Perfect Pastry Crust

This really is the BEST crust I have ever made.  I used a fork for my pastry blender since I could not find mine. I have made a lot of pie dough in my time but none of them ever suited me the way this one does.

When I made this apple pie, I put 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon in it and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg- I wanted to up the flavor a little.

Perfect Pastry Crust

3 cups flour
1/4 cup lard
3/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 yolk
7 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon vinegar


Mix flour and salt together.  Cut lard and butter up into small cubes and place in the freezer.  Once it has become somewhat frozen, put in flour/salt mixture.  With a fork or a pastry blender work it into the dough.  Keep blending it until your flour looks like coarse meal.  Mix in yolk, vinegar and water.  You may need a little more water if it is dry out.  If it is humid, not so much. Chill for at least an hour before rolling it out.

Ginger Pumpkin Pie

I love pumpkin pie.  Growing up, it was one of the only pies I liked. I saw this recipe for Ginger Pumpkin Pie on The Kitchn.  I adapted it a little.

Ginger Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

1 graham cracker pie crust 

15-ounce can pumpkin puree OR just under 2 cups homemade pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolk
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat oven 375°F. Bake the graham cracker crust (9 inch pie plate) for 10 minutes then remove and let cool.

Whisk the pumpkin puree with the eggs, egg yolk, and brown sugar. Skin the ginger and grate it using a fine grater.  Whisk the grated ginger, cinnamon and ginger spices, salt, and pepper into the pumpkin mixture. Add the cream and milk and whisk until smooth. Pour into the graham cracker crust.

Bake for about 50 minutes at 375°F, or just until set.

Refrigerate the pie after it is just cool to the touch. Let cool for at least two hours before slicing and serving.

Grape Pie Filling

Grapes!  Concord grapes!  Delicious.

I was making some grape pie filling and had a half of a pint left.  I decided to put it in the fridge and knew I would figure out some way to use it.  If not by eating it with a spoon.

I had some leftover dough and decided to make a grape pizza. 

I also had some creme fraiche that I had just made.  Oh, was it a delicious combination! 

I used my regular pizza dough for this.  Recipe here.

I made creme fraiche by adding equal parts of heavy cream and buttermilk and letting it sit on the counter for 24 hours.

The grape pie filling is as follows:

Canned Grape Pie Filling
Original recipe found here at Foodie With Family.

Grape Pie Filling:

22 cups Concord grapes, washed
4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon citric acid
1 cup ClearJel starch (or another brand of the same type of starch)

For the Grape Pie:
1 quart of grape pie filling
Pie pastry for a double crust
1 egg, beaten
raw sugar or granulated sugar for sprinkling over the crust, optional
2 tablespoon small tapioca

To Prepare and Can Grape Pie Filling:

Working over two pots, take a grape in each hand and gently squeeze it over the first pot. Deposit the grape skins in the second pot. Continue until you have separated all of the grape pulps from the grape skins.

Place the pot with the grape pulps over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently, allowing it to boil for 5 to 6 minutes. Put the hot pulp through a food mill or pour it through a colander, pressing to get as much pulp through as possible. Pour the hot, sieved pulp over the reserved grape skins.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and Dutch Gel or Clear Gel (and citric acid, if using.) Sprinkle over the grape pulp mixture and use a big whisk or sturdy spoon to mix in thoroughly. Put the pot over medium heat, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thick. It should thicken quickly.  Bring to a boil.

Pour into jars.  Wipe rims clean.  Place lid on jar and screw the ring in place until fingertip-tight.  Place the jars in a canning pot, they should be completely covered with water, bring to a boil and process for 30 minutes.

When the 30 minutes are up, turn off the heat, remove the canner lid and let the jars rest for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack or a towel on the counter. Let cool overnight before removing rings, wiping clean and labeling. Store the jars in a cool, dark place for up to two years.

To Make the Grape Pie:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll out half of the pie pastry and lay it gently in the pie plate so that it covers the whole plate and drapes a little outside of the top, too.

2. Add tapioca granules to the jar of filling.  Pour the jar of grape pie filling into the crust and spread it with a spatula. Roll out the second crust to just slightly larger than the circumference of the top of the pie plate. Lay it on top of the pie filling and gather the excess pastry, folding it under to form a neat edge.Make vent holes.

3. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and then sprinkle generously with the sugar.

4. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes, or until the crust is deep brown and the filling is bubbly.

5. Transfer the pie plate to a cooling rack and let cool completely.  It will set up nicely when it is cool.

Coconut Cream Pie

 

BEST. PIE. EVER.

Very creamy, very tasty, very good, every minute of it. So coconutty! Is that a word?  If it isn't it should be. I wish I had a better picture of it to convey how amazing it was.  Trust me it was delicious.

The original recipe came from Allrecipes and then was modified at Bunny's Warm Oven.  She had the genious idea to use conut milk and half and half combined instead of pure half and half.  Talk about coconutty!


Coconut Cream Pie

One nine inch pie crust baked and ready
1 (13.5 fl oz) can Coconut milk
Half and half - enough to make 3 cups combined with the coconut milk
4 egg yolks, beaten slightly
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Pour coconut milk into measuring cup.  Pour half and half into that same cup until you have reached the 3 cup mark. Pour the mixture into a heavy saucepan and mix in the eggs, sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Whisk to combine.  Turn on heat at about the mid level mark. Whisk away until your arms falls off.  It will begin to thicken.  Keep whisking.  When you see it thicken, keep on stirring for one minute more.  You know it is thickening when it leaves a film on the back of a wooden spoon.  You run your finger through it and the finger mark stays.

Pour mixture into previously baked crust.

I am drooling just thinking of this pie.

I scraped mine off the crust so I can't tell you about the crust.  I will say that everyone said it really went with the texture and taste of the filling.  Funny thing is, I even put some coconut vodka in the crust. I just happen to have a little bottle of it, I thought now isn't this fitting.

My mother tells me that her mother, my grandmother use to put vodka in a lot of baked goods.  I do like it in my pie crust and when I make ice cream.  Just a tablespoon.

Canned Grape Pie Filling

I am really not a pie fan but there are a few I love. Pumpkin, coconut cream, banana cream, chocolate silk ( I do see a common thread).  Maybe I should say not a fan of fruit pie (besides cherry and apple...). Hmmm, maybe I am more of a pie fan than I think.

Maybe it is a crust thing because most of the time I shave the filling off of it and just eat the pie insides.  Heck, I even make crustless pumpkin pie.
 
Though, I find, as the years go by that I like fruit pie more and more.  This grape pie is one of my favorite kind of pies. The recipe for the pie can be found here.

At the market last week I found a peck of Concord grapes.  Yes, I bought a peck!  I was busy.  Seriously busy.  You have to slip them all.  What a freaking job! So worth it.  Most anything you really have to work for ends up good.

Grape Pie Filling No Additions

You want about 7 pounds for 2 quarts of filling. That is about a half of a peck, depending on how full your peck basket is.

Slip skins from grapes, set skins aside. Bring pulp to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until the grape pulp starts to fall apart. Press through a sieve to remove seeds. Add skins to pulp, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add to jars, filling to within a 1/4 inch of the rim. Put lid and ring on. Place jars in a canner and process for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and remove lid.  Let sit for five minutes then remove jars from canner.

OR

Basic Concord Grape Filling

This recipe is from Jerome's U Pick.  You can visit their site here.

6 cups Concord grapes
2 c. sugar
6 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Remove grapes from stem and wash. Measure six cups grapes. Slip skins from grapes, set skins aside. Bring pulp to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Press through a sieve to remove seeds. Add skins to pulp, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Combine cornstarch and sugar, mixing until well blended. Add this and the lemon juice to pulp and skin mixture, bring to a boil again and cook 5 minutes or until thick. Cool. May be stores in tightly covered container in refrigerator for several days or frozen. To can: Process 20 minutes in boiling water bath. Note: Grapes may be put in the blender for a few seconds after adding skins. Makes about 4 ½ cups.

Use for pie, over ice cream or filling in other grape recipes. 

Creamy Peach Pie

I know my husband likes desserts.  Some he likes, some he loves and some he goes crazy over.  This is one of those "crazy over" kind of desserts.  He said while he was eating it,  "You could just give people a taste of this and then sell it by the slice.  It would go like hot cakes!"  He sat there and talked about how I could make a ton of money over this one particular dessert.  He is too funny.  While I am not going to build a business around this peach pie- I will tell you that I will make it again, for sure, especially when peaches are in season.

I don't usually use premixed kind of stuff but I don't mind buying pudding mix from time to time. However, on my next go around I am going to use a "make your own recipe" for the pudding mix. The recipe for that is beneath the peach pie recipe.

Creamy Peach Pie

1 box of Cook and Serve Vanilla Pudding Mix*
3/4 cup self rising flour
3 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

1 28 ounce can of peaches or fresh peaches, skinned, pitted and sliced (about 2 cups)

1 8 ounce package of regular cream cheese (DO NOT use neufatchel cheese)
3 tablespoons peach juice
2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a ten inch pie plate. Drain peaches, reserving 3 tablespoons of juice.

Beat butter and pudding mix together.  Add in egg and milk and last the flour.  Mix until fully incorporated.  Pour into greased 10 inch pie dish.

Lay peaches into the batter in a circle, covering most of the top of the batter.  Don't crowd it too much.

Beat together cream cheese, sugar and reserved 3 tablespoons of peach juice.

Pour over top of peaches within one inch of sides.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.  Cool completely, chill and serve.

If you don't have or don't want to buy it-
Cook and Serve Pudding Mix

3/4 cup corn starch
3/4 cup milk powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 vanilla bean scraped ( or just add in vanilla if using in this recipe)

Mix all together.

Tomato Pie

Here's something I have always wanted to make.  Tomato Pie. It was on the list to try.  Shiver me timbers- it was awesome.  You need a cooler day to make it though because it bakes at a high temperature in the oven.  Lots 'o' heat.

You need a pie shell and I had one around because I made peach pie a week or so ago.

She had it for breakfast.  Don't judge me- this is a rare kind of thing.

Yes, my pie shell shrunk a little.

I used my tomatoes from the garden.  To the right is a lone eggplant plant and in the forefront is a lone jalapeño bush.  I have ended up with too many jalapeños in the past so I decided on one bush.  Just enough to make salsa.

Tomato Pie
This recipe is for a nine inch pie plate, use more to fill it up if necessary.

1 baked pie shell crust
2 cups + tomatoes, sliced thinly
1 cup onion, finely minced
1/4 cup basil, sliced thinly
3/4 cup of mayonnaise
2 cups grated cheese, like mozzarella
couple dashes of hot sauce
s and p 

Method

After you bake your pie shell, set it aside. Preheat oven to 450F.
Cut tomatoes and work the seed pods and juice out as much as possible.
Sprinkle the bottom of the pre-cooked pie shell with minced onion. Spread the chopped tomatoes over the onions. Sprinkle the sliced basil over the tomatoes.
In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheese, mayonnaise, Tabasco, a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes. Place in oven and bake until browned and bubbly, about 25 to 45 minutes.

SLAB PIE

Growing up my family would host family reunions at our house.  My Mom pretty much would do all the cooking.  We had family in from all around.  Ohio, Virginia, Arizona...  People slept in tents in our backyard, and all around our house.  The kids would sleep in the living room, just a pile of us on the floor.  No one cared- it was all a lot of fun.

One of the things my Mom always made for these events was a couple slabs of pie.  She didn't do the lattice thing but rather a smooth top. Inside was the latest fresh fruit filling.  Whatever was in season.  Usually peaches or cherries because these reunions would inevitable take place in July.

I have the recipe and really must locate it.  In the mean time in the latest issue of Taste Of Home I saw a recipe for slab pie.  But I forgot where I put it and ended up doing a search online and found this recipe.

Its a winner of a recipe. Very delicious and even though I accidentally did not get the butter properly mixed- had to over mix a bit- it still came out tender and delicious.  I did make a few changes to the recipe which you will see below.

Make this.  It truly is a joy.  Goes super with a cup of tea or coffee.

While my lattice does not exactly look perfect- it's rustic and I love it.  One of my first times doing it.

Slab Pie
Adapted from Sprinkle Bakes version, adapted from Taste of Homes Baking Book.

3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 ounces cold butter
4 ounces lard (I never use vegetable shortening- I prefer the real stuff)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 can of raspberry pie filling


In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar baking powder and salt; add butter and lard in pieces. Process until it resembles coarse meal- this should be quick.  In a separate bowl combine the eggs and vanilla; add to processor and blend until a dough-ball forms.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate half of the dough for at least 45 minutes.

After dough chills, roll out half of dough and lay in an ungreased 15-x10-inch baking sheet. Spread pie filling over it.  Roll out remaining half and place over filling or you can make a lattice top by cutting in strips and laying over top of filling, pinching the edges as you go.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

When I was picking strawberries the last time, a woman there who was picking asked if I have ever had fresh strawberry pie.  Out of curiosity I made the pie.  It has elevated itself to a definite yearly dessert.  Delicious.


It did not totally set up as you can see, probably because I slice them.  So when you make them, follow the directions and use small strawberries, uncut.

Charlotte Beach House, Rochester, NY

Fun at the beach

Chasing gulls

After a day out in the sun, this is a very refreshing pie.

Fresh Strawberry Pie
Adapted from this recipe at My Recipes.

2 cups ripe strawberries
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon zest of a lemon
6 cups small ripe strawberries
1 baked pie shell ( I try to make some of these or tart shells before the hot weather begins and then I freeze them)

Mash 2 cups strawberries with a fork or potato masher. Combine the strawberries and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press the strawberry mixture through a sieve into a bowl, and reserve 1 cup strawberry liquid (add enough water to measure 1 cup, if necessary). Discard pulp.

Combine 2/3 cup sugar and cornstarch in a pan; add strawberry liquid, stirring well with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.

Arrange a layer of small strawberries, stem sides down, in the crust. Spoon about one-third of sauce over the strawberries. Arrange the remaining strawberries on top, and spoon the remaining sauce over the strawberries. Chill for at least 3 hours.

Cherry Pie

I have never been a big pie fan.  It's not my thing.  As I grow older however, it is more and more my thing.  I still like a tart more but this absolutely gratifying as well.  I do like the challenge of making a nice pie that looks visually appealing.  While apparently from the picture above I am still learning, I am most certainly enjoying the process.

As far as crusts go, there are so many ways you can go, butter, lard, with egg, without egg....  I decided to go with a butter/ lard combo. I don't keep Crisco on hand because of the transfat and I really prefer a more natural approach with the lard so I went with pork lard.  People say it makes your pie crust taste porky but I didnt find that at all, maybe it is because I used mostly butter. I am definitely a butter in my crust kind of person but I do like this combo though.  It made a flaky and tasty crust.

These are the cherries we picked last week before the raging heat wave hit.  Dang, it's hot.  We were suppose to go picking blueberries this week but as I just stated, dang. its hot.  So that will be delayed for another time. Don't say to me, "oh Lori, don't complain about the heat because it is better than the white stuff that will be flying in January."  First of all I am grateful for my days, whatever they may be.  Secondly, I never complain about the cold till the very end of winter.  I prefer cold.  To be quite honest, temperatures ranging from 30F to 75F, suit me perfectly.  Okay so I admit, I do complain (about heat) sometimes but really I am grateful for each day that I have. But you know, dang it's hot!

Cherry Pie
Adapted from this recipe at Epicurious

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat-free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon sugar

For filling
3 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 cups fresh sour cherries, pitted (2 pound)
Whole milk for brushing

For Crust:  Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Slowly drizzle ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.Once it forms a ball easily, stop adding water and mixing.

Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap.  Pull in sides of wrap as you form it into a disk, tucking the plastic neatly all around.  Chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle and put a large baking sheet on rack.

Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into a large bowl with a small knife. Whisk in tapioca flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and sugar, then add cherries and toss well. Let stand 30 minutes.

Roll out larger piece of dough (keep remaining piece chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim any excess dough to leave a 1/2-inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out top crust. 

Roll out remaining dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round.

Toss cherries well again, then add to shell and cover with top crust. Press edges of crust together, then trim, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang underneath, then crimp decoratively and brush top crust with milk. Cut out 5 (1- by 1/2-inch) teardrop-shaped steam vents 1 inch from center and sprinkle with sugar (1 tablespoon). 

Bake pie on preheated baking sheet 30 minutes, then cover edge with a pie shield or foil and reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Continue to bake until crust is deep golden and filling is bubbling in center, 50 minutes to 1 hour more. Transfer pie to a rack to cool completely, 3 to 4 hours.

Gratitiude

Happy Thanksgiving.
Today is the day Americans give thanks for their bounty.  Officially anyway.  But really, we should be giving thanks always, all of us, all around the world, for the things we do have.  Not always wanting what we don't have.  

This year I give thanks for so many things; my family and friends, a roof over our heads, our health, food on our table, beauty all around us. Such abundance! I am very grateful. I try to give thanks everyday for what I have.

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” — William Arthur Ward

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein

“Take full account of the excellencies which you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them, if you had them not.” — Marcus Aurelius

“Whatever our individual troubles and challenges may be, it’s important to pause every now and then to appreciate all that we have, on every level. We need to literally “count our blessings,” give thanks for them, allow ourselves to enjoy them, and relish the experience of prosperity we already have.” — Shakti Gawain

“For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.” — Chinese Proverb

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” — Buddha
“Only a stomach that rarely feels hungry scorns common things.” — Horace

Pumpkin Pie

I found the recipe here on Serious Eats. I doubled it because if I am going to make pie, I need to make at least two. I filled 3- 9 inch round pie pans. One with no crust. I did not make the crust but would like to try it some time. I have highlighted the filling part just in case you buy a crust. That makes it so much easier. If you do have the time, making your own is always so much better.

I did change the part with the yams as I do not buy canned. I added a bit more sugar to compensate. I have to say though that it is not necessary.

1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces
2 tablespoons cold vodka (see note)
2 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

2 cup heavy cream

2 cup whole milk

6 large eggs plus 4 large yolks

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (29-ounce) can pumpkin puree

2 cup cooked yams

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons praline flavored maple syrup or regular

4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated if you have it)

2 teaspoon table salt

For the crust: Process 3/4 cup flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until dough collects in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no flour visible. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until the mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 400°F. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on floured work surface to 12-inch circle about about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

Trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil, and fill with pie weights or pennies. Bake on rimmed baking sheet 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and bake 5 to 10 additional minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp. Remove pie plate and baking sheet from oven.

(I did not prebake my crust.)

For the filling: While pie shell is baking, whisk cream, milk, eggs, yolks, and vanilla together in medium bowl. Combine pumpkin puree, yams, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in large heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring to sputtering simmer over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue to simmer pumpkin mixture, stirring constantly and mashing yams against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes. Break up clumps as it cooks.  An immersion blender would great at the end.

Pour into shell and bake pie for 10 minutes at 300°F and continue baking until edges of pie are set - 20 to 35 minutes. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature, 2 to 3 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.

Georgia Peach Pie with Amaretto Cream

This has been a wonderful end of summer vacation. It's been nice to see my brother and his family and hang out. We have played Phase10 quite a bit. We all enjoyed the Knoxville Zoo and the Aquarium in Chattanouga. There is so much to see in Tennessee.

Being down in TN means having a few Southern comforts. Peaches would be one of those comforts, Georgia peaches. We hit the mother load. At a farm stand we picked up firm, ripe peaches that were bursting with peachy flavor. Everything about them was perfect. I made some of my peach amaretto jam, leaving a few behind and I just had to make peach pie. Especially after my brother asked for pie. How often do you get to make something nice for a special brother?

GEORGIA PEACH PIE with AMARETTO CREAM

8 large ripe, firm peaches
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup plus1 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

pie crust:

1 tsp salt
2/3 cup ice water
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 cup plus 5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

In a bowl combine salt and flour. With a pastry blender or a fork, mix butter into flour. Keep cutting up the butter with the fork until the flour and butter look like a coarse meal. It's okay if there are some pieces of butter that area little larger (you actually want that). Slowly add the water and mix, until the dough starts to come together, but is not completely smooth.

Lay down a piece of plastic and transfer half of the dough to the plastic wrap. Pull up sides and form into a disk. Chill for at least an hour or up to overnight.

filling:

Place peaches in boiling water for just a minute or so to loosen the skin. Peel peaches and cut into eighths. Sprinkle with the sugar and lemon juice. Gently stir in the flour.

Preheat oven to 400F. Roll pie crusts out to fit one large pie pan or two small ones. Pour peach filling over crust. Dot with butter. After rolling out the remaining dough, cut into strips to make a lattice. Weave the lattice making a weaved pattern over top of peach filling. If desired brush with an egg wash and if desired sprinkle with sugar (egg yolk, plus 2 tablespoons water).

Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes for smaller pies and 30 minutes for a large pie. Reduce the oven temperature to 375F and bake for about 20 to 40 minutes more, depending on their size. You want the crust to be golden.

Amaretto Whipped Topping

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Amaretto liquor

In a large cold bowl, combine sugar and cream. Whip the cream until it thickens. Add the liquor and continue to whip until firm peaks form.

Here are a few pics I would like to share with you.

A butterfly that thought my 3 year olds hands had something sweet on it- probably it did.
I have never seen a green butterfly.

My daughters new love. How could you not fall in love with those beautiful, big eyes. She only has three legs but never let's it stop her which makes her that much more endearing!
Figs! I picked figs. Made fig chutney but accidentally left it all in TN. Boo hoo.
A view of the river.

PIEROGIE

They are so very easy! I just want to share the recipe with you. There are so many ways to make pierogi.

So since I went Polish for Christmas, I think I need to do the Italian style dinner for New Year's. A bunch of seafood; calamari, shrimp, ocopus. We'll see how I do with that!

I hope you all had a great Holiday!

PIEROGI
Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness

6 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons butter
1 egg. lightly beaten
2 cups water plus

Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Add in butter adn egg to a well in the middle.
Pour two cups warm water into well. Start mixing the dough with your hands. Mix in water just enough to pull the dough together. You should have a smooth ball of dough. If it's kind of scraggly you need to add more water. If it's sticky you need to add a bit more flour (a tablespoon at a time).

Let rest for thirty minutes, covered with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with oil.

After the thrity minutes, grab about a cup of dough in your hands and roll or squeeze into a tube. Lay it on the counter and cut into 1/8 of a cup size pieces. They should be about 2/3 the size of a golf ball.

Roll into a circular piece of dough about a 1/4 inch thick. Stuff with about a tablespoon of filling.

For the filling we use mashed potatoes mixed with a sharp cheddar cheese. But a lot of people like potato with cottage cheese. Many put fruit fillings in their pierogies as well. Be creative. Just about anything tastes good in a dumpling.

MAJESTIC DOMAIN and APPLE PIE POPPERS

So funny when I take pictures of mountains, I feel they are glorious. When I see them on the computer or pick them up from the photo lab, they are pretty but they just arent, well, majestic. You can capture feelings on photographs of course but there is simply no way to translate a mountains majesty. You have to feel its grandness and your smallness in person to truly appreciate it. It's the same way with fall's rich colors. A picture, no matter how perfect, could never translate the breath taking beauty of the rich tapestry of fall colors.

My husband and I were away in Ithaca, NY for our anniversary this past weekend. Ithaca is located in the Finger lakes Region of NY State. Great wines and beautiful panoramic views of the lakes. I love it there. I make my way to that area in one place or another just to get my fill of fresh air and gorgeous scenery. Usually stopping and getting fruit and or vegetables as well.

On our way home we stopped at a picnic to meet up with my parents and our kids. Friends of ours have some of those wind turbines on their property. During our hay ride up there we got a closer look. So funny, you think they are poles until you get up close and whoa, they are huge. I know that they really break up the vistas but certainly we really need to find alternatives to our oil dependence! I guess there is always a trade off for everything isn't there?

This is the base of a turbine. You can see the stair case leading up. The whole turbine is about 425 feet. One propellar is about 100 feet. They have weather devices n board. The turbine turns and faces the wind for optimum speed.

Amazing isnt it?

Okay, I bet you thought I wasn't going to talk about food but of course I am. Long winded today but the recipe here is quick and easy. I had some leftover dough from my grape pies that I made and thought I would do some minis.




The pastry is here. I revamped it to suit the small tarts. Inside the pastry is apple filling. I can't get over how good this crust recipe is. Go Elise!

APPLE PIE POPPERS
Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness

filling:

2 apples, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar

Heat butter in a pan and begin to brown it. Add sugar and let cook a few minutes. Add chpped apples and heat until cooked but not mushy. Spoon into mini pastries.

pastry:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 to 4 Tbsp ice water

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Let spin and add butter while it is spinning. Add ice water, tablespoon by tablespoon, very slowly until dough forms a ball. Stop immediately. Remove dough from processor and knead, just to incorporate. Place in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Cut into small balls about the size of a quarter and roll out into a small circle. Stuff into a mini tart pan, trimming off excess at the top. Push any overlapping together.

Fill tarts with apple filling. Bake at 375 F until crust is golden.

PIE EATING CONTEST with GRAPE PIE

Just kidding. My husband thought it was though. Kidding again. Check out the pie event. What perfect timing for my Grape Pie!



About forty five minutes from where I live is the Finger Lakes. Some amazing wines come from this picturesque area. There are so many vineyards and so many wineries. The lakes are just beautiful!

In Naples, they have a Grape Festival every year. You can get some amazing grape pies there. They will cost you a little. Or you can make your own. I found a recipe and after a couple tries and some tweaking, I am very satisfied with the results. The pastry can be found here at Simply Recipes. Its an amazing dough. Very flaky and crisp! Tasty too!

Just to let you know the tapioca had to be upped because it was too runny. After experimentation the following recipe is what works for me.

Concord Grape Pie
based on this recipe
Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness

2 1/4 cups grapes, skinned
1 cup sugar
2 heaping tablespoons tapioca flour

Seperate the grapes from the skins. Cook them in a heavy bottom sauce pan until they have fallen apart. Strain through a sieve over the skins. Let the skins and hot juice sit for two hours until completely cooled. The original recipe says five hours.  I did it both ways and am satisfied with the results.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Add sugar and tapioca. Stir. Roll out your pie crust. Pour grape mixture into (uncooked) prepared pie crust. Bake at 400 F for fifteen minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F for about 20 more minutes. Let cool completely to set.