(Almost Perfect) Pumpkin Pie

Perfection is such an elusive thing, isn't it? Especially when it comes to baking. And pumpkin pie.

When I say "almost perfect" about this pie, I mean 98% of the way toward perfect. My 2% of criticism is a minor point, really. Easily fixed. I thought it needed a little more cinnamon. That's all. Throw in another teaspoon and yes, this would be THE perfect pumpkin pie (at least according to my tastebuds). Maybe the folks who aren't quite as enthusiastic about cinnamon would think it was 100% perfect as-is.

Of course the recipe came from Cook's Illustrated. Of course! The folks who make it their life's work to tinker with recipes over and over and over and over and over and over.... (multiply that times about 10) until they get it just right.

Thank you, Cook's Illustrated. This pie is definitely Thanksgiving table worthy.

Oh, and just for fun, I'll show you my "photo shoot" from when I made this last winter. Ready for snow yet?


Baking Notes:

This recipe has some unique steps. For example -

- the recipe uses a 50:50 mixture of pumpkin and canned sweet potatoes. What? I know. Sweet potatoes give a surprisingly nice depth of flavor and no of my tasters guessed the substitution.

- the pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and spices are cooked on the stovetop first to drive off moisture and concentrate flavor

- the filling is strained, giving a super smooth and creamy filling.

Happy baking! Hope you enjoy this and if you try it, I'd love to hear what you thought.

PUMPKIN PIE
Makes one 9-inch pie. Published November 1, 2008, Cook's Illustrated magazine. Thanks so much to Cook's Illustrated for permission to include the recipe here.

If candied yams are unavailable, regular canned yams can be substituted. The best way to judge doneness is with an instant-read thermometer. The center 2 inches of the pie should look firm but jiggle slightly. The pie finishes cooking with residual heat; to ensure that the filling sets, cool it at room temperature and not in the refrigerator. To ensure accurate cooking times and a crisp crust, the filling should be added to the prebaked crust when both the crust and filling are warm. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream. Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor; do not substitute.

Ingredients

Crust
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
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 vegetable shortening , cold, cut into two pieces
2 tablespoons vodka , cold (see note)
2 tablespoons cold water

Filling
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 cup drained candied yams from 15-ounce can
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon table salt

Instructions
1. 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 homogenous dough just starts to collect 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 uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
2. 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.
3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 12-inch circle 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.
4. 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. Using thumb and forefinger, flute edge of dough. Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Remove pan from heat and whisk in cream mixture until fully incorporated. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl, using back of ladle or spatula to press solids through strainer. Rewhisk mixture and transfer to warm prebaked pie shell. Return pie plate with baking sheet to oven and bake pie for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue baking until edges of pie are set (instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 175 degrees), 20 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature, 2 to 3 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.

Technique - Cooking the Filling

Simmering the filling for pumpkin pie is an unusual step, but its benefits are threefold. First, cooking the pumpkin and sweet potatoes drives off moisture and concentrates their taste. Second, cooking the spices along with the pumpkin allows their flavors to bloom. Third, heating the filling allows it to firm up quickly in the oven, rather than soaking into the pastry and causing the crust to become soggy.

TWD: All-American, All-Delicious Apple Pie

Emily of Sandmuffin chose All-American All-Delicious Apple Pie for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.

The fun thing about apple pie is that you can change it up by using different varieties of apples. I used a combination of Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Red Delicious.


Granny is the only one of those that you hear being recommended for apple pie. The others bake up soft, as you can tell by looking at the cut slice... no distinct slices of apple that you can tell.

But you know what, I liked this version just fine. The taste was outstanding and I liked the slightly pinkish tint.

I was half lazy this time and used a store bought bottom crust. I made a full batch of Dorie's pie dough, though, and used half for the top crust. (I'm saving the other half for the cranberry galette coming up next month.)


All in all, this apple pie was a winner in my book.

Thank you Emily for choosing this recipe. You'll find the recipe on Emily's blog or in Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, From my Home to Yours".

TWD: Caramel Pumpkin Pie

Janell of Mortensen Family Memoirs picked Caramel Pumpkin Pie for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.

Basically, this is pumpkin pie with a healthy dose of home-made caramel mixed in with the typical ingredients.

At first, I wasn't too crazy about it. But that might have something to do with the fact that I got distracted and walked away from my first batch of melting sugar. Big mistake! Big enough that I might have ruined my pan, unless I can figure out how to get the layer of black that seems to be super-glued to it off. (Suggestions welcome.)


Once I got over it, though, I decided this was a pretty darn good piece of pumpkin pie. Kind of like "Extreme Pumpkin Pie" or "Adults Only" pumpkin pie (neither of the kids liked it).

I really don't taste caramel, per se. More like a deeper, richer flavored pumpkin pie.

Definitely an alternative for the Thankgsiving dessert table, in my opinion.

P.S. I totally cheated and used store-bought pie shell... that's why it's so perfect! Also, I didn't go as dark with the caramel as instructed. I know from experience that I don't like it that bitter.

OK, that's that. if you'd like to see the recipe, please visit Janell's blog, or find a copy of Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, From my Home to Yours".

TWD: My Favorite (Boozy) Pecan Pie

Updated to say: I forgot to mention the first time around that this is my December entry to the You Want Pies with That? blog event. This month we were challenged by June at Sweet Therapy to make a "Holiday Spirit Pie", i.e. an alcohol-insprired pie or tart. Thanks June, I thoroughly enjoyed this rummy pecan pie.

With this week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe, Pecan Pie, I learned a few new things and confirmed another.

Not being a huge fan of pecans by themselves, I learned that roughly chopping the pecans rather than leaving them whole helps to avoid having a mouthful of nothing but pecans. I also learned that I'm too big a chicken to add chocolate, coffee, and cinnamon to pecan pie... sorry, Dorie!


I confirmed what I thought the first time I made pecan pie, that adding a little dark rum really kicks this dessert up a notch, like up to the stratosphere. I don't think plain old pecan pie will do it for me anymore. A touch of rum goes perfectly with the slightly bitter pecans and the sweet filling. (I discovered the rum/pecan pie connection when I made Wayne Harley Brachman's recipe, which you can find here.)

I reduced the recipe and made it in a single 4" tart shell. I had already baked the shell previously, so it did end up getting quite brown. I used sweet tart dough, which I really liked with the pecan pie filling. About a tablespoon of dark rum for a full recipe is just right.

I think I forgot to mention that this pie was awesome. Not too sweet, like Dorie said.

OK, one more week until the big day, Christmas! Merry Christmas to everyone and we'll see you next week!

Thanks so much to Beth of Someone’s in the Kitchen with Brina for the excellent pick this week. Please check out Beth's site for the recipe, or Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking From my Home to Yours".

TWD: Flaky Apple Turnovers (& Russian Grandmother's Apple Pie Cake)

It was an apple dessert double-header at my house this weekend.

Fine by me! If I were asked to make a list of my all-time favorite food combinations, apples, sugar, and cinnamon would be hovering near the top.


Mmmm, I could eat 'em with a spoon.

But anyway, first up on the dessert menu was Flaky Apple Turnovers, chosen by Julie of Someone’s in the Kitchen for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.


I really loved these handy little pies. The crust was so flaky and light. I just wish I could have squeezed more apples inside. But my dough was so soft (thanks to a really humid kitchen)... it just wasn't happening.


Next... when I heard that an apple dessert was in the queue for TWD this month, I also wanted to try the Russian Grandmother's Apple Pie Cake that was made before I joined. Natalie of Burned Bits picked this treat back in March, 2008.

I loved how bumpy and golden and fantastic it looked.


Apple and cinnamon heaven, baby!


This was a really interesting recipe. I halved the recipe and made it in an 8-inch square pan. (The full recipe goes in a 9x13-inch pan.) First, a layer of cookie-like dough was rolled out and placed in the pan.


Next went a mother-lode of apples, cinnamon, sugar, and plump, juicy raisins, all topped with another layer of dough.


The edges were tucked into the sides of the pan "as though you were making a bed" (I never make my bed (what's the point? you just get back in it and mess it up again) but I was able to figure this part out, LOL).

After baking, it ends up somewhere between a pie and a cake. But either way, it's delicious.

I think if I made this again, I might increase the amount of sugar, or maybe add some butter (?) to the filling. I thought it could stand to be a wee bit "juicier".

But still, it was delish. So were the turnovers. If the apple pie cake filling was a little juicier, I would have a hard time picking between these two treats.

OK, I'm signing off until next week (when it's my pick, yeah!). If you'd like to see the recipes, please pick up a copy of Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, From my Home to Yours", or stop by Julie or Natalie's blogs.

Adios!

Fresh Fruit Tart

Wow, time to post again already?!! (Methinks I'm having a hard time keeping up these days.)

Coming in just under the wire, here is my entry for the monthly You Want Pies With That? blogging event. For July we were charged with coming up with a "Taste of Summer" pie. Thanks to Rebecca at Ezra Pound Cake and Mary at alpineberry for this totally appropriate theme.

Our pie was to answer the question, "What does summer mean to you?" Whew! when I was thinking of what pie to make, I wondered how to wrap all of the following up into a pie:

- enjoying being able to sleep in a little
- wondering how to keep the kids far, far away from the dreaded "I'm booooored"
- my own efforts at trying to mimic our old family friends and their completely awesome strawberry patch
- appreciation of days at the perfect temperature
- irritation at days that are much higher than the perfect temperature
- hiking, play dates, playground visits, swimming lessons, sunburns, baseball.


OK, that's a tall order and one my pea-brain is not equipped to handle. So, taking the easy way out, I settled on the strawberry patch, added a few other fruits for variety, and went the route of "I don't feel like thinking too hard".

This is a perfect "no-recipe" type of recipe, or at least one that you can whip up as long as you've got the Internet and/or a few good cookbooks.

First, you search for "sweet pastry" or "pate sucre(e)" and make a batch of that. Blind bake as directed, or if there are no baking instructions, use 400 degrees and start checking at around 15 minutes in. You're going for "golden brown".


Next, search for "pastry cream" and make that. Chill until set, probably at least 4 hours. Then spread a healthy layer in your cool tart shell.


Next up, a layer of jam that compliments your fresh fruit. Stir it well to loosen it up and then spread on top of the pastry cream. I went thin with the jam, but it's up to you.



Last step, start sprinkling on your fresh fruit. Mix it up or go with one type.




Keep going until it looks right.


You can brush the fruit with apricot jam thinned with a tiny bit of water, or just warmed a bit, if you want. Or not. The jam adds a shiny, glossy look. (I skipped the jam glaze.)

And voila! A fairly simple and totally delicious summer tart... and you can change up the fruit to suit the season and your tastes.

Here are the recipes I used...

Pate Sucre recipe - click here... I would add slightly more than 2 Tbsp. cream next time as the crust was dry upon mixing and crumbly once baked.

Pastry Cream recipe - click here - I would chill overnight next time.

(Whew! made it by midnight!) OK, signing off for now, folks! Thanks for stopping by :)

Cherry Turnovers

Oops, I'm supposed to be posting this week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe. Well, you see, I accidentally spent way too much time watching Stevie Nicks videos on YouTube during my only free time for baking this week. Then the old "I want to be Steve Nicks when I grow up" fantasy took over, and, well, you know...

I made my You Want Pies with That? entry recently, so I'll share that instead.

Well, I can't really share these, since they're long gone. (Can you blame me? Yum!)


This month, Ellen at Kittymama, challenged us to bake a pie or tart that was inspired by a favorite childhood memory.

It didn't take me long to recall one of my very favorite ways to spend my baby-sitting money... Hostess cherry pies. I loved those things!


When I was a kid and I'd go to the grocery store with my mom, there was no contest when we hit the Hostess display. Twinkies? Ding Dongs? No thanks, I'll take the humble cherry pie.

Fastforward to today...

I haven't had a Hostess pie in eons.

Of course, I had to buy one for comparison.


Really, there is no comparison between the two. Look how light and flaky the pastry is (see my cheater peach-version recipe below).



These were so good, I had to hurry up and ship them off to the neighbors before I devoured them myself. I loved how they were so portable too. I can see why they've earned the name "hand pies".

Thanks go out to Kittymama for inspiring me to try these. They were fantastic!

Once again, I chose a recipe from The Pie and Pastry Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum. I took excerpts from the recipe that apply to the cherry turnovers. If you want a boatload of variations for both fillings and pastry for Fruit Turnovers, please pick up a copy of this book. You won't be disappointed, I promise!

CHERRY TURNOVERS
Taken from the Pie and Pastry Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum. Reprinted with permission.

Rose says: Turnovers are for those who adore pie dough, because this pastry contains the highest proportion of flaky golden crust to fruit filling. For this reason as well, I prefer to keep them small in size; in fact, for me, the miniatures offered below as a variation are perfect. I also like to roll the dough as thin as possible. Sprinkling the top of the dough with sugar makes it crackly/crunchy.

In a turnover, I prefer a cream cheese or basic flaky pie crust to puff pastry. Not only is there a better proportion of filling to crust, but no matter how you seal and vent the puff pastry, it always opens at some point along the seam, spewing out some of the filling. I asked one of my favorite pastry chefs how she managed to keep the fruit in the puff pastry turnover she served me. Her answer: "Are you kidding? It always leaks out - I spooned it back in!" It's always great to know you're not alone.

Jacque says: I have a few comments here and there, denoted in italics with an asterisk (*).

EQUIPMENT

A 17- by 12-inch baking sheet (half-size sheet pan) lined with aluminum foil or parchment (*I used the non-stick side of non-stick aluminum foil and that was a mistake... my turnovers were sliding around like skaters on a skating rink.)

CHERRY TURNOVERS

Cherry Filling, cooled (see below)
Basic Flaky Pie Crust, for a 2-crust pie (see below)
1/2 large egg white, lightly beaten (1 Tbsp. or 0.5 ounce or 14 grams)
Optional Glaze (1 large egg, lightly beaten & approx. 2 tsp. sugar)

Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces (1.75 ounces/50 grams each) (*I divided mine into 16 equal pieces.)


Using a floured pastry cloth and sleeve or two sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap, roll out one piece of dough slightly less than 1/8 inch thick and large enough to cut out a 6-inch circle. Using a cardboard template and a sharp knife, cut out the circle. Transfer it to the bottom end of a 9-inch-long piece of plastic wrap. Brush the bottom half of it with the egg white. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the fruit onto this section, leaving a 1-inch border (* I used about 2 tablespoons). Using the plastic wrap if the dough is at all sticky, fold the top part of the dough over the fruit, so that the edges are flush. With your fingers, firmly press the 1-inch border to seal it. Fold the edge up over itself, pressing again to seal it. Cover the turnover with the top section of the plastic wrap and lift the turnover onto the foil-lined sheet. Repeat with the remaining turnovers. Refrigerate them for 1 hour or freeze them for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. at least 20 minutes before baking. Set the oven rack in the lowest position and place a baking stone or large cookie or baking sheet on it before preheating.

Unwrap the turnovers and space them evenly on the foil-lined sheet. If desired, brush them lightly with the egg glaze and sprinkle lightly with the sugar. Use a small sharp knife to cut 3 steam vents through the dough into the top of each turnover.


Place the sheet directly on the stone and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbling thickly out of the vents and the pastry is golden. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool for 20 to 30 minutes. These are best eaten warm.

CHERRY FILLING

14 ounces cherries (2 1/2 cups or 400 grams)
2/3 C. sugar (4.6 ounces or 132 grams)
1 Tbsp. + 2 1/4 tsp. cornstarch (16.5 grams)
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. almond extract or 1 tsp. Kirsch

(*Rose gives two methods for making the filling - I am including the method I chose here. Note that the cornstarch varies slightly if using the other method.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and salt. Add the fruit and lemon juice and, using a rubber spatula, toss together gently to coat the fruit. Allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes.

Transfer the berries and their juices to a saucepan. Stir the lemon zest and cornstarch into the fruit until the cornstarch is dissolved and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring gently. Allow it to boil for 30 seconds to a minute, until the juices become clear and very thick. Gently stir in the Kirsch or extract. Empty the mixture into a bowl and allow it to cool completely, without stirring.

BASIC FLAKY PIE CRUST FOR A TWO-CRUST 9-INCH PIE

14 Tbsp. cold, unsalted butter (7 ounces or 200 grams)
2 1/4 C. + 2 Tbsp. pastry flour or 2-1/4 C bleached all-purpose flour (11.25 ounces or 320 grams)
1/4 + 1/8 tsp. salt*
optional: 1/4 teaspoon baking powder (if not using, double the salt)
5 to 7 Tbsp. ice water (2.6 to 3.6 ounces or 74 to 103 grams)
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar (0.5 ounce or 14 grams)

* for savory recipes, use 1-1/2 times the salt.

Divide the butter into two parts, about two thirds to one third:
4.5 ounces and 2.5 ounces (9 tablespoons and 5 tablespoons)

Cut the butter into 3/4-inch cubes. Wrap each portion of butter with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the larger amount and freeze the smaller for at least 30 minutes. Place the flour, salt, and optional baking powder in a reclosable gallon-size freezer bag and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Food Processor Method

Place the flour mixture in a food processor with the metal blade and process for a few seconds to combine. Set the bag aside.

Add the larger amount of butter cubes to the flour and process for about 20 seconds or until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the remaining frozen butter cubes and pulse until all of the frozen butter is the size of peas. (Toss with a fork to see it better.)

Add the lowest amount of the ice water and the vinegar and pulse 6 times. Pinch a small amount of the mixture together between your fingers. If it does not hold together, add half the remaining water and pulse 3 times. Try pinching the mixture again. If necessary, add the remaining water, pulsing 3 times to incorporate it. The mixture will be in particles and will not hold together without being pinched.

Spoon the mixture into the plastic bag. (For a double-crust pie, it is easiest to divide the mixture in half at this point.)

Holding both ends of the bag opening with your fingers, knead the mixture by alternately pressing it, from the outside of the bag, with the knuckles and heels of your hands until the mixture holds together in one piece and feels slightly stretchy when pulled.

Wrap the dough with plastic wrap, flatten it into a disc (or discs) and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, preferably overnight.

QUICKIE PEACH VARIATION

(*Take a 15-oz. can of sliced peaches in light syrup and drain the peaches. Cut the slices into about 3 pieces each. Place about 2 slices worth of peaches on a egg-white coated dough circle, sprinkle with about a teaspoon of sugar (or to taste) and give it a shake of cinnamon. Proceed with sealing the turnovers as directed above.)

Open-Faced Designer Apple Pie

It's pie time again!

This month, the "You Want Pies with That?" bakers were challenged by Natalie of Oven Love to create a pie based on a "Family Favorite" dessert. Hmm... time to call mom.


I got on the horn with mom to find out what the family favorites were. The list looked something like this...

- lemon meringue pie (been there, done that, times five)

- chocolate cake (I made chocolate tarts, what? a week ago?)

- apple pie (December's entry)

- rhubarb pie (March's entry)

- chiffon cake (a possibility, but this was for a baby shower, and feeding raw eggs to a pregnant woman? Sorry, I like my sleep at night too much for that.)

- aber skaber (I'm assuming this is a German thing, but I got nowhere on google or my cookbooks trying to figure out what it was)

Turns out, I've already done the family favorites! In fact, it appears my blog is one big ode to family favorites.

So, I turned to one of my baking idols, Rose Levy Berenbaum, and her magnificent book "The Pie and Pastry Bible" for inspiration. That's where I ran across her beautiful Open-Faced Designer Apple Pie and my search was over.


If you want to dazzle a crowd, this pie is it! It's gorgeous, even pre-apricot glaze.

All of that beauty does come at a small sacrifice, however. This pie takes the better part of a day to make from start to finish and is labor intensive. But if you've got time, this is an impressive pie, both in looks and taste. The cream cheese pie pastry is flaky and almost reminded me of puff pastry.

Here's a shot of the pie before baking. I used a combination of Fuji and Granny Smith apples, hence, the variation in apple color.



Allrighty then! Thanks so much for stopping by. If you'd like the RECIPE, run to your nearest library or bookstore and pick up a copy of Rose's book. Or, click on the link above (the name of the pie).

Take care of yourselves!

TWD: Florida Pie

I recently made Florida Pie, another Tuesday's with Dorie catch-up recipe. It was enjoyed by the TWD gang the week before I joined last May. I remember watching the TWD bakers for about a month before I joined, thinking it looked like fun but not wanting to commit to baking every week. I guess this pie looked so scrumptious it changed my mind.

I haven't regretted the decision for a minute, thanks to desserts like this one.

This is an unusual pie, with a layer of coconut hiding beneath a creamy lime filling, topped by a coconut-filled meringue. Maybe you can tell from the picture, I left the coconut out of the meringue. I don't love coconut enough for that.


This pie was delicious. I didn't think I would like it because I'm not usually crazy about that much coconut, but somehow the chewy layer perfectly complimented the creamy filling.

Thanks to Diane of Diane's Dishes for choosing this recipe. You can find the recipe on her site, along with her totally awesome looking pie.

Raspberry Almond Tartlets

I participate in a monthly pie-making blog event called "You Want Pies With That?". Each month, a theme is chosen and members make a pie following the theme. Then, by popular vote, a favorite pie is chosen and the winner chooses the following month's theme.

This month's theme was "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and we were to base our pie on a famous person.

For my famous person, I chose Benjamin Franklin. I've always wondered what it would be like if I could bring Ben to our time (you know, with the time machine I'm stowing in the shed out back). I wonder if he would be delighted or disgusted at the changes that have transpired since he lived, 200 plus years ago. Probably a little of both.


I figured I'd do a little research, so I read a few books about Ben. I was hoping to find out if, by chance, he had a favorite dessert. As luck would have it, Ben wasn't very particular about what he ate. According to "Ben Franklin, America's Original Entrepreneur" (where author Blaine McCormick was nice enough to translate Franklin's autobiography "for modern times" so folks like me could make heads or tails out of 1700's English), Franklin says,

"As a result of my upbringing, I maintain few opinions as to matters of food and remain so unobservant of my meals that I can barely remember what I ate within a few hours of mealtime."

Cool! I figure that means if I bake a pie when Ben visits me (remember, the time machine?), the sky's the limit! He won't remember what I made tomorrow anyway.


But I might as well try something really fabulous. Maybe it would be that one dessert he would remember. Maybe he would say to himself, "you know, I don't care much about food, but there was that one time... those... those, raspberry almond tartlets... yes, that was it."


Raspberry Almond Tartlets
from The Modern Baker, by Nick Malgieri, reprinted with permission

Nick says: Hiding a couple of raspberries under the almond filling prevents them from shriveling while these tartlets are baking, and provides a pleasant surprise when you bite into one. You can adapt this to other types of fruit, such as blueberries, sour cherries, or finely diced plums or mango (use preserves of the same flavor as the fruit - for mango, use apricot). Just be sure to use only a small amount of fruit or else the juices will boil out from under the almond filling while the tartlets are baking.

24 tartlet crusts, unbaked, made from Sweet Tart Dough or Nut Tart Dough with almonds, in tartlet pans set on a jelly-roll pan.

ALMOND FILLING
4 ounces (100 grams/about 1/2 cup) canned almond paste, cut into 1/2-inch (1-cm) cubes
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

RASPBERRIES
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves
24 to 48 fresh raspberries, depending on their size
1/2 cup (about 2 ounces/50 grams) sliced almonds
Confectioners' sugar for finishing

DIRECTIONS
1. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

2. For the almond filling, combine the almond paste, sugar, and egg yolk in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.


Pulse to mix until smooth. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Add the vanilla, butter, and the egg and pulse again to mix - you might have to stop and scrape again to get everything to mix together smoothly. Once the mixture is smooth, add the flour, pulse, scrape, and pulse several times more until the filling is perfectly smooth.

3. Remove the bowl from the food processor and lift out the blade. Use a spatula to clean off any filling stuck to it, and let the filling fall back into the bowl.

4. Put a dab of the preserves (about 1/4 teaspoon) in the bottom of each tartlet crust. Follow with a raspberry or two, depending on their size - the berries should not protrude near the top of the crust or there won't be enough room for the almond filling.

5. Using a small offset metal spatula, evenly spread 1 scant teaspoon of the filling per tartlet (a bit of the berry might poke through).

6. Top the filling in each tartlet with a pinch or two of the sliced almonds, covering the filling entirely.


7. Bake the tartlets until the dough is baked through and the filling is set and golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the tartlets in the pans on a rack. Remove them from the pans while they are still slightly warm, inverting the pans one at a time onto the palm of your hand - they unmold more easily when slightly warm than when completely cooled.

8. Immediately before serving, dust the tartlets with confectioners sugar.

SERVING: These are a good after-dinner pastry to serve with coffee, or are excellent at teatime.
STORAGE: Keep the tartlets loosely covered with plastic wrap at room temperature on the day they are baked. Wrap and freeze for longer storage. Defrost, reheat at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 5 minutes, and cool before serving.


Baking notes: I somehow forgot to pick up raspberries at the store, so I used frozen. I thawed them slightly. They seemed to work just fine. I baked maybe 5 minutes longer.

I used mini muffin pans and fit 2 teaspoons of filling per tartlet.

P.S. these really were fabulous. I'm quite certain Ben would have remembered these.

TWD: Banana Cream Pie & Orange Cream Tart

Many thanks to Amy of Sing for Your Supper, who chose Banana Cream Pie for this week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe. Who doesn't love banana cream pie? (All of you banana cream pie haters, just shush ;-) )

I've made enough pie now that it doesn't strike fear in my heart like it used to. Still, I'm far from an expert.

I have a sneaking suspicion that I need to try a different pie crust recipe (sorry, Dorie! it's me, not you!). I simply can not get the edge of the crust to hold it's shape and not shrink. Following the advice of long-time pie bakers, I made sure to have plenty of dough at the edge. I chilled the dough after rolling it out and before placing it in the pan. I took extreme care not to stretch the dough while I was putting it in the pan. I chilled the crusts in their pans for over an hour before popping them in the oven.

And yet, I got shrunken, shriveled crusts...


Fortunately, the crust isn't the star of this show, the filling is. This is not your typical creamy vanilla-flavored banana cream pie filling. It's more the exotic cousin of your standard filling, with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It was the color of pale peanut butter.


It thought it tasted fantastic. I could have been easily satisfied naming it cinnamon pudding and calling it a day.

But, with the pie shells already made, it wasn't much more effort to transform it into pie...








I guess it's time for a confession. I really don't like making whipped cream. It's just sooooo much easier to grab mother's little helper out of the freezer...


Don't hate me!


I also made the Orange Cream Tart this week. I made a quarter of the recipe and it fit perfectly into a mini pie shell.


This was almost the same dessert as The Most Extraordinary Lemon Cream Tart, with the juice being different, of course, as well as the addition of gelatin.


It was fabulous and tasted like a pie version of a Creamsicle. You can find the recipe HERE at the Brown-Eyed Baker's blog.

I really enjoyed both of these pies and would be hard pressed to pick a favorite. All in all, they made for a good baking week.

OK, see you next week, when we start a chocolate triple header.