was so hard I could barely cut through it. I didn't quite understand what the dough was supposed to be like. This time, though, I mixed the dough by hand and gently patted it into the pan. It was perfect!

The crust, ready to be blind-baked.

Dorie says that canned pears are just fine in this dessert, but since I'd never poached fruit before--and in the spirit of this project--I started with fresh fruit.

The tart, before baking.

I only used two pears in my tart, but after it baked I realized I could have fit in the third. Nonetheless, it was very good....rich but not too sweet!

The tart, after baking.

Thanksgiving Twofer Pie (and Pie Dough Cookies)

Vibi from La Casserole Carrée chose this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, and it was the perfect thing for Thanksgiving: the Twofer Pie (aka Pumpcan Pie)...it's part pumpkin pie and part pecan pie. So, I got to kill two birds with one stone, since I'd never made a pumpkin or a pecan pie!


This is a super simple pie to make. The fillings are easily mixed; you just pour all the ingredients for each into bowls and whisk. They are then poured into a pie crust with a layer of whole pecans separating them.


The recipe calls for a partially baked crust, but after reading the posts on the TWD website I chose not to pre-bake the crust. And, it turned out just fine!


Since the pie recipe called for a single crust and my dough recipe makes a double crust, I used the leftover dough to make pie dough cookies.


I added about a tablespoon of cold water to the leftover dough to strengthen it a bit; the dough recipe I used yields a very delicate, flaky crust & I wanted something a bit sturdier for the cookies. Then, I rolled out the dough into a large circle, brushed it with melted butter, sprinkled on cinnamon & sugar, rolled up the dough into a log, & cut it into 1/2 thick slices.


I baked the slices at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. The cookies should puff a little, and the bottoms should be lightly browned.