Apple Pie

Back in school, when I did not know a spatula from a sieve, the big sister would be the one in the kitchen, rustling up a storm. She said it then and she says it now, "Cooking de-stresses me"! This was pre-Internet days and much before the onslaught of cookery programmes on TV. She would pour over all of my mother's old cookery books, searching for something new to try out. She was the family chef and yours truly was her willing guinea pig.

 

One of her most prized recipes those days, actually still is, was a simple apple pie. What seems simple now was at the time, special. My palate was very basic and the Indian food scene was very limited. Come to think of it, the only restaurant in Bombay that used to serve apple pie was probably, Gallops at the Racecourse! So, making apple pie at home was very special. And family, friends and anyone and everyone who had her pie, raved about it!

 

So, the other day when a friend asked me if I had an apple pie recipe up on the blog, I thought I give a shot at recreating the old favourite.

 

The construct of this recipe is simple. The crust is a short crust pastry dough and the filling is cut apple slices that have been tossed with some sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice.

 

Pulling it out of the oven, it hit me why this one will always be a family favourite. It is simple and unpretentious baking at its best. The warm, flaky buttery crust will always be a winner and when it encases that beautiful, cinnamon flavoured apple filling that has been zested up with a hit of lemon juice, it is destined to be a classic. Superlatives fall short on what a perfect combination apples and cinnamon are. The way it makes your kitchen smell is an added bonus!  

 

Earlier on the blog, I had made a French Apple Tart from the 'Baking with Julia' book. But, in that tart, the filling was an apple compote. Out here, the apple slices still have a slight bite to them which I personally much prefer.

 

Making this recipe took me back years. Every time I would ask my sister to bake me an apple pie, in return she would ask me to do something for her, like clean her room or something equally tormenting. What a bully! In defence of my easy subjugation, there are very few desserts more perfect than a well-made apple pie!

 

Chicken And Mushroom Pies

Nothing like a spot of rainy weather in the middle of December to get you to pre-heat your oven!! With an empty afternoon ahead of me, I thought I give a shot at making some individual, savoury pies. For someone whose baking sojourns don't last longer than an hour at a stretch, this was beyond ambitious.

The savoury pies I had in mind were to have a chicken and mushroom filling that would be encased in a short crust pastry case and topped off with a puff pastry lid. So, I was putting my hand up to make not one but two pie crusts from scratch. What was I thinking??

Three and half hours later, I have survived to tell my tale and honestly, it wasn't as bad as I thought. The short crust  pastry dough is something I am familiar with and hardly took much time. As for the puff pastry, I went with this  fantastic recipe by Gordon Ramsay for a rough puff pastry. I don't think any home cook should waste their time attempting the classic puff when the rough does the job so admirably. On another ambitious afternoon, I might be tempted to give the all-puff sausage rolls a try!!

As for the filling, it was a straightforward creamy chicken and mushroom filling. The assembly sounds more tedious than it actually is.

 

I did question, more than once, the wisdom behind attempting two kinds of pastry dough. But, it all gets justified when these pies come out hot from the oven and you cut through all those buttery, flaky, crackly layers of the puff pastry. All that beautiful, buttery crust is then contrasted with that creamy, herby filling. These individual pies pack in quite a bit and with a cup of soup and a side salad, I'd say one pie is enough for one person.

While a bit of unseasonal rain might have inspired these pies, they would make perfect picnic grub. And with the tropical Winter finally making its appearance, time to pack the Picnic baskets...or so I wish!! 

 

Chicken And Spinach Quiche

After weeks of lacklustre baking, I got bitten by the baking bug yesterday in a big way. I don't celebrate Christmas, so I had the whole day as a holiday where I chose to stay home and bake up a storm. Ma was a bit bewildered with all the sudden action in the kitchen. I'm holding the weather responsible for this spurt of enthusiasm...the joys of a tropical winter!!

 

 

First up, for lunch I baked a chicken and spinach quiche. After all the sweet pie and tarts that this blog has seen, a savoury quiche has been on my mind. I went with a filling of cooked chicken, spinach, cheese and some celery, for some added herby flavour. Celery is one of my favourite herbs to add to food. So, I even raised the profile of the crust, by adding some celery to the pastry. It is a subtle touch that adds bags of flavour to this pie.

 

You can play around with your filling, as per your taste. Off the top of my head, I can think of mushroom, cheese and thyme, chicken and mushroom or even spinach, corn and ricotta. Just don't be stingy with the filling. I have used an egg-cream-milk mixture to bind the filling together. If you aren't generous with your filling, you run the risk of tasting more of the egg mixture, making it taste more like a frittata. I think I managed to get the right balance.

 

 

The filling was just right. My main ingredient was the chicken, with the spinach and celery giving not only some veggie flavours but also some needed visual texture. The creamy egg mixture binds it all together without in any way overpowering the other ingredients.

 

This quiche is a rustic and hearty dish, perfect for any family dinner. Make it as a part of a larger spread or if its just two of you, then it's a meal all by itself. I would, however, recommend some sort of green salad to infuse a certain freshness to help counter all the eggy creaminess of the filling. Come to think of it, this quiche would be perfect picnic food too, with its beautiful flavours and easy portability.

 

 

I do apologise for the poor quality of the photographs. We've been experiencing some overcast weather for the past few days and the lack of natural light has really affected these pictures. Moreover, I took them in haste with everyone waiting for lunch to start!!

 

Now, come back tomorrow and I'll tell you what we had for tea! Yup, it was a busy day in the kitchen!!

 

Lemon Meringue Pie

I wonder, at times, that if it were not for my thoroughly biased friends, whether this blog would have continued beyond a few months. These rockstars, champion me like I can do no wrong with this blog. They refuse to see the photographs that are unsharp and grainy or the writing that at times, is unimaginative and cheesy or when the baking is sloppy and messy!! It's a different matter that they are way more creative and talented than yours truly, and definitely, always better cooks and bakers!!

 

And the best part is, that most of them, now live across the world and have never tasted my baking and yet, they encourage, compliment and feed the ego like only friends can. We may not celebrate Thanksgiving, here in India, but I can always bake a pie for my friends, the one thing I got right in life!!

 

 

So, why did I choose a lemon meringue pie?! Well, invariably these friends have a few suggestions for my future posts. It could be an old favourite of theirs or something they have recently tried. This pie has been on a friend's wish list and long overdue! (Yes Debi, this one has your name on it!!)

What goes in a lemon meringue pie?? It is a pie filled with a lemon custard and then topped off with a meringue topping that is reminiscent of a pavlova - crisp exterior with a marshmallowy inside.

 

And for all you baking enthusiasts, here's your trivia for the day, if the lemon custard were replaced with lemon curd, this would have been called a 'lemon meringue tart'!! Well, you learn something new every day!!

 

 

The pie shell is your usual buttery, short-crust pastry. The lemon custard is strictly for the citrus lovers or maybe, I went over board with the amount of lemon juice used. The lemon tang will hit your tongue, zing up your nose and pop your eyes wide open! Yes, it's not for the faint-hearted or the citrus non-believers!

 

The citrus layer is then moderated with that meringue that tones down all excesses of the custard it hides beneath itself. It is delightfully light on the palate and is much needed to balance the dish.

 

 

Anything I'd do differently? When you place the meringue on top of the custard, be sure to see that it touches the pastry shell on the edges, to anchor it and stop it from sliding once it's baked. Secondly, I wonder whether I should have baked the custard layer first and then baked the meringue layer. You can then be surer that the custard layer has set as desired. Any experts want to weigh in??

 

Else, this is a pie where a tiny slice goes a long way, making it perfect for a large group of friends. It is a pie that will jolt you out of your lethargy and invigorate with its vibrancy and zing!!

 

 

So, this weekend, a huge shout out to my friends, wherever in the world you are. Love you all heaps, even if I am utterly hopeless when it comes to picking up the phone!!

 

Roasted Peppers, Feta and Thyme Tart

The monsoon is on its way out, here in India. In an ironical contrast to the western hemisphere where temperatures are on their way down, the mercury in fact rises for a month or so, and then sometime in late October, you wake up one fine morning, to a certain nip in the air!! So, before the cold, cosy and snuggly days of winter, we have a spot of hot, muggy  and uncomfortable days. And for days like this, I share with you this light and vibrant tart.

 

This recipe is from one of my favourite baking books, written by Isidora Popovic, the lady behind London's famous Popina bakery. The highlight of this book, for me, is how the author uses fresh, seasonal produce along with healthier pantry ingredients in a way that not only enhances their flavour but celebrates them.

Accompanied with beautiful photographs that exude a certain rustic charm, the recipes are packed with bags of flavour that speak directly to the heart of the home baker and not a single recipe that I have tried till date has disappointed!! In fact, my very first post on this blog was adapted from the book!!

This tart is a light, refreshing alternative to the traditional tart as we know it. The buttery, short-crust pastry makes way for a lighter, healthier, olive oil pizza-dough crust. And in the filling, the egg-cream mixture is replaced by a much-appreciated Greek yoghurt-cheese (Feta and Cheddar) filling. The filling is further enhanced by the addition of roasted peppers, onions and herbs.

You know you are on to a winner, when you pop the vegetables to roast in the oven and the aroma that permeates your kitchen instantly transports you to the Mediterranean coast. And it definitely does not disappoint when it comes out of the oven. With its pizza-dough crust, it will remind you of a deep dish pizza, albeit a lighter, healthier version.

When I say it is packed with flavours, I am not exaggerating. The natural sweetness of the roasted vegetables contrasts with the sharpness of the cheese and the tanginess of the yoghurt mixture. It is then quietly helped along by the fainter notes of the garlic and the fresh herbs. Each of the components retain their unique flavour and yet come together to create this vibrant, refreshing, flavourful tart that will leave you feeling surprisingly light and satiated at the same time.

Cut yourself a slice of this tart, sit back, savour it and wash it down with an ice-cold beverage. Depending on which part of the world you live in...you'll either be wistfully looking back at summer or if you live near the tropics as I do, you can't wait to start counting down to winter!!

Peach Leaf Pie : "TWD : Baking with Julia"

With the US Presidential elections looming ahead, here's a bit of trivia for you. They say the most-ordered dessert by US presidential candidates whilst on the campaign trail is... Pie!!! President Obama loves his pie and according to his pastry chef, Bill Yosses, Banana Cream Pie is his favourite. In fact, such is the appeal of the humble pie for the Americans, that his rival, Mitt Romney, has not only declared his love for pies but was also seen rolling out one at a recent campaign stop!

Sitting in India and reading all about America's love affair with pies, helps me understand why this week's "TWD: Baking with Julia" choice of recipe - Blueberry Nectarine Pie, had such popular backing!!  

The original recipe calls for a pie dough much similar to a short crust pastry but instead of an all-butter dough uses a combination of butter and vegetable shortening to achieve a flakier crust. The book uses a filling of nectarines and blueberries for this double-crusted pie.

Since, we get neither nectarines nor blueberries in India, I went with peaches. Not comfortable with using vegetable shortening, I decided to go for an all-butter crust, much like a pate brisee.

And as you can see from the photographs, I had a lot of time on my hands to attempt a leaf pattern for the top layer of the pie. It is an idea that I got from this book by Martha Day.  

I already have a 'tried-and-tested' short-crust pastry recipe that's been used to make these beautiful galettes and tarts. I was keen to see if this pie dough improves upon that. Honestly, it did not!! If any thing, it was a tad too delicate to work with but that could have been largely due to the high humidity in the air these days. But even on the taste and texture front, I'd prefer the recipe I already use.

The peach filling, on the other hand, was a good choice. The hint of lemon juice added to the filling ensures a certain balance in flavour.

But, truth be told, the high point of this pie for me was that leaf pattern I attempted. There is no denying its visual appeal. While it may not be something you attempt for a regular, family dinner, it does have that 'wow-factor' to impress the guests at a dinner party!! A word of caution though, attempt it only if patience is one of your virtues!!

There is no denying the appeal of a good pie and that's what this pie was. It just has this warm, cosy and comforting feel about it that lends itself naturally as a dessert of choice for a get-together with family and friends. No wonder Americans love their pie!!

Pizza Rustica : 'TWD: Baking with Julia'

With Easter Sunday round the corner, the 'TWD:Baking with Julia' group set its sight on the Pizza Rustica for our bake-together. Before we go any further, let me tell you upfront, it's not a pizza...it's a pie!! A little research on the Internet revealed that it is a traditional, rustic pie made in Italy at Easter. After a month of fasting and abstinence during Lent, this quiche is made for Easter Sunday and is loaded with cheeses and meats.

While I understand the sentiment behind the overload of meat and cheese in the pie after a month of abstaining from them,  with the mercury soaring out here in India, I was more in the mood for something lighter and vegetarian. So, I decided to travel down the Mediterranenan coast from Italy and take inspiration from the Greek spinach pie, Spanakopita and zeroed in on a filling of spinach, ricotta and feta cheese.

When I read the recipe I did find it odd that the pastry crust of a savoury pie should have sugar in it. Despite the book's assurance that the sweet dough is a nice contrast to the salty, meat and cheese-laden filling, I wasn't too convinced.  So, I cut down the sugar to just a tablespoon in the crust-dough and kept the filling a mix of ricotta, sauteed spinach and feta cheese.

And instead of making one big pie, I made smaller versions so that each pie was more like an individual serving. Following the rest of the recipe was a breeze and I think, the idea of a lattice on top was a good touch.. it definitely added to the visual appeal!!

And now for the verdict -- the pie was good, absolutely no complaints with it..although I'll be honest enough to say that it was nothing that spectacular that I would want to come back to it. While I had reduced the sugar and there was just a hint of it in the pastry, it's something you can easily do away with, in my opinion. The filling was a good choice, much lighter than I had anticipated and the feta giving it the required sharpness.

So, all in all, it was a good pie.. not a pizza.. a pie!! Come to think of it, I still don't why it's called a pizza..are pizzas and pies one and the same thing for the Italians?!?!