Pecan Pie

At first I was going to share this recipe before the holiday (in case any of you wanted to make it) - but then I realized it would be strange to share a recipe that hadn't actually been eaten yet. Sure the pie smelled amazing, but I'm pretty sure most people get the real enjoyment out of their pies by eating them. So I decided to wait until after the Thanksgiving meal to make sure that the pie really did taste as good as it looked/smelled.

And boy did it! It was sweet, but not too sweet. The crust was flaky and buttery and not tough at all (which can sometimes happen if you overwork the dough). So, in the unlikely event that you are still hungry, or didn't have enough pie yesterday, or just feel like celebrating for one more day. Here is a recipe that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser or even just a "you-pleaser."

Happy Holiday Season!

Pecan Pie

Pie Crust (trusty recipe from smitten kitchen)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
1 cup, chilled water

1. Cube the butter and place the butter back in the fridge. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.

2. Add the butter cubes to the flour mixture and using a pastry cutter (or two knives) to blend the butter into the flour. The texture when finished will resemble small peas.

3. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the cold water and using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula bring the dough together. When Almost completely combined, use your hands to bring all the dough together. You may need to add a little more water to bring it all together. *don't over mix*

4. Split the dough in 1/2 and wrap each ball in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Or until ready to use.

5. When ready to use, place the dough in between 2 sheets of wax paper and roll out to a circle big enough to fill a pie plate. Transfer to the pie plate and punch holes in the crust using a knife. Place back in the fridge until ready to bake.

Filling
3/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup pecans

1. Mix the syrup, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add the milk, flour, and melted butter and mix in the pecans.

2. Pour the filling into the unbaked crust.

3. Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes, until set.

PIE SUNDAY

This past Sunday, my friend Shannon and I wandered over to Prospect Park in Brooklyn with the single goal of eating as many different types of pie as possible.

Shannon (as she often does) stumbled across a super cool event that charged a minimal amount and offered good food (can you say "the perfect friend"?!). We paid our $10 suggested donation and scoped out the two tables worth of home baked pies.

There was a preponderance of crusts flavored with thyme, not nearly enough stone fruit pies for my taste, and some delicious old favorites (whoopie pies!). While I didn't taste a perfect pie (mastering the delicate balance of crust/filling ratio), I did enjoy seeing the unique and often tasty pairings that the bakers presented.

The most interesting pie of the day was definitely the bing cherry and bacon marmalade pie with duck fat and thyme crust, though for my taste there should have been more filling and slightly less crust.

And the best pie overall was the s'more pie (which we ate before getting a picture, oops), which perfectly captured the campfire s'more and had a delightful graham cracker crust.

We had a blast and while I'm entertaining the idea of entering a pie or two of my own next year, we were definitely inspired to host a PIE SUNDAY among our friends. It seems like the perfect way to share recipes, tips about getting the perfect crust, and of course - eating pie!

Nantucket Blueberry Pie

I was going to post this recipe on Monday, but it is my favorite dessert to make for 4th of July so I figured sharing it before the holiday makes the most sense, in case anyone wants to give it a try.

This is really a go-to dessert for me. It travels well, which is nice because I'm usually schlepping my confections to somewhere other than our tiny 1 bdrm in Manhattan, it's easy-peasy, and it's fight-over-seconds good.

I adapted this from Laurie Colwin's book "More Home Cooking," which I highly recommend. I use blueberries instead of cranberries, I always brown the butter,* and I sprinkle a bit of turbinado sugar on top after baking for the tiniest little crunch.

This is one of those recipes that I have memorized and really, you should too. It's versatile (you can use any tart berry) and it doesn't take itself too seriously, which is why I love to bring it along to relaxed July 4th picnics. It never slices up perfectly, which is part of the charm. But the mounds of cakey-pie will be devoured. Promise.

*Browning the butter gives a real depth of flavor. It's not hard to do, just keep the butter over the heat until it changes from light-yellow to brown, but you do need to pay attention so the color doesn't get too dark. If you've never tried it before, give it a shot. Here's a simple how-to if you're nervous.


Nantucket Blueberry Pie Adapted from Laurie Colwin's "More Home Cooking"

1 pint of fresh blueberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 eggs
3/4 cup melted butter, browned
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 handful of turbinado sugar

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the blueberries, walnuts, and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar into the bottom of a 9 inch cake pan.

2. Mix the remaining 1 cup of sugar, eggs, melted butter, flour, and almond extract into a medium-sized bowl.

3. Pour the batter mixture over the blueberry mixture and spread evenly with a spatula.

4. Bake for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Let cool slightly before serving.