Cranberry Chess Pie

The Date: 26 November 2011

The Occasion: Thanksgiving with Pete's family. I am pie-mistress on both sides of the family.

The Recipe: Again, from Williams-Sonoma Pies and Tarts.

How it Went:
I thought it was a little too tangy, but others loved it. I might cut down on the orange zest next time. I was a bit too generous there. Otherwise, it was fairly easy, unique, and tasty. Good texture and flavors. I used a store-bought pie crust for this one too, but I think the handmade crust would be superior if you have the time and inclination.

What You Need:
cranberries
sugar
butter
salt
eggs
flour
buttermilk
cider vinegar
orange zest

Your Turn:
Prepare your pie crust in the pie plate. The recipe asks you to pre-bake the pie crust for about 25 minutes. This matters more, I think, if you're using a homemade crust which is more likely to be a bit wet. The purpose of this pre-baking is to prevent the somewhat juicy filling of the pie from making the crust soggy. I pre-baked my store-bought crust for about 10 minutes, and that worked fine. You just press the crust into the pie plate, and put it in a 375 oven. Ideally, put some pie weights or heavy rice or something down inside the crust to prevent bubbling, but I didn't do that. It's alright. Just keep an eye on the crust. You don't want it to get dark, or overly bubbly, or dry or anything.

Chop 2 C of cranberries, fresh or frozen, coarsely.

Now, start the filling by blending

• 1 & 1/3 C sugar
• 1/2 C butter, melted
• 1/8 tsp salt

Whisk this well.

Now add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each one.

Stir in 1/4 C flour followed by 1/3 C buttermilk and 1 tsp cider vinegar.

Now -- it's time to zest the orange. I don't have a zester, and I'm not entirely sure how zesting is supposed to be done. I have an inkling I did it wrong. But here's how it went.

First, wash off your orange. Then grate it against the fine side of a cheese grater. You'll need 2 tsp orange zest. I think I used a bit too much. Feel free to start light on the orange and add more next time if you think it's bland.

Stir this into the batter well. Now add your cranberries.

Pour the mixture into your partially-baked pie crust.

Oops. Sunset mode.

Bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes, until the top is lightly golden brown and the filing is firm. Transfer to a wire rack and cool before serving.

The cranberries will rise to the top as it bakes, and the orangey custard will firm up underneath them.

Short Version
CRANBERRY CHESS PIE

1 pie crust, partially baked (10 min in 375 oven for store-bought crust)
1 & 1/3 C sugar
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted
1/8 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1/4 C flour
1/3 C buttermilk
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
2 C fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

Whisk together sugar, melted butter, and salt.
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.
Add flour, buttermilk, cider vinegar, and orange zest.
Stir well.
Add cranberries and stir.
Transfer to partially-baked pie crust.
Bake at 375, 50-60 minutes, until top is lightly golden and filling is firm.

Apple Cinnamon Crumb Pie

The Date: 24 November 2011 and 26 November 2011

The Occasion: Two Thanksgiving celebrations!

The Recipe: From this excellent book.

How it Went: Loved by all! An apple pie is pretty standard fare at a holiday gathering, and this one was traditional without being boring. Flavorful, juicy, spicy... Even Husband loved it. And he doesn't like any sweets. When I had such success with it on Thursday, I made it again for the gathering on Saturday. Excellent both times. I'm sure it would be really good with the homemade crust recipe that the cookbook suggests, but I cheated with a store-bought pie crust both times this week. Somebody be bold and make your own; let me know how it is.

What You Need:
apples (I used Empire. The book says Braeburn, Jonathan, and Newtown Pippin are also acceptable. I wouldn't use Granny Smiths in this. It's not quite that tart. A rustic slightly sweet apple is what you want.)
lemon juice (fresh squeezed is ideal, but I used it from the plastic lemon in my fridge)
sugar
cornstartch
cinnamon
nutmeg
cloves
salt
flour
brown sugar
butter

Your Turn:
If you're making the crust, do that first. Or just unroll your store-bought crust and press it into your pie plate. Set this aside.

Now, the recipe calls for "7 large, tart, firm apples." I used a 5-lb bag of apples. It was perfect. You don't want to skimp at all on this. The appleier, the better. 

Peel the apples. Then cut the cores out and dice them up.

Place the apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 T lemon juice and toss.

Mix up

• 1/3 C sugar
• 2 T cornstartch
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• pinch of salt

Sprinkle over the apples and toss to coat evenly.

Transfer to the dough-lined pie plate.

Now, time to mix up the crumb topping.

Blend

• 1/2 C flour
• 1/3 C firmly packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

After stirring this together, add 5 T cold butter, diced into cubes.

Blend with a pastry cutter (or a whisk or potato masher if you don't have one of those).

Sprinkle over the top of the pie.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden.

Let cool before serving.

This is Saturday's pie. The prep pictures were from Thursday.

Thursday's pie

Short Version
APPLE CINNAMON CRUMB PIE

Preheat oven to 350

5 lb apples (Empire, Braeburn, or Jonathan are good choices)
1 T lemon juice
1/3 C sugar
2 T cornstartch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch of salt

Peel, core, and dice apples.
Toss with lemon juice.
Mix up remaining ingredients and toss with apples.
Pour mixture into prepared pie crust in pie plate.

1/2 C flour
1/3 C firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
5 T cold butter, diced into tiny cubes

Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl.
Blend in the butter with a pastry cutter.

Sprinkle crumb topping over the pie.
Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, until filling is thick and bubbling, and crust is golden.

Pecan Pie

The Date: 24 November 2011

The Occasion: Thanksgiving! I've made this pie every year for... probably more than 10 years. It's become a family favorite and something I love contributing to Troxell Thanksgiving each November.

The Recipe: I think it came from a magazine years ago. The crust portion is a family recipe.

How it Went: Excellent as always. My Grammy said it was the best one I've ever made. Making the crust is important for this pie. Don't use a store-bought crust. The crust is part of the goodness of this pie.

What You Need:
flour
salt
sugar
vegetable oil
milk
light corn syrup
dark brown sugar
eggs
butter
vanilla
pecans

Your Turn:
You'll start with the crust. Sift

• 1 and 1/2 C flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 T sugar

into the pie dish.

Pour 1/2 C vegetable oil into a 2 C measuring cup.

Add 2 T cold milk.

Whip with a fork.

Now pour this on top of the sifted dry ingredients in your pie plate. Mix with the fork until blended.

Press the pie dough into the pan. It's easiest if you put a layer of plastic wrap down first so your finger don't get all stuck in the dough. If you're using a glass plate, it's easy to see when the dough is evenly pressed. Just hold it up to the light.

Set this aside. Time to make the pie filling.

In a large bowl, pour 1 C light corn syrup.

Add 1 C dark brown sugar, firmly packed. You can use part dark brown and part light brown sugars if you don't want the pie too rich.

Sugar on sugar

Melt 1/3 C butter in the microwave.

In the meantime, add to bowl

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Whip well. Then add the melted butter, but not while it's still steaming hot or it might cook the eggs. At least that's what Mom always warned me of. Whip with a whisk again.

Then add 1 heaping C coarsely chopped pecans.

Pour into prepared pie crust.

Embellish as desired. [TIP: I used to put a little flowerette of pecan halves in the center of the pie, but that becomes difficult to cut through when you're slicing it into thin pieces, which is all anyone can handle after a huge Thanksgiving meal. So putting the pecan halves around the edge is much easier in terms of serving.]

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Serve with real whipped cream for best "Mmmm's."

The gooey filling blends with the crumbly crust for a delicious texture.

Short Version
PECAN PIE

Preheat oven to 350.

1&1/2 C flour
1 tsp salt
2 T sugar
1/2 oil
2 T cold milk

Sift flour, salt, and sugar into pie plate.
Whip oil and milk together.
Add to pie plate and blend into flour mixture with fork.
Using a sheet of plastic wrap between your hands and the dough, press the dough into the pie plate until even.
Set aside.

1 C light corn syrup
1 C dark brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 C melted butter
1 heaping C coarsely chopped pecans

Whip all ingredients together except pecans.
Stir in pecans.
Pour into prepared pie crust.
Bake at 350, 45-50 minutes.

Crock Pot Turkey in Cream Sauce & Sesame Green Beans with Browned Butter

The Date: 22 November 2011

The Occasion: Crock pot dinners are just so nice. Turkey this week because it's almost Thanksgiving!

The Recipe: The turkey recipe is from this recipe book. Just so happened a Taste of Home reader from Pottstown, Pennsylvania submitted this recipe! The beans recipe is from this book.

How it Went: This might be my new go-to crock pot recipe. We loved it. Extremely easy, but tasted absolutely wonderful. You do have to allow time to make the cream sauce (which was more like gravy) after the meal is done in the crock pot, but it's not a lot of extra work. Just a little extra time. Also, I used a "Zesty Italian" turkey tenderloin. So I don't know how this would taste with a regular one.

The beans were great too. I've made them before and I forgot how easy it was to make steamed vegetables actually interesting. This is one good way to jazz up veggies for dinner. The butter means it's certainly not your healthiest option, but it's tasty. I made it with sesame seeds, the recipe calls for pine nuts, and I think almonds would also be delicious. Try whatever you have on hand that's crunchy! 

What You Need:
Turkey Tenderloin
white wine or chicken broth
onion
garlic clove
bay leaf
rosemary
black pepper
cornstarch
milk
salt
fresh green beans
sesame seeds, almonds, or pine nuts
butter

Your Turn:
In the crock pot, combine

• 3/4 C white wine or chicken broth
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 bay leaf

Combine 1 tsp dried rosemary and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Rub over 1 turkey tenderloin. (Mine was Shady Brook Farms brand from Giant and it was 1.85 lb. The recipe calls for 3 tenderloins, each 3/4 lb. Since I used the smaller piece of meat, I've halved all the other ingredients in the recipe for my version.) If you're using an already-marinated turkey tenderloin, like I did, you can probably skip this step. But what harm have rosemary and pepper ever done to a recipe?

Add the turkey to the crock pot. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours (or longer, if necessary).

When you get home from work (or otherwise return to your kitchen), snap the ends off 1 lb of fresh green beans and snap them in half. Rinse well.

Boil 1 inch of water, then drop the beans in and cover. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, until beans are somewhat tender.

In the meantime, remove the turkey from the crock pot and set it aside. Pour the juices from the crock pot into a saucepan.

Combine 1 and 1/2 T cornstarch, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 C milk or cream. Add this to the cooking juices. Bring to a boil, then cook and stir a few minutes until thickened. Turn it off and let it sit there while you do the next few steps. If your beans are done, drain the water and transfer them to a serving bowl.

Melt 2 T butter in a small skillet over low heat.

Add either 2 T pine nuts or 1 T sesame seeds or 1 T slivered almonds.

Stir constantly until butter is golden brown. Toss with the green beans.

Serve turkey with cream sauce on top and beans on the side.

So delicious. The turkey just melts in your mouth!

Crock Pot Beef Stew

The Date: 16 November 2011

The Occasion: Since I rush off to Bible Study on Wednesdays after dinner, it's nice to have an easy meal that night. Crock pot meals are great, and this is a spin on my usual crock pot stew.

The Recipe: From this website, with just a few modifications.

How it Went: We loved it! Pete commented last time I made stew that it was too brothy and would be nice a bit thicker. This accomplished that, although I'm sure his love of yummy canned stews makes this still more like soup than his idea of beef stew. It was good, though, and I'll use this recipe again next time.

What You Need:
stew beef
carrots
onions
potatoes
celery
flour
pepper & salt
Worcestershire sauce
onion soup mix
broth
paprika
garlic powder
bay leaf

Your Turn:
Chop up

• 3 smallish potatoes (in 1/2 inch cubes)
  (I used both red-skinned and Yukon gold. Any type should work)
• a handful of baby carrots (in half)
• 1 medium onion (not too small; keep the pieces fork-able, not diced fine)
  
• 1 - 2 stalks celery

Set this aside.

Chop 1 lb of stew beef into small pieces. (Cutting each chunk in half worked for me.) Put the meat in the crock pot.

Mix up

• 2 T flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Toss this with the beef to coat.

Now, add the vegetables along with

• 1 packet onion soup mix
• 2 C water
• 1/2 C broth, if you like it brothier
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Stir to blend all ingredients.

Cook on low for about 10 hours, then serve. I actually halved the original recipe because I have a small crock pot and I only cook for two. It can easily be doubled up again to feed a larger crowd.

Stove Top Lasagna

The Date: 14 November 2011

The Occasion: Quick Monday night meal. Love this go-to favorite!

The Recipe: A Betty Crocker recipe I've adapted from this book.

How it Went:
This is pretty much a no-fail meal. I had only a little Italian dressing in the fridge (who knew you could run out of that stuff!?) so it lacked the full flavor it usually has. But you really can't do this meal wrong. Yum!

What You Need:
ground beef or turkey
onion
green bell pepper
tomato sauce
Italian dressing
malfada pasta

Your Turn:
Chop one smallish onion and one green bell pepper.

Brown 1 lb of ground meat in a large skillet. Add onions and peppers to cook with the meat.

Drain grease from meat when cooked.

Add to skillet

• 1 and 2/3 cups water
• 1 jar tomato sauce (I use Francesco Rinaldi, Three Cheese)
• 3 cups malfada noodles
• 1/4 cup Italian dressing

Bring to a boil. Then turn to medium-low and let simmer about 15 minutes, stirring every so often until noodles are tender.

I failed to take a picture of this meal myself. This pic is from bettycrocker.com

Caramelized Onion Apple Tarts

The Date: 6 November 2011

The Occasion: MomMom and PopPop's birthday celebration. I volunteered to do appetizers.

The Recipe: From RealSimple's website.

How it Went:
These are simple, yet just barely elegant. Some people seem to be a little put off by the concept of these tarts (apples and onions?), but once they're brave enough to taste one, they're hooked. I find them an easy appetizer that can be made ahead of time and transported fairly easily. If you're making them at home, they're also quite good warm, just out of the oven.

What You Need:
frozen puff pastry
onions
apples
olive oil
salt
pepper
sour cream

Your Turn:
Your puff pastry needs to be thawed. This is easy to overlook and then, when it's time to assemble the tarts to bake them, you'll pull the box out of the freezer only to realize you have to either wait 20 minutes for thawing, or zap the pastries in the microwave, which just seems wrong for something so delicate. So - be sure to pull your puff pastries out of the freezer before you start making your tart toppings. You need both sheets from one package of puff pastry (17.5 oz), found in the freezer section of your grocery store.

Heat about 2 T of olive oil in a medium skillet.

Cook 2 onions, chopped, in the oil about 15 minutes, until soft and golden brown.

Stir in 2 Gala apples, chopped, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook about 2 minutes, just until tender.

Place each sheet of puff pastry on a cookie sheet. Prick all over with a fork.

Spread each pastry with a 1/4 C sour cream (1/2 C sour cream in all), leaving a 1/2 inch border all the way around.

Divide the onion and apple mixture and spread half the mixture on each pastry.

I also made these tarts for Easter last year.

Bake about 30 minutes until pastry is crisp and browned. Cut each pastry into 16 squares.

To travel with this appetizer, let the pastry cool somewhat, then cut it into squares, and layer the squares between parchment paper or waxed paper in a large tupperware or ceramic container. Transfer to a platter when you reach your destination.

Mom's Cream of Cauliflower Soup

The Date: 1 November 2011

The Occasion: I bought cauliflower on a whim when I saw it at ALDI and figured I'd find a time to make this childhood favorite. Tonight worked because Pete's not a huge vegetable fan, and since he ended up finally catching my flu, all I made for him was a can of condensed Chicken and Rice Soup. Poor Husby. So I whipped up some Cauliflower Soup for me.

The Recipe: Mom's (via a seven-line email. Yep, it's that easy.)

How it Went:
My food processor recently went kaput. Went to process some walnuts the other day, dumped them in, pushed the button, and... nothing. I have put a new one on my birthday list. Since this recipe calls for finely processed cauliflower, I used my blender. This worked, but was not ideal. I could only blend 4 or 5 florets at a time, and then had to scrape the processed cauliflower out from around the blades with a spatula.
Also, I somehow missed (in the seven-line email) the instruction to cook the cauliflower "until very tender." I dumped the cauliflower and broth together, let it get hot enough to become bubbly, made the roux, added it in, and then served myself a bowl. While it was certainly edible, it did not taste like Mom's. Gotta let that cauliflower cook down. Oops. I dumped it back in and let the whole thing cook for another 20 minutes.

What You Need:
cauliflower
chicken or vegetable broth
butter
flour
milk
Perfect Pinch
black pepper

Your Turn:

Cauliflower confetti

Chop one head of cauliflower into small florets, then chop fine in a food processor. You're going for cauliflower confetti.

Dump cauliflower into a large soup pot.

Add just enough chicken or vegetable broth to cover the cauliflower (about 2 cups broth). Add a few dashes of Perfect Pinch and black pepper.

Now, cook 15-20 minutes until cauliflower is tender.

Make a roux by melting 3 T of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then adding 3 T of flour. Stir well while it bubbles. Add 1 C of milk (or a little more if you like your soup less thick) and whisk continuously until it thickens.

Add the roux to the cauliflower. Stir.

You can let it simmer a bit longer, or serve immediately. I remember Mom serving it with some shredded cheese on top, but it's good without it too.

Mmm...

Want the seven-line version?

chop the cauliflower fine in a food processor

cook it in chicken broth until very tender (just enough broth to cover it)

add some perfect pinch too  

make a roux using melted butter and flour, maybe 3 tablespoons of each

add about a cup of milk or maybe 2 cups whisking the whole time as it thickens

mix it into the cauliflower mixture

now you have soup