"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.