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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
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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
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