What happens when you receive a package from your dear friend who resides in Tokyo? In my home the entire family gathers to see what has been sent. Marie sends me many fun packages. My husband and boys enjoy the chocolates and candy. And, I receive many wonderful girly things like lip balm, hand gel, soaps, etc. I feel like a kid at Christmas for all the packaging is brightly colored and brilliantly decorated. None of the labeling is in English. All the print is Japanese. Sometimes I have no clue what is in the packaging until I open it to peek at the contents.

On one occasion I had left the contents of one of Marie’s care packages on my kitchen table. I was at work one day and my husband called me at work and this is the conversation we had:

My Hubby: “Babe, I think some of the candy Marie sent is bad.”
Me: “Huh? I just ate some last night. Everything seemed fine.”
My Hubby: “The lemon candy tastes like it went bad.”
Me: “What lemon candy?”
My Hubby: “The lemon candy that looks like a giant Sweettart.”
Me: “Hmmm.. I don’t think she sent…oh my god!”
My Hubby: “What?”
Me: “You just ate a bath fizzy.”

My son and my husband had mistaken a bath fizzy for an oversized Sweettart. I have to admit, the bath fizzy did look like a large Sweettart candy, however it did not smell like one. It was a mistake I don’t think either will forget. When asked if they spit it out, they both said, “No.” It tasted bad, but not bad enough to spit out. A little extra fizzy in the belly isn’t a bad thing, I guess!

Here is a much more enjoyable lemon treat if you are as much a fan of lemon flavored treats as my family.

Lemon Meringue Pie (or Tarts)
Pâte Brisée (Martha Stewart)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.

2. With machine running, add ice water through feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly; add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

3. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll to fit size of baking tin(s).

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Place the dough into the pie or tart shell. Using a fork liberally poke holes into the base. (This releases the hot air during baking and prevents bubbles. If you need to do it mid baking cycle very carefully take a fork and poke holes in any raised areas. Be careful not to burn yourself from the steam.)

7. Prebake the pie or tart shell until golden brown; cool completely.

Lemon Filling

4 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
1/3 cup corn starch (plus two tablespoons)
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup lemon juice (Meyer lemons)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

Meringue
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
2 tablespoons sugar

Place egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and then gradually add sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Directions

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Whisk the egg yolks in medium size mixing bowl. Set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine cornstarch, water, sugar and salt. Whisk until combined without lumps. Turn heat on medium and stirring frequently bring mixture to a boil. Boil for 1 minute more. (I left on the heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture almost looked like a gelatin)

4. Remove from heat and add one whiskful at a time, beating constantly, the hot mixture to the egg yolks.

5. When completely blended, return mixture to the stove, cook on low, stirring constantly. After about 2 minutes gently stir in the lemon juice and butter until well combined. Keep on heat, stirring continuously, until thick.

6. Pour mixture into pie shell and top with meringue while the filling is hot. Make sure meringue covers filling and that it goes to the edge of the crust. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until meringue is golden. Remove from oven and cool. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

What happens when you receive a package from your dear friend who resides in Tokyo? In my home the entire family gathers to see what has been sent. Marie sends me many fun packages. My husband and boys enjoy the chocolates and candy. And, I receive many wonderful girly things like lip balm, hand gel, soaps, etc. I feel like a kid at Christmas for all the packaging is brightly colored and brilliantly decorated. None of the labeling is in English. All the print is Japanese. Sometimes I have no clue what is in the packaging until I open it to peek at the contents.

On one occasion I had left the contents of one of Marie’s care packages on my kitchen table. I was at work one day and my husband called me at work and this is the conversation we had:

My Hubby: “Babe, I think some of the candy Marie sent is bad.”
Me: “Huh? I just ate some last night. Everything seemed fine.”
My Hubby: “The lemon candy tastes like it went bad.”
Me: “What lemon candy?”
My Hubby: “The lemon candy that looks like a giant Sweettart.”
Me: “Hmmm.. I don’t think she sent…oh my god!”
My Hubby: “What?”
Me: “You just ate a bath fizzy.”

My son and my husband had mistaken a bath fizzy for an oversized Sweettart. I have to admit, the bath fizzy did look like a large Sweettart candy, however it did not smell like one. It was a mistake I don’t think either will forget. When asked if they spit it out, they both said, “No.” It tasted bad, but not bad enough to spit out. A little extra fizzy in the belly isn’t a bad thing, I guess!

Here is a much more enjoyable lemon treat if you are as much a fan of lemon flavored treats as my family.

Lemon Meringue Pie (or Tarts)
Pâte Brisée (Martha Stewart)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.

2. With machine running, add ice water through feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly; add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

3. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll to fit size of baking tin(s).

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Place the dough into the pie or tart shell. Using a fork liberally poke holes into the base. (This releases the hot air during baking and prevents bubbles. If you need to do it mid baking cycle very carefully take a fork and poke holes in any raised areas. Be careful not to burn yourself from the steam.)

7. Prebake the pie or tart shell until golden brown; cool completely.

Lemon Filling

4 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
1/3 cup corn starch (plus two tablespoons)
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup lemon juice (Meyer lemons)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

Meringue
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
2 tablespoons sugar

Place egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and then gradually add sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Directions

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Whisk the egg yolks in medium size mixing bowl. Set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine cornstarch, water, sugar and salt. Whisk until combined without lumps. Turn heat on medium and stirring frequently bring mixture to a boil. Boil for 1 minute more. (I left on the heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture almost looked like a gelatin)

4. Remove from heat and add one whiskful at a time, beating constantly, the hot mixture to the egg yolks.

5. When completely blended, return mixture to the stove, cook on low, stirring constantly. After about 2 minutes gently stir in the lemon juice and butter until well combined. Keep on heat, stirring continuously, until thick.

6. Pour mixture into pie shell and top with meringue while the filling is hot. Make sure meringue covers filling and that it goes to the edge of the crust. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until meringue is golden. Remove from oven and cool. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

The French have eclairs, Greeks have baklava, Italians have cannolis and the Americans have pies!

Americans have long had a love affair with pies and are proud of their pie heritage. Pie recipes have been handed down from generation to generation and are kept under lock and key. Pies are the true essence of an all American dining experience where comfort food is a trip down memory lane. You can’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy when you have a slice of pie.

A pie speaks a thousand words with its universal appeal. It is versatile and whatever filling you put in it, whether sweet or savory, it always tastes heavenly. This holiday season, no matter which part of the country you are in, it always makes you feel like you’re home.

The Grand Traverse Pie Company is just the place to get your pies. The Grand Traverse Pie Company is located in Michigan, and delivery is available in the U.S. Nationwide. Your dinner table just won’t be complete without a pie to cap off your delicious holiday meal. Photo Credit: Grand Traverse Pie Company

The winner of the hand crafted cutting board is “Rachel”, congrats Rachel from “My Naturally Frugal Family“.

For the holidays we like to dress up our tables. Coconut Custard pie is easily converted into tart form and makes a lovely addition to your dessert table. We love tarts, particularly on holiday tables, because they look a little more polished, as if the pie dressed up for the occasion.

There are many people who think there is a great deal of work that goes into a coconut cream pie. Truthfully, it is one of the easiest pies to make and it seems to receive more than the average compliments. All pies are delicious, but the exotic nature of coconuts seems to add more flavor.
You’ll note in the photos that our coconut cream is very yellow. As you’ll read in the recipe there are 5 large egg yolks in the custard. It is our fortune that organic, free-range eggs from a local farm are sold to us directly from the farm. They are fresh, delicious and above all the egg yolks are an amazingly bright, deep yellow. Anything made with these eggs has a beautiful color.

It may be that some like the white of a coconut cream pie and that is fine. But, the color of this custard speaks to us of a time when women were embarrassed to put brown sugar on the table, preferring the less healthy, refined white sugar because it was a status symbol.
Today this may seem silly to us as we all know that unrefined sugar is much healthier and often preferred. This is how we feel about the eggs. We love the rich color and we do not hesitate, when asked, to say proudly that the eggs used in the custard come from local, healthy, happy, well-fed chickens!

This recipe comes from Martha Stewart. You can use a pate brisee recipe for the crust or sweet tart dough. If you are making this into a tart you have the option to make a variety of sizes. The recipe will yield about 6-8 tartlets or can be used in a large tart pan. And, remember: double your dough recipe and freeze the extra! You’ll be glad you did when you’d like to make a quick pie or tart.

Coconut Cream Pie (or Tart)

Ingredients

1/2 recipe Pate Brisee
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Fresh Coconut Curls
1 large whole egg, lightly beaten, plus 5 large egg yolks
3 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
Chocolate Curls

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch round, a bit less than 1/4 inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, trim crust to a 1/2-inch overhang all around. Fold under overhang so it extends slightly beyond edge of pie plate. Crimp edge as desired. Prick dough all over with a fork. Brush rim of dough with beaten egg. Chill pie shell until firm, about 30 minutes.

2. Line chilled pie shell with a round of parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges of crust just turn golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove parchment and pie weights. Return crust to oven, and continue baking until golden all over 15 to 20 minutes more. Place pie shell on a wire rack to cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

3. Place Coconut Curls on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, tossing occasionally, until fragrant and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

4. Prepare an ice bath; set aside. In a bowl, lightly whisk egg yolks; set aside. In a saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a simmer (do not boil), and cook, whisking constantly, 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Whisk a quarter of hot-milk mixture into egg yolks; whisk in remaining milk mixture. Strain into a clean saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until custard is thick and bubbles appear in center, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface to prevent a skin from forming. Set in ice bath until completely chilled, 30 to 35 minutes. (Filling can be kept in refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, up to 1 day.)

6. Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (do not let bowl touch the water), or in the microwave. Stir until smooth, and set aside until cool to touch, stirring occasionally.

7. Using a pastry brush, coat inside of cooled crust with melted chocolate. Place in refrigerator or freezer until firm to touch, about 10 minutes.

8. Fill crust with coconut custard, spreading evenly with an offset spatula. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, combine cream and confectioners’ sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Using a small offset spatula, spread whipped cream on top of custard. Refrigerate pie at least 3 hours before serving. Garnish with toasted Coconut Curls and Chocolate Curls just before serving.

Pate Brisee

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup chilled (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Directions

1. Make sure all your ingredients are thoroughly chilled before you begin. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl, and stir to combine.

2. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture by pressing down quickly, using as few strokes as possible. You may leave a few pea-size pieces. Add 4 tablespoons water. Gather the dough and gently press into a ball. It should come together loosely; if not, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide dough in half; place each on plastic wrap. Flatten into disks. Wrap tightly; refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

3. Remove disks from refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, press rolling pin gently all over dough to flatten it slightly. Working from the center to the edge in all directions, roll out dough into a round about 3 inches larger than the pie plate.

4. Wrap the dough around the rolling pin; lift and center it over the pie plate. Gently unroll the dough over the plate, leaving an even amount of overhang around the perimeter. Baking time depends on individual recipes.

Sweet Tart Dough

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt into a bowl.

2. Toss butter through flour mixture to coat pieces. Using fingertips, rub fat into flour, working it until you have created a coarse meal with a few pea-size particles of fat.

3. Empty crumbs onto a cool surface. Form mixture into a mound. Make a 4 to 5 inch well in center of the mound. Combine egg and vanilla and pour mixture into the well. Using a fork, draw crumbs into egg mixture, about 1 – 2 tablespoons at a time. When all crumbs are added, toss mixture a few times with a pastry blender to form large clumps, and then scrape into a mound.

4. Using the heel of your hand, push 2 – 3 tablespoons of the dough at a time, outward in 6 to 8 inch sweeps. This will blend fat and flour and give crust a delicate texture. If your hand becomes sticky, flour it as needed. Repeat process until all dough has been worked. Gather dough into a mound again. Repeat procedure 2 more times.

5. After third time, flour your hands. Gently knead the dough 5 or 6 times to make it smooth. Shape into a 5 inch disk. Dust disk lightly with flour, score with side of your hand, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 20 minutes before shaping. DO NOT LET DOUGH BECOME TOO HARD or it will be difficult to roll. If this happens, let pastry soften at room temperature.

6. Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. After dough has been rolled, position rolling pin 4 inches from top of the pastry. Lift dough over top of rolling pin and gently roll dough toward you. Lift pastry up. Make sure you keep a finger pressed against barrel of rolling pin to keep it from slipping. Position pastry, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of dough hanging over edge of pan on side closest to you. Then unroll pastry over an ungreased tart pan, moving pin away from you. Immediately lift overhang into pan to prevent sharp edge of the pan from cutting dough.

7. Working a small portion of the dough at a time, mold it into crease of the pan. Trim excess pastry from top edge of pan. Chill pastry in refrigerator or freezer for up to 30 minutes. Tear an 18 inch square of tin foil. Make a buttered circle in center of foil 2 inches larger than size of pan. Place foil buttered side down, centering it into the baking pan. Using your hand, press foil flush against the sides.

8. Heat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Position shelf in lower third of oven. Fill pan with enough dried beans or baking nuggets to just cover surface of pan. DO NOT OVERFILL. Bake pastry shell on a shallow pan with sides. Bake crust 15 to 18 minutes or until sides begin to brown. Remove pan from the oven. Let stand about 30 seconds. Gently remove foil and beans. Reduce oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Continue to bake crust for 3 to 5 minutes or until it is golden. If bottom of pastry shell puffs up, tap it gently with bottom of a fork to expel the air. Do this carefully so the pastry crust doesn’t break. When crust is done, cool completely before filling.

The winner of the hand crafted cutting board is “Rachel”, congrats Rachel from “My Naturally Frugal Family“.

For the holidays we like to dress up our tables. Coconut Custard pie is easily converted into tart form and makes a lovely addition to your dessert table. We love tarts, particularly on holiday tables, because they look a little more polished, as if the pie dressed up for the occasion.

There are many people who think there is a great deal of work that goes into a coconut cream pie. Truthfully, it is one of the easiest pies to make and it seems to receive more than the average compliments. All pies are delicious, but the exotic nature of coconuts seems to add more flavor.
You’ll note in the photos that our coconut cream is very yellow. As you’ll read in the recipe there are 5 large egg yolks in the custard. It is our fortune that organic, free-range eggs from a local farm are sold to us directly from the farm. They are fresh, delicious and above all the egg yolks are an amazingly bright, deep yellow. Anything made with these eggs has a beautiful color.

It may be that some like the white of a coconut cream pie and that is fine. But, the color of this custard speaks to us of a time when women were embarrassed to put brown sugar on the table, preferring the less healthy, refined white sugar because it was a status symbol.
Today this may seem silly to us as we all know that unrefined sugar is much healthier and often preferred. This is how we feel about the eggs. We love the rich color and we do not hesitate, when asked, to say proudly that the eggs used in the custard come from local, healthy, happy, well-fed chickens!

This recipe comes from Martha Stewart. You can use a pate brisee recipe for the crust or sweet tart dough. If you are making this into a tart you have the option to make a variety of sizes. The recipe will yield about 6-8 tartlets or can be used in a large tart pan. And, remember: double your dough recipe and freeze the extra! You’ll be glad you did when you’d like to make a quick pie or tart.

Coconut Cream Pie (or Tart)

Ingredients

1/2 recipe Pate Brisee
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Fresh Coconut Curls
1 large whole egg, lightly beaten, plus 5 large egg yolks
3 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
Chocolate Curls

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch round, a bit less than 1/4 inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, trim crust to a 1/2-inch overhang all around. Fold under overhang so it extends slightly beyond edge of pie plate. Crimp edge as desired. Prick dough all over with a fork. Brush rim of dough with beaten egg. Chill pie shell until firm, about 30 minutes.

2. Line chilled pie shell with a round of parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges of crust just turn golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove parchment and pie weights. Return crust to oven, and continue baking until golden all over 15 to 20 minutes more. Place pie shell on a wire rack to cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

3. Place Coconut Curls on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, tossing occasionally, until fragrant and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

4. Prepare an ice bath; set aside. In a bowl, lightly whisk egg yolks; set aside. In a saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a simmer (do not boil), and cook, whisking constantly, 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Whisk a quarter of hot-milk mixture into egg yolks; whisk in remaining milk mixture. Strain into a clean saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until custard is thick and bubbles appear in center, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface to prevent a skin from forming. Set in ice bath until completely chilled, 30 to 35 minutes. (Filling can be kept in refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, up to 1 day.)

6. Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (do not let bowl touch the water), or in the microwave. Stir until smooth, and set aside until cool to touch, stirring occasionally.

7. Using a pastry brush, coat inside of cooled crust with melted chocolate. Place in refrigerator or freezer until firm to touch, about 10 minutes.

8. Fill crust with coconut custard, spreading evenly with an offset spatula. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, combine cream and confectioners’ sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Using a small offset spatula, spread whipped cream on top of custard. Refrigerate pie at least 3 hours before serving. Garnish with toasted Coconut Curls and Chocolate Curls just before serving.

Pate Brisee

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup chilled (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Directions

1. Make sure all your ingredients are thoroughly chilled before you begin. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl, and stir to combine.

2. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture by pressing down quickly, using as few strokes as possible. You may leave a few pea-size pieces. Add 4 tablespoons water. Gather the dough and gently press into a ball. It should come together loosely; if not, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide dough in half; place each on plastic wrap. Flatten into disks. Wrap tightly; refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

3. Remove disks from refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, press rolling pin gently all over dough to flatten it slightly. Working from the center to the edge in all directions, roll out dough into a round about 3 inches larger than the pie plate.

4. Wrap the dough around the rolling pin; lift and center it over the pie plate. Gently unroll the dough over the plate, leaving an even amount of overhang around the perimeter. Baking time depends on individual recipes.

Sweet Tart Dough

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt into a bowl.

2. Toss butter through flour mixture to coat pieces. Using fingertips, rub fat into flour, working it until you have created a coarse meal with a few pea-size particles of fat.

3. Empty crumbs onto a cool surface. Form mixture into a mound. Make a 4 to 5 inch well in center of the mound. Combine egg and vanilla and pour mixture into the well. Using a fork, draw crumbs into egg mixture, about 1 – 2 tablespoons at a time. When all crumbs are added, toss mixture a few times with a pastry blender to form large clumps, and then scrape into a mound.

4. Using the heel of your hand, push 2 – 3 tablespoons of the dough at a time, outward in 6 to 8 inch sweeps. This will blend fat and flour and give crust a delicate texture. If your hand becomes sticky, flour it as needed. Repeat process until all dough has been worked. Gather dough into a mound again. Repeat procedure 2 more times.

5. After third time, flour your hands. Gently knead the dough 5 or 6 times to make it smooth. Shape into a 5 inch disk. Dust disk lightly with flour, score with side of your hand, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 20 minutes before shaping. DO NOT LET DOUGH BECOME TOO HARD or it will be difficult to roll. If this happens, let pastry soften at room temperature.

6. Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. After dough has been rolled, position rolling pin 4 inches from top of the pastry. Lift dough over top of rolling pin and gently roll dough toward you. Lift pastry up. Make sure you keep a finger pressed against barrel of rolling pin to keep it from slipping. Position pastry, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of dough hanging over edge of pan on side closest to you. Then unroll pastry over an ungreased tart pan, moving pin away from you. Immediately lift overhang into pan to prevent sharp edge of the pan from cutting dough.

7. Working a small portion of the dough at a time, mold it into crease of the pan. Trim excess pastry from top edge of pan. Chill pastry in refrigerator or freezer for up to 30 minutes. Tear an 18 inch square of tin foil. Make a buttered circle in center of foil 2 inches larger than size of pan. Place foil buttered side down, centering it into the baking pan. Using your hand, press foil flush against the sides.

8. Heat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Position shelf in lower third of oven. Fill pan with enough dried beans or baking nuggets to just cover surface of pan. DO NOT OVERFILL. Bake pastry shell on a shallow pan with sides. Bake crust 15 to 18 minutes or until sides begin to brown. Remove pan from the oven. Let stand about 30 seconds. Gently remove foil and beans. Reduce oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Continue to bake crust for 3 to 5 minutes or until it is golden. If bottom of pastry shell puffs up, tap it gently with bottom of a fork to expel the air. Do this carefully so the pastry crust doesn’t break. When crust is done, cool completely before filling.

Our last post featured a giveaway. If you haven’t commented and added your name please click here and do so. We are giving away a lovely hand carved cutting board. We found the cutting board at the farmers market, a hub for artesian products and fresh produce. These days you may find some of the same produce from the farmers markets on the tables of your local restaurants. It is wonderful to see that more and more restaurants are keeping the food seasonal and local. One such restaurant is called Poppy Hill Tuscan Kitchen.

From the folks at Poppy Hill Tuscan Kitchen comes Blackbird Pie Company. “Scott Mahar is an acclaimed executive chef who brings his dedication to whole foods and local sourcing with him to Blackbird Pie Company. He is currently the Executive Chef at Poppy Hill Tuscan Kitchen in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Under Chef Scott’s direction, Poppy Hill was named one of the “Top 10 Farm to Table Restaurants” by Bon Appetit & Gourmet Magazine’s official website, epicurious.com.”

“Ingrid Mahar is a restaurateur and luxury hospitality professional with a career spanning over 20 years. Her love of hand-crafted artisanal foods has come full circle with the creation of Blackbird Pie Company in 2011. She currently co-owns, with her husband, Scott Mahar, Poppy Hill. Blackbird Pie Company is dedicated to artisanal production of each and every pie, every day. Chef created, seasonally inspired and hand crafted every Blackbird Pie is fresh and delicious.”

And, yes, these pies are fresh and delicious as well as beautiful! We had an opportunity to go to a pie tasting and were more than happy to sample some of the fall favorites. Our favorite was the chocolate pecan. The sample was sinful and to be honest we could have eaten the whole pie. It was an Oliver like moment: “More please.” We really enjoyed speaking with Ingrid Mahar, she is genuine and it shows that she loves baking these pies. Having eaten at Poppy Hill we were not surprised by the superiority of these delicious pies.

Many of the popular pies for the holiday include pumpkin with mascarpone cream, sweet potato with pecan praline, roasted apple with pear and pralines, apple with caramel, chocolate pecan and pecan bourbon. We know. You are thinking, “I need one of those pies.” We couldn’t agree more as we ordered the chocolate pecan which we will pick up the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. You don’t need to live locally to enjoy a Blackbird creation. They are happy to ship anywhere in the country.

Last week we introduced you to Cakewalk, maker of the adorable pie pop. This week we’ve put Blackbird Pie Company in the spotlight for they make the most sinfully delicious full size pies that are a must on your holiday table. You will not have to travel far to order your favorite pies.

Don’t waste any time. Please take a look at Blackbird Pie Company’s website. You will not be disappointed with the wide variety of pies available. Give yourself a gift. Let Blackbird Pie Company do the hard work while you add a little time into your hectic holiday schedule. You will feel more relaxed and you will make your family happy with an artesian pie. Take a look and order soon, you will be glad you did.

Mention the words Key lime and automatically thoughts are turned toward (a) pie and (b) Key West, Florida. Key lime pies and Key West, Florida are synonymous. As a matter of fact, on July 1, 2006 Key lime pie became Florida’s state pie. Key limes are also known as Mexican limes and West Indies limes. Originating in the Indo-Malayan region Key limes traveled by way of Arab traders North Africa and the Near East. Carried by the Crusaders to the Mediterranean regions of Europe and then, according to some accounts, Columbus brought the key lime to Hispaniola in the New World. The Key lime made its way to Florida along with the Spanish settlers. It flourished in the Florida Keys until a hurricane destroyed the groves. Today, most Key limes are grown in Mexico.  Key limes are much smaller (ping-pong to golf ball-sized) than Persian limes. They are nearly spherical, thin-skinned, and often contain a few seeds. Green key limes are actually immature fruits. As they ripen to a yellow color, the acidity diminishes making it sweeter.

Whether you enjoy Key lime pie with a graham cracker crust, a pastry crust or no crust,* with a dollop of whip cream or peaks of cloud-like meringue there is no one correct way to enjoy Key lime pie. However there are two ingredients that are a must for the filling: Freshly squeezed Key limes, of course, and sweetened condensed milk.

It is unclear who made the first Key lime pie, but it is clear that Aunt Sally, cook to the ship salvaging, multi-millionaire William Curry (1821-1826), perfected it. Curry resided in Key West Florida at a time when there was no refrigeration or ice therefore making it difficult to keep perishable food products. Fresh milk was not enjoyed by the Floridians living in the Keys. After the invention of condensed milk, by Gail Borden, in the mid 1850’s canned or sweetened condensed milk was a common household product found in Key West kitchens.

Key lime pie, no matter who made it first, has always been made with condensed milk. So, no matter what crust you prefer or what topping you prefer, never use a substitute for sweetened condensed milk and call you your pie Key lime.

Key Lime Pie Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients
2 ½ cups flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces (Butter should remain chilled until ready for use.) 1/3 cup honey
5 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly until dry items are blended. Add the butter. Mix until the mixture is course.
2. Add in the honey, milk and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Made two balls with the dough and wrap them each in plastic wrap. Pat the balls into discs and chill for at least 30 minutes. This dough can be frozen for future use.
3. While the dough is chilled roll it out to a round (that is suited to your pie tin) on a flour dusted surface. Fit the dough into the pie tin. Place a round piece of parchment in the center of the pie tin. Lay pie weights in the center. Place into the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Then, remove the pie weights and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
5. Remove the pie from the oven and cool while making the filling.

Filling
Ingredients
8 large egg yolks 2 14oz cans sweetened condensed milk 4 teaspoons Key lime zest 1 cup Key lime juice pinch of salt

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment beat the yolks until pale in color. Add the condensed milk, Key lime zest, key lime juice and salt and mix until combined.
2. Pour the mixture into the crust. Bake at 350 degrees until filling is set, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Meringue
Ingredients
8 large egg whites 2/3 cups sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites, sugar and salt.
3. Beat on high until stiff peaks form. (Do not over beat as the meringue will be dry.)
4. Either pipe or spoon the meringue on the pie.
5. Bake until meringue just begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

* If, when making a Key lime pie, you find that you have extra filling don’t discard it. Place it in an oven safe baking dish or in ramekins and bake until set.