There are people who like Key Lime Pie and there are people who LOVE Key Lime Pie. Silky smooth, just a little tart in flavor, with buttery graham cracker crust, what's not to love? Down on the southern coast of North Carolina, just across the bridge from the Island of Sunset Beach, there is a fish market which has been there for 40 years: Bill's Seafood. Everything there is fresh. The shrimp boats we see offshore bring their catch to Bill that same day. And once you have tasted shrimp that fresh, which has never been frozen, you will understand my foodie heart. If you are like my ...
Pies
TOMATO PIE: IT’S A SOUTHERN THING
Recently I asked my Instagram followers (@awomancooks) what they would make with a big tomato harvest, and I got a resounding chorus of “Tomato Pie!”. Tomato pie is not something I am very familiar with. I am purist when it comes to home grown tomatoes. I eat them sliced with a little salt, in a Caprese salad, or in a sandwich (tomato or BLT only!). The idea of layering them in a pie crust and cooking them with a mixture of cheese, mayonnaise and fresh herbs seemed a sure way to hide the flavor of the tomatoes. But I was wrong. After a lot of research I made some tweaks ...
BREAKFAST PIE
What is Breakfast Pie? It is the pastry of pie, the spices and crumb of coffee cake, the fruits of summer and a little healthy oatmeal thrown in for good measure. Eat it cold or warm it up. Eat it plain or top it with vanilla yogurt. It’s the best breakfast ever! What is Breakfast Pie? It is created from some of the best moments of my life. The inspiration for this pie came from my Instagram friend and fellow Asheville Baker, Jill Worthy of The Worthy Baker She posted a picture of her award winning Breakfast Pie on Instagram which went right to my heart, leftover pie ...
CHICKEN POT PIE
What do you think of when you think of when you think of chicken pot pie? I think of my childhood. Swanson's Frozen Chicken pot pie was what my mother left for us when she couldn’t be there to make dinner. My older sister would take them out of the freezer, one for each of us, and bake them in the oven. Sometimes, rarely, when they were ready, she let us take them downstairs to the playroom to eat in front of the TV. The thick white gravy would be bubbling up through the crust as I used my fork to break through to the pieces of chicken, peas and carrots inside. The salty ...
MANGO AND RASPBERRY FRANGIPANE TART
Once upon a time, a long long time ago, an Italian Nobleman travelled to Paris. He brought with him gloves made of the softest Italian leather which he had scented with an almond perfume. The nobleman and his gloves were an immediate hit with French Society. And the French did what the French do. They set out to make a dish inspired by the Nobleman’s almond scented gloves. The nobleman was the Marquis Muzio Frangipani and the dish they created was a tart filled with an almond cream which they called “Frangipane”. The classic French Frangipane tart consists of a sweet short ...
BRING ON THE HOLIDAYS! CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE TART
It’s November 29th, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. My tree is up and decorated. The outdoor lights are on. My house smells like cinnamon and pine. For the first time in my life I bought my Christmas tree before Thanksgiving and decorated it on Thanksgiving Day. I went for a walk this evening. The glow of lights on many of the houses and glimpses of lit trees inside tell me I am not alone in my early preparations. Thanksgiving was a pale shadow of its usual self, and who knows what Christmas will bring, so I am going to decorate and bake and enjoy the lead up like never before. I need ...
PUMPPLE PIE
Pumpple Pie is an easy to make apple and pumpkin pie with bourbon-soaked raisins. It’s a spice and fall flavor-filled extravaganza! There are so many reasons to make this pie for your Thanksgiving: Smaller Thanksgivings mean one pie instead of two or three and this lets you get most of your favorites in one pie. In our area there has been a shortage of canned pumpkin. This recipe uses half a can so you can make a “pumpkin” pie and another pumpkin treat. Or make it because it’s different and delicious. As for me, I am making it because there is no length to which I ...
THE FINISHING TOUCH: SUGARED FRUITS
You’ve heard it said before: you eat with your eyes first. It’s why I walk through a restaurant and look at the plates on the tables around me, and ask myself “What looks good?” It’s why we linger in front of bakery shop windows with their displays of carefully constructed tarts, cakes and pastries. And it’s why we are so disappointed with something doesn’t taste as good as it looks. The winter holidays are upon us. It’s a time when bakers like to shine, dusting out their recipes for pies, cakes and cookies. Every holiday table finishes with a flourish of dessert. We’ve beaten, ...
APPLE TART FOR BEGINNERS: NO ROLL PASTRY
With its stylized layers of apples and free standing crust, an apple tart is one of the most impressive things a home baker can bring to the table. It looks so hard to make! With this recipe, it's not. If you can slice an apple and press dough into a pan, you can wow your friends and family and enjoy a home made apple tart with pride! We went apple picking last weekend. It was a lovely sunny day with just a hint of coolness in the air. The orchards were pretty crowded but we headed back to where some of the lesser known apples were growing and found ourselves alone in a wonderland of ...
SUMMER IN THE SOUTH: PIMENTO CHEESE TOMATO PIE
When I think of summer in the South, I think of my childhood days at the beach where the food seemed to center around fresh ripe red tomatoes, slightly spicy pimento cheese, and fresh fruit pies. The days were filled with salt air and ocean and the evenings meant family around the table. This summer I am up in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Other than that little has changed. I make a mean pimento cheese; my tomato plants are laden with deep red orbs of deliciousness; and pies are my thing. So I put them all together and created a Pimento Cheese Tomato ...
