The Essence of of Pie...

 

Enjoy what you have, enjoy what is around you.

 

 

 

 

My husband has always said that he grew up on pie.  He loves pie. His mother was a downhome cook (for lack of a more apt descriptor)...that is the only way I know how to define it.  He grew up in a small brick Cape Cod in Erie, Pennsylvania. Pretty much the same house as all of his neighbors...with slight personal modifications: an enclosed porch here, a garage there...shrubs, immaculately ( or not) kept lawns. Finite differences. It was, as they say, a modest neighborhood...and his mom still lives there. My husband was the seventh son...then his parents had two daughters. And his mother made pie.

 

My husband's mom had nine kids, I am a mom of one...and we share the love of making pie. I love the smiles it brings...the sweet home cooked fragrance filling the air...especially on a Sunday...when it is raining and you have read the paper, done your yoga and gotten all caught up. Sunday Pie Time. So I can see how my mother-in-law would want to do this several times a week...which according to my husband, she did.  It might be all legend...but I have seen her in action. She, like my own mom, likes to be in the kitchen. And...so do I.

 

In Maine, as a kid, I grew up around strawberries and apples and blueberries. But, I moved to Colorado after college...and here we are really into peaches. Palisade Peaches. The nectarines are insane too! My eyes have been opened to stone fruits: plums, pluots, nectarines, peaches. Yummmmmmmmm. Great pie fruits. My mother made a lot of pies...strawberry, rhubarb, blueberry, cherry, banana cream, chocolate cream...apple in the fall. Now, I am all about pie. The fruit. I think for many years here in Colorado...I ignored the local bounty. Maybe I have settled into living here (after 20 years) and what amazing native fruit is around me?  But more likely that not, it is because I have my own kid now...and my own childhood filled with pies...and memories of my own youth have come back.  I don't know. All I know is that I am all about the pie...with vanilla bean iceceam of course!  I wake up with flavors and ideas in my head...what I will bake from what is available at the market. And Palisade Peaches are in.

Palisade Peach Pie

 

 

 

 

I have always loved hearty baked goods...not your typical buttery crust...but something with oats...something with whole wheat flour...something with substance. I made this pie last night from a combo of recipes and ideas in my head. And as it turned out...this is my ultimate pie. And my husband, the ultimate connoisseur, was totally impressed. :)


For the Crust:

1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

3 tablespoons canola oil

4 tablespoons ice water

Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.  Add butter, then sour cream and oil. Sprinkle water over the mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Knead the dough in the bowl a few times. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few more times, until the dough comes together. Shape into a 5-inch disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.


Preheat the oven to 375*


Remove the dough from the refrigerator.  Roll the dough on a liberally floured surface. Keep picking it up and turning it after every couple times your roll until it is a little bigger than your rounds glass pie pan.  Try to get it into a round shape. Tuck the overhanging crust under, forming a double-thick edge. Flute the edge with your fingers.


Filling:

Remove the peach skins:

Boil water in a big pasta sized pot. Drop in 5-8 full sized peaches. 2 Minutes later scoop the peaches out and drop them gently into an ice bath. Let them cool for 1--15 minutes.  Peel their skins off. They should some right off...but you may need to use a pairing knife.

Slice peaches.

Mix together in a big mixing bowl:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together.

Mix 1/2 of the mixture into the peaches.

Pour the second 1/2 of the mixture over the top.

3 Teaspoons butter... Break-up into small pieces and frolic over the top.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Serve warm with vanilla bean icecream.

 

Fig Frangipane...otherwise known as putting one foot infront of the other.

Black Mission Fig Frangipane...or Almond Torte

 

 

 



Rainy end of summer days. A tamed heart.  Times like these call for a faithful pair of jeans, some broken in boots, a few soulful songs on the playlist and the comfort of time by the oven.

 

 

 

 

 

I saw some figs at Whole Foods this week...and I couldn't resist.  They looked plump and soft, almost about to explode, when I touched them. Into my basket they went...along with some Palisade Peaches, Nectarines, Pluots & Lemons.  Some days I am better than others at resisting temptation...this was not one of those days. It was time to fill the basket...fill the void in my heart. No better way to brighten the day, I reasoned, than fresh, juicy, colorful fruit in season.

 

 

And nothing more comforting than the thought of these figs, in their prime, baked into a gorgeous almond frangipane...like a warm and sophisticated cookie with vanilla bean icecream melting into it. End to my dreary days and bring back the mojo!





 

 

Preheat Oven: 375*

 

Mix in a big bowl:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup ground raw almonds...fine to a coarse flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

 

Mix in...and blend together til smooth:

1 egg

1/2 cup lowfat butter milk

1/4 cup skim milk

1 teaspoon softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

 

Pour into a prepared fluted pie pan.

 

Slice 6-8 figs and place them decoratively on top...
sprinkle with granulated sugar & a frolic of pink sea salt.

 

Bake for 40-45 minutes

 

Serve warm with vanilla bean icecream.