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Would You Rather Eat Pumpkin or Pecan Pie?

partysugar — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:30:50 -0800

Source: Flickr Users delgaudm and museinthecity

Come Party With Me: Potluck Thanksgiving - Desserts

partysugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:50:13 -0800

If you've volunteered (or been assigned) to bring a dessert to a Thanksgiving potluck, don't run to the nearest bakery. You can bake a delicious homemade treat that will impress your friends and family! Start by selecting an unexpected dessert like caramel-walnut pie. It's similar to classic pecan pie, but is made with walnuts instead. Next give yourself plenty of time to make the pie and if necessary, experiment with the recipe. Although the resulting pie, with its rich Fall flavors, is scrumptious, the technique to put it together is wildly simple.

The dough is store bought and the filling requires nothing more than a whisk, measuring cups, and a bowl. To give this easy, yet divine Thanksgiving dessert a try, keep reading.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Tortilla Pie

partysugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:15:46 -0700

While I've cooked my fair share of quesadillas, I've never experimented with tortilla pie, which is essentially, a stack of quesadillas. I've always wanted to though - there's something so interesting about a tower of tortillas with lots of layers and oozing filling. Doesn't a slice look intensely satisfying?

This pie consists of ground beef, garlic, corn, spinach, and Monterey Jack cheese. It's uncomplicated to make, sure to be a crowd pleaser with kids, and is a great way to use up a pack of tortillas. If you want to give tortilla pie a try, get the recipe, and read more.

Tortilla Pie
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

4 flour tortillas (10-inch)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for pan
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound ground beef sirloin
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels
3 packed cups loose baby spinach (about 5 ounces), torn into pieces
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Sour cream (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan (use the removable bottom of the pan as a guide). Assemble pan with the bottom upside down; lightly oil bottom and sides. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion, cumin, and red-pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper.
Cook until onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.
Raise heat to medium-high; add beef and garlic. Cook, breaking up meat with a spoon until no longer pink, 4 to 6 minutes. Add corn and spinach; stir until spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes.
Place one tortilla in the prepared pan. Spreading evenly, top with 1 1/2 packed cups beef mixture, then 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat with two more layers. Top with last tortilla, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Bake pie until top is lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan; remove sides. Using two wide metal spatulas, lift pie from bottom of pan, and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into wedges. If desired, serve with cilantro and sour cream.

Serves 4.

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Name That Dish!

YumSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:15:11 -0700

Many of you thought this Fall dessert favorite was incredibly easy to identify. So I'm taking take the challenge to the next level with this regional pie, which can be found all over the American South. Do you know what it is?

The Basics: Graham Cracker Crust

partysugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:50:42 -0700

Hey you. Yeah, you. In the baking aisle with a premade graham cracker pie crust in your arms. Stop! Put down the pie crust. Did you know it's easy to make a homemade graham cracker crust? It's seriously the most simple pie crust around - if you have a food processor. All you have to do is pulse the crackers with butter and sugar until the mixture is fine and moist. Then you press into a pie pan, bake, and voila! Pie crust is ready for any type of filling. This recipe is quite versatile. Don't limit yourself to just graham crackers. Wafer cookies, oreos, gingersnaps: These ingredients can be used to make a quick and delicious pie crust. Now the only thing you have to worry about is what to fill it with. To check out the recipe please keep reading.

Simple Tip: Transport Baked Goods in Bakery Boxes

partysugar — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:15:40 -0700

Unless you make and transport cupcakes on a very regular basis, you probably have no need for a bulky plastic cupcake carrier. However, on those occasions when cupcakes have to be carried from your kitchen to another location, do what I do and pick up a baking box. A local bakery, or even the baking section of your grocery store, has a large supply of these boxes in a variety of sizes. If you've developed a relationship with the employees, they'll most likely give you the box for free. Ask for a large, medium, or small box and you can safely transport cakes, cookies, or pies without ruining a beautiful frosting job. Does anyone else do this? What's your secret for taking baked goods from one place to another?

What Went Wrong? Custard Not Setting

partysugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:50:53 -0700

Over the weekend, when I made Martha Stewart's Summer fruit cream pie, something went horribly wrong. As you can tell by the picture, the custard would not set! The recipe seemed simple enough; it's a graham cracker crust filled with cinnamon-berry custard and topped with syrupy peaches. However, I ran into some technical difficulties.
The first time I made the custard it would not thicken, but I realized it was because I didn't add enough cornstarch. The second time, I thought everything went well, but after sitting in the fridge overnight, the custard was soupy and liquidy. While the flavor was superb (I served it to my guests parfait style), the texture was all wrong. I've made custard successfully in the past, and honestly have no clue what went wrong.

Can you help me? Should I have let the custard boil longer? Did it need more fridge time?

Easy as Cherry Pie

partysugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:30:00 -0700

Hurry, you're running out of time. If you haven't taken advantage of the season's cherries you better do so soon before they're no longer at the markets. Once you have a bag, immediately go home and make this cherry pie. Seriously, it's the best cherry pie you'll ever have. A hint of vanilla enhances the sweetness of the berries. As the pie bakes, the miniature stone fruits turn a dark color and release their juices - the sugar caramelizing. It's absolutely divine, pie heaven. Take care when pitting the cherries, the juice gets everywhere and it stains easily. To impress your family with this all-American Summer favorite, read more.

Cherry Pie
From Bon Appétit

Make this pie several hours in advance to allow plenty of time to cool. The filling will set and it will be easier to slice.

Ingredients

pie crust
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cups whole pitted sour cherries or dark sweet cherries (about 2 pounds whole unpitted cherries)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (if using sour cherries) or 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (if using dark sweet cherries)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon (about) milk
Vanilla ice cream

Directions

Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F.
Whisk 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Stir in cherries, lemon juice, and vanilla; set aside.
Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch.
Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Using large knife or pastry wheel with fluted edge, cut ten 3/4-inch-wide strips from dough round.
Transfer filling to dough-lined dish, mounding slightly in center. Dot with butter.
Arrange dough strips atop filling, forming lattice; trim dough strip overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold bottom crust up over ends of strips and crimp edges to seal. Brush lattice crust (not edges) with milk. Sprinkle lattice with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, covering edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 1 hour longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 8-10.

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The Basics: Pie Crust

partysugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:30:11 -0700

Years ago I was one of those people who thought making pie dough from scratch was difficult, a waste of time, and downright ridiculous. If the grocery store conveniently sold premade pie crusts, why on earth would I make one? Then I realized the reason I used store bought pie dough was because I was horribly afraid of being a pie-dough failure. In matters that apply to the kitchen, instead of running from my fears, I prefer to confront them.

So I scoured the Internet reading countless pie crust recipes, techniques, and tips and I made my very first pie dough. While it wasn't the best crust ever, it was flavorful and buttery. The rewarding and addictive (all of a sudden I wanted to make pie shells over and over again) experience boosted my confidence level as a home cook.

If you've never made pie crust, or pate brisee, as it's known in French, I highly encourage you to experiment with it this Summer. Once the basic procedure is mastered, you can use the dough for fruit pies, custard pies, savory tarts, hearty quiches, and much more. Check out step-by-step photos and learn how it's done by clicking through

Name That Dish!

YumSugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:15:33 -0700

Memorial Day would be the perfect occasion to serve this tart, creamy, all-American pie. Can you guess what it is?