For the love of PIE ~ Week Seven: Humor

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Andrea

10 Weeks ~ 10 Pies ~ 10 People ~ 10 Virtues

There’s no sweeter way to honor those who have impacted my life with virtue than by baking pie.  For the next 10 weeks, I will be spotlighting a pie each week that represents a special person in my life that has passed on one of life’s important virtues to me.

Week Seven

We’re all familiar with the phrase, “Laughter is the best medicine.”  According to helpguide.org, laughter is the best medicine because it triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals, promoting an overall sense of well-being and has even been shown to temporarily relieve pain.  A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.  Laughter also boosts the immune system, decreasing stress hormones and increasing immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.  A true advocate of the heart, laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

There have been countless times that I’ve fallen victim to infectious laughter.  It has gotten me sent out into the hallway during class, dirty looks at funerals, and a swat on the butt with a yardstick from my mother when I mistakenly forgot who was boss.  Though these may have been times when laughter was inappropriate, they make the best stories and hold some of the most memorable times of gut wrenching laughter I’ll never forget. 

Few people can make me laugh like my brother, Steve.  With his quick-witted sense of humor, he’s the life of any party.  Steve has a knack for pulling a group of people together, both young and old, to play a game he just made up 5 minutes ago or to sing along to the entire Elvis catalog with him in the car.  Never mind if you don’t know all the words because he’ll feed each line to you before you need to sing it.  Steve’s the kind of guy that everyone loves to be around because he’ll lift your spirits with his humor regardless of the kind of day you’re having.   I would consider him the peacemaker in my family.  Never wanting conflict or angry feelings around him, he’ll go out of his way, using humor to calm the waves or unrustle any feathers.  It’s his coping mechanism of choice and a healthy one at that.

S’mores Photograph by Andrea Karapas

The pie I chose to represent the sense of humor and laughter my brother has brought to my life is a Chocolate S’mores Pie with Jubilee Cherry Sauce.  Complete with a Graham Cracker Crumb Crust, 3 cups of mini marshmallows and over a ½ lb of chocolate, this pie reminds me of the fun bonfires around the fire pit in Steve’s back yard complete with s’mores.  The Jubilee Cherry Sauce brings to mind the essential element that my brother brings to any festivity…laughter.  No family gathering is complete without him just as this pie would be an ordinary chocolate pie without the brilliant red cherries on top.  This pie is the ultimate celebration of fun and humor and I wish I could share it with him around a fire pit singing along with Elvis.

Humor, the ability to perceive, enjoy, or express what is amusing, comical, incongruous, or absurd is not only a virtue but also a gift.  When one is faced with tremendous hardship, sadness or physical pain, there’s no easier respite than the priceless medicine of laughter.  Laughter is powerful and contagious.  When you hear it, move toward it.  It can help you shift perspective and lighten a burden.  Even during the toughest of times, sometimes all you can do is laugh.

Chocolate S’mores Pie with Jubilee Cherry Sauce Photograph by Andrea Karapas

 

Chocolate S’mores Pie with Jubilee Cherry Sauce Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Graham Cracker Crumb Crust
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Big pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Lightly butter a 9 ½ -in deep-dish pie pan and set aside.  Combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.  Mix briefly with your fingers.  Add the butter and incorporate well, mixing first with a fork, then with your hands, rubbing thoroughly to form evenly dampened crumbs.  Spread the crumbs evenly and loosely in the pan, pressing them into the bottom and up the side.  Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes.  Place on the center oven rack and bake for 7 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack and then refrigerate until ready to use.

Chocolate S’mores Pie with Jubilee Cherry Sauce
Ingredients for filling:
¾ cup cold, strong brewed coffee
¼ cup unsalted butter
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 large eggs, separated, whites brought to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Big pinch of salt
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup cold heavy or whipping cream
Instructions:
Over very low heat, combine ½ cup of the coffee and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium-size, heavy saucepan, preferably non-stick.  As the butter starts to melt, add the chocolate.  Let the mixture stand on the heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring a few times.  When the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat, whisking to smooth.  Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into the mixture, adding about ½ tablespoon at a time.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool, whisking occasionally.  While the mixture is still warm, whisk in the egg yolks.  Put the saucepan back over very low heat and heat the mixture, whisking virtually nonstop, for 3 to 4 minutes to cook the yolks.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate, whisking occasionally.

Pour the remaining ¼ cup coffee into a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over it.  Set aside for 5 minutes to soften.  Gently heat the mixture, whisking, until the gelatin is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.  Whisk this into the chocolate mixture and return the mixture to the refrigerator, whisking occasionally, 30 to 60 minutes, until it has the consistency of a very thick fudge sauce.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites in a medium-size bowl until they hold soft peaks.  Beat in the cream of tartar and salt.  Gradually add the sugar, beating on high speed until the whites are thick, glossy, and firm but not dry.  Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl and fold in one-third of the whites.  Add the rest of the egg whites and continue to fold, until no white streaks remain.  Wash and dry the beaters.

Using a chilled medium-size bowl and chilled beaters, beat the heavy cream with the mixer until stiff but not grainy.  Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until evenly combined.  Fold in the marshmallows. Scrape the filling into the chilled pie shell, mounding it as much as possible near the center; smooth the top with a spoon.  Sprinkle the chocolate ships over the surface.  Cover with loosely tented aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Jubilee Cherry Sauce
Ingredients:
3 cups individually frozen pitted sweet cherries (not packed in syrup)
½ cup orange juice
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup water
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions:
At any time before you serve the pie, prepare the cherry sauce.  Combine the cherries, orange juice, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium-size nonreactive saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a low boil, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Reduce the heat slightly and simmer, partially covered, for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend the water and cornstarch in a small bowl.  After 2 minutes, stir the mixture into the cherries.  Bring the sauce to a boil, then boil gently, stirring, for about 1 ½ minutes.  Remove from the heat and pour into a medium-size bowl.  Stir in the vanilla and butter.  Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until serving time.

To serve, slice the pie and transfer to serving plates.  Spoon some of the sauce around each serving, drizzling a little over the top, if you wish.  Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream, if you like.

Fresh Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
2 to 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, sifted, or granulated sugar, to your taste
A few drops vanilla extract
Instructions:
About 15 minutes before you plan to prepare this topping, place a medium-sized bowl and the beaters from your electric mixer in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to proceed, pour the cream into the chilled bowl.  Starting at medium speed, beat the cream until it starts to thicken.  Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the cream holds soft peaks.  Add the confectioners’ sugar, stirring it in with the beaters so it doesn’t fly up in your face when you restart the machine.  Continue to beat the cream until it is stiff but not grainy.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed, no more than several hours.

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For the love of PIE ~ Week Six: Compassion

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Andrea

10 Weeks ~ 10 Pies ~ 10 People ~ 10 Virtues

There’s no sweeter way to honor those who have impacted my life with virtue than by baking pie.  For the next 10 weeks, I will be spotlighting a pie each week that represents a special person in my life that has passed on one of life’s important virtues to me.

Week Six

Father’s Day has always been my least favorite day of the year for a couple of reasons.  First, it’s a day that I have to share my birthday with every 5-6 years depending on leap year, and secondly, I’ve lived the majority of my life without my father.  It’s a sad day for me, like knowing your friends are at a party that you didn’t get invited to.  There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss having my dad in my life, but on days like this it’s extra hard. 

Losing my father at 5 years old initiated the development of compassion, which is considered among the greatest of virtues.  More powerful than empathy, compassion is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering or pain of another.  Dean Koontz said, “Without the experience of pain or loss, one cannot have compassion for others.”  This is the very reason I chose the path of my current profession.  Helping others has always been a strong value of mine and is the reason I get up and go to work every morning.  I have something to give to others and in return I get a feeling of satisfaction that I’ve made a small difference in someone else’s life.

I’m sure you’ve heard the parable of the Good Samaritan which exemplifies the teaching that there is a mutual obligation among all of mankind, that “we must not live for ourselves but for our neighbors”.  If you aren’t familiar, it goes a little something like this:

“A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?” He said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”  Luke 10:30-37

Showing compassion comes naturally to some and is less apparent in others.  There is some debate whether this altruistic virtue is innate or learned.  I believe that there are components of both.  Humans are born with a capacity for compassion yet if there is no experience of pain or loss, it may never develop.  This theory leads me to hypothesize that those who have experienced the most suffering have the greatest gift to give to another.

If you could use some practice in offering compassion to others, here are some easy-to-remember tips from www.ehow.com:

1)  Open your heart.
2)  Take the time to listen.
3)  Do not judge or criticize others.
4)  Manifest your love.  It is not enough to feel it, you must act on it.

Rainier Cherries Photograph by Andrea Karapas

I’m honoring my father today on Father’s Day with his favorite kind of pie…Cherry.  This Rainier Cherry Pie with a Grated Top Crust is as special as my dad was.  Made with the most premium variety of cherry, the Rainier, it represents the few precious memories I have of my dad.  These sweet cherries sell for $6/lb in the U.S. and as much as a dollar each in Japan.  With 5 cups of cherries, this pie weighs in as the most expensive pie in my series.  With the amount of time put into pitting every

Rainier Cherry Pie with Grated Top Photograph by Andrea Karapas

cherry that goes into this pie, it takes the title of most labor intensive pie as well.  Instead of a traditional top crust, the pastry for the top crust is grated (with a box grater) onto the fruit.  This grated top crust represents the tears I’ve shed both for my father and those who have crossed my path needing compassion from me at their own time of despair.

Father’s Day is taking on a new appreciation for me this year because I’ve found a sweet and creative way to honor my father.  He’d be proud of me and when Father’s Day rolls around to my birthday again, I’ll be proud to share my birthday with his day and continue to honor the 5 short years I was blessed to have him as my dad.  Happy Father’s Day!

Rainier Cherry Pie with a Grated Top Crust Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Rainier Cherry Pie with a Grated Top Crust
Ingredients for filling:
5 cups fresh Rainier cherries, stemmed and pitted
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
Glaze:
About 1 tablespoon course sugar or granulated sugar
Instructions:
If you haven’t already, prepare the pastry.  Shape the smaller half into a block rather than a disk.  Refrigerate the larger half until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour, and place the other half-the block- in the freezer until firm but not frozen.
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the larger half of the pastry into a 13-inch circle with a floured rolling pin.  Invert the pastry over a 9 ½-inch deep-dish pie pan, center and peel off the paper.  Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge into an upstanding ridge.  Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 400° F.
In a large bowl, combine the cherries, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, the lemon juice, and vanilla.  Mix well, then set aside for 10 minutes to juice.  Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and the cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir the mixture into the fruit.  Turn the filling into the chilled pie shell and smooth the top of the fruit with your hands or a spoon.
Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the other half of the pastry over the top of the fruit, as if it were a block of cheese, covering the filling more or less evenly.  Sprinkle the coarse sugar evenly over the pastry.
Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 375° F and rotate the pie 180 degrees, so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward.  Just in case, slide the large aluminum foil-lined baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any spills.  Continue to bake until the top is golden brown and the juices bubble thickly around the edge, 25 to 30 minutes.
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

Basic Flaky Pie Pastry
Ingredients for a double crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup cold water
Instructions:
Put the flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor.  Pulse several times to mix.  Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and pulse the machine 5 or 6 times to cut in.  Fluff the mixture with a fork, lifting it up from the bottom of the bowl.  Scatter the shortening over the flour and pulse 5 or 6 times.  Fluff the mixture again.  Drizzle half of the water over the flour mixture and pulse 5 or 6 times.  Fluff the mixture and sprinkle on the the remaining water.  Pulse 5 or 6 times more, until the dough starts to form clumps.  Overall, it will look like coarse crumbs.  Dump the contents of the processor bowl into a large bowl.  Test the pastry by squeezing some of it between your fingers.  If it seems a little dry and not quite packable, drizzle a teaspoon or so of cold water over the pastry and work it with your fingertips.
Using your hands, pack the pastry into 2 balls  as you would pack a snowball.  Make one ball slightly larger than the other; this will be your bottom crust.  Knead the ball once or twice, then flatten the ball into a 3/4-inch-thick disk on a floured work surface.  Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight before rolling.

Recipes from:  Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie    By~ Ken Haedrich

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For the love of PIE ~ Week Five: Loyalty

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Andrea

10 Weeks ~ 10 Pies ~ 10 People ~ 10 Virtues

There’s no sweeter way to honor those who have impacted my life with virtue than by baking pie.  For the next 10 weeks, I will be spotlighting a pie each week that represents a special person in my life that has passed on one of life’s important virtues to me.

Week Five

I think most people could say that they have at least one person who would go to bat for them; one person who would have their back in a bar brawl, testify to their character when others might question it, and answer their phone when you’re allowed only one call.  Fortunately, I feel that there’s more than one person like this in my life, yet when considering the one person in the bunch that stands out the most, my first pick would be my sister, Angela.

Loyalty is defined as the state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments, obligations, or to any person or thing conceived as deserving fidelity.  As her little sister, I have seen Angela exemplify this virtue countless ways, both subtly and direct, and have always admired this quality in her.  Now, Angela isn’t just plain loyal.  There’s something quite special about the way she displays this element of her character.  Her loyalty is combined with a sense of honorable neutrality which few can claim and raises her up several notches on my integrity meter. 

There were many times growing up that I stated, “Angela and I are nothing alike!” and we do have many differences.  She was blessed with the dark hair, skin and eyes that you’d expect any Greek to have, and I was given light hair and blue eyes to go along with the pasty, freckled skin that requires a gallon of sun block just to walk down to the mailbox.  Our personalities seemed just as opposite growing up as well, leaving me to wonder how two children with the same parents could be so different.  Angela and I haven’t always had the closest relationship that two sisters could have but our family definitely wouldn’t be the same without her.

Wild Blueberries Photograph by Andrea Karapas

The Wild Blueberry Pie I made this week represents my sister’s loyalty and “true blue” spirit.  The blueberry has always been a devoted companion to the pancake, muffin, and morning cereal.  Blueberries are one of the healthiest foods around and taste good in just about everything.  I was so honored this week to have shared this pie with my sister, who was visiting me from Michigan over the weekend.  Michigan, the largest producer of blueberries in the US, yields up to 60 million pounds of blueberries every year.  With over twenty varieties, this fruit bakes into one of the sweetest pies I’ve ever tasted.  I even whipped up some homemade whipped cream to show my unwavering love for my big sister.

As I come to learn more about myself, it has allowed me to gain deeper insight and appreciation for others’ gifts.  My sister, Angela, and I actually aren’t as different as I once thought.  She has stood by me when things were too scary to face alone, supported me with faith and love when times were uncertain, would jump on the back of any punk trying to pick a fight with me in a bar, and can be counted on to bail me out of jail if I ever need it.  I’m proud to say that I’d gladly do the same for her. “A loyal sister is worth a thousand friends.” ~Marian Eigerman

Wyman's Wild Blueberry Pie Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Wyman's Wild Blueberry Pie Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Wyman’s Wild Blueberry Pie
Ingredients for filling:
5 cups wild blueberries, picked over for stems
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Ingredients for glaze:
Milk or light cream
Sugar
Instructions:
Prepare the pastry as directed, shaping into two disks (one slightly larger than the other) about 3/4 in thick.  Wrap the pastry as usual and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the larger portion of the pastry into a 12- inch circle with a floured rolling pin.  Invert the pastry over a 9-inch standard pie pan, center, and peel off the paper.  Gently tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and let the overhang drape over the edge.  Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.  
Place the berries in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour, cinnamon, and salt.  Stir the mixture into the fruit, then stir in the lemon zest.  Preheat the oven to 425° F.
On another sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the other half of the pastry into an 11-inch circle.  Turn the filling into the chilled pie shell and smooth the top with a spoon.  Lightly moisten the rim of the pie shell with a wet finger or pastry brush.  Invert the top pastry over the filling, center, and peel off the paper.  Press the top and bottom pastries together along the dampened edge.  Trim the pastry with scissors or a paring knife, leaving an even 1/2 -inch overhang all around, then sculpt the overhang into an upstanding ridge.  Poke several steam vents in the top of the pie with a fork or paring knife.  Put a couple of the vents near the edge of the crust so you can check the juices there later.  Brush the top of the pie lightly with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 25 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350° F and rotate the pie 180 degrees, so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward.  Just in case, put a large aluminum foil-lined baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any spills.  Continue to bake until the top pastry is golden brown and any visible juices bubble thickly near the center, 35 to 40 minutes.  Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

Basic Flaky Pie Pastry
Ingredients for a double crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup cold water
Instructions:
Put the flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor.  Pulse several times to mix.  Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and pulse the machine 5 or 6 times to cut in.  Fluff the mixture with a fork, lifting it up from the bottom of the bowl.  Scatter the shortening over the flour and pulse 5 or 6 times.  Fluff the mixture again.  Drizzle half of the water over the flour mixture and pulse 5 or 6 times.  Fluff the mixture and sprinkle on the the remaining water.  Pulse 5 or 6 times more, until the dough starts to form clumps.  Overall, it will look like coarse crumbs.  Dump the contents of the processor bowl into a large bowl.  Test the pastry by squeezing some of it between your fingers.  If it seems a little dry and not quite packable, drizzle a teaspoon or so of cold water over the pastry and work it with your fingertips.
Using your hands, pack the pastry into 2 balls  as you would pack a snowball.  Make one ball slightly larger than the other; this will be your bottom crust.  Knead the ball once or twice, then flatten the ball into a 3/4-inch-thick disk on a floured work surface.  Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight before rolling.

Fresh Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
2 to 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, sifted, or granulated sugar, to your taste
A few drops vanilla extract
Instructions:
About 15 minutes before you plan to prepare this topping, place a medium-sized bowl and the beaters from your electric mixer in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to proceed, pour the cream into the chilled bowl.  Starting at medium speed, beat the cream until it starts to thicken.  Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the cream holds soft peaks.  Add the confectioners’ sugar, stirring it in with the beaters so it doesn’t fly up in your face when you restart the machine.  Continue to beat the cream until it is stiff but not grainy.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed, no more than several hours.

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For the love of PIE ~ Week Four: Forgiveness

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Andrea

10 Weeks ~ 10 Pies ~ 10 People ~ 10 Virtues

There’s no sweeter way to honor those who have impacted my life with virtue than by baking pie.  For the next 10 weeks, I will be spotlighting a pie each week that represents a special person in my life that has passed on one of life’s important virtues to me.

Week Four

Forgiveness, the greatest and most powerful of all the virtues, means to free or pardon someone from blame or resentment.  True forgiveness is rare and many never experience it due to the difficulty of restoring peace after being hurt or wronged.  Anger and resentment bring heaviness to the heart and it takes an immense amount of courage and compassion to release it.  To experience forgiveness is freeing and restores the heart to a wholeness, allowing it to love stronger and more deeply.  Research studies have shown that those who are able to forgive are more likely to be happier and healthier, experiencing less illness than those who hold on to resentment.

My own experience with forgiveness is a very personal one that I have shared with few.  It happened slowly over time and yet all at once which is a strange way to put it, but nothing so powerful is ever easy to explain, is it?  With empathy and understanding came the ability to appreciate that no two people see through the same lens or walk in the same pair of shoes.  We make the best choices we can for ourselves in the moment and the beauty emerges when we later learn how we’ve grown because looking back, we realize we would have done things differently.

The capacity to love is much greater when one offers forgiveness to another and my fiancé, Kevin has been the catalyst for me experiencing this powerful, rare virtue in my life.  Our paths, though separate and distinct for 12 years, united again 6 years ago to create a full circle, offering a second chance at love and giving us the opportunity to love with whole hearts now filled with peace.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Wafers Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Forgiveness is sweet and no two ingredients go together better than chocolate and peanut butter.  This Chocolate – Peanut Butter Pie represents the perfect counterpart I’ve found in Kevin.  Not only can he finish my sentences, but he’s also pretty talented at reading my mind as well.  He may not be every girl’s dream but he’s definitely mine.  My love for him couldn’t be more sweet and rich.  The chocolate wafer crumb crust and the warm mocha sauce on top hold in the sweet creamy peanut butter center sending you to heaven in one bite. 

An American author said, “There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.”  Through forgiveness, I have found so much more than love.  I’m so blessed to be one of the few to experience this powerful release, granting myself a joyful heart and grace to another.  This deliciously sweet pie was the perfect reminder of the rich gift we’ve been given, one that will never be forgotten.  Happy Birthday, Love!

Chocolate - Peanut Butter Pie with Warm Mocha Sauce

Chocolate Wafer Crumb Crust
Ingredients:
30 chocolate wafers
2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Big pinch of salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°.  Lightly butter your pie pan.  Combine the wafers, brown sugar, flour and salt in a food processor. Using long pulses, grind the wafers to a very fine texture.  They should be both slightly gritty and floury.  Dump the crumbs into a large bowl and add the butter. Mix, first with a fork, then with your hands, rubbing thoroughly to blend.  If the mixture still seems a little crumbly, drizzle on ½ teaspoon water and rub again.  Spread the crumbs evenly in the pie pan, pressing them into the bottom and up the side.  Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes.  Place on the center oven rack and bake for 6 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack before filling. 

Chocolate – Peanut Butter Pie
Ingredients for filling:
1 ¼ cups smooth peanut butter
One 8 – ounce package full-fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups cold heavy or whipping cream
Instructions:
Cream the peanut butter, cream cheese, and ½ cup of the confectioners’ sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer.  Blend in the vanilla.  Wash and dry the beaters.  Using a chilled medium-size bowl and chilled beaters, beat the heavy cream with the mixer until it holds soft peaks.  Add the remaining ½ cup confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until stiff but not grainy.  Add about one-third of the whipped cream to the peanut butter mixture.  Blend with the mixer until smooth and creamy.  Fold in the remaining whipped cream until the filling is smooth and evenly mixed.  Spoon the filling into the chilled pie shell and smooth the top with a spoon.  Cover with loosely tented aluminum foil and refrigerate for a t least 3 hours or overnight.  When the filling is good and firm, prepare the mocha sauce.  When the sauce has cooled somewhat but is still pourable, pour it over the pie, tilting the pie to spread the sauce up to the edge.  Set aside to cool.  Re-cover with loosely tented aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Warm Mocha Sauce
Ingredients:
½ cup heavy or whipping cream
1 tablespoon instant espresso or coffee granules
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
Bring the cream, coffee, and butter to a simmer in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisking to dissolve the coffee.  Remove from the heat and add the chocolate chips.  Let the mixture stand for 2 minutes, then whisk to smooth.  Whisk in the corn syrup and vanilla.  If you aren’t using the sauce right away, transfer to a small bowl and let cool.  The sauce will thicken as it cools.  I like to use it while it is still slightly warm, once it has thickened a bit.  If you’re not using it right away, cover and refrigerate, then reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat.

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For the love of PIE ~ Week Three: Responsibility

Posted on May 29, 2011 by Andrea

10 Weeks ~ 10 Pies ~ 10 People ~ 10 Virtues

There’s no sweeter way to honor those who have impacted my life with virtue than by baking pie.  For the next 10 weeks, I will be spotlighting a pie each week that represents a special person in my life that has passed on one of life’s important virtues to me.

Week Three  

It’s true that your life can change in an instant.  You can be getting ready for the first day of your junior year in high school one minute and 90 seconds later, the amount of time it takes for hCG to be detected in your urine on a home pregnancy test, your life is heading in a whole new direction.  The rest of that day is pretty much a blur to me except for the timeless yearbook photo that was captured of me with my best friend, Judy, walking into the school that morning.  There’s a smile on my face in that photo hiding a multitude of emotions along with one of the biggest secrets I held for the next 12 hours.  Though I don’t remember much of that first day of 11th grade, I assure you that it was one of the toughest days I’ve ever had to get through.

Becoming a mother for the first time is stressful enough, becoming a mother for the first time at the age of 16 is terrifying.  It requires a young, carefree teenager to grow up very quickly and dig deep for the responsibility required to raise a baby on her own.  Responsibility, being accountable for one’s actions and decisions, was instilled in me early on, yet it took on a whole new meaning once I held my baby girl for the first time on January 3rd, 1990.

Being responsible for a little person when you’re still trying to figure out how to grow up yourself is pretty tricky.  I remember many instances where I was presented with opportunities to do the regular 16 year-old stuff my friends were doing.  Those choices were hard ones for me, wanting to hang out with my friends yet also knowing the duty I had as a new mother to make sure I met my daughter’s needs for consistency and a regular routine.    

As she got older, it became easier for me to take her with me, and take her with me, I did.  She went everywhere with me like my little sidekick.  To outsiders, she was often mistaken for my little sister.  I loved seeing the expression change on their faces when I proudly announced, “I’m her mother.”  This still happens to this day and continues to be a source of laughter between us.  Raising a child on my own is my proudest accomplishment.  It stands high above all others.  There wasn’t ever a second thought in my mind to let someone else do this for me.  There were difficult times, but mostly I did it right, with evidence to prove it.

Julia is the most beautiful person I know.  With skin that is as soft and smooth as when she was a baby, the most exotic eyes that made a mother question whether she was taking home the right baby from the hospital, and a smile that brings a sparkling light to her eyes and a subtle dimple to her cheek, this young lady can undeniably turn heads.  But more importantly, this child has the most beautiful heart and spirit.  She has taken care of me when I was sick,  made me feel beautiful when I was feeling like the ugliest person on the planet, and encouraged me when I just knew I couldn’t go any further.  She’s been the light in my life for the past 21 years.

Fresh Blackberries Photograph by Andrea Karapas

In deciding which pie to make for Julia, just like when she was little, I gave her
some options and let her choose.  Fittingly, a long time lover of blackberries, she chose a Sour Cream Blackberry Pie.  This pie is unlike any that I’ve ever made.  Its uniqueness comes from a sweetened sour cream mixture poured over the fresh blackberries producing a filling that bakes up much like a moist cheesecake.  This one-of-a-kind pie represents this one-of-a-kind daughter who has brought an extraordinary sense of responsibility and love to my world. 

There’s no question that being a responsible mother at such an early age has made me a much stronger person.  In researching the health benefits of blackberries, they appropriately fall in the Top 10 list of foods with the highest antioxidant capacity, enhancing one’s immunity.  Blackberry plants will produce berries for 15 to 20 years if you take care of them.  Like blackberries, Julia makes my life stronger, healthier, not to mention sweeter.

Sour Cream Blackberry Pie Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Sour Cream Blackberry Pie Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Sour Cream Blackberry Pie
Ingredients for Filling:
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
Big pinch of salt
3 cups fresh blackberries
Ingredients for Streusel Topping:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Instructions:
If you haven’t already, prepare the pastry and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.  Recipe for Extra Flaky Pie Pastry below. 
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the pastry into a 13-inch circle with a floured rolling pin.  Invert the pastry over a 9 1/2 inch deep-dish pie pan, center, and peel off the paper.  Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge into an upstanding ridge.  Place in the freezer for 15 minutes, then partially prebake and let cool.  Instructions for partially prebaking pastry below.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350° F. 
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl just until frothy.  Add the sour cream, granulated sugar, flour vanilla, orange zest, and salt, whisking again until evenly blended.  Spread the berries evenly in the cooled pie shell, then ladle the sour cream mixture over them.
To make the streusel, combine the flour and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix with your fingers.  Add the butter, stirring with a fork.  Switch to your fingers and gently rub the topping until it is crumbly.  Add a bit more brown sugar or granulated sugar if the mixture is too clumpy.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the sour cream filling.
Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake until the filling is set, about 35 minutes.  When done, the filling will likely have puffed slightly and will no longer seem liquid-loose.  Don’t expect the top of the pie to brown much, if at all, because it isn’t in the oven quite long enough.
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool thoroughly.  Serve at room temperature, or cover with loosely tented aluminum foil and refrigerate before serving.

Extra-Flaky Pie Pastry
Ingredients for a Single Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
5 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/4 cup cold water

Instructions:
Put the flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor.  Pulse several times to mix.  Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and pulse the machine 5 or 6 times to cut in.  Fluff the mixture with a fork, lifting it up from the bottom of the bowl.  Scatter the shortening over the flour and pulse 5 or 6 times.  Fluff the mixture again.  Drizzle half of the water over the flour mixture and pulse 5 or 6 times.  Fluff the mixture and sprinkle on the the remaining water.  Pulse 5 or 6 times more, until the dough starts to form clumps.  Overall, it will look like coarse crumbs.  Dump the contents of the processor bowl into a large bowl.  Test the pastry by squeezing some of it between your fingers.  If it seems a little dry and not quite packable, drizzle a teaspoon or so of cold water over the pastry and work it with your fingertips. 
Using your hands, pack the pastry into a ball  as you would pack a snowball.  Knead the ball once or twice, then flatten the ball into a 3/4-inch-thick disk on a floured work surface.  Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight before rolling.

*to partially prebake the crust:  Tear off a piece of aluminum foil about 16 inches long.  Fit the foil inside the pie shell and let the excess foil on the ends just flare out like wings.  Don’t bunch it around the pie pan, or you’ll deflect heat away from the sides.  Pour in enough dried beans to reach the top of the pan or use pie weights if you have them.  With your oven preheated to 400°F, bake the pie shell on the center rack for 15 minutes.  This first stage of baking really sets the crust – not fully baking it, but allowing it to settle and take on the shape of the pan.  After 15 minutes, slide out the rack and slowly lift up on the sides of the foil to remove the weights.  Take a fork and prick the pastry all over the bottom, perhaps seven or eight times, covering as much area as possible.  As you stick the fork in, give it a little twist to enlarge the holes slightly.  Lower the oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake the pie shell for 10-12 minutes.  Check on the pie shell once or twice during this time to make sure it isn’t puffing up; if it is, prick the problem spot with a fork.  Whisk an egg white until frothy, then paint it over the holes you’ve poked to prevent the filling from leaking.  Put the pie shell back in the hot oven to bake the egg white to a hard finish, about 2 minutes.  Remove the pie shell from the oven and put it on a wire rack to cool.

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For the love of PIE ~ Week Two: Diligence and Discipline

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Andrea

10 Weeks ~ 10 Pies ~ 10 People ~ 10 Virtues

There’s no sweeter way to honor those who have impacted my life with virtue than by baking pie.  For the next 10 weeks, I will be spotlighting a pie each week that represents a special person in my life that has passed on one of life’s important virtues to me.

Week Two    

There are no two people that I have more respect for than my maternal grandparents.  I attribute many of the virtues that comprise my moral well being to them yet will focus on the two that stand out most, diligence and discipline.

My grandfather, Frederick Charles Wegner, was a farmer for the majority of his young life, raising sheep and chickens, 200 of each, on a farm in Southeastern Michigan.  From what I know of farming, it’s one of the most difficult, labor intensive jobs there is.  The days are long and the work tiring.  It takes a strong person to be a successful farmer, not only physically, but mentally as well.  The way he chose to live his life required a tremendous amount of diligence.  Diligence, meaning conscientiousness in paying proper attention to a task; giving the degree of care required in a given situation.  Some might call my grandfather a perfectionist which has taken on some negative connotation in recent time.  What I remember of my grandfather’s work is that he did pay proper attention to any task before him; he did things right.  He held himself and others to a high standard and it showed in the quality of work that he produced. 

Not only was my grandfather a farmer, he was also a collector of stamps and coins, two of the oldest and most respected hobbies in the world.  The way his collections were preserved and displayed would have put any fellow collector to shame.  His books were meticulous and organized with the utmost attention and care.  The diligence that my grandfather brought to his work was very impressionable on me as a child and is certainly recognizable in my life as well.  Rarely, will I take on a task unless I have confidence that I can do it well and right.  I struggle with those who are satisfied when a job is complete even if it’s not done properly.  I’m not a fan of short cuts and have been known to redo things 2 or 3 times to make sure they’re done right regardless of whether the shortcuts are visible to others.  It’s in the knowing that a project was completed thoroughly that pride and satisfaction flourish and the knowing that something wasn’t completed properly that disappointment sets in.

Until his death in 2003, my grandfather was married to my grandmother, Ruth Marceile Wegner (Ackley) for 63 years.  If that isn’t the definition of stand by your man, I’m not sure what is.  With poise, steadiness, and composure, she exhibits discipline in the way she conducts herself.  Discipline, the trait of being well behaved and under control, can be a daunting virtue to possess and one that needs to be balanced with laughter and fun.  It is from my grandmother that I learned how to behave in church, the proper way to host a guest, and how one should not play with their dirty bare feet while seated for a meal at the picnic table.  Though she was stern at times, she got her point across with love and a caring desire to teach a child what was proper. She defines her day by her routine.  Every breakfast starts out with a grapefruit half, perfectly sectioned and sprinkled with sugar, and your stomach can become synched to the timing of the rest of the days’ meals.  My grandmother is someone who can be counted on, following through on her commitments.  At 91 years old, I bet she’d still tell you that she owes me a letter.

I always looked forward to my grandmother’s turn to bring cookies to church because not only were they the best cookies, there were usually about 6 different kinds and enough for everyone to try one of each.  She’s the source of my passion for baking and the example I try to emulate in my pies.

Fresh Strawberries Photograph by Andrea Karapas

I’ve been strawberry picking with my grandparents countless times in my life and it’s one of my favorite memories.  Not only are strawberries my favorite fruit, but I loved spending this kind of time with them.  There’s an art to picking strawberries. They require a keen eye and delicate hand.  You must look for the berries that are fully ripened because once they’re picked, they will not ripen further.  The best time to pick strawberries is the early morning or on a cool or cloudy day.  Berries picked in the heat of the sun can become soft and may bruise easily.  Below are tips on the proper way to pick strawberries.

Tips on How to Pick Strawberries
www.pickyourown.org

  1. Grasp the stem just above the berry between the forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion.
  2. With the stem broken about one-half inch from the berry, allow it to roll into the palm of your hand.
  3. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. 
  4. Carefully place – don’t throw – the fruit into your containers. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
  5. Don’t overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.   The berries on the bottom will begin to bruise from the weight.

If you asked me for a list of my favorite things to eat, my grandmother’s French Strawberry Glacé Pie would certainly be on that list.  It’s sweet and comforting, bringing back warm memories of two very special people in my life.  The key ingredient in this pie is the layer of cream cheese spread over the bottom crust.  The combination of sweet strawberries and cream cheese is delightful.

I made two pies this week to honor both my grandparents for the many virtues they passed along to me, but specifically diligence and discipline.  The effort and commitment they both put into their work has never gone unnoticed by me or anyone else whose life they have touched.

French Strawberry Glacé Pie Photograph by Andrea Karapas

French Strawberry Glacé Pie Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Slice of French Strawberry Glacé Pie Photograph by Andrea Karapas

French Strawberry Glacé Pie
Ingredients: 
2 qts. fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
4 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup water
Instructions:
For the filling, wash, drain and hull berries.  Simmer together: 1 cup berries and 2/3 cup water for about 3 minutes.  Blend together: 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/3 cup water and add to boiling mixture.  Boil 1 minute stirring constantly.  Cool.  Spread 4 ounces softened cream cheese over 9″ prebaked pie shell (see For the love of PIE ~ Week One for recipe).  Add 2 1/2 cups quartered berries over cream cheese in pie shell.  Cover with cooled mixture and garnish with 1/2 cup choice berries, halved.  Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hrs.  Serve with whipped cream or softened ice cream.

Basic Flaky Pie Pastry Recipe from: 
Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie    By~ Ken Haedrich

 
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For the love of PIE ~ Week One: Resilience

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Andrea

10 Weeks ~ 10 Pies ~ 10 People ~ 10 Virtues

There’s no sweeter way to honor those who have impacted my life with virtue than by baking pie.  For the next 10 weeks, I will be spotlighting a pie each week that represents a special person in my life that has passed on one of life’s important virtues to me.

Week One

Resilience, derived from the Latin word resilire meaning to leap, spring back; rebound, is one of the many words I use to describe my mother.  If there is anyone who has mastered falling from the horse, dusting off, and getting back on, it’s her.  Since I was 5 years old, I have observed my mother living by the philosophy of a little Blue Tang fish named Dori,… “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!”  And she has done just that.  Adversity is no stranger to her life and if you asked her how she’s gotten through the rough times, I would guess that her answer would be, “I had to!  There was no other choice.  You just do it.”  It has been difficult for my mother to understand or find meaning in the challenges that life has thrown her.  Isn’t this true for all of us?  It’s not until much later that we look back and begin to have clarity about life’s lessons and grow from our adversity.  Many times we fail to ever find it.  But through uncertainty it is essential to hold tight to faith, hope, and courage.  It is through these that we become resilient.

Throughout my life, there have been many times that I have reflected on my mother’s resilience when I have been faced with challenges of my own.  It has given me the courage to “just keep swimming” and I have always come out on the other side and been able to look back and see how far I’ve come.  Life has tested me in countless ways, both subtle and harsh.  Without a sense of resilience, I can’t say where I’d be right now.  At times I’ve had to reach deep to find it, searching blindly in the dark for something steady to hold on to until I discover the courage to take one more step.  Although resilience is something that I believe comes from within, it can take an external reminder that it still exists within us.  This can take many forms:  a light, a loved one, a singing bird, a beautiful sunrise, a kind word from a stranger, the lyrics of a song.  The thing to remember is that you must have your eyes and ears open to it.

Basic Flaky Pie Pastry: Photograph by Andrea Karapas

I’ve chosen Coconut Cream Pie with Coconut Meringue Topping to honor my mother and the strong sense of resilience she’s brought to my life.  Not only is this my mother’s favorite pie, its meringue topping represents this virtue.  Meringue’s appearance is soft and delicate but when made properly is very stable.  The chemistry of meringue is very interesting and quite fitting for my mother’s story.  When egg whites are beaten, some of the hydrogen bonds in the protein break, causing the protein’s structure to unfold. This change in structure leads to the stiff consistency required for meringues. The cream of tartar stabilizes the egg whites giving them a hardiness to withstand the high heat under the broiler.

My mother continues to keep pushing through her challenges and doesn’t give up.  She is a source of tremendous strength for me and when she needs someone to encourage her to get back on the horse, I’m always there for her, reminding her how resilient she is.  When life gives you lemons, you can’t always make lemonade.  But if you can throw those lemons in your backpack and get back on the horse, at least you’ll still be moving forward.

Coconut Cream Pie with Coconut Meringue Topping: Photograph by Andrea Karapas

 
Coconut Cream Pie with Coconut Meringue Topping: Photograph by Andrea Karapas
 
Basic Flaky Pie Pastry
Ingredients for a single crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/4 cup cold water
Instructions:
Put the flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor.  Pulse several times to mix.  Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and pulse the machine 5 or 6 times to cut in.  Fluff the mixture with a fork, lifting it up from the bottom of the bowl.  Scatter the shortening over the flour and pulse 5 or 6 times.  Fluff the mixture again.  Drizzle half of the water over the flour mixture and pulse 5 or 6 times.  Fluff the mixture and sprinkle on the the remaining water.  Pulse 5 or 6 times more, until the dough starts to form clumps.  Overall, it will look like coarse crumbs.  Dump the contents of the processor bowl into a large bowl.  Test the pastry by squeezing some of it between your fingers.  If it seems a little dry and not quite packable, drizzle a teaspoon or so of cold water over the pastry and work it with your fingertips.
Using your hands, pack the pastry into a ball  as you would pack a snowball.  Knead the ball once or twice, then flatten the ball into a 3/4-inch-thick disk on a floured work surface.  Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight before rolling.
 
Coconut Cream Pie with Coconut Meringue Topping
Ingredients for Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup canned cream of coconut, well stirred
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for Coconut Meringue Topping:
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
5 tablespoons sugar
Big pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Instructions:
If you haven’t already, prepare the pastry and refrigerate it until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll pastry into a 12-inch circle with a floured rolling pin.  Invert the pastry over a 9 inch standard pie pan, center, and peel off the paper.  Tuck the pastry into the pan, withough stretching it, and sculpt the edge into an upstanding ridge.  Place in the freezaer for 15 minutes, then fully prebake* and let cool according to the instructions below.
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-size, heavy saucepan, preferably nonstick.  Whisk in the milk, egg yolks, and cream of coconut.  Place over medium heat and cook, whisking virtually nonstop, until the mixture starts to thicken and comes to a low boil, 5-7 minutes.  Continue to whisk and heat until quite thick, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the extracts.  Immediately pour the filling into the cooled pie shell and set aside on a wire rack.  Preheat the broiler.
While the filling is still hot, make the meringue topping.  Combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl.  Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat until the whites are firm and voluminous.  Add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, pausing for about 10 seconds between additions.  Beat in the salt and extracts.  Comtinue to beat until the meringue is stiff and forms pointed peaks when the beaters are reaised.  Do not overbeat, or the meringue will become too stiff to be easily spread.  Fold the coconut into the meringue.  Spoon the meringue over the warm filling, spreading it to the edge and anchoring it to the pastry.
Set the pie on a baking sheet and very briefly run it under the broilder to brown the meringue.  Don’t leave the over; this will take a very short time and you need to stand watch. 
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool.  Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.  Or cover with loosely tented aluminum foil and refrigerate up to 2 days.
 
*to fully prebake the crust:  Tear off a piece of aluminum foil about 16 inches long.  Fit the foil inside the pie shell and let the excess foil on the ends just flare out like wings.  Don’t bunch it around the pie pan, or you’ll deflect heat away from the sides.  Pour in enough dried beans to reach the top of the pan or use pie weights if you have them.  With your oven preheated to 400°F, bake the pie shell on the center rack for 15 minutes.  This first stage of baking really sets the crust – not fully baking it, but allowing it to settle and take on the shape of the pan.  After 15 minutes, slide out the rack and slowly lift up on the sides of the foil to remove the weights.  Take a fork and prick the pastry all over the bottom, perhaps seven or eight times, covering as much area as possible.  As you stick the fork in, give it a little twist to enlarge the holes slightly.  Lower the oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake the pie shell for 15-17 minutes.  Check on the pie shell once or twice during this time to make sure it isn’t puffing up; if it is, prick the problem spot with a fork.  Whisk an egg white until frothy, then paint it over the holes you’ve poked to prevent the filling from leaking.  Put the pie shell back in the hot oven to bake the egg white to a hard finish, about 2 minutes.  Remove the pie shell from the oven and put it on a wire rack to cool.
 
Recipes from:  Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie    By~ Ken Haedrich
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The clothes don’t make the man.

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Andrea

Have you ever met someone and thought to your yourself, “this person’s going to be really weird”?  As a counselor who sees new clients every day, this happens to me at least a few times per week.  More often than not, I’m proven wrong and these clients eventually turn into some of my most favorite people, offering a new level of understanding, appreciation and wisdom to my own life.  There’s enough evidence to actually say that these individuals have not only made me a better counselor, but a better person.

Recently, I’ve been evaluating my own appearance, wondering if I need to change the way I dress for work in order to appear more professional to others.  I even went as far as asking a colleague for feedback.  It became clear how much energy I was putting into this deep reflection when I awoke one morning remembering a dream I had the night before.  In this dream I was doing laundry, a lot of laundry.  My newly found online dream dictionary helped me translate:  “To dream that you are doing your laundry, suggests that you are cleaning up your act or changing your image.  Perhaps, you are too concerned about how you appear to others.”  My colleage assured me that appearances aren’t everything and that I shouldn’t put too much more energy into it.  Concern for my appearance has lessened as I continue to receive subtle messages that, “It’s the deeds makes the man.”

The most anticipated component of my trip to Spain in 2008 was the day trip to Tangier, Morocco.  The Kasbah, snake charmers, and camel rides…oh my!  I was looking forward to these experiences more than anything.  The tour company coordinating our experience in Morocco had the best of intentions in providing us with these memories but the staging of these productions made these encounters fall miles short of being authentic.  The first indication that my “memory in the making” was scripted and anything but spontaneous was when our tour bus pulled to the side of the road in the middle of nowhere next to a herd of camels, saddled and harnessed, ready to take 60 tourists each on a 30 second camel ride in a circle for 1 Euro.  In the amount of time it took for my daughter to snap a once-in-a-lifetime photo of me riding a camel in Morocco, my expectations were lowered tremendously.  In the end, it was the chance encounters that brought the most adventure and memory to that trip.  Another big lesson that things aren’t always what they appear to be on the surface.  There is profound value in the simple things.

Couscous is a staple throughout Northwestern Africa and Southwestern Europe that dates back to the 9th century.  Made from semolina, couscous is one of the healthiest grain-based products.  It’s typically cooked in flavorful broth and served with stewed meat and vegetables.  Due to its versatility, it can be “dressed up” a number of ways.  This recipe called for instant couscous which cooks quickly, within 5 minutes, just by adding boiled water.  There are countless varieties allowing you to mix and match it as a side dish.

Well, the moral of the story is that no matter how you “dress” something up, it’s what’s underneath that matters.  This concept has been familiar to me since I was a kid but it never ceases to amaze me how much more I learn about the world and myself as I age.  When you open yourself up to the universe, it presents you with an abundance of learning opportunities.  There’s no need for me to change my style in order for others to see the contribution that I bring.  I’m learning that they already know.  I just need to listen.  The world is full of illusions and I’m acquiring a talent for seeing past them.  I hope to run into another camel one day, willing to give me a saddlefree ride across a small desert, without demand of a gold coin.

Spiced Mini Burgers with Couscous Salad Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Spiced Mini Burgers with Couscous Salad
Ingredients
1 10-ounce box couscous (1 1/2 cups)
1 pound ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
kosher salt and black pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 scallions, sliced
4 plum tomatoes, quartered
1 seedless cucumber, cut into half-moons
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 8-ounce container hummus (optional)
Instructions:
Place the couscous in a large bowl and pour 1½ cups hot tap water over the top. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork.
Form the beef into 12 small ½-inch-thick patties. Sprinkle with the cumin, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and cook to the desired doneness, 4 minutes per side for medium.
Toss the couscous with the scallions, tomatoes, cucumber, lemon juice, remaining oil, 1¼ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Serve with the burgers and hummus, if using.

Recipe courtesy of Real Simple magazine, April 2008 issue.

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Go BIG or go home.

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Andrea

There have been times when some have accused me of having an all or nothing mentality.  I’ll concede to not being a lover of compromise but if this was actually the case, I’d either be living in a box with only the clothes on my back or typing this from a charming cottage in the South of France with Johnny Depp rubbing my shoulders and nibbling on my ear.  Neither being the case, I would say that this statement is false.  I certainly didn’t go to the 4th grade in my underwear when my mom told me that she wasn’t going to buy me a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans, the kind with the white swan stitched on the front pocket that my friend, Cortne Blaisdell, had.  And I certainly didn’t walk away from the whiffle ball plate during 9th grade gym class when Mr. McNitt announced that I, “sure didn’t have my brother’s athletic ability.” 

Things haven’t ever come easy for me but I can’t say that I’ve ever given up because of it.  It’s all about the attitude.  I’m a firm beliver in the “fake it ’til you make it” philosophy, the common catchphrase that means to imitate confidence so that as the confidence produces success, it will generate real confidence.  This belief has gotten me through some tough times…indeed.  In order to accomplish this, one must have both courage and an element of deep psychological resilience.  This attitude involves a level of risk taking that only those whose competencies have been questioned are able to bring.  I would say that I’ve proven at least a few people wrong as a result of this driving philosophy.

I’ve never baked a cake from scratch but it wasn’t because someone told me that I couldn’t.  That would have only made me attempt it sooner.  It may have been the same thing that kept me from making my own pie crust until I was 33 years old, the belief that I, myself, wouldn’t be able to do it.  There’s only one thing more satisfying than proving someone wrong…proving yourself wrong.

The Pineapple Upside Down Cake dates back to 1925 with the early recipes being made in a cast iron skillet and cooked on top of the stove since settlers did not have ovens.  It’s been a long-time favorite in my family and my step-dad used a cast iron skillet when he baked his, only he did use his oven.  Duncan Hines has never let me down when I’ve had a craving for this deliciously sweet cake, however it was time for me to prove myself wrong and make it from scratch.  Seriously, how impressed would you be if I baked a cake from a box?

Always bring butter and eggs to room temperature when baking. Photograph by Andrea Karapas

When looking for a recipe, I immediately turned to Paula Deen.  If you’re privy to her success story, you know that she’s queen of the “fake it ’til you make it” philosophy.  With a pound of butter and 5 eggs, this cake is the inspiration for the title of this post.  My first cake couldn’t be just any cake, it had to be a spectacular cake, and that it is.  It is superbly moist with two layers, lending extra sweetness and more pineapple in every bite.  The frosting and chopped pecans take this cake to the next level of decadence.  I actually closed my eyes as I savoured the first bite. 

I guess it all depends on your definition of “having it all” but I would have to say that I don’t have to compromise for much these days.  I’ve been blessed in many ways and have also put forth great effort toward many of my achievements.  I’ve proven many people, myself included, wrong and keep faking it until I make it BIG.  What you’ll never see is me walking away from a challenge.  Didn’t think I could bake a cake?  Well, as you can see I can bake a cake and eat it too!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Photograph by Andrea Karapas

 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Photograph by Andrea Karapas
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
3 cups cake flour, plus more for pan
1 cup butter, softened, plus 1/2 cup, melted
2 1/4 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole buttermilk
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 (20-ounce) cans pineapple slices in juice, drained well (reserve 2 tablespoons juice for frosting
1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained well
Pineapple Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows
Chopped pecans, for garnish, optional
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and coat with flour.
In a large bowl, beat 1 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.
In a small bowl, add the 3 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Divide the brown sugar evenly into each pan. Pour the melted butter equally over the brown sugar. Arrange the pineapple slices and cherries over the brown sugar. Reserve remaining pineapple slices and cherries for another use.
Pour equal amounts of batter over the fruit and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.
To assemble the cake, carefully arrange 1 cake layer, pineapple side up, on a cake plate. Carefully stack the remaining cake layer, pineapple side up, over the first layer. Frost the sides of the cake with Pineapple Buttercream Frosting. Press chopped pecans into sides of cake, if desired.
 
Pineapple Buttercream Frosting:
Instructions:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions:
Beat all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.

 Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen.

 
Posted in Baking, Dessert, Entertaining, Sweets, Uncategorized, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Waldorf Salad…a dish to pass.

Posted on April 10, 2011 by Andrea

I call myself a potluck snob.  Potlucks have never made my list of favorite things for several reasons.  First, I’m very critical of other people’s food.  I won’t spend more than one bite on mediocre cooking.  Secondly, it takes several trips to find the good stuff, leading to multiple paper plates full of food that wind up in the trash.  The first trip is spent taking a little of this and a little of that just to give it a try.  The second trip allows you to grab a little more of those things that were decent and try some of the new stuff that just showed up due to the rude people that arrived late.  By the third trip, you’re filling your plate with what you brought yourself before it’s gone because you realize that it’s the best thing there.  Lastly, the potluck game is all but fair.  There’s the June Cleaver wannabe who carries in the crockpot or baking dish with her oven mitts still on needing to pop her delicious main course in the oven for a quick reheat.  Then there’s the bachelor that shows up with a bag of chips and bottled salsa.  I’ve even seen what looks to be like leftovers from the night before yielding only 3 servings to those lucky enough to get in line first. I don’t consider myself to be a competitive person but when it comes to bringing a dish to pass, you better believe that my intention is to win with the best dish, allowing me to leave with an empty bowl.  It’s easy to tell the winners in the potluck game because there’s a buzz about certain things.  “Who brought the brownies? Does anyone know who made the salad with the blue cheese crumbles?”  Yep, I’m listening for the buzz!

Of the many dishes I’ve seen at a potluck, the most common are casseroles, pasta salads, fruit salads, bar cookies, and brownies.  Many are recipes that have been passed down through generations but more recently I’ve seen more store bought items which frustrates me.  If I wanted a bucket of chicken, I would have gone through the drive thru.  There have been times that I’ve been in a bind myself and raced through the grocery store for a dish to pass at the last minute on my way to a party just to avoid showing up empty handed, but I always feel terribly embarrassed about it.  Lately I’ve chosen a bottle of wine in those cases because it looks a little more thoughtful in my opinion and the bottle usually ends up empty…another win for me! 🙂

Fresh Ingredients Photograph by Andrea Karapas

One common dish that makes an appearance at most potlucks is the Waldorf Salad.  Created in 1893 by Oscar Tschirky, the maitre d’ of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City who developed and inspired many of its signature dishes, this salad has tremendous flavor and texture.  Traditionally, the Waldorf Salad is made with apples, celery, and walnuts, dressed in mayonnaise and served on a bed of lettuce.  It’s an age-old favorite with countless variations.

Being one who has frequently enjoyed this delicious salad, I thought I would take an adventure with this favorite and make it my own.  After studying many online recipes, I came up with a delightful adaptation with a little Greek flair.  With thick Greek yogurt, honey, pecans, and dried cranberries, this version will create the buzz I’m looking for at the next potluck I reluctantly accept an invitation to.

The Waldorf Salad Photograph by Andrea Karapas

I paired this salad with delicious maple-glazed pork chops, garlic-herbed rice and tender roasted asparagus.  The maple-glazed pork chop recipe is a new one for me also.  Browned in butter, broiled with brown sugar and topped with a thick maple glaze, these pork chops were a perfect complement to this fruit salad.  Enjoy!

Maple-Glazed Pork Chops Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Waldorf Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
2 T. mayo
1 tsp. honey
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 T. flat leaf parsley (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. toasted pecans
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1 1/2 Gala apple, cored and chopped
1/2 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1/2 c. red seedless grapes, halved
2 ribs celery, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Lettuce leaves for serving (Butter or Bibb)
Instructions:
Heat the nuts in a heavy skillet on low heat to toast for 8-10 minutes. Cool and break the nuts up into small pieces.   Whisk the yogurt, mayonnaise, parsley, honey, and lemon zest in a large bowl and season with freshly ground black pepper.  Halve, core, and cut the apples into 3/4-inch pieces, leaving the skin intact. Add the apples, grapes, celery, and cranberries to the bowl, and sprinkle with the lemon juice; then toss with the dressing. Chill if not serving immediately.  When ready to serve, toss pecans into the salad. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter, or divide them among 4 salad plates. Place the salad on the lettuce and serve.

Maple-Glazed Pork Chops
Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
4 bone-in pork loin chops, 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
Instructions:
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add pork chops and shake to coat. In a skillet, brown chops on both sides in butter. Place in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until juices run clear.
Meanwhile, in a skillet, bring the vinegar to a boil. Reduce heat; add maple syrup. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the maple mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Place chops on a broiler pan; sprinkle with brown sugar. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 2-3 minutes or until sugar is melted. Drizzle with maple glaze.

Recipe courtesy of www.allrecipes.com

Posted in Dinner, Entertaining, Greek, Lunch, Salads, Savory, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments