Snicker Apple Tart

Having made delicious tortes for Thanksgiving (and subsequently Christmas Eve with the in-laws) I was eager to try out something new for 'belated Christmas' with my own folks. A bit of meandering on Pinterest soon turned up this recipe for Snicker Apple Tart and knew I had to give it a whirl.

I made mine in multiple steps, wanting to ensure the oven was ready and available for the holiday ham which means I left the cooked apples sitting in slightly underdone pie shells for more than a few hours which caused the crusts to be a bit soggy even after re-heating...this could be simply the time issue or an oven issue or an issue of impatience, however, were I slightly more prepared for those factors this would have been phenomenal, considering such factors, this was still damn-good ;)

Ingredients/Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Using a pre-made pie crust, roll out into a shallow pie plate or torte pan, prick with a fork and bake for about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and core 2 large Apples to be arranged in the pre-cooked pie shells in whatever arrangement you so desire. Over the apples, drizzle 1/4 cup Heavy Whipped Cream mixed with 4 Tbsp. Brown Sugar. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup unsalted Peanuts. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

While baking, chop 2 Snickers Bars into bite sized pieces.

When 30 minutes have passed and pie is ready, remove from oven, sprinkle with Snicker pieces and drizzle with 1/3 cup Caramel Sauce. Let set a few minutes to get melty and mingled.

Enjoy.

Cherry Pie

Nothing extended here, just a simple, cherry pie made with fresh cherries we bought at the farmer's market then canned, making for a quick and easy cherry pie to accompany my pie-inspired tortes for the holidays.

Of course I started with my go to pie crust. Then it was time to prepare the cherry filling, which, like most pie filling is basically a process of adding sugar and cornstarch and simmering until thickened.

For my cherry filling, I drained off some of the liquid, because it seemed a little over the top, threw about 4 cups of cherries and a bit of juice into a small quart pan and brought to a low simmer. From there, I simply mixed 1 cup of Sugar with 1/4 cup of Cornstarch. Pour this mix into the simmering cherry mix, stir well and heat until thickened, it's now ready to be wrapped in your pastry goodness! Use a leaf cookie cutter to add a decorative flair and pop that baby in the oven! Enjoy!

Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients/Directions:

From Delia Creates

Prepare a single pastry crust that has been pricked at 400 F for about 12 minutes or until lightly golden.

Meanwhile, heat 3 cups of Milk in microwave for approximately 3 1/2 minutes. 

While milk is heating, combine 1/3 cup Cornstarch and 2/3 cups Sugar. Add 3 Egg Yolks to the sugar mixture. 

Add 1/2 cup of the hot milk to the egg/sugar mix, stir and gradually add remaining milk, this will be your custard. 

Continue to cook the custard in the microwave at 2-3 minute intervals, stirring in between intervals until you reach the desired consistency. Chill custard.

Layer bananas (2-4 fresh) and custard in the pie crust, chill and serve with whip cream.

I sprinkled some cinnamon and nutmeg on top of my bananas for added pizzazz!

Enjoy with friends on a weeknight card game gathering!

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.

Lemon Almond Pie with White Chocolate Drizzle

First of all, if I were a fruit, I'd like to a lemon. They are gorgeous and bright and beautiful and full of all things joyful, just look at them!

Second of all, I'm still going strong with my pie making-skills and am looking forward to one day doing so with actual pie plates as opposed to round cake pans - all in good time.

For now, directions and ingredients for a deliciously tart and sweet pie!

Ingredients/Directions:
From The Everything Potluck Cookbook by Linda Larsen

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup chopped almonds, 2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar and 1 Tbsp. Soft Butter, mix well and press into the bottom of one pierced pie crust. Bake for 5 minutes and cool on wire wrack. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine 1 cup Sugar, 2 Tbsp. soft Butter. Stir in 3 egg yolks and beat well. Add 2 Tbsp. Flour and a Pinch of Salt, mix again. Stir in 1 cup Milk, 1/2 cup Lemon Juice and 2 tsps. Lemon Zest. In a seperate bowl, beat 3 egg whites until stiff peaks form, fold into egg yolk mixture and spoon into prepared pie shell. Bake for 10 minutes then reduce temperature to 325 F and bake 30-40 minutes until top is a deep golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. On the stovetop, prepare white chocolate drizzle by melting together 1 cup White Chocolate Chips, 3 Tbsp. Heavy Cream and 2 tsps. Corn Syrup. Drizzle over pie, let cool completely and store in the refridgerator. Absolutely DELICIOUS!

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.