Tag Archives | dessert

Dahlias and Pie

By Erin Darling on September 23, 2012 in iPhonography, Photography

It’s been one of those days, filled with sunshine and sweet family moments, that I’d like to bottle up and savor for years to come. We woke early and made a pie to share with friends. Then we left for church; Phoebe fell asleep 1 minute from the building, so we downloaded a sermon to listen to in the car and hit HWY 16. We drove West until the highway ended in Gorst, turned around and headed back to Tacoma, through the September foliage and Washington evergreens. On the way back home, we detoured at Point Defiance Park, shared a sandwich at the duck pond, and explored the flower gardens. A lovely day.

PART ONE: Lemon Meringue Pie, made from scratch

PART TWO: Dahlias in the Park

(For the record, we didn’t pick any of the dahlias at Point Defiance Park, today. But there was one on the ground, already severed from the stem; this is the one Phoebe is holding in the pictures, and afterwards, we placed it back on the curb of the flower plot.)

^_^ Erin Wetzel
2012-09-23

Apricot Raspberry Cobbler

By Erin Darling on August 3, 2011 in Food & Recipes

We had a raspberry bush at my parents house when I was young. I remember going out in the hot summers of Upstate New York to pick berries in the morning for raspberry pancakes, or in the evening to eat as a treat with a scoop of ice cream. Raspberries are one of the ultimate fruits, in my mind. Perfectly sweet and juicy, and full of so much strong flavor.

It wasn’t until I moved to Washington, however, that I ate my first apricot, and it was in the best possible setting. We were driving through Enumclaw on our way to pick up our weekly gallon of raw milk, and a nearby farm had signs posted for fresh fruit. We detoured up the road to find a farm store brimming over with fresh produce, and as we were looking around, the owner started hauling buckets of freshly picked apricots in from her orchard. We bought several pounds. Let me tell you: fresh apricots have a full flavor that rivals even the sweetest peaches, yet remains very distinct and unique. A true delight!

I give to you a delicious recipe for these warm summer fruits:

Apricot Raspberry Cobbler

Baking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 8 to 10

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature, for dish

Fruit Filling:
10 apricots, pitted and each sliced into 8 to 10 pieces (1 ½ lb prepped)
1 dry pint (2 cups) raspberries, fresh or frozen
¾ cup (5 ¼ ounces) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Batter:
1 ½ cups (7 ½ ounces) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup (5 ounces) granulated sugar
¾ cup whole milk
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.

To make the fruit filling, toss the apricots and raspberries with the sugar and salt in a bowl and set aside to draw out some of the juices while you prepare the batter.

To make the batter, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the milk in two additions and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and distribute the fruit over the batter, being sure to scrape the bowl well. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the top.

Bake in the bottom third of the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the center of the cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Storage: This cobbler is best if eaten the day it is made. Any leftovers can be covered with a tea towel to be finished for breakfast. Reheat in a 300°F oven until warmed through.

(This recipe is from Rustic Fruit Desserts by Cory Schreiber & Julie Richardson).

I enjoyed topping mine with whipped cream! And for breakfast! And I’m going to go eat some straggling leftovers now!

By ekwetzel
2011-08-03

Lemon Meringue Pie

By Erin Darling on June 21, 2010 in Food & Recipes

One of the reasons I started this blog was to occupy my time in a productive way while my hours were reduced at work. Well, my job has been pretty busy as of late, and this blog has suffered, as had my time in the kitchen; however, I have had many ideas stewing that I’ve wanted to share with you.

For today, I will share with you my love of lemon meringue pie. Lemon meringue pie is such a light and sweet desert, I’ve always thought of it as a summer dish. In honor of the first day of summer, here is my lemon meringue recipe, from the pages of Better Homes and Garden’s Cookbook, 1962 Edition.

My favorite part of lemon meringue pie has always been the peaks on the meringue. It’s such a naughty love; while you can get away with sneaking a bit of the frosting off a cake, as soon as you break off a peak for a little pre-pie glee, the evidence is undeniable on the leftover landscape.

In addition to the recipes, here are a few tips, from my experience:

Make sure the pie has cooled thoroughly before serving. Nothing ruins a great lemon meringue pie like getting overanxious and cutting into it before it has had a chance to cool and thicken. If you cut too soon, the lemon filling will be too runny and will not hold its shape.
With the extra bits of pastry, make tarts. Just fold the pastry over a bit of jelly, and seal it the edges with a fork. Bake on a cookie sheet at 450° until golden brown.
Goes great with sweet ice tea!

9-INCH PLAIN PASTRY SHELL

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening
4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

Directions:

Sift together flour & salt. Cut in shortening with pastry-blender or blending fork till pieces are the size of small peas.
To make pastry extra tender and flaky, divide shortening in half. Cut in first half ill mixture looks like corn meal. Then cut in remaining half till like small peas.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the flour-shortening mixture. Gently toss with fork; push to one side of bowl.
Sprinkle next tablespoon water over dry part; mix lightly; push to moistened part at side. Repeat till all is moistened. Gather up with fingers; form into a ball.
On lightly floured surface, flatten ball slightly and roll 1/8 inch thick. If edges split, pinch together. Always roll spoke-fashion, going from center to edge of dough. Use light strokes.
To transfer pastry, roll it over rolling pin; unroll pastry over pie plate, fitting loosely onto bottom and sides. Trim ½ to 1 inch beyond edge; fold under and flute.
Prick bottom and sides well with a fork-n-no puffing as shell bakes. Bake in a very hot oven (450°) till pastry is golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Dash salt
1 ½ cups hot water
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
½ teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup lemon juice
1 9-inch pastry shell
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice
6 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

In saucepan, mix 1 ½ cups sugar, cornstarch, all-purpose flour and salt. Gradually blend in water. Bring to a boiling over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir 8 minutes more. Remove from heat.
Stir small amount of mixture into egg yolks; return to hot mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir; cook and stir 4 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
Add lemon peel and butter. Gradually stir in 1/3 cup lemon juice. Cover entire surface with clear plastic wrap; cool 10 minutes. Now pour into cooled pastry shell. Cool to room temperature (about 1 hour).
For meringue, beat egg whites with 1 teaspoon lemon juice, till soft peaks form. Gradually add 6 tablespoons sugar, beating till stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved.
Spread meringue over filling, sealing to edges of pastry. Bake in moderate oven (350°) 12 to 15 minutes or till meringue is golden. Cool thoroughly before serving.

By ekwetzel
2010-06-21

The Curiosity Shelf

For the month of March, my art is being featured at the Portage Bay Goods curiosities shop located in the hip Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. On March 1st, I left my kids with a babysitter and hopped the bus up to Seattle for the First Fridays Fremont Art Walk. Assured that my kids were well loved and well cared for in my absence, I let my mind relax, enjoying the relative intimacy of sharing space with a group of strangers as we made our way up the interstate and into the city.