Pear Pie (or tart) with Struesel Topping

Something that I look forward to every summer is making fresh pear pie when the fruit is so succulent and sweet that the juice drips off your elbow.  There are few things on the planet more satisfying than a perfectly ripe pear with smooth and luscious flesh.

I discovered this recipe several years ago, and unfortunately can't remember where so I can't give credit where it's due.  I have, of course, tweaked it since.  I usually make it as a pie, but I have this wonderful rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom that I just had to use, so the batch shown is made as a tart.  The preparation is the same, but the cooking time may need to be modified just a bit.

I love the added dimensions of the lemon zest and the crispy oatmeal topping in this recipe.  Truly delicious.

Pear Pie (or Tart) with Struesel Topping

Pastry for a 10" single crust pie*
3/4 cup sugar
3 T. quick cooking tapioca
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. butter, cut into small pieces
1 t. lemon zest
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
6 large ripe pears, peeled and thinly sliced.

Topping:
3/4 c. quick oats
3 T. sugar
1 T. flour
1/4 c. cold butter

Mix the sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, butter, zest, spices and salt, then add the pears and toss gently to coat.  Line a 10 inch pie pan with pastry and flute the edges according to your preference.  Alternatively, you may use a 10 inch round or square tart pan.  Add the pear filling and  spread around evenly.

Prepare the topping by mixing together the oats, sugar and flour, then cut in the butter until it looks like coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle evenly over the filling.

Bake at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  This is fabulous served warm with vanilla ice cream.

*You may also make this as a traditional two crust pie, and the cooking time is about the same.  Cover with foil or a pie shield if it starts to brown too quickly.  I like to brush top crusts with milk and sprinkle with coarse turbinado sugar before baking for a lovely sparkly finish.  I also recommend placing the pie or tart on another baking sheet before putting it in the oven.  As you can see from the second photo, drips happen.

Amy's Rhubarb Custard Pie

This recipe comes to us via my sister Amy, who got it from her coworker, who got it from...I don't know.  The gist is that a recipe that's passed around that much generally speaks well for it.  I made the most fortunate discovery at Costco of reasonably priced vanilla beans and split them in half with Amy, and she used one of the beans to make "the best vanilla ice cream ever" that you see accompanying the pie.  It's definitely on my list to make as soon as my kitchen is put back together.

Rhubarb is one of those interesting ingredients that grows on you.  Tart and tangy, it's not particularly wonderful on it's own, but add the right ingredients to it and you can create something magical.  Amy included the quote below with her email to me, and it cracked me up.  Had to include it.  Happy cooking :).

"There's nothing like a piece of rhubarb pie to take the taste of shame and humiliation out of your mouth!" -- A Prairie Home Companion

Rhubarb Cream Pie


Pastry for a double crust pie of your choosing

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 slightly beaten eggs

4 cups cut-up rhubarb

2 Tbsp. butter



Fit a 10-inch pie plate with pastry. Set aside. Blend sugar, flour and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add eggs, beat until smooth. Add 1/4 tsp. of red food coloring. (This I didn't do, and you will see, my pie is very un-red.) Stir in rhubarb, pour in pie shell and dot with butter. Top with lattice crust. Bake at 400 for 50-60 minutes. Cool. This pie is better after it has cooled and set a while.

Variation: Use a french topping instead of the lattice crust.

Cinco de Mayo

OK, so once again I'm proving that my photographic skills are lousy. And that my dishes are ugly. One of these days I'll have to have Michelle show me how to take truly tempting photos. It didn't help things that this was a very last minute picture as I dashed out the door this morning. I promise it tasted fabuloso and got two thumbs up from everyone last night (and I'm very grateful for the half a pie left over in the fridge, of which I ate one piece for breakfast to reward myself for running so well this morning). I decided at the last minute yesterday to throw a party with tasty south of the border favorites. Since I have a photo of the pie, I'll start with that.

I love key lime pie, but the genuine way to make it grosses me out because of the raw egg factor. My friend Jen made this for book club several months ago and it passed muster because it's actually cooked enough to kill off any lurking salmonella and it's delicious to boot.

Key Lime Pie

1/2 cup fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons grated lime zest
4 egg yolks
1 - 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
11 graham crackers, crushed
3 T. sugar
5 T. butter, melted

Whisk the egg yolks and lime zest together for about 2 minutes until tinted light green. Beat in milk and lime juice and set aside at room temperature until it thickens (10-15 minutes). In another bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until well incorporated. Press into an 8 inch pie pan and bake at 325 degrees until lightly browned (or you could cheat and use a pre-fab graham cracker crust like I did). Remove and allow to cool to room temperature. Spread the filling evenly into the crust and bake for another 15 -18 minutes until the center sets but still wiggles when shaken. Remove to a wire rack until cooled to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours. I served it with sweetened whipped cream....mmmm, tasty!

Fajitas for a crowd

6 chicken breasts, thawed and trimmed

1 small can pineapple juice

1/4 cup lime juice

2 T. olive oil (optional)

generous dashes of chili powder, chipotle chili powder, cumin, coriander and salt

Mix all of the ingredients in a gallon ziploc bag and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes. In the mean time, slice 4 bell peppers of assorted colors and a purple onion into thin strips. Toss the chicken on the grill and cook until no longer pink, then set aside to rest for a few minutes while you saute the veggies in a large skillet. Season the veggies with a splash of olive oil, the juice of a lime, salt, and a dash of chipotle chili powder. Thinly slice the chicken breasts.

Set out tortillas, cheese, fresh salsa, diced avocados, sour cream, black beans, and the cooked veggies and chicken. This will serve 8-10 adults and leave everyone with very happy tummies.

Sweet Potato Pie

This recipe has been borrowed and altered from Dave Lieberman (Joe's half-cousin).

About 1/2 pound of sweet potatoes. Do not use the orange sweet potatoes that people call yams, these will ruin the beautiful tacky yellow color of the pie. Usually the yellow sweet potatoes will be in a separate basket away from the yams.
1 3/4 cups finely ground cinnamon or honey graham cracker crumbs (about 15 whole crackers)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 stick melted butter

2 large eggs
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Wrap the sweet potatoes tightly in 2 layers of aluminum foil and roast them in the oven until very soft, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Place about 15 full graham crackers in a Ziplock bag and crush using a rolling pin until finely ground. In a bowl, stir the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar until well combined. Add the butter and mix until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press firmly and evenly on the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate to create a crust with no cracks. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and place to the side.

While the crust is baking: Unwrap the potatoes and peel them. Take off the skins with your hands and put the flesh into a bowl. Mash the potatoes well using a potato masher. Add the eggs, 1/2 cup brown sugar, cream, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla and whip until very smooth with a hand blender. Pour the filling into the partially baked crust. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon brown sugar over top and bake in the center of the oven until set, about 40 minutes.

Allow the pie to cool completely before cutting. Serve at room temperature.

To prove I'm not totally useless

Spew's Stolen Caramel Apple Pie

I have a love affair with all things caramel apple pie. I found this recipe somewhere in my travels and tweaked it to get things just right.

Pie Crust:

I just use a frozen Marie Callender's frozen crust, but make your own dough if sufficiently motivated.

Filling:
5-6 medium apples – some say Jonathan or Granny Smith, but whatever you like best
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter

Streusel Topping:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2 crushed toffee bars – either Skor or Heath Bars

Filling:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Peel and chop apples. The apples should vary in size from quarter-sized to half dollar sized slices. The chopping will take some time, but I hate pies with only big chunks of apples. Sprinkle pieces with lemon juice to keep them looking fresh. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and add apples pieces. Toss to mix. Add vanilla and cream. Try to use good vanilla, not just the cheap store brand imitation, it makes a difference. Melt butter in heavy skillet or saucepan. Add apple mixture and cook approximately 8 minutes or so. This will help to soften the apples. Make sure to stir and flip the apples continually with a spatula as the sugar will caramelize rapidly. If you are stirring constantly there should be no sticking. Place into the pie shell.

Streusel Topping:
Combine the flour and sugar. Mix in butter with fork until coarse crumbs. Add the crushed toffee bars – the best way to crush them is to break them while in their wrappers. Sprinkle over the pie.

Baking:

Place pie on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees F. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake about 45 minutes longer. Check on the pie often as I have not yet perfected the cooking time – it may take a little more than 45 minutes. The streusel will look like it has burned spots, but these are just melted chocolate. I like to think of them as little pieces of deliciousness. This pie is great.