The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
BAKING BONANZA
Get ready for the perfect pies this season
Who doesn’t have cravings for the perfect holiday pie, with its tender, golden, buttery crust with sweet or savory filling?
Pie is a food of nostalgia, a dessert that takes you back to childhood, perhaps helping Mom or Grandma roll out the flaky dough and the mouthwatering aroma that filled the kitchen when the oven door opened. A comforting classic, pie has become a favorite of home bakers and their customers.
Everyone loves traditional holiday pies, or that best-kept secret recipe that keep friends and family coming back for more. But where does tradition end and boring begin? This holiday season, if you’re looking for unique twists on traditional family pie recipes or looking for something entirely new to introduce to your holiday menu, you’re not alone.
The history of pie can be traced back to ancient Egyptians, when they were commonly made with meat. It is also believed that the Greeks originated pie pastry, made with flour and water that formed a paste that was wrapped around the meat. “Coffins” or “coffyns” (basket or box) were what the first pies were called.
Last month, I wrote about caring for cast-iron pans in response to a reader’s request and included a couple of recipes to go along. Have you thought about baking pies in a cast-iron pan? If not, and even if you have tried this pie-baking method, “The Cast-Iron Pie Cookbook: 101 Delicious Pie Recipes for Your Cast-Iron Cookware,” by Dominique DeVito (2017, Cider Mill Press, $24.95) is a book you will want to have this season.
Have you had a pie where the fruit is not cooked evenly and the crust isn’t golden brown but soggy, making it difficult to cut a slice that doesn’t fall apart? Baking in a cast-iron skillet, an old-fashioned cooking vessel comes to the rescue. Yours might have been handed down through the generations.
As many have, including myself, once you have mastered using cast-iron cookware, it will become a favorite tool even though it is not a beautiful piece of cookware; it is heavy, the handle gets hot, and it requires care. But the ugly duckling distributes and holds heat well, and can go from stovetop to oven to the table, where it will keep the food warm, unlike other pans.
The first chapter of the book discusses why cast-iron is here to stay, its history, which type to use for certain dishes, seasoning the pan yourself vs. buying it preseasoned, and how to care for the cookware. DeVito then shares several crust recipes, including gluten-free, flaky, graham cracker, sweet and savory cornmeal, and pecan nut. Of course, fruit pies are a focus, but the author includes custard, cream, nut, and savory pies and quiches, and sweet tarts and galettes, all using cast-iron pans. So get out your cast-iron pan and let’s start baking.
For the recipe for bacon and zucchini quiche, visit https://bit.ly/2qmDhlp.
Note: The author uses a Lodge brand 12-inch skillet.
Gluten-free plum pie
1 gluten-free crust (recipe below) 10 to 12 fresh plums, pitted and quartered 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons gluten-free flour
1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon
juice
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter,
cut into slivers
2 tablespoons half-and-half Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
(optional)
When the bottom crust is prepared in the skillet, put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, toss the plums with the 1⁄2 cup of sugar, glutenfree flour, nutmeg and lemon juice. Put the mixture in the cold bottom crust and dot with the butter slivers.
Brush with the half-and-half and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes or more.
While it’s refrigerating, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Put the skillet in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, until the plums are tender.
Remove the skillet from the oven and allow to cool before serving. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired.
Gluten-free crust
11⁄4 cups gluten-free multi-purpose
flour blend
1 tablespoon sugar 1⁄2 teaspoon xanthan gum 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces, plus 1 tablespoon butter for greasing the skillet
1 large egg
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon
juice
1-2 tablespoons cold water
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, xanthan gum and salt. Add butter and work it into flour mixture with a pastry blender or your fingers to form a coarse meal that includes whole bits of butter.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg and lemon juice together briskly until very foamy. Add to dry ingredients and stir until the dough holds together. If dough isn’t quite holding, add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time until it does. Shape into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes or overnight.
When ready to make the pie, take dough out of the refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before rolling. Working on a flat surface dusted with gluten-free flour, roll the dough into a 12-inch disk.
Grease the cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon butter.
Carefully position the crust in the skillet so it is evenly distributed, pressing it in lightly. Crimp the edges. Fill and bake as directed. Makes one 12-inch crust
Pumpkin pecan pie
1 pecan nut crust (recipe below) 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated) 2 eggs
2 tablespoons 100 percent natural maple syrup 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1⁄4 cup brown sugar, packed 1⁄4 cup pecans, finely chopped 2 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into pieces
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, maple syrup, and spices. Whisk or stir until thoroughly combined. Pour into unbaked crust. Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
While pie is baking, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans and flour. Work in the butter with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Carefully take the pie out of the oven and top with the brown sugar-and-pecan mixture, distributing evenly. Use foil to cover the edges of the crust to prevent them from burning.
Return the skillet to the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted about an inch from the edge comes out clean. Remove from the oven, allow to cool completely, and then refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve with fresh whipped cream or French vanilla ice cream.
Pecan nut crust
The headnote says, “So simple and elegant and delicious, nut crusts are a great gluten-free alternative to traditional crusts. They’re a great base for everything from creamy, earthy fillings like pumpkin to decadent chocolate cream and even frozen yogurt with fruit.”
11⁄2 cups raw pecans
11⁄2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces, plus 1 tablespoon butter for greasing the skillet
Put pecan pieces in a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse crumbly meal. Alternatively, you can put the pieces in a large, thick plastic bag and mash them with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer. There can be chunks of butter. Liberally grease the skillet with the butter. Transfer the nut mixture to the skillet and gently press it into the pan to form a crust. Put skillet on top of a cookie sheet to catch any oil that may drip from the nuts.
VARIATIONS
Almond or walnut crust — substitute 11⁄2 cups raw almonds or walnuts for the pecans
Hazelnut crust — use 3 ⁄4 cup raw hazelnuts with 3⁄4 cup almonds or pecans Mixed nuts — use a blend of all these nuts.
Culinary calendar
⏩ Chefs of Our Kitchen Series:
Faith Middleton, host of “Food Schmooze,” and Chris Prosperi, chef/owner of Metro Bis. Nov. 7, 6 p.m., Gateway Community College, 20 Church St., New Haven, 203-285-2617, $85 includes preevent reception and three-course dinner with wine pairings, featuring signature dishes from Ina Garten’s cookbook “Cook Like a Pro.” Reservations required. Tickets and series information at gatewayfdn.org/cook-tickets.
⏩ New Haven Restaurant Week:
through Nov. 9. Many of your New Haven favorites offer prix-fixe menus: $17.10 two-course lunches, $34.10 three-course dinners. For participating restaurants and menus, visit infonewhaven.com/dining/nhrwinfo.
⏩ Consiglio’s Cooking Demonstration and Dinner: Nov. 9, 6:30 p.m., Consiglio’s Restaurant, 165 Wooster St., New Haven, 203-8654489 (reservations required), $75 (beverages, tax and gratuity not included). https://bit.ly/2Nd0xAg Menu: Seared sea scallops, pancetta butter sauce, homemade linguini cacio e pepe, peppercorn-crusted rib eye, brandy- wild mushroom sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, cannoli cheesecake torte.
⏩ Bourbon and BBQ dinner:
Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m. Guilford Mooring, 505 Whitfield St., Guilford. $85 includes tax and gratuity. Features three-course dinner paired with bourbons. Reservations required. 203-458-2921. Tickets at https://bit.ly/2ADZGQX
⏩ Elm City Brew Festival: Nov. 17, 1-5 p.m. College Street Music Hall, 238 College St., New Haven featuring 65+ breweries, food vendors and music by local artists. $45 in advance; $50 at the door. VIP tickets, $60, include early entrance at noon. Designated drivers $10. Tickets, info and list of breweries at https://bit.ly/2NtcmgK.
Cooking questions? Send them to Stephen Fries at gw-stephen.fries@gwcc.commnet.edu or Dept. FC, Gateway Community College, 20 Church St., New Haven, 06510. Include your full name, address and phone number. Due to volume, I might not be able to publish every request. For more, go to stephenfries.com.