Showing posts with label Pies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pies. Show all posts
When I was a child I was not fond of pumpkin pie at all. I am not sure why that was. Of all the pies in the world, pumpkin was my least favorite.
The truth was we did not get pie very often and so if my mother was going to bake a pie, we wanted her to bake us a lemon pie or an apple pie. Not boring old pumpkin.
As an adult, I have come to love and appreciate pumpkin pie in all of its glory. It is now one of my favorites. (Athough it will never quite replace lemon which is at the top of my list!)
When I first moved over to the UK, you could not find tinned pumpkin or pumpkins for that matter anywhere that I went to shop. It was very elusive.
My first Thanksgiving in the UK, I made a sweet potato pie, which (while very good) was not pumpkin pie. In all honesty even sweet potatoes were difficult to come by.
When I started working and cooking at the Manor, my boss used to bring canned pumpkin home from the US to use in soups and pies. You could also get canned pumpkin, at a premium price, from an American food supply warehouse.
It was really costly I remember. About 5 or 6 pounds per smallish can, which was about the equivalent of 8 or 10 dollars. A lot of money for a can of pumpkin.
There was a time when, if I saw pumpkin for sale in the shops, I would buy up every can that I could, especially if it was reasonably priced. Not only did I want pumpkin to be used in Pumpkin Pie, but I also wanted it for use in breads, muffins and cakes.
Thankfully over the last five or six years that I was living in the UK, tinned pumpkin was becoming much more available, as were pumpkins in general, especially around Halloween. They were not pie pumpkins however, just regular Jack-o-Lantern pumpkins.
Normally the pumpkin which is used to make pies comes from smaller sugar pumpkins. And you can feel free to roast a sugar pumpkin yourself to use in this pie if you are really keen.
Pies made from pureed roasted pumpkin have a wonderful depth of flavor that just isn't found in a can. If you live in a country where canned pumpkin puree is not readily available you may want to try making your own.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN PUMPKIN PUREE
First of all you don't want to be boiling pumpkin to make a puree. You will end up with a very soggy mixture that will be a real pain to dry out enough to use in a pie. Roasting is the only way to go.
To make your own pumpkin puree you will need to begin with a medium to small sugar pumpkin, or squash. Cut the squash in half horizontally and scrape/scoop out any seeds and fibrous matter from the centre.
Line a baking sheet with some oiled foil and then roast the pumpkin halves, cut side down, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours at a moderate heat (350*F/180*C). At that point you should be able to pierce the pumpkin easily with the tip of a knife.
Remove from the oven and scoop out the pulp as soon as you can easily handle the pumpkin halves without burning your hands. If it is still quite watery, you may want to drain it a bit, or squeeze it dry by wrapping it up in a clean tea towel and squeezing it out over the sink.
You can also steam the pieces in a steaming basket over boiling water, but really roasting it will give you the best flavor.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY PUMPKIN PIE
Nothing too out of the ordinary is needed to make an excellent pumpkin pie. This one does require maple syrup, but it does give it a lovely autumnal flavor.
- large free range eggs (I only use free range eggs, its a personal choice)
- canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- cream (You can also use undiluted evaporated milk in its place)
- finely granulated sugar
- pure maple syrup
- ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and fine seasalt
- maple flavoring (if you cannot find this use twice the amount of vanilla)
- vanilla extract
- an unbaked 9-inch pie crust
- whipped cream to serve (nice but not necessary)
HOW TO MAKE EASY PUMPKIN PIE
Homemade pumpkin pies are really delicious and this one is such an easy one to make. If you can whisk things together you can make this pie! One thing I love about this recipe is that it makes a very manageable (size wise) pie.
Lots of recipes require an overly large pie dish, or they make more than one pie. I am only one person and so I don't want a lot of pie. As it is I give most of what I bake away, which I don't mind doing, but you know . . .
They have an odd aftertaste. (I suspect that this comes from the type of fat they use.) If you are going to use a frozen one, I highly recommend the Tenderflake one which is what is available in Canada and very close to homemade in flavor.
Using a ready-made crust makes this pie really easy. I don't mind making my own pie crust however and I cannot recommend my Butter & Lard pastry recipe enough. Its excellent!
It makes the best pastry. Light and flaky and crisp. It is my pie crust of choice. It does make two crusts, but you can shape one into a flat dish and freeze it, tightly wrapped, for future use. It will keep several months.
When you need to use it, simply thaw it out and then roll, etc. as desired.
The filling for this easy pumpkin pie recipe is very simple and quick to make. Its a simple matter of whisking together all of the filling ingredients until they are nice and smooth, being well amalgamated.
Once mixed you just pour the mixture into your pastry lined pie tin and then bake as per the recipe instructions. I always put my pie tin on a baking sheet as it is much easier to move it in and out of the oven without risk of slopping the filling over.
I do the same with all my custard types pies.
You bake it for 15 minutes at a high temperature and then reduce to a lower temperature for the remainder of the bake time. You will know your pie is done when there is only a vague wobble in the center and a knife inserted comes out clean.
It does puff up, but no worries as it falls as it cools.
If you are worried about your pastry getting too dark, you can wrap the edges of your pie in tinfoil. That depends on how hot your oven bakes. I did not have a problem with mine.
I recommend using an oven thermometer every now and then to check the temperature of your oven and adjust your temperatures accordingly.
Today I baked a few little extra pastry cutouts to decorate the top of my pie with. They were easy to make and looked really pretty on the finished pie.
I happen to have a set of small leaf cutters which made that process really easy to do. I baked them separately and then just popped them on the cold pie to serve. I thought they made the perfect decoration!
I like to serve whipped cream with my pumpkin pie. You can whip your own from scratch, or you can use refrigerated spray cream.
That is what I used today. Its really very convenient. Do note that you won't want to add it until just when you are serving the pie. And do not spray it all over the pie as it doesn't hold up for long. Just spray it on the individual servings.
If you are looking for an easy pie to serve during this upcoming Holiday season, you really can't go wrong with this one. Not only is it incredibly easy to make, but it is also delicious!
I love the maple flavor of it and I also like that it is not overly spicy. You can taste the spice but it doesn't smack you in the face. This pie is (as Goldilocks would say) just right.
Easy Pumpkin Pie
Yield: 8
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 50 MinTotal time: 1 Hour
Pumpkin pie is one of the easiest pies to make, especially if you use a frozen deep dish pie crust (thawed). I usually make my own using my butter/lard crust recipe. This delicious pie is flavored with all the usual spicy suspects and is sweetened and flavored with maple.
Ingredients
- 3 large free range eggs
- 1 cup (245g) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup (240ml) cream
- 1/2 cup (100g) fine granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (I like to grate my own fresh)
- 1/2 tsp maple extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 unbaked deep 9-inch pie crust
- whipped cream to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gar mark 6. Have your pie crust ready and waiting on a baking sheet.
- Beat together the eggs, pumpkin, cream, sugar, maple syrup, spices, salt and extracts until smooth and well amalgamated. Pour this mixture into the prepared crust.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes longer. A knife inserted near the center should come out clean.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve the pie cut into wedges with or without a garnish of whipped cream.
Notes:
If desired you can bake some pastry cut outs to decorate the top of the pie Cut out 1 inch sized leaf shapes, scoring leaf veins in them with a sharp knife. Bake on a baking sheet for 6 to 8 minutes at 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Arrange around the edges of the baked pie.
My father is coming over for supper tonight. (Tuesday as I write this.) Normally he has supper at my sister's place. She has an appointment tonight and so he is coming to me.
A little over a year ago my being able to entertain my father for supper was only a pipe dream. He used to say he was going to come over to England and visit me, but it never happened. I think it was just wishful thinking on his part.
Anyways, his dream of going over there didn't come true, but my dream of being able to feed him supper now and then has! I could never have predicted this in a million years.
Somethings the most golden things come out of the ashes our lives. Being able to entertain my father is the silver lining of what has been an extraordinarily difficult year for me.
He's always saying to me that he would love to have some Lunenburg sausage and he wishes my sister would cook some Lunenburg sausage for him. I decided to pick up some and cook it for him.
Lunenburg is a fishing village on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. I love going there in the summertime. They have the best fish and chips and it is the place where the Bluenose Schooner is stationed when it is not touring.
The Bluenose is on the Canadian dime, so it is real Canadian treasure. And Lunenburg Sausage is a real Lunenburg treasure.
It is made in Lunenburg to a specific recipe using ground beef, pork and a mix of spices. (summer savory, coriander, onions, etc.) My dad is going to be so pleased when he sees that I have gotten some for him! I can't wait!
There is nothing I love more than making my father happy and I feel so very blessed to be able to now spend these years, for as many as we have, with him close by.
He is 87 now so I know there are not many left and I plan on making the best out of whatever time we have to spend together.
My father always likes a little bit of sweet at the end of every meal. He loves his desserts. He will often eat less of his main meal, just so that he can have some pudding at the end.
He goes for fish and chips with some lady friends every Wednesday night. He loves his fish and chips, but I think he loves the apple pie and ice cream that he has at the end of the meal even more!
We always try to have some small indulgence for him, even if its only a cookie and his eyes always light up when he sees whatever it is.
Today I have baked him this Impossibly Easy Pear-Custard Pie. I hope that he likes it! And I cannot think of any reason why he wouldn't!
In this pear custard pie, sliced ripe pears are combined with a rich and creamy custard and then baked in a hot oven for about 25 minutes. (I added some dried cranberries)
At the end of the 25 minutes a buttery and moreish oat and brown sugar streusel is sprinkled over top and this pear custard tart is baked or about 12 to 15 minutes longer, to custard pie perfection!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE IMPOSSIBLY EASY PEAR-CUSTARD PIE
Simple ordinary ingredients. Nothing more. Nothing less.
For the pie:
- baking mix (use something like Bisquick or my homemade mix)
- eggs
- milk
- sugar
- butter
- pears (Make sure you use a nice sweet eating pear)
- dried cranberries (optional)
For the Streusel Topping:
- Baking mix (Bisquick or my homemade mix)
- old fashioned oatmeal (large flake, not instant)
- brown sugar
- nutmeg and cardamom
- butter, softened
I like to make my own Baking Mix from scratch, and I store it in the freezer. It comes in very handy for all sorts of things. Making biscuits, pancakes, etc.
You needn't worry about using it all up. I have plenty of recipes on here that are delicious and that you can use it in:
HOW TO MAKE IMPOSSIBLY EASY PEAR-CUSTARD PIE
Nothing could be easier to make than this pie. I like to make the streusel topping first. Just measure all of the dry ingredients for the streusel into a bowl and rub in the butter with your finger tips until you have a nice and crumbly mixture.
You will need a 9-inch glass pie dish. I use a pyrex one that I have. Butter it really well and set aside while you make the filling.
Whisk together some of the baking mix, some sugar, softened butter, eggs and milk. Pour this into your buttered baking dish. Layer in your sliced pears. (I scattered some dried cranberries in between.) I also pushed them down a bit so that they were mostly covered with the custard.
This gets baked in your preheated oven for about 25 minutes and then you take it out and scatter that oaty streusel over top evenly. Back into the oven it goes for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the custard is set and the streusel is golden brown.
You will know the custard is set when a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Really nothing could be easier.
Bear in mind, you DO need to let it cool for about half an hour before you cut into it. So plan accordingly. This is fabulous served warm, and as you can see cuts really well.
Because it is a custard pie, with eggs, you will need to refrigerate any leftovers, which won't be a lot if you are a family of any size. I guarantee you will have no problem gobbling it all up!
I really hope that my father enjoys it. Its not too heavy on the sugar like some things and the fruit will be good for him. I don't think he eats enough fruit.
I have some squirty creamy for him to enjoy on top of it. I think Vanilla ice cream would also be excellent, especially where the pie is meant to be served warm. I am going to rewarm his for about 20 seconds in the microwave when the time comes.
His treat will be the sausage and this pie. My treat will be being able to please him. Everyone's a winner!
Impossibly Easy Pear-Custard Pie
Yield: 8
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 Mininactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 H & 25 M
This is probably one of the easiest pies you could make. It is creamy and rich and filled with pears, and dried cranberries (optional) with a moreish and buttery crisp oat streusel topping! Make sure you use a well flavored pear for this.
Ingredients
For the streusel topping:
- 1/2 cup (60g) baking mix (such as Bisquick or my homemade baking mix recipe)
- 1/4 cup (25g) old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed soft light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 heaped TBS butter, softened
For the pie:
- 1/2 cup (60g) baking mix (such as Bisquick or my homemade baking mix)
- 1/3 cup (75g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
- 2 TBS butter, softened
- 2 large free range eggs
- 3 medium fresh pears, peeled, cored and sliced
- a small handful of dried cranberries (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9-inch glass pie dish very well. Set aside.
- Stir the biscuit mix, sugar, oats, and spices together for the streusel topping in a small bowl. Drop in the butter and rub in until you have a crumbly mixture. Set aside.
- Whisk together the biscuit mix, eggs, milk, sugar, and butter for the filling. Pour this mixture into the pie dish. Arrange the pears evenly over top along with the dried cranberries, if using.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over top. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes longer, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Serve warm with or without some whipped cream on top.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Maple Walnut Vinegar Pie. I was having my daughter and her husband over for dinner the other night and I wanted to make it a really nice meal.
My son in law does have rather simple tastes. So we just had meatloaf, mac & cheese, salad and then I baked this fabulous pie for dessert!
I had to be really careful when it came to what I cooked because I wanted to make sure that Tim would eat it. He is quite fussy when it comes to food.
I baked my traditional meatloaf. He had two helpings. I call that a win! He also had two helpings of my mac and cheese. I also considered that to be a win.
He passed on the salad, but ate the canned niblets corn I served. You can't win them all. He also passed on this pie and had some ice cream and a donut in its place.
That's okay. As my daughter so rightly said, "More for me!" I concurred. Its a shame he wouldn't try it because he was losing out on a really delicious pie!
Maple Walnut Vinegar Pie is a Canadian twist on the American Pecan Pie. Maple and walnuts are naturally a brilliant flavor combination, and one that my family just loves!
But just what is a vinegar pie and why vinegar?
Please don't be put off by the mention of vinegar in this pie. Vinegar, or for that matter, lemon juice, is often used in piece to take the edge off of a super sweet filling.
You barely even notice the vinegar flavor. I strongly suspect it was added back when lemons were not often available and considered to be a bit of a luxury.
Quite an inventive solution to what was probably a very real problem. In fact you will historically find pie recipes that use nothing but vinegar.
This is a prime example of one such a pie. I can well imagine that it was very delicious. I am going to seek out a recipe in one of my old cookbooks and bake one some day just to see.
I have a very old Quaker cookbook as well as an old French Canadian Cookbook. Watch this space!
In any case this pie does use apple cider vinegar, but don't be put off by it. It is barely discernable and helps what would normally be a super sweet pie, from going over the top.
In short, this is one very delicious pie!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MAPLE WALNUT VINEGAR PIE
I am guessing with perhaps the exception of the walnuts, you probably have everything in your house to make this delicious pie right now, and, if you are like me, you will probably have the walnuts too!
- one unbaked single pie crust (I use my butter lard pastry recipe. Just freeze one crust for another time.)
- Large free range eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Orange juice
- Apple cider vinegar
- Maple syrup
- Butter
- salt
- Chopped Walnuts
HOW TO MAKE MAPLE WALNUT VINEGAR PIE
This is a very simple pie to make and there is no reason you cannot have success with it if you follow my instructions and tips!
You will need an unbaked single crust pie shell. I always like to prebake my single crusts for a few minutes if I am going to be using a really wet filling such as this one.
Its very easily done. Just pop it onto a baking sheet and then into a moderate oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, no longer. This just helps to prevent a soggy bottom, and you know none of us wants a pie with a soggy bottom!
Once you have done that you can scatter the toasted chopped walnuts across the bottom of the pie shell. There are plenty of them. (If you are only now just toasting them, make sure you cool them off a bit.)
You will need to gently warm the maple syrup with the butter to melt the butter. Do this first and then it will be cooled down sufficiently when it comes time to add it to the remaining ingredients.
Whisk the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, orange juice and vinegar together in a large bowl. You want everything to be well blended. Then slowly whisk in the maple syrup/butter mixture. Again, until everything is well blended.
You are then ready to pour this mixture carefully over the walnuts in the pie crust. Try not to dislodge the walnuts too much, but if you do, then you can gently rake them into place with a fork.
TOP TIP! When you are dealing with a pie with a soupy filling such as this one, do the final assembly very near to the oven. It also helps to have the pastry base/pie plate on a baking sheet which makes it much easier to get it into the oven.
This helps to prevent a lot of sloshing about! If you are near the oven when you go to pour the filling in the dish, and you have it on a baking sheet, you can prevent yourself from making a huge mess in the kitchen.
Once you have the filling in the pie, it is as simple as popping the pie into the oven and baking it. I turn it around halfway through the bake time (180*).
It is finished when the crust edges and filling are both golden brown along. The filling will also be slightly puffy and it will barely jiggle if you give the pie a gentle nudge to check.
Take it out of the oven and place the pie on a wire rack to cool completely before eating. The filling will sink a tiny bit and not be so puffed once it is cold.
You can either chill this and serve it cold from the refrigerator, or you can serve it at room temperature.
We enjoyed this at room temperature with some refrigerated whipped cream squirted on top. It went down a real treat. This is a really special pie, with a beautiful maple walnut flavor.
It would be the perfect addition to any special or holiday meal! You really don't want to miss out on this one!
Maple Walnut Vinegar Pie
Yield: 8 - 10
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour
This delicious pie is the Canadian cousin to Pecan Pie. Equally as delicious!
Ingredients
You will need:
- One single crust unbaked pie shell (I like to use my Butter/Lard pastry, scroll down to near the bottom of linked page for the recipe.)
For the filling:
- 3 large free range eggs, plus one egg yolk (freeze the white for another use)
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) orange juice
- 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup (180ml) pure maple syrup
- 4 TBS butter, cut into smaller bits
- pinch salt
- 1 1/4 cups (150g) chopped toasted walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a 9-inch pie dish with your pastry. Flute or crimp the edges, prick and partially bake for 10 minutes. (Have it on baking sheet, and leave it on the baking sheet.)
- Scatter the toasted walnut pieces in the bottom of your pie crust.
- Gently warm the maple syrup with the butter, just until the butter melts. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, orange juice, salt and vinegar together in a bowl until well blended. Whisk in the maple syrup/butter mixture, again until well blended.
- Carefully pour this mixture over the walnuts in the pie crust, taking care not to dislodge the nuts as much as possible.
- Bake the pie on the baking sheet, in the middle of your oven, for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and slightly puffy. Rotate the pie halfway through the bake time. (180*)
- The pie is done when the filling is set. Give the pie a gentle nudge to check. There should ebe no discernable wobble. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature, cut into wedges. with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top.
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