Happy National Pie Day!!!

YES! It has finally arrived! The highly anticipated National Pie Day! And, this lady couldn't be more pleased.

I have two kinds of VERY SPECIAL PIE to share with you today.

As you can see above, last night we were celebrating the eve of this great day by eating some Chicken, Ham, and Fennel Pot Pies.

Freaking ridiculous. So good effin' good that it made me remember why I got so gung-ho about today in the first place.

Above, is the beautiful four-some that emerged from our oven.

Here's a before shot of our gastronomic gems with a little egg-wash:



And what kind of blog would we be if we didn't show you how soft and flaky our crust was?

So that was amazing. But, did you think that was all I was gonna pull out for National Pie Day?

Hells no. I wouldn't jip you like that. Check out the fantastic dessert from start to finish!

Strawberry Butterfly Pie

First, the gorgeous berries are washed:


Next, I rolled out an All-American double crust (notice I drink beer while I work, an absolute necessity):


Then I mixed our strawberries with tapioca, sugar, and cut some butter all around, because, what would pie be without LOTS of butter?:


Finally, it was time to assemble the pie, after cutting a lovely butterfly steam vent, of course:

Into the oven she went, and out she came, looking buxom and bubbly:


And, at last, slices were cut and many-a-tummy was made happy:


Amen! So good it's Godly!

Pie is a passion. And today we can go ALL-OUT!

Make pie, bake pie, and eat pie!

HAPPY NATIONAL PIE DAY!!!

Check out pictures sent to me from fellow bloggers and readers!!!

This beauty was sent to me by Mrs. Hess, one of my most favorite food bloggers! Isn't her Chicken Pot Pie fabulous?! Go check out her blog, Last Night's Dinner, this second! Her culinary adventures will get your mouth watering!



And, look at this bad boy!!! Nabeela, hostess of the wonderful blog Trial and Error, sent me a picture of her luscious Wild Blueberry Crumble Pie, ummm, SCRUMPTIOUS!



And here's a submission from Harry, of The Brooklyn Kitchen. He made a Pumpkin Pie with a Graham Cracker Crust....YUMMY!

Jamaican Beef Pies*

After giving dinner a a great deal of thought, trying to keep in step with this week's pie theme, we decided to bend the rules a bit.

We decided to make some meat pies...

So, we pulled out the beer and the Jamaican Rum (Holla!) and got to cookin' some grub as if we were on the beaches of Negril, as opposed to our cold-ass kitchen.

Above, I rolled out the pastry, which is very similar to the pastry of your traditional pie. Though, it does contain quite a bit more flour.

Then, using an ugly, little bowl, I cut out circles of pastry...which would soon be stuffed with tasty, tasty beef.



addROC stuffed those bad boys, and then sealed them shut with egg and rum...and into the lovin' heat of the oven they went. And, then, after some minor dripping, we removed our tasty Jamaican Meat Pies* from the oven...



Then, we placed a lovely veggie and ranch appetizer on the table for pre-dinner nibbles.



And, for the final plating, addROC mixed up some of his famous bean salad, grabbed our meat pies* and we went to town...



SOOOOOOO delicious. The spices in the meat filling were fragrant and tasty.
It was a new kind of pie, and it got me thinkin' that I should branch out more often.

In conclusion to today's post, I would like to remind you all that:

TOMORROW is National Pie Day.
We will have some special pies to post from our kitchen, and we hope to see your contributions as well!

Send us a photo of the pie you've made (it can be sweet OR savory) with a brief description and we will include it in tomorrow's post.

All entries should be sent to: thebrooklynnester (at) gmail (dot) com

Have a great time baking (and eating) your pie! I look forward to seeing your entries!


*These "pies" are typically called "Jamaican Beef Patties." But, for the sake of pie week, I am taking the liberty of calling them pies. If you have objections to this slight substitution, I apologize, but, in actuality, they are little pies! Extremely delicious little pies!

Keep Your Eyes on the Pies

Yes Nesters, it is a Holiday weekend, in many respects.

This weekend, we celebrate a man whose vision and goodness still resonates throughout this country and the world. On Martin Luther King Day, we all take a moment to remember and to honor a national emblem of peace, whose loss is still felt. And, whose message is carried on by the many hearts he touched.

MLK, The Brooklyn Nester salutes you, for pursuing peace in a world that has far too little.

In addition to remembering Dr. King, addROC and I will be busy preparing for this coming Wednesday, January 23rd. AKA National Pie Day.

(Painting: © Wayne Thiebaud)

I encourage everyone to make a pie! Make many pies!

Email your photos and a short description to [thebrooklynnester (at) gmail (dot) com] and we will post your photos on the 23rd!

For pie-spiration, take a look at all the pies The Brooklyn Nester has made in 2007!!!


Pear Pie. Crisp and lovely!


Cherry Pie. Horrendous!


Apple Pie. Delicious, and oh-so-American!


Raspberry Chiffon Pie. Amazing...my favorite of the entire year!


Peanut Butter Cream Pie w/Chocolate-Coated Rice Crispie^© Crust. addROC liked this one, but, it was a little too much Peanut Butter for me!


Gingered-Lemon Meringue Pie. A sour, bitter disaster.


White Chocolate Pecan Pie. My first pie EVER! And it was good! What can I say? Pie and I are a match made in pastry heaven!!!

So, enjoy your MLK day, and think about making some Pies for Peace.

MLK...this pie's for you!

Nester of the Week: Rose Levy Beranbaum

After officially announcing pie season, here at The Brooklyn Nester, it would be inappropriate to ignore a very special lady who has influenced the world of pie and pastry exponentially. Rose Levy Beranbaum is the author of the famed and, not to mention, completely necessary: The Pie and Pastry Bible.



If you don't have her book(s), I bet you've made one of her recipes. Epicurious.com draws many of their pie and pastry recipes from her books...and, she hosts a wonderful blog, Real Baking With Rose, equipped with recipes and a ton of baking tips and tidbits.

So, this pie season, we celebrate you Rose. Here's to you, for making our quest for the perfect pie just a little bit easier...crust and all.

Prepare Ye, The Way Of The Pie

Hear ye! Hear ye!

It's time to get ready for a holiday that is so great, so spectacular, that it has to wait for Christmas, New Years, and Martin Luther King Day to pass...

Yes...January 23rd is National Pie Day.

And here, at The Brooklyn Nester, we take pie VERY, VERY seriously.

So, in preparation for this great day...it has officially become pie season.

I hope to post several pies in the coming weeks, and, hope to have a VERY special pie on the actual day itself, which happens to fall on a Wednesday.

I encourage you, faithful nester, to make pies as well.

Apple, Mincemeat, Pecan, Sour Cherry, Blueberry, Strawberry Rhubarb, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chicken Pot, and the list goes on....

Make a pie, any pie, send us [thebrooklynnester (at) gmail (dot) com] a photo with a short description and WE WILL POST IT on the 23rd of January, NATIONAL PIE DAY!!!!

Pies now, and forever! Prepare ye, the way of the pie!

A Work In Progress

If there's anything I've learned about pie, it's that only time will tell how good a pie maker you'll become.

My love affair with pie began hastily, a whole mess of pies, all with different fillings: Pecans, Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Raspberry Chiffon, Apple, Cherry, Gingered-Lemon Meringue.

And then I cooled off. Who cared about my pie anyway?
I'd learned to make dough and that was the goal.

Mission accomplished, or so I thought.

Then, on one of the first of the cooler days, it beckoned.

Pie.

And so, I heeded the call.


I filled my bottom crust with sliced pears, flour, sugar, allspice, and a bit of lemon zest.


Then, I rolled out my lovely top crust. (I won't tell a lie, I secretly think that double crusts are FAR superior to open face pies! Open face?! How common!)


And then, serve. With just a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Simple. Crisp. Pretty and plain. Just like Fall.

Perhaps it was just a series of events after all:
The chill, the crisp air at the farmer's market, the Mexican dude who took each perfect Bosc pear and lay them beautifully in a fruity display.

It was pie makin' time.

Wondering what kinda pie I'll cook up next?
Me too.

But the most I can tell you at the moment is, well, I'm workin' on it.

The Ugly Duckling: Cherry Pie

Pies, like everything, are not always perfect.

On the road to the "Baking Mecca" I seek, I understand that there will be some failures that teach me what not to do.

Now, before you think: "Holy lord, this girl has lost it and is now worshipping a Pie God." I'll cut to the chase.

This pie kinda sucked.
It looked bad.
The filling wasn't awful, but, it was pretty bland.
The crust, excellent.
But, overall, dissapointing.

After the initial upset of having an ugly, not particularly tasty pie, I realized:
The Recipe Sucked.

As a cook who hasn't quite mastered the skill of: Recipes by Osmosis, I have to rely on an actual, phsyical recipe.
I use sources that are reliable (or at least have enough good reviews that I feel confident in making/baking it).

This recipe reminded me that some recipes are flawed.
I found it a little strange that the filling ingredients were only: Cherries, sugar, and cornstarch.
But, because it was a recipe from a reliable source, I didn't question it. I followed it blindly, ignoring my pie instincts.

Lesson learned.
I may have 3/4 of an ugly-ass pie in my fridge, but, the lesson couldn't have been sweeter:
Sometimes it's not you, it's a shit-ass muthafucka of a recipe.

Have a great weekend Nesters...

American Pie Apparel?

Fall Fashions for the Ultimate Nester:

Indeed.
That's why we love pot holders!



Well...
I think that's obvious.
The better question is: What kind?





I want to know how Steak and Kidney Pie ended up with the biggest slice.
Ludicrous.




Need I explicate?
I think not.

Purchase these shirts at: CafePress.com.
Except the erroneous "Pie Chart" shirt, which you can find at: Threadless.com

An American Classic

Here she is. The latest in my pie adventures.

Good Ol' Apple Pie. Exquisitely simple. Extremely delicious.

Now that I've earned my "dough chops," so-to-speak, pie has become a whole new ball game.

The obnoxious child in me wants to get decorative and crazy.
But, something in my inner being told me to start where everything starts, at the beginning.

And, just like A starts the alphabet, so Apple starts the pie list in the sky.

So, I eventually told my overzealous alter-ego to calm the fuck down, and I went out and got some Granny Smiths and Fujis. Mixed them with some lemon zest, cinnamon, allspice, sugar, flour, and threw them into this bad-boy.

So.
Fucking.
Good.

Simplicity. It's always a good place to start.

Real Meals. = Real Awesome.

Ah, food. What could be more entertaining?

Whether it's in our own kitchens or on the TV screen, it's an obsession that's growing and growing.
So much so, that we're often forced to watch crap. AKA Rachel Ray, Emeril...amongst other celebrity "chefs" that have little to offer other than, well, BAM!

So, when addROC turned me on to RealMeals.TV it felt like a breath of fresh air.

RealMeals.TV has both professional content and user generated content. And, it all looks great.

If you're trying to learn a new trick...it's handy. Having a video to guide you through your recipe can be mucho-de-helpful to those of us without superior culinary expertise.

I was having trouble with pie dough until I watched this video, now I know what to expect visually, and that's nifty:

It helps to see cooking in action.

And, this site, does it for me. Check it out. Whether you're bored on the couch or looking for some party cocktail ideas, I think that RealMeals.TV is a great place to start.

It's food entertainment, without the hype.

And, isn't that refreshing?

On the Sweet Side...

Shortbread Cookie Sandwiches with Fresh Strawberry Whipped Cream

Yes, I have become a BAKING MACHINE. And, while it may not be great for our guts, it's certainly a treat for our taste buds.

Here are some of the past week's baking adventures!

Above, Shortbread Cookie Sandwiches with Fresh Strawberry Whipped Cream, were easy, light and delicious.

The Cookies: Shortbread made with European Butter
The Filling: Fresh Whipped Cream with minced bits of fresh strawberries

And, they look VERY pretty with very little effort. Something we all can appreciate!

Raspberry Chiffon Pie


My personal favorite of my baking experiments, thus far.

The Crust: Flaky Butter Crust
The Bottom layer: Homemade raspberry jam
The Middle layer: Cream cheese combined with raspberry preserves and Jell-O^©
The Top layer: Fresh cream whipped with sugar

Soooo, delicious. I just have to toot (Toot, toot!) my own horn here.


Peanut Butter Cream Pie w/Chocolate-Coated Rice Crispie^© Crust


The Crust: Rice Crispies^© coated with semi-sweet chocolate and butter
The Filling: Creme Cheese, condensed milk, peanut butter, and fresh whipped creme
The Decorative Topping: Milk Chocolate and Heavy Creme

Well, this was awesome. But, I was so effin' stuffed after a delicious meal, thanks to addROC and Reid, it was hard to really enjoy this pie. But, addROC and I did bring home the leftovers, so, hopefully tonight, dinner will be a little lighter!

The American Pie Council. Yes, it exists.

Holy frikkin' crap. There is an American Pie Council.

As some of you may know, I have recently become quite obsessed with pie. I am all about making a ton of pies until I have perfected the art, and then, I plan to move on to tarts, or something else I suck at.

So, I spend a good 3-4 hours of my workweek surfing the web for new and exciting pie recipes for me to bake and/or destroy.

In this week's search, I came across The American Pie Council. And it's absolutely, fucking brilliant. With posts titled: "Random Acts of Pieness" how can you go wrong? I also learned that National Pie Day is on January 23rd! Who knew?

It's $35 bucks to become a regular member, and $25 for students and seniors.

The subscription is pretty pimp. It entitles you to coupons, opens the door to some pie-networking opportunities, AND, my most favorite part, you get a subscription to: PIE TIMES!!!!

Too much people, too much. I love my pie, but this is ridiculous! Go check it out...there is some serious pie making and baking to be done!

And, the best part is, you can access recipes for the current winners of various regional and national pie competitions!

Sweeeeeet. Literally.

Gingered-Lemon Meringue Pie : 1, Me : 0

Yeeeeah, if this were a tennis match, I would've just gotten ACED.

Even more sad, it was no tennis match, it was another attempt at baking.

Yes, after my success with White Chocolate Pecan Pie, I thought I'd take my new, overpriced mixer and dally about in the land of pie-making prestige and attempt a Gingered-Lemon Meringue Pie.

Alas, It didn't work out the way I'd hoped.

Though it looks pretty in the picture, my Gingered-Lemon filling was a bit too tart, and after baking the meringue on top, the filling wasn't quite set enough for easy serving OR eating.

But, addROC and I agree that it was not a total failure. The crust, while basic, was baked to perfection and had a great flavor, and my meringue was EGGCELLENT!!!

And, let's let that be my baking humor for the day, it only goes downhill from here.

addROC's Kitchen: Skewers, Salads, and Pie! Oh My!

Yet again, addROC made my week by feeding me and our friends.
I love addROC, especially in the kitchen, because, well, his dishes are constantly changing. It turns out, that variety actually is the spice of life and there's nothing like keeping your taste buds on their toes.

This week, addROC went with an Asian theme, and we all reaped the benefits...feast your eyes on this week's tasty treats.

Night #1: Just the Two of Us

Shredded Thai Chicken
with Peanut Sauce Over Soba Noodles

OMG! So frikkin' good. When addROC makes me soba noodles, it's pretty much in the bag, he's gettin' lucky.
This dish was outta this world and I can't wait for the next soba adventure...

Night #2: Entertaining Friends...

Grilled BBQ Chicken Skewers
Toasted Barley, Corn, Onion, and Pepper Salad
Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes and Red Pearl Onions

De-vine. Anything from the grill is always a treat, and, I'm a huge fan of salads with grains.

and

Drumroll...

I actually cooked something for our guests! A Pie! Without any help! Looky here nesters, I'm not as domestically disabled as you all thought!

White Chocolate Pecan Pie

Very tasty, if I do say myself. Though, I do intend to further hone my baking skills, as I ended up buying a rather upscale mixer solely to make this little pie!

Clean plates said it all! Thanks again to addROC...I'm already looking forward to eating next week's editions!