as easy as pie

What could be better than a picture perfect double-crusted pie, its rim crimped and decorated with the back of a fork, its top baked to a beautiful golden brown and a starburst-pattern in the center that has been stained from the luscious bubbling filling? The aroma of warm fruits that have been encased in a tender flaky dough baked to perfection is probably the dessert that is tops on my list. Although truth be told, I’ve been known to have pie for breakfast as well.

The secret to baking fruit pies in my opinion is the cooking of the filling on top of the range. This gives the opportunity to adjust the flavors before the pie goes into the oven-a good idea and a guarantee of success from pie to pie, no matter the sweetness, or lack thereof, of a particular batch of fruit. Right now at the farmers’ market plums are in season and are over flowing on the market tables. One of my favorites is the small sugar plum or the French Prune plum. It is a small variety that tastes best when it’s wrinkled, and has an aroma that makes you want to eat it. Paring these sweet, red fleshed stone fruits with a pint or two of blueberries is a match made in heaven.  As with all pies and tarts you can play around with the filling. And, when you’re feeling ambitious, double or triple the recipe and bake or store in the freezer for a quick dessert that will make you look like a rock star!

Enjoy!
Shannon

Blueberry and Sugar Plum Pie
Makes 6 to 8 servings

The Filling:
3 cups fresh blueberries (about 1 ½ pints)
10 sugar plums, sliced
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Large pinch of grated lemon zest
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Put half of the fruit in a medium saucepan, keeping the remaining fruit close at hand. Add the sugar, flour, and lemon zest and stir to mix. Bring the mixture to a soft boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. The fruits will release their juices and the liquid with thicken. Turn the mixture into a bowl and stir in the uncooked fruit. Taste spoonful, paying attention to the saucy liquid, and add lemon juice as needed. Cool the filling to room temperature.

The Crust:
½ recipe pastry dough from the toolbox
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. cold water, for egg wash
Crystal or turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Lining the pie pan: Cut the dough in half and roll one half out on a lightly floured work surface into a circle about 11 inches across. Fit the crust into a 9-inch pie pan with 1-inch high sides. (Or you can use an 8-inch pie pan with 1 ½-inch high sides.) Allow excess dough to hang over the sides for the moment.

Roll the remaining piece of dough into a circle about 10 inches across. Place the pie pan in the center of the dough and, using the pan as a template, cut the bottom round of dough so that it is about ½ inch larger all around than the pan.

Filling the pie pan: Spoon the cooled filling into the pie shell and dot the top with the butter.

Top crust: Trim the overhanging dough to about ½ inch. Lift the rolled-out circle of dough onto the pie (I use my rolling pin to roll the dough onto it and then unroll on top of the pie) Align the edges of the top crust with the bottom crust. If necessary use a kitchen knife or scissor to trim any ragged edges.

Fold both layers of overhanging dough under to create a thick edge around the rim of the pan. Crimp the edges gently with a fork. Paint the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with a little crystal or turbinado sugar.

Chilling the pie: Using the point of a thin knife, cut 4 to 6 slits in the crust and chill for about 20 minutes. At this point the pie can be frozen. Place it on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, then wrap airtight and freeze for up to a month. There’s no need to thaw the pie before baking, but you should apply another coat of egg wash and will have to bake the pie about 10 minutes longer.

Baking the pie: Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.

Place the pie on a parchment or silpat lined jelly-roll pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before you cut it so that the crusts top and bottom have a chance to set.

Storing: Pies are at their peak the day they’re made, but you can cover and chill leftovers for a day (if it lasts that long!)

commander in cheese

Roquefort is renowned throughout the world as the “King of Cheeses”. It was named after a village in the south of France and is infamous for its pungent smell and characteristic blue veins of mold.

The story behind the origins of Roquefort blue cheese has been romanticized in an old legend. It begins with a young shepherd who was minding his flock of sheep in the hills of Roquefort when he suddenly sighted a beautiful maiden in the distance. Determined to find her he left his dog to guard the sheep and hastily placed his lunch-bread and ewe’s milk curds in the nearby caves to keep cool. The shepherd was away for days, looking for his maiden. Unfortunately, he never found her. The shepherd, dejected, returned to his sheep tired and hungry. When he took his lunch out of the caves, he found that the bread and milk curds were moldy. His hesitation was brief due to his hunger. With some trepidation, the shepherd took a bite and was pleasantly surprised to find that his moldy lunch tasted so good! Roquefort was born.

Whether this story is true or not, the fact remains that Roquefort is delicious. True, it is an acquired taste, and many are thrown off by its strong smell. But this is a pity, because Roquefort’s moist and creamy texture is a delectable experience not to be missed.

If you are on the fence about this cheese, why not give this recipe a try. It is the classic paring of a sweet tender pear with the salty pungent cheese. Put together in a pastry shell and filled with a simple mixture of cream and eggs. This lovely tart is a perfect lunch dish or served for a light dinner.

Enjoy!
Shannon





Pear and Roquefort Tart
Serves 6

1 recipe for pastry
6 oz. Roquefort
1 ripe pear, peeled, cored, and sliced into small dice
2 eggs
1 cup cream
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Salt
Freshly ground pepper



After preparing your pastry dough following the link above, place one round of the uncooked pastry dough into a 10” tart shell with removable bottom.


Scatter prepared pear onto the pasty shell evenly. Then using your fingers break off small chunks of the Roquefort cheese and place in between the pear pieces.

In a small bowl beat the eggs lightly, add the cream, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Mix together well. Pour mixture over the pears and cheese. Bake in a 425° preheated oven until set. About 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

strawberry anticipation and a galette

The strawberries in my garden are just beginning to show signs of life, but the ones at my farmers market are as good as they come; small, sweet, deeply flavored and red right through, none of that ice-white core that so many of them have in the market.

These berries are so tender and juicy that they are hard to beat just piled in a dish, so full that they tumble off the edge and eaten without any embellishment.  This, I have to admit is how I usually enjoy them at this time of year.

I was craving something dessertish, and had some leftover pastry dough so I thought I'd make a simple, yet rustic galette using some of those little beauties. The sweetness of the berries paired with the rich, buttery pastry was a tasty combination and didn’t need much else. But…I thought better of it and made a sweetened mascarpone cream with some vanilla bean to give an additional layer of flavor.

I have to say, it was a good call.

Enjoy!
Shannon

Mascarpone Vanilla Cream
Makes 1 ½ cups

3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1 vanilla bean split lengthways, seeds removed

Using a whisk, blend together all of the ingredients until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Strawberry Galette
serves 6 to 8

1 recipe Pastry Dough from the toolbox

1 pound strawberries, hulled
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out a 10-inch round, and transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Make the galette: Cut strawberries lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Toss slices with 1/4 cup sugar and the cornstarch, and immediately arrange them in concentric circles on dough. Start 1 inch from edge, overlapping slices slightly. Fold edge of dough over berries. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Whisk together yolk and water. Brush dough with the egg wash, and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Dot berries with butter. Bake until crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

Transfer to a serving plate. Serve warm with mascarpone vanilla cream

toolbox: pastry

For years I’ve heard the phrase “it’s as easy as pie” and thought “okay, clearly you have never made one”.

Why is the idea of making basic pastry dough daunt even the most cool, calm and collected types? Making them so nervous at even the thought of tackling a pie crust?

Well, if this is you then you never need fear pastry again. I have found a wonderful recipe for pastry dough, which is flaky, flavorful, and tender. It is also strong enough to be rolled out and molded into a free-form shape or a galette. You can use this dough to make any kind of pie or tart, sweet or savory, plain or fancy. By adding a little sugar and vanilla you have a beautiful pâte sucrée or sweet pastry. Throw in some thyme, lemon zest and grated parmesan and you have the base for a savory tart. Once you have mastered this recipe you can let your creative juice flow and create wonderful crusts for so many recipes.

I have made this recipe by hand with a pastry cutter, but have also found the food processor works great as well. This recipe is large and can be cut in half or even quartered, but since the dough can be frozen for up to a month, it’s practical to make the full batch. You can freeze the dough disks, rolled out in circles, or already fitted into pie pans or tart molds, ready to go into the oven-without thawing-when you’re in a crunch for a crust.

Enjoy!
Shannon


Pastry
recipe adapted from Leslie Mackie

5 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 ¾ cups (11 ounces) solid vegetable shortening, chilled
1 cup ice water

To make the dough by hand, mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and using a pastry blender (or your fingers); cut it into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Be patient-this take a while. Break up the shortening and add it in bits to the bowl. Still working with the pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the mixture has small clumps and curds. Switch to a wooden spoon and add the ice water, stirring to incorporate it. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold it over on itself a few times-don’t get carried away. The dough will be soft, but it will firm up in the refrigerator.

To make the dough in a food processor, start with very cold ingredients and take care not to overwork them. Place dry ingredients in the food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse just to mix. Take the top off, scatter the chilled cubed butter and shortening over the flour, cover, and pulse again, working only until the fats are cut in and the mixture resembles slightly moist cornmeal. Add a little of the liquid and pulse a few times, then add more liquid and pulse again. Continue until the mixture has curds and clumps and sticks together when pressed between your fingers. Don’t process until the dough forms a ball that rides the blade-that’s overdoing it.

Chilling the dough; divided dough into quarters, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, any longer and it’s too difficult to roll out.

Storing; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for 1 month. Defrost, still wrapped in the refrigerator.

Makes enough dough for four 9- to 10-inch tarts or open-faced pies or 2 double-crusted pies.