Black and Blue Pie

This whole post is about to get super Portland on you. Like Portlandia-esque Portland. This is a pie I made for my tattoo artist as a tip for my last tattoo. I made it with local berries. And local flour (hey Bob's Red Mill). And local butter (Tillamook). Also I'm wearing black and red flannel right now.

This pie is also super good. It looked great the first time, so I made it again. You should use whatever end of season berries you have and make this. Decorate it any way you want. Maybe put a bird on it? I dunno.

Black and Blue Pie:

Makes one 9” pie

½ recipe best pie dough in the universe

Filling-

3 c. blackberries

3 c. blueberries

2/3 c. – ¾ c. sugar (depending on how sweet your berries are)

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Dash nutmeg

Dash cinnamon

Topping-

2/3 c. all-purpose flour

3 Tb. brown sugar, packed

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

Dash allspice

Dash nutmeg

6 Tb. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Make the pie dough! Roll it out how you do and put it in a 9-inch pie dish. Refrigerate while prepping everything else. If you have extra dough like I did after trimming, use a cookie cutter to make fun shapes with the remainder. Refrigerate alongside pie crust.

Whisk sugar, lemon zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon together. Add berries and toss to coat. Add lemon juice and toss to coat again. Let sit at least 10 minutes.

While your berries are sitting, preheat oven to 375 and make the topping. Whisk together all dry topping ingredients. Add in melted and cooled butter and mix with fingers until blended evenly.

To assemble your pie, remove formed dough from fridge, scoop in berry mixture, and sprinkle topping as evenly as possible.

Bake pie for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and your topping has become golden. If it is browning too quickly, cover top with foil. Place a baking sheet on the rack below your pie to catch any bubbly juices.

Let cool on wire rack until you can handle it enough to deliver to your tattoo artist. Or your friends out back. Or your mouth.

I really enjoyed this pie – but it was more like a cobbler because as you might see from the recipe above, I did not add corn starch to the berry mixture. Do that. Add about 2½ tablespoons corn starch to the berry mixture to help gel some of those juicy, juicy berries.

Overall, though, this was a great pie – easy to make, fun to decorate, and a great gift.

You've got a little summer left. Give this pie a try.

And now I'm done with summer pie recipes. On to the fall pies!   

Peach Pie

Summer isn't quite over yet. Sure, the leaves are falling off of the trees, kids are back in school, and the unofficial end of summer has passed, but it's going to be 90 on Saturday here in Portland, so no, summer isn't over yet.

And summer means pie. Today and tomorrow will be my last two summer pie recipes. For this summer. Probably.

Let's start with peach pie. Take my very favorite pie dough recipe, fill it with summer stone fruit (you can count on Smitten Kitchen for bad ass pie fillings. And pies, if you want to just do everything Deb did), and bake. Plus I made a lattice top for the first time ever.

Peach Pie modified from Smitten Kitchen:

Makes 1 9” pie

1 full recipe best pie dough ever (no arguments) 

Filling-
About 3½ lb. peaches (approximately 6 large, 7 medium or 8 small)
1 Tb. fresh lemon juice, from about half a regular lemon
¼ c. granulated sugar (use 1/3 c. for a sweeter pie)
¼ c. light brown sugar (ditto)
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Few gratings of fresh nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 Tb. minute tapioca, ground to a powder, or 3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch

Finish-
1 Tb. milk, cream, or water
1 Tb. coarse or granulated sugar

Make the pie dough. Then prep filling. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Prepare an ice bath. Make a small x at the bottom of each peach. Once water is boiling, lower peaches, as many as you can fit at once, into saucepan and poach for two minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to ice bath for one minute to cool. Transfer peaches to cutting board and peel the skins. In most cases, the boiling-then-cold water will loosen the skins and they’ll slip right off. In the case of some stubborn peaches, they will stay intact and you can peel them with a paring knife or vegetable peeler and curse the person who made you waste your time with poaching fruit. These were my favorite recipe directions ever.

Halve and pit the peaches, then cut into about 1/3-inch thick slices. You’ll want 6 cups; it’s okay if you go a little over. Add to a large bowl and toss with lemon juice. In a small dish, stir together sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cornstarch until evenly mixed. Add to peaches and toss to evenly coat.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Yell peach pie assemble! Then put it together yourself because this is a pie, not a giant cartoon robot fighting force. Flour counter, unwrap your first dough (if the two pieces look uneven, go for the smaller one) and put it in the middle and flour that too. Be generous. Start rolling your dough by pressing down lightly with the pin and moving it from the center out. You’re not going to get it all flat in one roll or even twenty; be patient and it will crack less. Roll it a few times in one direction, lift it up and rotate it a quarter-turn. And that’s what you’re going to continue to do, roll a couple times, lift the dough and rotate it. Re-flour the counter and the top of the dough as needed–don’t skimp! You should be leaving no bits of dough on the counter and none should be stuck to your pin. If at any point, the dough starts to get sticky or soft, it’s warming up and will only become more difficult to work with. Transfer it back to the fridge for a few minutes (or even the freezer, but for just a minute) to let it cool, then resume your rolling process. I have an amazing marble slab that I got for my birthday. If you do also, put this in the fridge while before working on your pie dough – it's amazing.

Once your dough is a 12- to 13-inch circle, transfer pie dough to a standard pie dish by folding it gently into quarters (making no creases), arranging the folded corner into one quadrant of the bottom of your tin and gently unfolding it to fit over the base. Trim the overhang to one inch.

Scoop filling into bottom pie dough, including any accumulated juices (they contain the thickener too, also: tastiness). Roll out your top pie dough using the same procedure, until it is 12 to 13 inches in diameter. If you’d like to make a regular lidded pie, use it as is, cutting some decorative vents in the pie lid before baking. To make a lattice-top pie, cut the pie dough into strips anywhere from 1/2 to 1-inch wide with a pastry wheel, pizza wheel or knife. Arrange every other strip across your pie filling in one direction, spacing the strips evenly. Fold back every other strip gently on itself and add the longest remaining strip in the other direction. Fold the strips back down, repeat with the other strips until a full lattice-top is formed. Trim the lattice’s overhang to the diameter of the pie dish’s rim (i.e. no overhang; only the bottom crust will have that and this is a case of do as I say, not as I do, because I totally forgot this detail when I was making the above pie). Gently fold the rim of the bottom crust over the lattice strips and crimp decoratively. Follow these directions carefully – I managed to make a pretty lattice top pie on my first go, so these have to be good directions.

Finish pie by brushing with milk, cream, or water and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake pie for about 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crust is set and beginning to brown. Reduce oven temperature to 375 and bake pie for another 30 to 40 minutes, until filling is bubbling all over and the crust is a nice golden brown. If the pie lid browns too quickly at any point in the baking process, you can cover it with foil for the remaining baking time to prevent further browning.

Cool pie for three hours at room temperature before serving. I know you won’t listen to Deb — there’s hot delicious pie to be eaten, after all — but if you’re concerned about the runniness of the pie filling, keep in mind that the pie filling does not fully thicken until it is fully cool. Deb is right. You should wait. Pie can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge; from the fridge, it will be even thicker.

From the fridge, you might find yourself standing in front of it, door open, eating pie directly from the pie plate. Maybe. I'm not saying that's what happened over here. Don't worry about it. Do worry that you're not eating this yet. Go finish off the season with this pie.

Or the one I post tomorrow. Or both. Up to you. Pie is great, so I won't judge.

Tomato Scallion Shortcakes with Whipped Goat Cheese

I don't really need to get into how many times I've referenced Smitten Kitchen on this blog (I'm too lazy to link them all. That's why.). It's a lot. This is the perfect summer recipe because a) your oven isn't on for very long and b) it involves summer's best fruit masquerading as a vegetable – the perfect summer tomato.

Just go make these.

Tomato Scallion Shortcakes with Whipped Goat Cheese from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook:

Makes 6-8 short

For the scallion biscuits -

2 c. plus 2 Tb. all-purpose flour

2 Tb. baking powder

¾ tsp. salt

5 Tb. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

1 scallion, thinly sliced

1 c. buttermilk

For the tomato salad -

1 tablespoon olive oil

1½ Tb. red wine vinegar

⅛ tsp. salt

Pinch of sugar

Freshly ground black pepper

½ lb. (approximately 1⅓ c.) cherry or grape tomatoes

For the topping -

3 Tb. heavy or whipping cream

4 oz. goat cheese, softened

2 scallions, thinly sliced

To make the biscuits, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the scallion, then add the buttermilk and stir until the dough just comes together.

On a floured surface, pat or roll dough to ¾-to-1-inch thickness and cut into 3-inch rounds, reforming scraps as needed. You will get about six to eight biscuits. Arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet. Bake about 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Meanwhile, make the tomato salad. In a bowl, whisk together everything except the tomatoes. Halve or quarter the tomatoes, then add them to the bowl with the dressing and toss to combine.

And now the best part – making the whipped goat cheese.

In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the cream until peaks form. Add the goat cheese and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Split each warm biscuit in half. Generously spoon each half with the tomato salad and dressing. Dollop with whipped goat cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Serve immediately. Or keep them disassembled, transport them to a big mom and baby picnic, and then assemble them and eat far too many. But hey, it's summer and tomatoes will only be this delicious for a short while.

Peach Pie Ice Cream

You know what to do when life gives you lemons. Lots of things, obviously. Lemons are a very versatile and necessary piece of produce. To modify that common phrase, you take something not so great (still don't get it because lemons are awesome) and make it great. Well, what do you with pie dough that has failed?

I know I've said, out loud and online, that Thomas Keller's pie dough never fails. I still stand by that . This was user error. It came together beautiful. I just rolled it out too thin and when blind baking it, it slumped and started to crack on the bottom. Tragedy! Or vehicle for a great summer recipe.

I love Saveur (thanks Mom!) and with my fail crust and this recipe in mind, a lovely dessert was made. Plus it has lemon. Plus you don't have to peel anything. Plus...just go make it!

Peach Pie Ice Cream modified from Peach Ice Cream via Saveur

Makes 1 quart

½ (still) best pie dough recipe ever, fully baked

1½ c. whole milk

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1¼ c. sugar

1¼ c. heavy cream

1 pint ripe peaches, chopped, with peel on

Juice of ½ lemon

Dash each of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

Fully bake pie dough. You don't need to get it set in a pie pan – roll it out and bake it on a cookie sheet. Set aside and allow to cool fully.

Place milk in the top of a double boiler and bring just to a simmer over gently boiling water over medium heat.

Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, and ¾ cup of the sugar in a mixing bowl. Lightly whisk in ¼ cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture, then whisk egg mixture into remaining milk in top of double boiler. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture is thick enough to coat back of a spoon, about 15 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl; stir in 1 ¼ cups heavy cream and spices; refrigerate until cold.

Combine peach, remaining sugar, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl; the peel will add a rosy color. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Don't worry if it doesn't get all that rosy. Mine didn't.

Break up pie crust into small pieces. They don't have to be even.

Drain juice (return peaches to refrigerator) and stir into cream base. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions. Just before mixture is set, add peaches. Turn off machine and mix in pie crust pieces with a wooden spoon.

Freeze for at least 2 hours for hard pack ice cream.

Have a barbecue. Eat a lot of ice cream – or as one taster called it “piescream”. It's good. Make it and share.  

Red Raspberry Pie

There are so many wonderful things to do with raspberries (cake. ice cream. sauce.), but summer really is about pies. My mom group had a French picnic for Bastille Day and that meant lots of food. We could have said “let them eat cake” (historically inaccurate, BTW), but instead I said “let's eat pie.”

Red Raspberry Pie via Alice Bay Cookbook:

Makes 1 9” pie

1 9” baked pie shell (use one half of the best pie dough recipe ever and fully blind bake it.)

1 quart fresh raspberries

¾ c. sugar

2½ Tb. corn starch

¼ tsp. salt

½ c. water

½ c. fresh orange juice

Remove 1 cup of raspberries and puree in blender or press through sieve. (Or use a food processor). Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, water, and orange juice. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add pureed raspberries.

Place whole raspberries in pie shell. Pour syrup over the berries. Chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Super easy. Super summery. This one you should do before summer is over.

Peach and Sour Cream Buckle

I'm a sucker for fruit desserts and I'm a sucker for desserts with silly names. Fool? Slump? Grunt? Buckle? Yeah, I'm all about that. Put it together and I'll make it. Tell me there's a Cascadia party and you should bring a local goodie? I guess this buckle will have to do.

It involves peaches I picked at Sauvie Island Farms. Raspberry picking was the primary goal (and I got a LOT of raspberries. Three different recipes worth plus all of the berries that ended up in my and my baby's belly), but peaches could not be ignored. What says summer like a peach? Plus I'd never picked a peach before. Other local things were the flour (Bob's Red Mill - Milwaukie, Oregon), the dairy (Tillamook - Tillamook, Oregon and Sunshine Dairy - Portland), and the eggs (New Seasons PacNW eggs). Oh, and it's delicious. And so so easy.

I followed the recommendation of using half regular granulated sugar and half brown sugar. I recommend you do too.

Peach and Sour Cream Buckle via Herbivoracious

Yield: 16 squares

For the streusel-

½ c. sugar
6 Tb. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. kosher salt or sea salt
4 Tb. (½ stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces

For the cake -
1 ¾ c. whole wheat pastry flour (regular whole wheat worked for me)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
4 Tb. soft unsalted butter
½ c. granulated sugar

½ c. brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
½ c. sour cream
¼ c. whole milk
3 c. peeled and sliced peaches (about 12 slices per peach)

For the streusel, mix all ingredients except the butter in a small bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it looks like coarse cornmeal, just like when making a pie crust. It is fine if there are a few larger bits of butter. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9×9 baking pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a mixer, beat the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in the sour cream and milk. Gradually add the flour mixture and combine gently until just mixed, like you would for pancake batter.
Gently fold in the peaches. Your hands are probably the best tool for this. It will seem like way too many peaches. Pour the batter in the pan, and sprinkle on the streusel top evenly. Bake until browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Let cool for 20 minutes. Serve to fanfare and eat plenty.

Whole Lemon Bars

I am still taking pictures of food, editing them, and working on blog posts. Unfortunately, then this all languishes in a folder on my computer and takes a very long time to make it to the Internet. My goal for the next month or so is to clear out this backlog (finally) and try to post a little more regularly. Because I like it and I like to share.

Blame mom brain. It's a real thing.

This is another fantastic recipe from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook (have you checked it out yet? I've given you a lot of time). Less fussy than most lemon bar recipes, it is not in any way less delicious. Go impress your friends and make this now.

Whole Lemon Bars via The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook:

Makes 16 way too delicious squares

1 c. all purpose flour

1/3 c. sugar

¼ tsp. salt

8 Tb. unsalted butter, cut into chunks, plus extra for greasing pan

1 small-to-medium-sized lemon (about 4½ oz.)

1 1/3 c. sugar

8 Tb. unsalted butter, cut into chunks

4 large eggs

2 Tb. cornstarch

¼ tsp. salt

Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Cut two 12-inch lengths of parchment paper, and trim each to fit the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan. Pres the first sheet into the bottom and up the sides of your pan in one direction, then use the second sheet to line the rest of the pan, running it perpendicular to the first sheet. Lightly butter exposed parts of parchment or coat them with a nonstick cooking spray. Set the pan aside.

To make the crust, blend the flour, sugar, and salt together in the work bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is powdery, but if firmly pinched, will hold the pinched shape. Turn the dough crumbs into the prepared baking pan and press the dough evenly across the bottom and about ½ inch up the sides. Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Should any parts bubble up, gently prick them again with a fork. Leave the oven on.

To make the filling, cut the lemon in half. If the widest part of the white is ¼ inch thick or less, continue to the next step. If any part of it is thicker than ¼ inch, however, remove the skin and pith from half the lemon by placing the lemon cut-side-down on the cutting board, cut downward and discard it. The second half, even if just as thick, can be used as is.

Cut your lemon halves into thin rings and discard any seeds. Toss the lemon rounds, flesh and peel, in the bowl of the food processor, add the sugar, and run the machine until the lemon in thoroughly pureed, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and again run the machine until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the work bowl as needed. Add the eggs, cornstarch, and salt and pulse the machine in short bursts until the mixture is evenly combined.

Pour the lemon mixture over the crust and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is set. You can test this by bumping the pan a little; it should only jiggle slightly. Look for the lemon bars to turn light brown.

Let the pan cool completely on rack or in the fridge. Gently cut around the outside of the parchment paper to make sure no sides have stuck, then gently use the parchment sling to transfer the bars from pan to cutting board. Cut into 16 squares.

Gooey. Lemony. So so good.

Shaved Asparagus Pizza

So, the Smitten Kitchen cookbook is amazing. Yes, this recipe is also on her blog, but just know that you need to check out the cookbook. I have a couple more that are cookbook exclusives and then you'll know.

Shaved Asparagus Pizza via The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook (and blog):

Makes 1 thin crust 12” pizza

Pizza dough:

1½ c. flour (can replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)
1 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. active dry yeast
½ c. lukewarm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more)
1 Tb. olive oil

Toppings:
½ lb. Asparagus
¼ c. grated Parmesan
½ lb. mozzarella, shredded or cut into small cubes
2 tsp. olive oil
½ tsp. coarse salt
Several grinds black pepper
1 scallion, thinly sliced

Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil, stirring mixture into as close to a ball as you can. Dump all clumps and floury bits onto a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a homogeneous ball.

Knead it for just a minute or two. Lightly oil the bowl where you had mixed it — one-bowl recipe! — dump the dough in, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in plastic wrap and leave it undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.

Dump it back on the floured counter and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hands. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under that plastic wrap for 20 more minutes.
Preheat your oven to the hottest temperature it goes, or about 500 in most cases. If you use a pizza stone, have it in there.

Prepare the asparagus. No need to snap off ends; they can be your “handles” as you peel the asparagus. Holding a single asparagus spear by its tough end, lay it flat on a cutting board and using a vegetable peeler create long shavings of asparagus by drawing the peeler from the base to the top of the stalk. Repeat with remaining stalks and don’t fret some pieces are unevenly thick (such as the end of the stalk, which might be too thin to peel); the mixed textures give a great character to the pizza. Discard tough ends. Toss peelings with olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and be sure to try one. It is incredibly good. I'd love to try it as a salad.

Assemble and bake the pizza. Roll or stretch out your pizza dough to a 12-inch round. Either transfer to a floured or cornmeal-dusted pizza peel (if using a pizza stone in the oven) or to a floured or cornmeal-dusted tray to bake it on. Sprinkle pizza dough with Parmesan, then mozzarella. Pile asparagus on top. Bake pizza for 10 to 15 minutes, or until edges are browned, the cheese is bubbly and the asparagus might be lightly charred. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with scallions, then slice and eat.

It is much more filling than you'd expect and super tasty. Make it before asparagus are totally out of season.

30 Before 30: Grissini (#32)

Just one more. I made these the day of my birthday and they are so easy. I may have oversalted mine a tad, so be careful when Keller says to put the salt in a small part of the work area. Despite a little too much salt, they are amazing. So so amazing. I preferred the short ones to the long ones, but deciding which is best is part of the tasty fun.

Grissini via Ad Hoc at Home:

Makes 24 small or 12 large grissini

½ c. warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

1 Tb. active dry yeast

1½ c. all-purpose flour, plus additional as needed

1/3 c. fine semolina flour

¼ c. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 tsp. ground fleur de sel or fine sea salt

2 Tb. olive oil, plus additional for brushing

Coarsely ground black pepper

Combine the water and yeast in a small bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes, then stir until the yeast is completely dissolved.

Combine the flours, cheese, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Stir the oil into the yeast mixture, then pour into the well and mix together with a fork. Once the dough comes together, transfer to a lightly floured board and knead, adding a dusting of all-purpose flour as necessary. You may end up using up to an additional ¼ cup, until a smooth dough forms. Shape the dough into a ball and roll on the board to coat very lightly with flour.

Transfer the dough to a medium bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rest in a warm place for about 15 minutes, or until it has risen slightly. Position the oven racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Turn the dough out onto the floured work surface and, using a dough scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough in half. Cut one half into 12 pieces for short grissini or 6 pieces for long grissini. Roll each piece into a rope 9 inches long for short grissini or about 15 inches long for long grissini. You can leave them round or twist or flatten them, or a combination of the two. The thinner or flatter they are, the crispier the result; thicker grissini may be doughier, if that is your preference. Transfer to one of the parchment-lined baking sheets as you form them.

Coarsely grind a light dusting of pepper onto a section of the work surface; it is easier to control the amount of pepper that will be rolled onto the grissini by keeping the are small. Alternately, omit the pepper and sprinkle the grissini with fleur de sel or seeds. I did both pepper and salt. Lightly brush the grissini with olive oil. I used the garlic oil I had made the day before. One at a time, roll in the pepper and return to the parchment; grind additional pepper as needed. Repeat with the remaining dough. The grissini can be held for up to an hour on the baking sheets in a cool spot. Or, to hold them longer, cover the parchment paper, wrap the baking sheets in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 6 hours.

Bake the grissini, switching the position of the pans and rotating them halfway through baking, until golden and crisp, 16 to 18 minutes. Cool on the pans on a rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

30 Before 30 was hard work and so much fun. It was difficult digging through my fridge and cookbooks and matching things up and I loved the challenge.

Now back to our regularly scheduled irregular blogging.

Recipes Complete: 32

Recipes to Go: -2

30 Before 30: White Cheddar, Sage, and Bacon Biscuits (#20)

More biscuits this month? Yes, more biscuits. I love quick breads because if you don't know what you're doing for dinner until later in the day, you can still have a tasty, homemade bread with it. These are meant for breakfast, but I think biscuits belong at every meal. I halved this one, but accidentally forgot to halve the buttermilk, making for a very wet and sticky dough. I worked in some more flour and they ended up more like a drop biscuit than a rolled one. It was an amazing mistake because they were fantastic. I'm sure they're great in normal proportions as well.

White Cheddar, Sage, and Bacon Biscuits via The Tillamook Cheese Cookbook:

Makes approximately 9 biscuits

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. sugar

¾ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 Tb. finely chopped fresh sage leaves

5 Tb. cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

5 bacon slices, cooked crisp, chopped

¾ c. grated white sharp cheddar cheese

¾ c. buttermilk

Place the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.

Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt and place in a large bowl. Stir in the sage and, using your fingertips, blend in the butter until the mixture is crumbly and resembles coarse meal.

Stir in the bacon and the cheese. You probably should have made more bacon because let's be serious, you snacked on some of it. Add the buttermilk, and stir just until the mixture begins to form a dough. Gather the dough into a ball, and on a lightly floured surface, knead gently 8 times.

Pat out the dough into a round, ¾-inch thick. Cut the dough with a biscuit cutter (or small drinking glass), and place 1-inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake the biscuits for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cheddar and bacon are natural partners. The addition of sage was not something I would have thought of on my own, but a very welcome one indeed. Seriously, biscuits are far too amazing.

Recipes Complete: 20

Recipes to Go: 10 

30 Before 30: Banana Cream Pie (#16)

I wanted to try something very new for an ending to our corned beef lunch. I've never made a custard pie before and what better than banana cream pie? The crust was disappointing. I should have stuck with my gut and gone for Thomas Keller's amazing pie crust and rolled it in graham cracker crumbs. The filling though? Magnificent.

Banana Cream Pie via Baking Illustrated:

Makes 1 9-inch pie

For the crust-

1¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

1 Tb. sugar

3 Tb. vegetable shortening, chilled

4 Tb. cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces

4-5 Tb. ice water

½ c. graham cracker crumbs (about 8 crackers)

For the filling-

½ c. plus 2 Tb. sugar

¼ c. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. salt

5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 c. 2 percent or whole milk

½ c. evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tb. unsalted butter

1-2 tsp. brandy

2 medium bananas

For the topping-

1 c. heavy cream, chilled

1 Tb. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Make the crust first. It needs to be completely baked and cooled before filling it with the custard.

Process the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add the shortening and process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture; cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse crumbs, with butter bits no larger than small peas, about ten 1-second pulses. Turn the mixture into a medium bowl.

Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture. With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix. Press down on the dough with the broad side of the spatula until the dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more ice water if the dough does not come together. Flatten the dough into a 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days, before rolling.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator (if refrigerated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable). Roll the dough on a work surface sprinkled with 2 tablespoons of graham cracker crumbs. Continue sprinkling additional crumbs underneath and on top of the dough as it is rolled, coating the dough heavily with crumbs. Roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate by rolling the dough around the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pan. Working around the circumference of the pie plate, ease the dough into the pan corners by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand while gently pressing into the pan bottom with the other hand. Trim the dough edges to extend about ½-inch beyond the rim of the pan. Fold the overhang under itself; flute the dough or press the tines of the fork against the dough to flatten it against the rim of the pie plate. Refrigerate the dough-lined pie plate until firm, about 40 minutes, then freeze until very cold, about 20 minutes.

Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the dough-lined pie plate from the freezer, press a doubled 12-inch piece of heavy duty foil inside the pie shell, and fold the edges of the foil to shield the fluted edge; distribute 2 cups ceramic or metal pie weights over the foil (or dried beans, like me). Bake, leaving the foil and weight in place until the dough looks dry and is light in color, 25 to 30 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and weights by gathering the corners of the foil and pulling up and out. Continue baking until deep golden brown, about 12 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

To make the filling, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium saucepan. Add the yolks, then immediately but gradually whisk in the milk and evaporated milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently at first, then constantly, as the mixture starts to thicken and begins to simmer, 8 to 10 minutes. It seems like it will never happen, but then suddenly it does and it is fantastic change. Once the mixture simmers, continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute longer. Remove the pan from the heat, whisk in the butter, vanilla extract, and brandy.

Pour the filling into a shallow pan. Put plastic wrap directly on the filling surface to prevent a skin from forming; cool until warm, 20 to 30 minutes. Pour half of the warm filling into the baked and cooled pie shell. Peel the bananas and slice them over the filling. Top with the remaining filling. Once again place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the filling surface. Refrigerate the pie until completely chilled, at least 3 hours.

When ready to serve, make the topping. Beat the cream and sugar in a chilled bowl over an electric mixer at medium speed to soft peaks; add the vanilla. Continue to beat to barely stiff peaks. Spread over the filling and serve immediately.

Overall, I really enjoyed this pie. Again, the crust was the weakest part, but the filling was so good, in the end it was just delicious.

Recipes Complete: 16

Recipes to Go: 14

30 Before 30: Garlic-Rye Biscuits (#15)

What goes best with corned beef? Rye bread. Here's another instance of changing a bunch of stuff. I have rye flour on hand, not dark rye. I didn't have dried onion flakes, but dried garlic stepped in. Because of that, I used garlic powder instead of onion powder. So onion-rye biscuits became garlic-rye biscuits and were delicious. Plus more biscuits this month!

Garlic-Rye Biscuits modified from Onion-Rye Biscuits via King Arthur Whole Grain Baking:

Makes 12-14 biscuits

2 c. rye flour

1 c. unbleached bread flour

1 Tb. dried garlic flakes

2 tsp. garlic powder

2½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. salt

½ c. cold unsalted butter

1 large egg

¾ c. buttermilk, plus more for brushing

2 Tb. dill pickle juice

1 Tb. dried dill

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. With a fork, two knives, a pastry cutter, or a food processor, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and pickle juice in a small bowl or a large measuring cup. Add, all at once, to the flour mixture, and blend lightly and quickly with a fork until the mixture is evenly moistened. Add dill.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, and using a bench knife or a dough scraper, fold the dough over on itself three or four times until it comes together.

Pat the dough out or roll very lightly with a rolling pin (just pat it out) until it's ¾-inch thick. Cut the dough into squares or rounds with a biscuit cutter and transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet. Stack the scraps on top of each other, fold them as you did for the original dough, and pat out and cut again. Brush the tops with more buttermilk.

Bake until the tops are golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm, or cool on a rack.

These are a perfect match for corned beef and were great with the pasta salad as well.

Recipes Complete: 15

Recipes to Go: 15

30 Before 30: Parmesan-Pine Nut Biscuits (#8)

Boy do I ever love a biscuit. This won't be the only biscuit recipe this month either. I had decided to make soup (more on that later) and needed a quick bread to go with it, as late in the day soup decisions often go. Since the point of this challenge is to try to use my cookbooks and try new things, I opened up my King Arthur Whole Grain Baking book for the first time in forever and boy, do they have a lot of biscuit recipes I want to try. So many! Even though Aaron is not a fan of nuts in baked things, I went for this one anyway because it just sounded so good! And it totally was. Much better than the soup we ended up having.

Parmesan-Pine Nut Biscuits via King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking:

Yield: 1 dozen to 14 biscuits (I almost never reach yield on biscuit recipes because I like my biscuits big and fluffy. I also did a half recipe on this one.)

2 c. white whole wheat flour

½ c. unbleached bread flour

2½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. salt

½ c. cold unsalted butter

1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for the tops

1 c. pine nuts

1 Tb. finely chopped fresh rosemary (optional. Do it. It's so good!)

1 large egg

1 c. buttermilk, plus more for the tops

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. With a fork, two knives, a pastry cutter, or a food processor, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and rosemary (if using. Which you should).

Whisk together the egg and buttermilk in a small bowl or a large measuring cup. Add, all at once, to the flour mixture, and blend lightly and quickly with a fork until the mixture is evenly moistened.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, and using a bench knife or a dough scraper, fold the dough over on itself three or four times until it comes together. I used a bowl scraper since I don't have a bench knife (I know, I know).

Pat the dough out or roll very lightly with a rolling pin (just pat it out) until it's ¾-inch thick. Cut the dough into squares or rounds with a biscuit cutter (or a small drinking glass like I always do. I also don't have a biscuit cutter.). Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet. Stack the scraps on top of each other, fold them as you did for the original dough, and pat out and cut again. Brush the tops with more buttermilk, and sprinkle with more cheese if desired (duh).

Bake until the tops are golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm, or cool on a rack.

These are herbaceous, earthy, and very satisfying. 

Recipes Complete: 8

Recipes to Go: 22

30 Before 30: Pineapple Cake (Pastel de Pina) (#4)

Aaron and I have gotten into fajitas lately. It's probably because I bought him this book for his birthday (look for it in an upcoming post) and we've been trying a lot of different recipes from it. Due to the 30 before 30 nature of this month, I wanted to make a dessert to go with our fajitas. My first thought was flan, but surprisingly my Mexican cookbook does not have a recipe for basic flan. It has pumpkin flan, coconut flan, coffee flan, and chocolate flan, but not your regular, caramel flan. I knew I could find a recipe for it online, but that is not part of the challenge. So I dug deeper and found this fast and easy cake. I think it would be better for brunch than after dinner and could use some more pineapple, but overall, a tasty way to end a fajita dinner.

Pineapple Cake (Pastel de Pina) via 1,000 Mexican Recipes:

Makes 1 8-inch square cake, about 9 servings

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. plus 2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. canned crushed pineapple with juice

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and dust with flour. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, mix the pinapple, egg, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. It's a little on the thick side, so you'll need to push it around evenly. A spatula really helped me with this. Bake until dark golden brown on top and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven to a rack and cool completely in the pan. Cut the cake into squares and serve directly from the pan. The recommendation is to top it with ice cream or whipped cream. Do it.

Store, covered, at room temperature up to 3 days.

This is a very moist and easy cake. I think it would be even better if you mixed in some pineapple juice and some of the crushed pineapple with the whipped cream before topping it.

Recipes Complete: 4

Recipes to Go: 26