Sourdough Pie Pastry toutoral

Hello, friends.
  The video below, is my method of making a large batch of wild yeast pie pastry.

Torta tal patata ( Potato pie)

Nanny's Cauliflower Pie

welcome back, food fans.

 Today, we are taking a stroll down memory lane. Cauliflower pie was one of my moms go to side dish recipes. Cauliflower pie is quick and easy to make, with just a few ingredients.

I love the fall harvest. Out and about, making our weekly rounds though the Union Square farmer's market. We came away with some really nice delicata squash, a bag of organic farmer ground half and half flour, and last but certainly not least, orange cauliflower.  This colorful variety of cauliflower has been around for a good few years now. Each of the colors are chock full of antioxidants. The orange, that we will be using today for example, has a genetic mutation that allows the plant to hold more beta carotene. It also contains about 25% more vitamin A than white cauliflower. First discovered in Canada in 1970,  it took years of crossbreeding before it was widely available.

Frist thing is first, I started some water to boil in a large pot. While I was waiting for the water to boil, I cored the cauliflower and cut it into florets. Next, I prepared the rest of the ingredients. Once the water was at a rolling boil, I dropped the florets in with a palm full of salt for 5 minutes. 

After the 5 minutes, I drained the florets in a colander. The florets went back into the now dry pot. With an old school potato masher, I smashed the cauliflower good. The prepared additional ingredients were added in with the mashed cauliflower and mixed together thoroughly.

The cauliflower mixture was put into a 10 inch Pyrex pie pan and spread out evenly. The top was covered with Kraft American cheese.

After 20 minutes in the oven, out comes a savory side dish pie, one that you will be proud to serve for any type of gathering.

  

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 Peace,

 The Roadside Pie King

  

Cranberry season!

Hello Friends,

 Today's blog post has two parts, both using cranberry as the main ingredient. Part one, cranberry raisin pumpkin bread, is a recipe from the book,  Baking with Julia, by Dorie Greenspan (Pg.108.) This recipe, a two day bake, makes a wonderfully tender, rich, brioche like bread. Well worth the time. Part two, is a rustic cranberry coffee cake/pie. By contrast, I threw this one together in 20 minutes. The recipe is from my new friend Diane. Diane, is the owner of Diane's Dynamics, a blog page dedicated to the homesteading lifestyle. I will drop links to both Dorie's page and Diane's page at the end of the post. Go there and you will find the exact recipes. Lets get started!

Cranberry raisin pumpkin brioche bread

This recipe make three small loafs, I made two big ones. I used, 91/2x6x3 loaf pans. You will definitely need a mixer for this dough. The dough is sticky, heavy and takes a while to come together. Additionally, you will need some experience. There are a few variables you will have to work with, such as the amount of liquid in your pumpkin. I had to use my experience in bread making to add enough extra flour to form a nice dough. The dough took a good 20 min. to come together, at medium speed, in my kitchen aid mixer. Here's what it looked like

The dough takes some time, but once it comes together it makes a nice, albeit sticky, dough. 

I left the dough to rise at room temperature for two hours. By then it had doubled. I gently deflated the dough and put it in the refrigerator for a slow, cold, overnight ferment. By the next morning it had doubled again. At this point the dough would sit till it reached room temp. I set an instant read thermometer for 68F. 

After about five hours we were up to temp. I rolled the dough onto a lightly floured counter, split it into two equal halves. One at a time, I carefully stretched the dough into 15x 8 inch rectangles. Then I rolled the dough up jellyroll style from the short end, carefully sealing as I rolled. Alas, I should have did a letter fold and a bench rest before rolling, I missed a step. No worries, it came out okay. Now the shaped breads are in the pans for the final proofing. 

 After a two hour proof they were doubled, puffy and ready for the oven; so I popped them in.

They cooked in a well preheated oven at 350F. for 35 minutes. They came out perfectly done. 

I really like this holiday treat bread. It's so good plain, or toasted with butter! It takes some time and a little work, but well worth the effort!

The last photo is a sneak peak at part two!

You can get the recipe over at Dorie Greenspan's page:  This Bountiful Backyard

Don't forget to come back and tell me how it worked for you.

Part two:

Cranberry, orange coffee cake / pie

I had about three cups of nice plump juicy cranberries left after using one cup in the brioche bread. 

My friend Diane shared her recipe for this "peach" of a cranberry pie with me. While the bread was in the oven I quickly assembled the needed components.

• Unsalted butter
• Cranberries
• Sugar (I used Brown)
• Orange juice and zest
• Salt
• Eggs
• Vanilla
• A.P. flour

That was the hardest part of this recipe. Now all that was left was to mix it all together in the pie pan.

I was not sure if the pie was going to be too tart. To my delight, it was not! It was so tasty and just tart enough! This will definitely grace the Falzon holiday table this year! Thanks Diane, this is a winner! I owe you a chicken dinner! Stop back soon, The Delicata squash in the photo will be pumpkin/ squash pie soon!

Diane has the full recipe at her homestead: 

Diane's Dynamics Cranberry Pie

  

Very Berry - Three Berry Pie

Very Berry Pie
By, Will Falzon
Ingredients

1. 2 pie crust 9” (My recipe below)
2. 32 oz. Frozen mixed berries
3. 1 Pink Lady apple, grated and squeezed dry
4. ½ Cup Brown sugar (Not Packed)
5. 1 Tsp. Lemon juice
6. ¼ Cup Balsamic Glaze
7. 1 Tbs. Unsalted Butter
8. ½ tsp. Salt
9. 1/3 Cup Tapioca Flour
   

Instructions.
Preheat oven to 350F. 15Min. Before the pie is ready for the oven

1. Rinse berries in cold water, place in a large colander/strainer, over a large bowl. Let the berries defrost and release there juices. Ether, over night in the fridge, or on the counter. Reserve all of the berry juice.
2. Add the salt and Lemon juice to the defrosted berries, allow to macerate
   for another 20min. At room temp.
3. Reduce the collected berry juice to ¼ the original volume. You should have about two cups worth. Reduce to ¼ cup. Place the juices and butter in a microwave safe glass, 4 cup measure. Microwave on high, 2min. at a time, stirring to release trapped air bubbles; at the 2min. Intervals.
4. Combine the reduced berry juice, Berries, Apple, Brown sugar, Balsamic glaze and Tapioca flour. Mix well
5. Place one pie crust in a 9” pie pan.
6. Place the berry mixture into the pie shell
7. Cover with the second pie pastry. Fold the top pastry under the bottom pastry and press to seal.
8. Flute the edge of the pie all the way around
9. Slice 6 vent holes in the center of the pie
10. Bake in the 350F preheated oven for 1:15min. Or until the filling is bubbling at the vent holes.

Optionally, you can paint the pie top with some egg white and sprinkle with a little white sugar before baking.

Pie Pastry, dough 

Ingredients

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ tsp. Baking Powder
• 3 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
• About 3/4 cup ice water
  Makes 4 -  9 to 11 inch pie crusts. Enough for 2, two crust Pies.

Preparation

1. Sift flour with salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.
2. Beat egg with vinegar in a 1-cup measure using a fork, then add enough ice water to measure 1 cup total. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until incorporated.
3. Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently with heel of your hand just enough to bring dough together. Roll out or pat into a 15- by 9-inch rectangle. Arrange dough with short side nearest you, then fold into thirds like a letter to form a roughly 5- by 9-inch rectangle. Divide dough into 4 equal sized disks. I weigh the dough. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour and up to 6. Alternatively, you could freeze at this point, for use later.

Apple Pie

Yesterday, my bride was going to be out all day. That left me, with the kitchen to myself! I quickly decided, to try my hand at an end of summer apple pie. For this bake I used two recipes as reference, with minimal changes as follows:
The filling:  http://www.joyofbaking.com/ApplePie.html
1. substituted the pastry formula
2. Used Tapioca flour instead of corn starch

The Pastry: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cafe-Azuls-Pastry-Dough-107241

1. I used "only" three sticks of butter

Lets get started!
First, I made sure everything I used to make the pastry spent time in the fridge or freezer. The pie pan, silicone mats, the vinegar and so on.

After I spiced and salted the filling, I let it sit at room temp. for about an hour to release the natural juices.

Meanwhile, I got started on the pastry. All the dry ingredients, with the fat ready to cut in.

The fat is cut in, ready to add the wet ingredients. It is important not to over work the dough; If it seems to be dry add a Tbs. of water at a time, till you can squeeze it together into a ball. Over working, will make the pastry tough. Smile, live and learn.

In my haste to keep the dough cool, I neglected to get any photos of the coming together, folding. Ready for a rest in the fridge, to chill out.

The pastry is chilled and ready to roll!

The pastry was surprisingly easy to roll out! This is the part where I have failed in the past. Now the bottom and top pastry dough, go back in the fridge, to chill. While I work on the filling.

I drained the filling in a colander for 30 minutes, probably could have went longer. However I got exactly 1/2 cup, just as the recipe called for. I Reduced the liquid with the butter. Time to pull it all together!

After adding the tapioca and the reduced liquid to the filling. I Then, placed the pastry and filling in the pan.

Carefully, I place the top pastry. Truth be told this pastry was very easy to handle.

The top pastry, vented, with the edges fluted. I made a mess fluting the crust. I will get better with practice. I was told this is called a rustic pie. I think, that is just a nice way of telling me, I screwed the pooch! However, as you will see, it did not come out half bad. "Rustic" LOL.

After 55 minutes out of the oven!

10 minutes later, out of the pan clean, on to the cooling rack.

The proof is in the tasting. The filling was divine. The pastry was just a little tough. I over worked the dough; instead of using my first instinct, to add a little more water. Not a fail, but next time, I will do better!

 Until next time, peace out!

 Will F,
AKA
 The baking Fool!