Pancetta and Puff Pastry Wrapped Asparagus

And then we made these.

And they were DELICIOUS.

Step 1: Steam the Asparagus
Step 2: Roll our Puff Pastry, sprinkle with salt, pepper and Parmesan. Slice. (enough strips per stalk of Asparagus.

Step 3: Wrap Asparagus in Pancetta.
Step 4: Wrap Pancetta wrapped Asparagus in Puff Pastry.
Step 5: Brush with Egg Wash and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Step 6: Bake at 325 (or whatever is recommended by the puff pastry package) until golden.
Step 7: Enjoy...there's no other choice.

Pineapple Pie

I have never heard of Pineapple Pie until I stumbled upon this recipe at Happier Than a Pig in Mud.

I was thrilled to see a recipe that made sense given the available summer 'produce' in South Korea...now, don't get me wrong, South Korea has summer produce, but it's primarily melons and bananas, neither of which are entirely perfect for pies (although, I'm sure I'll do a banana cream pie soon enough). 

Were I in the states, I'd likely be enjoying some berries this time of year, but they are outrageously expensive here and since Korea does a relatively impressive job providing only in season produce, especially at prices I'm willing to pay, I don't have many options when it comes to 'fresh' produce pies...so canned pineapple?!? Why the heck not!

Ingredients/Directions:

In a saucepan combine 3/4 cups Sugar, 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch and 20 oz. Crushed Pineapple with juice (I ran my sliced pineapple through the blender...because I didn't have crushed) and 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice. Cool this mixture slightly before pouring into a 9 inch Pie Shell and covering with a second shell. Bake at 425 F (218 C) for 20-30 minutes (because of the higher temperature, it is recommended that you cover the edge with tin foil to avoid burning). Remove from oven, cool and enjoy!

Banana-Brownie Pie

I've been mastering pie crust. But was running low on pie fillings/current seasonal fruits in Korea are not entirely pie friendly.

And I wanted a brownie.

And bananas.

And fresh whipped cream.

So, I threw a pie shell into a dish, pricked it with a fork, baked for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I whipped up a box of brownie mix. Dumped the batter in the pre-baked pie crust, baked according to the package directions. When it was time to serve up the dish, I simply sliced a banana onto the brownie/pie and scooped a spoon or two of cream on top.

It was delicious.

Every single bite.

My First Blueberry Pie

My goal throughout May, and kind of throughout the upcoming 'golden year' is to master making Pie's. I have some habits that I believe are a bit grandmotherly ~ early to bed, early to rise, no desire to watch TV, a love for canning and preserving, making things from scratch, etc. But, the true mark of a perfect grandmother is a perfectly flaky pie crust - something I have not mastered, because in general, I'm not big on Pie. However, take me to the other side of the world where Pie is hard to find and delicious pie even harder and suddenly I want nothing more than a perfect piece of pie and I'm the only one who is capable of meeting that desire.


Ingredients/Directions :
From Amy Sedaris' I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence

Mix 3 Tbsp. flour, 1 cup Sugar, and 1/8 tsp. Salt in a bowl. Add 4 cups fresh or frozen Blueberries, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, 2 tsp. Vanilla, and 2 tsp. Cinnamon - toss well. Pour into pie shell and dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Crimp of flute and cut several vents. Bake at 425 (218) for 10 minutes then turn down to 350 (177), cover edge with aluminum foil to prevent burning and bake for 30-45 minutes. Enjoy fresh out of the oven!

Pie Crust

Up until recently, I've been a bit terrified of Pie Crust. However, it turns out it's not that frightening and although it's definitely an art and one I've yet to perfect, it's entirely manageable. 

Ingredients/Directions:

In a large bowl combine 2 cups Flour with 1 tsp. salt, cut in 3/4 cups butter (fingers work great for this!) Gradually add up to 4 Tbsp. cold water (1 Tbsp. at a time) until dough forms a ball, chill for 30 minutes before rolling out. If you leave it in the refrigerator too long it will need about 30 minutes to come to room temperature. I like to roll mine out on wax paper if I'm not using it right away, roll the wax paper/crust into a 'log' and refrigerate until later.