Paradise, Hawaiian Style Pie

I have been looking for a variation of my Blue Hawaii Pie that I could compete with at the Illinois State Fair (which does not have refrigeration).  After seeing better pictures of the pie that first inspired my Blue Hawaii, I figured I would try something more like that one.  And as it was my second try at Hawaiian-flavored success, I decided to go with the name of Elvis' next Hawaiian movie.

Ingredients:
3 cups of blueberries
1 cup of crushed pineapple
1/2 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of Instant Clearjel
1 cup of shredded coconut
3/4 cup of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
5 tablespoons of butter.

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, stir half the blueberries and the crushed pineapple together until most of the blueberries have burst and it starts to thicken.  Remove from heat
Stir together sugar and Instant Clearjel and add to blueberry and pineapple mixture.  Then toss in the remaining blueberries.
Combine coconut, flour, and sugar, then work in the butter with your fingers.
Spoon the blueberry filling into the crust, then spread the coconut streusel over the top. 
Bake for 30 minutes at 400oF, then rotate, reduce the heat to 350oF, and bake for another 25 minutes.  You may need to cover with foil toward the end to keep the topping from browning too much.

Piece out!
Justin

Wassail Pie

Another modification of the Grapefruit Custard Pie by Four & Twenty Blackbirds.  It was inspired by trying to make a pie with what I had in the house for a staff bake sale at school. 

I replaced the grapefruit juice with wassail (from Trader Joe's) and the Campari with a French brandy.  Like the time I made the Apple Cider Custard version, this one was a little watery.  I have found that without using just citrus juice (grapefruit or lemon and lime) it gets watery.  I definitely want to try this pie again and will probably add another tablespoon or two of flour to see if that fixes the problem.  I also added a few drops of red food coloring to keep it from looking like baby poop. 

The taste is fantastic and definitely worth trying to figure out the consistency problem for the future.

Piece out!
Justin

Variations on Apple Pie

My basic apple pie filling comes from the Four & Twenty Blackbirds cookbook.  I've used this filling in a lot of pies.  Here is a pie that uses it and one that does not.

 

The first pie I tried to do a cinnamon roll crust with my usual pie crust.  In the end, it tasted fine, but didn't have the texture I was hoping for.  If I were to try this again, I would buy some puff pastry and use that for the "cinnamon roll"ing on top.  I may try to work on this one some more though and see if I can find a way to make it from scratch to use in contests.

The second pie was one that Grant and I made at a cooking class that we went to at the Chopping Block during à la carte Chicago.  I made this one for my dad's birthday.  It was really good.  I used a lot more apples than we used in the class (they gave us three apples that were barely larger than crab apples) and it turned out a lot nicer.  Below are the ingredients and directions from the class, but I recommend using 2 or 3 decent sized apples.

 

Ingredients:

1 pound Granny Smith or golden delicious apples, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick 

1/3 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

Pinch salt 

1 egg 

1/3 cup granulated sugar 

1/4 cup all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup heavy cream 

3 tablespoons calvados or brandy 

Powdered sugar, for garnish 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°.
Roll the disk of dough out onto a floured surface into a 10- to 12-inch circle. There will be some overhang. Place in a tart pan with a removable bottom, cut away the excess dough and crimp the edges. Chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
Cover the dough with parchment paper. Place either pie weights or dried beans on top of the parchment paper and bake the crust until light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.
For the filling, toss the sliced apples with the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Artfully arrange the apple slices in the partially baked tart shell so they overlap in concentric circles.
Bake on a parchment-lined sheet tray for about 20 minutes, or until the apples are almost tender. Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool a bit.
While the tart is cooling, prepare the custard. Whisk the egg and sugar together in a mediumsize bowl until thick, ribbony and pale yellow. Whisk in the flour, heavy cream and liquor. Pour the custard over the apples.
Return the tart to the oven and continue to bake until the custard is puffy and golden brown, about 25 minutes. When a knife is inserted into the center of the tart, it should come out clean. 8. Allow the tart to cool for about 10 minutes, cut into slices and serve garnished with a dusting of powdered sugar. Serve warm.

Piece out!
Justin

Thanksgiving 2017

This was the first year since 2014 that I was home for Thanksgiving.  So, of course, I was in charge of pie.  Made two pumpkin pies and a chestnut pie.  I had wanted to try the chestnut pie after seeing it in a Food Network magazine a few years back, but I had no idea it would be the runaway hit that it was.

The two pumpkin pies were Pumpkin Spice Latte Chiffon Pie and Maple Bourbon Pumpkin Pie Brûlée (this time with the bourbon).  I have definitely gotten better at making these two pies look pretty and they were as delicious as always. 

The Chestnut Meringue Pie was amazing. The chestnut custard was thick and smooth, and having three distinct textures in the pie was nice.  I highly recommend this pie, but you will need to plan ahead.  It isn't the easiest thing to find roasted chestnuts at the grocery store, so you may need to order then online.  I used these that I was lucky enough to find at Target in their grocery section.

Piece out!
Justin