Peaches and Cream Pie

It's peach time. Actually, it's been peach time for quite a while and I've been working my way steadily through various pounds of Red Haven peaches that I picked at Kelley Orchards, here in Payette. First I canned them in a star anise/cinnamon syrup, then I gave a whole bunch of them away to the people at work but I still had some left to play with.

Just like with the chard, there comes a point where you're peached out. You look at your counterspace where these sweet, fuzzy, juice fruits are sitting, just waiting to get used up, begging to be canned, eaten, frozen, dried or pickled. Imploring you that their whole purpose of growing was to serve you, the perky peach processor, and fulfill the lofty goal of feeding you, your friends or for lack of better, your chickens. And all you can do is shrug your shoulders and turn a blind eye. Because, like I said, there comes a point where you're peached out.

But you also know that there comes another point, probably three months down the road, where it's cold, dark and windy out there, where you long for summer, for warmth and for fresh produce. And you guiltily remember those peaches...yup, those golden, juicy, sweet peaches. And you beat yourself up for letting those last ones on the counter go to waste. You scold yourself for not putting them up, for not eating them, using them in some way, shape or form.

So....in order to prevent that, I'm back at doing something with the rest of the peaches. And by golly, browsing through Natashya's Living In the Kitchen With Puppies (check out her recipes and fabulous photography!) I came across a mention of Peaches and Cream Pie. Whoa! I'm not usually one for peach pie but, in this case, it sounded wonderful. I sent a quick email to Natashya for some guidance and she kindly sent me the link to this website for the recipe.

I followed the recipe, substituting the tapioca for cornstarch and, since I don't have permission yet to re-post it, I'll just leave you with the link and a picture. Since pie crusts and I have this awkward love-hate relationship, I was hesitant to make my own but since the pie recipe is followed by a Favourite Pie Crust recipe, I just had to try. And I am glad I did! This is going to be my new pie crust recipe, it's fabulously easy and it was love at first sight. I had enough for one large pie and leftover dough and filling for a small one. The big one went to a dear friend whose father was visiting, the small one I ate myself. Wow! The Red Haven peaches are not overly sweet and gain some from the sugary crust and sweet whipping cream. This pie is perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry Sour Cream Pie

I'm back from my trip, and I've brought home the most amazing recipes! Hurrah!! My bag is still unpacked, and there is a huge stack of mail on the counter, but who cares.....I *must* share this recipe with you. On my way to Bryce Canyon in Utah, I stopped in a town so small it didn't even show on the map. Looking for a bite to eat, I ended up in a tiny little café called Mom's Café and had one of the most memorable meals ever, partly because of the excellent food, and partly because of the friendliness of the staff. 

The last part of that meal was of course dessert and when I hesitated because I was already so full, the waitress said I could not possibly leave without trying the sour cream pie. Well, call me a sucker, but who says no to a piece of pie? I, for one, don't and I'm sure glad I didn't. And hopefully, after you tasted it yourself, you're glad I didn't either!!

When I asked for the recipe, I received the typical "oh a cup of this and a tablespoon of that" but no clear directions. I took notes as well as I could, and when I got home, the first thing I did was to pull out a couple of pie shells I keep in the freezer for emergencies, like this :-)

The dough is neither salt nor sweet so is perfect for either quiches, pies or empanadas, so make sure you always have one or two at hand! They thaw in a heartbeat and provide their own pan which saves on dishes to wash.

Since I didn't get proper measurements, I've been trial baking for the last couple of days, much to everybody's enjoyment. The recipe below produces a pie that comes closest to my Utah experience.

Strawberry Sour Cream Pie
1 unbaked pie shell
2 medium eggs
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of sour cream
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For topping:
1 lb fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon of sugar

Heat the oven at 350. Pull the pie shell out of the freezer and set aside. In the meantime, unearth the mixer and beat the two eggs for about five minutes at medium speed, until they've doubled in volume. While mixing, pour in the sugar in three stages, each time waiting until the eggs have successfully absorbed the sugar and mixed it well. After you have mixed in all the sugar, continue to mix until the eggs and sugar combination doubles again in volume, add the sour cream and continue to mix until the dough has a consistent light yellow coloring and a thicker consistency, usually after another five minutes of medium mixing.

While you continue to mix, add the salt and the flour and the vanilla extract, beat until all the flour has been integrated into the mix and pour it into the pie shell. Place the shell in the preheated oven and set the timer for 30 minutes.

For the topping, wash and hull the strawberries, then chop them in little inch-size pieces and toss in a bowl with the sugar. Place in refrigerator.

Bake the pie until the middle is set, or 30 minutes, and set aside to cool. Chill for at least three hours, and place the strawberries on top right before serving. As with everyting, this pie tastes better the next day.

You can replace the strawberries with blueberries, peaches, plums or chocolate shavings.
Okay, it's time for you to get cooking and for me to get my luggage unpacked, see you in a day or two for more road trip recipes!

Mixed Berry Cobbler

When I opened the ad circular of one of our local stores, the words "Freezer Frenzy: March is National Frozen Food Month!" stared me straight in the face, as if mocking me. For the last three days, I have been down with a nasty flu. Just thinking about cooking or food was enough to send me straight back to bed, and I have not made any progress on getting our freezers emptied out. How frustrating!

Looking at the ads again this evening I groan, not so much at the sight of food (I must be getting better!), but because I am missing out on some great deals. It's been "freezer frenzy" in my house since last October and I am not even close to having enough space cleaned out so I can buy new food!

The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) has been coordinating the March National Frozen Food Month promotion for 21 years. Why? Because it works, they say. The sales numbers of frozen foods increase considerably during that month, enough to organize a $10,000 sweepstakes. They also provide recipes and tips at http://www.bringustoyourtable.com/.

Here I learn that not only is March Frozen Food month, but that in the June/July timeframe we can expect a Summer Favorites Ice Cream and Novelties sales event. And when I read that October is the Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Festival month, I am encouraged to continue with my own freezer frenzy project. I may have my freezers empty just in time for the festival! How about you?


Mixed Berry Cobbler

2 cups of frozen berry mix
1 cup of sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup and 2 tablespoons milk, room temperature
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat the oven and set at 350F. Mix the frozen berries with a 1/4 cup of the sugar and set to the side. Stir flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Pour in the milk and stir until you have a smooth batter.

Place the butter in a 9 inch pie pan and swirl around so you cover the bottom of the pan. Pour in the batter, then put the berries on top, spreading them evenly. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden on the middle rack of the oven. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sugar over the pie when it comes out of the oven. Serve warm with some vanilla ice cream.

Biscuit Apple Pie

Ohhhhhhhh where does time go? Last thing I knew I was preparing the recipe for my Biscuit Apple Pie, and all of a sudden a new year has come along and it's been ages since I wrote. Well, no more dilly-dallying, here we go! Did your freezer get any emptier over the holidays? Were you able to flush out that icebox? I look forward to hearing from you!

Ziploc bags are the ultimate tool for storing food in your freezer, I marvel, while I extract one very flat, large frozen bag out of my freezer. The light brown lumpy contents do not look very appetizing, but for once I know what this bag holds: in big, black Sharpie letters it says "Rome Apples w/cinnamon and raisins". Furtherdown it has a date, "10/25/2005" and a measurement, "4 cups". Well, there you go then, four cups of apples with cinnamon and raisins, prepared by me (I recognize the handwriting), not too long ago.

One of the blessings of living in the country is the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables that are readily available, either from your own grounds or from a farmer down the road. During apple harvesting time, we try to enjoy the apples in all its varieties: fresh, baked, boiled (with a little bit of sugar you can have instant applesauce!) and ofcourse in apple pie. The ones I don't get to use immediately I freeze, so I can enjoy a wonderful apple pie in the wintertime. Here is how I do it. Core and peel five to six apples, depending on their size. Put the slices in a pan, add one tablespoons of lemon juice and toss to coat. Then add 3 tablespoons of apple juice, cider or just water and slowly bring to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of plump raisins, 2 tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon or apple pie spice to taste. Everybody likes their cinnamon either stronger or weaker, so go with what you like best. I use 2 teaspoons. The apples will release part of their juices so that, together with the sugar, it will form a sticky syrup. You may add some more water or juice during the short cooking process to make sure the apples don't burn. Instead of raisings, you can add dried cranberries, or substitute apples for pears. No rules here!

Boil on a slow fire for about 10 minutes, then take the pot off the fire and let it cool. When cooled down enough, taste for cinnamon and sweetness and if you like it, pour the apples with the syrupy juice in the ziploc bags, and push out all the air. Zip them, then lay them flat on the counter, so you can mark them. Try to find a flat spot in your refrigerator and allow them to cool for a couple of hours before you put them in the freezer. By freezing them flat, you can stack them afterwards, which saves a lot of space.

Biscuit Apple Pie

1 bag of frozen apple slices
1 roll of biscuits (refrigerated)
3 tablespoons of melted butter

Thaw one of the frozen bags of apple slices. In the meantime, open a roll of biscuits (for a 9 inch springform I use 10) , separate each biscuit on the counter and let them breathe for a couple of minutes, then roll each one flat with a rolling pin. If you don't have a rolling pin, no worries, just use a lightly floured wine bottle or a pop bottle. Coat the springform with an anti-stick spray, and lay each rolled out biscuit in the pan, first covering the bottom, then the sides. The biscuits usually stand to be pulled and stretched a bit, so you should have plenty to cover the bottom and sides. When done, brush the inside of the dough with the melted butter. If you have biscuit dough left, you can cut it in strips and make one of those fancy lattice pies, just make sure to brush the top of the lattice with some of the leftover butter.

Pour the thawed apple slices and syrup into the form. The oven should be preheated at 400 degrees and baked approximately 30 minutes. If you make a lattice top, lay a cooking spray coated piece of aluminum foil over it, and remove that in the last 10 minutes, to avoid burning the dough.

Pull out the springform and check to see if the biscuit is done. If yes, hurrah, turn off the oven, put the pie where it can cool before you "spring" that form. If not, go in three minute increments.

This is a thick, bready dough for a great apple pie. Hope you like it!

Blueberry Crumble

The online Merriam-Webster dictionary (http://www.m-w.com/) gives the following definitions for "flush":

1. Verb; to expose or chase from a place of concealment
2. Noun: a rinsing or cleansing as if with a flush of water
3. Adjective: filled to overflowing

Well, I can't say they're not appropriate. So today I am starting the daunting task of dealing with whatever it is that my freezers hold, starting with the items that I readily recognize......
The first thing I see when I open the top freezer door on our refrigerator is half a bag of frozen blueberries. I cannot for the life of me remember what I did with the other half but since I'm having friends coming over dinner today, I guess I can make a dessert with blueberries. I also spot a bag with two blueberry bagels, leftovers from a weekend breakfast some time ago.

By the way, if your supermarket sports a Quick Sale section for day old breads or bagels, grab a bag or two on your way out, as bagels freeze beautifully. Slice them, if they don't come pre-sliced, before you freeze them so all you have to do is pop them in the toaster and hey presto! fresh bagels for all :-)

Blueberry Crumble

1 cup (or whatever you have left) of frozen blueberries
2 apples, peeled, cored and wedged
2 blueberry bagels
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 stick butter, divided

Place apples, half of the butter, the cinnamon and ginger and one tablespoon of brown sugar in a microwave bowl and zap them for 2 minutes. All microwaves are different but the goal is for the butter and sugar to melt and soften the apples. If you are not sure how long that will take, go with one minute first, poke the apples with a fork to see if they've tendered, and if not zap them a little longer. When done, pour the apples with the butter/cinnamon sauce in a baking dish, and top with the frozen blueberries. In the meantime, cut the bagels up in little pieces and put them through the blender, until you have a coarse crumbles. Preheat the oven at 350F. Mix the bagel crumbles with the remainder of the sugar and cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. (I never said this was low-cal, no-carb!) Cover the blueberries with the topping. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Hurrah! I've made a dent, albeit small, in my freezer surplus. By the way, you can vary this recipe with whatever you have available. Cinnamon-raisin bagels are great for an all apple crumble, and onion bagels really add body and taste to a potato gratin dish. Be creative!