A Perfectly Messy Apple Galette

Some things in life are better a bit messy. I know, this may be shocking coming from one of the most OCD people ever, but let's discuss.... actually, speaking of OCD, let's make a list.

Things that are better messy:
Hair- Besides the fact I hate showering, I really do think a little bed head looks good on everyone.
Beds- Seriously, you are going to sleep in it in about 12 hours, unless you are having a bedroom party (which I've never done and won't be doing again on Sept. 21st, MOM!)
Dogs- I say this only because I am giving myself a free pass for never washing mine... and because our friend Pat's dog Bosworth is always smelly and I love him.
Tupperware drawers- There's lots of fun reasons to bend over. Cleaning a drawer is not one.
Beards- My husband, Marc Ruffalo (Not necessarily in that order.)
Purses- Please let me know if you are the one woman alive that keeps hers clean, so I can beat you to death with my filthy fifty pound purse
Food- Keep reading, you'll see...

Let's be honest, I don't even have kids yet (except our roommate, Michael) and I can barely keep my house clean..... So, I think it is completely safe to say that maybe everything (except hardwood floors) is better a little bit messier..... Especially food.

When I was at Le Cordon Bleu I used to lose points all the time because my plating was "too rustic." I'm sorry, we're talking about food here and unless you are some kick-ass chef that plates food like a boss, I feel like everyone can appreciate a good rustic, family-style meal. So, dear Le Cordon Bleu, get over yourself. You make people go to college in a shopping mall. Thanks. (End rant.) Anyways, as much as I can appreciate a perfectly lattice topped pie, I think that there is something just as perfect about a messy pile of apples, wrapped in a piece of dough, without a baking dish and without any regrets. Yes, I just anthropomorphized my messy pie. (And yes Richard told me what that word meant.) So, since I'm a mess, I like things messy, and it's almosssssst apple time (holy moly, fall is on its way!) I figured that we could get a head start on an apple recipe that's perfect in its own messy way.... just like my hair today.

 A Perfectly Off-Centered Apple Galette.

Galette is a French term to describe flat, free-form, crusty pies. (Can you tell I just googled that for you?) They are simple to make because you don't have to fuss with a perfect crust. Just wrap up your apples, throw them in the oven, and quite honestly, if the juices run or the edges get crumbly... your pie will look even more charming.
 
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3 Tbs. very cold water
4-6 granny smith apples, cored, sliced, peeled if you want
3 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Zest from 1 lemon
1 egg white for egg wash
A little extra sugar for sprinkling, preferably the course kind for pies (this is completely optional!)

Method:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Make your pie dough. Or you can buy it... you know I don't judge. I actually made my dough this time (shocker!) and it turned out great, so I believe in you.

To make the dough by hand, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal... I always use my hands for this... it's way easier and then you can get a feel for the dough. Wash your hands first, thanks. Add the water and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls together.

To make the dough in a stand mixer, fit the mixer with the flat beater, and stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the butter and toss with your hands (or a fork) to coat with the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the water and mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll out to a 10 inch round.

For the apples, once they are cored and sliced (I didn't bother peeling mine, this is a rustic tart after all) mix them with the cinnamon, sugar, and lemon zest. Then place them in a pile in the middle of the dough. If you want to, you can arrange the top apples in a circle since you will see them once your galette is baked.  You should leave about 2 inches of dough around the edges. Take the edges of the dough and carefully fold them over the edges of the apples. The key word here is carefully.... trust me.... if your dough rips, it is a pain in the ass. Butttttt, it is not the end of the world, just press it back together and try folding the dough over the apples again. You can do it.

Brush the crust with the egg wash and bake on a parchment paper lined tray for about 40 minutes, turning every 15 minutes or so, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

This recipe is dedicated to my sweet friend Jenapher with whom I used to cause lots of ruckus in my high school years. She now has baby number two on the way (eee congrats!) and is about to harvest her apple tree!! I am on dog number four and still trying to figure out how to stop them from barking. Ugh! But we did get a big harvest of concord and muscat grapes this year!

Strawberry Basil Hand Pies

Since turning 27 (and immediately becoming older, more mature, and grown-up) I have had a few revelations:

1. My hangovers now SUCK. Way worse than ever. I mean, waaaaay worse. Pizza has stopped saving me, which is probably a good thing because....

2. That one slice of pizza from last week.... now likes to make itself right at home on my ass. That is NOT it's home!

3. I have learned that it is that time in my life where I can no longer have everything I want. (At least when it comes to food. In the rest of my life, however, 27 is an ideal age to get EVERYTHING I want.) 

So, with all of my external ass checking and internal soul searching I have learned to just accept that dessert and I are now on a break. In fact, we've gotten a divorce. Yeah, it was that serious.  

But then I realized that there are two things in life that I love even more than dessert... and they are WINE & CHEESE. So in my breakup with desert I've learned how to live footloose and fancy free and enjoy being "single." Because now, this "single" girl, has regular trysts with her two favorite suitors, wine and cheese. (Or "vino y queso" if I'm feeling a little extra slutty).

So, just when I thought I'd finally moved on from desert and was embracing my inner Samantha (she liked threesomes, too, right?) along comes a recipe that just sweeps me off my feet and makes me rethink everything. I mean EVERYTHING. 

Not only are these little pies desert, they go really well with wine (a glass of rose) and cheese (any and all). So now I'm all confused, my world is turned upside down, and thanks to these little pies, this little ginger is ALL HANDS...

Strawberry Basil Hand Pies

Ingredients:

For the crust-

You can make your own crust. I don't. There is perfectly good pie crust at the market that takes 1/48374 of the mess and work and self loathing. I hate making pie crust. It is not something I am good at and I like being good at everything.

For the filling-

3 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

You will also need:

1 egg

Sugar for dusting

garden berries

Method:

In a saucepan, combine all of the filling ingredients and heat until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. The filling should take about 8-10 minutes to get really think. If you stop stirring it will burn or turn hard and nothing will be good. 

Once thick, remove from heat, cover, and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

On a floured surface, roll out pie dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter, the rim of a glass, or some other circular thing you can find in your kitchen, cut dough into about 4 inch circles. 

Using a pastry brush (or your finger) dab egg wash along the outer rim of 1/2 of the pieces of dough. 

On each egg washed piece of dough, mound a tablespoon or so of filling right in the middle. Place a non egg washed piece of dough on top, making sure the two pieces of dough are "glued" together. Then take a fork and crimp the edges of each pie. 

Repeat this until you are out of dough.... I had leftover filling and a spoon and made that work. Don't judge me. 

Place pies on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush each pie with egg wash, poke a few holes in the top to let the steam out, and dust with course sugar. 

Bake 18-22 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is starting to ooze out. 

Salted Caramel Apple Pie

As you may know, baking is not really a talent that I like brag about. I love baking. I love eating baked goods.... but it is unfortunately not something that I always succeed at. However, on the occasion that my stars are perfectly aligned and I am oozing with good karma- I have been known to whip up a masterpiece. 

This is a pie to make anyone weak in the knees. Salty caramel and perfectly cooked apples baked in a crust that will make you swoon at the very sight of it. It is so pretty, and absolutely delicious!

salted caramel apple pie

Ingredients:
Salted Caramel-
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup white granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon of flaky sea salt (I used Maldon)

Pie-
2 nine-inch pie crusts (homemade or store-bought)
3 Gala Apples (You can use others too)
1 Granny Smith Apples
1 lemon
4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice


Method:
To make the pie crust:
Haha. Ya- go for it... make your own pie crust. Or be like me, buy rolled pie crust, and make your life wayyyy easier. Press one pie crust into a 9 inch pie dish. With the other crust, I actually cut out hearts with a cookie cutter for a fun spin on a lattice top. If you do decide to do the heart shapes (you should) cut them out and then place in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. Once the pie is ready, place the hearts around the edge of the pie. If there are any holes or gaps in the apples, fill them with chopped up pieces of apple or else your hearts will sink into the holes while the pie is baking. 

To make the salted caramel:

In a medium to large pot, add the sugar and place it over medium heat. Do not stir. Cook the sugar until the bottom starts to turn a light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Stir the sugar, if needed, so all of it gets its turn hitting the bottom of the pan. Cook the sugar until it turns a medium brown, this process will happen fast so be sure not to leave. Once the caramel reaches a medium brown color take it off the heat and whisk it until smooth. You’ll notice that it will still turn a darker color and cook more as you whisk. At this point it should be a dark brown – if it’s not, place it back on the heat in 30 second increments, whisking the entire time, until it reaches that dark caramel color. Turn off the heat and whisk in the 5 tablespoons of butter (it will bubble up!). Keep whisking until the melted butter fully incorporates into the cooked sugar. Next, add the warm cream (it will bubble up!), whisking it in until it’s fully incorporated. You’ll notice that the texture is much thinner than it was earlier – not to worry it will thicken as it cools. Add the salt and whisk. Transfer it to a glass container and set aside.

My biggest tip for making caramel is to have all of your ingredients measured out and ready to pour in so that once you start cooking the caramel you won't have to turn your back to it or stop whisking. 

To make the apple filling:
Juice the lemons into a large mixing bowl. Core, peel, and thinly slice the whole apples. A mandolin works great for producing very thin slices. I used an apple corer and then sliced the apples to get the fun round shape. 

Dredge all the apple slices in the freshly squeezed lemon juice to prevent browning and to add flavor. Set the prepared apples aside.

To make the apple filling seasoning:
In a large measuring cup or small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples in the mixing bowl. Use your hands to gently mix and coat the apple slices.

To assemble the pie:
Preheat the oven to 375 to 400 degrees F (depending on the hotness of your oven).

Gather your rolled pie crust, salted caramel, and apple mixture. Begin by layering 1/3 of the apples in the bottom of the crust so that there are minimal gaps. Pour 1/3 of the caramel over the apples. Add 1/3 of the apples and caramel for a second layer, and then add a third layer of apples, and then the caramel again. Save a small portion of the caramel to pour on top once the lattice is assembled.

Assemble the lattice crust and flute the edges of the crust. Pour the last bit of caramel on top. Brush the crust with the beaten egg and lightly sprinkle with raw sugar and sea salt.

Bake the pie on a baking sheet larger than the pie pan for 20 minutes (otherwise the caramel will bubble over and burn on the bottom of your oven). Reduce the oven temperature to 325 to 350 and bake for 25 to 35 minutes. You can test the apples for doneness with a long toothpick or small knife. The apples should be just soft.

When you take it out of the oven, the caramel may look thin – that’s ok. It will thicken after it cools. To cut attractive looking slices, allow the pie to cool (at room temperature) for 5-6 hours. Serve with freshly whipped cream and a drizzle of salted caramel.

Inspiration from Four and Twenty Blackbirds and A Cozy Kitchen

Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Ya, you read right.... h.e.a.v.e.n.


I think today was the first day... ahem, morning.... that it felt like fall. The marine layer took an extra hour to burn off, so I actually had a blissful moment where I thought I would actually get to wear a sweater for fall... which meant that I had to do make sort of pumpkin-y mess in the kitchen.

I am making sure to ease my new fiancé into the holiday baking terror that I can be...... apparently baking 6 pies and 4 loaves of bread in an afternoon while watching Home Alone on repeat is not normal behavior for most girls, so I figure that if I bake a little here and there, when I turn into full fledged crazy christmas cookie mode he will barely notice what I have become. Fingers crossed.

Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 cups pumpkin puree (I used pumpkin pie puree..... and I still added all of the above spices. I highly recommend making the same mistake as I did.)
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 cups of powdered sugar
8 ounces whipped cream cheese at room temp.
4 ounces/ 1 stick of butter at room temp
3 tablespoons of PURE, REAL maple syrup***

***Note: Please, for the love of all Canadians, do not use that awful fake stuff. That's all that I can even say about that. That said (being Canadian and all) I may have added a little extra maple syrup..... just a little.....

Method:
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
In a large bowl cream together granulated sugar, brown sugar, and oil. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla and mix well.
Gently add the flour and spice mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.
Using a small cookie scoop (I recommend getting one so that all of the cookies are the same size since you will be pairing them together) drop dollops of the dough on parchment paper lined cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.

Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees until a toothpick is inserted into the cookie and comes out clean.
Let the cookies cool completely while you make the frosting.

For the Frosting:
Beat the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.... I highly suggest using a stand mixer because I am lazy. You don't want any lumps. Add the powdered sugar and maple syrup and continue to whip until light and fluffy.

To Assemble:
I always use a ziplock bag to pipe frosting.... it is easy, mess free, and looks nice. Turn half of the cooled cookies over and pipe about a tablespoon of frosting onto each one. You want to leave a little border around the edge so that the frosting doesn't go everywhere when you put them together. Press an un-frosted  cookie onto and gently press together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving so that the cookies have time to set.

*recipe barely adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking.

Old Fashioned Apple Pie and Some Mushy Gushy Stuff.

Favorite Things:
Raindrops on roses
Whiskers on kittens
Lucy
Cocktail dresses
Weddings (and all kinds of ooey gooey love stuff)
Dessert
Rain

Things that are NOT my favorite:
Getting blood drawn (I had to do that today, so afterwards I ate pie to cancel it out. ugh)
Creepy crawly things
Above all: Making pie crust from scratch

I am so good at rambling and less good at getting to my point.

This past weekend was full of my favorite things.
My friend Jenna asked me to bake 12 pies for her and her charming fiancé's (now husband) wedding.
I was obviously over the moon because love and things that contain sugar are up there on my all time favorite things list. (yes, I have one of those)

So, my entire Friday was spent in the kitchen baking pies... giving me an excuse to have a glass of wine at 3pm which is always appreciated.

10 hours
4 Maple Pecan.
4 Pumpkin.
4 Old Fashion Apple.
(annnnddd......1 Apple Crisp for Emily, which she didn't even eat)

MMM.

I don't think there are many things better than walking into your kitchen and seeing 12  delicious pies nicely displayed on your breakfast table.

There are also not many things better than weddings.
Ah. Love them. And this one was so lovely. I'm pretty sure I cried for the entirety of the ceremony. It was so romantic and sweet and it made me even 13654892745 times more excited to marry my own soul mate (you are wonderful, btw.)

There are, however, better moments than realizing that you are your best friend are twirling each other across the dance floor during the father daughter dance. I died of embarrassment and Emily just resorted back to tears...... oopsie.

Old Fashioned Apple Pie (the one on the right)

Ingredients:

3 pounds of apples (I used pink lady)

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 egg beaten

2 pie crusts**

Turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top

** Please see above where I list things that are NOT my favorite...... I HATE making pie crust. I think it is messy and annoying and quite honestly only turns out really good about 50% of the time. I've been to culinary school and I've taken baking classes and I've baked probably somewhere close to one million pies in my life time and I will never change my mind about this. Frozen pie crust tastes just as good and always turns out nice and flakey.

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line the bottom rack with foil to prevent a burnt apple juice and sugar disaster... if you don't line your oven with foil, have fun cleaning for hours afterwards..... I may or may not have learned this from experience. 

Peel and slice apples 1/8 inch thick. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Mix and let sit for 10- 15 minutes until sugar is dissolved.

Scrape apples and all juices into a prepared pie crust. Cut unsalted butter into small cubes and dot on top of apples. Roll out second pie crust and place on top of the pie. Pinch edges together and trim off excess dough if necessary. Using a pastry brush, brush the top crust with beaten egg** and then sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Cut three small slits in the top of the crust so that the steam can escape.  

Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 365 degrees and bake for 50 minutes more. Crust should be golden and juice should be bubbling out. Let cool for at least 2 hours before serving. 

**Do not drench the crust in egg or it will get way too dark or even burn. Use just enough for a very light coasting so that the crust will get nice and golden. 

such a lovely dessert table.....

.....and such a stunning bride! 

Congratulations Jake and Jenna Puffer!!!

Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Ya, you read right.... h.e.a.v.e.n.


I think today was the first day... ahem, morning.... that it felt like fall. The marine layer took an extra hour to burn off, so I actually had a blissful moment where I thought I would actually get to wear a sweater for fall... which meant that I had to do make sort of pumpkin-y mess in the kitchen.

I am making sure to ease my new fiancé into the holiday baking terror that I can be...... apparently baking 6 pies and 4 loaves of bread in an afternoon while watching Home Alone on repeat is not normal behavior for most girls, so I figure that if I bake a little here and there, when I turn into full fledged crazy christmas cookie mode he will barely notice what I have become. Fingers crossed.

Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 cups pumpkin puree (I used pumpkin pie puree..... and I still added all of the above spices. I highly recommend making the same mistake as I did.)
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 cups of powdered sugar
8 ounces whipped cream cheese at room temp.
4 ounces/ 1 stick of butter at room temp
3 tablespoons of PURE, REAL maple syrup***

***Note: Please, for the love of all Canadians, do not use that awful fake stuff. That's all that I can even say about that. That said (being Canadian and all) I may have added a little extra maple syrup..... just a little.....

Method:
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
In a large bowl cream together granulated sugar, brown sugar, and oil. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla and mix well.
Gently add the flour and spice mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.
Using a small cookie scoop (I recommend getting one so that all of the cookies are the same size since you will be pairing them together) drop dollops of the dough on parchment paper lined cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.

Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees until a toothpick is inserted into the cookie and comes out clean.
Let the cookies cool completely while you make the frosting.

For the Frosting:
Beat the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.... I highly suggest using a stand mixer because I am lazy. You don't want any lumps. Add the powdered sugar and maple syrup and continue to whip until light and fluffy.

To Assemble:
I always use a ziplock bag to pipe frosting.... it is easy, mess free, and looks nice. Turn half of the cooled cookies over and pipe about a tablespoon of frosting onto each one. You want to leave a little border around the edge so that the frosting doesn't go everywhere when you put them together. Press an un-frosted  cookie onto and gently press together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving so that the cookies have time to set.

*recipe barely adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. 

Lemon Curd Pie with Italian Meringue

I have pneumonia. 

And a sinus infection. 

And bronchitis..... 

I know, right? Who gets this sick that isn't 105 years old? 

So, while lying on my death couch is kind of awesome because I am catching up on some seriously awful T.V. and some much needed blogging, my brain is not really working and the thought of coming up with clever little stories to start each post out with kind of makes me want to cry. 

That was the longest run on sentence EVER.... I blame the infection in my lungs. See what I did there? 

Please excuse my lack of creativity and just focus on how perfect my recipes are and the fact that my pictures are stunning. Thanks. 

While you are focusing on all of my sensational blogging qualities, can someone please call my boyfriend and remind him that deep down under all of the tissues and prescription bottles is actually a pretty girl who normally showers and dresses nice and sometimes even puts on a little mascara. Someone please just remind him that I will be back to pretty soon. Thanks.... again. 

lemon curd pie topped with italian meringue.

Ingredients:

For the Crust

1/2 pound butter

3 oz sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2.25 oz eggs

12 oz pastry flour (all purpose is also fine)

For the Lemon Curd

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

7 oz sugar

zest of 2 lemons

5.5 oz lemon juice

2 oz unsalted butter

For the Italian Meringue

4 oz egg whites

8 oz sugar

2 oz light corn syrup

Water as needed

Method:

Begin by making the pie dough. Combine the butter and sugar in a kitchen-aid mixer or with a hand mixer until smooth and no clumps of butter. Add the eggs and salt. Mix in the flour. Mix everything until smooth, but do not over mix. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until consistency is workable. I was in a hurry and threw mine in the freezer for an hour and it was perfect. Once the dough has rested, place it between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper and roll it out to about 1/2 inch thick and large enough to fit in the pie baking dish. Mold the dough int the baking dish. Using your thumb and index finger, crimp the edges of the pie dough and trim off any extra dough. This takes practice.... visit Sur La Table if you are lazy- they have a dough cutting tool that does the same thing. FIll the pie crust with pie weights and bake in a 350 oven until golden brown. About 10 minutes. Set aside.

To make the lemon curd, combine the eggs, yolks, sugar and zest. Whisk together and add the lemon juice. Put the mixture in a double boiler (or in a bowl over a put of boiling water) and stir continuously with a spatula until the mixture thickens. This will take 8 minutes or so and the mixture should be able to lay on top of itself. Strain the mixture over butter, let the butter melt, mix gently, and pour into the pre baked pie shell. Let cool completely before topping with meringue. 

While the pie is cooling, prepare the meringue. Dissolve corn syrup, sugar, and a tiny bit of water in a pan. Bring the mixture to 220 degrees (measure with a candy thermometer.) When the sugar reaches 220, begin whisking the egg whites in a kitchen-aid mixer or with a hand mixer. The eggs should begin to start frothing and forming soft peaks. When the sugar mixture reaches 240 degrees and resembles a thick syrup, remove it from the heat and slowly whisk it into the egg whites. Continue whisking for 8-10 minutes until the egg whites form stiff, shiny peaks and the meringue has cooled. 

Spoon the meringue into a piping bag (I use ziplock bags so that I can dispose of them afterwards) and using a large star tip, pipe the meringue on to the top of the lemon curd pie. If you do not have all of the equipment, you can just spoon the meringue on top of the pie, but it will not look as pretty as mine. Using a blow torch, brown the top of the meringue. You can also do this in the oven under the broiler, but I find it makes the meringue turn grey rather than golden.

*note: the lemon curd can be jarred and given as gifts, served with other desserts, on top of ice cream.... seriously whatever. It is amazing by itself. 

I included links to all of the tools that I used to make this..... obviously they are not all necessary or as expensive as my suggestions, but if you want a kitchen as fabulous as mine, it is time to make an investment. (Cheaper versions of the same thing can probably be found, but I made sure to point out all of the ones that I want... and those are pricey.)

Happy Easter.

Happy Easter everyone!

I hope finds you surrounded by friends and family...... and boyfriends meeting the family. (ah!)
Yes, Richard is meeting the fam today which was pretty good timing because I could stress bake without looking like a nut. I am not stressed. If anything I should be stressed about any judgment on what an outstanding catholic I have become.

Ah, baking pies.....

farmer's market strawberry rhubarb pie

Strawberry rhubarb is my absolute favorite pie which is great because I am absolutely amazing at baking it. I will post the recipe soon. Seriously.... soon.

Since I apparently not only gave up exercise for lent, but also blogging.... now that Easter is passing I will be more on top of my blog.... and maybe exercising. Probably not, though. 

While the pie is in the oven....

Easter morning baked eggs

Ingredients:

Eggs

Ricotta cheese

Mushrooms

Prosciutto

Shallots

Black truffled cheese

Fresh herbs

That's right. I am covering pies, Easter, and breakfast in one blog.... check me out. 

blackberry lemon pie with a graham cracker crust

Ingredients:

Graham cracker

Sugar

Cinnamon

Butter

Fresh Blackberries

Fresh lemon juice

Cream cheese

Sweetened condensed milk

Lemon zest

Method:

Combine crushed graham crackers, sugar, and butter to form crust. Bake about 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. 

Combine cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice, and zest. Pour mixture in cooled crust. Top with blackberries and lemon zest. Refrigerate over night.

Thank you Tom Rice for this amazing recipe

And because I have to.....

braised bunny in a mustard cream sauce served with carrot ravioli

Yep, Easter week at Le Cordon Blue.....