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 ...
Pies
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
