from the blue shed

Pie series no. 4 - Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

Many years ago now, my Auntie Shrew took my not yet husband and I to the famous Dinosaur Bar B Que Roadhouse in Syracuse N.Y. It's a wondrous place where locals tourists and bikers stand in a queue lined with Harleys to wait for a table. Families with small children stand nestled between big burly leather clad folk covered in tattoos. It's fantastic! Once inside you order let's say, a rack of ribs, which comes with none other than three sides, everything comes with 3 sides. It's the thing. Your meal arrives at the table with what looks like the entire rib cage of a cow and three enormous sides. It's fantastically obscene, and yes, a wee bit wrong.

Photo curtousey of the Dinosaur Bar B Que cookbook

My Aunt gifted us this cookbook years later, a must have in the comfort food section of any library -  Dinosaur Bar B Que, An American Roadhouse. It is full of indulgent American style food. Even though it is packed with pages ladden with meat it is a go to for this vegetarian more often than not. One of my absolute favorites is the Sweet Potato Pecan Pie. It combines the spiciness of a pumpkin pie and and the sweet sticky top of a pecan pie. Drool!

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

Pastry 

See post here

The Filling

2 cups mashed sweet potato
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

The Topping

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tbls softened butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup (although I used light)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of salt

Directions

1. Pre heat oven to 325 (160)
2. Roll out pastry and fit to pie dish approximately 1 1/4 deep. A deeper dish is needed to hold     all the good stuff.
3. Place the pie dish in the freezer until you are ready to fill it. 
4. Mix together all of the ingredients for the filling and put aside.
5. Mix together all the ingredients together for the topping and put aside.
So far easy peasy right?
6. Pull the pastry out of the freezer and spoon in the filling, spreading it evenly.
7. Pour topping over the mixture.
8. Bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until crust is golden and filling is set.
9. Serve at room temperature with cream.

A very simple to construct pie with a big presence. Thank you Dinosaur Bar B Que. Still drooling.. 

Pie series no. 2 - pumpkin pie

My children have discovered pumpkin pie. I have discovered that being 85% health food (not an official stat, just my opinion) it's the perfect dinner! It's like a spinach milkshake decanted into a MacDonald's cup... or something. The following is a recipe for a whinge free dinner. 

Pastry

Recipe found here

Filling

1 cup brown sugar
1 tbl cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup evaporated milk

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees (210) Line pie plate with crust. Chill the crust in the fridge while you make the filling. Combine all the ingredients together using a beater. Pour the mixture into the pastry and bake for 40 minutes. You want the pie to be firm to the touch but not too brown. 

I have baked just the filling in individual ramekins for the gluten free pie lovers in the family. They come out like little pumpkin pie souffle's! You will need to adjust the time though. 

So do yourself a favour and make pie for dinner. While you're at it, get dessert done as well and put a scoop of ice cream on top. It will blow your kids minds.

Pie series no. 1 - the perfect pastry

Oh how I love October. The weather is warming up, the birds are full of song... and it's (was) my birthday! I found myself pondering life a bit when I hit my birthday this year. Where I have been, what I want to do, where I'd like to go etc etc. when it dawned on me that I have lived in my home country for as long as I haven't! I was shocked when I came to that conclusion and perhaps a wee bit sad. This time of year has me longing for home the most. A beautiful changing season, pumpkins, turkeys and ghouls! I am getting to the pastry bit, I promise. Having spent so much time away from home you would think I would have lost touch with some of my roots and Canadian traditions. I am a traditional girl at heart though with a strong hope that my kids grow up with a whole lot of Canadian in 'em. With Thanksgiving now a few weeks ago and Halloween around the corner our house has been a flurry of pumpkin carving, Halloween preparations and ...wait for it...wait for it...pie baking! Whew! She got there! I guess the conclusion I have come up with through this long online rambling is that you can take the girl out of Canada, but you can not take the Canada out of the girl. 

I have discovered a simple pastry from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Roadhouse Cookbook. I have made it 4 times in the last three weeks and it hasn't let me down. I don't normally make my own pastry this often but it's pie season people! So in honour of the awesome pies out there and my love for them I give you...

    Pie series no. 1 - The Perfect Pastry (in my opinion)

 

 

Place flour and salt into food processor and pulse until combined. Cube the butter and lard and add to the processor. I just used 1/2 cup of butter and omitted the lard. Once the mixture resembles small peas slowly add iced water until dough is just combined. Don't over work it. Turn out onto floured surface. Roll and place in 9 inch pie pan. Chill in fridge while you make your filling. 

I may be missing the beautiful autumn and my family at home, but spring is in the air here. There is only 7 weeks left of the school year before it's the summer holidays filled with beaches camping and Aussie sun. So I guess, I am one lucky girl who can have her pie and eat it too. 

pie series no. 3 - key lime pie

The suburban farm is showering us with a bountiful harvest at the moment. Our first 3 eggs from our chickens and an "orchard" teeming with fruit. I use the term orchard loosely as there are 5 citrus trees randomly plated about the place, but it all works with the goal of creating our suburban farm right? We have more limes than we know what to do with. We are juicing them, freezing them, and baking them. One of our all time favorite treats is the key lime pie out of the Dinosaur Bar B Que cookbook.

Crust

18 graham crackers (granitas are fine)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
5 tbl melted butter

Process crackers into a fine crumb. Mix in the remaining ingredients and press evenly into a pie plate. Put aside.

Filling

4 egg yolks lightly beaten
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tsp grated lime zest
1/2 cup fresh lime juice

Whisk together the above ingredients and pour into crust. Bake at 350/170 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the centre has just set. 

My husbands is up to his jarring tricks again with the grapefruits. Will share his marmalade when he's done. I do love a man who preserves.

 

How cute are those 2 little blondies.