Adventures in Eclectic Home Cooking
Jan 9th, 2012 by Sarah
When I was a child, every party the family threw had “spinach cupcakes” for the kids. We all loved them, probably because we thought they were cupcakes and not healthy grown up food. As an adult I make them because they are a huge crowd-pleaser and are pretty quick to throw together. I’m too lazy to wash cupcake pans, so I make these “brownie” style and just cut squares. They make decent finger food as well. Continue Reading »
Jan 3rd, 2012 by Sarah
A few Thanksgivings ago, Jen and her mom went to the store to get a can of pumpkin for the pumpkin pie. They got home and realized that they had grabbed a can of sweet potatoes instead. Back to the store once more for an exchange, and back home again. The pie was made. And then eaten. And then the second can of sweet potatoes that was accidentally brought home was thrown away before anyone could see.
That’s the problem with so many sweet potato pies – they look like pumpkin pies, but aren’t them. When you are looking forward to pumpkin pie and you get sweet potato, it’s really disappointing. And sweet potato pie shouldn’t be disappointing, or indistinguishable. It should be delicious and unique.
I thought it would make more sense to have sweet potatoes as a side instead of competing with pumpkin pie as a dessert. Cubed instead of pureed. Savory and curried instead of sugared. A pie unlike any pumpkin pie I’ve ever seen. Continue Reading »
Dec 25th, 2011 by Sarah
We’re finally done with the dessert pies! As good as those all were, savory pies are one of my latest obsessions. Making a savory pie can be just as easy as making a sweet pie, but for some reason we don’t always think of them. We should, however, because savory pies are a great way to feed and impress a lot of people at once. Think about it: you pick a filling, execute, and then all of the sudden you have a gorgeous meal that can feed eight people, give or take. This pie is a perfect example of one of those impressive, but actually pretty easy pies. And for all its looks, it was a pretty inexpensive pie to make as well, since the filling was mostly made up of onions.
Serve this as a side to any meal. This is great for potlucks, since it is not likely to be duplicated by other guests. Those who prefer not to eat meat, dairy, or eggs will be relieved to have a complex dish on the table that is not just another pasta salad. Continue Reading »
Dec 21st, 2011 by Sarah
When you first see a pie like this one, it’s hard to know what’s under the surface. It’s certainly not what you’d expect. Crack beneath the crackly sugary top crust and you find a velvety lemon curd that you’ll wish you could spoon out of the entire pie just for yourself. Sweet and tart, gooey and crunchy, this pie needs nothing else. This is a lemon-meringue pie without the meringue. Who needs it when you get this creme-brulee-like crust on top? Continue Reading »
Dec 15th, 2011 by Sarah
“Shoo fly, don’t bother me!” I have to sing this little song to myself every time I think of shoofly pie. Most people I know are not familiar with shoofly pie, and I don’t even when I first heard of it. Shoofly pie is a cakey molasses pie that seems to come together from nothing.
Last year, I had the sudden urge make this pie to use a bottle of molasses I had had in my cabinet for a while. The recipe is actually a very easy one, but it was hard for me to imagine what it was supposed to look like or what it would taste like. I used blackstrap molasses, which is one of the strongest tasting varieties. The pie came out looking almost like dark fudge. I loved it, though I don’t know that everyone I shared it with felt the same way – love of molasses is acquired and this kind was particularly bitter. Vanilla ice cream on top helped even it out, but at the time I didn’t think I would make it again.
I wanted to have something different to offer at the pie parade, so I decided to pull this one out again. This time I made it using a lighter molasses. The pie looked completely different and came out fluffy, not too sweet but not too bitter. To my surprise, this shoofly pie was the favorite on the dessert table, even though many of the people who tasted it were not big fans of molasses. I will definitely be making this pie again – it’s too easy and good not to. Continue Reading »
Dec 8th, 2011 by Sarah
**So it’s not a pie in the usual sense, but baklava is pastry stuffed with nuts, sweet syrup, and butter. The pie spirit is there. And really, who would complain about getting baklava?**
Growing up I never knew that there was more than one kind of baklava. The sticky, crispy, little diamonds with pistachio and that hint of rose water were the only ones I knew. Later, I found out that baklava comes in countless shapes and sizes, with different fillings and sweeteners. Every culture that makes it (think Mediterranean) makes it differently. Heck, every family probably makes it differently.
A few years ago, I happened upon a Turkish bakery on the East side of Manhattan that offered about a dozen varieties: baklava filled with pistachios, walnuts, even sour cherries and other dried fruits. Some were shaped like squares, others like small round nests, and still others rolled up like cigars. Jen and I bought two pieces of each to take home and slowly devoured them. They were absolutely delicious, crunchy and sticky sweet, but not the baklava I remembered from childhood.
If you think you don’t like baklava, please try these. The honey flavor that most people associate with what could be a too-sweet dessert is replaced by a lite simple syrup flavored with rose water. When you make them yourself, you can control how much syrup is used, so they don’t have to be too sweet if you don’t want them to be. When I make them, I probably use two-thirds to three-quarters of the syrup most people use. Just enough to flavor the pastry without completely saturating it. This way, they are the perfect complement to a heavy meal., and no one can eat just one. Continue Reading »
Dec 4th, 2011 by Sarah
Sour cherries aren’t really in season this time of year, but they can often be found jarred. They lose their characteristic bright red coloring when they are jarred (I believe the bright red “cherry pie filling” that you can find cans of has added coloring to make them look as they do when they are freshly picked). Instead, these have a darker purple coloring, which I associate with the fall and winter. These cherries are preserved in a very light sugar syrup, so they retain their natural tartness without taking on too much extra sweetness.
The tartness of the sour cherries and the lack of a top crust keeps this pie very light tasting, compared with some of the other pies I’ve posted so far. With the depth of flavor this pie packs, you’d be surprised that it is so easy to make. It’s a bit more complicated to make with fresh unpitted cherries, but we’d have to save that excursion for summer anyway.
I was worried about this pie filling having too much spread when cut, so I used some tapioca-based gelatin to make it a bit firmer. I don’t think it was entirely necessary, but it is an option if you want the filling to hold up more on its own.
Nov 29th, 2011 by Sarah
I’m very particular about my apple pie. I used to think that I didn’t like it, but it turned out that I didn’t like how soupy and sweet many apple pies can be. Then I found the joy of baking specifically with apples that could stand up to the heat and retain some firmness. To help the apples hold up, we use a lot of lemon juice and not a lot of sugar. The apples come out tender with full apple flavor, that is enhanced by the other ingredients and not hidden by them. This is an apple pie that can be eaten at any time of day, warm with ice cream or whipped cream, or cold on its own. Have it for breakfast! Continue Reading »
Nov 25th, 2011 by Sarah
Pumpkin pie is a classic Thanksgiving pie, but there’s no reason you can’t have it all year round. During the fall, I usually get tasty pumpkins and squashes on sale, and then I bake and puree the flesh so that I can freeze it and use it all year long. Canned pumpkin is also generally available all year round, and I think it’s a convenient way to have pumpkin, though I prefer to make my own puree when possible. Incidentally, you may have heard that canned pumpkin is sometimes made of other winter squashes like butternut. Different squashes have different flavors and some taste more “pumpkin-y” than those little orange ones we usually associate with this time of year in America. Making the puree myself means I can figure out which flavors I like best, and I have a bit more control over the process. Some squash will be sweeter than others, and some squash may be more watery or stringy, so keep that in mind when experimenting.
Many people use sugar pumpkins for pumpkin pie – these are the smaller, round, orange-skinned pumpkins, not the big jack-o-lantern ones. This year, I found local cheese pumpkins on sale for ridiculously good prices, so I couldn’t resist picking one up. These pumpkins have a very rustic look. Their skin is sort of a pale peach color and they kind of look like a wheel of cheese, which is where their name comes from. The flesh, however, is very bright orange. I’ve used cheese pumpkins before in a pumpkin challah bread recipe (which I might have to try again soon), and I loved it, so I thought it would work well here. Despite the name, it is actually a sweet and flavorful pumpkin that doesn’t taste like cheese.
To prepare a pumpkin puree, wash your pumpkin and twist off the stem if there is still one on it. Hack into manageable pieces with a good heavy knife or cleaver. I hacked my cheese pumpkin into four, but a sugar pumpkin or small squash can usually just be cut in half. Scoop out the seeds – save for roasting and eating later while your pie chills. Place cut site down on a greased baking sheet. Tent with foil and bake in a 350 degree over for 40 minutes or until the flesh can easily be pierced by a fork. Remove from the oven and allow the pumpkin to cool to the touch. Then use a large spoon to scoop the flesh out of the skins. Puree the flesh with your choice of machinery. If the pumpkin seems watery, you can squeeze through a cheese cloth to remove extra liquid, or cook the pumpkin in a sauce pan to let some of the water reduce out. This is a beautiful photo tutorial for how to do this, from a site I thoroughly enjoy.
A note about the picture above: I had some pumpkin cookie cutters and some extra dough. I thought I’d make some little pumpkin toppers. Next time, I’ll toast them first before adding them to the top of the pie…
Nov 23rd, 2011 by Sarah
The first pie in the parade is pecan. This pie screams Thanksgiving to me, even more than pumpkin pie. Growing up, I remember there always being a pecan pie on the Thanksgiving dessert table. It was probably especially popular in kosher households because it’s an easy pie to make pareve, or non-dairy, so you can eat it after a feast that includes meat.
It was always one of my favorites because it was nutty and not very very sweet. I think it was probably my introduction to pecans as well (a word, incidentally, that I have extreme trouble saying correctly or consistently to this day – is it puh-kahn, pee-can, pee-kahn? My mouth can never decide in time).
Pecan pie is also one of the easiest pies to make. You can arrange each nut so that they make a beautiful design, or you can dump the nuts in, as I tend to do. You can crimp the edges of the pie crust fancily, or you can leave torn dough edges for a rustic look. That’s about as complicated as it gets.
The recipe I’ve been using for the last few years kicks it up a notch by adding bourbon, which fits amazingly well with the flavor of the toasted nuts and the syrup. I use a lot because I want to be able to taste it, but you can adjust the amount or skip it entirely to suit your taste and the group who will be eating it. It is delicious but not integral. The original recipe that I got this one from also calls for chocolate chips, which I found wholly unnecessary for a pie that already has plenty of sweetness on its own. Continue Reading »
