There's always room for pie...

I have worked for the same boss in one capacity or another for 15 years now, and I can count on one hand the number of times we've fought.  He's the perfect boss, if I'm being honest.  He believes in working hard, playing hard, and not passing up great opportunities.  He is spontaneous (he called us from an airplane once to let us know that he was going on holidays...and he had very covertly signed cheques and prepared everything we would need in his absence without us ever noticing), he is understanding, sensitive to the needs of those he employs, and because he respects us so much, we respect him...and would follow him into battle if ever that was necessary.  In the years I have given him, he has really become more like a brother than a boss.

As I mentioned in a previous post, peach pie is his favourite thing in life.  I even made him a pie in April for his birthday, having to use frozen peaches since they are nowhere near being in season.  Of course, the peaches are now ready here, and so that means it was time to bake the boss a pie.  But first, a bit of background...

A couple of years ago, I took a random Tuesday off to go to the farmer's market in the small town of St. Jacob's, Ontario.  It is full of fresh produce, handmade crafts, and other such fun things.  There is a restaurant near there that is run by some local Mennonites that includes, essentially, an all-you-can-eat pie table.  There are also pies that have been prepared for customers to buy and take home.  I decided that since I'd taken the day off, it would be a nice gesture to take the co-workers a pie to have the following afternoon.  I had my choice between apple, coconut butter-tart, and peach.  On a whim, I chose peach.

The next day, I proudly came into the office carrying the mammoth (12") peach pie...filled to the brim with gorgeous peaches.  The 3 designers were thrilled that I had thought to bring them a little treat, and they looked forward to the afternoon when they could cut into it.  The boss was out at a job-site, and was unsure when he'd be in.  Tired of waiting, they cut into the pie around 11:30am...we took 4 decent-sized slices from the pie, leaving more than half in the plate.

Well, the boss arrived around 2:30.  I said, "Hey...I bought a pie while I was away yesterday.  Would you like some?"

"What kind of pie?"

"Peach."

...imagine the look of a child on Christmas morning who wakes up to find that Santa had indeed delivered a pony...

"ARE YOU KIDDING?!  I LOVE PEACH PIE!!!"

...and then proceeded to eat every last morsel over the course of the afternoon (oh, to have his metabolism...he's skinny as a rail).

When I made him a fresh peach pie last summer, he actually took a picture of it with his phone, and he still looks at it when he gets hungry.

So on Monday when he walked in at 8:30am and saw that there was peach pie in the office, he decided that peach pie for breakfast was totally acceptable...his first slice was gone by 9:00...and I loved seeing him that content with life.  I wonder if I'll have to make another before the peaches leave us for another year...

Use any double-crust pastry recipe you like best...I like cutting the top crust portion into strips so I can give it that traditional lattice-top.  Here are instructions from Cook's Illustrated to help with the lattice top:

Weaving and Crimping the Lattice Top

1. To make the lattice, lay out 4 strips of dough. Fold the first and third strips back, then place a long strip of dough slightly to the right of the center as shown.

2. Unfold the first and third strips over the perpendicular strip and fold the second and fourth strips back. Add a second perpendicular strip of dough. Now unfold the second and fourth strips.

3. Repeat this process with two more perpendicular strips (you will have a total of 8 strips of dough, four running in each direction).

4. Trim off the excess lattice ends, fold the rim of the shell up over the lattice strips, and crimp.

For fresh peaches, I use the ratio of 1 cup of fruit: 1/4 cup sugar: 1 tablespoons potato starch...so for a standard 9" pie, I use 4 cups of sliced peaches, 1 cup of sugar, and 4 tablespoons of potato starch.  For a deep-dish 9" or 10" pie (I have completely forgotten what size it is), I use 6 cups of sliced peaches, 1.5 cups of sugar, and 6 tablespoons of potato starch.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Put your rolled out bottom crust in your pie plate.

Stir sliced peaches with sugar and potato starch.  Once combined, pour into crust.

Top with pastry strips as shown above.

Bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees (keep an eye on your crust).  Reduce temperature to 350 degrees.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until peaches are soft when tested with a knife.  Cover your crust with aluminum foil if needed.

I hate good-byes....

Saying good-bye is an unfortunate part of life...whether it is temporary, long-term, or permanent, it is just something I despise.  Maybe I'm too sentimental...but I'm a jazz singer, so that comes with the territory, I'm afraid.

Our office just lost one of the best employees in history.  He was only with us for about 4 months, but it was an absolute pleasure to work with him.  I mean, he left on the best terms, and left to go back to school to advance his qualifications....but the nicer a person is, and the more positive the reasons for leaving are, the worse the good-bye is...after all, it's easy to say good-bye to someone who is a complete jerk.

This is our third day without the departed employee, and his absence is already deeply-felt....no afternoon coffee call, no chipper "good morning!!" greeting....no one to get the stuff off of the really tall shelf...and that's just my interactions...the designers miss his creativity and efficiency...and the clients miss his attention to detail and charm.

In a conversation we had about 2 weeks before his last day, we were randomly talking about pie.  He mentioned that his very favourite was Banana Cream Pie, and that he hadn't had it for ages.  Of course, that meant that I was going to have a pie ready for him on his last day...I called it "Good-bye Pie"....the verdict was that it was almost good enough to make him stay.  I hope to make it for him in two years...calling it "Welcome Back Pie."

The recipe came from Cook's Country, and called for a Pillsbury pie crust.  I liked the idea of not having to get out the food processor to make my own pastry, or to fuss around with graham wafer crumbs...but I went with a Tenderflake all shortening crust (as opposed to their normal lard crust), it it wasn't bad...it was just serving as the vessel for an honestly glorious filling that was absolutely good enough to just eat in a bowl without even adding sliced bananas.

Word of warning:  if you use salted butter (which I always do...it worked for my grandmother, and all the generations before her, so it works for me), be less generous with the salt quantity...the final result wasn't too salty (remind me to tell you about what is affectionately referred to as "salt pie" in my house), but it was plenty salty enough.

Use all-yellow to lightly spotted, not green-topped or all-brown bananas for this recipe. Peel and slice the bananas just before using to help prevent browning. When straining the half-and-half in step 2, do not press on the bananas or the custard will turn gray as it sits. The pie can be made up to 24 hours in advance.

5 ripe bananas

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups half-and-half

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 large egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 Pillsbury Just Unroll! Pie Crust

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Peel 2 bananas and slice into ½-inch-thick pieces. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sliced bananas and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add half-and-half, bring to boil, and boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 40 minutes.

 

Whisk granulated sugar, egg yolks, and salt together in large bowl until smooth. Whisk in cornstarch. Strain cooled half-and-half mixture through fine-mesh strainer into yolk mixture—do not press on bananas—and whisk until incorporated; discard cooked bananas.

 

Transfer mixture to clean medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened to consistency of warm pudding (180 degrees), 4 to 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat; whisk in remaining 3 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Transfer pastry cream to bowl, press greased parchment paper directly against surface, and let cool for about 1 hour.

 

Meanwhile, roll pie dough into 12-inch round on lightly floured counter. Transfer to 9-inch pie plate, fold edge of dough under itself so edge of fold is flush with outer rim of plate, and flute edges. Refrigerate for 40 minutes, then freeze for 20 minutes. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

 

Line chilled pie shell with 12-inch square of aluminum foil, folding foil over edges of dough. Fill with pie weights and bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and continue baking until crust is golden brown, 7 to 11 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

 

Peel and slice remaining 3 bananas ¼ inch thick and toss with orange juice. Whisk pastry cream briefly, then spread half over bottom of pie shell. Arrange sliced bananas on pastry cream. Top with remaining pastry cream.

 

Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip cream, confectioners’ sugar, and remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Spread whipped cream evenly over top of pie.

 

Refrigerate until set, at least 5 hours and up to 24 hours. Serve.

 

 

The fundamental things apply as time goes by...

I love looking backwards.  I know that it does us no good spending our lives looking at the past, but the past holds so much knowledge.  Lessons to learn from...foundational things...like how to treat people, and how to just generally be good and decent in the world.

I had a blind date on Saturday...something I've never tried before.  Now, I don't want to paint all men with the same brush, and the male friends I have all cringed when I debriefed them on the date...but come on guys!  Get with the program!!

Now, I come from a family with a long tradition of farming, so lessons I have learned about what gentlemanly behaviour is, and how a lady should be treated might be a bit far from what is considered normal in modern society...which I think it part of society's downfall, to be honest.  For example, I was raised to understand that it isn't OK for a date to arrive at your house, and simply honk the car horn...a good man will come to the door to pick you up, and will speak to whatever family members might be there at the time.

My date on Saturday was guilty of breaking rule #2 on the list of gentlemanly behaviour...a gentleman never makes a lady wait...ever.  The offender was almost 25 minutes late.  I had my hand on my purse in preparation to leave the restaurant when he finally arrived (with no decent excuse for being so late, and seriously under-dressed for the venue).  I'm afraid that these things coupled with some other discrepancies in his information had my inner dialog reminding me that it would better to be single than to settle...

I know that there is some confusion about what women want, or how they expect to be treated.  I know that we're generally all thought to be raving feminists who want to open our own doors, pay our own way at all times, and shave our legs IF we see fit.  Well, let me take this opportunity to tell you a bit about how we (the vast majority of us who are good human beings who are well-balanced) want to be treated:

1.  We are affectionate types who want to be treated like we're special, appreciated, and important in your lives...just like we treat you.

2.  We like when you open doors for us.  We don't think that by doing so, you are commenting on our weakness...'cause I don't know any women who can't manage to open a door.  And by the same token, we don't mind opening doors for you either...we see it as just doing something nice for the person we're with, whether that be a date, a friend, or a family member.  We consider it a sign of character...showing that you were raised to be courteous to people.

3.  We like when you buy us dinner or a movie ticket...and we like doing the same for you.  Again, it is just a matter of treating someone nicely...it's nice when you treat us to something, and it's nice to treat you to things as well because it shows our mutual affection for each other.

4.  Yes, we want equality...the right to vote, to be paid the same wage for the same work.  That battle was fought to give women the chance to follow their aspirations to be more than housewives, if that's what they wanted.  Women want to be seen as intelligent, strong, and clever, and not as lesser beings.  And for the record, there is NOTHING easy about being a housewife/stay-at-home-mom...not if the job is being done right...so it is certainly not something that should be belittled.  When we talk about equality, we mean that we want to be treated as your equal, and not as your property...which should be a no-brainer.

5.  We are communicators...it's how we gauge situations to know whether things are good, or if there are issues.  Men consider that to be just women being complicated, and women see it as us using common sense...which is probably how we get into so much trouble when we try to talk to one another.  Don't freak out when we try to talk to you...try talking to us...

When I got home, "Casablanca" was on TV.  It's one of those iconic movies that I've been meaning to watch for ages, and just haven't gotten around to.  Given the mood I was in, I thought I might as well go for it.  Also given my thinking about the olden days, I made popcorn...not that insipid microwave stuff full of odd chemicals...this was just pot on the stove with nothing but some oil, popping corn, real butter and salt kind of popcorn like I used to have when I was a kid (I used to sit on the kitchen counter while my mom made it...a memory I had completely forgotten about)...it was so delicious...I might never go back to microwave popcorn again...I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

The grass is always greener...

It never fails...when I am sitting at work, I'd rather be at home in the kitchen.  When I'm elbow-deep in pastry in the kitchen, I'd rather be sitting on the deck with a nice cold beverage.  Maybe I have ADD, or something....maybe nothing holds my attention long enough, so I'd like to be in several places at once.  I am a multi-tasker to the extreme...I don't like to be limited to one activity at a time, because I always think that I could be doing something else that might be more fun or productive...so I inevitably end up doing bits of everything at once.

I have spent way too much time in the kitchen this week...way more than I normally do (but to be fair, my normal amount is shockingly low).  I think the good thing about devoting time to being in the kitchen is that it benefits many people.  I mean, I enjoy sitting down with a good book, but that doesn't bring anything to anyone else.  I have gotten to the point that if I sit down to watch a movie, I find something else to do at the same time because I feel guilty that I'm sitting still.  Baking is a truly mutually beneficial act.

For me, baking is the best of all worlds.  After a long stressful day looking at numbers, whisking egg whites is blissful.  After answering phones to the point of vocal exhaustion, chopping up chocolate is a dream.  There is the excitement of waiting for the finished product....there is the scent that fills the house...and I like that waiting period.  I love the anticipation of what is to come (I love Advent, the time travelling to get to wherever I'm going, waiting for something great to come in the courier, etc.).

I think that's why I like making cakes.  They don't take so much time that I lose my focus mid-way through (like every time I make a pie...I've pretty much had enough by the time it comes to rolling out the top layer of pastry), but they still deliver in the stress-reducing, heavenly-scent wafting, and treat-yumminess categories.

If you've been following the plot here, you know that I had a slew of blueberries in the house.  I couldn't possibly bear making another pie that I wouldn't even be able to enjoy the fruits of my labour for, so I decided to give the humble blueberry another chance, and get them into a cake of some kind...and there were many choices.  In the end, I decided on a blueberry buckle...yet another recipe from the good people over at Cook's Illustrated.

A few words of "warning":

This uses 4 cups of blueberries...sounds like a lot?  You betcha.  Now, if you absolutely love blueberries, go for the whole 4 cups.  As I am not 100% sold on them, I should have used a tiny bit less than called for because this cake was LOADED with blueberries...like, there was only enough cake to hold the berries together...and it was superb, but in future, I will try this with less berries to see how it turns out.

Also, my pictures all came out blurry, so I have included the photo from the Cook's Illustrated site!

Streusel

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch table salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into 8 pieces, softened but still cool

Cake

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened but still cool

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

4 cups fresh blueberries, picked over

 

For the streusel:
1. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt on low speed until well combined and no large brown sugar lumps remain, about 45 seconds. Add butter and mix on low until mixture resembles wet sand and no large butter pieces remain, about 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer streusel to small bowl and set aside.

For the cake:
2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch round cake pan with 2-inch sides with nonstick cooking spray, line bottom with parchment or waxed paper round, and spray round; dust pan with flour and knock out excess.

3. Whisk flour and baking powder in small bowl to combine; set aside. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, cream butter, sugar, salt, and lemon zest at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes; using rubber spatula, scrape down bowl. Beat in vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds. With mixer running at medium speed, add eggs one at a time; beat until partially incorporated, then scrape down bowl and continue to beat until fully incorporated (mixture will appear broken). With mixer running on low speed, gradually add flour mixture; beat until flour is almost fully incorporated, about 20 seconds. Disengage bowl from mixer; stir batter with rubber spatula, scraping bottom and sides of bowl, until no flour pockets remain and batter is homogenous; batter will be very heavy and thick. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries until evenly distributed.

4. Transfer batter to prepared pan; with rubber spatula, using a pushing motion, spread batter evenly to pan edges and smooth surface. Squeeze handful of streusel in hand to form large cohesive clump; break up clump with fingers and sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Repeat with remaining streusel. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool on wire rack 15 to 20 minutes (cake will fall slightly as it cools).

5. Run paring knife around sides of cake to loosen. Place upside-down plate (do not use plate or platter on which you plan to serve the cake) on top of cake pan; invert cake to remove from pan, lift off cake pan, then peel off and discard parchment. Re-invert cake onto serving platter. Cool until just warm or to room temperature, at least 1 hour. Cut into wedges and serve.

The things we do for family

My brother and I are opposites in almost every way imaginable...tastes in music, political affiliations, socialization, movies, TV shows, books...on and on they go.  It is no surprise then, that we have different tastes in food.  I won't say that I HATE blueberries because "hate" is a strong word...I've just never really come around to them at all.

 

I was out on the weekend, and found myself at a local market.  It's the kind of market that is set up to lure in the tourists from Toronto who come up here on weekends...overpriced produce, and "baked goods" that actually come from M&M Meat Shops (I can say for sure that they had date squares, Tiger Brownies, and Macaroon Madness Bars)...they cleverly cut the rectangles into 8x8 squares (as if baked that way), and cut the trimmings into individually wrapped single servings...sorry folks, you're not fooling me!

 

Anyway, as I was meandering through the market, I came upon a 4 litre basket of blueberries.  I knew they were overpriced, but I immediately thought of him, and how he'd probably love a pie...even a pie baked by his sister who has never used blueberries in ANYTHING before.

 

I used a recipe from Cook's Illustrated...a recipe that is pretty unconventional as it calls for cooking some of the berries first (to evaporate some of the water within), and to use a grated Granny Smith apple as a thickener...and vodka in the pie crust (ESSENTIAL...do not omit).

 

The family was skeptical...as they always are with recipes from Cook's Illustrated, America's Test Kitchen, or Cook's Country...no matter how many fantastic recipes I've used.  Let me make this perfectly clear...this pie was a huge success...so much so, I had to make more last night to freeze so they can enjoy them in the winter.  I encourage you to do the same!

Pie Dough

2 1/2cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

1 teaspoon table salt

2 tablespoons sugar

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 cup vegetable shortening, cold, cut into 4 pieces

1/4 cup vodka, cold

1/4 cup cold water

Blueberry Filling

6 cups fresh blueberries

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated on large holes of box grater

2 teaspoons grated zest and 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca, ground [I used potato starch] 

pinch table salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water [I skipped this egg wash]

Instructions

For The Pie Dough:
1. Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into 2 even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

3. Remove 1 disk of dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave dough that overhangs plate in place; refrigerate while preparing filling until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

For The Filling:
4. Adjust oven rack to lowest position [I don't do this...I always cook on the middle-lower middle rack position], place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place 3 cups berries in medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Using potato masher, mash berries several times to release juices. Continue to cook, stirring frequently and mashing occasionally, until about half of berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly.

5. Place grated apple in clean kitchen towel and wring dry. Transfer apple to large bowl. Add cooked berries, remaining 3 cups uncooked berries, lemon zest, juice, sugar, tapioca, and salt; toss to combine. Transfer mixture to dough-lined pie plate and scatter butter pieces over filling.

6. Roll out second disk of dough on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 11-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Using 1 1/4-inch round biscuit cutter, cut round from center of dough. Cut another 6 rounds from dough, 1 1/2 inches from edge of center hole and equally spaced around center hole. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll over pie, leaving at least 1/2-inch overhang on each side.

7. Using kitchen shears, trim bottom layer of overhanging dough, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Fold dough under itself so that edge of fold is flush with outer rim of pie plate. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Brush top and edges of pie with egg mixture. If dough is very soft, chill in freezer for 10 minutes.

8. Place pie on heated baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until juices bubble and crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. Cut into wedges and serve. [I cooked Sunday's pie for about 35 minutes at 400, then an unknown time at 350 degrees...it was bubbling over, so I wasn't really focusing on the time.  The ones I cooked last night were perfectly done after cooking at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, and at 350 for 15 minutes...but our oven tends to run hot.  To check for doneness, use a butter knife and gently insert into one of the vents.  If the berries feel soft, you're good to go].

They say it's your birthday...we're gonna have a good time...

I love to bake for my coworkers.  They are open to trying pretty much anything, and just appreciate having that afternoon indulgence, I think.  It's also nice to bake for them because it means that I can try out all kinds of recipes without having to have a constant stream of baked goods in my house!

While I have no problem with store-bought cakes for birthdays, I decided that this year, I would give my coworkers the chance to have whatever they wanted for their birthday treats.  They could go with the traditional birthday cake, or opt for pie/cheesecake/cookies/brownies/homemade ice cream...whatever their little hearts desired (not that they have little hearts...quite the opposite).

We have a strange situation here, in that there are only 5 of us (including the boss), and our birthdays are April 4, May 22, June 7, June 21, and July 29...so not a huge amount of time between them.

Birthday #1 was the boss...and it was a challenge...the treat of choice was peach pie.  Now, it just so happens that peach pie is his favourite thing in life.  In fact, when I brought in a peach pie last year at the peak of peach season, he took a picture of it with his phone, and looks at it all year round.  It also just so happens that in Canada, you have a better chance of finding a leprechaun than peaches in April.  But how could I tell him that he couldn't have what he had asked for?  In the end, I used frozen peaches, and manipulated them until they were as similar to fresh peaches as could be expected...and not a bad result.

#2 was to be the first of 2 back-to-back birthdays for the office's peanut butter and chocolate addicts.  The first was a peanut butter and chocolate pie, and the second was a peanut butter cup cheesecake...complete with mini cups chopped into the batter, and glazed with melted down peanut butter cups...both were fantastically rich, and kept in the fridge, provided several days of sugar highs!

#4 was my own birthday, so the coworkers got me a store-bought marble cake from my favourite grocery store bakery.  It was perfect for an unseasonably warm day...downright scorcher, to tell the truth!

#5 was unpredictable.  I had anticipated something really intense and difficult.  I was surprised and thrilled when the verdict came in that it was to be a classic pineapple upside-down cake!  I hadn't tasted one in years, and had never made one at all.

The recipe has been in our family for over 30 years...it was from an old Family Circle magazine from 1984.  It calls for the eggs to be separated, whites beaten, and added in stages, but we've never made it that way.  Also, it calls for 1 hour of baking time.  I cooked this cake for about 40 minutes, and I think that was a touch too long.

Also, I know that the tradition is to bit the rings on whole, and put cherries in the centres....but with a 9x9 pan, you can really only fit 5 rings on...but cutting as I did, I was able to use almost 7...and it was much easier to cut smaller slices for those who wanted to start small.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Topping

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 can pineapple slices

Cake

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Topping

Melt butter and brown sugar in small saucepan.  Cook until bubbly, then pour into 9x9 pan.

Arrange pineapple slices decoratively on top of sugar mixture.

Cake

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs and milk with vanilla, mixing gently after each addition.

Add dry ingredients, and stir until combined.  Do not over beat.

Pour batter on top of pineapple slices, and even out in pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.  Cake is done when few moist crumbs stick to toothpick when tested.

Remove from oven and cool in pan for only 10-15 minutes.  Invert pan on to flat serving surface, and flip over.

Unmold cake from pan.  Serve either slightly warm, or cold.

Risotto: The food that takes so long to prepare, you're no longer hungry enough to eat it once it's ready

I have a very strong belief in taking time to do things.  Maybe it's my Irish heritage coming through (they have a saying, "When God made time, He made plenty of it").  When I have a decision to make about something, I think it to death...obsess about it until I get to the point where I know I'm making the best possible decision.  Don't get me wrong, I don't fault that method...the poorest decisions I've made in my life were ones that were made too quickly.

I think food is the same way.  Sure, throw some meat on the grill, it'll be ready in under 10 minutes, and it'll be delicious.  As I sit here though, I am thinking about things that are just stop-you-in-your-tracks delicious...and they are all things that take a long time to cook, and often require a lot of attention...like risotto.

Ironically, the decision to make risotto for dinner a couple of nights ago was a quick decision...I did not give adequate thought to the time it would take me to go to the store after work for the necessary ingredients, and then get home to cook it in time for a 5:45 dinner bell.

I know that there are all kinds of recipes for risotto that are cooked without constantly stirring, and without adding the broth in stages.  I've even seen a couple that advise cooking in the oven, of all places.  I haven't tried any of these...for the same reason that I've never tried cooking chicken in the microwave to save time...if something is worth doing, it's worth doing well.

The risotto took me about 30 minutes to make, as I needed to sauté mushrooms first...and I'm a firm believer in REALLY cooking mushrooms...sure, you're left with very few, almost chewy pieces, but the concentrated flavour is fantastic.  I stood at the stove and stirred, and stirred, AND STIRRED to the point where I was losing my will to live, let alone my will to eat dinner.

As predicted, it was great risotto...not as great the night after when I had to reheat it as leftovers, to be honest...but I have a plan for the leftovers the next time I make it!

Mushroom Risotto

2 tbsp. each shitake, Portobello, and field mushrooms

2 tbsp. leeks
1 small onion
2 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. garlic
1 cup Arborio rice
1-4 cups chicken stock, room temperature**
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 
Sauté leeks, mushrooms, onion, and garlic in the oil.  Add the rice and continue to cook for another minute or 2, making sure that the rice does not brown.

Slowly add the stock, about 1/2 cup at a time.  Add more stock when the rice has absorbed the moisture in the pan, adding only a little at a time.  When the rice is cooked and firm, but not mushy, finish by adding parmesan cheese and heavy cream.  Season to taste.

**I know that the cardinal rule of risotto is to have the stock hot, but the chef who gave me the recipe insisted that less stock would be needed if it was room temperature.  I would also recommend using a low-sodium stock, as a regular chicken broth will become too salty as it concentrates.

Beyond Excuses

It has been a shockingly long time since I posted anything...so long, in fact, that I had actually forgotten that I had a blog.  I guess it just hasn't been on my radar.

I have been cooking and baking, but not writing about it.  I think I figure that no one reads it, so why bother?  Of course, in studying Social Media, I have learned that a big part of getting followers involves BECOMING a follower of other pages, being active in commenting on those other blogs, and actually being active in blogging....so I receive failing marks on all counts.

Here's something I can tell you about....The Great Strawberry Pie Disaster of 2012 (which, for the record, is very similar to The Great Strawberry Pie Disasters of 2011, 2010, and 2009....)

My maternal grandmother was a saint...she just was.  She was one of the most patient, kind, and loving people I have ever met.  She loved spending time with her grandchildren (just my brother and I), and she doted on us without spoiling us rotten.  She could also grow anything, cook anything, and bake anything....and that was in her blood.

She grew up on a farm in the small community of Banks, Ontario.  She was the only surviving girl out of 5 children.  While growing up, she was expected to help out with the farm chores, but as she hated working in the barn, she decided that helping in the kitchen was going to be her chosen method of helping out.  That worked out well, because her mother was also the cook/bake anything type...and she did it on an old wood-stove to boot!

The only time I ever saw my nan have an incident in the kitchen was during a soft summer day when I was about 8, and she was baking a strawberry pie which ran over slightly....and started a fire in the oven.  Without any sense of panic, she extinguished the flames with a dash of baking soda, then went back to playing cards with her grand-daughter.  The end result of that pie?  Delicious, of course...but not only delicious...also perfectly thickened.  

She used no hard and fast recipe for pies...it was all by eye.  This is not a skill that has passed down through the wonders of genetics.  She used flour as a thickener for her pies, and had that skill of adjusting depending on the juiciness of the fruit.  My mom and I have each made attempts at baking strawberry pies.  She tried flour - soupy, cloudy disaster.  She tried cornstarch - soupy disaster with some jelly-like areas.  I tried potato starch (as I use in my peach pie) - soupy disaster with odd mouth-feel.

Strawberry season is over now, but I know that next season, I will try again...and again...and I'm sure, again after that....but I'm not sure if it's because of my need to finally beat the pie after years of it easily beating me, or if it's the desire to recreate my grandmother's pie from all those years ago.

She died in 1989 of ALS (better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease), a heartless killer that, for some reason, doesn't get the attention (and fundraising) of cancer or heart disease. 

I still think of her when I'm in her kitchen...every time I roll out tea biscuit dough made from her recipe...every time I taste canned peaches or pears and reminisce about the heady summer days of filling tall glass sealers with fresh fruit that was picked at its prime, and preserved so we could enjoy it all winter long...and every time I peek at the oven's contents through the glass in the door, hoping that what comes out of it will be even remotely as good as the food she prepared for her family for all those years, and that I've put as much love into it as I know she did.