Food Memories - My very favorite pie!

I grew up an oil brat.  My Daddy moved us about every 18 months to 3 years until I was in middle school.  We rarely spent big holidays at home.  My Dad's parents had long since passed away but my Mom's parents were still living and made their home in Homer, Louisiana for the duration of my childhood.  We went to my grandparents home on my Mom's side for most of the big holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas until my Meemaw passed away when I was 21 years old.  I also spent lots of time in the summers with her in my time off from school. It was a place that acted as an anchor for me in the midst of all the change we had with my father's job.  It was a familiar cozy lovely nourishing place to be for me.   Meemaw rarely shook things up when she cooked for us.  We loved the familiarity of her meals. She always said that she would make something different if we wanted it but we never wanted that.  There was just something very comforting in those same meals each time we went. We had black-eyed peas made with salt pork or bacon and onion with just about every meal.  She would slow cook them all day and the whole house smelled heavenly!  We also had roasted chicken and cornbread dressing for big meals with vegetable sides.  Holiday and Sunday meals were very similar to each other.  We rarely deviated from that tradition.  I don't even think I ate turkey for Thanksgiving until I was in my teens.  My Dad and my Meemaw preferred chicken and no one else minded or complained. She also kept things on hand such as homemade plum jelly that she or a friend would make each summer.  She kept hamburger buns stocked for toasting in the little toaster oven.  She would slather them with butter and pop them in to get a golden crunchy top to them.  There were always homemade biscuits stashed in the freezer.  She would put them on a tray in the oven at a moments notice.  She might do that 3 or 4 times in a morning as we would straggle out of bed one at a time and work our way to the kitchen.  She always had fresh coffee and as a young girl I would have a little of that coffee with my milk and sugar in my own special mug.   Her pantry held things like peanut butter to go with that plum jelly for lunch or a snack.  She kept small single bags of Fritos to go with our sandwiches.  Fritos are still my favorite!  There were little 8 ounce cokes in glass bottles chilling in the refrigerator.  She kept several little snack items on hand but the one I remember most were the Honey Buns.  I loved it all... she never made anything that I did not love.   There was one thing, though, that was and will remain my most favorite thing she ever made.... her BUTTERMILK PIE!  She was a master pie maker and did do many different kinds over the years but that Buttermilk was always the one we asked for first.  It is a pie that many people today don't make anymore.  It is rich and sweet and it does not take much to satisfy the craving.  It is fantastic with a cup of your favorite coffee.   Here is the recipe I pulled from her stacks after she passed away.  I have kept all of her handwritten and clipped recipes but this one gets the most use to this day.  Second most used is probably her cornbread or ice cream recipes.   Meemaw's Buttermilk Pie You need: 1 (9-10 inch) unbaked pie shell 1/2 cup butter or margarine (I only use butter unsalted) 2 cups sugar 3 slightly rounded Tbsp. flour 3 eggs, beaten 1 cup buttermilk 1 tsp. vanilla Cream margarine of butter and sugar. Add flour and eggs; beat well. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake 45 to 50 minutes at 350*. Cool completely on wire rack before cutting and serving. Want a list of other pies people don't make much anymore?  Here are some articles I found about Retro Pies 5 Retro Pies Sugar Milk Pie 8 Forgotten Pies We Should Bring Back

Daring Baker May Challenge...

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Preparation time
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes

15-20 min to make dough
30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the filling
20-30 min to roll out and stretch dough
10 min to fill and roll dough
30 min to bake
30 min to cool

Apple strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Tips
- Ingredients are cheap so we would recommend making a double batch of the dough, that way you can practice the pulling and stretching of the dough with the first batch and if it doesn't come out like it should you can use the second batch to give it another try;
- The tablecloth can be cotton or polyster;
- Before pulling and stretching the dough, remove your jewelry from hands and wrists, and wear short-sleeves;
- To make it easier to pull the dough, you can use your hip to secure the dough against the edge of the table;
- Few small holes in the dough is not a problem as the dough will be rolled, making (most of) the holes invisible.

Both Courtney and I did a trial run on making the strudel. Below are our notes:

Courtney's notes
- She could't get it to stretch to 2 feet by 3 feet, it turned out more like 2 feet by 2 feet. But the dough was tissue thin nevertheless;
- She got some serious holes, but after rolling it wasn't noticeable;
- She used a large cheese cloth which helped manipulate and stretch the dough more than a heavier cloth would have.

My notes
- I made the dough by hand, just mixed the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Kneaded it for about 5 min like you would bread dough. This worked as well. Haven't tried using a standmixer so I don't know how it compares.
- Instead of cider vinegar I used red wine vinegar;
- I used bread flour;
- Picking up the dough to let it stretch didn't work well for me, holes appeared pretty much instantly. Instead I stretched the dough while it was lying on the tablecloth by putting my hands underneath and stretching it out further and further;

Here's a link to a strudelmaking video that might help you a bit.

Finished the Pastry Practicals...

Our Mexican Breads Class with all our baskets of bread we made for finals

My personal basket of all that I made last night (I am hoping to do those posts for you guys to show you all the different kinds we did this semester - hang on... I am almost done for the semester) :)

Me with my finished basket! :)

My plated dessert - a deconstructed Buttermilk Pie...

Things I could have done better were using a simple syrup on the fruit instead of powdered sugar, use an element to tie the other elements together somehow and use a white chocolate component. The powder on the plate is nutmeg, btw... :) I could have also done more of a Linzer cookie, which is actually what I had originally intended, and then put the candied lemon rind on top of the fruit instead. I will keep tweaking this plating.

Houston Trip Eats... Fredricksburg stop

We made a fast and furious trip to Houston last weekend for the oldest boy in our family. He won, for the second year in a row, a composition competition held by the TMTA (Texas Music Teachers Association). All our children are student affiliates with this program. He performed on the Original Composers Recital on Sunday at noon. What a treat! But you don't come here for the bragging... that is usually done on my main family blog. You came for the food!!!

On our way there we stopped off in Fredricksburg, Texas for some German Pastries and bread. Here is a bit of the adventure for you...

This is a small town restaurant with a little bakery counter. The aroma as you walk in is fantastic!!!

They had shelves lined with a variety of White Bread, Rye Bread, Pumpernickel Bread and Wheat/Multi-grain Bread. The loaves are beautiful!

Here is a bit more close up


The Pastry Windows! YUM!!!

So, now the question is... "Was the food good?"

This picture says it all...

Working on a project...

I have a birthday coming in my house in June - it is NOT mine. It is my darling baby boy's birthday. He will be 3. I ordered a cake pan with plans to alter it. I know there was a cake pan for what I wanted but I wanted to use this one more than once. I do have three boys and a car loving husband afterall. So, what I did was buy this one...





















In hopes of turning it into...















What do you think? I think I can do this... We shall see! LOL

I bought it from Sweet Graces and the lady that owns it was AMAZING!!! She sent me recipe and instructions sheets after she shipped the pan to me. I wish I could meet her and hug her neck!!! She is a sweetheart...

A Treasure...

I am aware that this is the LAMEST foodie blog on the planet right now. I have so much I want to share and just NO time to share it. We are moving into our final weeks of the semester and then I get three whole weeks before I start summer school. I will be completing International Cuisine and Garde Manger in a short time and then for the summer I am taking Purchasing and Food Service Management. We don't have kitchen classes in the summer due to the high temperatures the kitchen reaches over the summer months here in the desert southwest.

I did order something really cool today though that I have been drooling over for months online... We got our tax check and Dan sent me to order it. A bread baker's dream book... It is out of print and VERY pricey!!! I am so stoked!!!!!

A recipe I shared in class...

During our recent study of the British Isles I took one of my cookbooks in for Chef to take a look at. I am part Irish and am pretty well versed in the foods because I have made it a point to study it over the years. I had made most of the dishes we were making in class already so he told me to make this particular cake from my book called Festive Foods of Ireland by Darina Allen. Here is the recipe for that cake. It was very much like a fruit cake soaked in beer. It was very tasty... I copied it directly from the cookbook so this is all Darina Allen's genius! ;)

Porter Cake Recipe

This fruit cake is made with the famous black stout of Ireland. Its distinctive flavour makes it a great favourite so much so that it is even exported in tins to Irish emigrants in the United States.

2 sticks of butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 ¼ cups stout (Guinness or Murphy)
Zest of 1 orange (I actually used two)
1 cup currants
1 cup raisins
½ cup mixed peel
4 cups plain white flour
½ tsp. Bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp. Mixed spice
½ cup glace cherries (like Marichino cherries I believe)
3 eggs

1. Melt butter and sugar in a saucepan with the stout.
2. Add the orange zest and all the fruit except the cherries. Bring to the boil and boil for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until lukewarm.
3. Sieve the flour, soda and spice into a mixing bowl. Add the fruit mixture to the flour and then add the cherries.
4. Whisk the eggs and add gradually, mixing well.
5. Spoon the mixture into a prepared 9 inch round tin and bake in the middle of a preheated 350 degree oven for about 1 ½ hours.
6. If you wish you may pour 4 tablespoons of stout over the cake when it is cooked (prick the cake with a skewer first). Keep for a day before cutting. This cake will keep well for several weeks in a tin.

The italic is my addition.

Spinach Quiche...

This one is still kinda in progress but it is really good as it is here.

Spinach Quiche
Cook 4 slices of bacon and crumble, set aside.

Mix 1 small can mushroom pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup cooked spinach
brown all vegetables in skillet and set aside.

Mix:
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
2 Tblsp. all purpose flour
1 cup cheddar cheese
In a pie crust, place crumbled bacon and sauteed vegetables. Pour egg mixture over the top of bacon and veggies in pie crust. Place quiche into shallow baking pan on oven rack. Pour boiling water around quiche in baking pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake in a 325* oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes. Serves 6.

The Peach Cobbler

I made peach cobbler while I was home. My Dad brought fresh peaches from a local farmer for me to use. Here is the recipe and some pictures for you to enjoy...

Melt one stick of butter or margarine in a casserole dish. In a mixing bowl combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, four teaspoons baking powder and one cup milk. Mix them well and then pour them into the baking dish with the melted butter. DO NOT STIR TOGETHER JUST POUR IT AND LEAVE IT ALONE. Then add your peaches, which have been macerating in sugar and a bit of flour to thicken and form juice, into the batter mixture and DO NOT STIR THAT EITHER. It will cook in such a way that the batter will form a crust all the way around the peaches and up to cover the top. Place baking dish on a baking sheet and put into a 350 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes or until golden brown on top. You can use canned fruit pie filling for this recipe, too. Serve with ice cream or whipped topping. Here are the results...

Cranberry Upside Down Cake (fabulous!!!)

Cranberry Upside Down Cake (fabulous!!!)

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 3/4 pound cranberries 11/2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup granulated sugar 2 egg yolks 1 teaspoon plus a few drops vanilla extract 1/2 cup milk 2 egg whites 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar Place 4 tablespoons of the butter and the brown sugar in a 9-inch cake pan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is melted, 1 minute. Swirl to coat the sides with the butter. Place the cranberries on top of the melted butter and sugar. Preheat the oven to 350�F. In a bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the sugar together in another bowl. Add the egg yolks to the creamed mixture, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and mix well. Add the milk alternately with the dry ingredients, folding well after each addition. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the peaks hold their shape. Fold the whites into the cake batter. Spread the batter over the fruit in the cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and run a small knife around the edge of the pan. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving platter and let it sit for another 5 minutes with the pan on the top. Remove the pan. Whip the cream to soft peaks. Add a few drops of vanilla and the confectioners� sugar and mix. Serve slices of cake with the softly whipped cream. Serves 8 to 10 from Joanne Weir

Whole Wheat Dough with variations

A Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

1 1/3 cups of milk (I use milk powder to make the equivalent of this to save on the milk)
1/4 cup of water
2 Tblsp honey or sugar
4 tsps. butter or margarine (I prefer butter unsalted)
3 1/2 cups hard white flour freshly milled (you can use whole wheat from the store)
1/2 cup soft white flour freshly milled (you can use unbleached white from the store)
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsps active dry yeast

Add all ingredients in the order listed into your bread machine. Cook on the whole wheat setting. My bread machine makes this a cinch to make each day. I often set it the night before to be ready upon waking. It is a good texture for sandwiches because of the 1/2 cup soft white flour, otherwise it is too stiff and dries out quickly. The taste is awesome and it is very healthy.

Quick Dough for Every Day

1 cup warm water (not hotter than about 100 degrees)
1 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
1 Tbsp honey or sugar
2 1/2 cups flour (hard milled either white or red)
1/4 cup soft white flour
Pinch of salt
1 Tbsp Olive Oil (I use Extra virgin - or EVOO)

Mix the water, yeast and honey in the Kitchen Aid mixer and let sit for about 10 minutes. The yeast mixture will start to bubble up. Add the dough hook attachment and then put in the remainder of the ingredients. Let it knead for about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from machine and knead on counter for a minute or two. Shape into whatever you desire to make. This rises quickly so you can make pizzas or breadsticks almost immediately.

For dinner rolls you need to form and let them rise on a baking sheet under a clean kitchen towl for about 30-60 minutes. I use this recipe for all my pizza baking. You can add cornmeal to the surface to roll out the pizzas dough. It keeps it from sticking to the counter very well.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup margarine or butter (I use butter) 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 2 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp salt 2/3 cup cocoa 2 1/2 cups flour 3/4 tsp baking soda 2 cups chocolate chips 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Cream butter; add brown sugar and eggs. Mix in vanilla, salt and cocoa. 3. Stir in flour and baking soda. Add chocolate chips. 4. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool 1 minute before taking from cookie sheet. Makes about 5 dozen. This recipe was taken from Beyond Macaroni and Cheese by Mary Beth lagerborg and Karen J. Parks

Walnut Chip or Cookie Pie

1 cup sugar 1/2 cup all purpose flour 2 eggs 1 stick butter, melted & cooled 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 cup chocolate or white chips 1 tsp. vanilla extract 9 inch deep dish pie crust Mix first 7 ingredients together and pour into pie crust. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour. Makes 8 to 10 servingsBorrowed from gooseberrypatch.com archives(This is one of our favorites and very easy to make!)

Our Favorite Pie Pastry

This recipe is great for making several pies at once. 4 cups flour 2 cups Crisco 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup water - can substitute apple juice chilled (cold) 1 Tbsp. vinegar 1 egg beaten Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and Crisco. Add water, vinegar, and egg. Rolls out best if chilled first. Makes about 6 crusts. (Yoder Community Recipes, Yoder Kansas) We used to live up in Amish country which was amazing and beautiful. I loved the little restaurant they had there in Yoder, Kansas. While going through to the state fair we stopped and ate and Dan bought me their community cookbook. I have always been totally fascinated with Amish life and this was a real treat for me. I use this cookbook at least once or twice a week. Very downhome food!

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

We love Susan Branches version - this came from her 2001 Recipe calendar) Preheat oven to 450* 14 green apples, peeled, cored and sliced (if you buy larger apples you only have to use about 8 or so) 1 cup brown sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. salt 3 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 2 Tbsp. butter Combine all ingredients except butter. Pour into pie shell, piling high in the middle. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Cut out vents in top center. Bake on cookie sheet 10 minutes at 450*, reduce heat to 350* and bake 40-50 minutes longer until apples are tender and crust is brown.

Pecan Pie

(or you can substitute walnuts)

3 eggs 1 cup white sugar 1 cup white syrup (Karo) 1 rounded Tbsp. flour 1 tsp. vanilla 2 tsp. waterPinch of salt 3 Tbsp. butter or oleo, melted 1 cup pecans 1 unbaked pie crust Mix eggs, sugar, syrup, flour, vanilla, water, salt, and butter together. Pour into unbaked pie crust that has been covered with pecans. Bake at 350* for 45 to 55 minutes. (Yoder Community Recipes, Yoder Kansas)

Pumpkin Pie

1 (9 inch) pie shell 1 1/4 cups cooked pumpkin (canned is fine) 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. ginger 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 2 slightly beaten eggs 1 1/2 cups canned evaporated skim milk or regular milk Combine pumpkin, sugar, and spices until well blended. Stir in slightly beaten eggs until mixed thoroughly. Gradually add milk and blend well. Pour into pie shell and bake in 400* oven for about 40 minutes, or until knife inserted between center and the edge comes out clean. Not sure where I got this one but it is a good one