Peach Pie or Blackberry Pie with Lard Crust

Monday, July 13, 2009

This pie combines a crust recipe I got from Kathleen Purvis at the Charlotte Observer with a filling from the 50th Anniversary edition of the Joy of Cooking. Whenever I need to make something basic that I don't really have any experience with, I go to that Joy of Cooking. I decided to switch to a lard crust after I tasted some cookies that my kitchen manager, Hector Gonzales, made one slow night at work. They were made of flour, sugar and lard. This recipe makes enough crust for two pies, but it freezes very well if you want to make one at a time.






The Crust


Makes enough for two lattice top pies or one covered pie




2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided




1 teaspoon salt




2 tablespoons sugar




1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small pieces




4.5 ounces of lard, very cold




1/4 cup cold vodka




1/4 cup cold water




Put 1 1/2 cups of the flour in the bowl of a food processor along with the salt and sugar. Pulse briefly. Feed in the butter and lard, pulsing to just coat them with flour. Add the other cup of flour and process until evenly fine (4 or 5 fifteen second pulses). Turn flour out into a mixing bowl. Fold liquids in with a spatula, then knead briefly to form a dough. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. This crust is very sturdy and cuts well, although the edges are sometimes crumbly. Rigoberto has started to butter and flour the pie pans like you would for a cake. This seems to make them easier to serve if they last more than a day. I have never seen this done before. We use steel pie pans with small holes in the bottoms. They keep the pies from being soggy underneath. This crust works well with both blind baked and raw filled pie recipes.






The Filling


For one pie




3 cups peeled peach slices




1/4 cup sugar




1/4 cup brown sugar




1/8 teaspoon salt




2 tablespoons corn starch




1/4 teaspoon cinnamon




1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg




1 egg beaten with a little water




2 tablespoons of butter cut into tiny pieces




Another tablespoon or so of sugar




Mix all the dry ingredients together, then toss with the peach slices. Allow to sit for half an hour.


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out half of the above dough recipe into a circle of between an eighth and a quarter of an inch. Line an eight inch pie pan. Trim the edges, then roll the scraps out and cut into strips for the top. Put the peaches in the crust and brush the edges of the crust with some of the egg. Weave the lattice top and press down around the pie edge with a fork, then trim away any excess crust. Brush the lattice with the beaten egg. Dot the top of the exposed fruit with bits of butter and sprinkle the top of the pie with a little sugar. Cooking time will vary a little because some peaches are juicier than others, but start checking after about 45 minutes. The crust should be pretty and brown, the fruit set and bubbling a little, any visible juice, thickened.



For a blackberry pie, use this recipe for the filling and follow the same instructions for rolling the dough and for baking.



4 cups of blackberries



1 cup sugar



2 tablespoons corn starch mixed dissolved into 1/4 cup of orange juice



1/2 teasppoon cinnamon



Mix everything together and let sit for half an hour before assembling the pie.






posted by Bill Smith at 9:19 AM 0 comments

Tomato Cornmeal Tart

Sunday, July 5, 2009


This is a good recipe for that time each summer when you suddenly have tomatoes everywhere. At Crook's we serve it warm with a little quark into which we have added chopped fresh herbs, but it is also good cold. It is really important to have all the ingredients and equipment ready to go before you start because the cornmeal begins to set up quickly.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a tart ring with a removable bottom and dust with cornmeal.


Serves 6


4 to 6 ripe tomatoes, sliced as for sandwiched, drained for a bit in a colander


1/2 cup large curd cottage cheese, rinsed and drained


2 large eggs, beaten


3 tablespoons chopped fresh summer herbs


3 cups water


1 1/2 teaspoon salt


1 cup plain yellow cornmeal


2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened


1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese


1 small red onion, peeled and diced


1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus more salt


1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


1 cup quark, creme fraiche, or sour cream mixed with chopped fresh herbs


Make sure the cottage cheese has drained well, Whisk the fresh herbs into the beaten eggs and set aside. If your tomato slices are very large, cut them in half.


Bring a cup and a half of the water to a boil in a heavy bottom sauce pan. Add the salt. In a pitcher or bowl whisk the cornmeal into the rest of the water, then whisk this into the boiling water. Stir without ceasing until the cornmeal wants to pull away from the sides of the pot. Sometimes this happens quickly sometimes it doesn't. The cornmeal is ready when you can tip the pot to one side and the mixture pulls away from the bottom dry. Quickly stir in the butter until it is completely absorbed. Then the eggs and herbs. You must stir really fast so you don't get scrambled eggs. Next add the cheddar, then the onions. Lastly add the cottage cheese. Stir as little as possible at this point so the curds remain somewhat intact. Pour mixture in to tart pan and spread it around evenly. It will begin to set up at once so move quickly. Starting from the outside of the tart, insert the tomato slices in concentric circles moving to the center. Think a pretty French fruit tart. Dig the bottom of each slice into the cornmeal a little. Each ring of tomato slices should overlap a little.


Place in the oven for about 15 minutes. I put the tart ring on a cookie sheet for ease in handling. Then, salt and pepper the top. Bake until the cornmeal feels firm. This will vary according to how juicy the tomatoes are, but will probably not be longer than 30 minutes. Strew the Parmesan all over the top and bake for five minutes more. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a half an hour before unmolding and slicing. Serve warm or cold with the herbed quark.

posted by Bill Smith at 9:21 AM 0 comments

Butterscotch Pudding

Monday, January 26, 2009

There is no scotch in butterscotch. The name apparently comes from an archaic word for scoring or marking. A kind of hard candy flavored this way needed to be scored while still warm in order to be broken into pieces when it had set up. I make this a couple of times a year and it has developed its own following.



Serves six or seven
4 egg yolks (save the whites for another recipe if you like)
2/3 cup of cornstarch
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups cold milk
2 cups half and half
1 tablespoon molasses
6 tablespoons cold butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
Beat the egg yolks well in a mixing bowl. Set aside for a minute. Put the cornstarch, sugars and salt in a large saucepan and whisk together as best you can. The brown sugar will probably be moist and will resist breaking up. Whisk in a cup of the milk and stir until the mixture is more or less smooth. Then stir in the rest of the liquids. Put the pan on medium heat and stir constantly until the pudding has begun to thicken. This will take five or six minutes. If you have nothing else to distract you, you can turn up the heat, but be careful of scorching. When the pudding begins to tug at the whisk a little, pour a couple of cups into the egg yolks and stir in rapidly, then turn the eggs back into the saucepan. Simmer and stir until the pudding is very thick. You need to stir constantly to prevent clumping and scorching. Don't let the mixture boil. Remove from heat, then whisk in the molasses, the butter and the vanilla. This is delicious hot, but you really ought to let it set up. You may do this in a large bowl or in individual cups. Serve with fresh whipped cream. Occasionally, you come across butterscotch extract. If you do find some, a small amount will bump up the flavor of the pudding, but be careful not to add too much.

posted by Bill Smith at 7:09 PM 0 comments

Baked Winter Squash Soup

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Last week I taught my annual class at the Robert and Pearl Seymore Senior Center here in Chapel Hill. Since we're having a chilly winter for a change I decided to include this soup which is appropriate for the weather and very easy to do. This recipe serves only a few people so I used medium sized butternut squash. My very favorite squash for this the pretty blue skinned Hubbard but they tend to be very large. This is great for a restaurant or a big dinner party, but maybe not for a small supper at home.



Preheat oven to 400 degrees




2 medium sized winter squash


1/2 tsp. salt


1/2 tsp. chili powder


1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes


6 cloves of garlic, peeled


2 Tbsp. brown sugar


2 Tbsp. butter


3-4 cups heavy cream


toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish






Wash the squash well, then split them lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Sprinkle the cut side with salt. Place squash, cut side up, in a roasting pan. Divide the chili powder, red pepper and brown sugar among the seed cavities, then top each with slabs of the butter. Cover tightly, either with a lid or with foil and bake for an hour to an hour and a half until the squash is thoroughly cooked and the garlic cloves are very soft. Cooking time will vary according to the type and size of the squash. When the squash are done, remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. Scoop the flesh from the skins, along with all of the garlic and any juice that has collected in the seed cavities and puree. I use a food mill, A food processor will work, but you may need to strain the soup to remove unprocessed fiber. Also taste the juice that may have collected in the pan. If it tastes good add it to the squash as well. Thin to a soup consistency with the cream. The amount needed will vary according to the moisture content of the squash. Reheat the soup carefully- these sorts of soups are easy to scorch, taste for seasoning, and serve topped with the pumpkin seeds.
Recently, at work, I have replaced the chili powder and pepper flakes with hot curry powder. This is a nice variation on the recipe.

posted by Bill Smith at 7:45 AM 0 comments

Apple Rum Cake

Wednesday, November 5, 2008


This recipe was requested back in October. Originally, I made it in a le Creuset sauce pot, but at work I switched to a nine inch cast iron skillet for which I have a tight fitting lid. This cake is easy, although the first time you make it, the technique may seem peculiar. Set oven at 375 degrees.


1/2 cup yellow raisins
3/4 cup dark rum
1 cup stale bread crumbs
4 cups thinly sliced, peeled cooking apples, sprinkled with a little lemon juice
1 orange- rind grated; save the juice
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar, divided
pinch of salt


2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 cup red currant jelly






Warm the rum, then steep the raisins in it for fifteen minutes to plump them. Put the crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the rum and raisins. Then fold in the apples, orange rind, cinnamon and vanilla. The mixture will be suspiciously clumpy. Beat the egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar until they are pale and creamy. Fold into the apple mixture. This will be very thick.




Put skillet on top of the stove on the lowest possible heat. Add the butter to melt. Swirl it around to coat the skillet.




Beat the egg whites with the salt and the rest of the sugar until shiny and firm. Fold them into the apple crumb mixture by thirds. Turn the skillet up to high. When the butter begins to sizzle, pour in the cake batter and even it out with a spatula. Allow the cake to fry for a minute or two. The butter will begin to come up around the sides of the batter and perhaps up through the middle as well. Cover the skillet and place it in the oven. Bake for between 25 and 30 minutes until the cake begins to feel firm at the center. If any batter sticks to your finger when you test it, it isn't quite ready. If it is ready, remove the lid and cook until the top is brown and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the skillet, at least ten more minutes, but more in some ovens. Remove the skillet from the oven and allow it to rest on a cake rack for twenty minutes.



While the cake is still warm, wobble the skillet from side to side gently until it is clear that the cake has dislodged itself and isn't sticking. Do this deliberately but gently. This next part takes nerve the first time, but isn't that hard. Place a cake plate over the cake and flip the skillet over. Since the cast iron is heavy you need to follow through once you start. Sometimes hot butter or sugar will drip out and startle you but it won't be hot enough to hurt you. Pull the skillet straight up and away. You should be looking at a beautiful cake. Melt the currant jelly in a small saucepan, Add enough of the orange juice to make it a little runny. While the cake is still warm pour this, through a sieve, over the cake to coat it. Some of the glaze will spread out around the cake on the plate. That's OK. The cake is good warm or cold, but it is particularly good warm with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. It reheats well in the microwave.




posted by Bill Smith at 11:41 AM 0 comments

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