• Pie Gallery
  • The Cookbook
  • Why pie?

The Peace of Pie

The Peace of Pie

Tag Archives: sour cream

Mini Cheesecake Pies for the Kids

22 Tuesday Sep 2020

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Berry Pie, Cheesecake Pie, Mini Pie

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

blueberry, cheesecake, cream cheese, kids, raspberry, sour cream, strawberry

This is the exact thing that these pies are called in my ultimate pie guide to life (Pie by Ken Haedrich, if you’re a new reader…and if so, welcome!) But friends, I am here to tell you: these are not just for the kids.

However, I do highly suggest this as a recipe to make (in part or full, depending on their age) with your kids, if you’re looking for delicious family bonding activities. Here’s what your mini cheesecake pies will look like this if you let a pair of enthusiastic two-year-olds decorate them.

We whipped up these delightful little concoctions over the past weekend, during a short vacation with my cousin’s family to the mountain town of Big Bear Lake, California. The recipe calls for individual store-bought graham cracker crusts. And, I can’t*. So I brought along the jumbo muffin tin and made my own. Grease the muffin tin well and they’ll slide out just fine. I wasn’t sure, but I tested it for you all and you’ve got the green light.

*See multiple other Peace of Pie posts where I enumerate the merits of homemade graham cracker crusts.

Here are some things I learned while making these pies.

  1. If you forget to pack brown sugar, you can make a fine graham cracker crust with regular sugar. It’s something I hadn’t done before. Brown sugar is much nicer because it’s a bit damper and stickier, which helps bind the crumbs together. But it isn’t essential.
  2. If you forget to bring an electric mixer, you can enlist someone with strong arms to whip the filling together. The hardest part is the cream cheese, even if softened. I do suggest using an electric mixer if you’re not at a remote cabin with limited options, this is definitely a last resort tip.

A valid question you could ask at this point if you’d like is, “Did you actually participate in the making of these pies at all, Jess?” Let’s just say it was a team effort, with myself, Levi, Pippa, and her buddy Jack all equally contributing to the creative process.

Here is the most aesthetically appealing photo you’ll find in this post. Pies prior to the toddler decorating party, with a delightfully colorful berry plate in waiting.

Next, an onslaught of cute photos of Pippa and Jack doing what they do best: pretending to decorate with berries while actually scarfing down berries. Okay, Pippa was a way worse offender here than Jack. While Jack was placing a blueberry directly into the center of each pie (with enough force to make the filling squish up towards the ceiling), Pippa was promising to “decorate” with each new berry while literally popping 3/4 of them into her mouth. SO many fakeouts.

The recipe contains numerous other suggestions for how to decorate these pies: Caramel-Nut, Candy Fantasy, Choco-Mallow. Anyone else starting to think about Cheesecake Factory? We kept it simple and fresh this time. What’s your favorite berry to pair with cheesecake? I’m a raspberry girl myself.

My pie-lovin’ heart was super happy to see these cute kiddos each enjoy half of one of the cheesecake pies they had “made themselves”. For those doing math at home, the four adults had no problem polishing off the other five mini pies later that evening. Like I said – not just for the kids.

What will you top your mini cheesecake pies with? Do you have a kid in your life who would love to bake and/or eat these? Lemme know because you know I loooove those sweet comments. And, happy fall to my fellow Northern Hemisphereans. Is it me or does a change in season feel especially good this year?

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Christmas in July

21 Tuesday Jul 2020

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Chiffon Pie, Nut Pie

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

apple, chiffon, chocolate, dutch apple, holiday, peanut butter, sour cream, travel

Hello friends!

I’m writing to you today from the state of Virginia, where current temps and humidity are combining to make it feel like 108 degrees or so. Swampy is a word I’d use to describe the feeling upon departing from any air conditioned building. That being said, super happy to be here, and also looking forward to going to another swampy state (Georgia) in a few days. Just remember, fellow Northern Hemisphereans, it’s winter somewhere. Somewhere like Australia.

Flashback to….December 2015, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The hottest Christmas day I will probably ever experience. We were staying at our friends Nathan and Nicole’s house and it was so fun to share a warm back patio “Summer Supper” (a reference to one of P’s favorite books) in lieu of the more cozy indoor meal I typically associate with the Christmas season!

Nic is a fellow pie maker and owner of the Ken Haedrich pie tome. As part of the *many* delicious menu items she had planned for the Christmas meal, we baked not one, but two of Ken’s pies. Below left: Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Sour Cream Pie, and right, Black Bottom Peanut Butter Cloud Pie. Far right, Nic’s cute daughter Indianna. (Between us collectively, three babies have arrived in our families since this photo was taken. Goes to highlight how far back this story got stuck in the pie history bottleneck. It’s been added to its rightful position as Pie #138 in the Pie Gallery!)

43ACBA9E-5AB3-4A3C-A7B2-EA02B99322B8_1_105_c

Here’s a little close-up of our starlet:

E880DE1E-8EFF-4126-9467-1458EF6451EF_1_105_c.jpeg

And then, a slideshow of Christmas morning pie and luncheon preparations for your viewing enjoyment:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Captions for several of the photos in the above slideshow:

  • Black Bottom. A fancy term for, spread some chocolate in the bottom of that pie crust please.
  • When you’re baking in Australia from an American cookbook…you gotta break out that kitchen scale!
  • California walnuts (for the Apple Pie) and Australia peanuts (for the Peanut Butter Pie), aww, it’s a metaphor for friendship!
  • Note to self (or Levi if he’s reading this), one of those fancy nut choppers might be a necessary Gelineau kitchen tool…
  • If you’re wondering where the “Cloud” in Black Bottom Peanut Butter Cloud Pie comes in, just pause the slideshow for a moment on the image the peanut butter filling pouring lazily from the mixing bowl. Light as a cloud, my friends, light as a cloud.
  • Graham crackers? Australians have never heard of ’em. Try some good old Arnott’s Shredded Wheatmeal biscuits in your next homemade graham cracker crust! (This particular pie calls for peanuts in the crust in addition to in LITERALLY EVERY OTHER PART OF THE PIE. 10/10 would recommend to your favorite peanut lover.)
  • Wait a second…those pictures are not of pie! But, goodness me, doesn’t all of that food look divine? I’m just over here trying to show that Nic is the next Donna Hay. Only my Australian friends will get that but it’s totally fine.

Other bits and pieces:

  • Nic and I have been talking pie for many years now, and she has even shared a savory pie recipe on this blog before, in the post linked here: A Recipe from Nic.
  • Here’s the story of my first Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Sour Cream Apple Pie: Pie and Music

Sending love to each one of you out there having a hot, cool, chilly, or any kind of beautiful July day. ❤

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Success!!

30 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Cream Pie

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

meringue, raisin, sour cream

That was the subject of Nancy’s email to me yesterday letting me know that her Sour Cream Raisin Pie had turned out and her dad loved it! This is a Thanksgiving pie story with a happy ending. (If you missed the beginning of the story, check it out here.)

Nancy was kind enough to share some pictures of the pie success and I thought you all might like to see them too!

IMG_1952 (2)

IMG_1960 (2)

IMG_1962

Great job, Nancy! I hope while this was your first pie, it won’t be the last!

If you want to read some more Thanksgiving 2014 pie stories, check out the latest post Ken’s put up on the Pie Academy blog. My friend Tim’s pie is pictured, and I’ll be writing soon about the Maple Pecan Pie I made that’s mentioned at the very end of Ken’s post!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Sour Cream Raisin Pie for Nancy’s Dad

22 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Cream Pie

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

meringue, raisins, sour cream

IMG_4944Dear Nancy,

Last week you wrote to me, introducing yourself as a colleague of my Uncle Joe. Your words about my blog were so kind. You were wondering if I had any advice on sour cream and raisin pie, as it’s your dad’s favorite and you’d like to make him one for Thanksgiving, even though you’ve never made a pie in your life. He asks for sour cream and raisin pie wherever he goes (finds it almost never) and since this is the first Thanksgiving your mom will not be present at your family dinner, you want to do something special for him. I hope your Thanksgiving dinner, though it will doubtless be bittersweet (dementia has taken a toll on both our families), will create happy new memories for all involved.

Now, to get you started on this pie!

I had NEVER tried a sour cream and raisin pie myself, but there is a recipe in Ken’s book (Norske Nook Raisin Pie) which looked like a great bet. Norske Nook is a restaurant in Wisconsin, not too far away from Minnesota-sounds like this is a pie of Midwest origins.

I’ve never before reproduced a recipe from Ken’s book word-for-word on my blog, but I’m going to go ahead and make an exception here. From this point forward, I’ll be writing the text of the recipe in plain type and adding my own commentary in italics. 🙂

I would love to hear how the pie turns out. I have every confidence it’ll be great; it was one of the easiest I’ve ever made, and in my opinion, absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to see what Dad thinks! (I’m sure my readers would love to see a picture of him with his beloved dessert.)

Thanks again for reaching out and I hope you find this post helpful.

Love,

Jess

Norske Nook Raisin Pie

Overall ingredient list: Flour, Butter, Shortening, Sugar, Salt, 2 cups sour cream, 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups raisins

Crust: Ken Haedrich’s Basic Flaky Pie Pastry (mostly his words, some of my paraphrase)

Single Crust:

Cut up 1/2 stick of cold unsalted butter into small pieces and set aside. Measure out 1/4 cup of cold vegetable shortening and set aside. Combine 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl. Toss well, by hand, to mix. Scatter the butter pieces over the dry ingredients and toss to mix. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it is broken into pieces the size of small peas. Add the shortening and pieces and continue to rub in until the fat is all in small pieces and very much incorporated into the dry ingredients. Fill the 1/4 cup you were using for shortening with cold water. Sprinkle half of the water over the mixture. Toss well with a fork to dampen the mixture. Add the remaining water, 1 1/2 to 2 tbs. at a time, and continue to toss and mix, pulling the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl on the upstroke and gently pressing down on the downstroke. Add a little more water, 1 tsp at a time, if necessary, until the dough can be packed together in a ball. Once it is packable, make a ball and press down to flatten it somewhat into a thick disk. Wrap the pastry (I use a piece of wax paper and fold all the corners under) and refrigerate until firm enough to roll.

This pie requires a pre-baked crust. I roll my pastry into a 12-inch circle between two sheets of wax paper-it makes it very easy to control the pastry. Once you have rolled out your pastry…Invert the pastry over a 9-inch standard pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge into an upstanding ridge. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes, then fully prebake and let cool.

To prebake: You will need some sort of pie weight. I use about a cup of dried beans.

Tear off a piece of aluminum foil about 16 inches long. That’s more than you’ll need to fit into your pan, but the excess makes the foil easy to lift when you’re removing the beans. Center the foil over your pie shell and, just as you tucked the pastry into the pan, tuck the foil into the pie shell. The bottom edge should be well-defined, as should the sides. Basically, the foil should fit the pie shell like a second skin. Let the excess foil on the ends just flare out like wings. Don’t bunch it around the pie pan, or you’ll deflect heat away from the sides. Pour in enough dried beans to reach the top of the pan.

With your oven preheated to 400° F, bake the pie shell on the center rack for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, slide out the rack and slowly lift the foil with the pie weights out the pan. Lower the oven temperature to 375° F and continue to bake the pie shell for 15 more minutes. Check on the pie shell once or twice during this time to make sure it isn’t puffing up; if it is, prick the problem spot with a fork. Look for visual clues that the pastry is properly baked. A fully prebaked shell will be golden brown and look fully baked.

IMG_4947Combine 2 cups full-fat sour cream, 1 3/4 cups sugar, 4 tsp all-purpose flour, 4 large egg yolks (set the whites aside for the meringue topping!) and 1 1/2 cups dark raisins in a large, heavy saucepan, preferably nonstick. (I added a tiny splash of vanilla, per Ken’s recommendation, although that’s not in the original recipe.) Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring continuously, until it thickens and turns glossy, 8 to 10 minutes. Slowly pour the filling into the cooled pie shell. Let cool thoroughly on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

IMG_4948Here are some pictures to hopefully show you the difference between the custard when it is not quite thickened and the point after which it’s thickened. It will start bubbling in thick “plops” once it has thickened. Be patient! It really will take about 10 minutes over medium heat. When you make custard and it finally thickens, it happens very quickly and it’s a little magical, because it stays the same consistency for so long before the change happens.)

IMG_4953

IMG_4949

 

<Before

After>

 

 

 

 

photo

Just before serving, preheat the broiler and make the meringue. Put 4 large egg whites (that you saved when you took the egg yolks!) in a large metal bowl over a pan of hot water. (I set the basin of my stand mixer in a pie plate with hot water in it, just for a minute.) Stir in 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. When the sugar has dissolved, use an electric mixer to beat the whites until they hold firm but not dry peaks. (If you haven’t made a meringue before, be patient with this process as well! It’s another magical turning point, just like with the custard!)IMG_4958

Spread the meringue thoroughly over the pie, so that it touches the entire edge of the crust, with no gaps. IMG_4959

Briefly run the pie under the broiler until very lightly browned. Do not leave the oven, as this IMG_4960will take a very short time. (NOT A JOKE!) Serve immediately.

(Here are all my adventurous pie-tasters! They either loved it or, if they didn’t like raisins, said it was great except for the raisins. Which is just such a funny thing to say about a predominantly raisin pie.) IMG_4964

IMG_4966

Happy Thanksgiving!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Festivities

23 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Chocolate Pie, Nut Pie, Pumpkin Pie

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

chocolate, cranberry, cranberry sauce, pecan, pumpkin, sour cream

Today is National Pie Day (not to be confused with Pi Day, March 14th). I didn’t bake today. I didn’t even eat a piece of pie today. That being said, I like to think I embody the spirit of National Pie Day a good deal in my life; I’m not feeling too guilty about my lack of celebrations.

In fact, I did one good pie deed today…I delivered a Pie-in-a-Jar. Did any of you “celebrate”?

In honor of the holiday, I wanted to share with you the pies I baked for Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday) this past fall.

The Triple-Layer Pumpkin-Chocolate Pie is pictured below. 1. Empty crust  2. The first layer, cheesecakey pumpkin filling with chocolate mixed in  3. The second layer, the same pumpkin filling without chocolate added  4. A tangy sour cream topping to finish it off.

IMG_2204

Here’s what it takes to make a Jellied Cranberry-Pecan Pie.

picstitch

Have a happy weekend!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Just Peachy

04 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Summer Fruit Pie

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

peach, peach butter, sour cream

IMG_0085

I had a really, truly fantastic summer. I did so much straight-up living. What I’m doing now, the writing and reflecting, always takes a back seat in the summer. I’ve grown to realize that’s okay. One thing I’m working on right now is not doing things just to do them, but to make the most of the jam-packed satisfying times when they present themselves and catch up on the to-do list (i.e. WRITE BLOG POST) in the quieter and more lonely times.

Two key elements of my summer were:

1) the Camp

2) pie

You may ask, “What camp?” There is no way to describe it. It’s just “the Camp.” It’s where I have spent every Sunday and at times other days of the week for most of my life. I have learned a lot about God there. Among other things, this summer I got to teach a hilarious bunch of three-year-olds about Jesus and his miracles of healing…what a great way to spend a week.

My cousin’s house borders the Camp and luckily her family is not averse to me using the kitchen for Pie-Making Purposes during the summer. The first Camp Pie of this past summer was Peachy Peach Butter Pie with Sour Cream Topping. What a fun thing to say. I think I went around the farmer’s market where we bought the ingredients saying “Peachy Peach Butter” and permutations such as “Peachy Peaches” basically nonstop. I think I also sang that “Moving to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches” song for a while too. Just for good measure.

Making Peachy McPeach pie is a team effort. (We made two of them actually, cause there’s never enough pie to go around.) My best friend Maggie peeled and sliced the peaches like a champ.

IMG_1093

IMG_1094

In the meantime, I made the crust with one of my all-star helpers, little cousin Ava. She helped me make Sweet Corn Pie last year when she was so much littler! Ava is growing up into a very smart and sweet girl. And boy, does she love to bake. Making pie with Ava is becoming one of my favorite summer traditions.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

So I’m kind of hoping you figured this out already, since the pie title’s got peaches and peach butter in the name; there is indeed actual peach butter in the filling along with the peaches. Alstede Farms makes their own peach butter–same farm we bought the peaches from. Fresh Jersey peaches all squashed and spiced in a jar. Mmm mmm mmm.

IMG_1095

IMG_1096

Exhibit A: The cooked pie in the topless state.

IMG_1099

Exhibit B: Brad and Kathleen, some top quality peeps, with the topped-up version of Peachy Peach.

Stay tuned: more Camp pies coming soon!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Memorial Day Memories

09 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Berry Pie

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

berry, blackberry, raspberry, sour cream

 

**Blackberry Sour Cream Pie, made with blackberries and raspberries.

 

The hardest step of the recipe (as usual) was allowing time for the pie to cool before eating. 

Credit to Jen and Chris Wubbels for creating the epic menu, having all of us over at their home, and cooking most of the food. Maggie, your Strawberry Rosewater Cobbler was wonderful. Look for a rosewater pie…very soon.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Click here to receive my new posts via E-mail the moment I bake a new pie!

I’ll have a slice of…

almond apple banana berry bittersweet chocolate blackberry blueberry butter butterscotch caramel cherry chess chiffon chocolate chocolate chips Christmas christmas eve coconut coffee corn cranberry cranberry sauce cream cream cheese crumb custard date dutch apple egg fig five-spice freeform graham cracker holiday honey icebox ice cream Jenny and Tyler ken haedrich key lime lemon maple marshmallows meringue mini pies Minnesota mint mousse nectarine orange oreo peach peanut butter pear pecan pie-in-a-jar pine nut pluot pumpkin raisin raspberry Republic of Pie rhubarb savory sour cream spices strawberry tart Thanksgiving travel vanilla vegan walnuts whipped cream whiskey

Pin This!

My Twitter

  • Chocotastic peace-of-pie.com/2021/09/18/cho… 1 year ago
  • Margarita Bay peace-of-pie.com/2021/05/28/mar… 1 year ago
  • On a Chilly Thursday in March peace-of-pie.com/2021/04/10/on-… 1 year ago
  • Crack Pie and the 2021 Speakeasy Bakery Pi Day Auction peace-of-pie.com/2021/04/03/cra… 1 year ago
  • Calvados-Apple Custard Pie peace-of-pie.com/2021/02/28/cal… 1 year ago
Follow @ThePeaceofPie

Recent Pies

  • Chocotastic
  • Margarita Bay
  • On a Chilly Thursday in March
  • Crack Pie and the 2021 Speakeasy Bakery Pi Day Auction
  • Calvados-Apple Custard Pie

Calendar

February 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728  
« Sep    

Contact Me!

You can send me a private message at the.pie.diaries@gmail.com. Thanks so much for visiting!

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • The Peace of Pie
    • Join 87 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Peace of Pie
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: