Bring on the Blackberries!

I love berries of all shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors. Blackberries, the plump, tartly sweet ones, are impossible for me to resist. Especially when I find them growing in my back yard. Rose's blackberry pie is the most straightforward pie I've come across in my Pie and Pastry Bible adventures.

Filling: The filling consists of fresh blackberries, mixed with mixed with sugar, cornstarch and lemon. I love me some zesty lemony goodness, so I added 3 tablespoons of zest, as opposed to the 2 tsp called for. There's no macerating and cooking down of juices, no cooking of half the berries. Aside from her pie crust construction instructions, this pie is a snap.

Crust: Rose recommends that you go with her "Basic Flaky Pie Crust" for this one, so with the abovementioned snap-icity in mind, I decided to get creative with crust decorations.

Verdict: This is a juicy, bubbly-over-type pie that comes out of the oven looking like a mess of berries exploded. ...Which is to say it looks so very tasty. Served with vanilla ice cream, its deep purple deliciousness is a thing of beauty.

 

Baking in a Different Kitchen, or Brava Blueberries!

With my aunt in town and blueberry season in full swing, I decided it was high time for another blueberry pie- Rose's "Open-faced Fresh Blueberry Pie" to be exact.

It's always a bit of a challenge working in someone else's kitchen, even when said kitchen belongs to your parents. The rolling pin is different, the flour is different, the oven is different (in this case, more persnickety). But working in this particular kitchen actually means more fancy gadgets and dedicated baking implements. I was just about the roll out the crust, when my mom whisked out the fancy wooden board with all sorts of circular outlines etched on its surface. I'm sure there's a technical name for this thing, but I can't think of it- pie board, maybe? But it was pretty sweet.

Crust: While this pie is a thing of beauty, it is also pretty dang easy to make. The crust can be made ahead of time and prebaked because it doesn't need to be cooked once it's filled. Having said that, I tend toward the school of thought that believes in the absolute necessity of freshness. There's nothing worse than something looking delectable and tasting of freezer or fridge or languishing-for-24-hours-on-your-counter. 

But I digress. This crust was another of the "basic flaky pie crust" ilk. And I have to admit, I'm wandering further and further from the lengthy and didactic Pieble directions requiring me to chill, chill, and rechill. I mean, Rose, what are you saying? That I need to chill? Hmmm.... she may have a point there. A few of you might agree. 

 Filling: As you can guess from the name, this pie uses mostly fresh blueberries and because it's open-faced, you really want to find the tastiest, most gorgeous bluebs out there. This is not the time to break out that bag of frozen berries you've been saving for a rainy day in March when you feel the need to tempt your mental taste buds with a hint of sunnier times to come. Save those for a covered pie, or better yet- a smoothie. The only technical note I would add is that it could have done with more berries. I've been finding this to be the case with a number of Rose's pies. Sometimes, the look a little empty. I am using the recommended pie plate size, so who knows? The flavor combo is often spot-on so maybe it's a taste thing and not an issue of filling the crust to the brim. I just think filling the crust to the brim often looks better.

Verdict: Wow! (With this pie, I'm like the guy from Sex in the City who sees Charlotte's enormous Park Ave apartment and can't stop saying, "Wow!") This pie is a thing of beauty. As difficult as it may be, listen to Rose and let it sit for at least two hours before you dive in. If you can practice this much patience, as we managed to do (full disclosure: we were eating a fab dinner), when you finally slice into it, the pie will not fall apart and you'll have really picture-perfect slices of pie adorning your plates. Whipped cream is needed, of course!

"Pieble Study II":Double Pie Day with Montana

Although I've just posted about the blueberry pie, we did bake the pies semi-simultaneously. So much fun to be in the kitchen with a pie-partner! I'm hoping others will jump on the bandwagon and join me. Please do!

And on to the "Nectarine-Raspberry Pie." The nectarines smelled good in the store, but were not as tasty as I'd hoped. As I write this, three weeks later, I've just breakfasted on an intensely flavored nectarine and wished that it had graced my pie. Not to say this pie wasn't good, but first things first...

Crust: For this one, Rose recommended the "Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust and I wish I had gone with the lattice on this one too. It would have really tied the whole pie together, showing off the gorgeous contrast of yellow and red.

Filling: I know I usually go whole hog or overboard with the use of lemony goodness, but on this one I wish I had used less than was called for- one tbs lemon juice and one tbs zest. It was a tad lemony, esp with the already tart raspberries. I think I'd reduce the lemon by half or- egads!- omit?

Verdict: This pie is intense! I love me some nectarine pie- James McNair's peach pie recipe made with nectarines has yielded one of my top five all-time faves- but this one was a bit muc, esp on the heels of the blueberry goddess. I would definitely serve this with unsweetened or very lightly sweetened freshly whipped cream. The interesting thing was that it mellowed quite a bit the next day.

All in all, not sure if nectarines and raspberries- two things I adore- are my favorite once combined.

All pies considered, this was a good pie. I'm just exceedingly picky and I'm only getting worse baking all of these pies all the time. The best part about this pie was the grand time had baking with a pal. Besos, Susanita!

"Pieble Study": Double Pie Day with Montana

Yeehaw! Pie is always more fun when made with friends. My friend, and fabulous artist, Susana Montana,  (check out her web site)
joined me for a day of baking and catching up. We tackled the "Fresh Blueberry Pie" and "Nectarine Raspberry Pie."

The pug instantly took a liking to Susana, which made for some hindered movement. But we had fruit to wash, dough to assemble, and mixtures to uhm... mix. 

Crust: We went with the "Basic Flaky Pie Crust" that Rose recommended, but decided that this pie was such a beaut, it deserved a lattice top to show off the berries. For some reason, I find making a lattice top easier than just sticking a full top on. I'm more comfortable hiding the ends of the strips in the side of the bottom crust but an entire top is not my forte.

First, I weave the strips, leaving the ends draped over the edges, then I trim each end and tuck it on the inside of the crust edge.

Filling: Making this pie when blueberries are fully in season is the way to go. Blueberries have been amazing this year. We've eaten tons plain, with yogurt, with whipped cream, and in pie, of course. Not a big fan of the blueberry muffin, but I imagine that someone, somewhere, makes a fantastic one. 

In any case, we used locally grown, organic blueberries that I picked up at the farmer's market. Dude, sweet! We added three tsp of lemon zest instead of two because I like the zest, plus I tend to add more fruit than Rose calls for. 

Verdict: Oh, sweet nectar of heaven! This pie is probably the most beautiful, most delicious of any I've ever tasted. It was like summer in a pie dish. We ran some over to our neighbors, who promptly ran out to buy some vanilla ice cream to go with. 

More Cowbell! Or Rather, More Strawberry...

Sticking with the strawberry thang, next in the book is the "Open-Faced Double Strawberry Pie."

This pie has a luscious top layer of fresh strawberries resting in a bed of cooked strawberries thickened with sugar and cornstarch, all of which is hiding a white chocolate, sour cream, cream cheese bottom layer.

Crust: Basic flaky for this one. I used the single 9 inch recipe, but I think I'll use the larger one in the future, even for single-crusters. I must be rolling my crust out thicker or something, but I barely had enough to cover the pie plate. Granted, I do like me a generous layer of crust, so that works.

Filling: When making the cream cheese layer, Rose says to melt the white chocolate and then let it cool completely, but when I did this, it solidified again and was a tad clumpy. I managed to mostly beat the chocolate into submission while mixing it with the sour cream and cream cheese, but it was still a little bumpy. Next time, I think I'll just stir it a while, until it cools enough to not melt the creamies its mixed with.

Rose also says to put the fresh strawberries for the top layer on whole, with tips pointing up. I found that this left quite a few gaps, especially given the variegated sizes of said berries. After a crisis of conscience, I chose to slice the berries in half and arrange them, adding more strawbs than called for, but nicely filling out the shell and covering the underlayers from prying eyes, the better to surprise with its deliciousness.

Man, was this good!

Verdict: A fabulous keeper- take it to a party or drop it off at the local fire station and you will be remembered.

Belated Pie Update: Glazed Strawberry Pie

It seems my body does not like to sit still. Writing speeches in a cube all day+not the best chair=sad back city. On the other hand: Baking pie (dipping and kneading and rolling and slicing and mixing)-fighting off the pie dough-stealing hordes=happy back. So last week was spent partially frozen and forced to lie down for a while. Trixie enjoyed it but I was feeling a bit trapped and restless.

So Rose's "Glazed Strawberry Pie" was actually made a few weeks ago and I just haven't had the chance to write about it.

Actually, I was going to try to almost stick with the order of things in the Pie & Pastry Bible, but the lovely red rhubarb I'd purchased did not last long enough in my fridge. And now, sadly, it seems that rhubarb season is over and I will have to wait until next year to make the "Light Custard Rhubarb Pie." Dang!

This strawberry pie is fairly simple, in the Rose realm of pies, anyway. It's an open-faced beauty with a fruit juice glaze.

Crust: Since it was a simpler pie, I got a little jiggy wit it and went with the mascarpone cheese crust despite the fact that Rose recommends the "Basic Flaky Pie Crust with this particular pie. Ooh-la-la! Or should I say, Brava! It was lovely: delicate, crumbly, but not as hugely flaky as the cream cheese crust. Yum!

While assembling this pie, I suddenly realized that my lovely assistant was not trying to sit on my feet or sneak pie dough bits. Like children, it is often NOT a good sign if everything is strangely quiet. I found Trixie slightly tangled in our front door window shade and unable to escape. She was just standing there, patiently waiting for me to find and free her.

Filling: Continuing with the jigginicity, I tossed in a cup of fresh organic (my pies are mostly organic, with a few exceptions, like Clover butter) raspberries. I like to add raspberries to many of my strawberry concoctions because I love the sharp tang of the raspberries against the softer sweetness of the strawbs. This pie is interesting because you make a syrupy-gelatiny kind of glaze for the fruit. Actually, it seems like most of Rose's recipes require some sort of additional syrup mix-a-lot twist. This one consisted of cran-raspberry juice concentrate (try to avoid the ones with high fructose corn syrup- Cascadian Farms makes a nice organic frozen juice concentrate), cornstarch, and sugar. If you try this one, make sure not to overcook this glaze or it will become a tad to gelatinous. As usual, I was on the phone while cooking, and didn't give the sauce the attention it desired. No harm done, but I believe I'll stir more and cook less next time so it will be easier to spread over the fruit.

Verdict: This is a fairly simple pie with a lovely taste- IF- and yes, that's a huge if, you use really beautiful, exploding with sweetness, fresh strawberries. The strawbs really stand out here, so don't pick this pie as a use for those berries languishing in the fridge. The more fantastic the strawberries, the better the pie as they aren't cooked.

Storing: I usually leave my pies out of the fridge, but this one needs to be chilled or it will get green and fuzzy in no time. It's def best the same day, anyway.

Interlude: How Do You Deal with Loss?

This morning I drifted on a breeze carrying my grandmother's voice. I could hear her perfectly and listened to the sound of her voice- not exactly what she was saying but how she sounded as she spoke. How the words spun out of her mouth in that uniquely Mid-Massachusetts/Scottish something she had.

When I awoke, I found I couldn't get out of bed. My back hurt so much, I couldn't even roll over. And then I remembered my Grandmother rubbing my back once, when it was sore while I was visiting. And I felt frozen with pain. I miss her so much and feel her loss every day. I think of the things I wish I could tell her and the things she'd understand about me. About the way I am. But she's gone. And why does that hurt so much? Why are we wired to love and then grieve losing that love? And why does it get harder? The older you get, the more you lose. How can we make sense of this loss and find the half-filled glass of life without seeing what's spilling out of that glass?

If anyone has any tips to share, I'd sure appreciate them.

And now, as my back begins to loosen up and I can move, I've once again lost the sound of my grandmother's voice. It's in my heart, but I can't quite seem to catch it in the air.

I love you Granny, wherever you are.

"Apple Crumb Pie," aka Sharing the Love at Teatime Pie

Now that I'm getting more comfortable with Rose and her processes, I've begun to deviate from the directions...

a) Because, let's be honest, I just don't have time once a week to devote an entire day to baking. [There's work, family, and the occasional pug rescue.........

b) I like to experiment and I've never been good at following rules.

I guess that last part could have been b and c, but I think experimenting and not following rules make a nice combo. Clearly, Trixie likes to experiment as well.

In any case, I decided to follow the order of the pies in the Pie and Pastry Bible, so the next one up was "Apple Crumb Pie." Plus, Rose's description sounded delish: "A thick layer of caramelized apples is set in a crisp crust topped with a crunchy streusel." Who doesn't love streusel?

Quick note, for those with inquiring minds: Streusel is German for something that is scattered or sprinkled.

This pie was easier to tackle than the previous two- no real top crust and I relaxed on the entire process, eschewing multiple chillings of the bowl, the butter, etc. (I do always chill the assembled pie crust dough before rolling out and again before baking.)

Filling: Once again with the macerating of the apples and the cooking down of the juices and butter. I used Gala apples and decided this will probably be my last apple pie until fall because the apples are losing their yummy crispness and getting a tad mushy. I also threw caution to the wind and added a cup of fresh frozen cranberries that had been languishing in my freezer partially because I didn't want to waste them and partially because I didn't quite have enough apples.

Topping: The streusel was easy to make and I love a bit of buttery crunchy cinnamony goodness. The addition of walnuts was a nice touch.

Crust: I added 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour we picked up at the historic Bale Grist Mill in St. Helena. (Great place to visit and learn about the origins of sayings like "grist for the mill," "fair to middling," and "nose to the grindstone.") The whole wheat gave a nice body to the crust. The only downside was that I had been unhappy with the overbrowned crust I wound up with in making the Open-faced Designer Apple Pie so I opted not to prebake this time and regretted that decision when the bottom crust was a tad uncooked. Lesson learned.

Verdict: This was a really good pie. The whole wheat crust was still flaky and delicious and the apples kept their shape without staying crunchy. I brought the pie to work for afternoon tea and got rave reviews. Although what's not to love about homemade when you're not expecting it? I tried to get everyone to be brutally honest but they were too busy eating. Perhaps I'm a bit too critical. I thought it rocked, but would have preferred more flavorful apples (my fault) and a better cooked bottom crust (again, my fault). So, Rose, this is an awesome pie! MmmWah!

Further Pie Adventures- Getting All Fancy

I threw myself into the next pie in the book, which turned out to be "Open-faced Designer Apple Pie." While I was in the middle of the multiple processes required yet again, I started questioning my reasons for embarking on this project.

Boredom? Check.

A desperate need to do my own thing? Check.

A creative outlet and something to do that doesn't require sitting on my ass in front of a computer? Check. Well, other than this part of the process, anyway. And this is the part that I have a hard time with. I hate sitting on my butt all day, staring at a screen.

Mid-life crisis and yearning for a new career? Checkity-check-check-check.

And yet, this is not really providing the intellectual stimulation I require in life. Not sure what is at the moment. I'm dreaming of PhDs and sudden windfalls of cash to pay for school.

So I'm doing this because I like building things with my hands and I love feeding people and making their bellies happy. Plus, there's really nothing like the satisfaction one feels when pulling a lovely bubbling pie out of the oven. And eating it while it's still warm.

Filling: As with the previous pie, the apples are macerated and then the juice is cooked down with butter. Wicked and delicious but not entirely necessary, IMHO. Because this is an open-face pie, and there's no crispy topping to hide the apples, you are supposed to cut the apples fairly think- 1/8 inch thick- and carefully arrange them in concentric circles. Now, I happened to be talking to my aunt (love you, Emily!) at the time, and just couldn't be bothered with the super thin slicing. I took a fair amount of care with the apple arranging, however. When you don't slice the apples very thin, they don't cooperate with bending to fit in perfect concentric circles, but there you are. I managed two layers of apples, then glazed them with strained apricot jam after baking.

Crust: Just like the previous apple pie, this one had the cream cheese crust. Unlike the previous pie, this one is supposed to be pre-baked- for a total of 25-30 minutes at 425 degrees. That's wayyyy longer than my dear James McNair says in his pie book. (My personal pie bible of many years.) A niggle of concern itched in some distant corner of my brain, but I vowed to follow Rose's directions. This pie is eminently beautiful thanks to the dual details of carefully arranged slices of apple and leaf cutouts arranged along the crust edge. I dutifully cut out 26 leaves from the rolled-out second piece of pastry and made little veins in each leaf.

Verdict: After a total baking time of one hour, 10 minutes (on the low end of her recommended cooking time) at 425 degrees and at the bottom of the oven no less, the apples were perfect but the crust was pretty dry and very dark brown. It looked gorgeous but wasn't the best in the taste department. I'm pretty damn picky, but it could have been better if the crust hadn't been so very very baked.

#1 Daughter: Thoroughly enjoyed the leftovers for breakfast the next day.

In Which I Attempt "The Best All-American Apple Pie" - Part Three

Finally getting to the point: How was the pie? (A bit of a derailment due to an outbreak of lice/nits in elementary school. Two days of constantly combing my daughter's very long, tangle-friendly hair. And lots of laundry and vacuuming, etc, etc.)

The pie was delicious. Was it worth all that bother? I'm not sure. Visually, it wasn't nearly as beautiful as I expected once baked. The crust, being fantastically flaky, looked darker and rougher than I'm used to.

Crust- Extremely flaky, proceed with caution when serving and follow Rose's recommendation to wait four hours before serving. This was the most intensely flaky crust I've ever made. It was almost croissant flaky. And very buttery-tasting. If the flaky crust thing is what draws you- or that hot firefighter who lives next door- this is your crust!

Filling- I used organic Gala apples. Sliced 1/4 inch thick, they retained their shape and didn't go all mushy on me. I included one or two organic Granny Smith apples too and just for giggles, left their peels on. The macerating of the apples and cooking down the juices with butter made the filling richer than I'm used to- excellent when hot, but once cool, there were bits of resolidified butter in the pie dish.

Process- Oy vey, was that a lot of work compared to the usual apple pie! Making the crust the day before is definitely the way to go. This is not your let's-have-dessert-I'll-whip-up-a-pie kind of deal. Aside from simple assembly and baking, we're looking at up to five to six hours of wait time. Granted, most of this time is not active prep time, it's waiting time, so this is a great pie to making while you're writing that novel or enjoying a hanging-around-the-house day. Also a good girlfriend baking day pie- lots of time to catch up while you're waiting for those apples to macerate.

NOTE: Macerate- to make soft by steeping or soaking in a liquid, from the Latin maceratus, past participle of macerare. I always thought "macerate" sounded rather painful, as in "While grating the horseradish, I accidentally macerated my knuckles."

My Personal Opinion- Delish with a dollop of vanilla ice cream! But super rich- I could not eat more than a small slice, which is really saying something because I often have a hard time stopping after one large slice of pie. Not so yummy cold; the solid butter bits didn't help. A good pie to impress with if served warm!

#1 Daughter Review: "It's the best thing I've ever tasted!" She ate two slices and she's not a huge pie person.

Guest Tasters: The boys all seemed to really like it. There was a lot of nomming and scraping of bowls.

In Which I Attempt "The Best All-American Apple Pie" - Part Two

I'll admit it. I've been in a bit of a pie rut lately. Hence the decision to bake my way through The Pie and Pastry Bible. I've pretty much stuck to the same pie crust recipe for the last 15 years: 3 cups of flour, a tsp of sugar, a half tsp of salt, two sticks of unsalted butter (not a stickler for that one- salted seems fine too), and a half cup of ice water. 

Rose Levy beranbaum's pie bible has like a gagillion different recipes for crust. OK, maybe not a gagillion, but a whole lot. Rose recommends that you make her "Best All-American Apple Pie" with her "Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust," which, compared to my usual crust recipe, is downright fancy. You've got baking powder, cream cheese, and cider vinegar. And as I mentioned a few posts ago, there are a lot of steps taken to make sure everything is chilled.

The directions say to knead the pie crust mixture in a gallon freezer bag and I found that to be a bit challenging. I couldn't quite get everything incorporated and so I finally took it everything out and dumped it into the chilled bowl. After mixing it by hand in the bowl, I was overcome with remorse because I had vowed to- just once in my life- follow directions exactly. My lack of patience got the best of me.

The other interesting- and time-sucking- thing about this recipe was macerating the apples in the lemon juice, sugars, and spices and letting them sit for half an hour to three hours, then setting them in a colander over a bowl to collect the juice. This juice is then poured into a saucepan with two tablespoons of butter and reduced by a third or so.

When I finally assembled the pie, I found the crust to be similar in temperament to my usual recipe, if a little more sticky due to the cream chez. Again ignoring directions and throwing caution to the wind, I floured my table and rolled the crust out. Rose recommends buttering two sheets of plastic wrap or flouring pastry cloth. I prefer to save on plastic and waste in general. I mean, Rose, what gives? First we're using two gallon freezer bags and then a bunch of plastic wrap when I usually only use a bit of parchment paper and some foil. Sorry for the soapboxing but let's consider the environment for a moment.

Trixie and I agreed, the pie looked great when it was all set to go in the oven.

In Which I Attempt "The Best All-American Apple Pie"

While working on the above-mentioned pie, with its two full pages of instruction (more than three if you count the pie crust recipe), the plumber, who was fixing the bathroom sink, popped his head into the kitchen to express his concern that perhaps our dog had eaten a large brass screw. Said screw was nowhere to be found and said dog was entirely capable.

A call to the vet prompted a visit to the vet for exam and x-rays and a bit of a wait.

No screw was found- inside the dog or the house.

Back to Baking

Yes, it's been a very long while since last I posted to this blog. Work and family tend to get in the way of blogging. In any case, inquiring minds may want to know- and my husband wants you to know- that the doorknobs have indeed been replaced.

Now, on to the matter at hand. The goal is to bake the hell out of Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible, starting with the very first pie in the book and - if I can stick with it (let's be honest here, I do have trouble finishing projects sometimes) - bake each and every pie in this massive tome. (Thanks, Emily!)

The weekly BurningMan camp meetings being held here have helped me get started because there's nothing like a regular meeting here at the homestead to inspire me to feed people! Sadly, they've had to endure slightly similar treats the last two weeks - apple/pear upside down cake, apple galette - and now tonight is apple pie. But it's not just any apple pie. We're talking apple pie a la Rose LB made with such painstaking care and niggly tiny steps that it can't fail to be fab. Right?

I don't know. I'm already daunted by her pie crust directions and thinking, "Really? You want me to chill the mixing bowl and then cut the chilled butter into pieces and then chill it again? And I need to assemble the crust in a gallon freezer bag and mix and then stick it in the freezer, Rose? Really?" Anyone who knows me knows I am a slowfood type of gal, but this is veering into anal retentive pastures.

Well, here goes. Will report back when it's all over. Wish me luck. Do you think I'll be OK without pastry flour?