Mmmmm – ok, I’ve really been slacking on posting cooking stuffs, but given the season, I had to post about the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Usually only make it once a year, and this year I made two pies to boot instead of using the leftover rhubarb in bread (though that was quite good last year).

Preheat oven to 400.

Prepare and chill your favorite pie crust, or use store bought. My favorite pie crust is the ‘Never Fail Pie Crust’ from none other than John Pepi – the recipe has absolutely never let me down. This time I mixed it with a bit of wheat flour.

In a bowl, mix 2 cups sliced strawberries, 2 cups sliced rhubarb, 1.5 cups sugar (I used 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup splenda mix) and 1/4 cup tapioca. I also added a bit of dried orange peel. Let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Roll out pie crust. Fill with berries. Top with top crust. Flute edges.

Bake at 400 for 45-50 minutes or until slow bubbles. Chill. Enjoy. Happy Summer!

Mmm, I love my maple products. (Yes, I usually have a gallon of fancy syrup in the fridge – mmm.) Highly recommend maple syrup sampling the next time you are in Vermont.

So yeah – wanted to try this recipe out this year, and rather than have 4 pies on Thanksgiving itself, this is one of the ones that got bumped up to Sunday dinner fare. I used my own recipe for the crust, but pre-baked as they suggested (without pie weights, and yes, it did flop over a bit, but what can you do.)

Maple-Pecan Pie
Pure maple syrup, made from the boiled sap of the sugar maple tree, comes in three grades. Grade A Light or Fancy syrup, sometimes called Grade AA, is clear gold and has a wonderfully subtle flavor, but its delicate character does not hold up in cooking. Grade B syrup is produced only in Vermont and has more maple flavor than Grade A. Sometimes called “baking” or “cooking” maple syrup, it is ideal for use in this recipe. Grade C has a robust, molasses-like flavor and is used primarily in making commercial table syrups.

Ingredients
1 rolled-out round of basic pie dough
2 cups pure maple syrup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups pecans, coarsely chopped

Method
Fold the dough round in half and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie pan or dish. Unfold and ease the round into the pan, without stretching it, and pat it into the bottom and firmly up the sides of the pan. Using kitchen scissors, trim the edge of the dough, leaving 3/4 inch of overhang. Fold the overhang under itself and pinch it together to create a high edge on the pans rim. Flute the edge decoratively.

Refrigerate or freeze the pie shell until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 375°F.

Line the pastry shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or raw short-grain rice. Bake for 20 minutes, then lift an edge of the foil. If the dough looks wet, continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes, until the dough is pale gold, for a total baking time of 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the maple syrup to a boil and boil for 8 to 10 minutes to reduce. Remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof measuring pitcher. The syrup should be reduced to 1 1/2 cups. If necessary, return the syrup to the saucepan and continue to boil until sufficiently reduced. Let cool to room temperature before proceeding.

In a bowl, stir together the eggs, brown sugar, reduced maple syrup, salt, melted butter and vanilla until well mixed. Add the pecans and stir well. Pour into the partially baked pie shell, making sure the pecans are evenly distributed.

Bake the pie until the center is slightly puffed and firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool until just slightly warm, about 45 minutes, before serving. Makes one 9-inch pie; serves 8.

Serving Tip: Serve with sweetened whipped cream flavored with 1 Tbs. bourbon, if desired.

Source: Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series,Pie & Tart,by Carolyn Beth Weil (Simon & Schuster, 2003). | (Servings:

Part of the pre-Thanksgiving Sunday dinner – this one was a recipe that I found on the Washington Post (maybe in one of the food chats? I don’t remember.) The no-sugar-added apple butter that we picked up on the wine tour earlier this year came in handy – looking forward to testing this one out

My notes:
I just used 1 cup of fat free evaporated milk for the whole milk/canned milk combination. And I didn’t use their recipe for crust – I used the “No Fail Pie Crust” recipe that I got from my awesome officemate @ IBM, it hasn’t failed me yet. (Thanks, John!)

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie
This Thanksgiving dessert has equal parts pumpkin puree and apple butter, making it simple to create but better tasting than a typical pumpkin pie. The secret is the apple butter. The apples develop a molasses-like sweetness from cooking down to a buttery slurry. As a single ingredient, it provides so much round, rich flavor to the pie that the only spice required is a touch of cinnamon.

Make this the day before to free the oven for turkey on Thanksgiving. Leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Adapted from a recipe by Food section editorial aide Leigh Lambert, who says: “My mom, Vicki, has made this pie from a handwritten recipe card every year since I can remember. I’m not sure of the recipe’s origins; wherever it came from, it’s been with us so long we consider it ours.”

Ingredients
FOR CRUST
1.5 cups flour, plus more for dusting
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons ice water
FOR FILLING
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup apple butter
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can evaporated milk, 2/3 cup
⅓ cup whole milk

Method
For the pie crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, butter, shortening and salt. Pulse just until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the motor running, add the ice water in tablespoon increments, until the dough comes together but has not yet formed a ball. Transfer the dough to a work surface and shape into a disk, handling the dough as little as possible. Lightly dust with flour on both sides and wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Have ready a 9-inch pie plate.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a round about 1/8 inch thick and about 11 inches in diameter. Transfer to the pie plate, and use your fingers to create a crimped edge. Set aside.

For the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, apple butter, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon and mix well. Add the eggs and milks, stirring to combine. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the center has set. Cool completely before serving or storing in the refrigerator.

Source: Washington Post | (Servings:

I think that first 963 recipes entered into the software may have burned me out a bit on cooking – as you can tell, I’ve been very very lazy lately. Fall has so much promise for yummy foods, so I’m slowly coaxing myself to get back into the swing of things.

A trip to the farmers market gave us a lot of apples to play with. Even discovered a new variety – Strabaums? Whatever they were, they were local and really good! At any rate, I took out the old Barnes & Noble “Baking” cookbook that has disappointed me in the past to give it another shot – this time with chocolate apple pie. The concept sounded a bit odd, but then I like apples with chocolate fondue, so gave it a whirl. Once again, was very disappointed with the results. So much in fact, that I tore all of the sliced apples out of the terrible crust and had them on their own – luckily there wasn’t any added sugar in the filling. (The only ‘fun’ part about this was that I made a pie top crust out of cookie cuttered-maple leaves!) I am just giving up on that cookbook – haven’t gotten anything good out of it, and I’m usually open to any and all dessert type foods.

Last night was exciting because it was the first time I bought and used leeks! The recipe was for a Curried Potato, Leek & Apple soup which turned out pretty well the cookbook I’m finding inspiration from for the time being is from the Mayo Clinic/Williams Sonoma – every recipe, yes, every one has nutritional information with it. If the soup was any indication of what is to come with this one, then I think this book has promise!

and AND! To boot, our cheese of the month club came yesterday with 3 – yes, all 3 – cheeses that I had never tried before! Cheesehead that I am, this is the first time it has happened in over a year. All 3 were yummy, 2 from France & 1 from Spain. Trey delicious! (We’re actually doing the whenever, whatever program this year….last year was all cheese courtesy of Maura & Megan’s super thoughtful wedding gift!)

As far as the recipe project, I think it’s on hold for the time being….