CHERRY LEMONADE PIE

CHERRY LEMONADE PIE

Summertime.  That amazing part of anyone in the Midwest's life that brings back hordes of memories of warm, still afternoons - the sounds of the neighborhood kids, released from classroom studies, laughing and playing in the yards up and down the street.  The tick-tick-tick of a sprinkler.  A busy lawn mower somewhere down the block.  And the unexpected surprise of the ice cream truck's music as it gets closer.

I could go on like some Thornton Wilder monologue for about another hour and a half.  Those are the summer sounds and memories that I remember.  We all have our own associations with summer vacations, family trips, running wild in the neighborhood, sprinklers, swimming pools, the list is endless.  ONE of the fantastic memories I remember is this pie recipe that my mother used to make for Lemonade Pie.  Which, was slightly altered courtesy of a SECOND receipe for the drink version, which was another memory from my teens that a favorite friend used to make that was a sure sign that Summer was finally here.

CHERRY LEMONADE PIE:

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 7 tablespoons butter, melted

Lemonade Filling:

• One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
• One 12-ounce container whipped topping, thawed
• One 6-fluid-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate, unthawed
• One Package of Kool-Aid or Wylers Cherry Flavored Mix
• 1/2 Cup Sugar

Directions:

Crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In medium bowl, stir together the cracker crumbs, sugar and the melted butter until combined and resembles a wet sand mixture. Pour into a pie plate and press the mixture firmly along the bottom and sides. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.


Filling:
In a large bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk and whipped topping. Fold the two together gently until combined, being careful to keep the mixture light and fluffy. Add the lemonade concentrate and continue to gently fold. Be sure to avoid letting the mixture get too liquid-y. Add hald the package of Kool-Aid/Wylers and 1/2 cup sugar.  Pour the filling into the pie crust. Place in the freezer to chill overnight.


STAR ANISE ITAILIAN PLUM PIE

Star Anise Italian Plumb Pie

Most every with me has a back story, anecdote, or some sort of history.  So, with this little pie, it should come as no surprise that it too, has one.  Now, you may have just rolled your eyes thinking "Oh, awesome.  Tedious commentary before we get to the good stuff."  Well, the story's pretty good, too.

Recently, some very dear friends of mine made the move to the Great Southwest for some new opportunities, maybe a little adventure, and a chance to do some great things.  The Mrs. of their household was one of the most enterprising young ladies I've had the pleasure of knowing, and was a true maven at things like canning, food storage, amazing recipes, soap & bathgoods making....the list of her accomplishments could be its own blog.  Before she and her family left, I had the chance to "shop" in her pantry to help lessen the moving.  Of the many items I came home with, was 2 quarts of Star Anise Italian Plumbs!

Italian Plumbs have a fairly short availability season in most grocers.  Particularly, the GOOD grocers.  Be on the look out of these in late summer/early spring.  They're smaller than regular plums and almost look like large figs.  The  taste and texture is amazing, and they peel, can, and bake up fantasticly. 

Now, I realize that many of us DO NOT can food at home, and don't let the fact that these were canned in advance.  I'm including notes for substitutions of that below as well.

For those of you feeling ambitious, and wanting to try canning them in advance, feel free to check out this link.  **PLEASE NOTE:  It helps to peel your plumbs first before canning as suggested in the link.

http://foodinjars.com/2009/09/blackberry-winner-plums-in-honey/

Now....as to the recipe for this pie:

STAR ANISE ITALIAN PLUM PIE:

Ingredients:

4 cups sliced Italian Plums in Honey/Star Anise Syrup  (See Note Below) 

1/2 cup Sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 Cup Almond Slivers

1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie pastry

**Ingredient Note:  Bakers not using pre-canned plums can substitute with regular plums that have been peeled of their skin & sliced thin.  For the anise flavor, a 1/4 teaspoon of Anise flavoring or powdered Anise may be added to the filling.

Crumb Toppinng:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3 tablespoons cold margarine

1/4 cup almond slivers

Directions:

1. In bowl, combine first 7 ingredients.  Pour into pastry shell.
For topping, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.
2. Cut in margarine until coarse.  Sprinkle over plums.
3. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 60 minutes or until golden brown.  Be sure to place a drip pan or cookie sheet underneath your pie plate - this one drips!

RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP CHARLOTTE RUSSE PIE

So, the first posting is a new favorite of mine, which is a fantastic little summer pie!  Raspberry Chocolate Chip Charlotte Russe Pie.  Now, some of you may be reading this and wondering "Isn't Charlotte Russe a clothing store?"  Well, yes it is.  However, the brand/retailer borrowed the name from a pretty amazing dessert, much like this one!

Now, before I get swept away in the awesome that is this pie, let's clear up a common misunderstanding.  There are two different styles of desserts:  Charlotte Russe & Charlottes.  A Charlotte is wonderful cake, cream, and fruit confection that is absolutely lovely with a good cup of coffee.  Some of my "Downton Abbey" friends might remember in Season 1 that Lady Grantham had a little knock-about with Mrs. Pattmore regarding an "Apple Charlotte", which Mrs. Pattmore refused to make because she was losing her sight?  THAT is a Charlotte.

As to Charlotte Russe...Charlotte Russe is what a meringue wants to be when it grows up.  It's a sweet, frothy, delicious little confection that you're not likely to forget.  The traditional recipe is commonly made in a spring form pan lined at bottom & sides with Grand Marnier (orange flavored liqueur) soaked ladyfinger pastry.  It can be made, much like a chiffon pie filling, in almost any flavor, and is usually a pretty major hit at table.

That being said, I saw no reason this couldn't be futzed with, and adapted into pie form.  So, here's what I did:

PIE FILLING:

• 1 8inch Pie Crust
• 1/4  cup orange-flavored liqueur
• 1/4 cup Magic Shell Chocolate Sundae Topping
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (I suggest using Knox brand)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 (10-oz.) pkg. frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed
• 1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream, whipped
• 1 cup miniature chocolate chips

Topping:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

STEP 1:

Roll out your pie crust & fill into your pie plate, smoothing into the plate as you go.  Using a fork, prick the bottom of your crust in a "Union Jack" style cross along the bottom of the plate.  Also, prick with a fork all the way around the "walls" of your pie crust.  Crimp your edges with the fork around the lip of your pie plate.  Blind bake for 10-15min. in pre-heated overn at 350' until a very light golden brown.

Remove blind baked crust from the oven, allow to cool about 15min.  Once cool to the touch, take your orange flavored liqueur & brush gently on the inside of your pie crust.  Allow to stand for a minute or two to ensure the crust has absorbed the liqueur.  Take your Magic Shell topping and lightly coat the inside of the pie plate.  Place in freezer to allow it to quickly set.

STEP 2:

In small saucepan, combine water and gelatin; let stand 2 minutes to soften. Heat mixture over low heat until gelatin dissolves, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice and raspberries; beat with wire whisk until frothy. Refrigerate 15 minutes or just until mixture begins to thicken.

STEP 3:

While your raspberry mizture thickens, take your pint of whipping cream and with a KitchenAid or hand mixer, begin to whip the cream until it heavily thickens.

STEP 4:

Gently fold cooled raspberry mixture into whipped cream. Add miniature chocolate chips.  Mix together quite well, and pour into pie crust. Return to refrigerator, as this will need to chill and set before adding your topping. 

STEP 5:

Either keeping your oven at 350, or reheating it, take your butter, and put it in a baking or loaf pan. Place pan in oven for 1 to 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Add almonds; stir until well coated. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes or until almonds are light golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar; stir to coat. Cool completely.  Once cooled completely, set aside for pie topping use.

STEP 6:

In small bowl, combine 1/2 cup whipping cream and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar; beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. Remove pie from refrigerator & spread whipped topping over top.  With a spoon (or a pasrty bag and star tip) drop spoonfuls at the center and around the outside edges with whipped topping.  Place a fresh raspberry on top of each dollop.  Garnish top of dessert areas in between & remaining surface with cooled sugared almonds. Store in refrigerator for 2 hours until ready to serve.



Welcome to The Reader's Piegest!

Hi There!  Welcome to The Reader's Piegest!  I'm starting this blog at the suggestion of a few great friends who decided in their infinite wisdom that I should start writing more about my adventures in all things PIE!

Now, you're probably reading this thus far thinking "Seriously?  This guy's going to write about pie?  As in, just...well...pie?!?"  ABSOLUTELY!!  Because let's face it, most everyone happens to enjoy pie!  And frankly, I happen to really enjoy baking pie!

To begin with, I come from a line of truly amazing cooks & bakers:  grandmother, great-aunt, and mother.  The queen of them all, my great-grandmother, made an incredible impact on my interest in cooking.  Her pies were legendary in our family.  So much so, that at a young age, I went so far as to calling her "The Pie Lady."  It's in thanks to these great ladies, that I dedicate these posts and the results of plenty of pie.

If you think about it, the saying isn't exactly true:  "Easy as Pie."  In fact, most pies aren't.  Each component of a pie has its own element of complexity.  Like life.  Sometimes, our crusts don't turn out and our fillings don't set.  But like pie baking, when things work out, life is all the sweeter.  It's my hope that through these posts, pies, and ponderings that yours will be to!

So, that being said, let's get on with it!  Here's to some great pie & adventures!