This cherry pie is mixed with chopped almonds and goes perfectly with vanilla ice cream.
March 14, Pi(e) Day! A great excuse for pie, don’t you think?
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pie
key lime tarts
Key lime pies are the perfect summer time desserts. Sweet and tart, one bite and I’m reminded of the Florida Keys.
What’s even better than key lime pies? Key lime tarts! Who doesn’t love having their own little dessert? These silky, citrusy bites are made even better topped with whipped cream.
These are great to whip up when you have company coming since they literally take 5 minutes to prepare.
Key Lime Tarts
8-10 frozen tart shells
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
2 small egg yolks or 1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup key lime juice
Combine the condensed milk, egg yolks and key lime juice and mix until well combined. Pour into the prepared crust and bake at 300 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Once cool, refrigerate. Serve with whipping cream. Garnish with key lime zest.
nutella pie for pi(e) day
If you really need an excuse to eat pie, well, here’s a great one for you! Today is Pi(e) Day!
I wanted to make a pie for Pi Day but wanted to try something new. I had an idea I wanted to test and this was the perfect day to do it. Remember the Nutella Pot De Cremes I had made for Valentine’s Day? I really did love the mousse-like texture and thought it would be perfect in a pie. Using a frozen, ready-made pie crust, I baked it and let it cool. Meanwhile, I made the pot de creme mixture and, once the shell was cooled, poured it into the crust and let it set. It didn’t take too long, only a couple of hours. Add some whip, grate some chocolate and you have the perfect celebratory dish for the day.
Looking for more inspiration? Click here to see more pies. Happy Pi Day everyone!
Nutella Pie
1 prepared pie shell
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup Nutella
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup whipping cream
1 TB icing sugar
Bake the pie shell as per directions and let cool.
In a blender, combine the chocolate chips, Nutella and egg yolks and blend together. Meanwhile, heat up the whipping cream until bubbles start to form but not boiling. Add the whipping cream slowly through the lid of the blender while blending on low. Once combined, pour the mixture into the cooled crust. Let set for 2 to 3 hours.
Blend the cream and the sugar until whipped. Top the pie with the whipped cream and shaved chocolate if you wish.
guest blogger: bernice’s blueberry lattice pie with lemon zest and spruce buds
Life has been busy and my blog has been a little neglected lately. I’m so happy to have Bernice from Dish ‘N’ The Kitchen guest blog today. Her blueberry pie sounds scrumptious! Thanks Bernice!
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Sometimes life has a way of grabbing on and taking time away from blogging. Sometimes it’s difficult to keep up with blog post when situations arise…but not all these life situations are bad! My friend and fellow blogger, Fareen at Food Mamma has just become a new mother and she may be just a bit distracted over the coming months. She needs a bit of extra time to settle in with her new family dynamic and to get to know her new little one. I’m excited and honoured to be a guest post on her blog…my first guest post! Fareen and fellow readers; grab a cuppa and please enjoy this pie post from my kitchen to yours.
Blueberry Pie. Mmmmm. I just couldn’t get it out of my head following Monday’s Masterchef US episode. Monday’s blueberry pie episode was inspirational; so many lovely pie variations and so many different methods of making pastry as well. I’ve actually been making a lot more pies than I used to…using different methods and ingredients so that I can find ‘the pastry recipe’ that works for me. I’ve had great success using my KitchenAid mixer but now that I have a food processor it’s almost scary how fast I can whip up a batch of pastry. Sometimes it’s just too convenient!
The pastry method I used for this pie was described by Inspired Taste. Essentially you just add a portion of the flour, salt, and sugar then add all the butter one bit at a time pulsing in between. then you add the remainder of the butter. The butter ends up coating the flour and protecting it from the cold water you add later. In the end less gluten is formed, making the pie crust tender and flaky. I also usually have such a difficult time rolling out pastry dough…but not with this recipe! I was pretty impressed with this pastry method and so was the family. I think it may be a ‘keeper’.
Phew! Now that I have that evil pie essential that is pastry out of the way we can talk filling. Obviously blueberry. What I saw on the show was a plethora of mixes but I wanted to do something completely different. I wanted my filling to be unique and I was inspired by my childhood and a friendly reminder of it during a dessert I had at Q Haute. It was called Blueberry & Pine. These two flavours really work together though really that is no surprise considering how close they are in nature. As a kid I spent many days picking wild blueberries with my grandma in remote bush areas. She would get word on where the picking was good and off we would go, ice cream pails attached to our belts. We wouldn’t go home until they were full. As we picked we breathed in the scent of pine while we stole the odd mouthful of berries. I wanted my pie to contain that memory.
I’ve been waiting patiently for the spruce tree in my front yard to bud. I think it happened a bit later this year but last week I was able to pick a container full of the buds. I had enough to pickle a couple of jars for later use with a just enough left over to add to the pie filling. I also added some lemon zest because I think it is an essential ingredient in blueberry pie. Other than that, a large pinch of freshly ground allspice, some sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Pretty simple.
Pie Pastry (from Inspired Taste)
2 1/2 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar, optional
1 cup (227 grams) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 sticks)
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
Add 1 1/2 cups flour, salt and sugar to a food processor. Pulse 2 to 3 times until combined.
Scatter butter cubes over flour and process until a dough or paste begins to form, about 15 seconds. It will look nice and ‘sandy’.
Scrape bowl, redistribute the flour-butter mixture then add remaining 1 cup of flour. Pulse 4 to 5 times until flour is evenly distributed. (Dough should look broken up and a little crumbly).
Transfer to a medium bowl then sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over mixture. Using a rubber spatula, press the dough into itself. The crumbs should begin to form larger clusters. If you pinch some of the dough and it holds together, it’s ready. If the dough falls apart, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra water and continue to press until dough comes together.
Remove dough from bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. Work the dough just enough to form a ball (do not overwork). Cut ball in half then form each half into discs. Wrap each disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months (just thaw it overnight in the fridge before using).
Before rolling, take pastry out and let sit for five minutes. Flour your work surface and roll one disk of dough out to 1/8 inch thickness using your pie plate as a size guide.
Fill pie shell with blueberry filling.
Blueberry Filling
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
good pinch freshly ground allspice
1 tbsp lemon zest
pinch salt
1/2 cup finely cut fresh spruce buds
1 tbsp cold butter cut in tiny cubes
1 egg yolk
1 tsp cream
coarse sugar
Mix all together in a bowl. Place in pie crust.
Pre heat oven to 400 F.
Take the second disk of pastry, roll it out and cut into strips as wide as you like. I ended up with five strips covering the diameter of the pie, then another five in the other direction.
Weave the strips over the filling as you place them and make sure the ends over hang the edges of the bottom pastry.
Tuck the ends under and pinch the crust edge all the way around the pie.
Dot exposed filling in between strips with tiny cubes of butter. Refrigerate pie for another 30 minutes.
Mix egg yolk and cream in a bowl and brush pastry before baking. Sprinkle pastry with coarse sugar.
Place pie on a cookie sheet in bottom 1/3 of oven and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 F and bake for another 35-45 minutes. The crust should be nice and golden and the filling will be bubbly.
WARNING! this is the hard part….let cool for 3 hours so that the filling sets.
apple pie with a cheddar crust…for pi day!
It’s Pi Day – giving me a great excuse to make a pie. I’ve had this on my list of things to make and what better day to make it.
Sugar and cinnamon tossed apples are baked within a cheesy, buttery crust. The sweet and savoury combo is definitely a win!
Apple Pie with a Cheddar Crust
Cheddar Crust
From Martha Stewart
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 sticks cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Pulse flour and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Drizzle 1.4 cup water evenly over mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together (dough should not be wet or sticky). If dough is too dry, add more water, 1 TB at a time, and pulse. Add cheese; pulse until combined.
Shaped into 2 disks, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes or up to overnight.
Filling:
5 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced
2 TB lemon juice
1/2 brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Finish:
1 egg
2 TB water
Combine the apples with the lemon juice, sugar, flour and spices.
On a floured board, roll out pastry, using your pie plate as a guide.
Place the first circle in the pie plate and fill with filling. Top with
the second crust. Fold bottom pastry over the top and crimp the edges.
Using a pastry brush, brush the crust with the egg and water mixture and add some vents.
Bake at 375 F for about an hour, until the crust is nice and golden.
key lime pie
With all the snow that came down last night, and the nasty roads I kept hearing about, today seemed like a great day to stay in. We were reminiscing about the cruise we took last month (more to come on that), and recalled the fabulous weather at all the ports. Q wished that he could live in the Bahamas, and on days like today, I wish we did!
Our first port was Key West, Florida, and all the reviews about the quaint little town said that we needed to try the Key Lime Pie. We happily obliged. We had lunch at a restaurant near the water and ended our meal with the much talked about pie. It was delicious, and even hubby, who normally does not have a sweet tooth, enjoyed it.
It was a great after lunch project, the smell of the citrus reminding us of summer and hot places. Q did most of the work since it’s super simple to make. The crust is sweet, the luscious filling is tart and the dollop of whipping cream rounds it all out.
Key Lime Pie
Adapted from Christine Cushing
Crust:
1 cup graham crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
2 TB sugar
Filling:
1 can condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup key lime juice
Topping:
1 cup whipping cream
2 TB icing sugar
Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and sugar. Press into a pie dish and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Combine the condensed milk, egg yolks and key lime juice and mix until well combined. Pour into the prepared crust and bake at 300 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Once cool, refrigerate.
Combine the whipping cream and icing sugar and beat in a mixer until you get peaks. Dollop onto each slice of key lime pie and garnish with a slice of key lime.
thanksgiving and apple pie
It’s Thanksgiving here in Canada. Happy Turkey Weekend! Hope you all got stuffed with turkey and were able to spend some time with your favourite people.
This year, we had Thanksgiving dinner at my sister-in-law’s house. She did a fabulous job filling our bellies with juicy turkey and delicious sides like cheesy mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes.
My job was the apple pie. I have to admit, that when it comes to pie, I usually cheat with the crust and use puff pastry. I searched for a recipe that was easy and came up with one from Martha Stewart.
Q had fun pulsing the flour and butter together in the food processor (and sneaking some bites of butter when he thought I wasn’t looking). After the dough rested in the fridge for a couple of hours, it was really easy to roll out. I will definitely be using this recipe again.
Served with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream, it was the perfect end to a delicious and filling meal.
Apple Pie
Crust:
Martha Stewart’s Perfect Pie Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cubed
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
Combine the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until well combined and the mixture looks crumbly. Slow add water while pulsing until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 days.
Filling:
5 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced
2 TB lemon juice
1/2 brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Finish:
1 egg
2 TB water
Combine the apples with the lemon juice, sugar, flour and spices.
On a floured board, roll out pastry, using your pie plate as a guide. Place the first circle in the pie plate and fill with filling. Top with the second crust. Fold bottom pastry over the top and crimp the edges. Using a pastry brush, brush the crust with the egg and water mixture and add some vents.
Bake at 375 F for about an hour, until the crust is nice and golden.
salted caramel chocolate pie for pi day
Today is Pi Day (3.14 = 3/14 = March 14). What better excuse than to celebrate with a pie! I’ve been wanting to try out a salted caramel chocolate pie for some time, just needed an occasion to do so.
Just use your favourite crust recipe, fill with caramel and top with chocolate ganache. This recipe is incredibly rich but so delicious. Hubby, who is not much into the sweet stuff, loved this pie. I even saw him go back for seconds! I couldn’t trust myself around this pie. To ensure that the two of us didn’t inhale it ourselves, I gave most of it away.
Q wanted to get in on the pie making action too. He really wanted an apple pie and made up these little pies. He rolled the dough, mixed the apples and even cut the stars for the top. He was very proud of his creation.
Salted Caramel Chocolate Pie
From Sprinkle Bakes
Caramel:
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream at room temperature
¼ tsp. sea salt
Melt the sugar over medium-high heat in a large pot. Whisk the sugar as it melts, and cook until it becomes a deep amber color.
Add the butter and stir it in until melted.
Pour in the heavy cream (the mixture will foam) and whisk until the mixture becomes a smooth sauce. Note: If lumps form, keep stirring over gentle heat until they have melted.
Remove from heat, stir in salt and let cool slightly.
Pour the caramel into the tart shell. Tilt to cover the bottom evenly. Let cool in the refrigerator until caramel is firm.
Chocolate Ganache
3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cups heavy cream
Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium-high heat until just boiling.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and gently whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
Allow to cool slightly before using.
Very gently pour the ganache over the caramel layer. The caramel may want to move around a little, so pour a little at a time. Place in refrigerator until firm.
Sprinkle with coarse sea salt before serving.