Nantucket Pie Off

My brother in law and sister (Peter and Julia) were nice enough to invite us to accompany them to Peter's parent's house in Nantucket for Memorial Day weekend again this year. 
 

 
 
If you have never been to Nantucket it is a magical place of scrubby trees, fog, and cedar shingled houses.  In fact it is referred to as the "Grey Lady."  Mainly bc of the fog but all of the houses are also grey.
 
 
It is a hike from the B-ronx: 5 hrs in the car, an hr on the ferry, a 30 min wait for a cab, and a 20 min cab ride to the house.
 
It is worth it though. I love it there. 
 

(This is the view from our bedroom)

Do you see the magical rainbow??

 
After the super crazy past couple of weeks I was ready for some serious R&R. 
So I wasn't too upset that the first two days were a bust bc it was freezing cold and raining.
 
Julia took us out to buy groceries and we stopped off at the local farm. 
 

 
They didn't have much, due to the earliness of the season, but they did have some beautiful rhubarb! 
 

 
 
(They also had fiddle head ferns which are these crazy little buggers below.  I have been wanting to try them for years.  You have to boil them for 15 minutes then saute them in butter.  They tasted like a cross between an artichoke and an asparagus.  People were scared!)
 

 
 
Since it was too cold and wet outside to really do much.  And there is no TV.  I decided to make some pies.
 
There has been a debate in the family, mostly an internal struggle Rob's Dad has, about what berry best compliments rhubarb. 
I have done the old standby of strawberry. 
Gone the Pineapple route. 
Even raspberries have joined the fray. 
Lately i have taken to doing all three!
Robby wanted pineapple rhubarb, but i like strawberry rhubarb.
So I made one of each!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since i was in someone else's house I tried to keep it as simple as possible. 
This called for a minimal butter pie crust
(Mix: 1 stick butter, 2 1/2 cups flour w/ pinch of salt, and 3/4 cup cold filtered water.
Refrigerate while preparing fillings.)

Peter's mom has a full kitchen stocked with beautiful depression glass and all the le creuset you could ask for. 
Still it is hard to cook in an unfamiliar kitchen and I ended up having to use the olive oil bottle to roll out the dough!!

It actually made for a pretty decent rolling pin.


Now for the Pie fillings:

Pineapple (8"square dish):

 

Cut 1 small pineapple into 1/2" cubes
Add 2 cups 1/2" cubed rhubarb.
1 cup sugar.
1 tsp lemon juice.
1/3 cup flour


Strawberry (8" round dish):

 

Cut 2 pints strawberries cut into 1/2" cubes
Add 2 cups 1/2" cubed rhubarb.
1 cup sugar.
1 tsp lemon juice.
1/3 cup flour


Bake them both starting at 425 for 15 minutes.
Then reduce the temp to 350 and bake for 30 minutes more.

Refrigerate before serving overnight to set filling.

I made these on Sat but we were so busy relaxing we didn't get to eat them until the last day (Monday).

On Sunday we went on a fabulously exciting fishing trip where we caught 8 bluefish!! 

I say "we," but Julia and I sat in the cabin and stayed dry while the boys caught the fish.

(that's robby)

 

Peter's friend even caught one that was almost 7lbs and was in the running at the bate and tackle shop to win $500.  Of course at the last moment a 10lb fish came and stole the show.

On Monday before we had to catch the 4:35 ferry back we had a wonderful lunch of bluefish, that we caught, fiddle head ferns and potatoes.

We topped it off with the pie.

 

 

 

I think the votes were pretty even, but the pineapple won out.

Izzy seems to favor the strawberry.

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When we got home i made this cradle cake.

I won't say anything else, just thought it made a pretty picture.

 

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HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY.



Derby Day

 
 
So two weekends ago it was the Kentucky Derby.

One of my friends from work had a "Demolition Derby Party" in honor of her and her husband's newly remodled house upstate.

 

At this point you all know I love themes and I love the excuse to bake. So to bring to the party I made three small scale Derby themed desserts. Mini Demolition Derby Pies, Run for the Roses Tartletts, and Sazarac cookies.
 

 
 

(I also love any excuse to buy a dress and in this case a HAT!!!!! Even Robby got a new suit jacket and tie for the occasion.)
 

 
 

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There is a famous Derby Pie that they make at one of the local restaurants.
It is copywrited, and they have been known to sue people over the use of the name. (Essentially it is just a chocolate pecan pie with walnuts instead of pecans.)
So i am going to give my concoction the name of "Demolition Derby Pie," in honor of the party.

 
Demolition Derby Pie
 

 

• pate brisee (make a whole batch and save 1/2 for the upcoming rose tartlettes)
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tbs sugar
• 2 sticks butter
• 1/2 cup cold filtered water
• (blend in food processor until just combined and refrigerate for 1 hr before rolling out)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 stick butter melted
• 1 cup pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup BOURBON!!!!! (it is Kentucky after all!!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the unbaked pie shell in the pie plate. Sprinkle the bottom of the pie shell evenly with chocolate chips.
3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour in a mixing bowl. Gradually mix in the melted butter, then add the nuts and vanilla. Pour the mixture over the chocolate chips.
4. Bake for 1 hour or until the filling is set.

I made 4 small tarts instead of one big pie. I was trying to make the desserts in 1-2 person portions so that they would be easy for people to take at the party.

 
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Next I made a dessert inspired by the fact that the Kentucky Derby is related to roses. The drape the winning horse in a blanket of flowers.
I found this pretty amazing way of making roses out of poached apple slices!!

 
 
Run for the Roses Tartlettes
 

 

• pate brisee (use the second 1/2 saved from the pie above)
• 2 red apples (cored and sliced #1 on mandolin)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tbs corn starch
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• pinch salt
• for poaching liquid:
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Roll out the pate into a typical pie shape but slightly thinner.  Cut into rounds about 4" in diameter.  Press each round into a mini muffin tin.  Fill each mini tin with pie weights (or dried beans).   Bake the shells for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.
3. Whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch. 
4. In separate sauce pan heat milk and sugar till simmering.  Wish into egg mixture slowly to temper the egg batter.  Whisk in vanilla.  Set in fridge to cool.
5. Heat the sugar and water for the poaching liquid until almost boiling and sugar is dissolved.  Pour over sliced apples.  Allow the apples to poach/steep in the liquid until it is room temperature.
6. To make the apple roses take one of the apple rounds and cut a slit in it.  Starting at one end roll it is a tight cone shape then continue to loosely roll the slice around.  Add multiple slices until the rose is our desired size. 
7. Wasn't that super easy and fun?  now roll 100000 more of them!
8. Place a dolup of cooled custard in bottom of each tartlette shell and place 1 apple rose ontop.

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Finally, I made Sazarac Cookies.  Mainly bc it is a classy cocktail and these are classy people.  Also they have Absinthe in them which can make for a loopy doopy time.

 

Sazerac Cooler Cookies

 

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons Sazerac rye
• ½ teaspoon Herbsaint liqueur
• ½ teaspoon Peychaud’s bitters
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 300°.
2. Mix together the flour, cornstarch and salt.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar.
4. Pour in the rye, Herbsaint, bitters and the vanilla and mix until incorporated.
5. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined and the dough becomes slightly fluffy, about 3 minutes.
6. Roll the dough into tablespoon-size balls with your hands and place on a parchment-lined baking pan about 1 inch apart.
7. Flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand.
8. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the cookies are lightly golden and set, about 15 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes to cool, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I forgot to put the bitters in the cookie dough so i melted some almond bark added the bitters to it and drizzled it ontop.


Happy Derby Day!!!!!

 

Robby Didn't like to kiss me with my hat on!