Cherry & Blueberry Mini Pies

Pies just scream summer don't they?

When we had some friends over for dinner the other night I knew a pie was in order.. but not just any pie..

Mini pies!

I love individual desserts.

Not only does everyone get their own pie to munch on, you don't have to worry about a lot of left overs that you may or may not eat for breakfast or nibble on for the rest of the week despite the fact that you still need to be able to fit in your perfectly fitting wedding dress in 3 months... hypothetically speaking of course.

Even though Mountain Man attempts to sway me, cherry pie just happens to be my favorite.

But it just didn't feel right to do something so simple, so I threw in a few blueberries and finished 'em off with a little sugary and oh-so-delicious crumb topping.

Cherry & Blueberry Mini Pies

Makes 4 mini pies

Oven: 350 Bake time: 25 minutes

1 package pie crust (or use your favorite recipe)

1 can cherry pie filling

2 cups fresh blueberries

Crumb Topping

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 TBS butter, melted

1 TBS AP flour

dash of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Spray large muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Make crumb topping by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl until combined and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out pie crust.

Cut 4 circles using an extra large round cookie cutter (Mine was slightly larger than the muffin cup).

Place cut outs in prepared muffin pan and press into bottoms, lightly pinching the sides.

Add about 1/4 cup of blueberries to bottom of each crust.

Add enough cherry filling to almost reach the top of the muffin cup (about 1/3 cup each).

 

Add another 1/4 cup of blueberries on top of cherry filling.

Sprinkle crumb topping evenly on each of the mini pies.
Transfer to oven to about 25-30 minutes or until the sides of your crust are lightly browned.
Allow to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes before trying to remove.
Serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

I wish I had a picture once they were all dolled up, but they were too good and the guests were waiting!

Until next time..

Happy Baking!

Cranberries & Cream Crostata

I apologize for not posting more often this week, but I was busy! Between trying to get the house in order after our weekend away and another wedding cake to get done before leaving for Mountain Man's family home Thanksgiving morning, my posts fell to the wayside.

I do hope everyone stuffed themselves silly with turkey and all the fixins like we did on Thursday and enjoyed every second of it!

Not being able to help Mama Mountain Man with Turkey Day preparations this year, I wanted to at least bring dessert. Fortunately, this month's Daring Baker Challenge was perfect for a Thanksgiving feast and would offer a little something different than the traditional pumpkin and pecan pie.

The 2010 November Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Simona of bricole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers' to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experiences as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi's Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.


Although we had to use Simona's pasta frolla recipe for the crostata base, she gave us creative freedom when it came to the choice of filling. If you remember, I made a crostata a couple of months ago, but this version is quite different and maybe even a little more tasty.

Going with the Thanksgiving theme, let me introduce to you my Cranberries & Cream Crostata.

There are a few steps involved in the recipe- Making the dough, letting it chill an hour and then making the cream and cranberry fillings.


Pasta Frolla 
(Crostata dough)

Scant 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 3/4 cup AP flour
pinch of salt
1 stick butter, cold and cut into small pieces
grated zest of half a lemon
1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl

Place sugar, flour, salt and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse a few times to mix.

Add butter pieces and pulse a few times until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal.

Empty ingredients onto a work surface.

 Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and pour beaten egg into it (reserve a teaspoon of egg mixture for egg wash).

Using a fork, incorporate liquid into dry ingredients and then use your fingertips.

Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball. 

Shape dough into a flat disk, wrap in saran wrap and place dough in fridge to chill for an hour or so.

After dough has had some time to chill, start to prepare the cranberries.

Honey Soaked Cranberries
2 1/2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup water

Bring water and honey to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan. Add cranberries and return to boil for about 10-12 minutes. Remove berries from heat and allow mixture to cool and thicken (about 5-10 minutes).

While your berries are thickening, make your cream.

Crema Pasticcera
(lightly sweetened pastry cream)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups + 2 TBS whole milk
3 strips of lemon peel (use a potato peeler to cut strips)
3 TBS AP flour

Pour milk into a pan, add lemon peel and warm just before boiling point is reached. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with sugar until mixture is bubbly. Sif flour over egg mixture and beat briefly until incorporated. Temper egg mixture with a small quantity of milk, then slowly add rest of milk, mixing with a wooden spoon. Pour mixture back into pan and set it to very low heat, stirring every couple of minutes. When froth on surface has disappeared completely, the cream should start to feel slightly thicker. At this point, turn heat up slightly and make sure to stir constantly. When cream reaches boiling point and thickens, continue to cook briefly for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, remove lemon peel and place saucepan in a cold water bath, stirring cream to bring down the temperature. While cream is cooling, stir every now and again to precent formation of film.

Assembling and baking the Crostata con la Crema


*You will need a 8 or 9 inch fluted tart pan, cake pan or springform pan.
Heat oven to 350.
Take dough out of fridge and unwrap.
Lay dough on top of saran wrap and place another piece over top to make rolling the dough out a lot less messy (the dough disk should be sandwiched between 2 pieces of saran wrap).
Press dough with rolling pin- starting from the middle to each end, creating a circular shape.
Roll dough into a circle about 1/8th inch thick.

Remove top piece of saran wrap from dough.
Flip dough over pan (exposed side down), center it and delicately press it all around so corners are well covered. Peel away saran wrap.
Trim excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan (reserve for later). Press remaining dough around border into sides of pan so an even thickness is reached all the way around.

Prick bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.
With left over dough, roll with pin and cut out fun shapes with cookie cutter.

Cover bottom of crostata crust with an even layer of cream and then top with cooked cranberries.

Decorate with cut outs.
Brush edges of crostata and cut outs with reserved egg yolks (you may need to add 1 tsp of water to beaten eggs to make it brush-able)
Place tart in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.
When done, remove from oven and allow to cool on cooling rack for at least an hour. Make sure you crostata is completely cooled before serving.

What did you have for dessert this Thanksgiving??

Happy Baking!

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake with Biscoff Cookie Crust

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the lovely people at Lotus Bakeries (they’re the ones responsible for the delicious little cookie we have all grown to love whenever flying Delta Airlines)

I absolutely love Biscoff cookies- whenever I fly Delta I always ask the flight attendant for extra to take home with me.. so you can imagine my excitement when I received an email followed by this package...

 Lotus Bakeries was way too generous- not only did I get a whole box of Biscoff cookies to enjoy, but now I have some little individual packages to hand out to some lucky trick or treaters! Did I mention they're low in calories and sugar? Especially compared to candy! Your welcome, parents :)

My love for these caramelized treats didn't stop there though..how about this cheesecake?

While browsing the internet the other night I came across this Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake and mid cookie crunch, it hit me! How yum would Biscoff cookies be as a crust!? If you’re not lucky enough to get a free box of cookies like me, you can always go to your local Walgreens and pick some up or order a box online directly from Biscoff.

Now, if you’re a regular follower of this blog you’ll notice that I’ve never attempted a cheesecake before. To be honest, I can normally give or take this particular dessert, but this Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake may have changed my mind.

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake with Biscoff Cookie Crust

adapted from Right @ Home

Biscoff Cookie Crust

2 cups crushed Biscoff Cookies (about 1 ½ sleeves put through a food processer)

6 TBS butter, melted

¼ cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix crushed cookies, melted butter and sugar until blended.

Press cookie mixture into pan, pressing cookies up along sides about ½ to 1 inch.

Bake crust for 8 minutes and remove from oven.

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Filling

1 ¾ cup Pumpkin Pie Mix (not canned pumpkin)

3 packages cream cheese, at room temperature

¼ cup sugar *optional if you want a sweeter cake- I opted FOR the sugar

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

¼ tsp nutmeg

2 TBS cornstarch

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese on low to med-low until creamy.

Add pumpkin and sugar- beat on medium until combined.

Beat in eggs, one at a time incorporating after each addition.

Mix in vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and corn starch.

Pour pumpkin filling into prepared crust, smooth top.

Place cheesecake in oven and bake for 1 hour.

At about 50 minutes check to see if cheesecake is done*.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for at least an hour before refrigerating.

About 30 minutes into cooling, run knife around edge of cake to prevent cracking while cooling.

Allow cheesecake to cool for at least 3 hours in fridge (cover top with saran wrap), but for best results refrigerate over night before eating.

How to tell a Cheesecake is done:

1. The first indication of a "done" cheesecake are the sides- look for a lightly browned edge pulling away from pan.

2. Tap side of pan with knife or spoon or slightly shake cake. If cheesecake jiggles like jello (in one motion) then it is done. If you let it sit in the oven anymore it’ll become overdone.

3. Lightly press the top of the cake feeling for firmness.

For more tips on cheese-caking check out Baking911. They have everything from how to tell if a cheesecake is done and what to do if your cheesecake cracks to how to best cut a cheesecake... I found their tips extremely helpful, especially for a cheesecake newbie like myself!

 Happy Baking!

A little update on our move for those of you interested.. We got all moved in this weekend thanks to MM's family and while MM is busy hanging pictures and setting up closets, I'm staying busy in my new huge kitchen! Only down fall is we're still trying to get the internet working at our house..that means my posts might not be as frequent until we get it all figured out! I have a ton of recipes waiting for you though so don't worry :)

Caramel Apple Crostata

There are a handful of blogs that I check religiously.. its true, I'm Evan and I'm a blog junky.

I just love reading about everyone's adventures in the kitchen, their beautiful photos, inspiring foods..it's addicting; It's my little escape every afternoon while at work. While the rest of my office spends their extra time checking out facebook and ESPN, I'm on foodbuzz checking out blogs.

I'm often inspired by many of the bloggers I follow..I'll see a dish and think 'Oooh I could do that and change a little of this or a little of that' and voila! a recipe is created.

A couple of days ago I did just this.. I found myself drooling over Chef Dennis' Apple and Peach Crostatas at More than a Mount Full and couldn't stop thinking about them all afternoon. I had never made a crostada and he was just the inspiration I needed. I didn't want to completely copy him though, so I found my own recipe and changed the ingredients a bit.

In sticking with the Fall theme I made Caramel Apple Crostadas.

I'm a big fan of individual desserts and didn't want to worry about leftovers, so I opted to make two individual crostadas instead of a large one. This recipe is for a 9-10inch crostada, so I used half the dough to make two smaller versions and saved the other half of dough in the freezer for later.

Thank you, Chef Dennis, for your never ending inspiration in the kitchen :)

Caramel Apple Crostata

Bake time: 25 min Oven: 425

Makes 1 9-10in or 4 small crostadas

Crostata Crust
2 cups AP flour

2 TBS sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, cold and cubed
1 egg
4-6 TBS ice cold water
1/2 tsp cinnamon* optional

In a food processor, add flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt- pulse a couple of times to mix.

Add cold butter, pulsing until just combined.

Add egg and pulse to incorporate

Slowly add water, pulsing until crumbly/clumpy consistency is reached- add more water if dough doesn't start coming together.

Turn out dough on lightly floured surface and continue to knead with hands for a few minutes (the consistency will be much like pie dough).

Form dough into disc, cover with saran wrap and place in fridge for about 30 minutes.

In the mean time, start making apple filling.

Apple Filling
(Measurements for 2 individual crostatas in parentheses)

5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I used 1 1/2-2 apples)

2 tsp cinnamon (1 tsp)

1/2 cup sugar (1/4 cup sugar)

1/4 cup brown sugar (2 TBS brown sugar)

8-10 pieces of caramel, cut into smaller chunks (4-5 pieces)

Place prepared apple slices in a bowl.
Add cinnamon and sugar.
Mixing with hands, evenly coat apples with cinnamon and sugar.

Fold in pieces of caramel.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 425 and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove dough from fridge.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into 9-10 inch disc.

*If making individual crostatas, cut dough in half- wrap second half with saran wrap/foil and place in freezer. Cut dough again, making 2 smaller crostatas- forming two discs about 4-5 inches wide.

Place circles of dough on prepared baking pan.

Pile apple/caramel mixture in center of dough.

Fold dough over apple mixture about 1-2 inches. Pinch your folds to seal dough.

Brush exposed crust with half and half or milk.

*Remember that your crostata is not going to look perfect... it's supposed to be rustic!

Place crostatas in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until apples/caramel start oozing.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before devouring!

Serve with vanilla ice cream or frozen whipped cream.

Happy Baking!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread Pudding Cups

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, the wonderful folks at Nature's Pride bread offered a coupon good for one free package of their delicious bread and challenged Tastemakers to come up with a unique recipe using their product.

Although this bread can easily be enjoyed via a healthy turkey sandwich, a hearty grilled cheese, or a delicious slice of cinnamon toast,  I opted to use my loaf for a twist on an American classic- the PB&J.

Gourmet sandwiches may come and go, but a good ole fashioned Peanut Butter and Jelly will get me every time... especially on 100% Whole Wheat Bread.

Another thing I love? bread pudding.

So when I got the fancy idea to combine the two, I just knew it would be good.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread Pudding Cups

Oven: 350 Bake time: 20-25 minutes

Makes 10-12 individual cups

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup half and half 

2 eggs

1/2 cup peanut butter, warmed

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup grape or strawberry jelly

6-8 slices of Nature's Pride bread, cubed (I got about 2 muffins for every slice of bread)

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.

Cut bread into small pieces or cubes, fill each muffin cup.

In a small bowl, microwave jelly for about 20 seconds or until it becomes liquid.

Pour 1 or 2 spoonfuls of liquified jelly over each muffin cup of bread and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk whole milk, half and half, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla.

In a small bowl microwave peanut butter for about 20 seconds.

Slowly add warmed peanut butter to milk mixture and whisk until well blended.

Pour about 1/4 cup of peanut butter mixture over each cup of bread. 

Gently press bread cubes down into muffin pan, making sure they soak up all the peanut butter mixture. 

Fill a large baking dish with about an inch of water to create a water bath.

Place muffin pan inside baking dish and transfer to oven.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until no liquid appears when the top of the bread pudding is gently pressed.

Remove muffin pan from water bath and allow to set/cool for about 15-20 minutes.

Remove bread puddings from pan and serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.  

Happy Baking!

 Sorry for another peanut butter recipe, but I couldn't resist!