Fireflies, Pies, and Lullabies» Pies

Chocolate Chip-Walnut Pie

Chandra — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 10:28:58 +0000

Ingredients

Pie Filling

Sweet Pie Crust Dough (recipe below)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons bourbon
1 cup walnuts, chopped
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Bourbon Cream (recipe below)

Sweet Pie Crust Dough Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons cold shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

Sweet Pie Crust Dough Instructions:

Sift the flour, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. With your fingers, incorporate the butter pieces and shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Work the ice water into the dough until it just comes together, being careful not to over work.

Form the crust into a disk shape, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes before rolling out to fit into a pie pan. Makes one 9-inch crust.

Pie Filling Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crust dough to an 11-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch pie pan, trim the edges to a 1/2-inch overhang, and fold over. Crimp the edges decoratively, cover, and refrigerate until ready to fill.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the flour and bourbon, and fold in the walnuts and chocolate. Turn out into the prepared pie shell, spread with a rubber spatula to fill the crust evenly, and bake until golden brown, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

To serve, spread about 1/3 cup of the Bourbon Cream onto the center of each plate and top with a wedge of the pie. Serve immediately. Makes one 9-inch pie.

Pear and Cranberry Pie

Chandra — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:54:47 +0000

Pear and Cranberry Pie

An all-time favorite. As a lover of pears I was delighted to find this recipe in Food Network magazine a few years back. Combining pears with cranberries and a dash of lemon gives this pie a down-home but complex taste. This pie is best served at room temperature and gets better even a couple of days after baking. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 refrigerated pie crusts, or double your favorite recipe
3 to 3 1/2-pounds pears, a mixture of Bartlett and Bosc
1/2 cup sugar, divided
6 ounces dried cranberries
3 tablespoons minute tapioca
2 tablespoons mixed berry jam
1 tablespoon cranberry juice
Juice of 2 lemons + zest from 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

Minute Tapioca with Mixed Berry Jam

NOTE: For those who have never baked with Minute Tapioca — here is a pic of what you’ll find on the baking isle of your supermarket

Directions

Peel and core the pears. Slice into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick wedges. Toss all of the pears with 1/4 cup of the sugar, the juice of 1 lemon and the zest of that lemon, place in a colander set over a large bowl and allow to drain for about 1 hour.

Transfer the drained liquid to a small saucepan, place over medium heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool.

Toss the pears with the remaining sugar, cranberries, minute tapioca, mixed berry jam, cranberry juice, lemon juice (from second lemon), salt and nutmeg.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Place pie crust into a 9 1/2 to 10-inch pie pan that is 2 inches deep. Gently press the dough into the sides of the pan, crimping and trimming the edges as necessary. Place the pears into the unbaked pie shell in concentric circles starting around the edges, working towards the center and forming a slight mound in the center of the pie. Be sure to sprinkle in some of the cranberry mixture as you add the layers so that the pie is even with all ingredients.

Pour over any liquid that remains in the bowl. Place the second pie crust over the pears. Press together the edges of the dough around the rim of the pie. Brush the top crust with the reduced juice everywhere except around the edge of the pie. Trim excess dough. Cut slits in the top of the pie for venting. Place the pie on on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Transfer to the middle rack of the oven and continue to bake another 20 minutes or until the pears are cooked through but not mushy. Remove to a rack and cool a minimum of 4 hours or until almost room temperature.

Potato & Bacon Pie

Chandra — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 11:49:08 +0000

This pie is soooo good on a crisp, fall evening!

Who doesn’t love potatoes, bacon, cheese and a flaky crust? This is a must try pie! Easy to make and warms up well as leftovers. The recipe I am including calls for swiss cheese but you can use Cheddar, Gouda or Manchego — all are great in this recipe. In addition, I have made this pie with browned sausage crumbles in lieu of bacon (especially good for brunch)!

Ingredients

2 pie crusts (refrigerated or use your favorite recipe)
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp
3 medium baking potatoes, peeled, sliced to even thickness (about 1/8 inch)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup grated Swiss cheese
2/3 cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon dried thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 egg yolk, whisked with a splash of water

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise, and then thinly slice into half moons. Working in circles, arrange the potato slices in the pie crust to cover the bottom. Season with salt and pepper, and crumble one piece of the bacon over the potatoes. Repeat the layers three more times. The pan should be nearly full. Top with the shredded cheese.

3. Whisk the dried thyme into the cream and slowly pour the cream around and over the entire pie, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices.

4. Roll out the remaining disk of refrigerated dough. Cover the pie with the dough and crimp the edges closed. Brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash. Make a few slits in the center of the top crust, for the steam to escape, and put the pie pan on a baking sheet.

5. Bake the pie until the crust is browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, 50 to 60 minutes. If the crust edges get too brown, cover them with some strips of aluminum foil. Remove the pie from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before serving.