A rather different apple pie

I made this pie in honor of a man who LOVED apple pie.

*HARLAND *

To give this pie a bit of a twist, I used brown sugar instead of white, added chopped dates, and some butterscotch chips.  

Making the apple tree on the top was as easy as can be.  First I brushed the top of the pie with cream (I do this with every pie I make).  With the left over dough scraps, I used a sharp knife to cut out the shape of a tree and gently lifted it onto the top crust.  The cream acts as an adhesive.  Next I used a mini cookie cutter to cut out the apples, and then placed them on the tree.  Using gel food coloring, I painted the colors on, and added the leaves directly onto the crust.  A sprinkling of sugar, and it was ready for the oven.

It was a sweet way to reminisce with my mother in law about a man who is no doubt dancing and livening things up in 

HEAVEN.

All American dessert - cherry pie!

As you may know, my son Ted just returned from Bahrain, where he spent the last 9 months.  He is moving to Washington D.C.  and when I asked him what he would like for dinner his last night at home, he replied

AN ALL AMERICAN COOKOUT!

Apparently, he became a little tired of falafel during his stint in the Middle East.  

Along with burgers on the grill, corn on the cob, and potato salad, we topped off the meal with a cherry pie.  

Cherry pie is a once a summer event here, because I loathe pitting cherries.  I also loathe cherry pie filling out of a can, so pitting is the lesser of two evils.  

 I pitted, mixed, and rolled the once a year treat.  

I always add some almond extract to the cherries because it greatly enhances the flavor.  With every pie I make, I brush the top with cream and sprinkle with sugar to make a nice brown shiny crust.

See?

Ever wonder what happens when you mix psoriatic arthritis and cherry juice?  

Rocking the look.

Muffin tin apple tarts

This treat began with a kitchen clean up.  You know, when you go through the fridge and start tossing things or seeing how they can be used up.  With left over pie pastry, some small apples, and a partial bag of caramel bits I came up with these.

These perfect little bites of apple goodness were quick and easy to make.  First, I rolled out my  dough and cut out flower shapes with one of my handy dandy cookie cutters.  I lightly sprayed a muffin tin, and pressed the dough inside.  Next I got out my 

APPLE THING-A-MA-JIG.

I adore my APPLE-THING-A-MA-JIG, and use it constantly through out the fall.  

This time, I did something different with it.  I left the apples in their spiral "slinky" form.  After dusting them with a little flour, sugar, and cinnamon, they were placed inside the pastry cups.

These were tiny apples, so they fit just right.  I had just enough caramel bits to fill the centers and then topped them with a small piece of butter.

Don't they look cozy and yummy cuddled up in their cups?  

They were popped into a 350 degree oven and when I checked them after 25 minutes, they were done.  

Perfect for a winter day and a nice pot of tea or coffee.  

If I was inclined to get fancy (or had any in the fridge...) I would have topped the centers with a cherry for a splash of color.  

You may have noticed that there hasn't been quite as much baking going on around here, and there is a reason.  As my austerity program progresses, it is downright dangerous to have too many goodies around.  I saw a kid the other day eating some chocolate and I fantasized about knocking them down, snatching it away from them, shoving it in my mouth, licking it off my fingers, and then cackling gleefully.  

Insert sound of heavy sigh.  

A little tart keeps me from getting too dangerous when I am out in public.  

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Sweetie pies

I was in a pie baking kind of mood today.  

And because anything is more fun when it is in an individual portion, I made single serving pies.  

Think fast food pies, but cuter.

I made the Barefoot Contessa's pastry dough and then rolled and cut out heart shapes.  

Next, I made filling out what I had on hand; apples, pears, dates, and a few caramel bits (for fun!).   I cut heart shapes out of the center of the top crusts for venting.

To make them extra special, I painted roses and leaves with food coloring.  Before I slipped them in the oven, I carefully brushed cream on the unpainted areas and sprinkled them with sugar.  

To be cautious, I lightly covered them with foil to prevent them from over browning and ruining the colors.  

Then I gave my sweetie pies to my real life sweetie pies.

Did I just make the first shabby chic pie?

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An early Thanksgiving

Why am I making caramel apple pie (above photo), pumpkin pie, turkey and all the trimmings on a Saturday in September?  Because my son Teddy left this weekend to spend the next nine months in Bahrain doing research on a Fulbright scholarship. 

The Philadelphians (Drew and Genevieve) came down to see Ted off and have a very early holiday.  And a busy couple of days it has been.  Friday went something like this:

Pick Teddy up from BWI airport in Baltimore
Me - start cooking
Ted - start repacking for Bahrain
Isabelle - field hockey
Tony - pick up pizza after work
The Philadelphians (Drew and Genevieve) arrive in town after classes
All of us - go to Alec's football game
All of us - deal with the Philadelphian's flat tire after game

Saturday went something like this:

Me - continue cooking
The Philadelphians - help with pie details
All of us - stuff ourselves ala Thanksgiving style
Alec and Isabelle - deal with kitchen clean up (thank you!)
Me, Tony, Teddy, the Philadelphians - drive to Dulles International airport
Me and Teddy - fight our way through crowd, get into correct que, and say goodbye
Teddy - "I'll be OK, don't worry"
Me - Lots of hugging and crying

I wanted to make a special pumpkin pie for Ted at dinner time.  While the pie was in the oven, I cut letters out of left of pie pastry and baked them for about 13 minutes at 350 on parchment paper.  When they were out of the oven and cooled, I ever so lightly brushed them with copper disco dust.  When the pie had finished baking and set up a bit, I placed the letters on the pie.

The only thing missing from this celebration was the green beret.  He is training to leave for Afghanistan in a couple of months.  If anyone had told me a year ago that two of my sons would be in the middle east this year, I would have said they were crazy. 

Being a mom is not for the weak of heart.

And speaking of the green beret, my NEW FABULOUS CAMERA is a birthday gift from him.  Yesterday was my first time using it.  Hopefully, the crappy pictures are a thing of the past! 


So, for my early Thanksgiving I am grateful for my loving and wonderful family - Tony, Drew, the green beret, Teddy, Alec, Isabelle, and Genevieve.  We are far from perfect - there is fighting, sulking, and irritatbility from time to time.  But I wouldn't change a hair on any of their heads and love them all so much it hurts. 

WE MISSED YOU GREEN BERET!  Happy early Thanksgiving everyone.  And for Teddy

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Pear dumplings with mulled wine sauce

Fall is my favorite time of year to bake because the yummy possibilites are endless.  These delicious dumplings are my version of kitchen crafts and are really quite simple to do.  In fact, it would make a fun project for children to help with. 

We begin with a basic recipe for pie dough.  The following recipe comes from my grandmother to my mother to me.  I think people can get a little uneasy about making  pie pastry, but as long as you use ice water and don't over work it, it is really very simple.  I also think using a food processor is not only quicker, but everything just comes together so nicely. 

Pie pastry
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
7 tbsp. ice cold water
3/4 cup shortening

I pulse the dry ingredients with the shortening a couple of times and then add the water.  Pulse till it comes together into a ball.  Cover with cling wrap and chill till ready to use. 

On to the pears.  Wash, peel, core, and halve 3 firm pears.  Take a piece of pie pastry and roll it on a well floured board to a size that would accomodate one pear half.  Place a pear half cut side up on pastry and add approximately 1 tsp. brown sugar and a sliver of butter.

Wrap the pastry around the pear and use a bit of water to seal it closed.  Mold it around the pear so you can see it's shape, and place flat side down on a parchment covered baking sheet.

Using a small leaf cutter or a knife, make small leaves out of remaining pastry.  I used a knife to make veining details.

 Now, pour a small amount of milk or cream into three bowls.  Using food colors, make one bowl yellow, one red, and one green.  With a pastry brush or paint brushes only used for cooking purposes, paint the pears yellow with dabs of red here and there.

 Paint the leaves green and press onto the tops of the pears.  Add a whole clove as a stem. 

Now bake at 375 degrees 40 minutes or till lightly browned.  They looked kind of garish before baking, but afterward the colors are wonderful.

They are so cute I can't stand it. 

On to the mulled wine sauce!  I wanted something earthy and not overly sweet, and this is what I came up with.

Mulled wine sauce
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 whole cloves
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup heavy cream

In a heavy saucepan combine everything but the cream and simmer till reduced by half.  It will be thick and more syrupy.  Add the heavy cream and stir till it is warm and well combined.  Now let the pear dumplings go for a little swim in the sauce.

Tastes like autumn on a plate, which is a very nice thing.  If you are feeling decadent, add a tiny scoop of cinnamon or vanilla ice cream.  Or, you could skip the wine sauce and add caramel sauce.  Or you could skip the dumpling and drink the wine sauce....


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Little cherry pies

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I love to make pies.  When I thought about it, I was stunned that I hadn't done any pie baking on this blog.  Cookie decorating is something I started a couple of months ago, and I guess I have been a little fixated on that.  In case you have never tried it, let me just say that decorating cookies is quite a bit easier said than done.  But pie making is something that anyone of any skill level can do. 

Next to my grandmother, The Barefoot Contessa is my pie mentor.  Ina uses the word "rustic" to describe the look of a pie that is imperfect, bubbled over, and easily distinguished as homemade.  And THAT is a large part of the charm.  They aren't something thrown together in a matter of minutes - they are crafted with time and love (so a little imperfection is OK).  Whenever someone needs a little boost of caring, I make them a pie. 

Ina makes rustic charm legit, and I for one, appreciate it!

Now lets get to the pie baking itself.  The first order of business with a cherry pie is pitting the fresh cherries. I realize that this is a colossal pain in the neck, but worth it.  There is no comparing a pie made with fresh cherries and one made with the goo in a can.  My fingers will be stained for at least one more day.

Add some flour and sugar and a little almond extract to the cherries.  If the cherries are sour, add more sugar.  Really juicy, add more flour - I don't measure.  Now for the pastry.  The following is my family recipe

2 cups flour

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup shortening

7 tbsp cold water

Pulse together in a food processor till it comes together in a ball.  Form into a flat disk, cover with cling wrap and chill.  The key here is ice cold water and cold shortening.  I put ice cubes in my water and let them melt.  Another thing I do is to roll out the dough on a well floured wooden board.                                                                                                                   

Pie making is one of my earliest memories.  My grandmother (pie baker extraordinaire) always saved me the hunk of leftover dough so I could practice rolling the pastry out.   She would then have me put my little rolled out dough on a pie plate, prick the bottom with a fork, and sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon.  Perfect with a cup of afternoon tea. 

I still use her rolling pin, and I still make my little cinnamon and sugar pie with the left over dough.  She is still with me in the kitchen for every pie I bake.

For these tiny pies, I cut out circles to fit in a muffin tin.  I spray the muffin  tins with non-stick spray so they will easily come out in one piece.  Just spoon in the cherry filling and top with another circle of dough or making the lattice pieces.  Don't do the lattice unless you have some extra time on your hands  :)

Because the 4th of July is upon us, I stuck flags and stars into the finished product.

Two warm cherry pies + two scoops of vanilla ice cream =

                                                         Two very happy girls!

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