Real Men Eat Quiche

I love quiche, and I think I know why.  It's an egg and cheese pie in a crust.  How could you not like that?  Well, ok, my wife doesn’t care for it, or at least, she didn’t before.  It's hopefully another dish I have converted her on (see cake, carrot).  I made it the other night and did a little fiddling with the recipe I usually use and what do you know, she liked it!  And so did I.

Quiche can be a finicky beast because of introducing such a wet filling into a delicate crust.  I pre-bake my crust, which I believe is the standard.  But I tried baking it a little longer this time so the bottom would crisp up and not get too soggy.  On a tangent for a moment, I don’t use pie weights.  I think they are a waste of money.  I mean, you have to use aluminum foil anyways to line your pie and then add weights, so why not use something cheap?  Like beans!  I keep a bag of dried pinto beans that I use for pie weights.  I like it.

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The Apple of My Pie

I have not been making apple pie very long, but I have learned a lot in the time I have been baking it. In fact, next week will probably break my record of "most pie made in one time" by a long shot. Em and I are traveling back to Connecticut to have Thanksgiving with her parents, a somewhat annual tradition. This means a lot of pie. Apple, first and foremost. John (Em's dad) makes some of the best apple pie this world has ever seen, and I'm willing to put money on that. He makes pie for pretty much any occasion, because, hey, who doesn’t like pie?

Apple pie is really to separate entities, the crust and the filling. For the crust, I have become a huge fan of the Cook's Illustrated "add vodka" pie crust. As a scientist this greatly appeals to me. Water in crust causes gluten formation, which leads to a chewy and not pleasant crust. Well, vodka is only 40% water, so by adding this in addition to water you are under-hydrating the dough, allowing for an easier roll out. When the pie bakes (for quite some time), about 95-98% of the alcohol will burn off, leaving you with a wonderfully flaky crust. Also, as I previously stated in a post, using lard or shortening is important. Its fat structure allows for a better crust, where butter brings mostly flavor. Don't be afraid! I did back down a little on the fat because I feel it makes the pie slightly greasy, but not much.

For the filling, make sure to acquire a good type of apple. Granny Smith, Northern Spy, or Golden Delicious are all very good pie apples. Try to cut them into uniform slices to allow for even baking. And eat some of it. This will tell you how much sugar you will need to add (I have learned that making apple pie is really more of an art than a recipe). John and I differ slightly in our method of preparing the filling. I like to mix the apples with the sugar mixture before placing them in the crust (I feel it makes the pie more evenly distributed), he prefers to layer the apples and sprinkle the sugar mixture as he goes. Either way is good.

Crust

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2/3 cup cold lard or vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup cold vodka
1/4 cup cold water

Add 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, 15 seconds. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. Using a spatula to mix, fold dough by pressing down on dough until slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two roughly even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Filling

6-8 apples (Northern Spy, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, or a mix), approximately 3-4 pounds
2/3-2/4 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of apples)
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons cream or milk
Additional sugar or cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425°F and arrange rack to lower part of the oven.

Peel and core apples. Slice into even slices approximately ¼ inch thick. Place apples in a large bowl with enough water to cover and about 2 tablespoons lemon juice (prevents browning). In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, salt, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Drain apples well (I recommend patting them dry with a kitchen towel) and transfer to a large bowl. Add sugar mixture and coat apples well.

Roll out one pie crust disk on a lightly floured surface and arrange in a 9 inch pie dish. Arrange apples in circular layers, mounding slightly more in the middle. (Alternatively, layer apples with the sugar mixture if you don’t want to mix it ahead of time.)

Dot the butter on the top of the apples. Roll out the other crust, making it slightly larger than the first (you want a little bit of overhang). Brush the edges of the bottom crust with milk (helps adhesion). Fold the top crust in half and make two small cuts for vents. Arrange top crust over pie. Using a paring knife, cut the excess crust so that about ½-1 inch is left hanging below the lip of the pie. Using your thumb, pinch together the edges of the dough, sealing the bottom and top crust. Tuck the crimped edges back underneath the crust (essentially rolling it into itself so it is even with the pan edge) and flute with fingers or fork. This gives you that pretty pie crust look.

Brush the top with milk or cream (I find egg causes too much browning, but you can use egg white). Sprinkle sugar or cinnamon sugar over top

Bake for 50 minutes or until the pie is deep golden brown and the apples are bubbling (might have to go a few extra minutes). Let cool for 3-4 hours before slicing.

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Ta-Molly Pie

Did I alter the title of a dish just to put another picture of my dog on my blog? You betcha. This has become Em's new favorite dish, causing me to refine the recipe rather quickly as well as get my cooking time for an hour total. Tamale's are something I have a deep, deep fondness for. I remember getting from people selling out of their car on the weekends. I would bring home tamales, tortillas, make some beans, and that would be dinner. For anyone who would find this odd, I never got sick, and they were always delicious. Think of it this way, if the guy who sold me that food did make people sick, no one would buy his wares and he would not be selling (word travels fast). I miss food opportunities like this, I feel our society frowns upon the homemade and homegrown unless strictly regulated. Back to tamales. I do not have time to make tamales themselves, but I can make a pie. With tamale ingredients. I tested out the Cook's Illustrated version, and made some improvements (in my eyes). It’s a great dish to feed a crowd, and works nicely with turkey or vegetarian (just add rice or more beans).

Tamale Pie

1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapenos, minced
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon cumin
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn, frozen or fresh
1 15oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
4 ounces cheese (Colby jack or Monterey jack)
¾ cup coarse corn meal
2 1/2 cups water
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add beef, breaking up and cooking until browned. Add the onion and some salt, cooking until the onion is softened. Add the jalapeno and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add the chile powder, oregano, cumin, beans, corn, and tomatoes into the skillet. Cook until most of the juices from the tomatoes have evaporated and the mixture is slightly thickened. Season and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, heat water in a pot until boiling. Stir in cornmeal, reduce heat to low, and whisk until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in oil and paprika, season with salt and pepper.
Stir cheese into meat mixture. Transfer to a 9x13 baking pan or similar vessel. Top with cornmeal mixture, spreading to the edges to seal. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and turn on broiler to high. Continue cooking until cornmeal is set and slightly browned. Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

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Crusty Love

To this day, one of the most temperamental items in the kitchen to most cooks is nothing more than four ingredients that make up pie crust. It makes most people who have not baked pies for 40 years shudder. Now, let me talk you down off that stool before you go grab your frozen crust. You can do better than that.

Pie crust is nothing more than four ingredients in its purest form. Flour, salt, fat, and water come together to give flaky goodness and make the entire room happy. However, it's often the ratio and prep technique that causes pie crust to decorate walls of the frustrated chef. If I pour in flour, add some water and butter followed by a sprinkle of salt, I am not going to get happy results. So let's break it down bit by bit, shall we?

First the flour. Using good flour is helpful in getting a good product. Use an all purpose, hopefully an unbleached and un-enriched type for a clean flavor (I like King Arthur). Salt? Well, its salt, but use table and not kosher, it helps meld better into the dough. As for the fat, there are many options. Butter is nice, and brings great flavor to the dough. Lard is also nice (yes, I said lard, its perfectly fine in small amounts, just ask Europe) and brings a lot of flakiness. Shortening (Crisco) is a bit of a blend of both worlds. So which one to use? Well, don't use pure butter or pure lard. You will not be happy. If you want to use one source of fat, use Crisco. I have used it to amazingly successful results. Since they got rid of the trans fat in it though, it has diminished in quality a bit (side note: trans fat is bad for you if you eat a gallon a day, just like anything else. It's simply a different structure of lipid that your body processes in an altered way. If you use 4T of Crisco in a whole pie and then eat 1/8 of that pie, you have better things to do than worry about trans fat). I will say though, that the generic brands of shortening have yet to follow suit, which makes me happy when I make pie. My favorite though, is a split between butter and lard, which provides great flavor and flakiness.










Lastly, it's the water. Ice cold please. I don't even give a measurement because its not worth it. Depending on so many factors, you never know how much your crust will take. Make sure its icy cold (just add some ice cubes to it) because this will help prevent gluten formation, thus keeping your crust from becoming too chewy. Another way to help this is to rest your dough. Pie dough needs to be rested for at least 30 minutes (and can keep up to 2 days) before rolling.

There are many different recipes for pie dough, its almost like biscuits, everyone has a way of doing it. This is an adaptation of the classic Fanny Farmer recipe, though I have been playing around with some others recently (that's another post). For now, I stand by this one as having produced some fantastic pies. Using this recipe will make your crust much easier to work with, taste great, and give you good texture.

Pie Crust
for a 9" double crust pie or a 12" single crust pie

2 cups flour
1 t salt
1 t sugar
1/3 cup lard or shortening
1/2 cup butter
1/4-1/3 cup ice water

In a medium bowl sift flour, salt, and sugar. Cut the fat into cubes and add to the flour. Mix with your hands (or pastry blender) and break up the pieces of fat, coating them in flour until you have small clumps left and most flour is collected in the fat. Slowly add the water a few tablespoons at a time, mixing in between. The amount will vary, but the main goal is to just get the pie dough to come together. if you can reach your hand in and press the dough, forming a loose ball, then you are set. Once you reach this stage, form a loose ball and wrap in saran wrap. Place dough in fridge to rest. Make pie.

One last note. In a recent issue of Cooks Illustrated, they used vodka as a tenderizer (don't worry, at a high temperature the alcohol bakes out). I have only tried it once so I have no real conclusion at this point. I will address it at some point. If you choose to use this method, use 1/2 vodka and 1/2 water. Let me know how it turns out.

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Amendments

After making the chocolate cream pie for a blog post, I was not entirely satisfied with the texture and consistency of my pie. Time for tinkering, which just meant that I needed to make another one. This rarely raises objections in my house.

First thing to tackle was the crust. It was a bit too crumbly for my liking, so I decided to let it set up a bit more. After making the crust, I popped it in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking it slightly longer in the oven. This allowed the crust to become a bit more uniform in texture and cut easier.

Next I needed to fix the darn thickness of my filling. Not happy with it, as it was slightly runny. I added an egg yolk to the mixture, which would lend itself to helping the "custard" set more as well as adding a bit of richness to the pie. I also swapped out cornstarch for flour. This has a two fold effect. First, you don’t have to stir as long to get the filling to thicken, and cornstarch has a more stable structure over time, so it is less likely to go all runny on you. While I believe the egg did little for the mixture (It already has three), the cornstarch did wonders. I sliced a piece last night and it came out just like I wanted it to, thick and pie like while still tasting delicious. To make the pie come together faster, I now recommend almost simmering the milk before adding the chocolate and other ingredients. This is because cornstarch's thickening ability is improved over a certain temperature, so the quicker you get there the faster it works (and fewer lumps are formed).

I have amended the original recipe and put a link at the bottom of this post.

Chocolate Cream Pie

Next up- Pasta Carbonara

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Chocolate Cream Pie

Finally! If there is one recipe you make while reading this blog, make this one. I kid you not, its quite possibly one of the best things I have ever eaten. This is a family recipe, so full credit goes to my mom for teaching me this. And not to brag or anything, but one she made went for over $200 at a charity auction. I relate this pie to Sunday morning, because it is often not ready until the following day, which prompted us to eat a slice while reading the morning paper. Breakfast of champions and yes, I would do it again.

So what is chocolate cream pie? Its the pie you wish you had when you were eating chocolate pudding in a graham cracker crust. That pie. There are very few tricks to this recipe, but the ones that exist are crucial. My two main points would be the milk and stirring. Use at least 2% milk. I know, I use 1% for recreational purposes, but the extra bit of milk fat is the difference between pie and runny goop. If you use whole, more power to you, it will actually be even better. The other point is the stirring. When this pie is on the heat, you best be stirring it constantly. No "oh, I can go wash the dishes and stir occasionally" stuff. This recipe is more stir happy than risotto, and that's saying something. Stir constantly. The pie should be ready to go from the pot in about 15ish minutes (or as I timed it, 3 songs off the new Metallica album). Just...don't....walk....away!!

I hope you enjoy this pie as much as I (and my family, and my fiancee, and anyone who happens to be in the area to get a slice) do.

Chocolate Cream Pie

Crust
2 1/4 cups graham crackers
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Crush gram crackers in bag with rolling pin or with food processor until fine. Combine ingredients in medium bowl and mix with hands until the butter is incorporated. Dump into a 12 inch pie pan, pressing down with the heel of your palm and fingers to make a firm, even crust (it should go part way up the sides). Pop in the fridge for 15 minutes, then bake for 12 minutes, let cool.

Filling
4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
3 3/4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 t salt
3 T cornstarch
3 T butter
1 T vanilla

In large pot over medium heat, heat milk until almost simmering, stirring occasionally. Add chocolate and stir until melted. Meanwhile, while milk is heating, in stand mixer or large bowl, combine eggs and sugar, beat until fluffy. Add salt and cornstarch, mix well. Reduce burner heat to medium low, pour about 1/3 of the milk mixture into the bowl (this will temper the eggs), mix and dump entire contents of bowl into pot. Return to heat and stir (constantly!) for about 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla, stir to combine, and pour into pie shell. Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes, then move to the fridge for at least 3 hours. Your patience will be rewarded. Make sure the pie is firm and cool before cutting. If its a bit runny, cook it a little longer next time. Serve with Cool Whip slathered on top.

And look, a picture! I will try to include more of these in upcoming posts so you can see what you are getting into.

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Three Way Chicken Part 4: Pot Pie

This is the last recipe I make with my chicken preparation, and it is my newest addition. I ate pot pies as a kid (thank you Marie Calenders) but over the years they have gotten more processed and less, well, good. So I went about trying to make my own and quickly realized how close the prep was to chicken dumplings. That being said, it is remarkably close, with the only changes coming in the topping, thickness of sauce, and the addition of bacon (you can thank my girlfriend for that keen addition).

Chicken pot pie can be prepared individually (if you have ramekins that size) or as a large casserole. However, in my opinion, they should not have a bottom crust as the ratio of crust to sauce is crucial. I like a pie-like crust for my topping, but biscuits work just as well. Pie crust is quite an ordeal, and I promise to cover it in a future post. For now just use this recipe.

Sauce

3 pieces bacon, chopped
1 onion, diced
2-3 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
2 bay leaves
4 T butter
4 T flour
1/4 C milk
Chicken, shredded
4-5 C chicken stock
3/4 C frozen peas
1 t dried thyme (or 2t fresh)
1 T chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper
Dash of cayenne

Add oil and butter to pot until hot; add bacon and sauté until starting to crisp. Add veggies, sauté until barely translucent, add the bay leaves. Mix in the flour and make a roux. Add chicken and let warm, then add stock. Cook until sauce starts to thicken. If sauce is too thick add more stock (you will have some leftover). Add milk and seasonings, and go heavy on the pepper. Let the sauce come to a simmer and cook for about 20-30 minutes. Add peas last. And don't forget to fish out the bay leaves.

Meanwhile, you can prep the crust for the top.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t kosher salt
1 t baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
pepper

Add shortening and butter to flour, salt, and baking powder, mix with fork, pastry blender or fingers until flaky. Gradually add ice water until the dough just comes together. Mix gently to form a loose ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly butter your ramekins or pan, followed by your chicken mixture. The goal is to mostly fill the pan, but not all the way to the top. Remove the dough from the fridge; roll out on a floured surface until about 1/4 inch thick. Place crust over the chicken mixture, gently pressing down. Bring in edges of crust and pinch around the edges (if you like lots of crust) or cut away excess and press down edges with a fork. Brush top with egg wash and crack some pepper over it. Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until crust is flaky and brown.

So that's it. Chicken three ways from one prep. I hope you find use for it, as it has made my life much easier when I delve into these dishes.

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