Disclosure: I was sent a review copy by the publisher in order to write up an honest review. The views shared are mine and mine alone.
"With
twenty-six blue ribbons to her name, National Pie Baking Champion
Michele Stuart has charmed America’s sweet tooth, filling kitchens with
the scents of her nutty, fruity, and creamy pies from her two
Connecticut pie shops. Following the success of
her first cookbook, Perfect Pies, Stuart is back with PERFECT PIES & MORE: All New Pies, Cookies, Bars, and Cakes From America’s Pie-Baking Champion
(Ballantine Books Hardcover, on sale October 22, 2013)—a whole new
batch of heavenly recipes.
In addition to dozens of brand-new fruit, nut, cream, and party pies,
you can now have the recipes for her delicious cookies, bars, brownies,
tea cakes, and spoon desserts at home as well! Both novice and expert
bakers will find their new dessert staples, all
shared with Stuart’s friendly and easy-going instructions.
In PERFECT PIES & MORE, you will find nearly 100 delicious recipes, including:
- Crusts & Toppings—The perfect recipes to top off your baked delicacies, from a Coconut Crumb Topping, to Marshmallow Fluff Cream, and the perfect Hot Fudge Sauce.
- Fruit Pies—Take advantage of your fresh, seasonal fruit with fun takes on the classics like Apple Caramel Crunch Pie, Blueberry-Rhubarb Crumb Pie, and Pear-Ginger Pie.
- Cream Pies—New favorites include Dreamy Nutella Banana Pie and Graham Cracker Cream Fluff Pie.
- Nut Pies—For sweet with just a hint of savory crunch, recipes include Almond Joy Pie and Raisin Chocolate Walnut Brownie Pie.
- Whimsical Pies—Pies for a special occasion, including Birthday Cake Surprise “Pie,” Cannoli Party Dip Pie, and Star-Spangled Flag Pie.
- Cookies & Bars—Great recipes for a party, or just for your cookie jar! With tons of fun treats like Lemon Crunch Bars, Oatmeal Lace Cookies, Chocolate Walnut Biscotti, and Snickerdoodle Cookies.
- Tea cakes—The perfect pairings for your morning tea, or anytime! Recipes include Applesauce cake, Blueberry-Lemon Tea Cake, and Maple Pecan Cake.
- Spoon desserts—When you need just a spoonful of something sweet, favorites like Peach-Blueberry Cobbler and Old-Fashioned Baked Rice Pudding will hit the spot.
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My Thoughts:I can't have a holiday gift guide, without including some amazing cookbooks. Like I have shared in the past, one of my favorite things to do, when I have free time, is spend time in the kitchen cooking up family recipes, or baking up sweet treats for everyone to enjoy. And, now with my daughters getting older, they love to roll up their sleeves and help me out -- even if it is just to lick the bowl or taste test. :-)
I don't know about you, but when the fall/winter months roll around, I love being in the kitchen and baking. Not only does having the oven on heat up the house, but all the tasty treats I make always leave a nice smell throughout the house, that you can't help but want to breath in and enjoy. And, this past Thanksgiving, I took full opportunity of having family and friends here visiting, to get into the kitchen and make some of their favorite side dishes and desserts, as well as try out some recipes I have recently stumbled upon and marked to try. Front and center on the counter was the National Pie Baking Champion's new cookbook PERFECT PIES & MORE. Even though I had received this cookbook a few weeks prior, I hadn't had a chance to try out any of the recipes until the holiday.
You could tell that I liked this cookbook, which I read cover to cover a few times, as most of the pages were marked with sticky notes, as a reminder to the different recipes. :-) Seeing that I was playing host to 20 guests for Thanksgiving, I wanted to make sure I offered an assortment of desserts for both kids and adults to enjoy. I ended up making, in addition to my Grandma's famous apple pie and blueberry buckle, the following recipes from the National Pie Baking Champion's new cookbook PERFECT PIES & MORE --
Double
Chocolate Walnut Cookies
These are one of my go-to
cookies to curb those cravings for some gooey chocolate goodness. I prefer
these cookies laced with white chocolate chips, but if you like your chocolate
straight up, you can substitute the white chocolate in this recipe with semisweet
chocolate chips. Double Chocolate Walnut Cookies are hard to resist when
they’re fresh out of the oven, but do your best to save some for those not
fortunate enough to be by the oven when done baking!
Makes approximately 3
dozen cookies
Level: Easy
2 cups semisweet
chocolate chips
2 cups firmly packed
dark brown sugar
1⁄2 pound (2 sticks) salted
butter
4 eggs
3 cups unbleached
all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
11⁄2 cups white
chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking
sheet with parchment paper
and set aside.
2.In a double boiler over medium-high heat, melt the semisweet chocolate chips, stirring
constantly so that they melt evenly. Once they are completely smooth and melted, remove the chocolate from the heat and set it aside
while
you prepare the batter.
3.Using an electric mixer set on medium
speed, cream the brown sugar and
butter. Once creamed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition, until they
are well
incorporated.
4.Pour the melted chocolate into the bowl
of the mixer and mix on medium speed. In a small bowl, combine the flour and
baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the
bowl of the mixer,
a little at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl while mixing so that all of the ingredients
are incorporated. 5. Add the
white chocolate chips and walnuts, mixing until they
are evenly spread throughout the
batter. Measure the dough out in
table- spoons and place them 2 inches apart
on the lined baking sheet.
6.Place the baking
sheet
in the
oven and
bake the
cookies
for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time. If you choose, you may bake 2 sheets of cookies at a time, 1 on the upper rack and 1 on the lower. When cooking
2 sheets simultaneously, switch racks and rotate
the baking sheets halfway
through the baking time. 7.Allow the cookies to cool before removing them from the baking sheet and placing
them on a wire cooling rack.
*Double Chocolate Walnut Cookies can be stored
in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe Source: Perfect Pies & More by Michelle Stuart
----
Pumpkin
Meringue Pie
This pie melds dense pumpkin filling
with a light and fluffy meringue topping and the meringue mingles wonderfully
with the filling’s cinnamon and nutmeg spices. If you have some extra time to
spare, I strongly recommend making this pie with fresh pumpkin; it makes all
the difference between a tasty dessert and a true culinary experience! For
instructions on how to process your own pumpkins, see page 51. (If you aren’t a
huge fan of meringue, you can make this pumpkin pie without the meringue and
still have an amazing, more traditional pumpkin pie. Having said that, I do
urge you to try this version at least once.)
Makes one 9-inch
pie, 6 to 8 slices
Level: Moderate (Difficult—but worth it!—if you choose to
puree your own pumpkin)
Crust
1 recipe
Traditional Pastry Piecrust dough for a 9-inch single-crust pie
1⁄4 cup heavy cream (to glaze the crimped pie edges)
Filling
1 cup canned or
fresh pumpkin puree
2 eggs, beaten
1⁄2 cup firmly
packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground
cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon
ground nutmeg
11⁄2 cups heavy
cream
1 recipe Classic Meringue
1. Preheat the
oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. To prepare the pie shell, on a clean, lightly floured work
surface, roll out half the disk of dough with a rolling pin until it forms a
10-inch circle. Wrap the remaining half of the dough tightly in plastic wrap
and reserve it in the refrigerator for future use for up to 5 days. Fold the
circle in half, place it in a 9-inch pie plate so that the edges of the circle
drop over the rim, and unfold the dough to completely cover the pie plate.
Using your thumb and index finger, crimp the edges of the pie shell. Brush the
edges of the pie shell with heavy cream to create a perfect, golden brown
finish. Set the pie shell to the side while you make the filling.
3. To prepare the pumpkin filling, using an electric mixer set on
medium speed, combine the pumpkin puree and eggs. Add the brown sugar,
cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Mix the ingredients together, scraping the bowl
several times. Add the heavy cream and mix once again, until all of the
ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the unbaked
pie shell.
4. To bake, place the pie plate on the lined baking sheet on the
middle rack of the oven and bake it for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the filling
is firm in the middle but still soft to the touch. Transfer the pie plate to a
wire cooling rack and allow the pie to cool for at least 2 hours.
5. When the pie has finished cooling, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the meringue on top of the pumpkin pie, forming a mound of meringue in
the middle of the pie. Use a spatula to pat and lift the meringue across the
top of the pie, forming peaks. Take care to spread the meringue all the way out
to the edges of the crust.
6. To brown the meringue, place the pie on the middle rack of the
oven and bake for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the desired brownness has been achieved.
If you have a kitchen torch, you can also use this method as an alternative,
but be careful to spread the flame evenly across the entire surface to achieve
a uniform look.
**Pumpkin
Meringue Pie is best served the same day and can be stored in the refrigerator
for up to 2 days.
Recipe Source: Perfect Pies & More by Michelle Stuart
----
White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Pie
Makes one 9-inch
pie, 6 to 8 slices
Level:
Moderate
Crust
1 prebaked 9-inch
Traditional Pastry Piecrust shell
Raspberry
Puree
2 cups fresh
raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon
fresh lemon juice
White
Chocolate Cream Filling
3⁄4 cup plus 2
tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons
cornstarch
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons
unsalted butter
3 ounces white
chocolate chips
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Garnish
1 cup Whipped Cream
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/4 cup white chocolate shavings
1. To make the
raspberry puree, in a medium saucepan off of the heat, combine the raspberries,
sugar, and lemon juice. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking
constantly, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the puree thickens. Remove the puree
from the heat and allow it to cool.
2. Begin making the
white chocolate cream filling while the raspberry puree cools. In a medium
saucepan off of the heat, whisk together all of the sugar, the corn-starch, and
the salt. Whisk in the egg yolks and milk. Place the saucepan over me-dium heat
and cook, whisking nonstop, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the mixture starts to
bubble and thicken. Once the mixture thickens, keeping the saucepan over the
heat, add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the white chocolate chips,
one third at a time, and continue to whisk until the white chocolate is melted
and incorporated into the cream. Add the vanilla. Pour the mixture into the prebaked
pie shell and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
3. After 10 minutes,
spoon the raspberry puree into a piping bag and pipe the puree into circles.
You will make a small circle in the center of the pie, then pro-gressively
larger ones as you move closer to the edge of the pie. Using a butter knife,
begin at the center of the pie and drag the knife outward toward the edge.
Repeat this every 1 inch or so as you move around the pie, to create a web
effect.
4. Place the pie in the refrigerator to chill and set for at least
2 hours. To serve, place dollops of whipped cream around the edges of the pie.
Place a raspberry on top of each dollop. Sprinkle white chocolate shavings over
the top of the pie.
**White Chocolate
Raspberry Swirl Pie should be served cold. It can be stored in the refrigerator
for up to 3 days.
Photo Credit: Ben Fink Photograph
Recipe Source: Perfect Pies & More by Michelle Stuart
They were all a hit, as the plates were brought to the kitchen at the end of the night without even a trace of a morsel or crumb. :-) I can't wait until Christmas, as I will be back in the kitchen to try my hand at a few more recipes from the National Pie Baking Champion's new cookbook PERFECT PIES & MORE, including the following:
- Raisin Chocolate Walnut Brownie Pie
- Anise Biscotti (I have been making my Grandma's recipe, but love trying out others)
- Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies
- Apple Pockets
Disclosure: I was sent a review copy by the publisher in order to write up an honest review. The views shared are mine and mine alone.
Wow this cookbook looks and sounds great that pumpkin pie is so beautiful thanks for sharing this one I know a couple people who would love this.
ReplyDeleteheather [email protected]