Zach B., Yale University
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie:
Tag Archives: Pie
Pics or it Didn’t Happen: Sour Cream and Raisin Pie
Zach Bell, Yale University
Back in December 2010, I baked a raisin pie and commented on its usage as a “funeral pie.” Upon some further research into a variation, the sour cream and raisin pie, I found that it also originated among Mennonites settling in the Great Plains, quickly spreading to other local communities. Funerals in the mid to late nineteenth century were opportunities for the community to gather and express hospitality. This hospitality often arrived as edibles, and especially as dessert. Guests and relatives would bring food to show their sympathy and condolences. A funeral staple was the raisin pie (and other improvised variations) , a dessert that could be quickly made out of readily available ingredients.
Filed under Food, Pics or it Didn't Happen, pie, Recipes, Zach B.
Blueberry Pie with Sweet Corn Ice Cream
by The Baker
[Jason]: A pie for the end of school and the start of summer. This recipe makes me want to chill out with a slice of Ace of Cake’s new EP, The Bakery.
Blueberry Pie with Sweet Corn Ice Cream Continue reading
Filed under College Life, pie, Recipes, The Baker
Pics or it Didn’t Happen: Key Lime Pie… with Gingerbread Crust
Zach Bell, Yale University
Traditionally thought of as a summer dessert, in my opinion key lime pie can be served at any time of the year. In order to make the pie a little more appropriate for the temperature though (despite an unusually warm December in St. Louis), I put the filling in a gingerbread crust.
Filed under Pics or it Didn't Happen, pie, Yale, Zach B.
Pics or it Didn’t Happen: Lemon Meringue Pie
Zach Bell, Yale University
A staple of American dessert culture is the lemon meringue pie. Although lemon flavored desserts and custards have been in use since medieval times, the lemon meringue pie as we know it did not emerge until the nineteenth century. For my lemon pie, I used a recipe that originated a bit more recently. My recipe came from my great-grandmother’s cookbook, dating from the early to mid- twentieth century. Although I only have vague memories of her, and none of her lemon pie, I hear stories of her baking virtuosity. So I decided to test out her recipe and see if I inherited some of her baking genes.
Pics or it Didn’t Happen: Buttermilk Pie
Zach Bell, Yale University
When my Dad requested a buttermilk pie, I was immediately skeptical. Buttermilk, a fermented version of cow milk, is thicker because the acid content (which also gives it a sour taste) denatures, or unravels the milk proteins (mostly casein). I used cultured buttermilk, made with lactic acid bacteria, for more thickness. For a smoother texture, I creamed the butter and mixed in the sugar.
With the addition of egg yolks and flour… Continue reading
Filed under Food, Pics or it Didn't Happen, pie, Zach B.
Pics or it Didn’t Happen: Butterscotch Pie
Zach Bell, Yale University
I made a butterscotch pie using the standard egg custard as the base and adding brown sugar and butter, the base ingredients of butterscotch flavor. The egg custard flavor was immediately evident, so I did not get the “Hershey’s” style butterscotch, the cloying, saccharine, sticky butterscotch. Instead, the butterscotch flavor emerged from the background, more of a rich aftertaste than an anvil of flavor falling from the sky.
Continue reading
Filed under Food, Pics or it Didn't Happen, pie, Zach B.
Scientific Pie
Zach B., Yale University
Pie baking can be a fussy activity, all about ratios of fat to flour and sugar to fruit. Even the slightest variation in technique can result in a less than satisfactory pastry. As a result, baking a pie requires a scientific attitude, constantly tweaking variables to find the combination that results in the closest approximation to the perfect pie. (Pictures after the jump)
Filed under Miscellaneous, pie
Taking a Whisk
A few days ago my Mom requested a chocolate pie for her birthday. I had only ever baked fruit pies before, so I felt apprehensive about making the filling, a pudding or custard. Since my Mom only has her birthday once a year, I decided to tackle this daunting task, and bake that chocolate pie. I found a recipe and made the crust first. The recipe called for a graham cracker crust, and following the recipe, the crust turned out swimmingly. I crushed the graham crackers, mixed in the dry ingredients and moistened the mixture with melted butter. I felt like a champion, especially after the crust issues with some of my fruit pies.
Filed under Miscellaneous, The Ocular Omnivore
Homecooked Immortality (Part 1)
We live and die in a batch of pie dough.
For years, Theresa H., one of my mom’s best friends, provided my family with the best blackberry pies. Overflowing with gem-like fruit, these pies were like playing in thick honeysuckle bushes on a summer day: fragrant beyond the bounds of expectation or propriety. Individually deep ruby, the berries formed a purple-ebony mass stuffed into a tanned crust.
Only clichéd adjectives serve to describe that crust: flaky, buttery, unprocessed to perfection. Intuitively, I knew that Theresa’s blackberry pie required a summation of simplicity. But I remained content, at least until recently, to live in ignorance of those quiet facts, those ratios of water, flour, and fat. When she offered to show me how such a pie came together, how could I refuse?
Filed under Miscellaneous, Recipes
