Real Baking with Rose Discussion Forums

Pecan Pie (baked in a tart pan)

2008-06-16T01:44:13-05:00

My fiance loves pecan pie and I used to hate it before I met him. Since it is his favorite, I made it every year and have discovered that it does not have to be gummy and cloyingly sweet.

Today marks the first time I have made Rose’s version in the Pie and Pastry Bible because I only recently got a tart pan and she does not have a recipe for pecan pie in a regular pie pan. (She must not be the biggest fan of pecan pie either....)

It turned out wonderfully and I had to share it with you all. The chocolate ganache topping is a fabulous match (I used Valhrona so it would have tasted good to me on shoe leather!) for the filling and the crust comes out perfectly crisp. I love the cream cheese crust ~ it is my fave.

There’s a pretty shot zooming in on the beautiful crust http://flickr.com/photos/rachelino/2583311084/ (way too big to post to the forum).

So glad I tried it....

Thickeners for Fruit Pie—new best choice!

2008-07-03T10:28:52-05:00

I just added this as a comment in the blog post on fruit pie thickeners, but I’m so excited about my new discovery that I wanted to share it here too. Since Rose has designed July as Pie Month, I’m hoping she can weigh in on this when she returns from vacation.

Fruit pies are my favorite dessert and I love to bake ‘em, too, but have always been plagued by the thickener problem. No matter what thickener I used (cornstarch, arrowroot, tapioca, flour), any fruit pie that was thick enough not to “run” when cut always tasted too much like the thickener itself (or was gluey).

Now I think I’ve hit on the perfect solution. Here’s a fresh peach pie I made yesterday. You can still see the individual peach slices, it didn’t run, and it tasted like pure peach heaven—the best peach pie I ever made, no question:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3061/2633160883_f213defec8.jpg?v=0 PeachPiePhoto</a>

And the big revelation was that I used a thickener designed to be used in home canning, which I discovered a couple of years ago when I first got into canning and preserving garden fruits and vegetables.

It’s called Clear Jel, and I first learned about it from the USDA book on home canning. They recommended using it when canning fruit pie fillings, because it doesn’t break down when re-heated (i.e., when the canned fruit filling is used in a pie).

As I understand it, it has the same chemical makeup as cornstarch, but is somehow processed differently to prevent its breakdown when heated.

But the big bonus is that I could NOT taste thickener at all in the pie!

I tried it on a whim in this pie because I had just bought some for this summer’s canning. I think it’s destined to become my fruit pie thickener of first choice. (I used 3 tablespoons of it in the pictured pie, and these were VERY juicy peaches. And that pie dish is 10-1/2 inches wide and 2-1/2 inches deep… a BIG pie!)

I live in a small town and couldn’t find it anywhere locally, and wound up getting it through mail order. I got mine from Kitchen Krafts, but a Google search would probably reveal other sources. Or if you’re in a metro area you might find it in specialty shops.

Improving on “Classic” Recipes

2008-06-24T22:01:04-05:00

This was inspired by the following Post.

StartfromScratch - 16 June 2008 01:44 AM
My fiance loves pecan pie and I used to hate it before I met him. Since it is his favorite, I made it every year and have discovered that it does not have to be gummy and cloyingly sweet.

Today marks the first time I have made Rose’s version in the Pie and Pastry Bible because I only recently got a tart pan and she does not have a recipe for pecan pie in a regular pie pan. (She must not be the biggest fan of pecan pie either....)

It turned out wonderfully and I had to share it with you all. The chocolate ganache topping is a fabulous match (I used Valhrona so it would have tasted good to me on shoe leather!) for the filling and the crust comes out perfectly crisp. I love the cream cheese crust ~ it is my fave.

There’s a pretty shot zooming in on the beautiful crust http://flickr.com/photos/rachelino/2583311084/ (way too big to post to the forum).

So glad I tried it....

I’ve never made Rose’s Pecan Pie. I do know that my biggest beef with Pecan Pie is that most versions are sugar pies with Pecans on top. I know that this is what it is to some folks, but I’m in it for the nuts. I pack pecan halves into the pie until they are just covered by the filling. The result is a buttery sweet crunchy PECAN Pie. Pecan halves held together with the filling. Not filling with a topping of pecans. I don’t make them that often, but when I do . . .

Sometimes you just have to be exposed to other versions of the so-called classics. I never liked blueberry pie. Never touched it, until I moved to Maine. If you have never had a blueberry pie made with wild Maine blueberries (fresh or frozen), you haven’t had blueberry pie. Look for them in your freezer section. Wyman’s is a good brand that, I believe, may be distributed farther afield.

Does anyone want to weigh in on their “Eureka!” moments with classic recipes? Tradition is not always the best thing. Just because it’s always been that way, doesn’t mean it can’t be improved. I don’t mean jalepeno, cayenne, ultra-bittersweet chocolate pecan pie extreme makeover recipes. I mean, the thing that transformed your favorite or feared receipe from traditional to fabulous. Maybe the fruitcake that people actually looked forward to eating. (I have one that we made, and although it was good, its twin is still in the downstairs fridge some two years later.)

Thoughts?

JennyBee

thickly bubbling

2008-05-22T09:42:19-05:00

Hi, folks-

I’m getting ready to make a cherry rhubarb pie for my husband’s 50th birthday. In the past, the rhubarb has sometimes gotten softer than I would like while I waited for the pie juices to bubble thickly all over. Since the corn starch in this filling is partially cooked ahead of time, could I just take it out of the oven when the crust is golden and the fruit tender but distinct? Iwnat it to be perfect for such an occasion!

Cathy

Cream cheese pie crust

2008-05-21T22:01:32-05:00

hi
i’m new to the site and am sorry to ask a probably frequently-answered question but i am confused. i found a recipe for rose’s favorite cream cheese pie crust on this site. i was so impressed i went out and bought the bible. the problem is that the cream cheese recipe in the book differs from that one the website (which contains heavy cream). Which should I use?

Soggy pie and tart bottoms- help!

2008-05-05T02:46:38-05:00

Hi everyone,

I’ve been lurking on Rose’s blog and here at the forums, and have recently run into a problem that I’m sure our combined brain-power/cooking prowess can solve.

We’ve just moved into an older apartment with a gas oven, which is pretty depressing for me. I have never had any problems with pie and tart crusts until now. Of course, when I was a pastry chef, I had electric ovens, and every other apartment we’ve lived in had electric too. In this old gas oven, the bottom crusts simply refuse to get crisp and golden brown - the sides and tops of my pies and tarts are as gorgeous as ever, but the bottoms are only pale golden, limp and floury-tasting.

The first casualty was an apple pie which was perfect in every way except for the soggy bottom. This was baked just on the rack, in the middle-upper position.

Then yesterday, I tried baking a sour cherry clafouti tart atop a upturned cast iron skillet. The oven (with skillet) had been preheated at 220C for a full hour, my theory being that the ripping hot cast iron would help to crisp the bottom. But alas, that didn’t work too.

Does anyone have experience with gas ovens, or ideas on how to fix this? I’d love to be able to turn out some pies and tarts, especially as winter begins to set in here in Melbourne. I would be most grateful for any insight anyone can cast on this problem.

Cheers,
Christine in Melbourne

egg tart

2008-01-15T08:27:20-05:00

does someone have a good recipe for egg pie or egg tarts? much appreciated if you could share it with me…

sfogliatelle recipe?

2008-04-24T13:18:33-05:00

Does anyone have a tried and true sfogliatelle recipe they would be willing to share?

Cathy

can i substitute pecans for almonds in pie crust

2008-03-15T16:10:42-05:00

I have a recipe for a pie crust that uses 1 cup of almonds. Can I use pecans instead? (I happen to have them on hand, but not the almonds.)

Cannoli Shells

2008-03-11T08:50:49-05:00

Hi,
I’ve been trying for about 7 years to make Cannoli shells. Here is the basic Cannoli Recipe (i’ve tried several and these are the basic ingredients)
1 1/2 cups of flour (180 grams)
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of white wine or sherry
2 tbs of butter

pulse flour and butter in Food Processor until pea-like clump appears. Mix in Sugar and wine. Roll into a ball and coat with a few drops of canola oil. Let rest for about 30 minutes. Roll onto cannoli molds and fry in 4 cups of canola oil until golden.

My problem is that dough is not thin and crunchy like I want, but thick and doughy. If I try to use less dough on the molds, the dough falls off or sticks to the mold. It is also hard to roll out the sticky dough so it is thin enough to cover the whole mold. I really want to get “Making delicious Cannolis” off of my bucket list. Can anyone offer any tips.