This dip was first introduced to me by Martin. I became an addict after the second time he made it. It's so bright and cheery (just like his personality), when I asked him where he found the recipe he just said it was from one of his vintage cookbooks. So this is my version of Martin's amazingly addictive spread...
Pineapple Cream Cheese Spread
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 c crushed pineapple
1 1/2 tsp dried dill
1 T chopped fresh chives
Tools
small mixing bowl
rubber spatula
measuring cups and spoons
serving dish
Directions
1. Put cream cheese, crushed pineapple, and dill into the small mixing bowl. Gently fold it together until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
2. Scoop into the serving dish and sprinkle the chopped chives on top of the dip. Serve with plain crackers for a light snack or a divine little appetizer.
Peanut Butter Pie is my absolute, hands down, favorite pie ever. Its light texture and divine yet subtle peanut butter flavor sitting atop the crunchy vanilla cookie crust... heavenly, just absolutely sublime.
Besides the absolutely awesome taste of this pie, the other wonderful thing about it is that it's reasonably easy and quick to make. It does take a couple hours to set in the refrigerator but technically... it could be eaten right on the spot... straight from the bowl.... Some recipes mix cream cheese with the peanut butter first, I don't like that, I think it lessens the flavor of the peanut butter... and after all it is peanut butter pie...
Ingredients
2 c (1 pint) light whipping cream
3/4 c confectioners' sugar
1 1/4 c creamy peanut butter
1 T vanilla extract
6 ounces cream cheese (optional, I don't really care for the cream cheese addition)
1 box vanilla wafer cookies
6 T unsalted butter, melted
Tools
2 mixing bowls
rubber spatula
electric beaters
measuring cups and spoons
9-inch pie plate
Directions
1. Crush the vanilla wafer cookies until they are crumbs and pour into one of the mixing bowls. Melt the butter and pour it into the the bowl with the crumbs. Mix the crumbs until they are evenly coated with the butter. Press the crumb mixture into the pie plate and set aside.
2. In the other mixing bowl, pour the cold whipping cream and confectioners' sugar into the bowl and immediately start whipping with the electric beaters. Beat until stiff peaks form.
3. Gently fold the vanilla and peanut butter into the whipped cream being careful not to deflate it. When the peanut butter is incorporated into the whipped cream scoop it out of the bowl and into the cookie crust. Spread the filling evenly over the crust.
4. Refrigerate the pie for at least four hours before serving to let it set. This pie can also be frozen and served frozen or served immediately after being made.
This week my friend, BDP, and I were having a discussion about pie... seems to be what every person's world revolves around as Thanksgiving swiftly approaches. But our topic consisted of something entirely different... breakfast pie. Or more exactly, what pie would be the perfect breakfast pie? His answer? Blueberry. Straight up. Not apple. Not sausage. Blueberry. So while visiting him in Keene this weekend I decided I'd make him some blueberry pie... only it ended up being a partial fail.
First off, I used store-bought crust... which got super soggy during the baking. Second mistake? I didn't cook out the liquid from the frozen blueberries. (Hope the juice didn't stain the counter BDP. Oops.) But overall he says the pie came out pretty delicious. And it was eaten so it must've been passable...
The filling I used is actually from a blueberry jam recipe I worked on this summer, Blueberry Lemon Jam, which was absolutely amazing if I do say so myself! Except I had never cooked with frozen blueberries before, and honestly, I don't know if I ever will again. They're more of a hassle than a help.
So here's the recipe for the filling... and I suggest you use fresh over frozen. Overall, they just produce a better quality pie.
Blueberry Lemon Pie
Ingredients 6 c fresh (or frozen) blueberries
1/2 c sugar
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional)
2-3 T cornstarch (if you're using frozen berries)
2 pie crusts
Tools
10-inch frying skillet
medium sized bowl
wooden spatula
apple corer or knife
9-inch pie plate
measuring cups and spoons
Directions
1. Place blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in the skillet on medium-low heat. Let it simmer down into a jam-like consistency. *If using frozen blueberries: After they defrost drain the juice into a medium sized bowl, take a little bit of the juice and mix it with the cornstarch. Add it to the blueberries in the pan as a thickener.
2. When the blueberries start to get thick, add the cinnamon, and continue cooking until the liquid coats the back of the spoon. Take off the heat and set aside to cool. *If you don't cool the filling the pie crust will melt, become soggy, or just create a weird looking mess when baked.
3. While waiting for the blueberry filling to cool prepare the bottom pie crust by pressing one dough disc into the bottom of the pie plate and then placing it back in the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. When filling is cool and dough is chilled, pour the filling into the bottom crust and carefully place the second dough disc on top. Trim the edges using a knife and either press the edges with a fork or flute the edges by pinching the dough between the index finger and thumb. Be sure to cut a vent in the pie using an apple corer or by cutting slits in the top with a knife.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and then lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes. Remove from oven when the pie crust looks golden brown and place on a cooling rack.
This pie is super tasty with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.
So, what's a pie without a good pie crust? Well, honestly, it would be a delicious goop-like filling... or jam baked in a dish... or maybe even a fruit casserole. However you'd like to describe it, it just wouldn't be pie... so below is a recipe for a basic homemade pie crust. Sweet and simple... just like the recipe for a delicious cherry pie. ;)
Buttery Pie Crust:
Ingredients 2 1/2 c all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, frozen, cut into cubes 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 4 to 8 Tbsp ice water
Tools Food processor (*or bowl and butter knives) measuring cups and spoons rolling pin
Directions
1. Combine flour, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal (breadcrumb texture). *If you don't have a food processor, or don't feel like bringing it out, you can use a bowl and butter knives to make the coarse meal. Place the butter knives in one hand, make sure to separate them with your index finger, and slice away at the mixture... they also have a tool called a pastry knife that you can probably pick up at your local market...
2. Add ice water (try not to let the ice get in there) slowly while pulsing (or blending) until the mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the dough together and it sticks, you're good to go. If not, add a little more water and pulse/blend again.
3. Pour the dough out from the machine/bowl onto a flat, clean surface and separate into two even-sized mounds. Knead or roll the dough into 2 discs. Sprinkle a little flour on the dough and wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour before using. *Note: If you are preparing the dough in advance, you don't have to roll it out. Just wrap the mound of dough in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator.
4. Before placing in the pie plate, give the dough disk a little sprinkle with flour and a once-over with the rolling pin. If the dough is still a little sticky on the bottom, sprinkle it with a little more flour, place it in the pie plate and stick it back in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before adding the filling. The firmer the pie dough, the flakier the crust.
As far as the reactions from my friends and family, there seems to be nothing better than a fruit pie in the fall season. Maybe it's the sweet and spicy smells emitting from the oven that compliment the crispness in the autumn air, or the thought that the last bits of summer semblances are being baked between a buttery crust... whatever the reason, when a pie is baking it seems that everyone emigrates to the kitchen to see what's happening.
So when my father was persistent in asking me to bake him a cherry pie last week how could I refuse? Honestly, this was my first cherry pie, ever, and since September I had been baking apple pies (close to ten apple pies...), so I appreciated the change of fruit filling. I did cheat a little by combining my homemade filling with a can of cherry pie filling (I ran out of cherries to make a full pie!) but the overall results were absolutely delicious and a smash hit.
As a side note, I realized that the crust needs to be a little heartier for berry and stone fruit pies than for apple pie fillings because the berry fillings tend to create more juice. Also, cooking the fruit in a high-edged skillet with a couple tablespoons of cornstarch will thicken the filling, keeping the crust from undercooking and from remaining doughy. The cooking of the berries also helps when using frozen fruits, which make a very juicy pie filling when not cooked down...
If you'd like to break out the food processor and make your own pie crust, which I highly recommend, I included a recipe for a buttery pie crust in my second post. Remember that you can make the dough up to 2 days in advance... makes for a lot less stress... Good luck and have fun!
Autumn Cherry Pie Ingredients 1 jar morello cherries (or 2 jars if not adding a 21oz can of cherry pie filling)
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar
about 2-3 T cornstarch
a pinch of ground cloves
1/2 to 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Tools Wooden spoon or spatula 10-inch frying skillet
measuring cup small bowl
measuring spoons and cups
Directions for filling:
1. Drain jar of cherries reserving juice in a measuring cup or bowl on the side for later use.
2. Pour cherries into the skillet on medium-low heat with about half of the reserved cherry juice, and sugar. Before you begin to thicken the cherry mixture taste it to see if you need to add more sugar.
3. While cherries simmer, whisk or mix the 2 tablespoons cornstarch into 1/8 cup of the cherry juice. Then stir the mixture into the cherries. Let the cherries come to a gentle boil while occasionally stirring. If the mixture doesn't thicken, make and add more of the cornstarch mixture to the cherries. By thicken I mean coat the back of your stirring utensil... also, at this step add the canned cherry pie filling... it could take between 15-20 minutes for this to happen.
4. When the cherry pie filling is thick enough that you can run your wooden spoon through it and it separates, add the cinnamon and cloves, give it a good stir, and pull it off the heat to cool while preparing your pie crust. (Now's probably a good time to preheat your oven to 400 degrees). Make sure your pie crust (top and bottom) has chilled for at least 30 minutes before adding the cooled cherry filling. *Note: If you want a shiny pie, brush an egg wash onto the pie before baking... 1 egg with a little milk mixed in...
5. After assembling the pie, cut some vents using a knife (or an apple corer), place in the preheated oven, with a baking pan underneath it on the lower rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake another 45 minutes or until the crust looks golden brown. *Another note: I like using clear pie plates so I can see the bottom crust while it cooks. When the pie looks done remove it from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Serve and enjoy!
