Tag Archives: Pie

Icebox Lemon Cloud Pie

Posted on by
Reply
An Icebox Lemon Cloud Pie with a large slice taken from it.
Jump to Recipe

TODAY’S MUSINGS:
One of the “offcuts,” from my upcoming culinary memoir, Gluten for Punishment: Just Desserts for the Heartbroken, Lovesick, and Jilted circa 2010

My last lover, I couldn’t sleep beside him. After sex, I’d doze for an hour or so, but eventually, I’d find myself crawling from his humid breath on the back of my neck to nap on the couch. I’d inevitably slip back between the sheets once the first tawny fingers of dawn tapped at the living room windows, but the real sleep, the vulnerable hours of my deepest dreaming, were spent elsewhere, away from his presence. On a weekend among the Big Sur pines, our first—and last—vacation together, I passed the inkiest hours of my nighttime reveries within the sanctuary of the bedroom next door. I slept soundly, assured this habit of withdrawing to slumber was the fated consequence of my life spent in a single woman’s bed—my destiny.

With Brett, however, I sleep beside him fine. He’s concerned his snoring keeps me awake. I assure him his rhythmic breathing doesn’t trouble my slumber in the slightest—and it genuinely doesn’t. I’m grateful I own a queen-size bed, affording us little room to separate. A contented smile plays across my lips while he spoons me, enveloping my nakedness in a cocoon of safety spun from his warmth along my spine. I need the gentle tonic of his hand atop my hip or my bare foot resting lightly on his calf, the slightest assurance he is there, and I sleep soundly, peacefully, completely.

—Gluten for Punishment:  Just Desserts for the Heartbroken, Lovesick, and Jilted

TODAY’S RECIPE:
I adore this recipe because it’s so quick and easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. And when you take a bite,  it feels like you’re eating a lemon cloud. I created this recipe for a recent women’s getaway and then made it again upon my return. I’ll be serving this all spring and summer long.

Icebox Lemon Cloud Pie

This light, fluffy, lemony pie is easy to make and comes together quickly with just a handful of ingredients.


Ingredients

    Crust
  • 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs (about 11 graham crackers)
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
    • Filling
  • 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
  • 4 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
    • Garnish
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
  • grated lemon zest (optional)

Directions

  1. Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Gently press along the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Place crust in freezer until ready to fill.
  2. In medium bowl, whisk together condensed milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Set aside.
  3. In large bowl, beat 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream and food color (if using) with electric mixer until stiff peak form. Fold ¼ of whipped cream into lemon mixture to lighten it and then fold lemon mixture into remaining whipped cream. Spoon filling into crust. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
  4. In medium bowl, beat remaining 1 cup whipping cream and confectioners’ sugar until stiff peaks form. Top pie with whipped cream. Decorate with additional grated lemon zest (optional). Chill until ready to serve.

Classic Apple Pie

Posted on by
10

Sometimes, you can’t improve on a baked-from-scratch classic, like this Apple Pie. Apples, flaky pastry, and a bit of cinnamon is all that’s needed…except maybe a scoop of ice cream.

Apple Pie from Scratch

I was scrolling through Facebook yesterday and came across two videos of recipes being prepared in fast-motion. They weren’t special recipes – one was carrot cake and other was banana bread. I was astonished to realize the banana bread recipe had received over 8 million hits. Eight…million…hits – for banana bread. My blog is over 10 years old and I haven’t reached 8 million hits total, let alone for one post.

I have online presence envy.

The truth is that I’ll probably never have 8 million hits for a post. Those videos are for people who want a recipe that’s fast…and easy…with as little fuss as possible…and doesn’t require a special pan or spice…and results in something the whole family will love. Those videos are for what I call “Everyday Cooks.” You know who they are. After a full day at work, these folks are expected to arrive home and whip up something soul-satisfying and delicious day after day after day. God bless them. I could never do that – it would suck the joy of cooking right out of me.

Instead, I write for the food enthusiast, culinary explorers who learn about different cultures through preparing and eating their food, who are enamored by new ingredients or cooking techniques, and are willing to sacrifice gluten sensitivities and sugar phobias for the perfect slice of homemade apple pie. We relish the fuss – handmade crusts, apples harvested from the garden. We are a special breed, our numbers are small, but our passion is deep.

For my fellow enthusiasts…


Classic Apple Pie

  • Servings: One 9” pie
  • Print

This crust recipe, my favorite and from The Pioneer Woman, makes three crusts. Not sure what to do with the extra crust? Freeze it and use it for a single-crust pie later.


Ingredients

    FILLING
  • 4-5 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • zest from ½ lemon
  • Juice from ½ lemon
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • CRUST
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup Crisco
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 5 Tablespoons cold water
  • 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
  • 3 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar, preferably turbinado, like Sugar in the Raw

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine apples, brown sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Toss to coat. Set apple filling aside.
  2. Chill butter and Crisco until very cold by placing both in the freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside. Place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and Crisco to flour and pulse on/off until mixture resembles coarse meal (you can also combine the flour and fats using a pastry blender if you don’t want to drag out your processor – more effort, less clean-up). Scrape mixture into a large bowl, add egg mixture, and stir until combined. Don’t overwork dough.
  3. Separate the dough into thirds (If you prefer a more substantial crust, separate in half) and roll into balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and freeze for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill. (If you will be storing the dough in the freezer for a longer period, form dough into a disk and seal in a Ziplock bag. Thaw 20 minutes before using).
  4. Preheat oven to 375⁰. Sprinkle crust with a bit of flour and then, in between two sheets of waxed paper, roll out the bottom crust, starting at the center and working your way into a 11” – 12” circle. Once the dough is the correct size, peel off the top layer of waxed paper and, using the bottom sheet, transfer the dough to a 9” pie pan. Flip the dough over, peel off the bottom sheet, and gently press the dough into the pan. Go around the pie pan tucking the dough to make a clean edge. Freeze until second crust is rolled out. Roll out the second crust into a 12” circle between two sheets of waxed paper and transfer to freezer until ready to use.
  5. Remove the bottom crust from the freezer. Sprinkle with panko crumbs (this helps avoid a soggy bottom crust). Fill with apple mixture, but do not include any juice/liquid that may have accumulated at the bottom of the bowl; Dot filling with bits of unsalted butter. Remove top crust from freezer. Peel off top sheet of waxed paper, flip crust on top of filling, and trim top pie dough so that overhang beyond the pie plate lip is only about 1/2-inch. Tuck rim of dough underneath bottom crust and crimp decoratively. Cut a few decorative vents on top of pie. Transfer pie to a baking sheet and brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
  6. Bake at 375° for 50-60 minutes or until crust is brown and filling is bubbly. If edges brown too quickly, cover edges with foil. Cool completely on a wire rack.