Tag Archives: apples

Blackberry-Apple Pie

I was excited about this pie because I really enjoyed the blackberry pie we had earlier this semester (my first blackberry pie), and I love a good old-fashioned apple pie. I thought this pie was interesting because there was no soaking of the apples in advance. I simply laid the the apples and the blackberries into the crust. There was no suggestion on how to place the apples and blackberries into the crust, so I tried to layer them some. I wonder how much of a difference in taste there is depending on the fruit layers. I was happy that I learned my lesson with the sauce to turn it down really low. Last time I allowed something to stay on the heat as suggested by the recipe, it burned. If you turned it off all the way, it did thicken a bit too much to pour over, so if taken off the heat, it should be placed back over heat again before spooning over pie.

This was my first attempt at a lattice, so I was slightly intimidated. My crust was being a little temperamental (I think it sat out of the fridge too long before rolling initially), and peeling off the slices was difficult (despite using the trick of making sure the crust came up on the rolling pin). I was happy with how the lattice turned out.

I will say, this one the only pie I’ve made thus far that has taken less time to bake then the recipe said. Although it was only a few minutes less, the pie was certainly bubbling and browning by the 30-minute mark after I turned down the oven. I’m excited to see how putting the sauce on top affects the tastes since normally it’s mixed first!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/apple-blackberry-pie/

The Lumberjack Pie

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While it was very easy figuring out what my sweet pie was going to be for the final week, I had no idea what to do for my savory pie. I was not particularly fond of my twist on an English Pork Pie when I first tried making savory pies. I remember it was incredibly time consuming and I did not even like how it ended up taking.

As I was pondering what I should make, I came across a friend, Williams own Scott Wieman who gave me a great idea. He said (more or less) “why not make a lumberjack pie”? Although I forgot how exactly my bearded friend envisioned this pie, I remember it involved apples, cheddar cheese, a meat of sorts, and some maple syrup. When it came time to decide on what pie to make, I knew this was the one for me. I figured it would only be fitting to end class eschewing the recipe books in favor of a Robbie Feder original.

The more I thought about it, the more excited I got. In practice it seemed like it would not be too time consuming, as was the case with the pork pie. Furthermore, unlike with the pork pie, I figured by creating the recipe, I could ensure that all the ingredients were ones I liked and not things, such as mace, that have the potential to completely throw things off. Lastly, I figured I would cook my meat beforehand to ensure everything was up to health standards and so I wouldn’t need to bake the pie as long.

As I went about this process, everything came to me on the fly. In turn, as I describe this recipe, it is similar to something my Great Grandma Mimi would do “with a pinch of this or a splash of that.” I will try to be as exact as possible though!

I started out by cutting up my meat and an onion. In thinking about what a lumberjack would eat, I figured it would be very hearty. In turn I cut up some pork shoulder, ham, and bacon. Lots and lots of bacon! I wanted to mix in some onion flavor, hence cutting up the onion.

I began by caramelizing the onions which I had chopped finely in a pan with olive oil. I added a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, and a little bit of water to help sweat the onion. Then when the vegetable in question got golden brown, I proceeded to add my meat. I’m sure the order does not matter but I did bacon, ham, and then pork shoulder. I should also mentioned that I sprinkled the meat with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.

As I kept on stirring, the fat from the meat mixed with the onions and created a really nice flavor. I’m sure that mixture would be delicious on its own, but remember this is a lumberjack pie. So as the meat was beginning to gain color, I added a couple of splashes of maple syrup. Between the bacon fat, sugary maple syrup, and onion juices an intoxicating scent began to emerge. I also added a couple of table spoons of the bourbon sauce from my chocolate pecan bourbon pie recipe to reinforce how this is a sweet savory pie.

In retrospect I realized that between the sugar in the maple syrup and the bourbon sauce, I did something that the fellas on epic meal time would do: I candied bacon! (as well as the other meats). For as I continued to stir my meat, it developed a beautiful dark red color that when I tried was sinfully good.

While I put my candied meats in a bowl I proceeded to start on my 4 granny smith apples. While I am sure I could have cut up my apples and put them in the pie as is, I wanted to keep going with the elaborate nature of this pie. In turn, I stewed my apples in apple cider (which I have done for other recipes and is terrific) and added some more maple syrup!

With my main components done, I began to assemble my pie. After putting the pie crust in the tin, I grated sharp cheddar cheese on the bottom. I really enjoy Cabot, but any sharp cheddar is fine. On top of that fluffy mound of grated cheese I put my candied meat. I then covered this layer in another blanket of cheddar cheese with a little drizzle of more maple syrup. Then atop that layer of cheese I added the stewed apple mixture to which I shockingly drizzled a little bit more maple syrup.

I then covered my pie with its top crust, washed it with egg folk so it could achieve a golden brown, made a decorative pattern, and put a small amount of cheddar cheese on top. I put a great deal more cheddar on the top of the pie, but only 10 minutes before the pie was actually done, since the cheese cooks quickly and can burn. That little bit I added at the beginning of cooking was more for fun and you can totally do without it if you would like, since as mentioned, there will be a lot more grated cheese towards the end. But hey, I’m a glutton and believe there is no such thing as too much cheese!

I put my pie in for 45 minutes at 350. While the edges were golden brown, the middle was not. In turn I stuck my pie in for another 10 minutes. Then, I grated more cheddar cheese on the top of the pie, put it back in the oven, and waited another 15 minutes. The finished product looked great! I also got it nestled next to its buddy and my sweet pie, the chocolate bourbon pecan pie. While this pie is by no means healthy, I certainly hope it tastes good!

Mincemeat Pie!

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(Nikki here) To begin this week’s pie, on Tuesday I did mostly prep work. As I had decided to cut shapes out of the dough for the topping in spirit of decoration week, and to facilitate the actual making of the crust, I used a larger recipe than in previous crust attempts, using ratios relative to 3 cups of flour and 2 and a 1/4 sticks of butter. I also added about a 1/2 cup of almonds to mix it up (and they seemed like they would go well with the mincemeat). Further prep work included looking incredulously at the chunk of fat (formally called suet) I was supposed to grate, which looked incredibly like mozzarella (but was sadly just white, slimy little slivers of animal goo. Too descriptive? My apologies to the weak stomached and the vegans). I also chopped up some apples while I waited for the 2 lbs of beef to simmer to tenderness in a small layer of water (roughly 20 min, covered in a large fry pan).

The meat had to cool in its liquid overnight, so I waited for the next day to assemble the ingredients and throw it all together. The filling had quite a lot of flavors: juice from a fresh orange and a fresh lemon, molasses (I think I would opt for a about 3/4 or 2/3 of what the recipe called for, but that’s just personal taste), cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, apple vinegar, apple cider, suet, meat-water from the cooking of the meat, and of course the actual edible stuff: apples, beef, and raisins. Simmer for 2 hours or until the liquid mostly goes away, add a bit of brandy, and store for a few weeks in a large jar! (I of course didn’t store for a few weeks, since the pie was due the next day). While I waited once again for the simmering filling I cut holiday-themed shapes, rather poorly, I might add, with a small paring knife and a pastry cutter.

I let the mincemeat filling sit overnight to further let the spices infuse the meat and fruit. I could hardly wait to put it all together I had been waiting and anticipating so long! I loved how the poinsettias and the ribbon turned out. How holiday-ish!

My only issues, I would say, involved slightly burning the molasses while the filling was simmering, forgetting to add the brandy until I had already dumped in the filling and lain on the topping, and forgetting to line the edges with tinfoil to prevent excessive darkening.

All in all, however, it turned out pretty well! I loved how the meat became somewhat candied, and the crust was really yummy. It was a very rich pie. 🙂 Perhaps not my favorite, but certainly a keeper! I think I might ask David for his recipe though, as I think his was even more delicious.

English Pork Pie Redux

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Robbie here! After spending a year abroad in London, I wanted to pay homage to my second home across the pond by making an English pie. While I had eaten and enjoyed the English pork pie amongst other delicious pies in London, I was never enamored with the dish since it is eaten cold. Although that is the way that the many English pies are served, I am a hot food kind of guy. So, I decided to take the traditional English pork pie and put my own American twist on it. Instead of serving this pie cold, I served it piping hot. With that in mind, I followed saveurs recipe which you can see below for my meat mixture:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/English-Pork-Pie

Yet since I would not be serving the pie cold, I completely discarded the directions on making a broth which would later become a gelatinous mixture that helps to firm up the traditionally cold pie.

Furthermore, though I am a carnivore, I wanted to make the pie about more than just the meat alone and give it some nuance while putting my own spin on the dish. In turn, I decided to caramelize some onions, stew some apples in apple cider, and grate cheddar cheese to put on top in addition to making the aforementioned pork mixture from saveur.com.

Hopefully the flavors will meld together as a pie version of pork chops and apple sauce. It’s like peanut butter and jelly: the two things just go well together!

I know the pie might not need it, but I also very excited that there will also be true English mustard, Coleman’s, to accompany my dish. It will knock your socks off with the kick and cure any sinus problems one may have.

Hopefully this will pay homage to the city I have grown to love. For as Samuel Johnson once said, “he who is tired of London is tired of life.”