Pumpkin Pie

Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoyed celebrating with family and friends. I sure did. In fact, I still am. I have the pleasure of spending the winter break with my kids. I don't have to go back to work until after the new year. One of the ways we have been celebrating is eating pumpkin pie. But, this isn't just any pumpkin pie. This is my hubby's Aunt Peg's pumpkin pie. 

My husband has always loved this pumpkin pie recipe. I thought it was time to add it to my repertoire. After all, I don't bake anything that isn't gluten free anymore, so the only way he would get it is if I did. Aunt Peg's original recipe made 2+ pies (There was always filling left over.), but I only wanted to make one. So I cut the recipe in half and used gluten free crust of course.

This post is in honor of Aunt Peg. Sadly, Aunt Peg passed away in November of this year. She will be missed, but her pie recipe will fill our bellies with comfort for years to come. Give it a try, and let me know what you think.

What You Will Need:
Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment
Silicone Mat or Clean Countertop
Rolling Pin
Pie Plate
Cooling Rack

Ingredients:
Pastry Dough (Posted on May 18, 2013)
2 1/4 cups Pumpkin Puree
1 cup Evaporated Milk
1 1/2 cups 1/2 & 1/2
4 Large Eggs
1/2 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 410° F.

Mix sugar and eggs together. Add pumpkin, spices and milk. Blend until well combined.

Roll out pastry dough and place in pie plate.

Pour pie filling into pastry dough.

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° F and bake for an additional 60-70 minutes or until knife in center comes out clean.

Let cool on cooling rack until completely cool.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

"The magic of Christmas is not in the presents, but in His presence."
After all, it is about His birth.

~Sheryl

Caramel Apple Tart

It's time! I promised an amazing apple recipe, and here it is. Prepare to have your socks knocked off. This apple tart is just the right mix of sweet, tart, and crunchy in a buttery pastry crust; AND it is super simple to make. What more could you ask for, right?

As far as I'm concerned, you really can't ask for more. Not only is it delicious, but it is also a show stopper. Although it is quick and easy to make, it's rustic look is sure to impress any of your toughest critics.

What You Will Need:
Pastry Mat or Clean Surface for Rolling Dough
Rolling Pin
Baking Stone or Pizza Pan
Pastry Brush

Ingredients:
Pastry Dough (see post from May 18, 2013)
1/2 cup Kraft Caramel Bits
2 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Granny Smith Apples; cored, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
2 tablespoons Corn Starch
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
1/8 cup Apple Jelly

Directions:
On a well-floured (soy flour or any other gluten free flour) surface, roll out pastry dough until approximately 1/8 inch thick.

(As you can see, my crust was not a perfect circle.

That is fine, but I would try to make it a little

more even if you can. Because mine was such an

odd shape, most of the caramel was able to

ooze out while it was baking in the oven.

More on that later.)

Roll dough onto your rolling pin, and transfer it to your baking stone or pizza pan.

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine caramel bits and heavy whipping cream. Melt in microwave for approximately 50 seconds, checking and stirring after 30. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a medium bowl, mix together apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and corn starch. Set aside.

Spread cooled caramel over center of dough. This will create the size of the bottom of the tart. Be mindful that you leave enough dough to come up over the apples to create a side. (If you don't have enough dough to create a solid side for the tart, all of your delicious caramel will ooze out during the baking process. As you can see, I was not very mindful of this, and my caramel oozed out. Very sad situation.)

Layer apples over caramel in a pretty flower pattern. (Of course the pretty flower pattern is optional, but it adds to the stability of the tart, and to the "wow" factor.)

Sprinkle with pecans.

Fold dough up and over the filling. The middle should be open. (If you have too much dough, you can tear some off to create an open center.)

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt apple jelly - approximately 30 seconds.

Brush melted jelly over the entire tart.

Bake for 20-30 minutes (until golden brown).

Doesn't that look scrum-ditilly-umptious!?! Believe me, I had a hard time not eating the whole thing. Just think, if it was that good after all of my caramel oozed out, how great is yours going to be? It's a good thing the pastry dough recipe makes two pie crusts. . .

Slice it like a pie, and serve it warm.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Believe in yourself. You can do amazing things when you do.

Sheryl

Double Chocolate Silk Pie

My son has been begging me to make chocolate pie for weeks. I can't tell you how many times he has said, "I like chocolate pie. Mom, when are you going to make chocolate pie?" Well, I like chocolate pie too, so I had no problem working on a recipe. It only took me two pies to get the recipe good enough to blog about. I'd say that isn't bad.

My first thought was to kick it up a notch by making it a double chocolate pie. After all, the only thing better than chocolate is double chocolate. This pie has a thin layer of semi-sweet chocolate below a thick pillow of milk chocolate mouse. Atop the mouse is a layer of sweet whipped cream, and it is all topped with grated semi-sweet chocolate. Sounds crazy good, right? It sure is.

Since this pie is not cooked, I recommend using pasteurized eggs for your mouse. That way you won't have to worry about getting sick from the raw eggs. You should be able to find pasteurized eggs in your local grocery store in the same section as non-pasteurized eggs. Now let's get to making some chocolate pie.

What You Will Need:
Pie Plate
Plastic Wrap
Pie Weights or Dried Beans
Aluminum Foil
KitchenAid Mixer with Paddle and Whisk Attachment
Microplane or grater

Ingredients:
Pie Crust (recipe posted on 5/18/13)
2 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted + 1 oz. not melted for grating
1 cup Milk Chocolate, melted
3/4 cup Salted Butter, room temperature
1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
3 Large Pasteurized Eggs
1 cup Heavy Cream (Whipping Cream)
2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:
To Bake Pie Crust
When pie crust is rolled and formed in the pie plate, cover it lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.

Preheat oven to 425°F with baking sheet on bottom rack.

Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator. It should be firm to the touch. Pierce the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork.

Line the crust with a double layer of aluminum foil, making sure the foil is all the way to the edges of the bottom of the pan.

Fill the pan with pie weights or dried beans, making sure to cover at least half way up the sides. I used dried beans. I keep these beans in a ziploc bag and re-use them when I bake pie crusts.

Reduce the oven to 400°F. Place the pie on the baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie pan from the oven, and remove the aluminum foil and beans from the pie crust. 

The aluminum foil will be very buttery, so be
sure to place it on a towel.

Return the pie pan to the oven, and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Beat an egg with 1 teaspoon water (egg wash), and brush the egg wash on the pie crust.

Bake for an additional three minutes.

Let cool completely.

For Pie Filling
In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments until melted.

Spread chocolate on bottom of pie crust. Let chocolate set.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat milk chocolate in microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Set aside to cool.

In KitchenAid Mixer bowl, cream together butter and sugar with paddle attachment.

Gradually add melted chocolate.

Add vanilla.

Add eggs one at a time. Beat on high for 5 full minutes after each egg. I actually set a timer, so I wouldn't be tempted to cut corners. This is an extremely important step. This is what makes your filling light and airy.

Pour filling into pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

Put KitchenAid Mixer bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Whip cream until just before peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla, and beat until peaks form and cream is firm.

Spread whipped cream on pie.

Grate semi-sweet chocolate over pie.

Now, doesn't that look good enough to eat? Check out what a presentation it makes sliced on a plate.

Although it takes some time to complete (because of all of the chilling), it is super simple to make, and it really is a show stopper. Impress your friends, and make one today!

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up." ~Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NIV

As the verse says, it is important to have friends; so you have someone to pick you up when you fall down. And I always say those friends will be more likely to pick you up if you bake them delicious desserts!

Sheryl