Pies
It always surprises me how many people are unfamiliar with rhubarb. Almost every time I buy it, I have to explain to the cashier what it is. My mother once accidentally dropped a small piece of raw rhubarb into a stranger’s pocket at a Mariners game. Worried that he might think she had done it…
A friend recently invited us to see the French band Air. Afterward, we returned to our place for Triple Chocolate Chunk Pecan Pie. The chocolate makes this pie distinctive. You can taste the semisweet, milk and white chocolate while still getting the rich, creamy pecan filling. The combination provides a good balance of flavors and…
A good pie crust takes a little patience, but very little hands-on time. Most of the process is simply allowing the dough to rest and chill, which helps develop a flaky, tender crust that’s easy to roll and less likely to shrink while baking. If you have a food processor, this recipe comes together quickly….
There are a lot of different strudels, both sweet and savory. I’ve only had the sweet variety. Usually, for me, the only memorable part is the phyllo dough covered with confectioners’ sugar. This recipe caramelizes the pears, giving the fruit a nice flavor and texture. Add in the cranberries and almonds, and you’ve got a…
My friend Griselda loves my banana cream pie. At her prodding, we got together to make pie and dinner. Making dinner and hanging out with friends in our kitchen distracted me a bit from photographing the baking process. However, outside of a few missed shots during the crust-making process, there are enough to give you…
A co-worker asked me to make him the apple pie that was made in my baking class. I’ve made several apple pies in the past. I enjoy them, but rarely do I crave them. That all changed with this pie. It is seriously the best apple pie I have ever eaten. I’m glad I took…
I’ve only made Key lime pie once before. It was, in a word, inedible. Seriously bad. Throw-it-in-the-trash-and-pretend-you-never-made-it bad. I’m blaming it on a recipe that called for using the lime rinds. This is a slightly tweaked version of the recipe we used in my Professional Bakeshop Skills class. I used the scraps from the gluten-free…
This week in baking class we covered pies and strudel. A pie is usually made with a pastry crust that holds a filling. The filling can be made with many different ingredients, from sweet to savory, including fruit, meat, cheese, or even fish. The filling is placed into a bottom crust, and an additional crust…
Jeff’s Baking Blog