Open Faced Peach & Raspberry Pie

1 pie crust (bottom only, for a 9 inch pie dish)

3 1/2 lbs ripe peaches
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup raspberries
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons apricot preserves

Preheat oven to 375.

Cut the bottom of each peach. Cook the peaches in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and place in bowl of ice water. Let cool, then peel off skins.

Slice the peaches into 3/4 inch thick slice, and toss with the lemon juice to prevent discoloring.

Add 1/2 of the peaches to raspberries, vanilla, cornstarch and sugar; toss well. (If peaches are not very sweet, add additional 2 tablespoons sugar).

Lightly brush crust with the egg white.

Fill pie crust with raspberry-peach filling. Arrange peach slices in concentric rings so that the pie resembles a flower.

Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until the juices are bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Brush with apricot preserves. Cook another 15 minutes until bubbling.

Let the pie cool on a wire rack before serving.

Serve with creme fraiche, vanilla ice cream or whipping cream.


Happy Eating,

Caitlin

Early Summer Berry-Rhubarb Pie

Growing up with a rather over sized rhubarb tree (bush? plant?) and wild strawberries, blueberries and raspberries near our home in the country, my mother prepared some beautiful and delicious pies, crisps and assorted desserts for my family. I love the sweet and tart combination found in rhubarb-berry pies. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.


Pie crust (for top and bottom of 9 inch round pie)
1 1/2 pounds trimmed rhubarb
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup sliced strawberries

Cut rhubarb into 1/2 inch chunks.

In large sauce pan, stir rhubarb, 1 cup sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and stir over medium-low heat until sugar has melted. While this is cooking, stir lemon juice and corn starch together until dissolved. In a small bowl stir together cornstarch and lemon juice. Add cornstarch-lemon juice to rhubarb and cook until thickened, stirring often, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Add berries to rhubarb mixture and refrigerate 30 minutes, covered.

Preheat oven to 400.

Press dough into 9 inch pie dish. Spoon filling over crust. Drape remaining pastry round over filling and trim so that dough overlaps the edges slightly (about 1/2 inch, as crust will shrink when cooking). Pinch crust together with bottom and crimp to decorate if desired. Score pie on top with small knife.

Bake pie in middle of oven 40 minutes, with baking sheet on lower rack to catch any filling spills, until pie crust is just lightly golden brown.

Transfer pie to a cookie rack to cool. Let rest a minimum of 30 minutes to let filling set.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Happy Eating,

Caitlin

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
A medium sized pumpkin...a 2 pound pumpkin should make about 2 cups of roasted pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar (I like to use brown sugar for a richer flavor)
Cinnamon
Ginger
Molasses
Dash Salt
1 1/3 cups whole milk or evaporated skim milk
3 eggs
A pie shell (you can buy one or use a recipe on my site)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice pumpkin in half vertically (microwaving for a few minutes will make cutting easier...just make sure you stab it once or twice to avoid a pumpkin microwave bomb). Scoop out seeds and pulpy stuff, scraping with a spoon until you see solid pumpkin flesh. Lay pumpkin halves skin-side down on roasting pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and ginger. Sprinkle some water on top of pumpkin and in pan. Roast for about an hour to 1 1/2 hours, test with knife to see if done. If knife slides in easily, it can be taken out of the oven.

Turn oven down to 350 degrees.

After letting pumpkin cool, peel skin from pumpkin and cut pumpkin into chunks. Blend the pumpkin chunks, adding a little milk if necessary. Add 2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 1/2 teaspoon ginger. Add milk, 2 teaspoons molasses and eggs and beat lightly until ingredients are incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared pie crust. Cook for about an hour or until knife comes out clean. Let cool on cookie rack, then cover and refrigerate until serving

Rose Levy Beranbaum's Designer Apple Pie

I made this for my boyfriend to share with his business school group. When I asked him how they liked it, he told me that he ate the whole pie himself.

Open-Faced Designer Apple Pie Recipe (slightly adapted) from: The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Ingredients:
1 recipe Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust for 9-inch lattice pie
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 1/2 lbs. apples; (about 6), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/8-inch (should equal 8 cups)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Make the dough. Remove one piece of dough from refrigerator. If necessary, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes until it is soft enough to roll. On floured pastry cloth or between 2 sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap, roll pastry 1/8 inch thick or less and large enough to cut 12-inch circle. Use expandable flan ring or cardboard template as guide and sharp knife to cut out circle. Transfer it to the pie plate. Trim the edge if necessary so that it extends 1/4 inch past edge of pie plate. Cover the pastry lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for minimum of 1 hour and maximum of 24 hours. Roll out the second piece of dough 1/8 inch thick and cut about twenty-six 2 1/2-inch leaves, using cutter or small sharp knife. Use small sharp knife to make veins. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees for at least 20 minutes before baking. Line the pastry with parchment, pleating it as necessary so it fits into the pan, and fill it with dried beans or peas. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully lift out the beans with parchment. With fork, prick the bottom and sides and bake 5-10 minutes more or until crust is pale golden. Check after 3 minutes and prick any bubbles that may have formed. Cool the crust on a rack 3 minutes, so it is no longer piping hot, then brush the bottom and sides with lightly beaten egg white.

In large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon, and salt; toss to mix. Allow the apples to macerate for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours at room temperature.Transfer the apples and their juices to colander over a bowl to capture the liquid. The mixture will release at least 1/2 cup of liquid. Over medium heat, boil down liquid with butter until syrupy and lightly caramelized. Swirl liquid but do not stir it. I like to add 1 additional tablespoon brown sugar and butter to increase the amount of syrup. Meanwhile, transfer the apples to a bowl and toss them with the cornstarch until all traces of it have disappeared. Pour 1/2 of the hot syrup over the apples, tossing gently. (If liquid hardens on contact with apples, allow them to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes or until moisture from apples dissolves it.) Arrange the apples, overlapping the slices in concentric circles in the pie shell, starting from the outside edge. Keep adding more apples, using the tip of a knife to help insert them in between the other slices, until you have used all the slices. Pour any remaining apple juices evenly over the apples. Brush the baked pie crust rim with egg. Brush the bottom of each leaf with egg and place the leaves on the border, tilting them and overlapping them slightly. Brush the top of the leaves with egg. Cover the pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes before baking to chill the pastry . This will maintain flakiness.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F for at least 20 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack at lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating. Place large piece of greased foil on top to catch any juices. Set the pie directly on foil-topped baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Cut a round of foil to fit over the apples and the edge of the crust and crimp it in 3 or 4 places to create dome. Cover pie with the foil and cut 3 steam vents in the foil, about 3 inches long. Continue baking for 45 to 50 minutes or until the juices bubble and apples feel tender but not mushy when pierced with a cake tester or small sharp knife. Remove the foil and pour the remaining syrup over apples. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more or until the top of apples is golden brown. Remove pie to a rack.

Serve warm or at room temperature