Strawberry and Rhubarb come together in a delicious pie. Each bite is different. In one you taste the tang of rhubarb. In the next, the sweetness of strawberry. And in another the two unite in a sweet-tart blend of fruit. I was in college when I tasted rhubarb for the first time. It was a revelation. What is Rhubarb? Rhubarb is a vegetable. And it is very tart. I have heard the flavor compared to that of a sour green apple, unripe grapes, or a not-yet-ready-to-eat kiwi. Sugar will tame the tang, but it will keep its acidic flavor. Which makes it perfect to pair with ...
Pies
Almost a Lemon Meringue Pie: Lime Tart with Swiss Meringue
This started with a lemon meringue pie and eventually segued into something altogether different: a zesty lime tart with a sugar cookie crust, topped with a shiny, marshmallowy Swiss meringue. The back story: my mother made a lemon meringue pie that everyone loved. Her lemon filling was topped with just the right amount of meringue. The balance of flavors was perfect! Every forkful yielded up soft marshmallowlike meringue, tart lemon and a crunch of pie crust. I never learned how to make my mother’s meringue pie and I never found a lemon meringue pie that I liked after that. The “Mile ...
COOKING ON THE FLY: TOMATO AND ZUCCHINI GALETTE
Tomato and Zucchin Galette in its simplest version: commercial pie crust and a few ingredients from your pantry come together to create a rustic pie rich in the flavors of summer. I’ve been busy. I am not kidding about that. In the space of one month Rick and I are selling a house, buying a house, finishing building a house and renting a house. It wasn’t meant to happen this way. These things were not supposed to all come together at the same time. Because they have, life has been a mad dash to get everything ready. We have been masters at planning: our days are scripted, our ...
BRING ON THE HOLIDAYS! CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE TART
I'm taking a break but I couldn't leave you without a fabulous dessert for the Holidays. I posted this blog last year and will be making it again this year. Tart from cranberries, rich with chocolate and lovely to look at, it's a sure winner! 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 ...
PRALINE PUMKPIN PIE
Every Thanksgiving I find myself faced with people who actively want a pumpkin pie. And every Thanksgiving I search for a way to make it better because I’m not a big fan of pumpkin pie. Last year I experimented with a homemade squash puree. It was good but not, to my mind, memorable. This year I decided to use some of the skills I learned in my Master Class with Christina Tosi; specifically, how to test a number of options and flavors without having to make four or five different pies. I combed through cookbooks and magazine for suggestion then refined the ideas into ...
GIANT FRUIT POP-TART!
When is a pie not a pie? When it is a Pop-Tart! Thick layers of pastry with a jammy fruit filling, topped with a vanilla glaze and sprinkles, it is deliciously sweet and satisfying. I can’t take credit for the idea. That comes courtesy of my daughter who saw it on Instagram and asked me to make one. At first I thought, “Uggh, another pie?” I’ve been making pies all summer and I was looking forward to moving on to something else. (As must you be.) But then I made it and I realized it may go together like a pie but it doesn’t really taste like one. It tastes like a jelly donut! ...
A PHENOMENAL CHERRY PIE: THE BEST CHERRY PIE RECIPE!
Fresh cherries are only part of the secret to making a phenomenal cherry pie. This recipe makes the best cherry pie ever and the only one you will ever want to make again! Cherry Pie. It’s legendary, a part of American culture. But when was the last time you had a cherry pie? More importantly, have you ever made a cherry pie without using canned cherry pie filling? If you have, you know what I am talking about. If you haven’t, you are in for a treat! The thing about convenience foods is they are convenient (Duh). But all too often flavor is sacrificed in the creation of that ...
MY “I’VE GOT NOTHING TO PROVE” PEACH PIE
A quick and easy peach pie that tastes like you spent hours on it (although it may not look like it!) Sometimes I break out my best pie making skills. I carefully prepare a pie crust, peel the fruit and chop it into equal sized pieces, make a decorative arrangement out of the crust, brush it with an egg wash and put it in the oven. Fingers crossed it comes out as beautiful as it went in. And then there are other times. Times when I am more interested in being with the people who are here and less concerned with what the pie looks like. Times when my grandchildren are taking a nap and ...
TOMATO TART TATIN
If you are looking for a great big punch of tomato flavor, look no further. In this tart there is no question that tomatoes are the star of the dish. Meaty tomatoes are oven roasted in a vinegar syrup, then topped with pastry for a final cooking, before being turned out onto a plate with the tomatoes back on top! Tart Tatin originated in France. It started as an apple tart in which the apples were caramelized in butter and sugar before being topped with pastry and turned into a tart. Needless to say this technique is easily adaptable to other fruits, including the tomato ...
KEY LIME PIE: IT’S MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS
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 ...
