Pie Lady wrote:Can I bake a chocolate cream meringue pie on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, chill it, and add meringue Friday? Or would doing this make the filling break down? Would it work if I used a torch instead?

Sounds excellent. I personally don't like to chill a pie for more than 24 hours just because of small changes in the consistency of the filling and possible disintegration of the crust, but it's not a huge deal. You can absolutely complete the pie in advance and add the meringue on Friday. But I would use a kitchen torch for the meringue . . . I would not finish it in the oven as it is possible that the filling could break down from the heat.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

James Beard Foundation's website has an article on five regional pies. The pie that has me totally intrigued is a New England Boiled Cider pie.

Regards,

Made that pie today--used a little extra apple and lemon juice--shoulda used more sugar too but the fresh vanilla ice cream helped temper the tartness!! Basic 3-2-1 pie crust all baked in a pyrex dish--it is a do over--thanks for the link

Pumpkin Pie

Getting ready for Thanksgiving, it's time for pumpkin pie. Except I've found out that for the pumpkin filling, I prefer to use the orange kabocha squash:


kabocha squash


I prefer the flavor of the kabocha to that of sugar pumpkins and canned pumpkin. Other good choices include red kuri squash and hubbard squash. You can certainly find all of these at the Green City Market. As for prepping the kabocha squash, I like to cut it up, remove the seeds, and roast it in pans in the oven at 375 degrees until soft (time really varies depending upon amount, size of pieces, etc.) Here are pictures of the cut up squash:


looks familiar, doesn't it



chunks of roasted kabocha squash

You then scoop out the roasted filling, and mix in a food processor until smooth:


processed, roasted squash


The resulting processed squash will leave you with almost no liquid, but if there is some liquid, simply squeeze in cheesecloth.

Let the squash cool and when chilled, mix the squash with the remaining pie filling ingredients. I use roughly the following recipe:

1 1/2 cups pumpkin/squash
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c light brown sugar packed
1 C cream, milk, or a combination of the two (I use 1/2 cup of each, but I recommend at least 1/4 C of the cream)
1/2 t salt
3/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t nutmeg
1/8 t cloves
1/4 t vanilla

People have strong feelings on the amount and type of spices in pumpkin pie. I suggest starting off by including at least one half of the spices I've listed above, and then adding and tasting to get it to the right spice level (but note I'm encouraging the tasting of raw egg). I always start off by mixing the pumpkin with the eggs, then adding the sugars, milk/cream and finally the spices/vanilla. It's really pretty simple.

I then pour the filling into an unbaked crust ( be careful not to spill when transporting to the oven because the liquid is not very thick . . . you may even want to pour the filling into the unbaked crust only when you've put the pan with crust on the baking stone), place the pie in a preheated 375 degree oven, baking it on a preheated baking stone on the bottom rack in the oven (so you don't end up with a mushy, underbaked crust) and it's ready in about an hour (when light brown and barely moving in the very middle).

Here are some pictures of the completed pie:






Sorry about my poor use of flash, but you get the idea. Next up, maple pecan pie.

BR-

Looks great! I've delegated pie-making to others for Thanksgiving, but will refer to your post when I'm not stressed about feeding 16 people.

BR, do you have a cookie cutter for those pretty maple leaves?

Thank you The GP.

Mhays - Exactly, cookie cutters . . . makes the task much easier. I baked them separately and then put them atop the pie right when I removed the pie from the oven.

Is it one of those fancy-dancy embossing ones or do you trace the veins yourself? (and if so, where did you get it?)

Mhays wrote:Is it one of those fancy-dancy embossing ones or do you trace the veins yourself? (and if so, where did you get it?)

I use both kinds. The maple leaf cutout is the punch-type which I purchased from Williams-Sonoma. Here's the link to the set.

Maple Pecan Pie

For Thanksgiving, it's a tough choice between pumpkin pie and maple pecan pie . . . and sweet potato-pecan pie . . . so I'll probably end up with a couple. There's really no difference between maple pecan pie and normal pecan pie - just substitute most of the corn/cane syrup with maple syrup.

I always start off with Steen's pure cane syrup, which I much prefer to corn syrup because of its less sweet, and just barely smoky flavor. As for the maple syrup, I prefer to use a grade B maple syrup which is really dark, and in this instance I used Burton's, available at the Green City Market. The combo certainly makes for a more expensive pie, but I think it's worth it.


Burton's Grade B Maple Syrup and Steen's Pure Cane Syrup

For the pie, I mix in a large bowl:
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
3/4 C sugar
1 C combo of cane syrup and maple syrup (I use 1/4 C cane syrup and 3/4 C maple syrup)
6 T unsalted butter, melted
1/4 t salt

Once the above is mixed, I gently stir in 1 1/2 C pecan halves. I don't pre-toast the nuts because I fear that pre-toasting and then baking the pie will burn the pecans. Here's what the mixture looks like:



I then pour in the unbaked pie shell and bake on a pre-heated baking stone on the lowest oven rack at 375 degrees for about an hour (ready when the middle is just barely moving). Here's the finished pie:

Ever since Gastro Gnome brought his terrific Moorish Chicken and Nut Pie to the Pi Day celebration at FIG, I've been eyeing Claudia Roden's recipe for b'stilla. Last week I finally gave it a go.
Ingredients: almonds, shredded braised chicken thighs and onions, honey, cilantro, eggs, butter and phyllo





I thought this was pretty good, though next I plan to try the recipe GG linked toby Anya von Bremzen

Looks good thaiobsessed. I have not tried making it with phyllo but that is definitely something I would like to do.

When I made it on a half sheet pan for Pi day, the bottom crust was unfortunately soggy. Next time I make it, I might try to place it on a preheated pizza stone as BR suggests above.

One thing I very much like about the von Bremzen recipe is the pine nuts, which I think add texture and flavor.

Beautiful Thaiobsessed . . . beautiful!

Katie Beattie's Maple Cream Pie

This blog post from Vermont Public Radio indicates Katie never gives the full recipe, there is always something withheld.

Regards,

More of a tart, really...

I'm not much of a baker, but I have been getting lots of plums in my CSA so I decided to make a tart.

Plum almond tart (adaptation of Apricot almond tart in David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert cookbook.



We uncovered a little vanilla ice cream hidden in the recesses of the freezer.



I thought it turned out great (which never happens when I bake so the recipe must be pretty foolproof).

I never really cared for pie until I had pies from Ivy Uppercrust, now Ivy & the Bear. Furthermore, I was certainly never a fan of apple pie. I know, how un-American of me! So I had some time on my hands this week and decided to make an apple pie using Rose Levy Beranbaum's method for the filling. As Mike G had suggested, I used the apple pie spice from the Spice House, which I loved! Our home smelled amazing as the apples macerated and baked. Also based on tips up thread, I decided to use a combination of Mutsu, Winesap and Northern Spy. I forgot to precook the apples per BR's suggestion but will try that next time to minimize the domed crust. I made David Lebovitz's creamy caramel sauce and drizzled that in between a couple of apple layers. I think I should have used more since it was very subtle inside the pie. I used more sauce on top of the homemade vanilla ice cream. I now count myself an apple pie fan.



Next up on the pie list will be Cathy2's concord grape pie. I can't wait!

I forgot to precook the apples per BR's suggestion but will try that next time to minimize the domed crust.

If you select apples that don't collapse when baked, your problems are solved. My preference is Jonathons and Granny Smiths. MacIntosh or other apples suitable for applesauce will collapse.

Cook's Illustrated's approach is using a variety of apples for varied texture.

FYI - When you eat Concord grape pie, your teeth are temporarily stained purple.

Regards,

Pucca, I saw this on the blog - just really beautiful, as always!

I've found that if I mix the filling and allow it to macerate a bit, the apples break down slightly and therefore don't break down as much in the final pie. Not quite the same as pre-cooking, but better.

I have some concord grape pie filling in my freezer that I would like to bake. I rested the bags on pie plates when I first froze them, so now they're sort of frozen into a pie plate shape. Do I cut away the ziploc bag, place the frozen disk on my pie crust, top with another crust, and bake away w/added baking time? Or is there a better method? Thanks

Hi,

I defrost the filling first, then bake it. It appears you have added the sugar and thickeners already.

I freeze the pulp only, then after defrosting add the sugar and cornstarch.

If you do it as you propose, the top crust will likely finish before anything else.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:I freeze the pulp only, then after defrosting add the sugar and cornstarch.

If you do it as you propose, the top crust will likely finish before anything else.

Regards,

Yes, I had feared that the top crust would finish too early. What are the disadvantages of freezing the filling w/the sugar and cornstarch? Thanks

I think the cornstarch breaks down after freezing, that's why pudding pies get weepy once they're defrosted.

Pie Lady wrote:I think the cornstarch breaks down after freezing, that's why pudding pies get weepy once they're defrosted.

I don't want to hear that! The original source of the recipe put the filling in the freezer and then directly into the oven. I have my filling thawing in the fridge as we speak, and it's going into the oven tomorrow morning. *Crossing my fingers*

Pucca wrote:Yes, I had feared that the top crust would finish too early. What are the disadvantages of freezing the filling w/the sugar and cornstarch? Thanks

Hi,

FYI - I defrost the pulp in the microwave. Even if there were sugar and cornstarch present, it doesn't get hot enough to activate.

I freeze the pulp as-is in case I see another recipe I want to try. If I added sugar and cornstarch, I would need quart freezer bags taking up more freezer space. Instead I used pint bags for the two cups and two tablespoons of pulp in each, presuming I use Rose Levy Berenbaum's Concord grape recipe.

I think Pie Lady's pie was a finished product that weeped as it defrosted.

I see no issues with the cornstarch and sugar added before freezing, just less flexibility on how it can be used later and more space used to store.

I am sure your pie will be wonderful.

Regards,

Update: thanks for all the replies. I put the pie in the oven on Saturday morning before heading out and left my husband to take it out of the oven. I am not sure what the total baking time ended up being. I cut into it later that evening, and while it was still delicious, the filling was a little more oozy than Cathy2's picture. I have the filling for another pie. I am looking forward to making it again sooner rather than later.

Next fall, I will freeze just the grapes so I can add the sugar and cornstarch separately after defrosting. Thanks again!

Cathy2 wrote:

Pucca wrote:I think Pie Lady's pie was a finished product that weeped as it defrosted.
Regards,

I didn't actually do it this way, I was just saying that might happen. I'm glad your pie turned out well!

Pucca,

The filling has to be bubbling from the near the center to have enough heat to thicken the center filling. I have had my family remove stuff from the oven on my behalf. These are people who think the timer rings, time to turn off the oven and pull it out. I remind them it is an alert to check and decide if it is ready.

***

I recently had a pie whose custard didn't set. It was a pecan pie whose top looked perfect and was a swimming pool of sugar and egg underneath. I put it back at 300 degrees to cook for another 30 minutes or so. The second back the did the trick to set the custard.

Regards,

Yesterday I had a hankering for chocolate pie (thanks, Cathy2 ) and threw together what I thought was the easiest recipe ever. Until, of course, it failed.

Recipe:
12 ounces evaporated milk
2 yolks
12 ounces chocolate chips

Whisk together milk and yolks in medium saucepan over medium-low heat until mixture is very hot and thickens slightly. Do not boil. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate until completely melted. Pour into crust; refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

It did not get firm. I wondered if it was because I got lazy and used 2 eggs instead of yolks or because I didn't let the milk/egg mixture thicken enough?



**I froze the pie and ate it frozen. It was really quite tasty. A little sweet since I used milk chocolate, but otherwise good. The pie crust was perfect, and now I can't remember which recipe I used!

This is the Superman-go pie I entered into the Third Coast Comics pie bake-off:

Pie Lady wrote:This is the Superman-go pie I entered into the Third Coast Comics pie bake-off:

Gorgeous. What's? Inside.

Cherry pie for Valentine's Day: