Monthly Archives: August 2012

Keeping it Local

20 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by in Summer Fruit Pie

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Beautiful Mt. Rainier, seen from above the clouds. The mountain gives its name to a very special fruit, grown in the locale. There would never be a more appropriate time to bake some Rainier Cherry Pie with a Grated Top Crust.

Rainier cherries are sweet, peachy, red-and-yellow marbles of deliciousness. And if you go to a local Washington market (NOT a supermarket), you will get a great price such as $1.99 a lb. I should have bought about twice as many as I did. Regrets.

Regrets continued: for the first time in my life, I talked myself into buying pre-made crust. “I don’t want to buy all the ingredients and have the leftover go to waste,” I said to myself. “I don’t know if there will be any measuring cups where we are staying.” (There weren’t.) “I’ve already spent too much money on groceries this month.” All pitiful excuses. This will never happen again, I promise you, because the pie would have tasted about 100 times more delicious if I had made the crust myself. I already hear some of you insisting “But the store-bought crust tastes just as good!”  Quite frankly, you’re wrong. Sorry.

*Deep breath* Moving past all that…the pies sure looked pretty. To make a grated top crust, simply freeze half of your pastry and then grate it over the top like a block of cheese. In case you were wondering, we were in Washington for a family vacation. Levi’s grandparents, Ken and Bonnie, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year. Hooray for them! Locally made ice cream to go along with your Rainier Cherry Pie? But of course!

 

There’s always time for pie.

16 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by in Chocolate Pie

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Especially for Bittersweet Chocolate-Mascarpone Pie. (Is there anything in the world better than Mascarpone cheese, I ask? Anything?)

There is even time for this pie when you have about a million friends staying and coming and going and your house is a mess and you haven’t slept in probably two months, but you don’t even care because you’re just having such an awesome time. I seriously love you all. 

 

The process is simple: make an Oreo crust in a food processor (I use Trader Joe’s Joe-Joe’s, since you all know I hate shopping anywhere else.) Mascarpone, melted chocolate, whipped cream, and other goodness goes in the filling. The rest of the whipped cream goes on top. Hey, I can’t be TOO specific, or you won’t buy the cookbook. But it’s easy-peasy, trust me. You can make it in the morning, leave for a beach party at 10 am, come back at 10 pm, and eat it. This method has been fully tested and approved.

 

Summertime and the bakin’ is easy

15 Wednesday Aug 2012

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Today I baked a Sweet Summer Corn Pie. I already made two of them last month, but I couldn’t find the picture I’d taken of the finished product (or maybe I never saved that picture at all?). And I got three ears of fresh sweet corn in my CSA box yesterday. And…oh yeah, I don’t work during the summer. Oh well. There was just nothing for it but to make another one. In case you’re curious what they taste like, they’re very creamy…the texture almost reminded me of flan…but some of the corn kernels are left whole. Definitely yummy. I wouldn’t use anything but the freshest summer stuff, though.

My new puppy Obi helpfully tried to eat the husks of the corn as I shucked it. 

The following pictures are all from July. My little cousin Ava helped…and a very good helper she was! She’s only three, born a couple of days before my wedding, but she’s already an accomplished baker. 

Onesipie

10 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by in Apple Pie

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[Oh-nes-ih-pie]

I can explain.

The summers I was 15, 16, and 17, I attended a two-week program known as “Operation Onesimus,” which arguably changed the course of my life forever. You may never have heard of Onesimus; he is a character–a slave–in the New Testament book of Philemon. The name is symbolic of service; not slavery in the way we usually think of it, but service in love. Ironically, living a life serving each other in love turns out to be the most freeing way to live. To me, this is what the Operation Onesimus program is all about.

In July, I returned to Operation Onesimus not as a participant, but as a helper, excited beyond belief to be able to spend time with such an amazing group of people. My self-appointed title was “Onesimus Experience Enhancer.” Basically, I just tried to find ways that I could make the experience of the participants a little bit better. And one way I thought of (naturally) was to make pie for everyone! Because pie enhances every experience. Ever.

Challenges faced: lots of hungry mouths, no stocked pantry, no rolling pin, no food processor, no wax paper, no apple peeler, looked in three kitchens for a grater…this was quite a challenge. Total time spent on Onesipie: at least 4 hours. I took a couple pictures for you along the way.

(Can I just take a wee minute to show you my “new” apron? I discovered it while visiting my family in Minnesota, and my Aunt Sarah felt that it was only fair that I should have one of Grandmother’s handmade aprons. So now it’s mine, and I love it a lot.)

How to make a pie, Onesimus style.

When you’re baking for thirty, you need a big bag of flour.

Okay, getting started. All-Butter Pastry. Lots of butter. Go.

Apples, lemon zest and sugar get mixed together for the filling.

When you can’t locate a rolling pin or wax paper to save your life, improvise with an empty juice bottle and Glad Press n’ Seal. But this is really a last-resort option.

You’ll notice these pies look a bit naked right now. There’s no top crust in sight…but just wait until you see how we’re going to finish these!

Are you ready for the secret ingredient? Prepare yourselves…here it comes….

Weird, right?

In the absence of a food processor, enlist the help of small friends to mix the Cheez-It topping together by crunching it up inside a Ziploc bag. Many hands make light work!

Add the crumblies part of the way through baking…and that’s how you make an Apple Pie with Cheddar Cracker Topping.

(Thanks so much to our friends Vinnie and Rachel, who let us stay in their comfortable and adorable cabin for over a week! Every time I noticed another piece of bird decor, I squealed with happiness. No joke, just ask Levi.)

A Sweet Deal

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

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Guys, it’s been too long. I’m having a summer just full to the brim with blessings in the form of friends’ smiles, mountaintop sunrises, perfect beach days, and late night chats. While this means that my blog has become secondary in priority for a little while, I haven’t stopped making pie (and I hope you haven’t stopped checking in!). Keep an eye open for posts about the three pies I’ve made since July…one of them features summer corn. Say whaaat?

For now, I just wanted to let you in on a sweet deal, before the opportunity passes. I’m only in the know on this because I’m a member of Ken Haedrich’s online Pie Academy (and you should be too; it’s free!). Ken has purchased a number of Le Creuset bakeware items and is having a private sale. Follow this link to check out the items he has available. 

I’ve been hankering for some mini pie dishes (because mini pies are cute) and a pie bird (because, put a bird on it). So that’s what I ordered. I was very excited when these treasures arrived in the mail the other day!

Now to decide what kind of mini pies to make first…