pie

Sister Pie

It was cold and dreary the day we decided to make the trek to West Village Detroit and put Sister Pie to the test. (Because what else is better on a cold dreary day than freshly baked pastry?) When we saw the “pie” sign pointing toward the iconic pink neon “Sister Pie” illuminated over the door, it was a little like coming home- with the porch light on waiting for your arrival.

Sadie had been wanting to go for months; ever since she saw the local dancer-turned pie maker’s cookbook in her hometown kitchenware store. Within days of the seeing the book on the shelf, she had convinced herself she should order a copy from Amazon. (It wasn’t hard to do… Michigan born cookbook author + local pie shop + baked goods recipes = no brainer.) The unusual flavor combinations, such as Concord Grape and Goat Cheese Pie; Rhubarb Blondies; Fennel Seed Snickerdoodles; etc; were intriguing.

I love that it smelled like the spices of India when we walked through the front door. Popular tunes were flowing from the radio, and the bakers were all doing their best Mariah Carey. (Note to reader: be sure to get there early before many items are sold out!) And to make you feel even more at home, if you are staying for coffee, you get to pick your own mug from an eclectic collection stored in a “help yourself” cabinet along the wall.

The flavor combinations are interesting for sure, but most alluring is author and owner, Lisa Ludwinski’s mission: “to serve food, our neighborhood, and each other.” Her business approach follows an ethical strategy that is hard to place a value on, and continues to be evaluated and evolved. It is a commitment in supporting employees (i.e. teaching valuable skills, paying them higher than average wages); supporting our environment (sourcing in-season produce from local farms, recycling, etc.); and the economy (they are transparent with their employees about financial reports and sales goals). Bonus: they donate their coffee grounds and egg shells to the local community garden! I’ll eat to that.

Furthermore, they have a great “Pie it Forward” program, where anyone can purchase a slice of pie that someone else can collect at any time for any reason. It keeps a sense of community in focus.

Sister Pie is truly unique, in recipe and vibe, but still has the ageless charm of an established neighborhood bakery. And don’t think just because “pie” is in the name that your options are limited. Rachel’s favorite item was the Salted Rosemary Shortbread. Sadie’s son begged for a second Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookie! (Which he received because “buckwheat” sounds healthy.)

Like many Detroit businesses, Sister Pie offers other Michigan made products. One of our favorite take-aways from our visit was this Detroit made Hibiscus Rosemary Mint Tea from Ellis Island Teas that we didn’t even know existed! Um, delicious!

Of course, being who we are it didn’t seem right to end our journey without cooking something from the Sister Pie Cookbook. We chose “Sweet Potato Coconut Pie” from the Fall and Winter section. (Granted our sweet potatoes were of the white variety, so colors do vary… but so yummy!)


Thank you Sister Pie for bringing the light and warmth on a dismal day!

For more information check out their website at www.sisterpie.com or better yet, visit them in person!

Image courtesy of sisterpie.com

Apple & Brie Pie

For more than one holiday, my sister and I have wrapped a small round of brie (to bake) in puffed pastry. Before it’s wrapped, we top the brie with walnuts, dried cranberries, and honey. It’s served with (buttery) crackers, and it’s amazing. One could lighten it up by serving it with some apple slices or celery… You do you. Naturally, due to my butter inclination, it lead to that would make a good pie.

2 – Pie Crusts, homemade or store bought

5 medium Apples (up to 7 small), peeled and sliced about ½ inch thick

Juice of 1 Lemon

1 Tbsp Flour

2 Tbsp granulated Sugar, plus more for sprinkling

3 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Nutmeg, freshly grated

1 Tbsp Honey

1 sprig fresh thyme, finely chopped (or small leaves striped from stem)

1/2 cup dried Cranberries

5 oz. Brie cheese, diced into ½ inch cubes

2 oz. White Cheddar, shredded

1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped

1 Egg white + 1 splash water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 375º.

Blind bake 1 pie crust in a baking dish 10-12 minutes. (Blind bake means to pre-cook the crust, without filling using pie weights, rice or dry beans in parchment paper set on top of the crust.) Set aside.

Meanwhile, place apple slices, lemon juice, flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, and cranberries in a bowl.

Gently toss until all is mixed well. In the pre-baked crust, evenly distribute apple mixture and brie pieces. Cover the apple and brie filling with an even layer of shredded cheddar cheese. Next place an even layer of chopped walnuts over the cheese.

Carefully lay the second pie dough (in a pattern or not) over the top of the layered pie filling.

Side note: My inspiration for the diamond pattern came from the latest issue of Martha Stewart’s Living Magazine:

(If you do not have a pattern, cut a few slices in the top of the dough to release steam.) With a pastry brush (or spoon), lightly cover the pie dough with the egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until cheese is oozy, crust is browned, apples are softened but still a little firm, walnuts are toasted, and flavors are melded.

Let stand 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

…Or at room temp.

…Or for breakfast the next day.

…(Because I can easily eat cheese, crackers and fruit for breakfast. Same thing?)

Pear & Blue Cheese Tart

Pear and Stilton are such a classic combination. As much as I like trying new food fusions, I always love the blends that are paired for a reason. So when I came across the gorgeous picture of the “Perfect Pear Tart“ in Nancy Fuller’s cookbook, Farmhouse Rules, I didn’t hesitate to put it on my to-do list. (Actually, there’s hardly a recipe in her book that I don’t want to try.) If you’re not a Stilton lover, it is possible that this recipe is not for you… However, if you are daring enough to try, it just might turn you into one!

Slightly adapted from Farmhouse Rule’s Perfect Pear Tart:

As organic as possible:

2 large ripe Bosc Pears, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick

Juice of 1 Lemon

3 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Butter, cut into pieces

2 tsp (non-GMO) Cornstarch

1 tsp chopped fresh Thyme

1 tsp chopped fresh Sage

Salt

Pepper

1 refrigerated Pie Dough crust

2 ounces Stilton (or other Blue Cheese), crumbled

1 Large beaten Egg

 

Preheat the oven to 425°.

In a large bowl, toss sliced pears, lemon juice, brown sugar, butter, cornstarch, thyme, and sage. Season wit salt and pepper.

On a piece of parchment paper, roll the pie dough into about a 14 inch circle. Slide the parchment paper (with dough) onto a baking sheet. Spoon half of the pear mixture onto the center of the dough (leaving about a 2 inch rim) and top with half of the Stilton. Repeat.

Fold the crust up over the filling, over lapping and leaving an open circle in the center. Bake for 12 minutes, then brush dough with beaten egg and return to the oven for 15-18 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

 

Banoffee Pie

I love trying new things. Especially when they turn out to be awesome! Banoffee Pie, short for Banana-Toffee Pie, is a recipe that caught my attention a while back for my must try list. I mean come on, what’s not to like, right? Then along came Lina of Lin’s Recipes. She hosts recipe challenges for bloggers who’d like to participate in creating a themed list of dishes. This time around it was for “Cakes we have to try this Feb,” a collection of unusually named cakes/desserts that she gathered. Well, that struck a chord with me too. (The combined excitement was almost too much to contain.) This pie is sweet and creamy, luscious with an almost candy like crust. And if I may suggest: you should put this on your list.

As found in PIES delicious recipes for perfect pies:

Serves 4

Filling

generous 3 1/2 cups canned sweetened condensed milk (I used 2 – 14 oz cans)

4 ripe bananas

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups heavy cream, whipped

2 3/4 oz/75 g semisweet chocolate, grated

 

Cookie Crust

3 oz/85 g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

5 1/2 oz/150 g graham crackers, crushed into crumbs

scant 1/3 cup shelled almonds, toasted and ground

scant 1/3 cup shelled hazelnuts, toasted and ground

Place the unopened cans of milk in a large pan and add enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 2 hours, topping up the water level to keep the cans covered. Carefully lift out the hot cans from the pan and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease a 9 inch/23-cm tart pan with butter. Place the remaining butter in a bowl and add the crushed graham crackers and ground nuts. Mix together well, then press the mixture evenly into the base and side of the tart pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool.

Peel and slice the bananas and place in a bowl. Squeeze over the juice from the lemon, add the vanilla extract, and mix together. Spread the banana mixture over the cookie crust in the pan, then spoon the contents of the cooled cans of condensed milk over the bananas. Sprinkle over 1 3/4 oz/50 g of the chocolate then top with a layer of whipped cream. Sprinkle over the remaining grated chocolate and serve the pie at room temperature.

 

Sweet Potato Pie

I love this simplicity of this dessert. Ok, I love the simplicity and the taste. It’s like an anytime pie, but it’s seasonal so it’s unique. And not to toot my own horn, but I really think I’ve cracked the code on graham cracker crusts. The word candy comes to mind. (I really shouldn’t write blog posts when I’ve had so little sleep… However, my soon to be one year old has yet to sleep through the night. So I’m surprised I have any posts at all.) The original recipe has been adapted from one by Tyler Florence; which is to say, that in spite of exhaustion, the recipe is solid. 😉

As organic as possible:

Filling:

2 Sweet potatoes (orange)

1/2 cup Brown sugar

2 Eggs, lightly beaten.

3 tsp Flour

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Salt

Crust:

9 whole sheets Graham crackers

1/2 cup Cinnamon Crunch cereal (I like Cascadian Farms)

1 stick Butter

1/4 cup Brown sugar

1/4 tsp Salt

 

Preheat oven to 375°. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes, pierce all over with a fork and double wrap (2 times) with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour.

For the crust: Crush graham crackers and cereal in a sealed plastic bag with a rolling pin. (At least thats how I do it, you can turn them into crumbs any way you”d like. I like them to have some texture for this recipe.) By the way, I just have to tell you that the little bit of crunchy cinnamon-sugary cereal does a really great thing for the world of graham crackers. You are going to be happy. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Add crumbs, salt and sugar. Stir until all is coated. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of crumb mixture (optional for topping). Press evenly and up the sides of a 9″ pie plate.

When potatoes come out of the oven, turn heat down to 350° and bake the pie crust for about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside. Turn oven back up to 375°.

For the filling: Carefully (using a towel or something to hold the potatoes, because they will be very hot!) slice the skin of the sweet potato and scoop out the insides into a bowl. (Discard the skins.) If the insides are tender enough, mash with a fork. If necessary use a masher, until they are soft and pliable. Stir in 1/2 cup of brown sugar, eggs, flour, cinnamon and salt. (Tyler Florence adds a pinch of nutmeg too, but I don’t prefer it here because it ends up tasting more like a pumpkin pie to me. However, I will leave that up to your discretion.) Bake at 375° for 20 minutes, top with remaining crust mixture and bake 15 to 20 minutes more (until crust is browned).

Then enjoy your life because sweet potato pie is delicious.

 

 

Mom’s Apple Pie

When I was in Dublin, Ireland there was one place I wanted to go. Ok like two. I wanted to see the world renown Guinness Brewery and Queen of Tarts. When we made it to the latter the line was outside the door. The place was full of satisfied customers and I wanted to be one of them! They sold several different pastries, but like Owen says “You don’t go to a pie shop and order a cake.” So we ordered a berry tart. It was perfect. It had a good flaky crust, an awesome crumble topping and a flawless sweet fruity center. It was love at first bite and immediately I said “this is just like mom’s apple pie.” (Except the obvious fruit difference).

As organic as possible:

5 large or 7 medium Granny Smith apples

1 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Brown sugar

2 tsp Cinnamon

3 Tbsp Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

1 pie crust (I like Martha Stewart paté brisée)

Crumble Topping:

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Flour

1 stick cold salted Butter, cut into cubes

Preheat the oven to 375°. Put the unbaked pie crust in a pie dish and pinch the edges. Set aside. Peel and cut apples into fork full size pieces. Toss apples in sugar and cinnamon and let sit. In the mean time make crumble topping.

To make crumble topping; whisk together sugar and flour, add butter cubes. You must use two butter knives and cross-cut butter into flour/sugar mixture until butter is in pea size pieces. (Do not over cut, because pockets of butter are essential.) Set aside.

Side note: I did not follow the rules this time, and used a pastry cutter, and my pieces were not light and fluffy and my top crumble (pictured) was more of a solid piece and not my mother’s usual look or texture. So don’t be a renegade like me; follow the instructions for a perfect pie.

Back to the pie: Add flour and salt to apple mixture, gently toss. Pour filling into prepared pie dish. Now lovingly spoon crumble topping over apples, making sure all are covered and butter pieces are evenly distributed. Once you run out of visible butter pieces you can leave behind the extra flour (maybe a 1/2 to whole tablespoon full). Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until golden brown.

Maple Pecan Pie

I love pecan pie. It’s sweet and sticky, nutty and buttery. My grandma used to make one, in which she would over-bake until it was hard but still chewy and tasted like candy. It’s the only dessert I remember her making. I wish I knew how to replicate that pie! However, years of practice has left me with this family favorite. And I have tasted and made A LOT of pecan pies. In fact, one time I even made about 5 or 6 and had a taste off for family and friends! This was the clear winner. I love that it incorporates the maple syrup in the flavor! It’s honestly one of the most simple pies to make. From my table to yours, I hope you enjoy!

As organic as possible:

2 Eggs

1/2 cup Sugar

1/4 cup Brown sugar

3/4 cup Maple syrup

1/4 cup light Corn syrup

3 Tbsp Butter, melted

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups Pecan halves

1 unbaked pie crust (I use Martha Stewart’s Paté Brisée)

Preheat the oven to 375º.

If making your own pie crust, place the dough into pie plate. I reserve a little left over dough to press out Maple leaves, for the “Maple” Pecan pie.

In a large mixing bowl whisk eggs and sugars until creamy. Add syrups, butter, vanilla, salt and mix. Add pecans and stir until incorporated. Pour into pie shell and bake 30 minutes. I use the remnant from the melted butter dish (from the pie filling) to lightly coat the top of the maple leaves. Quickly, place the dough maple leaves in any artistic formation you would like on top of the pie and continue to bake 15-20 minutes, until the center of the pie is set when slightly shaken (not completely unmoving, but not liquid-y). Pie will continue to set while it cools. Allow to cool and set before serving. (It’s a great recipe to make a day ahead!)

Tip: It making the pie ahead of time, do not cover with plastic wrap, it can make it “soggy.” Instead use wax paper or aluminum foil.