Who Wants Pie?

I know. I post about pie a lot. I'm sorry if you're tired of hearing about pie, but I'm not going to stop. I love pie. (And, this is my blog, after all, people.)

But seriously, who doesn't like pie? And not just a delicious fruit pie. I'm talking about flavorful meaty pies like Hunter's Pie, Tomato Pie, Venison Pie, and the King of all Savory Pies: Chicken Pot Pie.

I was visiting my little (younger, but taller) sister not too long ago and was asked to help with lunch, so I of course put Chicken Pot Pie on the menu. This pie is my standby. I never regret serving it. It's always delicious, and I can make it in my sleep. Chicken Pot Pie is comforting and classic, but served with a salad and a glass of crisp white wine, it becomes a sophisticated meal that everyone likes.

My sister made a perfect pie crust and I filled it with a mixture of peas, broccoli, carrots (lightly cooked), shredded chicken (pulled from a rotisserie bird), and my "gravy" -- garlic, onions, butter, flour, chicken stock, cream, salt/pepper, and tarragon. We overfilled the pan and topped it with another buttery, flaky crust, then baked until golden and bubbly.

When it had rested a bit, we served it up -- it was perfectly lovely. (Just like our day together.)

Three cheers for pie!
xoxo

Fancy Tomato Pie

Tomato pie is back by popular demand.

This time, I went a little fancy and used a fluted French tart pan.  And I mixed in some ricotta with the mayo. So I guess you can call it Fancy Tomato Pie, or a Tomato Pie Tart. It's up to you. Either way, this pie is delicious and delightfully simple to make. (I'm definitely going to be adding it to my "perfect to serve to company" files.)

Fancy Tomato Pie
Ingredients:
1 batch biscuit dough

8 oz. ricotta cheese
2 TBS half and half

2 TBS mayonnaise

Heaping 1/2 cup aged cheddar, grated

Smoked sea salt (or regular Kosher salt is fine)

Ground black pepper

Italian herbs (fresh or dried)
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Garlic powder (optional)

Minimal MESS/ingredients/clean-up: Category 1

To Do: 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Prepare the biscuit mix according to your recipe or the package directions.
• Butter a fluted tart pan (or pie pan) and press the biscuit dough into it.
• In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the ricotta, half and half, mayo, cheddar, salt/pepper and herbs. Spread evenly over the dough.

• Top with tomato slices (seed side up) in a circular pattern, then sprinkle with a bit more salt/pepper, herbs, and a pinch of garlic powder if you want. Note: I was a bit messy with the tomatoes at the end (I have no patience for fanciness), but if you take your time, you'll have a beautiful looking dish.

 

• Bake until browned and bubbly.

• Let cool, carefully remove from tart pan, then cut into wedges.

• Serve pie warm with a green salad and glass of wine. (It's also fabulous eaten cold, for breakfast or a late-night snack.)

xoxo

The Perfect Pie for the Holidays: Apple-Pear-Cranberry Pie with PecanCrumble

Bonjour!

It's been ages since I've posted. (Sorry!) I started a new job not too long ago and it's proving to take up quite a lot more of my time than I anticipated, thus I'm a bit behind on the blog. I'm still active on Instagram (@Gourmess) and Facebook (@PetiteGourmess) so if you miss me, make sure you follow/like me there.

And, since we're a week away from Thanksgiving, I thought I'd dig out one of my old favorites and share it here again. It's been four years since its debut, so I think it's time for a reminder.

So, without further ado, here is my absolute favorite holiday dessert: Apple-Pear-Cranberry Pie with Pecan Crumble. It has nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and Calvados in it, plus lots of butter and brown sugar, and tons of fall fruits. It's delightful and much more interesting than Pumpkin Pie. You can get the recipe here.

You can thank me later. After all, it is the season of giving thanks. (Wink!)
xoxo

Hunter's Pie

~Winter~

Snow falls, and chilly winds blow. Nights are dark, and days are short. We take shelter in our cozy homes and wool sweaters. Roaring fireplaces and favorite bottles of wine warm us.

But what to eat? Bread, steaming from the oven and slathered with butter and honey? Hearty crock-pot stews, rich with root vegetables and exotic spices? Or, maybe a warm slice of pie?

Yes! Pie. Sweet or savory, it's always satisfying, yet simple. (And, who doesn't love pie for dinner?)

Chicken Pot Pie and Tomato Pie are good options, as is Venison Pie, but I was pleased to find a terrific, recipe for Hunter's Savory Apple Pie in the recipe database of Plate Magazine. I only made a few tweaks -- you can't mess it up. (Ground venison instead of veal because I had it, and for the mushrooms, a mix of maitake, portobello, oyster and shiitakes. For the cheese, I had aged, smoked cheddar from Vermont instead of Wisconsin, and my pie crust was whole wheat.) It was so easy to make, and the house smells amazing. Served with a kale salad (with dried cranberries, walnuts and a zippy dressing), a bowl of briny olives, and a bottle of red wine, it is the perfect winter meal. 

Hunter's Pie*

Ingredients:

1 9-inch pie crust, prepared and blind-baked in 350F oven

1/2 stick sweet cream butter (1/4 cup) plus more for roasting veggies

1 lb ground veal or venison 

1/2 lb button or baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup portabello mushrooms, chopped

1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup chanterelle or maitake mushrooms, sliced 

1 medium onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, minced

2 large tart apples, peeled, cored and diced

2 cups butternut squash, roasted and diced 

1/4 cup red bell pepper, roasted and thinly sliced 

12 fresh sage leaves, chopped

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup smoked VT cheddar or Wisconsin white cheddar, shredded

1/4 cup diced bacon

1-2 scallions, chopped

*Adapted from the recipe for Hunter's Savory Apple Pie, www.plateonline.com

Moderate MESS/ingredients/clean-up: Category 4

To Do:

• Place the squash and peppers in a roasting pan and roast in 400F oven with some butter (or olive oil) and a few extra cloves of garlic until tender and staring to brown. 
• Heat butter in a large pan and sauté venison/veal until starting to brown.
• Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic, shallot, apples, and the roasted squash and peppers and cook until the onions are translucent.

• Stir in the sage and season with salt/pepper to taste. 

• Mound into pie shell and top with cheese, bacon and scallions. 

• Bake about 30 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and the pie is warm throughout. 

 

Looks like the "hunt" for the perfect dinner is over, thanks to Hunter's Pie.  Yum!

xoxo

P.S. Want pie for dessert, too?
Try a fan favorite, the always delicious and impressive Apple-Pear-Cranberry Pie with Pecan Crumble  or embrace the chill with a slice of creamy, dreamy Peanut Butter Pie.

Venison Pie

Oh, Deer.

You may remember the traumatic Thanksgiving of 2009 (So Long, Bambi) when I witnessed the demise of a very sweet doe from the window. (How could you forget?) Fast forward to three years later, and this time, we came home from Thanksgiving with a few pounds of recently processed, ground venison. (I thankfully was not present for the death of this year's deer.)

Growing up in western Pennsylvania in a family of hunters, I remember eating a lot of venison: big chunks of meat cooked with onions, peppers and cabbage, or thick slices of venison summer sausage with wedges of Colby cheese. Chris and I even served gorgeous fillets of Buck Island Venison at our rustic, Adirondack wedding.  But I haven't cooked it at home...until now.

We didn't have much in our fridge after being away on vacation, so I raided the freezer and pulled out a pound of the ground venison. I wasn't sure what to make, but I figured that a deer gave its life for this, so I should make the best of it. I did some research, looking for a nice recipe, and I stopped at what sounded like a lovely venison ragu with red wine, sage and papardelle--but, I wasn't in the mood to make pasta, so I settled on one for venison pie because it seemed to have a French influence (the ingredients/accompaniments reminded me a wee bit of Country Pâté) and a pie sounded like a nice idea for a chilly winter's eve. Plus, who doesn't like pie?

There are tons of recipes for Venison Pie on the web -- I looked at dozen or so before I decided to come up with my own version. It turned out great, and I would make it again...as long as no other deer are harmed in the re-making of the pie.

WINTER'S EVE VENISON PIE
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground venison
4 oz. thick-cut bacon (or turkey bacon), finely diced
1 med. onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
Water or red wine
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1-2 TBS all purpose flour (Wondra is great for this)
Pie crust (2)

To Do:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix together the venison, bacon, onion, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic powder and herbs.
• Place mixture in a large pan over medium-high heat and add enough water/wine to just cover the entire bottom of the pan.
• Cook and stir, until liquid has mostly evaporated, meat is no longer pink, and the bacon is cooked. (I used turkey bacon, so it didn't really get crispy, but it did add some nice salty flavor.)
• Lower heat and gently stir in flour, a bit at a time (you may not use it all), until you have a thick, gravy-like consistency throughout.
• Test the cooked mixture for seasoning -- add the Kosher salt and pepper to taste. You can also add a bit more cloves, cinnamon or nutmeg if needed. (It should have a nice warm, spicy flavor.)
• Place one pie crust in the bottom of a pie plate and fill with the venison mixture. Top with the second pie crust, and be sure to vent in the middle.
• Bake at 350 degrees until the pie crust is golden brown.
• Let pie cool a few minutes before serving.
• Assemble olives, pickles, sharp cheese, apples and dried fruits to accompany the pie. 

I served our tasty pie with a quick and hearty squash soup (onions cooked until soft in butter and brandy, diced squash, nutmeg, salt/pepper, and chicken stock, puréed) topped with a dollop of goat cheese, but I was thinking a dab of goat cheese would have been great on the pie, too, along with a spoonful of cranberry sauce or chutney. Still, for my first vension recipe, it tasted pretty terrific. And it wasn't too shabby the next day for breakfast, either.

Mmmm. Sorry Bambi, but you tasted pretty darn good.

xoxo

Chicken, Broccoli and Rice "Pie"

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.  --Julia Child

The beauty and luxury of Central Air is finally sinking in. I've just realized that I can turn the oven on when it is 98 degrees outside and still maintain a comfy 72 degrees inside.  Awesome!  For those of you who don't have CA, maybe wait for a cooler evening to try this one? Or, bring a few more fans into the kitchen area? It's worth it...

I wanted to clear out the freezer a bit, so I whipped up a quick "casserole" using a few chicken breasts, broccoli, brown rice, and shredded cheese that were in there. 

I don't like the bad reputation a "casserole" often brings with it, so I put mine in a pie dish instead. It's not a casserole. It's a pie. And everyone likes pie!  Served with a fun salad of mesclun, dried cranberries, apples, pecans, cheese, and a nice balsamic vinaigrette, this "pie" made for a pretty tasty home-cooked meal.

Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice "Pie"

1 head garlic, minced

1/4 leek (white part only, washed and thinly sliced)

2 TBS olive oil

4 chicken breasts (boneless/skinless)

1 14 oz. bag frozen broccoli florets

1 10 oz. bag frozen brown rice (look for Birds Eye Steamfresh plain brown rice, or just use about 2 cups of cooked brown rice)

1 8 oz. bag Kraft shredded Italian, 5 Cheese

2 TBS Philadelphia Cooking Creme (plain)

1 TBS goat cheese (optional, but recommended)

2 TBS bread crumbs (seasoned or unseasoned is fine)

Salt and pepper to taste

To Do:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
• Spray a normal pie plate with non-stick olive oil and set aside.  
• Saute the chicken breasts in the garlic, leeks and olive oil until cooked through -- don't overcook it, you want it to stay juicy.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool a bit.  
• In the meantime, toss your Steamfresh bag of rice in the microwave. Add the broccoli to your chicken pan. Do not cook through -- just heat through until the pieces are unfrozen and the water has evaporated.  
• Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces and add back to the pan with the broccoli.  
• Your rice should be done -- carefully open the bag and add the rice to the chicken and broccoli and turn off the heat.  
• Stir in the goat cheese and cream cheese until incorporated. If you want it more garlicky, add a teaspoon or two of garlic powder now.  Add salt/pepper to taste. Note: I also stirred in some dried parsley and thyme.
• Stir in half of the cheddar cheese.

• Transfer the mixture to the pie plate, top with the rest of the cheese and the bread crumbs, then bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is gooey and the breadcrumbs have browned.

• Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

Yum!

xoxoxo

Other Ideas:

You could also try switching out the chicken, broccoli and cheddar with:

 - Ham, mushrooms and swiss

 - Ground turkey, green peppers, monterey jack and salsa

 - Bacon, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella