Butterscotch Pie

So, I have to say, this is my favorite recipe so far. Yep, FAVORITE! I had never heard of a butterscotch pie before, and after making this, I wondered how I had lived my life without it! This southern classic has found a permanent home in my rotation of desserts. The best part? It is SO easy! No pie dough here—just a simple and delicious graham cracker crust. The filling is a rich, decadent butterscotch pudding, topped with billowy, vanilla whipped cream. After I made the piecrust (graham cracker crumbs + butter, baked for eight minutes), I went to work on the pudding, which was essentially a pastry cream. I melted butter and brown sugar together to create a thick caramel. Next, I added heavy cream and cornstarch and stirred until thickened. I tempered this mixture with the eggs and returned to the stove to boil and thicken for open minute. I finished the pudding with some butter and vanilla and let it cool to room temp in an ice bath. I filled the graham cracker crust with the pudding and topped it with the whipped cream. The hardest part was waiting three hours for everything to chill up in the fridge! I took one bite and I was sold. The pudding is so creamy and rich, with a heavy butterscotch flavor. The graham cracker crust is the perfect partner, offering a nice contrast in texture and bringing out the vanilla notes. The cold, soft whipped cream brings everything together. Can you tell I like it? I’ve made it three times since. This is a keeper.

Next up: Dulce De Leche Banana Cream Pie

Herbed Chicken Pot Pie (or Turkey pot Pie in my case!)

I stole some leftover turkey from thanksgiving and was happy to see that it timed perfectly with this recipe! Unlike many of the other recipes, I made the pie dough and rolled it out into the pan, but I did not pre-bake it. Instead, I started with the potpie filling. I softened celery and onions in butter and whisked in flour to form a roux. Once the flour was cooked, I added chicken stock and brought the mixture to a boil to thicken the sauce. I added in the carrots and turned the temperature down to simmer while I sautéed mushrooms and herbs in a sauté pan. I added the mushroom mixture to the thickened sauce and then put it in an ice bath to bring everything down to room temp (in order not to melt the butter in the pie dough and ensure a flaky crust). I filled the pie shell and topped it with another crust, did a light egg wash, and baked the pie for 45 minutes at 375-degrees. The pie smelled incredible when it came out the oven. I let it cool for 20 minutes before we dug in. The fresh herbs (chives, parsley, thyme) really added a brightness and nice contrast to the creamy sauce. We wound up eating this for two days and we were sad to see it disappear. The only change I would make is to use a little more flour because I prefer a really thick filling. I know what I’m doing with my leftover turkey next year!

On deck: Butterscotch Pie

Roasted Butternut Squash-Onion Pie

I told my Mom I would bring a side dish for Thanksgiving and this pie seemed to fit the bill. Since there were so many steps to this pie, I decided to spread it out over three days. On the first day, I made the pie dough and let it chill. Day two I rolled out the crust and blind baked it. I also roasted the butternut squash in a hot oven and caramelized a yellow onion on the stove. I let all of the vegetables cool overnight in the fridge. I also prepared the custard mixture by whisking together milk, eggs, pecorino cheese, chives, fresh thyme, sage, lemon zest, salt and pepper. On the third day, it was easy to assemble the pie. I layered the caramelized onions onto the bottom of the pie shell and then spread the butternut squash over it in an even layer. I poured the custard mixture over the veggies and baked in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. I took the pie home for the holiday and reheated it in an oven until warmed through. Overall, everyone really liked this vegetarian side dish option. I thought that the roasted squash and onions were delicious, but I felt that the lemon was overwhelming (maybe because I made the custard in advance?). I would like to try this again, but next time, up the herbs and take out the lemon zest. Verdict? It’s a keeper with a few modifications.

Up next: Herbed Chicken Pot Pie

Great Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is one of my all-time favorites. It’s rich, flavorful, and the spices immediately transport me to Thanksgiving with my family. I was lucky that this recipe happened to coincide with a Thanksgiving potluck at my work. The recipe began with blind baking a Flaky Pie shell in a 375-degree oven. While the crust was baking I went to work on the custard filling. I whisked the spice blend (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and salt) into eggs, heavy cream, brown and granulated sugar. Once the mixture was thoroughly blended, I put it through a strainer into a saucepan and added the pumpkin puree. I cooked the mixture until it was slightly thick and registered 150-degrees. I then poured the hot custard into the warm pie shell and returned it to the oven to bake for 40 minutes until the pie was barely set and jiggled in the middle. I let the pie cool overnight and I made some vanilla bourbon whipped cream to top it. I think that this pumpkin pie was not only delicious, it had a warm, spicy kick to it. The texture was not as creamy as a store-bought pie, but the crust and flavor made up for it (I even got a few comments at the potluck that it was much better than store bought). Overall, I will be making this again for next year’s Thanksgiving!

On deck: Roasted Butternut Squash-Onion Pie

Peach-Ginger Pie with Almond Crumble Topping

This pie was quite tasty and something I probably would never have tried to bake before. It began with one recipe of Flaky Pie Dough that was filled with a mixture of sliced peaches, crystallized ginger, brown sugar, flour, and cornstarch. Instead of topping the pie with another crust, this recipe called for an almond crumble topping (a delicious blend of butter, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, flour, and almond meal). The pie baked for 50 minutes in a 375-degre oven and emerged with a deep, crispy, golden topping. I really enjoyed the flavor combination of the sweet peaches and the slightly spicy ginger. The pie also had a great combination of textures—the tender peaches were a nice contrast to the crunchy crumble topping. I am glad I tried this new recipe, but I’m getting ready to move on from fruit pies!

Coming soon: Great Pumpkin Pie

Lattice-Top Peach-Raspberry Pie

Once you get the hang of making piecrust, it is easy to change up the fruit fillings inside. Like the All American Apple Pie, this recipe began with two quantities of the Flaky Pie dough recipe (I am going through more butter than any one person ever should!). The filling for this pie was a flavorful combination of peaches (I sued frozen peach slices and they tasted great) and fresh raspberries—a slight deviation from Mushett’s suggestion of nectarines and blackberries. The fruit was allowed to shine—getting a simple dressing of sugar, flour, and lemon juice. To top the pie, I cut the top crust into strips to create a lattice-effect (next time, I will measure better—it was a little tricky getting enough strips!). The assembled pie chilled for thirty minutes in the fridge before baking in a 400-degree oven for 60 minutes. The finished pie tasted incredible. The sweet peaches with the slightly tart raspberries were a great combination with the flaky and crunchy lattice crust. My only reservation with this recipe was the fruit I used was too watery for the amount of flour suggested, so my pie didn’t set up to the thickness I would have liked. I will definitely make this pie again in the summer when the fruit is fresh and I will probably up the flour slightly or add a little tapioca to aid in thickening. Overall, another delicious recipe!

On deck: Peach-Ginger Pie with Almond Crumble Topping

All-American Apple Pie

So, I have totally slacked off and not updated my postings as often as I’ve been baking. Well, here we go, let’s talk about apple pie.

This recipe began with two quantities of Flaky Pie dough (an easy mix of cold butter cut into flour, salt, and sugar, and just enough water to hold it all together). I tossed the granny smith apples with sugar (granulated and brown), cinnamon, allspice, and lemon juice and layered them gently into the bottom piecrust. I topped the apple mixture with the second crust and crimped the edges to form a seal. The pie then chilled in the fridge for 30 minutes and got a milk and egg wash before going into a 400-degree oven for 50 minutes. Overall, this pie was very easy to make, especially if you make the crusts ahead of time. I think the apple flavor came through very brightly, however, next time I will up the amount of cinnamon (I like mine more heavily spiced). The crust stayed flaky and crisp and I liked that the apples held their bite and did not turn to mush. I would say this recipe will be my new go-to for apple pie.

Up next: Lattice-Top Peach-Blackberry Pie