Well, nothing like EXPERIMENTIN'...

Pie, pie, pie... how I love you so.  Seriously, I do.  Yes, I know I should, seeing as how I'm devoting an entire year of my life to it, but I'm really starting to appreciate it in its perfect, delicious entirety.  The genius of the crispy crust, which manages to be both savory and sweet (even without any added sugar) combined with the wholesomeness of baked fruit (or custard, or pudding, or peanut butter), combined with the presentation that literally becomes eye-candy is about the best darn idea ever... well, after the wheel, sliced bread, and the onion goggles, of course (seriously, have you seen these?  http://www.broadwaypanhandler.com/broadway/product.asp?s_id=0&pf_id=rsvp_onion_goggles).  I. Want.

It's funny how much I notice every distinct element of the pie in each bite... I would've just scarfed it down before, but I'm getting much better at picking out each flavor and texture and noticing even miniscule things that can be changed or improved.

A baker in the making, perhaps?  Ha, I like to pretend :)

Anyway, on to the star of the show... BLUEBERRY RASPBERRY PIE!!!  Please note that today is CAPS LOCK DAY... I swear, it is (look it up on one of those lists of ridiculous holidays).  So I'm celebrating both this FANTASTIC HOLIDAY as well as my excitement over this week's pie.  SA-WEET!

Okay, so I was originally going to make just a blueberry pie (which, once again, is one of my family's recipes and one of my favs), but then I got to the store and they ALSO had fresh raspberries, and I couldn't pass up what are likely the last of this season's fresh fruits, so I decided to combine them.  I had never eaten a blueberry raspberry PIE (teehee) nor did I know if it was going to be a good combination, but I decided to go with it and bake my first experimental/invented pie!

I consider it invented since I didn't actually have the blueberry recipe, so I really just threw everything into a bowl and added sugar (I did call my dad to check on the amount, but I had already added it, so that doesn't really count) and then hoped for the best!

I ALSO (caps lock = way too much fun) decided to try out a lattice top instead of my usual full-crust-with-some-adorable-shape top.  It was suprisingly easy to do, and I daresay it turned out rather beautifully!  I'm working on fancy edges next... for now, I'm still sticking to my guns and using the good ol' bird feet/fork method.

VOILA!  Blueberry Raspberry Pie with a Lattice Top!  HUZZAH!

Now, as for overall presentation, I felt that I could've used more berries... it was concave rather than convex, and the top was impossible to cut without it crumbling to bits.  It was also a bit juicy again, so the slices turned out to be crap-in-a-bowl instead of beauty-on-a-plate.  Ah well... it still tasted AWESOME! 

 

Even Sam the Cheetah wanted to try some!  I don't even feel the need to explain any further than that.

Not as awesome as the blackberry apple, but still pretty darn phenom.  The blueberries were a bit more tart than usual (*sigh* end of the season), but otherwise it was yum-o.  A definite win/keeper!  Oh, I think it would've been SUPER phenom had I served it with ice cream.  One thing (and by thing, I mean expense) at a time though, I shouldn't get ahead of myself...

Also, yay for fruit experiments!  I think my next invention will be a pudding/custard/chocolate sort of dealio, which will also be interesting.

So I've also been reading into food photography, because I want really cool shots of my pies to accompany the recipe book that I want to put together when this is over (for myself and anyone who would like a copy... Christmas presents?  I think so!), so I've been experimenting a lot with different focal points and presentation and all that.  These are fairly boring ones here, but I just discovered a close-up setting on my camera, so more interesting ones will hopefully be coming soon.

That being said, I really like this one.

I think that's where I'll leave you for now... I'm heading home tomorrow to visit the fam and celebrate my sister Sarah's Bachelorette Party!  I'll swing by to visit Erin at school tomorrow, and then it's homeward bound.  Pray/cross your fingers/cast a protective spell/do whatever you do to bring me luck... Wall*E (my super awesome mini-van) is up for his first big trip in 2 months!  So let's hope we make it.  Also, I'll have to give you some Wall*E stories soon... I'm working on a list of everything that doesn't work and will hopefully turn it into an essay.  He's a joy and an adventure, let me tell you!

Also, I'm baking a pie for the fam tonight to bring with me... I'm making the chocolate peanut butter pie that I made a few weeks back (you know, the one that was like eating Canada), but this time with some improvements based on the notes I jotted down.  I'll let you know how it turns out!  This is the first time I'm re-making a pie, and I'm excited to start working on perfecting it and making it my own.  Woot woot!

K, LATOR GATORS!

P.S.  Wear PINK!!!  Lydia and I participated in a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk last weekend, which was a great experience.  Here's a pic from our completion of the 5k!

Messy Magnificence

Hey there, good lookin'!  Sorry I'm a bit late here... I was at a conference Wednesday and Thursday, and with all of the last minute craziness on Tuesday, I'm just now getting around to writing.  You have my utmost and sincerest apologies... I hate to keep you waiting!  Thanks for being patient, though, I really appreciate it :)

I don't know that I have too much outside information that would be of particular interest to you, so rather than rambling, I'll cut straight to the chase.  This week's pie was Blackberry Apple.  It's an unusual sounding combination, for sure, so if you raised your eyebrows a bit and did that lip-curve downward thing that people do when they go, "hmm, interesting," I can understand completely.  Blackberries and apples are definitely not the first two fruits that I would put together, but I've gotta say, it's a match made in fruit filling heaven.

This recipe is one my dad tried out a few years ago and has been baking ever since.  I found out it originally came from a restaurant in Grafton, Illinois, a city only about an hour and a half from me, so I think a road trip is in order!  Anyway, the first time we made this pie came after a summer afternoon spent hunched over among thickets and brambles, fighting the thorny bushes for blackberries (actually, I think they were dewberries, but basically the same thing).  My grandparents have a fair amount of property, and a good chunk of it is full of blackberry bushes.  My dad makes wine, and we were out that day to pick enough blackberries for his next batch of wine (roughly 30 pounds).  By the end of the day (or when I gave up, which was likely before the end of the day), my hands were scratched and bloody... it was actually hard to tell what was blood and what was blackberry juice.

Well, when everyone had called it quits, we wound up with more than our 30 necessary pounds (I'm being liberal on the "we"... I probably picked only about a pound.  I've got a great work ethic, if you can't tell).  That night my dad decided to try out this recipe, and the rest is pretty much history.  It became a fast favorite, and I'm actually planning on baking it for Thanksgiving this year!  I don't know if I mentioned that or not, but I'm in charge of baking our Thanksgiving pies... I'm rather honored.

Okay, so the recipe is quite similar to apple pie, only half of the apples are replaced by blackberries.  I had to use frozen berries as fresh are no longer in season, but it didn't do much to alter the flavor, so while I prefer to use the freshest ingredients possible, this worked out just fine... well, almost.  I didn't think to thaw the berries before mixing them into the pie, and, well, it wasn't the neatest pie in the world (definitely not restaurant-worthy).  The ice around the berries melted while baking, and when I cut out the first slice, a nice pool of liquid was left behind.  Since there was too much juice to allow the pie to set, the pieces were the messiest things I've ever plated.

Pool O' Liquid

Messy?  Yes.  Delicious?  YES.

Surplus liquid problem solved by Alison

However, I like to think that the messier looking plates are often the tastier, and that was never truer than with this pie.  Holy scrum-diddly-umptious, Batman!  First, let it be known that the crust was damn near perfect... the right amount of flaky and sweet and just plain melt-in-your-mouth awesome.  The combination of blackberries with apples, while unusual, is also incredible.  The softer berries with the slightly more firm apples, plus a perfect combination of sweetness and tartness make this a ridiculously phenomenal pie.  Or, as Lydia described it, "divine."

If I do say so myself :)

Since the blackberry apple was so popular, I'm looking forward to other berry pies... blackberry pear, blackberry/blueberry/rasberry, etc.  I'll start inventing soon!

I also feel I must note that Jonathan and Cortland apples are the easiest to hand peel... Granny Smith are the worst (the peel breaks off into tiny chunks and I slip with the peeler and almost gouge my hands open), but the peels practically fall off of those two apples.  I love making silly discoveries like that.

For better and more comprehensive ideas of the future pies I bake, I'm working on creating a scorecard to rate each one.  Overall scores will be based on the crust, the filling, the cohesiveness of the two, presentation (will this be a good choice for my pie shop?), and overall flavor.  I'm still tweaking it to get the best answers, but I think this will help me decide what needs to be altered and perfected on future pies.  Right now my score system is to try and remember what people say to me regarding the pie... the two flaws in this are that A. I have a terrible short term memory (honestly, the moment a conversation switches topics, I immediately forget the previous subject altogether.  Don't even bother asking what we were just talking about), and B. People are less honest and too general when telling me how it turned out.  I really want to get good at this, and so while this is a goofy way to do it, I think it can produce some awesome/interesting results.

The next pie is actually another one from my family... Blueberry!  I hate to do one of mine two weeks in a row, but blueberries are just about out of season, and I want to use fresh ones my first time out.  Blueberry is in my top 5 favorite pies, and I really don't want to wait until next summer to bake it.  So blueberry it is!  My quest, my rules.  Deal.

That's just about all I have for you (short this week!), but before I go, I have to make a totally un-pie-related note... I just recently started watching The West Wing, and I'm OBSESSED.  Seriously, it's my new favorite show.  And anyone who knows me at all knows that when I become obsessed with something, it pretty much consumes my life.  It's what I read about, what I dream about, what I youtube about, what I bring up in any conversation I can ("Speaking of painful dental procedures... in this episode of The West Wing...").  I only wish I had been able to appreciate it when it was on.  I just finished season 2, and am trying to hunt down season 3 to watch.  The season 2 finale was hands down one of the best I've ever seen for any show EVER, and I was an emotional wreck afterwards.  It also brought me my new favorite song (which plays during the final few and most emotional/dramatic moments): "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits.  It's a 25-year-old song, but it's awesome.  So anyway, if anyone has season 3 (or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7) and would like to let me borrow them, let me know!

K, random, but that's where I'm leaving you.  Peace out!

P.S.  Vote in the poll!

Of sore arms, tarts, laziness, and stretching pie boundaries

So what's the difference between a tart and a pie, you ask?  Well, it's funny you should mention it!  (Roll with me here... you're learning valuable knowledge that might one day help you watch Jeopardy! and scream the answers from your couch)  Well, I've done a little research, and it turns out the answer isn't quite as easy as pie (ba dum bum).  Much of it boils down to the pan (honest to goodness... the two can taste virtually the same, but depending on what pan they were baked in can be called totally different things).  A pie pan has sloping sides while a tart pan is shallower with straight sides (and in some cases, a removeable bottom).

Now, that being said, both tarts and pies can have fruit, custard, or chocolate fillings, but meat is more commonly associated with pie.  However, while pies can either have a top crust or not, tarts are open-topped.  Now, those answers were drawn from a few sites, many of which conflicted, so there are probably more differences and some of the ones I gave you may even be disputed, but that's about as clear as I can get for you. 

Straight + shallow + open top = tart.  Sloping + deeper + top crust or no crust = pie.

It's still weird to me that the differences are so subtle.  Oh well, that's life.  And now hopefully you're a tad smarter for learning that bit o' trivia.

Well, as you can see to the right there, the poll has closed!  And the favorite pie of my readers is............ OTHER!  Fantastic!  Anyone have a recipe for that one?!  Oh, it's amazing how easily I crack myself up.  Anyway, "Other" was followed closely by chocolate cream, then apple, and so on.  Well, "other" was probably a stupid choice to list, as it doesn't help me a whole lot in getting to know my readers.  I've heard that cherry was a popular choice that I missed, so that could explain it, but if there's another pie that you just love, please tell me what it is in a sweet, charming little comment!

I've added a new poll... Who is the best pie baker you know?  Have a story to go with your choice?  That's what comments are for :)

Okay, enough stalling... onto this week's pie!  The recipe came from my friend Brianne, who got it from her sister, who made it in a class at school.  It once again stretches the limits on the word "pie," but I think it fully qualified.  It was a caramel apple dessert pizza (pie), and it was most definitely a winner.

Rather than a regular pie crust (or a graham or oreo crust), the dessert pizza (pie) called for a sugar cookie crust.  Rather than buy dough, I called up my mom and got the recipe we used growing up.  It was easy enough to do, but I've gotta say, not having an electric mixer is killer when it comes to stirring up batter and dough.  I guess in exchange for further patience and true understanding of the "labor of love" involved in baking, I get a sore arm.  Win?

Anyway, on top of the baked crust (which I put on a pizza pan... I felt it made more sense), I spread a mixture of peanut butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, and milk, which served as the "sauce."  It was delish, and I snuck a few tastes while spreading.  Probably why my bridesmaid dress still doesn't fit.

On top of that went a layer of sliced apples, which were tossed with cinnamon and lemon juice.  I arranged them all fancy, just for kicks.  Also because presentation is a biggie for me.  On top of that went a fair dousing of caramel ice cream topping.

Voila!  Caramel apple dessert pizza (pie)!

It was quite yummy, and the crust was interesting, as it was much thicker than regular sugar cookies, so it didn't really taste like a sugar cookie... odd, but still good.  The "sauce" was awesome, in my most humble opinion, and who doesn't like caramel apples?

However, as with all first-time recipes, this one has room for improvement.  Perhaps baked apples in the future would make for a pie that's easier to eat and has a more coherent flavor.  Also, I chopped the apples a little thick, so that's something that needs to be addressed next time around.  And yes, there will be a next time.  Oh-ho, will there ever be a next time.  Definite keeper.

Also, I had extra cookie dough left over, so I made some Halloween cookies!  And then I made icing, because what good is a sugar cookie without icing?  However, I didn't have food coloring, and white was far too boring for my taste, so I shook in some cinnamon and made an icing that was both pretty and tasty.  It actually made the cookies taste a bit "pop-tart" ish, so another win!

So all in all, this pie making is going super well... I really enjoy doing it, and I'm always flipping through magazines for pie ideas (not recipes, ideas) or thinking up new combinations to try out.  It's lotsa fun!  Also, I'm working on a score chart for each pie, with detailed categories and individual scores, so hopefully I'll get more accurate responses to the pies on top of seeing what needs improvement.  Also, it's just fun.

The only serious downfall I'm discovering is the massive amount of dishes I accumulate.  Each Sunday I have a large load of regular weekend dishes (I tend to cook much more on the weekends), which I wash up before starting the pie baking, and then I have another full load when I'm done (I'm a messy baker and use a lot of dishes).  I realize I'm sounding lazy and lame for admitting it, but I'm usually pooped come Sunday evenings!  Dishes, pie, dishes, yelling at football on TV, cleaning... it's quite the afternoon.

Yup, I'm a whiner.  And re-reading that paragraph makes me realize just how lame I sound.  Ah well, I can complain once in awhile.  After all, complaining "means that life is still good."  (That one comes from the brilliantly funny comedian Jennifer Eolin, whose blog, "The New Old Biddy," is linked to the right there... check it out, she's awesome).

Final thing... Friday my friend Kaitlin and I made dinner, and it was just about one of the BEST things I've ever eaten.  Honest to blog, you HAVE to try this recipe.  Basically, we marinated chicken breasts in a chipotle marinade, then grilled them and shredded/chopped them until they looked like chicken one might find on a shredded chicken sandwich (I don't know how else to describe this step).  We then mixed that with barbeque sauce and scooped it onto toasted burger buns (be sure to keep an eye on your toaster oven... I almost burned down my apartment (on top of ruining the buns)).  On top of the chicken went a combination of diced avocado, lime/lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.  Top with the other half of the bun, and you have just about the best sandwich you could ever eat.  It was sweet, spicy, tangy, smokey awesomeness on a bun, and while the avocado might sound like an odd topping, it balanced the chicken perfectly.  YUM.  We served it with a side of bruschetta (why not?), which was also quite awesome.

Not pie related, I know, but I had to share... your life will be better for it, I promise.  If you try the sandwich, that is.  Not just by reading that.  Or maybe it will be, I don't know.

OKAY!  I'm done!  Catch you next week!