Weeknight Baking: Cranberry Crumble Pie

This may not be the most aesthetically pleasing, beautiful pie, but it suuuuure was delicious!  After it almost caused two kitchen fires, I'm thankful it was tasty, as I certainly hoped it would be worth the effort.  

I received Sister Pie, the cookbook as a gift this season. This cookbook shares the same name as the flagship Detroit bakery, which is changing the game and part of the reason for the recent economic flourish in Detroit.  They consider themselves a "triple bottom line business," working to support their employees, environment, and the economy.  Run by two sisters, featuring an all-female staff, it's been on my list of places to visit upon our next trip to see family back in Michigan.   Their cookbook is absolutely gorgeous, heartfelt vignettes and beautiful matte pages of how-tos and mouthwatering recipes.  I mean...Squash Tahini Cardamom, Apricot Raspberry Rose, Sour Cherry Bourbon...one will be baking pies for days after reading this one!  This Christmas, I opted for the Cranberry Crumble Pie - I'm always a sucker for cranberries, as they usually get pegged as being purely a Thanksgiving food, when really their flavor has so much potential.  

The kitchen fires were mostly my fault, turns out when you're baking a butter-rich crust, you ought to have a baking sheet underneath the pie dish.  A lesson I learned when blind baking the crust prior to adding the filling and crumble.  A memo which somehow did not get relayed to my mom when we baked the actual pie at her house.  Hence, almost two kitchen fires.

Thank goodness it was delicious and worth all the hassle, and oven cleanings that ensued.

Weeknight Baking: Fresh Strawberry Pie

Earlier in the week, we met up with friends for some strawberry picking.  It's our third year in a row at the same field.  It's become a little tradition of sorts.  We pick / they nibble until our basket is satisfactorily full and their lips and t-shirts are stained by rings of red juices.  We celebrate our pickings with a picnic lunch under a shady oak tree, usually followed by running shenanigans in the grass.  All in all, it's a wonderful day.  

The first year, my son was in the carrier, while I awkwardly attempted to kneel and pick berries, tipping him forward along with me. My daughter was actually decently helpful this year, though she too had a feast in the fields.  

A few days later, with our cleaned berries, my daughter helped me slice off the stems with her learning knife and I attempted strawberry pie.  Truth: it's a bit gelatinous despite having chilled in the fridge for a good four hours, but the flavor is on point.  While it retains it's lovely pie shape for pictures, it might hearken to more of a strawberry syrup on crust upon indulging.  I'll call that a win.

strawberry pie | coconut oil crust

The Pie Project: Pie #12 - Chocolate Cream Pie

Happy belated Pi Day everyone!  Truth be told, I don't think I'd ever heard of (let alone, celebrated) Pi Day until I started dating my nerdy, engineer, math obsessed husband.  However, I'm always game for an excuse to have dessert, and since I've already begun this quest to make the perfect pie, what better day than a pi holiday to make one?

I opted for something simple since nap times have been hit or miss around our house lately.  I chose this version of chocolate cream pie in a basic graham cracker crust.  I had good intentions of making the whipped cream myself, but realized I only had half and half.  After attempting to whip half and half into whipped cream unsuccessfully (to which my husband laughed considerably), I opted for the can of whipped cream in our fridge.  So there.  My almost 100% (though semi-homemade) chocolate cream pie.  Happy Pi Day!

                            past pies * one * two * three * four * five * six * seven * ten * eleven

The Pie Project: Pie #11 - Strawberry Rhubarb Raspberry

Pie #11 was made for my mom's birthday, inspired after I saw a pile of bright red rhubarb stalks calling out to me at the grocery store.  Knowing how short the rhubarb window is, I jumped on it!  Here it is; a strawberry rhubarb raspberry pie.  I used fresh rhubarb and frozen berries since they're not currently in season.  The raspberry added a pleasant hint of sweetness that I don't think the pie otherwise would've had.  I haven't had much experience with lattice, but I think it turned out pretty nice.  Happy birthday Mom!

                                      past pies * one * two * three * four * five * six * seven * ten

The Pie Project #10 - Key Lime Pie

I'm a little behind on pie project posts - I made a few over the holidays that were eaten faster than they could be photographed, so we're skipping pies #8 and #9 and jumping right to #10 - key lime pie.  I've always enjoyed key lime pie but rarely had the opportunity to indulge in it, except maybe our honeymoon or a random baby shower?  

So when my food guru, Deb, posted this recipe to smitten kitchen, I knew the stars had aligned and it was simply the right time to make this pie.  Which incidentally, turned out to be the most hectic of days; when nap time didn't go as planned, my attempt to melt butter in the microwave ended in a yellow explosion of goop, and a smattering of graham crackers covered my kitchen floor.  There were so many opportunities to give up, but I remember thinking, there is no way I'm throwing away 8 perfectly good limes for no good reason, this pie was going to happen! 

Thankfully I persevered, because it made for a lovely refreshing dessert for a family dinner - and a nap time snack for the next 4 consecutive days (which in reality, was truly the best part). 

                                  past pies * one * two * three * four * five * six * seven

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The Pie Project #7 - Peach Blueberry Pie

This morning, we went blueberry picking at a local patch with some friends and our little ones.  Pretty sure my daughter ate her weight in berries, but she had just as much fun running around the patch, dodging my husband as he tried to capture a few candid photos.  We ended up giving up after a meager 45 minutes, given how hot the 10:00 AM sun was, this Seattle heat wave is no joke!  However, I did end up with enough blueberries for a sweet after dinner dessert.  

Granted, 94 degree days are not meant for oven usage, but I was determined, so during nap time, I made a peach blueberry, and what a sweaty effort it was.   

Past Pies * one * two * three * four * five * six 

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The Pie Project #6 - Blueberry Rhubarb

I'm on a pie roll!  A few weeks back, I made this masterpiece, my latest pie to hit the oven - blueberry rhubarb.  As I was brainstorming possible pie combinations I remembered I had two bags of frozen blueberries in the freezer from Trader Joe's.  That plus an excess of rhubarb in our garden made for the perfect pairing.  The tart of the rhubarb is a great complement to the sweetness of the blueberries.  Go heavy on the cornstarch, cause this pie's a juicy!  

Past Pies * one * two * three * four * five

The Pie Project #5 - Strawberry Rhubarb

People, I'm on a pie-making roll!  Well, if you consider two pies in two weeks a roll (which as a full-time working mom, I certainly do!).  Strawberry rhubarb is probably my second favorite pie out there, if not a tie with apple.  Because I have feared missing the narrowly small window that is rhubarb season, I decided to seize my Saturday night and make a pie.  Domestic goddess or crazy woman - the jury is still out...

Now, I've made plenty of strawberry rhubarb crisps, but never a whole pie.  As usual, I subscribed to trustworthy Martha Stewart for this recipe, and followed fellow bakers advice to add extra cornstarch - which totally worked!  I ended up scratching the lattice crust for a basic pie crust - and it tasted just fine, but next time I think I'd attempt the lattice if only for a pretty presentation.  

Best part - pie for breakfast the last 2 days.  Can't beat that!

Past Pies * one * two * three * four

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The Pie Project #4: Chicken & Veggie Pot Pie

In my quest to make the perfect pie, I hadn't initially anticipated a savory pie would make my list. However, there's a first for everything, so here goes.  

I never grew up eating chicken pot pie, it just wasn't part of our dinner repertoire.  My mom didn't make too many casserole-type dishes, in lieu of fish, steak, or chicken.  However, my husband remembers it being a staple of his Midwestern childhood.  So, to satisfy his craving, I made this version which Real Simple boasted this recipe a fan favorite recipe in their 15th anniversary issue.  

I took it a step further and made my own crust (Joy the Baker's cold butter crust with slightly less sugar, recipe from Homemade Decadence).  Here's my version (pictured below).  Not too bad, right?  

The pot pie was pretty tasty - and made for superb leftovers for the next two days.  Definitely a recipe I'd try again, and despite the milk involved, it did seem a little on the lighter side as pot pies go.

Past Pies * one * two * three

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The Pie Project #3 - Sweet Cherry Pie

Here's a snapshot of a little weekend baking around our house, sweet cherry pie a la Smitten Kitchen.  While at Trader Joe's doing some grocery shopping I noticed frozen sweet cherries.  Thinking to myself - that might make a good pie, I bought two bags on a whim, and them came home to google "sweet cherry pie."  Turns out, it's not the most popular pie, but recipes do exist, namely Martha Stewart and Deb from Smitten Kitchen, so I felt slightly redeemed in my choice of frozen sweet cherries.   

 I bought the cherries aspirations to re-energize my pie project over my Spring Break, but sometimes it's just so nice to simply enjoy time off as opposed to filling it to the brim with activities.  The pie was fairly easy to make.  I used Joy the Baker's cold butter pie crust recipe and Deb's recipe for filling.  While the fruit was quite dry upon entering the crust, the result was a bit soupy, despite the 4 tablespoons of cornstarch the recipe called for, but flavorful which I guess is the ultimate goal.  Next time I'd use more cornstarch or tapioca pearls to help soak up some of the extra moisture from the fruit.

Past Pies * one * two

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The Pie Project: #2 - Apple Pie

So I'm trying to pick up where I last left off with my Pie Project goal to bake 30 pies in an attempt to "memorize" the pie making process.  Last Saturday was the perfect occasion to kick back into pie-making gear, as we hosted 19 friends and 4 kids for a belated Friendsgiving.  Collectively we had a potluck with all kinds of goodness, and my contribution was Joy the Baker's apple pie with her cold butter pie crust.  It turned out pretty fantastic, I was happy to receive some rave reviews! 

Past pies * one

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The Pie Project - #1 Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie

And I'm off to a good start - made my first pie!  Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie a la Joy the Baker.  I followed her directions to a T, and the pie turned out flavorful and delicious.  This was my practice pie - we had a group of friends over Sunday afternoon to watch the Seahawks game, so I used the opportunity to test the recipe on my girlfriends before making it for my family at Thanksgiving.   

A few changes I'll make before baking again; cut the apple slices a tad thinner, as there were a few slices that were a little too crunchy for my taste, and add more cornstarch, as the base of my pie was a little soupy.  But otherwise - another win for Joy the Baker.  

image/recipe via joythebaker

The Pie Project

In an effort to up my game as a baker and make a mark on this year's Thanksgiving, I've decided to learn how to make perfect pie crust.  Challenge accepted.  "Have you ever made a pie before?" one might ask...  The answer is, "well yes," I've made pie crust here and there through the years, but not without painstakingly flipping back and forth from a cookbook to my floury surface, fingers sticky with dough, to ensure I don't miss a crucial step.  This is my goal - to become such an "expert" at pie crust, the recipe is no longer necessary - it'll be all from memory.  So, here goes,"The Pie Project."  Make 30 pies.  Not giving myself a deadline, as I'm trying to be realistic as I currently have a full time job and an active 14-month old, among the rest of my life.  But I'm inspired.  And excited.

So...what should my first pie be?  I was thinking about this...

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